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
NWN Pushes ‘Intelligent Connectivity’ To Power AI Everywhere In The Enterprise
NWN announced its Intelligent Connectivity platform, a next‑gen Network‑as‑a‑Service that fuses HPE Mist Wi‑Fi, its Experience Management Platform and multi‑vendor APIs into a unified operating model. The solution, slated for general availability in the first half of 2026, promises AI‑driven analytics, automated performance tuning and a single pane of glass for Wi‑Fi, switching, SD‑WAN and security. NWN cites explosive growth—revenues rising from $250 million to over $1 billion between 2019 and 2025—as proof that customers demand outcome‑focused, AI‑ready networking. The company argues that autonomous, secure networks will become a prerequisite for enterprise digital transformation.
Corning, Meta Begin North Carolina Cable Manufacturing Facility Expansion
Corning and Meta have broken ground on a major expansion of Corning's optical‑fiber manufacturing in Hickory, North Carolina, under a multiyear agreement worth up to $6 billion. The new capacity is expected to lift Corning's North Carolina workforce by 15‑20 percent, creating...
Faced With Starlink Competition, Ground Segment Leaders Turn to Orchestration, Specialization
Ground‑segment providers are feeling the pressure of vertically integrated LEO megaconstellations such as Starlink and Amazon Leo, which manufacture their own user terminals and drive prices to rock‑bottom levels. Executives from Ovzon, SpaceBridge and Comtech warned that the traditional consumer‑grade GEO...
KRYTAR Announces Two New 3 dB, 180-Degree ULTRA+ Hybrid Couplers Covering 10 to 40 GHz
KRYTAR, Inc. unveiled two new 180-degree ULTRA+ hybrid couplers covering 10‑40 GHz with 3 dB coupling. The ULTRA4100400 model uses 2.4 mm connectors, while the ULTRA4100400K employs 2.92 mm K‑connectors, both offering tight amplitude (±0.9 dB) and phase (±8°) tolerances. They support 20 W average and...
PLDT Ready to Block Roblox if Ordered
Philippine telecom giant PLDT, together with its wireless unit Smart Communications, announced it will block access to the online game Roblox if ordered by regulators. The move follows a request from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, which flagged Roblox...
Airlines Turning Into ISPs: United’s Starlink Strategy
Starbucks was a very successful ISP (disguised as a commodity coffee shop pre-5G). Next up is United with Starlink (a flying-ISP disguiesed as a commodity airline). Selling people connectivity where they otherwise have none is a very good business.
The Startup Rebuilding How the World Communicates
Airbase, a stealth‑mode startup founded by former Planet Labs and True Anomaly engineers, is building software to dynamically allocate radio‑frequency spectrum, a finite resource strained by the explosion of satellites, drones, and autonomous vehicles. The founders convinced U.S. regulators that...
T2 Offers Connected Car Service for Russian Electric Car Atom
Russian mobile operator T2, a Rostelecom subsidiary, has rolled out an eSIM profile for every version of Kama’s Atom electric car. The eSIM creates a secure mobile‑network link that feeds the vehicle’s multimedia platform, enabling on‑board navigation, music streaming, video...
O2 Slovakia Offers Data Sharing for Extra Devices
O2 Slovakia launched O2 Connect, a data‑sharing add‑on that lets post‑paid customers extend their mobile plan to tablets, laptops or smartwatches. The service costs €4 per extra SIM, roughly $4.40, and can be ordered and activated through the O2 app....
Anyway, What Does AI-RAN Even Mean?
AI‑RAN is currently a marketing‑driven label rather than a defined technical standard, despite telecom’s decades‑long use of AI in radio networks. Vendors offer divergent interpretations, making it hard for operators to model total cost of ownership or plan capital expenditures....
VTel Wireless Partners with Ericsson to Launch First Nationwide 5G Standalone VoNR Roaming for Rural America
VTel Wireless has partnered with Ericsson to deploy a cloud‑native 5G Core and Radio Access Network, enabling the first rural carrier to offer nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) VoNR roaming. The solution replaces legacy LTE‑based voice underlays with end‑to‑end 5G voice,...
Telefonica Germany Improves Mobile Coverage with 2,000 Expansion Measures in Q1
Telefonica Germany deployed 2,000 network expansion measures in Q1, a 25 percent year‑on‑year rise, targeting under‑served regions, rail lines and roads. The carrier also launched over 600 new 5G sites, extending 5G coverage to roughly 99 percent of the German population. These...
See Everything, Always: Manufacturing Precise Positioning with Private 5G
Private 5G networks now embed precise indoor positioning, delivering meter‑level accuracy without separate hardware. This unified approach replaces fragmented Wi‑Fi, UWB, Bluetooth and RFID solutions, giving manufacturers real‑time visibility of assets, workers, and equipment. Integrated location services feed directly into...
Delta Skips Starlink, Signs with Amazon Leo for Satellite In-Flight Wi-Fi Starting in 2028
Delta Air Lines announced a partnership with Amazon’s Leo satellite network to provide in‑flight Wi‑Fi beginning in 2028. The rollout will initially equip 500 domestic aircraft with Leo Ultra antennas delivering up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps upload speeds, offered...
Mtel Germany Introduces New 'Worry-Free' Tariffs for Roaming in Balkans
German MVNO Mtel Germany has launched its new ‘Worry‑Free’ mobile tariffs aimed at eliminating roaming anxiety for travelers. The core offering provides unlimited data across the Balkans and the broader EU, covering Bosnia‑Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. A complementary...
Delta In-Flight Connectivity Takes Off with Amazon Leo
Delta Air Lines has partnered with Amazon to equip its fleet with high‑speed, low‑latency internet via Amazon Leo, the company’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellite service. The rollout will begin in 2028 with an initial installation on 500 aircraft, expanding Delta’s existing AWS‑based...
PSTN: Century‑Old Backbone Now Facing Modern Limits
📞 Communications Then and Now (Part 1) The Foundation: PSTN Before cloud platforms, VoIP, and real-time collaboration tools, there was PSTN, the Public Switched Telephone Network. It may sound outdated, but PSTN is the backbone of global voice communication. For over a century,...
FCC Router Ban Threatens 11.2 Million Movers' Connectivity
.@FCC router ban kills switching. All routers are effectively banned. 11.2 million movers face a connection crisis. 🚨📉 #Telecom #Policy
Cato Networks Unveils Modular Adoption Model for SASE Platform
Cato Networks announced a modular adoption model for its core SASE platform, allowing enterprises to select and add capabilities such as AI security, SD‑WAN, SSE and universal ZTNA on demand. The solution runs on the GPU‑powered Cato Neural Edge, a...
Team Builds New Fiber Internet in West Texas
Daegan and his team are splicing fiber and building out new Internet connections in West Texas. Great to visit with them today. #CarrTrip https://t.co/lWioPz0mg6
Grain Management May Open 800 MHz for Satellite D2D
Grain Management could make its 800 MHz available for satellite direct-to-device (D2D) operations. More: https://t.co/Nz0c3qdLvB
Es’hailSat, EgyptSat Expand Partnership with New Satellite Capacity Agreement
Es’hailSat and EgyptSat have signed a multi‑year satellite capacity agreement to expand VSAT services across Egypt and the broader MENA region, building on a partnership established last year. The deal taps Es’hailSat’s two high‑throughput satellites at 25.5°/26° East and its Tier‑4...
FCC Router Ban Eliminates Consumer Choice, Ignores Supply Chain Realities
.@FCC just killed consumer choice with their new router ban. This policy ignores supply chain reality and locks customers in. 🚨📉
Trump's Build America Boosts West Texas Connectivity
President Trump and the FCC’s Build America Agenda are delivering results. Hayden and his crew are expanding connectivity across West Texas — from fiber to fixed wireless and satellite. Great to see these builds underway. #CarrTrip https://t.co/fH8mu4D02M
India Telecom Operators Shift to Experience-Led Differentiation Over Price Wars: Opensignal
India’s telecom market is maturing, with operators moving from price‑driven battles to experience‑led differentiation. Opensignal data shows Reliance Jio still dominates nationally, holding over 43% of adjusted gross revenue and leading consistent quality in 58 of 63 metros. Yet subscriber...
Edge Hype Overrated: Telcos Aren't Ready for Real-World Inference
Rolling my eyes at the EdgeWash nonsense from @opennebula panellist at @BERECeuropaeu event “Telcos in a unique position” to make edge inference happen. Not in the real world, no
6G ISAC Sensing and Regulation Highlighted at BEREC Workshop
I’m at the @BERECeuropaeu stakeholder workshop. I’ll do a full write up on LI But this is cool - @6G_SNS presentation has a slide on a topic I’ve been mentioning myself for a while: 6G #ISAC sensing & regulation https://t.co/c5fLmf7HIP
AOI Receives New Order for 800G Data-Center Transceivers From Major Hyperscale Customer
Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI) secured a volume order exceeding $53 million from a major hyperscale customer for 800‑gigabit single‑mode data‑center transceivers. The order supports AI‑driven GPU clusters and will be shipped between Q2 and mid‑Q3 2026 after product qualification. AOI’s CEO highlighted...
FCC Router Ban Will Cripple U.S. Connectivity and Supply Chain
.@FCC 's new router ban is a policy failure that will strangle connectivity. 🚫🇺🇸 We haven't built routers here in 24 years. This doesn't secure the network; it breaks the supply chain entirely. 🧵
FCC Build America Agenda Spurs New Broadband Builds
Good morning from beautiful West Texas ! The FCC’s Build America Agenda is helping providers unleash new Internet infrastructure builds in communities across the country. Look forward to visiting with some broadband builders today. #CarrTrip https://t.co/ej3obpVY2j
Vodafone Completes Video Call Where No Network Exists Using Satellite Tech
Vodafone successfully completed a live video call from Clare Island, Ireland – a location with no mobile coverage – using a standard smartphone connected to AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network. The call was received in Dublin by Vodafone Ireland CEO Sabrina...
United's Wi‑Fi Launch Beats Delta's Amazon Choice
Delta Chose Amazon Over Starlink For Wi-Fi — But United’s Rollout Will Be Done Before This Starts - View from the Wing https://t.co/Axxau08JDi
Thousands of Pico-Satellites May Transform How Phones Connect to Space
Researchers in Japan demonstrated that tens of thousands of pico‑satellites can operate as a single, distributed phased‑array antenna for direct‑to‑smartphone communication. By wirelessly synchronizing each tiny satellite to a reference signal, the system eliminates bulky cabling and costly large‑satellite platforms....
Nigerians Used 1.26 Million Terabytes of Data in February, Down From January
Nigerian internet traffic fell to 1.26 million terabytes in February, a drop of 125,475 TB from January’s 1.38 million. Despite the lower total, average daily usage rose to 45,000 TB, a 0.7% increase, reflecting intensified per‑user consumption. Telecom operators MTN and Airtel added over...
Savanna Fibre Sparks Price War in Kenya’s Stagnant Broadband Market
Kenyan ISP Savanna Fibre, launched in 2024, has introduced a 100 Mbps broadband plan priced at KES 2,000 (≈$15), undercutting Safaricom’s comparable offering by about 80%. The company also offers a 1 Gbps tier for $77, roughly half the price of Safaricom and...
Welsh Government Selects Extending High-Speed Broadband Suppliers
The Welsh Government has appointed three suppliers—Airband, Fibrus and Openreach—for Lot 1 and Airband, Fibrus and Wifinity for Lot 2 of its Extending High‑Speed Broadband (EHSB) scheme. The program, funded with a reclaimed £70 m budget (approximately $90 m), targets roughly 29,000 hard‑to‑reach premises...
Call for Input on the Possible Amendment of the BEREC Roaming Benchmark Data Collection Procedure
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has opened a public consultation to amend its roaming benchmark data‑collection procedure following the Roam‑Like‑At‑Home extension to Ukraine and Moldova on 1 January 2026. Operators are invited to submit feedback via an EU...
Tata Communications Launches IZO™ Data Centre Dynamic Connectivity, Promising >99.99% Uptime
Tata Communications introduced IZO™ Data Centre Dynamic Connectivity, a self‑healing, software‑defined network that spans five continents and guarantees more than 99.99% service availability. The platform uses deterministic multi‑path routing and AI‑driven predictive analytics to let enterprises scale bandwidth on demand...
MediaTek MT7927 "Filogic 380" WiFi Support Coming Together For Linux
MediaTek’s MT7927 (Filogic 380) chipset is gaining upstream Linux support for Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 through the mt76 driver, thanks to developer Javier Tia. The driver has been reverse‑engineered and tested on ASUS, Lenovo, Foxconn and AMD RZ738 devices. It is now in...
CityFibre Launches Nationwide 8.5Gbps Wholesale Product
CityFibre has launched an 8.5 Gbps wholesale broadband product across its UK‑wide full‑fibre network, making symmetric ultra‑fast speeds available to all ISP partners from 21 April. The rollout leverages the company’s XGS‑PON infrastructure, which already serves 4.36 million premises and aims for an...
Indra Develops New Satellite Communications Terminal for Submarines
Indra has finished development and certification testing of the TSUB‑40Ka, a Ka‑band satellite communications terminal designed for submarines. The Ka band permits smaller antennas and markedly higher data‑rate links than traditional X‑band or Ku‑band systems. The terminal complies with MIL‑STD/STANAG...
India’s 5G Traffic Surges over 70% YoY | Nokia MBiT Index 2026
Nokia’s 13th Mobile Broadband Index shows India’s 5G data traffic jumped 70% year‑on‑year to 12.9 exabytes in 2025, now accounting for roughly 47% of all mobile broadband traffic. Average monthly data use per subscriber rose above 31 GB, reflecting an 18% five‑year...
Huawei Secure SD-WAN Full SASE Solution: Secure, Intelligent Connectivity for Modern Enterprises
Huawei has launched its Secure SD‑WAN Full SASE solution, a unified platform that blends networking, security and AI‑driven management for enterprise connectivity. The solution dynamically routes traffic over MPLS, broadband, LTE or 5G while encrypting tunnels and providing integrated firewall,...
When iBGP Full Mesh Is Actually Unnecessary
The article debunks the long‑standing belief that iBGP must operate as a full mesh, showing that the requirement is a design choice rather than a protocol mandate. Early RFCs phrased iBGP as a complete graph, but modern RFC 4271 removed that...
Eutelsat in Talks with India's Space Agency to Boost Satellite Launch Options
Eutelsat is negotiating with India’s ISRO to add launch capacity, aiming to cut dependence on SpaceX and Ariane rockets. The talks come after the OneWeb merger and a plan to launch 440 new satellites, a programme estimated at €2 bn ($2.3 bn)....
Pan-India Monthly 5G Data Traffic Surges 70% On-Year in 2025: Nokia
India’s 5G data traffic surged 70% year‑on‑year to 12.9 exabytes in 2025, according to Nokia’s Mobile Broadband Index 2026. 5G now represents 47% of total mobile broadband traffic, with average monthly consumption per user exceeding 31 GB, an 18% CAGR over...
Airalo Partners Busan to Provide eSIM Services for International Visitors
Airalo has signed a letter of intent with Busan Metropolitan City to distribute 100,000 free eSIM vouchers and launch destination‑specific eSIM packages for international visitors. The partnership also includes discounted eSIMs for Busan residents traveling abroad, joint marketing campaigns, and...
CDG Advances Real Time Subscriber Data Automation for Communication Service Providers with Calix Subscriber Services API
CDG has launched a Calix Subscriber Service API integration that links its Elements OSS/BSS platform with the Calix One suite in real time. The connection synchronizes subscriber records, equipment details, and service tiers instantly, eliminating manual data entry. By leveraging...
Starlink to Appeal Namibia Licence Rejection
Starlink will appeal Namibia's telecom regulator decision that rejected its licence and spectrum access because the company is fully foreign‑owned, violating the country's 51% local‑ownership rule. Nigeria's communications authority has mandated that telcos compensate customers with airtime credits when service...
Rakuten Mobile Extends Partnership with Netcracker for AI-Enabled Digital BSS to Support Its Mobile Network in Japan
Rakuten Mobile has extended its multi‑year partnership with Netcracker to continue using the AI‑enabled, cloud‑native Digital BSS platform for its nationwide 4G and 5G network. The renewal builds on a collaboration that began when Rakuten launched in 2019 and adds...