Today's Telecom Pulse
EU mobile industry contribution surges 14%
The mobile sector’s share of the EU economy jumped 14%, underscoring its growing importance. The industry is now valued at roughly €1 trillion, highlighting its scale ahead of upcoming regulatory discussions.
Also developing:
By the numbers: BizLink to acquire Interplex Datacom for $850M
Vodafone Idea Rolls Out 5G in Panipat, Ambala; Haryana Expansion to Cover Seven Cities by May
Vodafone Idea (Vi) began rolling out 5G service in the industrial cities of Panipat and Ambala, extending its network beyond the recent launch in Sonipat. The operator announced that seven additional Haryana cities—Hisar, Bhiwani, Karnal, Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, plus the earlier sites—will receive 5G coverage by May 2026. Vi’s rollout targets high‑data‑consumption zones and emerging urban clusters to boost network quality and subscriber appeal. The expansion reflects Vi’s broader strategy to solidify its foothold in competitive Indian telecom markets.
Starlink Posted $4.4B Profit on $11.4B Revenue
Starlink last year: $4.4 billion in operating profit and $11.4 billion in revenue, according to @Reuters review of pending S-1 https://t.co/e9KFllMATS
Starlink Mobile Launches in Canada, Philippines, New Zealand June
"Starlink Mobile service will be sequentially available in Canada, the Philippines, and New Zealand beginning in June" https://t.co/dM7tKUH308
The Man Who Helped Build Five Generations of Wireless Retires From Ericsson’s Ottawa Lab
Marcos Cavaletti, a veteran engineer who helped develop five generations of wireless technology, retired from leading Ericsson’s Ottawa research lab after a six‑year tenure as site head. The Ottawa facility, Ericsson’s largest North American R&D hub, has expanded to roughly...
1.5 Million Irish Homes and Businesses Gain Access to Full Fibre
Open eir, Ireland’s largest wholesale telecoms provider, announced that its fibre‑to‑the‑home (FTTH) network now reaches 1.5 million homes and businesses, covering more than 4 million people. The rollout has installed over 54,000 km of fibre and is backed by a €2 billion (≈$2.2 billion) multiyear...
BSNL Has Successfully Transitioned From a 3G Provider to a Competitive 4G Player: Scindia
BSNL has moved from a legacy 3G platform to a competitive 4G operator, a shift highlighted by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia at the Strategic Review and Planning Meet. The telecom‑state’s average revenue per user (ARPU) jumped 42% to Rs 101 (≈$1.22)...
Comcast Business Fiber Prices Shock Chicago Businesses
comcast business fiber, chicago metro: - 50/50 for $430/mo 😲 - 100/100 for $569/mo 🤯 what a racket
United Airlines CEO Says Passengers Will Have to Be Patient As He Rules Out Free Wi-Fi On Non-Starlink Planes
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby confirmed that free in‑flight Wi‑Fi will remain exclusive to aircraft equipped with Starlink, dismissing plans to extend it to the rest of the fleet. United has already installed Starlink on regional jets and is rapidly...
Rethinking Wi-Fi in Multi Dwelling Units: From Shared Networks to Secure In Room Connectivity
Property owners are shifting MDU Wi‑Fi from shared hallway networks to in‑room access points, leveraging Wi‑Fi 7 wall‑plate APs with wired backhaul. This architecture delivers stronger signal, lower latency, and higher throughput for residents’ devices. Security moves from shared passwords to...
Crown Castle to Deploy 1,000 AI Edge Sites Nationwide
Network World reported that Crown Castle is working with Available Infrastructure on "Project Qestral" to establish of 1,000 AI Edge locations in 100 US cities by the end of the year. The deployments will be colocated at Crown Castle's telecom...
SpinLaunch Selects Equinix to Deploy Global Ground Infrastructure for Meridian Space Constellation
SpinLaunch announced a partnership with Equinix to build a global ground‑segment for its Meridian Space LEO broadband constellation. The deal leverages Equinix’s Platform Equinix and over 280 data centers to deliver a cloud‑integrated ground‑station‑as‑a‑service (GSaaS) model. Meridian’s first phase includes...
Nigeria Risks Falling Behind as IPv6 Adoption Stalls at 5%, as Stakeholders Target 30% Nationwide Adoption by 2030
Nigeria’s IPv6 adoption remains at roughly five percent, far below the global average of over 40 percent, prompting warnings that the country could fall behind in the digital economy. Industry leaders cite weak demand, limited awareness, and the continued availability...
Rogers Communications Q1 Profit Jumps 56% as Capex Trimmed 30%
Rogers Communications reported first‑quarter 2026 net income of C$438 million, a 56% year‑over‑year increase, while revenue rose 10.2% to C$5.48 billion. The carrier also announced a 30% reduction in its 2026 capital‑expenditure plan, citing a punitive regulatory environment and shifting market dynamics.
FCC Bans Dozens of Foreign‑Made Wi‑Fi Routers Over National‑Security Risks
The Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on the sale of dozens of foreign‑made Wi‑Fi routers, citing unacceptable national‑security risks. The list targets Chinese manufacturers, a U.S.‑registered firm owned by a Chinese company, and Russia’s Kaspersky Lab, tightening supply‑chain controls...
Telecom Industry Bets on Automation to Tackle AI Squeeze
Telecom equipment makers and operators are feeling the squeeze of soaring AI‑driven chip prices while customer budgets tighten, prompting a projected 2% drop in global capex for 2026. Verizon’s spending is being trimmed to $16‑$16.5 billion and Ericsson’s first‑quarter net income...
Comcast Q1 BB ARPU Drops 3% YoY, First QoQ Decline
$CMCSA BB ARPU decline "moderated"? Lol, wut? Q1 is always seasonally up. This is actually the first Q1 q/q decline I can find. Meanwhile that y/y decline is now 3%😳 Amazing first question. #GreatQuarterGuys
How the SpaceX-EchoStar Relationship Extends Beyond Spectrum and D2D
EchoStar is transferring roughly $20 billion of spectrum to SpaceX, enabling Starlink’s next‑generation direct‑to‑device (D2D) service with 5G‑like performance. The deal includes a fee‑based referral program that lets EchoStar steer HughesNet and new Starlink customers toward SpaceX offerings. Boost Mobile has...
Project Gigabit Contract Upate April 2026 – Updated
British Digital Infrastructure (BDUK) released its April 2026 Project Gigabit tracking, showing that 23.8% of the 1.05 million contracted premises – roughly 250,000 homes and businesses – now have fibre installed. The data, dated 22 April, reflects month‑to‑month changes, with Openreach adding 14,460 builds...
5G Standalone Growing Market Share
The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) reports that 95 operators – a 42% year‑over‑year rise – have launched 5G standalone (SA) networks, though they represent just under a quarter of the 392 operators with any 5G service. SA is now...
British Airways Lets Passengers Make the World’s First In-Flight Phone Calls
British Airways launched Starlink Wi‑Fi on March 19, 2026, becoming the first airline to enable in‑flight phone calls over satellite broadband. The partnership delivers gigabit‑class speeds, allowing passengers to stream video, join Zoom meetings, and place voice calls using headphones...
CMA Opens Initial Review of Nexfibre’s Netomnia Deal
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened the first stage of its review into nexfibre’s proposed £2 billion (≈ $2.5 billion) acquisition of Netomnia. nexfibre says the deal will unlock about $4.4 billion of capital and create a financially robust wholesale challenger...
Surveillance Vendors Caught Abusing Access to Telcos to Track People’s Phone Locations, Researchers Say
Security researchers at the Citizen Lab disclosed two distinct spying campaigns that exploited long‑standing weaknesses in global telecom signaling protocols to locate individuals’ phones. The attackers masqueraded as legitimate carriers—using 019Mobile, Tango Networks U.K., and Airtel Jersey—to piggyback on SS7...
STL Launches Neuralis Data Center Connectivity Suite
STL Optical Connectivity NA, the U.S. arm of Sterlite Technologies, unveiled its Neuralis data‑center connectivity suite at Data Center World 2026 in Washington, D.C. Neuralis combines ultra‑high‑density MMC and MPO cabling with the Celesta IBR series, which can house up...
KKR to Invest $1.5bn in Communications Infrastructure Owner/Operator Vertical Bridge
Private equity giant KKR is investing $1.5 billion in Vertical Bridge, a U.S.-based owner and operator of communications infrastructure. The capital injection will support Vertical Bridge’s rollout of fiber, small cell and other telecom assets. Existing shareholders DigitalBridge and La Caisse...
Indoor Cellular Coverage
Cellular coverage indoors is deteriorating as carriers migrate to higher‑frequency bands that struggle to penetrate modern building materials. New construction uses low‑E glass and insulated panels that reflect or absorb signals, leaving pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and grocery stores with spotty...
Vodafone Idea Lost Around 0.16 Million Consumer SIM Connections in March 2026
Vodafone Idea reported a net increase of 102,899 mobile connections in March 2026, bringing its total wireless base to 198.48 million. However, the consumer mobility segment fell by about 160,000 SIMs, while the machine‑to‑machine (M2M) segment added 260,000 connections and drove...
AT&T's Convergence Strategy Begins to Pay Off in Q1
AT&T’s Advanced Internet segment added 584,000 new customers in Q1, evenly split between fibre and fixed‑wireless access (FWA). The fibre base grew to 12.5 million, bolstered by the Lumen acquisition, while FWA reached 2.3 million users. Convergence rose to 45% on an...
BEREC External Workshop on Combatting Fraud
BEREC will host an external stakeholder workshop on combatting fraud on 21 May 2026, delivered online via AVC connection. Organized by the BEREC Cybersecurity and Resilience Working Group and co‑chaired by Katja Kmet Vrcko (AKOS) and Zdravko Jukic (HAKOM), the...
Nokia Q1 Net Sales Rise 4% on AI & Cloud Demand, Shares Jump 8%
Nokia reported a 4% increase in first‑quarter net sales, driven by a 49% jump in AI & cloud revenue and €1 bn of new orders. Adjusted operating profit beat forecasts, sending the stock up 8% to a 16‑year peak.
Opinion: Bharti Airtel Emerges as Preferred Network in Delhi as Jio Slips, TRAI March 2026 Data Shows
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) reported that Bharti Airtel added 737,827 subscribers in Delhi during March 2026, while Reliance Jio lost 31,393, Vodafone Idea shed 230,959, and BSNL/MTNL dropped 1,526. The surge positions Airtel as the preferred network...
Security by Design Is the Channel’s Strongest Pitch
South Africa’s cyber‑crime costs roughly $119 million annually, and POPIA fines can reach $540,000, prompting channel partners to prioritize security. Resellers now face legal obligations to ensure client environments meet POPIA, turning compliance into a competitive differentiator. Security‑by‑design—embedding access controls, encryption,...
Mobile Vikings Taps Bango to Power New Subscription Management Platform
Belgian telecom Mobile Vikings has partnered with Bango to roll out a new subscription management hub powered by Bango’s Digital Vending Machine. Integrated into the My Vikings portal, the service lets customers add, manage and bundle streaming apps—such as Disney Plus,...
Marvell Acquires Polariton to Bolster AI Data‑Center Optical Portfolio
Marvell Technology announced the acquisition of Polariton Technologies, a developer of plasmonics‑based silicon photonics devices, to expand its optical signaling capabilities for AI‑focused data centers. While the purchase price was not disclosed, the deal adds ultra‑fast, energy‑efficient modulation technology that...
Planters Broadband Selects Ribbon to Launch New 400G/800G- Ready Optical Route
Ribbon Communications announced that Planters Broadband will deploy its Apollo 9608 optical platform together with the Muse automation suite to launch a new 400G/800G‑ready route across Georgia. The solution provides high‑density, coherent optics and centralized orchestration, enabling rapid capacity expansion...
GSA Unveils New State of the Market Report
The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) released its 2026 State of the Market report, showing that 5G is moving from rapid rollout to a phase focused on network quality and service differentiation. The report notes 392 operators have launched 5G,...
Vodafone Idea Gains Subscribers for Second Month, TRAI Data Signals Early Turnaround
Vodafone Idea (Vi) posted net subscriber additions for the second month in a row, adding 102,899 users in March 2026 after a 21,927 increase in February. The growth was driven primarily by rural markets, which contributed 192,211 new connections. Gains...
Cisco Unveils Quantum Network Advancements
Cisco unveiled a prototype universal quantum switch that can route quantum data across existing fiber‑optic networks while preserving photon entanglement. The device operates at room temperature, supports four encoding modalities, and can reconfigure connections in nanoseconds using less than a...
SITA Launches Campus Network to Keep Airport Operations Connected
SITA announced the Campus Network, a fully managed LAN/WLAN service for airports and transport hubs, powered by HPE Aruba Networking. The solution covers over 150 countries, handling design, installation, and support to reduce complexity and cost for airline IT teams....
Xfinity Mobile Takes on Rivals with Lifetime Device Protection
Comcast has expanded its Xfinity Mobile MVNO with two new plans, Mobile Plus at $45 per month and Mobile Select at $30. Mobile Plus bundles lifetime protection for phones, tablets and smartwatches, uncapped upgrades and international roaming, while Mobile Select...
Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Lead Wireless Subscribers Additions in March: TRAI
India’s top two telecom operators, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, drove wireless subscriber growth in March 2026, pushing the total base to 1.265 billion users. Airtel added 5.09 million subscribers to reach 477.74 million, while Jio gained 3.22 million, bringing its count to 496.33 million....
Nigerian Banks Gain Access to Telecom Data to Stop Fraud
On April 20, 2026, Nigeria’s Central Bank and the Nigerian Communications Commission signed an agreement to share telecom data via the Telecom Identity Risk Management System (TIRMS). The platform gives banks and fintechs real‑time visibility into SIM‑history, allowing them to...
Orange Q1 2026 Results: €10.095 Bn Revenue, Africa Growth at 12.7% and Fiber Footprint Near 60 Mn Homes
Orange posted Q1 2026 revenue of €10.095 billion (≈$11 billion), a 3.5% year‑over‑year rise, backed by disciplined capex of €1.542 billion (≈$1.68 billion). The "Trust the Future" strategy was launched as the company expanded its fiber footprint to 59.9 million connectable homes across Europe. Regional performance...
Afghanistan’s Telecom Market Between Stability and Control
Afghanistan’s telecom sector, built during two decades of conflict, retained broad coverage after the 2021 government collapse, reaching roughly 90% of the population. By the end of 2025 the market held 22.4 million mobile connections—about 50.7% of the population—but growth slowed...
GSA: 5G Spectrum Auctions Gain Momentum as 392 Operators Launch Networks Globally
The Global mobile Suppliers Association reports 392 operators have launched 5G networks, a 14% jump since March 2025 and now covering 44% of worldwide LTE and 5G sites. Investment remains steady, with 643 operators adding 5G capacity, reflecting a modest...
Univity Funds VLEO 5G Demonstrators with $32 Million Series A
French startup Univity announced a $32 million Series A round to launch two very low Earth orbit (VLEO) 5G demonstrators next year. The prototypes, each weighing 350 kg, will showcase hybrid broadband and direct‑to‑device services and test optical inter‑satellite links. Univity aims to...
Nokia Q1 2026 Revenue Growth Driven by AI and Cloud Investments in Optical and IP Networks
Nokia reported Q1 2026 revenue of €4.497 billion (about $4.9 billion), a 2% increase year‑over‑year, driven primarily by AI and cloud‑focused customers. The Network Infrastructure segment led growth, with Optical Networks revenue soaring 56% to €821 million and IP Networks showing modest constant‑currency gains....
Strait of Hormuz: Global Internet at Chokepoint Risk
“Red Sea cable incidents” is about to trend. Trump-Netanyahu’s War on Iran can quickly escalate from oil chokepoint to digital-data center chokepoint soon. Better to be safe than sorry: Know what you own.
Scindia Launches Revised TDIP Scheme with ₹203 Crore Outlay to Boost Innovation
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled a revised Technology Development and Invest Promotion (TDIP) scheme, allocating ₹203 crore (approximately $24.5 million) for 2026‑31. The program aims to boost India’s presence in global telecom standard‑setting bodies such as the ITU, 3GPP and oneM2M,...
Vero Fiber Completes Acquisition of TEC
Vero Fiber announced the closing of its acquisition of Telephone Electronics Corporation (TEC), extending its fiber‑to‑the‑home network into Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. The deal brings roughly 444,000 households—both active and prospective—under Vero’s service umbrella while allowing TEC to keep its...
FCC Proposes New Numbering Rules to Thwart Illegal Robocalls
The Federal Communications Commission unveiled a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would extend robocall certification, disclosure and wholesale reporting to every voice service provider that receives numbers from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator and its resellers. The move aims...