Today's Telecom Pulse
EE fast‑tracks UK 5G+ rollout, leveraging $51 bn BT network upgrade
EE, owned by BT, is accelerating its 5G+ deployment across the UK, using Advanced RAN Coordination to boost download speeds by up to 20% without adding new masts. The rollout will activate 5G+ at more than 25 major events and 30 tourist destinations, extending coverage to 75% of the population, and is part of BT’s roughly $51 bn network‑upgrade programme.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Optimum raises $300M in preferred equity
What Is Ethernet? Everything You Need to Know About Wired Networks
Ethernet remains the backbone of wired networking, offering faster, more reliable and secure connections than Wi‑Fi. Originating at Xerox PARC in 1973, the IEEE 802.3 standard has evolved from 10 Mbps to 40 Gbps for residential use, with each generation maintaining backward compatibility. Modern Ethernet includes a range of cable categories—from Cat 5e for 1 Gbps to Cat 6a for 10 Gbps—and power‑over‑Ethernet (PoE) that can deliver up to 90 W to devices. For both homes and enterprises, switches—managed or unmanaged—determine how effectively these speeds and power capabilities are deployed.
ITS ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Deputy Minister Showcases 5G ITS Corridor
Turkey’s deputy transport minister Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan highlighted the nation’s 5G‑enabled intelligent transportation initiatives at the 17th ITS European Congress in Istanbul. He showcased a 40‑km corridor linking Hasdal junction to Istanbul Airport—the first deployment of 5G roadside units...
Oman TRA Plans 69 Field Visits to Check Telecoms Quality
Oman’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) unveiled its 2026 field‑survey plan, scheduling 69 on‑site visits to assess telecom service quality nationwide. The inspections will span multiple governorates and focus on high‑traffic locations such as town centres, major roads, malls and event...
E& and Huawei Redefine 5G-Advanced with Intelligent Dynamic Network Slicing
e& UAE, the telecom arm of global tech group e&, partnered with Huawei to complete the Middle East’s first proof‑of‑concept of intelligent dynamic network slicing for 5G‑Advanced. The PoC demonstrated real‑time reallocation of bandwidth, compute and radio resources while maintaining...
Adtran, GLDS Partner to Drive Zero-Touch Automation for Subscriber Lifecycle Management
Adtran and GLDS have expanded their partnership to deliver a billing‑driven, zero‑touch automation solution for subscriber lifecycle management. The integration links Adtran’s Intellifi managed Wi‑Fi platform with GLDS’s BroadHub system, enabling automatic provisioning, activation, and updates across access and in‑home...
ECSite, VIAVI Partner to Drive Hyperscale Data Center Fiber Testing
ECSite has integrated its end‑to‑end automation platform with VIAVI’s SmartClass Fiber MPOLx test sets, creating a streamlined workflow for hyperscale data‑center fiber testing. The combined solution automates test execution, validation, and cloud‑based reporting, cutting manual error rates from 10% to...
Jio Eyes to Be Regulatory-Compliant for ‘Premium’ 5G Services: Anshuman Thakur
Reliance Jio announced that its home‑grown standalone 5G stack is ready to launch premium, SLA‑backed services, but the company will wait for full regulatory clearance before commercial rollout. The network already supports ten live slices covering enterprise, IoT, gaming, and...
TRAI Seeks Stakeholder Views on Public Wi-Fi Proliferation
India's telecom regulator TRAI has released a consultation paper seeking stakeholder feedback on expanding public Wi‑Fi. The paper follows the PM‑WANI scheme, which has installed 410,000 hotspots as of April 2026, with telecom operators contributing 55,483 hotspots and RailTel covering over...
AI-Driven RAN Has Potential, but Cost May Be a Challenge: Vodafone Idea CTO
Vodafone Idea CTO Jagbir Singh says AI‑driven radio access networks (AI‑RAN) can boost efficiency and enable edge services, but the added expense of GPUs, high‑power CPUs and fiber may limit adoption to niche scenarios. He notes that deploying such compute...
Struggling Telecel Zimbabwe Put up for Sale Amid $240M Debt Crisis
Telecel Zimbabwe has been put up for sale, with offers due by April 28, 2026, as it seeks to exit a court‑supervised rehabilitation that began in October 2025. The operator is burdened with more than $240 million in debt and its...
Hong Kong First in U6G Spectrum Forging a Global 5G‑A Benchmark Through Synergy
The Huawei 5G‑A Summit 2026 in Hong Kong highlighted the city’s early U6 GHz spectrum allocation and its pilot deployments of 400 MHz mmWave bandwidth delivering gigabit and 10‑Gbps services. Government regulators pledged continued spectrum supply, building access and subsidies to cement...
The Essential Infrastructure No One Is Planning For
Higher education leaders routinely prioritize enrollment, retention, facilities, and cybersecurity, yet they overlook explicit planning for campus connectivity. Data from four consecutive EDUCAUSE Top 10 lists shows connectivity never appears as a standalone issue, and 46% of institutions admit to deferring...
APNIC and PITA Renew MoU to Strengthen Cooperation in the Pacific
APNIC and the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding, updating a partnership first signed in 2002. The refreshed agreement, signed at PITA 30 in the Cook Islands, emphasizes joint training, capacity building, and the launch of...
This Week: Q1 '26 Earnings - AT&T, Comcast, and Charter and the Rise of Fiber Castles
In this episode the analysts dissect Q1 2026 earnings for AT&T, Comcast and Charter, focusing on how fiber deployment—coined “fiber castles”—is reshaping subscriber dynamics. AT&T shows strong gains inside its fiber footprint but losses elsewhere, highlighting the limits of fixed wireless...
Telecom Body Urges Govt to Lower Spectrum Prices, Cites No Return on 5G Investment: Report
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has urged the government to lower the base price for the upcoming spectrum auction, arguing that telecom operators have not yet recouped the billions invested in 5G infrastructure. TRAI has set the base...
South Africa Comms Minister Argues with ICASA
South Africa’s communications minister Solly Malatsi publicly rebuked regulator ICACA for dragging its feet on a licensing decision tied to SpaceX’s proposed satellite broadband rollout. The dispute centers on a December policy direction that obliges ICACA to align licensing with...
NYU, Cisco, Qunnect Demonstrate Quantum‑Internet Link Over City Fiber
New York University, together with Cisco and Qunnect, has linked three city sites—two in Brooklyn and a hub in Manhattan—using entangled photons transmitted over existing telecommunications fiber. The experiment proves entanglement swapping can extend quantum links without new infrastructure, a...
Viasat's ViaSat‑3 F2 AERA Satellite Set to Double In‑Flight Broadband Capacity by May
Viasat announced that its new ViaSat‑3 F2 AERA satellite, built by Boeing, will more than double the capacity of its current fleet and enter service in the Americas by May. The move aims to cement Viasat’s lead in inflight connectivity amid...
Blue Origin Recovers New Glenn First Stage but Loses AST SpaceMobile Satellite to Wrong Orbit
On April 19, 2026 Blue Origin successfully landed the reused first stage of its New Glenn heavy‑lift rocket, but the upper stage delivered AST SpaceMobile’s 6,100‑kg BlueBird 7 satellite into the wrong orbit. The mixed outcome highlights the difficulty of pairing booster reuse...
How to Build an AI-Native Telco (And Why 99% of Operators Will Fail)
The article argues that telecom operators must transform from fragmented, human‑driven processes to AI‑native, closed‑loop operating systems. By converting every meeting, workflow and manual task into searchable data, operators can create a "queryable company" that continuously learns and optimizes. This...
ULA’s Atlas V 551 Set for Amazon LEO‑6 Launch Monday Night From Cape Canaveral
United Launch Alliance is scheduled to lift off an Atlas V 551 rocket on Monday, April 27, from Space Launch Complex‑41 at Cape Canaveral, carrying the next tranche of Amazon’s low‑Earth‑orbit broadband satellites. The mission, pending final range approval, marks...
Verizon Adds 341,000 Broadband Subs
Verizon reported adding 341,000 broadband subscribers in Q1, a figure that excludes the first 20 days of January from the recent Frontier acquisition. While fiber and fixed‑wireless adds fell short of expectations at 127,000 and 214,000 respectively, the company posted...
Fact of the Week – 4/27/2026
Cellular IoT antenna shipments surged to 757 million units in 2025, a 23 percent year‑over‑year increase, according to Berg Insight. The jump signals a shift from pilot projects to industrial‑scale deployments across logistics, utilities, automotive and smart infrastructure. Analysts forecast shipments will...
COAI DigiCom Summit 2026 Sets AI, 5G, 6G Roadmap for India
At the COAI DigiCom Summit 2026 in New Delhi, India’s telecom operators and regulators agreed on a coordinated plan to embed artificial intelligence in services, accelerate 5G deployment and launch a research framework for 6G. The agenda signals a decade‑long...
Calix Sets 15% Growth Goal, Rolls Out AI‑Native Platform at Investor Day
At its Investor Day, Calix unveiled a 15% revenue growth target for the coming year, backed by the completion of its AI‑native Calix 3.0 platform. CEO Michael Weening highlighted operational efficiencies, a strategic shift to Google Cloud, and a $10 billion addressable...
SpaceX’s 50th Falcon 9 Launch of 2026 Deploys 25 Starlink V2 Mini Satellites
SpaceX launched its 50th Falcon 9 rocket of 2026 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, sending 25 Starlink V2 Mini broadband satellites into orbit. The mission used booster B1088 on its 15th flight, achieving the 193rd landing on the drone ship Of...
The World’s Data Lifelines Are Increasingly Exposed to Sabotage
Undersea cables transport roughly 99% of global internet and AI traffic and are increasingly used to move renewable power from offshore projects. The network is set to expand dramatically, with 119 new cables slated for deployment in 2026, up from...
Vi Takes on Jio and Airtel with New Unlimited Data Plans and Budget Packs
Vodafone Idea (Vi) unveiled a new prepaid portfolio that mixes low‑cost entry plans with 180‑day "NonStop Hero" unlimited‑data packs. The Rs 325 (~$4) plan offers 10 GB data, unlimited calls and 300 SMS for a month, while the Rs 2099‑Rs 2180 (~$25‑$26) bundles deliver...
Resilience Is a Critical Link in West Africa’s Digital Economy
At the 2026 International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit, leaders highlighted that resilience has become an economic imperative for West Africa’s $800 billion‑plus economy. A March 2024 multi‑cable outage slashed internet traffic by over 50%, exposing the fragility of a digital sector...
The FCC Just Said ‘No’ to SpaceX for Now
The Federal Communications Commission rejected SpaceX's petition to use Mobile Satellite Service spectrum for direct‑to‑device connectivity on April 23, 2024. The denial blocks SpaceX from expanding its Starlink Mobile service, which launched in July 2025 with messaging and later broadband....
SpaceX Files FCC Application for Quad‑Band Starlink Gateway in Texas
SpaceX has submitted an FCC filing for a next‑generation Starlink gateway at its Bastrop, Texas manufacturing plant. The proposed station will use 40 quad‑band antennas with 1.99‑meter dishes, expanding spectrum use to Ka, V, E and W bands and paving...
Japan and EU to Partner on Undersea Cable Protections
Japan and the European Union announced a joint initiative to develop and deploy advanced technologies for protecting, laying, and maintaining undersea telecommunications cables. The partnership follows a surge in sabotage incidents after the 2022 Ukraine invasion, which have highlighted the...
Kristian Stout and Michael Calabrese: The FCC Lets Satellite Innovation Breathe
The FCC is poised to vote on a draft order that would replace the 1990s‑era Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) limits with a performance‑based framework for non‑geostationary satellite constellations. The new rules would assess actual interference on legacy geostationary systems...
Americans Are Losing Patience With Their Internet, and These States Are Complaining the Most
A new FCC‑based study from Abogados NOW reveals stark regional differences in internet service complaints, with West Virginia topping the list at 652.36 complaints per 100,000 residents. Alabama, Delaware, Florida and New York follow, driven largely by billing disputes, limited availability,...
Carriers' Specs and Colors Cripple US Phone Market
This has always been the case even way before Chinese brands were in. Carriers dictate specs, make the accreditation process a pain and want exclusive colors that just don’t make business sense for the volumes sold
Bundling Dial‑up Lines for Higher Bandwidth, Nostalgic Tech
I’m old enough to have filled around with bonding multiple 56kbps dial-up lines into one for higher bandwidth. True dark ark back then. @aadetugbo did you do this?
Cass County Emergency Alerts Cancel Tornado Warning During Belton EF1 Tornado
Cass County's Emergency Services Board and the Everbridge platform mistakenly sent five cancellation alerts while an EF1 tornado ripped through Belton on April 17. The error, occurring within 17 minutes, highlighted vulnerabilities in telecom‑based public‑safety communications.
FCC Bans Sale of Non‑U.S. Made Home Routers, Upending Global Networking Market
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has prohibited the sale of any new home router models that are not built in the United States. The ban, effective immediately, requires manufacturers to submit detailed on‑shoring plans or face exclusion from the U.S....
Jio’s 5G ‘Faster Lane’ Service Rollout Hinges on Policy Clarity, Demand
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd confirmed it will not apply network slicing to ordinary mobile voice or data services at this time. The company plans to expand premium 5G offerings—such as gaming, IoT, and enterprise slices—only when user demand and willingness...
FAA Launches Biggest ATC Modernization Since the Jet Age, Adding Fiber Optics and Digital Strips
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a multi‑year, $?? billion modernization of the U.S. air‑traffic‑control system, replacing half of the legacy copper network with fiber‑optic lines, upgrading thousands of radios and radars, and digitizing flight‑strip processes. The plan also sparked a...
Satellite Services for Yachts
Yacht satellite connectivity has moved from a single‑subscription model to a layered architecture that combines LEO, MEO and GEO services with dedicated safety and backup links. Operators such as KVH, OmniAccess and Marlink now offer managed packages that orchestrate traffic,...
Germany Unveils 2025‑2030 6G Research Roadmap to Shape Future Telecom
The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space released a 23‑page 6G research roadmap covering 2025‑2030. The plan sets out four strategic pillars and concrete measures to accelerate research, development and market uptake across Europe. Industry and academia are...
Nvidia's $1B Nokia Deal and OCUDU Consortium Signal 6G Push as 5G Remains Incomplete
At Mobile World Congress 2026, telecom leaders announced a $1 billion Nvidia‑Nokia partnership and the formation of the open‑source OCUDU consortium, underscoring a rapid shift toward 6G even as 5G networks remain only partially deployed. The moves illustrate operators’ willingness to...
NASA Reserves Science Payload Space for Mars Telecommunications Mission
NASA is reserving up to 20 kg of space on its Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN) satellite for a science payload, limited to a 55 × 55 × 45 cm volume, 60 watts power and 200‑1,000 megabits of data per day. The $700 million MTN, mandated by a 2023 budget...
WisdPi’s $80 RTL8159 USB‑C 10 GbE Adapter Beats Bulky Thunderbolt Options
Jeff Geerling tested WisdPi’s $80 RTL8159‑based 10 GbE USB‑C adapter and found it far smaller and cooler than traditional Thunderbolt solutions. Full 10 Gbps throughput was achieved only on a desktop with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 port, while laptops topped out at 6‑7 Gbps. The...
FCC Paperwork Dispute Threatens Rural Wireless Broadband Rollout
Brevet Capital, managing about $2.5 billion, faces an FCC‑driven revocation of spectrum licenses after a paperwork error in a 2021 bankruptcy transfer. The dispute could stall high‑speed internet expansion to underserved rural areas and deter future private‑sector investment in satellite spectrum.
COAI DigiCom Summit Calls for AI‑Led Networks and Tougher Anti‑Fraud Measures in India
At the COAI DigiCom Summit 2026, regulators and industry leaders pressed for AI‑led telecom networks, a hybrid fiber‑and‑FWA broadband model and tighter anti‑fraud systems. The push comes as fixed‑line subscriptions reach 63 million (about 20% of households) and India eyes a...
Cisco Unveils Room‑Temperature Universal Quantum Switch, Enabling Cross‑Vendor Quantum Networks
Cisco introduced its Universal Quantum Switch prototype, a room‑temperature device that can translate and route quantum information across disparate quantum processors using standard telecom fiber. The switch achieved sub‑4 % fidelity loss and sub‑nanosecond switching, marking a first step toward interoperable...
Your Router Silently Tracks You—18 Ways to Stop It
Your Wi-Fi router isn't "accidentally" tracking you. It's a feature, not a bug. I searched for a specific medical symptom once. 10 minutes later, my partner had an ad for it on their laptop. It’s called "IP-Bridging," and it’s happening through...
SpaceX's Ground Gateways Still Use Mechanical Parabolic Antennas
SpaceX uses phased-array antennas for user terminals, but gateway antennas use parabolic antennas that mechanically move (rotate/tilt) to follow satellites. New frequencies will be used to increase speed There are lots of tradeoffs because: physics. https://t.co/Wnmwzxdbq8 https://t.co/Cr7UyJA281