Today's Telecom Pulse
Australia's $5.25B spectrum fee sparks industry backlash
The Australian Communications and Media Authority announced a A$7.32 billion (≈US$5.25 billion) fee for renewing mobile spectrum licences held by the three major operators and NBN Co. Industry bodies AMTA and ATA denounced the charge as a "short‑sighted spectrum stealth tax" and warned it could force operators to curb investment.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Optimum raises $300M in preferred equity
How Remote SIM Management Is Transforming Industrial IoT Operations
Remote SIM management platforms give industrial IoT operators a centralized dashboard to activate, deactivate, and monitor cellular SIMs without field visits. By leveraging eSIM/eUICC standards, firms can steer networks, manage APNs, and receive real‑time alerts, cutting downtime and service costs. The technology also delivers granular data‑usage reporting, enabling finance teams to allocate connectivity spend and extend device lifecycles. As deployments scale to thousands of devices across remote sites, remote SIM control becomes a strategic lever for operational efficiency and cost control.
LoRa Alliance Lays Out Its Case for LoRaWAN as a Mainstream ‘Massive IoT’ Connectivity Layer
The LoRa Alliance is rebranding LoRaWAN from a niche LPWAN to a mainstream, plug‑and‑play connectivity layer for massive IoT. It frames LoRaWAN as the “fourth pillar” of global wireless, alongside cellular, Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, emphasizing open standards and unlicensed spectrum....
Intellian Unveils Future Military and Aerospace Antenna Technologies at Satellite 2026
Intellian Technologies showcased a suite of next‑generation antenna solutions at Satellite 2026, highlighting a 2.4 m fly‑away antenna that can simultaneously operate on X‑band and Mil Ka‑band for communications‑on‑the‑pause missions. The company also previewed an L‑band antenna family for UAVs and USVs, a...
Invisibility‑Cloak Tech Boosts Optical Switching in Data Centers
The same technology that could be used to create “invisibility cloaks” has applications in data centers, speeding up optical switching. https://spectrum.ieee.org/optical-metamaterials-ai-data-centers
Rural Starlink Beats Urban Speed in 29 States
"In 29 of the 50 states, rural Starlink users get better broadband speeds than urban users. In addition, five states—Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey and Connecticut—have more Starlink users in urban areas than rural areas." https://t.co/B2dsUEs12P
US Broadband Speeds Surge in H2 2025 as Fiber, Starlink and FWA Accelerate Digital Presence
U.S. broadband performance jumped in the second half of 2025 as fiber rollouts hit 84 million homes, covering more than 60% of households, while SpaceX’s Starlink constellation approached 10,000 satellites. AT&T and Verizon expanded their fiber footprints to 32 million and 18 million...
3,100 Petitioners Oppose American Tower’s Charlotte Data Center
"American Tower is trying to rezone 58 acres it owns in east Charlotte, North Carolina, to build a data center. Over 3,100 people have signed a petition to stop it." https://t.co/gnUaNeJvX7 via @steelintheair
MVNOs Take Centre Stage in Legislative Shake-Up
South Africa’s parliament has approved an amendment to the Electronic Communications Act that puts mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) at the centre of regulatory reform. The bill, slated for public comment, seeks to curb discriminatory practices by mobile network operators...
![[OFC 2026] Part 4 of 5: 400G/Lane and 1.6T Coherent: Two Fronts, One Power Wall](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FG3y!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3201360a-f898-4593-8267-8cfc0766cc04_1280x1280.png)
[OFC 2026] Part 4 of 5: 400G/Lane and 1.6T Coherent: Two Fronts, One Power Wall
The OFC 2026 session highlighted two parallel scaling tracks in datacenter optics: 400 Gb/s per lane IM‑DD and 1.6 Tb/s coherent pluggables. Six papers mapped the current technical state, concluding both paths are brushing against fundamental physical limits without any live link...
Vodafone Oman at Four: Scaling Fast, Delivering Consistently
Vodafone Oman marked its fourth year with roughly 17% market share after a 46% increase in customers and a 66% jump in net revenues versus 2024. The operator expanded 5G coverage to over 99% of populated areas and grew its...
Ciena Shares Surge 11% After Q1 Beat and Analyst Upgrades
Ciena Corp. posted Q1 FY2026 revenue of $1.43 billion, up 33% YoY, and non‑GAAP net income of $197 million, surpassing consensus estimates. The beat sparked a wave of bullish analyst upgrades, lifting price targets to $425 and pushing the shares more than...
Mint Mobile's $45 5G Bundle Demands $450 Upfront
D.C. Memo: @Mintmobile Targets 'Big Cable' in Rollout of 5G Home Internet/Mobile Bundle for $45 a Month Owned by @TMobile, Mint requires an upfront payment of $450 to cover the first year of service, plus taxes and fees. https://t.co/r3a3EZTrso https://t.co/PRGJdOnfUe
Russians Hijacking Routers for Cyber Spying
Russian GRU’s 85th Main Special Service Center has been hijacking vulnerable home routers, notably TP‑Link devices, since at least 2024 by exploiting CVE‑2023‑50224. The actors reconfigure DHCP/DNS settings to route traffic through their own resolvers, enabling man‑in‑the‑middle attacks that capture...
A Direct Line From LEO: Problem or Opportunity?
Regulators are lagging behind the rapid expansion of low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite services, creating uncertainty for operators seeking global coverage. Industry leaders from the GSOA and GSMA warn that fragmented spectrum rules, legal‑intercept mandates, and cross‑border interference standards could add costly...
NTT Targets GNSS Positioning Boost
NTT Docomo Business upgraded its Mobile GNSS positioning service with a new receiver that fuses RTK correction data and a nine‑axis sensor, delivering higher accuracy and availability in signal‑blocked areas. The device doubles battery life, adds an LTE module and...
Constellation Lock Shapes In‑Flight Connectivity Standards
In-flight connectivity: @GilatSatNet @PanasonicAero @Hughes & @SES_Satellites on 'constellation lock' & the drawbacks and benefits of terminal standards.https://t.co/PwyXgeiwJJ https://t.co/Vr4ARPxJse
Amazon Leo Heads to Thailand by Way of Thaicom
Amazon has partnered with Thai satellite operator Thaicom, whose subsidiary TC 142 will act as the authorized distributor and landing‑rights holder for Amazon Leo in Thailand. The deal gives Amazon Leo a regulatory edge over SpaceX, whose Starlink proposal was rejected...
Automatic Compensation Payments for Telecoms Faults Rise with Inflation
Effective 1 April 2026, the Ofcom‑backed automatic compensation scheme for major UK telecoms raised its payouts to reflect inflation. Customers now receive £10.34 (≈$13) per day after two days of reported service loss, £32.31 (≈$41) for missed appointments, and £6.46 (≈$8) for...
JeraSoft and Communi5 Expand Partnership to Boost Telecom Billing Efficiency
JeraSoft announced an expanded partnership with cloud‑switching specialist Communi5, linking billing, rating and routing with switching platforms to streamline telecom operators' financial workflows. The move aims to improve call‑detail‑record handling, flexible pricing and margin visibility across wholesale and retail networks.
ReelShort Teams with AIS to Offer $1.15 5G Video Add‑On Across Thailand
ReelShort has launched a co‑branded 5G add‑on with Thailand’s AIS for THB39 ($1.15) a month, giving subscribers ad‑free access to its 3,000‑title library. The partnership, AIS’s first telco deal with a short‑drama platform, positions ReelShort to expand across Southeast Asia’s...
Openreach Has Installed 500,000 Zyxel ONT to Reduce Plastic Waste
Openreach has installed more than 500,000 Zyxel optical network terminals (ONTs) across the United Kingdom, each built with 95% recycled polycarbonate plastic. The devices support the GPON rollout, delivering up to 1.8 Gbps per connection while reducing the amount of virgin...
CallTower Establishes a New Standard with eSIM Integration for Microsoft Teams and Webex Go Mobility
CallTower announced a new standard that provides six months of complimentary eSIM access for its mobile solutions integrated with Microsoft Teams and Webex Calling. The offering eliminates the need for physical SIM cards, allowing users to maintain a single-number identity...
NCSC Issues Alert over Russian Hacker Campaign Targeting SOHO Routers
The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has linked two new Russian‑linked campaigns to APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, that hijack small‑office/home‑office (SOHO) routers to manipulate DNS settings. By redirecting traffic through malicious name servers, the group conducts man‑in‑the‑middle attacks...
Vi Brings 5G to Chennai, Targets Coimbatore, Trichy and More Cities by May 2026
Vodafone Idea (Vi) has launched 5G services in Chennai, completing its metro‑city coverage that now includes Mumbai, Delhi‑NCR, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The carrier announced plans to extend 5G to five additional Tamil Nadu and Puducherry cities—Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tiruppur and Vellore—by...
Broadband for All Still a Distant Goal in SA
South Africa’s regulator ICASA reports that only 4,377 of 21,878 public schools, clinics, libraries and traditional authority sites – about 20% – were linked to broadband by October 2025, far short of its universal‑access goal. Mobile network reach is near‑ubiquitous (99.5%...
Broadband?s Growth Playbook Is Broken, Relevance-Led Growth Is Next
Broadband providers have outgrown the traditional scale‑first playbook as market scarcity gives way to abundant choices like fiber, cable, 5G and satellite. Speed and reliability are now baseline expectations, leaving providers to compete on relevance rather than raw performance. The...
New SATCOM Tech Helps Downed Pilot Rescues
Israeli firm Commcrete unveiled palm‑sized low‑SWaP satellite‑communication devices for combat search and rescue. The units deliver continuous, on‑demand connectivity from ejection through ground movement, even under canopy, urban, maritime or parachute conditions. Featuring a 32 dB link budget, adaptive waveform and...
5G Adoption Tops 30%, but Revenue Growth Still Lags
5G now accounts for over 30% of global mobile connections, roughly 2.8 billion devices. Yet revenue growth remains sluggish, with only about 20% of operators deploying standalone 5G architecture needed for advanced services. Operators still depend on consumer revenue, which supplies...
Ooredoo Powers Always-On Connectivity with Starlink Satellite Expansion
Ooredoo Qatar has expanded its B2B portfolio by becoming an authorized reseller of Starlink, the low‑earth‑orbit satellite service. The move lets the telco offer always‑on, high‑speed connectivity to enterprises operating in remote, offshore or hard‑to‑reach locations and during network outages....
UAE Launches World’s First Commercial U6GHz Network
The United Arab Emirates has rolled out the world’s first commercial upper‑6 GHz (U6GHz) network, positioning the nation at the forefront of next‑generation mobile infrastructure. Led by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, the launch targets peak speeds of up...
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India's Tejas Eyes 5G Turnaround at Home and Abroad
India's Tejas Networks surged 361% to about $960 million after delivering 340,000 4G radios for state‑run BSNL, then saw sales tumble 89% to $83 million as the contract ended. The company now eyes a 5G upgrade for roughly 40% of BSNL’s 100,000...
Telefonica Germany Expands 5G to Braderup, Juetrichau, Lindenau
Telefonica Germany has rolled out 5G service to three new locations – Braderup in Schleswig‑Holstein, Juetrichau in Saxony‑Anhalt, and the Lindenau district of Leipzig. The expansion adds three active sites and is part of roughly 8,000 network projects slated for...
Egypt to Regulate Social Media for Minors with Special SIM
Egypt’s telecom regulator will roll out special SIM cards for minors within 60 days, embedding app and content restrictions at the network level. In Nigeria, the South East Development Commission aims to build a $200 billion economy by 2035, launching a...
When AI and Energy Collide
AI is reshaping telecom networks, boosting performance while sharply increasing energy use and operational complexity. Rising AI‑driven traffic is inflating network power consumption and straining infrastructure budgets. Experts from TNS, Kaleido Intelligence, and Agile Telco propose a Common Language framework...
Building a More Inclusive Digital Society: AirTalk Wireless and the Future of Better Connectivity
More than 24 million Americans still lack reliable internet, a gap the FCC warns hampers everyday tasks from job searches to telehealth. The federal Lifeline program, established in 1985, now subsidizes mobile and broadband services for low‑income households, reducing monthly...
Train Wi-Fi Is Just Awful — Our Journey From Cardiff to London
A recent test of Great Western Railway’s onboard Wi‑Fi on the Cardiff‑London route revealed severe performance issues. Latency jitter regularly spiked above 400 ms, with occasional spikes nearing 800 ms, and packet loss disrupted connections. Average throughput hovered around 1 Mbps, roughly 1 %...
Soracom Extends IoT Professional Services Offering to North America
Global IoT platform provider Soracom announced the launch of its Professional Services offering across North America, covering the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The new service delivers end‑to‑end solutions‑architecture support, including software and middleware development, connectivity design, billing‑platform integration, and...
HAPS Alliance Outlines Role of Stratospheric Platforms in Future 6G
The HAPS Alliance released a whitepaper describing how high‑altitude platform stations (HAPS) and non‑terrestrial networks (NTNs) will be woven into emerging 6G architectures. It proposes a multi‑layered model that combines terrestrial base stations, stratospheric platforms at roughly 20 km, and satellite...
SKT Deploys AI-Driven Network Management at Seoul Spring Festivals
SK Telecom used an AI‑driven integrated network monitoring platform to keep its mobile network stable during Seoul’s cherry‑blossom festivals, handling a total of 44.9 TB of data traffic. This represented a 1.5‑fold increase over the previous weekend, with a peak of...
LG Uplus Exits Mobile Streaming to Focus on IPTV Services
LG Uplus announced it will discontinue its in‑house mobile streaming platform, U+ Mobile TV, by the end of May. The company will replace the service with a new offering tied to its IPTV infrastructure. This follows similar withdrawals by SK...
Zayo Europe Joins GNM-IX
Zayo Europe has joined the GNM‑IX Internet exchange, bolstering the pan‑European interconnection ecosystem. GNM‑IX already interconnects more than 700 autonomous system numbers and handles over 10.7 Tbps of peak traffic. Zayo’s extensive fibre backbone across major European metros adds low‑latency, high‑capacity...
Network Giant Uses Contentious New Transmission Line to Boost Regional Mobile Coverage
Australian transmission operator Transgrid is attaching telecom equipment to its new 500 kV HumeLink line, creating a connectivity corridor across regional NSW. In partnership with Lumea, up to ten signal boosters will be mounted on existing and new towers along the...
AI Drives Core Functions in 6G Network Design
6G network design puts AI at the center of spectrum, routing, and fault management https://t.co/tCotgKHEBN https://t.co/p5zJLt5yX8
TRAI Proposes Affordable Voice and SMS-Only Plans Across All Validities to Boost Telecom Inclusion
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a draft mandate requiring all mobile operators to provide voice‑and‑SMS‑only plans that match every existing bundled‑plan validity. Currently, standalone options are scarce and priced between ₹439 and ₹1,748 (approximately $5‑$21), limiting...
Telecom News: Du, Ericsson, Ethio Telecom, Huawei
The United Arab Emirates has launched the world’s first commercial U6 GHz network, delivering up to 10 Gbps speeds and showcasing the nation’s push for ultra‑fast wireless connectivity. du and Ericsson completed a proof‑of‑concept using extended‑range mmWave radios, achieving gigabit‑level 5G performance...
Telecom News: Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, ZTE
A Centrum forecast shows India’s telecom market will expand in Q4FY26 as average revenue per user rises and 2G users migrate to 4G/5G, with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel expected to add roughly 5 million and 6.5 million subscribers respectively. Vodafone Idea...
Telecom News: Mint Mobile, T-Mobile, Openreach, NiCE Cognigy, Aria Networks
Mint Mobile introduced a $45‑per‑month all‑in‑one 5G bundle that combines home internet and unlimited premium wireless, offering a full year of service with no contracts, hidden fees, or equipment costs and a five‑year price lock. The plan runs on T‑Mobile’s...
Telecom News: Harmonic, Keysight Technologies, Sateliot, EdgeBeam, Broadspan, Sinclair
Harmonic announced AI‑powered fiber broadband solutions at the FTTH 2026 conference, highlighting a shift from reactive to proactive network management and a flexible Open ONT framework for vendor choice. Keysight Technologies and Sateliot won the ESA‑GSMA Foundry Innovation Challenge with...
Charlemont Residents Push for 1,500‑Foot Setbacks on New Cell Towers
Charlemont citizens have filed a petition to amend the town’s telecommunications bylaw, demanding that any new cell tower or small‑cell installation be at least 1,500 feet from residential structures in Rural Residential districts and meet strict spacing rules. The proposal...
Bharti Airtel Keen to Work with OTT Cos to Fight Spam: Rahul Vatts
Bharti Airtel announced it will collaborate with OTT communication providers to expand its AI‑driven anti‑spam program, building on a recent partnership with Google that routes RCS messages through Airtel’s spam filters. The telco reports having blocked 71 billion spam calls and...