Today's Telecom Pulse
SpaceX’s Starlink generates $3.3B in Q1 2026, 69% of quarterly revenue
SpaceX reported Starlink revenue of $3.3 billion in Q1 2026, representing 69% of its total quarterly revenue of $4.7 billion. In fiscal 2025, Starlink contributed $11.4 billion of the company's $18.7 billion revenue, while the launch segment generated $619 million in Q1 and $4.1 billion for the year. The AI division posted a $6.4 billion loss despite $12.7 billion in capital expenditures.
Also developing:
By the numbers: BizLink acquires Interplex Datacom for $850M
T‑Mobile’s 5G‑Low‑Latency ABS System Cuts MLB Strike Review to 15 Seconds
T‑Mobile’s ABS Challenge, built on a private 5G network, now verifies MLB strike calls in an average 15.4 seconds. Deployed in all 29 U.S. ballparks, the system leverages 12 Hawk‑Eye cameras and 2.3 ms latency to deliver real‑time animations that overturn 53% of challenged calls this season.
Aditya Birla Group Injects $500 Million Into Vodafone Idea to Shore up Debt
Vodafone Idea (Vi) approved a ₹4,730 crore ($500 million) preferential allotment of convertible warrants to Aditya Birla Group’s Singapore arm, Suryaja Investments. The capital infusion is designed to trim Vi’s near‑₹1.8 trillion debt load and keep the carrier competitive in India’s crowded telecom...
AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon Launch Satellite Venture to Eradicate U.S. Dead Zones
AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon have announced a joint satellite‑based venture aimed at nearly eliminating dead zones in underserved U.S. areas. The collaboration will route mobile traffic directly to satellites, reducing reliance on traditional towers and promising more reliable service during...
West Bengal Adopts Centre’s Telecom RoW Rules, Scraps 2023 State Guidelines
West Bengal has adopted the Centre’s Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, effective from 1 January 2025, and simultaneously withdrawn its 2023 state‑specific telecom infrastructure guidelines. The notification requires all state departments, statutory bodies and parastatals to follow the national framework for...
World Telecom Day 2026: Resilient Networks to Drive India’s Digital Future in AI Age, Say Executives
On World Telecom Day 2026, Indian telecom leaders stressed that AI‑resilient, intelligent networks are essential for the country’s rapidly expanding digital economy. Executives from COAI, the Indian Space Association, Nokia and other firms highlighted the need for robust terrestrial and...
Taiwan Sets 6G Spectrum Roadmap, Targeting Year‑End Proposal
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs said it will present a 6G spectrum strategy before the end of 2026, outlining candidate bands from 600 MHz to 6 GHz. The plan aims to refarm existing frequencies and align Taiwan’s future network with international standards,...
FCC Grants AT&T One‑Year Waiver on China‑Made Router Ban
The Federal Communications Commission approved a one‑year waiver for AT&T, allowing its suppliers to make limited hardware changes to routers on the Covered List. The decision, effective until May 15 2027, aims to prevent broadband outages without compromising the security intent of...
Starlink Connects Learners to Global Markets, Lifts Living Standards
Starlink Internet access enables people to learn anything and access the global market for their goods & services, improving their standard of living
Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea: Data Usage Trends and ARPU Reported in Q4FY26
Indian private telecoms Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea released Q4FY26 results, highlighting divergent data‑usage patterns and ARPU shifts. Airtel logged 31.4 GB per user monthly with an ARPU of Rs 257 ($3.10), a slight dip from the prior quarter. Jio...
UK Competition Authority Probes Microsoft’s Software Bundling and AI Lock‑in, Telecoms Watch
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s practice of bundling its business software with AI capabilities such as Copilot. The probe targets potential lock‑in effects that could limit choice for enterprise customers, including...
NBN Co Lifts Wholesale Broadband Rates by up to AU$2.34 ($1.55) on July 1
NBN Co will raise wholesale prices for its most popular broadband tiers on July 1, with the NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans seeing a maximum AU$2.34 ($1.55) increase. The adjustments follow the regulator‑mandated Special Access Undertaking and will force ISPs to decide...
NEC Constructs 2,250 Km EMCS Submarine Cable Linking Pacific Island Nations
NEC Corporation completed construction of the 2,250‑km East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS), linking Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia. The cable connects Tarawa, Nauru, Kosrae and Pohnpei, providing the first optical fiber link for Kosrae and Nauru, which...
Comcast Settles Data Breach Class Action for $117.5 Million
Comcast has agreed to a $117.5 million settlement to resolve a class‑action lawsuit stemming from a 2023 data breach that exposed personal information of millions of Xfinity customers. The deal, filed in Pennsylvania federal court, sets a baseline $50 payment for...
AST SpaceMobile Surges 11% as AT&T, Verizon and T‑Mobile Back Satellite‑to‑phone Service
AST SpaceMobile stock climbed more than 10% after AT&T, Verizon and T‑Mobile unveiled a joint venture to deploy the company’s satellite‑to‑phone service in U.S. dead zones. The carrier coalition aims to pool spectrum and leverage AST’s BlueBird satellites, positioning the...
Red Hat Dials in on Telco Cloud Modernization as Legacy Pressure Mounts
Red Hat is pushing OpenShift Virtualization as a unified platform to accelerate telco cloud modernization, addressing legacy silos and the rapid rollout of 5G, 6G and edge AI. The company highlighted a New Zealand Group case where workload deployment speed improved by...
Top US Carriers to Offer Direct Satellite Phone Service
America's three biggest mobile networks reveal plans to bring direct-to-device satellite connections to customers. https://t.co/WgEtUmes5L
Huawei Shifts to Homegrown Chips as U.S. Sanctions Tighten
Huawei Technologies is redirecting its telecom equipment strategy toward domestically produced Ascend processors and new regional customers after U.S. sanctions blocked imports of high‑end Nvidia and AMD chips. The move reshapes supply chains and raises competition for rivals in both...
Bezeq Telecom Deploys Subsea Internet Cable
Bezeq Israel Telecom has launched a $172 million subsea cable project to create a high‑speed link between Europe and Asia via Israel. The 400‑terabyte capacity system will be deployed over two years, with a European partner to be announced soon and...
Airtel Says 5G Network Is Fully SA Ready, FWA Already Runs on Standalone 5G
Bharti Airtel announced that its 5G network is now fully standalone (SA) ready, with its fixed wireless access (FWA) service already operating on the SA architecture. While mobile users will be migrated to SA 5G in phases, the company highlighted...
‘We Did Not Compromise’: Northern Mariana Islands Advances Fully Underground Fiber Buildout
The Northern Mariana Islands signed a four‑year agreement to construct a fully underground, climate‑hardened fiber‑optic network that will reach every resident, business and anchor institution. The build is financed by a $31 million federal BEAD grant matched by nearly $22 million in...
China Telecom Advances ALC Landing in Hong Kong
China Telecom successfully landed the 6,200‑kilometer Asia Link Cable (ALC) at Hong Kong's Chung Hom Kok station on May 14, 2026. The system, co‑developed with 13 regional operators, offers more than 325 terabits per second of capacity and will become...
Beyond the Cable: How ISPs Can Better Monetize Networks
Cisco senior business development manager Robin Olds told Broadband Communities that ISPs must move beyond speed‑only pricing. He advocated tiered quality‑of‑service plans, network slicing, and performance‑lane offerings to monetize latency, jitter and packet loss. Olds also highlighted AI edge services...
Companies Say They Can Track Starlink Users. Should the Government Be Worried?
A trio of firms—TechTarget, Rayzone and Shoghi—are marketing software that can locate and identify Starlink satellite terminals for government customers. The tools rely on publicly available data sources rather than direct access to SpaceX systems, raising privacy and security concerns...
Rogers Keepy-Ups 5G Game for FIFA World Cup
Rogers Communications is bolstering its 5G network for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, allocating CAD5 million ($3.6 million) to upgrades in Vancouver and planning CAD22 million ($15.9 million) for Toronto. The upgrades cover the BP Place stadium, fan zones, hotels and key transport hubs...
Sparkle Expands Jordan-Europe Digital Corridor
Sparkle, Italy’s leading international service provider, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan’s NaiTel and consultancy iLevant to extend the EU‑funded GreenMed submarine cable through Jordan. The partnership will integrate the subsea system with Jordan’s terrestrial fiber and interconnection...
This SoCal City Wants to Give Residents Free or Cheap Internet
Bellflower, a Southern California city, is teaming with BEC Technologies and local internet service providers to launch a city‑wide wireless network that will deliver a free basic tier and low‑cost premium options to residents. The initiative is financed through municipal...
Vodafone Rolls Out 5G Fixed‑line Broadband to 3.7 M UK Homes, Speeds up to 150 Mbps
Vodafone has launched a 5G fixed‑line broadband service in the United Kingdom, covering an additional 3.7 million homes and delivering speeds of up to 150 Mbps. Monthly fees start at £21 (about $27) on a 24‑month contract, positioning the offering against Three’s...
Why the Big Three Telcos' Satellite Joint Venture Is Good for America
AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon announced a joint venture to create a unified, standards‑based direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite platform. The venture pools spectrum and technical resources, allowing any compliant satellite constellation and handset to work across all three carriers. Existing carrier‑satellite agreements...
NextNav Joins OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation to Advance Open Source 5G and 6G Integrated Sensing and PNT
NextNav Inc., a veteran in terrestrial positioning, navigation and timing, announced its membership in the Linux Foundation’s OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation. The collaboration will embed the 3GPP Positioning Reference Signal into the open‑source CU/DU code base, enabling integrated sensing and communications...
The Buildout: Nextlink, Vistabeam Start BEAD Activations
Nextlink activated the nation’s first BEAD‑funded fixed‑wireless tower in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, unlocking service for 104 locations and tapping $18.5 million of state funding. The company has secured a total of $95.6 million in BEAD grants across 11 states, backed by AMG...
Edotco Deploys BWA with Mobile-to-WiFi Connectivity in Malaysian Remote Community
Edotco has rolled out a broadband wireless access (BWA) solution with mobile‑to‑WiFi capability in the remote village of Uma Lesong, Sarawak, Malaysia. The deployment was executed alongside local partner Kejuruteraan Rasshin and technology providers VSD Communications and Aminia. The service converts...
From Reachability to Resilience: The GCC’s Connectivity Journey
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has transformed from limited fixed‑line reach to a world‑class mobile ecosystem within a generation. Opensignal’s Q1 2026 data shows less than 3% of connected time on 2G/3G, far below the 21.6% average in non‑GCC MENA markets....
Ericsson Elevates Wireless WAN From Failover to Foundational
Ericsson unveiled new networking systems, including the Cradlepoint W2255 adapter and upgraded NetCloud Wireless WAN orchestration, to shift wireless WAN from a backup role to a core network layer. The solution blends 5G SA (Release 17) and LEO satellite links, offering up...
ZTE Showcases at GSMA M360 LATAM 2026, Driving Future Business Model Restructuring - AI & Network Two-Way Integration
ZTE showcased its AI‑Native network strategy at the GSMA M360 LATAM 2026 summit, emphasizing a two‑way integration of artificial intelligence and telecommunications. The company highlighted a 20% increase in 5G cell throughput and a 38% reduction in power consumption achieved...
Beeline Russia Upgrades Mobile Network in Moscow Region
Beeline announced a network expansion in the Moscow region, adding new base stations in Ramenskoye, Odintsovo and Dimitrov while upgrading existing sites in Elektrostal, Balashikha and Ramenskoye. The upgrades focus on enhancing 4G LTE capacity and modernising antenna infrastructure. Construction...
The Friday File: US Operator JV; Nokia; Ericsson
U.S. carriers AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon announced a joint venture to deploy satellite‑based direct‑to‑device connectivity, aiming to fill coverage gaps in rural and underserved areas. Nokia appointed Siemens executive Emma Falck as president of its Mobile Infrastructure unit to accelerate...
MaxLinear Targets AI Driven 5G Backhaul with Trinity Platform
MaxLinear unveiled Trinity, an AI‑enabled, cloud‑managed wireless backhaul platform that supports up to 10 Gbps bidirectional speeds. Built on the URX850 system‑on‑chip, Trinity consolidates multiple radio functions, cutting component count, power draw and system cost. The company claims the solution can...
Ericsson Targets Taiwan to Accelerate 6G Rollout Ahead of 2029 Spec
Ericsson announced it expects the first fully implementable 6G specification by March 2029 and is actively courting Taiwan partners to secure critical components and expertise. Marie Hogan, head of Ericsson’s 6G program, said the move is meant to lock in...
FCC Clears Verizon’s $1 B Spectrum Purchase From Array Digital, Boosting 5G Capacity
The Federal Communications Commission gave the green light to Verizon's $1 billion purchase of cellular, AWS‑1, AWS‑3 and PCS licenses from Array Digital Infrastructure. The deal adds mid‑band spectrum to Verizon Wireless, strengthening its 5G network as carriers scramble for capacity...
FCC Moves to Tighten KYC Rules for Voice Providers and Targets Upstream Transparency
The Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal to expand its Know‑Your‑Customer (KYC) framework for voice service providers and released a draft rule on upstream‑provider transparency. The measures, adopted by a 3‑0 vote, seek to make it harder for scammers to...
BSNL Kavach: How to Recharge Phone Without Sharing Mobile Number
BSNL introduced Kavach, a free service that generates a temporary virtual number for offline prepaid recharges, allowing customers to keep their real mobile number private. Launched on International Women’s Day 2026, the feature targets safety concerns especially for women in...
Iran Is Threatening Undersea Cables. The World’s ‘Digital Chokepoints’ Have Never Been More Vulnerable
Iranian state-linked media floated a plan to levy fees on operators of undersea internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a new geopolitical threat to the world’s digital infrastructure. The proposal follows recent warnings that the Hormuz corridor,...
Telconet, C3ntro to Launch CSN-2 AI Backbone
Telconet and C3ntro Telecom announced CSN-2, a new subsea‑terrestrial fiber system linking Veracruz, Mexico, to Apalachee Beach, Florida, with branches to Galveston and a potential connection to Bonita Beach. The cable integrates with C3ntro’s Tikva terrestrial network, creating a continuous...
Wireless Now Comcast's Top Priority, CEO Says
Comcast has declared wireless its top priority, with Xfinity Mobile hitting 9.73 million lines after a record Q1 addition of 435,000. The company is shifting toward premium mobile offerings, launching the $45 Mobile Plus plan and seeing a 30% uptake on...
Ribbon Partners with Salesforce
Ribbon Communications and Salesforce announced a partnership that embeds Ribbon’s Session Border Controller Cloud‑Native edition (SBC CNe) and Policy and Routing Engine (PSX) into Salesforce’s Agentforce Contact Center. The integration enables cloud‑native, containerized voice routing and security for both AI‑driven and...
Carrier JV Locks Satellite Access Behind Telecom Fronts
The Big Three carriers forming a JV for satellite D2D is a defensive play IMO. T-Mobile already runs D2D with Starlink. AT&T and Verizon have AST SpaceMobile partnerships. They were missing a unified position keeping satellite providers from reaching customers...
JV Among Dominant Carriers Likely Stifles Competition
OK, someone other than me is asking "how can a JV between the 3 remaining national carriers to create a single market for competing D2C providers not be anticompetitive?" Time for a little story . . . .
Worldwide RAN Market Remained Stable in 1Q 2026 – Dell'Oro
Dell'Oro’s Q1 2026 report shows the worldwide Radio Access Network (RAN) market staying within a narrow –4% to +4% year‑over‑year band for the fifth straight quarter. Revenue, excluding services, rose at a low‑single‑digit pace, extending the modest growth seen in 2025. Growth...
New Comcast CEO Declares Wireless Top Priority
"Wireless is 'our number one priority as we push forward,' says Steve Croney, the new CEO of Comcast's Connectivity & Platforms unit." via @thebauminator https://t.co/CBWH1QfuZm
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Join Forces to Eliminate Mobile Coverage Dead Zones
AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon announced a joint venture aimed at eradicating mobile dead zones across the United States, with a focus on rural and underserved areas. The carriers will pool limited spectrum and partner with satellite providers to deliver direct‑to‑device...