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
Amazon Unveils RNG Data‑Center Network, Claiming Faster Speeds and Lower Energy Use
Amazon announced a breakthrough in data‑center networking that it says raises data speeds and cuts power use. The company’s “RNG” (Resilient Network Graph) design, deployed in AWS facilities since late 2023, blends random‑graph theory with traditional topologies. Executives claim the shift could give Amazon a competitive edge in the cloud and telecom markets.
Japan Hits 6G Key Milestone with High-Frequency Speeds Topping 100 Gbps
Japanese researchers have demonstrated a terahertz wireless link that transmits data at 112 Gbps within the 560 GHz spectrum, a key band for future 6G networks. The achievement relies on a silicon‑nitride microcomb directly bonded to an optical fiber, eliminating the bulky...
Bermuda Moves NUVEM, SOL Toward Cable Licenses
Bermuda’s Regulatory Authority has proposed conditional submarine‑cable licences for Google‑owned NUVEM and SOL systems, both slated to land at Annie’s Bay on St. David’s Island. NUVEM will run from Portugal’s Sines to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while SOL will connect Spain’s Santander...
Samsung and LG Uplus Want to Turn Cell Towers Into Radar for 6G
Samsung Electronics and LG Uplus signed an MOU on May 27 to co‑develop Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) for 6G. ISAC lets base stations use existing 5G/6G signals to sense objects, turning towers into radars for drones, vehicles and foot traffic. The...
Sponsored: Physical and Digital Infrastructure Across Deep Canyons Boosts Rural Development in Guizhou
Huawei and China Mobile have expanded rural digital infrastructure across Guizhou, deploying nearly 200,000 base stations—including over 70,000 5G sites—and using drones to install network equipment on steep canyon cliffs. The effort delivers full 5G coverage to every administrative village...
Can Iran Control Internet Cables in the Gulf?
Iran has announced plans to assert control over subsea data cables in the Persian Gulf and to levy fees on any traffic that transits the region. The move mirrors Tehran’s broader push to dominate the Strait of Hormuz and threatens...
Amazon Leo Satellite Network Coming to Taiwan Through Far EasTone Partnership
Amazon Leo, the low‑Earth‑orbit broadband venture formerly known as Project Kuiper, has appointed Far EasTone Telecommunications as its authorized distributor in Taiwan. The deal hinges on regulatory clearances that could take nine to twelve months, with a target commercial launch...
Viasat Posts Q4 2026 Earnings, Highlights $1.3 Bn Maritime Contract Wins
Viasat announced Q4 2026 results on May 28, posting $1.2 billion in revenue and $59 million in net income while securing $1.3 billion in new contract awards, chiefly in maritime broadband. The earnings underscore a shift toward defense and advanced technologies as traditional...
Weekly Wrap Special: Experts Question Digital Networks Act’s Perpetual License Proposal
The European Commission’s Digital Networks Act (DNA) proposes default unlimited radio‑spectrum licences, subject only to periodic reviews. Telecom policy experts at a PolicyTracker webinar criticised the perpetual‑licence model, arguing it could entrench oligopolies and hinder market entry. They suggested tying...
MTN to Join Airtel, Globacom to Restore Airtime Lending After Regulatory Pause
MTN Nigeria announced it will restore its Xtratime airtime‑lending service after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission suspended enforcement of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non‑Traditional Consumer Lending (DEON) regulations. The move follows Airtel and Globacom, which have already...
ASUS Brings New Wi-Fi 8 Router, First in the World
Asus unveiled the ROG Rapture GT‑BN98 Pro, branding it as the world’s first Wi‑Fi 8 gaming router even though the IEEE 802.11bn standard is still under development. Wi‑Fi 8 shifts emphasis from peak speeds to reliability, lower latency, and broader coverage, with...
Brussels Wants to Reserve Satellite Spectrum for EU Companies
The European Commission has proposed splitting the 2 GHz MSS satellite spectrum into three equal parts: one third for a single government‑designated operator that must integrate with the upcoming IRIS2 multi‑orbit constellation, a second third reserved for EU‑based commercial satellite firms,...
EnGenius to Showcase AI-Ready Unified Networking and Surveillance Platform at Interop Tokyo 2026
EnGenius Networks Japan will unveil its AI‑ready unified networking and surveillance platform at Interop Tokyo 2026. The showcase highlights the upgraded EnGenius Cloud Intelligence suite, featuring Resolve AI for automated fault diagnosis and Craft AI for natural‑language dashboard creation. The...
Sitting Out BEAD? Why NOVOS FiBER’s CTO Has No Regrets
NOVOS FiBER’s chief technology officer Rob Johnson said the company has no regrets about sitting out the federal BEAD program, the multi‑billion‑dollar broadband initiative. He argued that state‑level allocations are often fragmented, forcing competing providers to duplicate infrastructure on the...
Adtran Shares Jump 17% on Quantum‑Safe Connectivity Deal with euNetworks
Adtran Holdings saw its shares climb 17.2% after announcing a collaboration with European data‑center carrier euNetworks to launch Quantum Shield, a quantum‑safe private connectivity service. The partnership positions the optical‑connectivity specialist at the forefront of telecom‑driven quantum cybersecurity, a sector...
Google Lands Nuvem Cable in South Carolina
Google’s Nuvem subsea cable, a 7,000‑km fiber system linking the United States, Bermuda, the Azores and Portugal, made landfall at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The cable, built by Subcom and operated by DC Blox, features 16 fiber pairs delivering up...
Mediacom DOCSIS Upgrades Pave Path to 5-Gig Speeds
Mediacom announced a new 5‑Gigabit residential tier delivering 5 Gbps downstream and 1 Gbps upstream, initially available to more than 500,000 homes across ten states. The rollout leverages a 1.2 GHz DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade, a high‑split upstream band and node densification, while reclaiming 350‑400 MHz...
AI Surge Triggers Optical Supply Crunch and Huawei's Chip Comeback in Telecom
The AI boom is tightening the telecom supply chain, with Nvidia's $150 billion annual spend on Taiwan's AI infrastructure spurring a tenfold expansion of Corning's U.S. fiber capacity and exposing shortages in lasers and indium phosphide substrates. At the same time,...
Adtran Holdings Shares Jump 17% on Quantum‑Safe Connectivity Deal with euNetworks
Adtran Holdings' stock surged 17.2% after the company unveiled Quantum Shield, a quantum‑safe private connectivity service developed with European data‑center carrier euNetworks. The partnership aims to protect high‑capacity traffic with quantum‑resilient encryption and real‑time fiber monitoring, positioning Adtran at the...
Best ISPs in South Africa for Fiber and 5G Internet Customers in 2026
South Africa's fixed broadband market in 2026 is rapidly expanding, with total telecom revenue reaching about $11.2 billion and fixed‑line connections up 19.3% year‑on‑year. Open‑access fiber operators Maziv (backed by Vodacom) and Openserve dominate infrastructure, together passing over 3.5 million homes and...
Sunsetting the High Cost Fund
SpaceX has filed comments with the FCC urging the agency to sunset the Universal Service Fund’s High‑Cost component, a program that spends roughly $4.5 billion annually on rural broadband and voice subsidies. The fund supports six Connect America mechanisms, the Rural Digital...
Aviat Intros Upgraded IP Transport and Long-Haul Backhaul Products with Pasolink
Telecom equipment maker Aviat Networks unveiled an upgraded IP transport solution called Pasolink VR, extending capacity on its IRU600 indoor and ODU600 outdoor microwave radios. The new platform incorporates technology from Aviat’s acquisition of NEC’s Pasolink brand and adds long‑haul indoor...
Telenor and Sateliot Want IoT Devices to Stay Connected Beyond Mobile Networks
Telenor IoT and Sateliot announced a partnership to fuse terrestrial NB‑IoT networks with Low Earth Orbit satellite coverage, allowing standard IoT devices to stay connected where cellular signals are weak. The collaboration leverages the 3GPP Release 17 Non‑Terrestrial Network (NTN) standard,...
Turkmentelecom Expands Public Wi-Fi Network
Turkmentelecom, Turkmenistan’s state telecom operator, is extending its public Wi‑Fi service, TelecomWi‑Fi, to cover the entire country. The network already operates in Ashgabat, Arkadag and now reaches airports, railway and bus stations, parks, hotels, and commercial centers nationwide. By deploying...
Beeline Russia Expands 5G Testing to More Regions
Russian telecom operator Beeline has broadened its 5G testing footprint, launching services in the Vladimir, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Samara, Ryazan, Tambov, Tula, Stavropol regions, the Republic of Ingushetia and the city of Tolyatti. This follows earlier May trials in Moscow, St Petersburg,...
VodafoneThree Completes Core and Radio Access Network Integration
VodafoneThree has completed the integration of Vodafone and Three's 4G and 5G networks, delivering a world‑first upgrade that merges core‑level and radio‑access sharing across multiple vendors. The combined Multi‑Operator Core Network (MOCN) and Multi‑Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN) architecture lets...
UK Government Allocates £57 Million to Upgrade Wi‑Fi on 1,400 Trains via Satellite
The UK transport secretary announced a £57 million programme to fit more than 1,400 main‑line trains with low‑Earth‑orbit satellite Wi‑Fi, aiming to lift on‑board connectivity from roughly 50‑60% to at least 90%. The rollout will use Starlink technology and is part...
6G Increasingly Looks Evolutionary, Says Dell’Oro
Dell’Oro’s new "6G RAN: What Are The Knowns And Unknowns" report frames 6G as an evolutionary upgrade rather than a disruptive leap. Operators are expected to lean on existing macro‑MIMO infrastructure below 8.4 GHz, using wider spectrum channels to boost capacity...
Welsh Based Mobile Firm Applies for Code Powers for 5G FWA Network
Clear Mobitel, a Welsh MVNO, has filed an Ofcom request for code powers to launch a 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network across Wales. The plan relies on shared 1800 MHz and 3.8‑4.2 GHz spectrum granted in 2021, combined with a cloud‑native...
Committee Probes Gauteng Broadband Delays
The Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on e‑Government flagged persistent shortfalls in the province’s broadband rollout, despite the Department of e‑Government reporting an 84% performance rating for Q4 2025/26. The committee highlighted missed targets for WAN, LAN and public Wi‑Fi sites...
Connectivity Is Now a Boardroom Issue, Not an IT Afterthought
Connectivity is no longer a back‑office concern; it has become a strategic agenda item for CEOs and boards. Companies that invest in redundant fibre, LTE fail‑over and multi‑operator routing can avoid costly outages that erode revenue and brand trust. In...
TRAI Data Shows Jio Losing Ground to Airtel in Delhi and Mumbai’s Subscriber Race
TRAI’s April 2026 data reveal that Bharti Airtel outperformed Reliance Jio in India’s two largest metro circles, Delhi and Mumbai. Airtel holds 3.92 crore subscribers in Delhi versus Jio’s 2.06 crore and added 3.02 lakh new users, while in Mumbai it leads with...
Telecom News: HFCL, Starlink, Airtel, MTN, Amazon, Aviat Networks
Indian telecom gear maker HFCL secured a ₹135 crore (~$16 million) contract to supply indigenously designed 5G equipment, sharpening its revenue outlook through FY27 and underscoring India’s drive for domestic hardware. In Uganda, Starlink’s provisional approval has spurred Airtel to test Direct‑to‑Cell...
Telecom News: Mediacom Communications, MaxLinear, GCT Semiconductor, Lightcurve
Mediacom Communications has begun offering a 5‑Gig residential broadband service, now reaching more than 500,000 homes across nine states and targeting one million connections by the end of 2026. MaxLinear and GCT Semiconductor announced a partnership to build AnyWAN gateway...
Orro and Megaport Partner to Overcome Limits of Traditional Telco Systems
Orro has teamed up with Megaport to give Australian businesses on‑demand private connectivity and compute across more than 1,100 data centres in 30 countries via a managed service. The alliance replaces months‑long telco procurement with software‑defined, consumption‑based networking that delivers...
Vicinity Unveils “TRAVE” — AI-Native SDR Platform at 5G-ACIA Frankfurt
Vicinity Technologies introduced TRAVE, an AI‑native 5G/6G software‑defined radio platform, at the 5G‑ACIA conference in Frankfurt. Built on NXP’s i.MX 95 processor and Layerscape chips, the system offers programmable PHY/MAC, native mesh, sidelink networking, and ultra‑low latency for industrial use cases....
Lightcurve Rolls Out Faster Speeds to Customers in Washington State
Lightcurve, a regional fiber provider, has begun offering 8 Gbps symmetrical internet to customers in Central Washington, covering Ellensburg, Selah and Kittitas. The rollout includes advanced mesh Wi‑Fi that can handle up to 10 Gbps, positioning the service as a premium alternative...
FTC Report Shows Arizona Tops Nation in Spam Call Complaints at 1,028 per 100,000
The Federal Trade Commission’s 2025 National Do Not Call Registry Data Book reveals Arizona recorded the highest spam‑call complaint rate at 1,028 per 100,000 people, followed closely by Tennessee. The report, based on more than 2.6 million consumer complaints, underscores persistent...
Ripple Fiber Strengthens Presence in Illinois with Naperville Launch
Ripple Fiber has begun delivering its high‑speed fiber‑optic internet service to homes and businesses in Naperville, Illinois, marking the company’s first major rollout in the state. The launch follows a $104 million infrastructure investment that also supports ongoing construction in Elk...
Pentagon Accepts $25,000 Monthly Starlink Fee for LUCAS Drones Amid Iran Conflict
The U.S. Department of Defense approved a steep increase in its Starlink subscription, moving from a $5,000 per‑terminal rate to a $25,000 monthly fee for LUCAS suicide drones used in the Iran campaign. SpaceX argued the higher tier reflected the...
AT&T Is Investing Big in California, Plans to Add Hundreds of Jobs
AT&T announced a $19 billion investment to modernize California’s telecommunications network by 2030, targeting fiber upgrades for over four million households and businesses and adding more than 1,200 new cell sites. The rollout will replace the aging copper infrastructure, begin copper...
Iran's Internet Is Partially Restored, Cloudflare Radar Data Shows
Iran’s vice president announced on May 26 that the nation’s Internet is beginning to come back online after a three‑month nationwide shutdown triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28. Cloudflare Radar data shows a sharp traffic surge, with bytes transferred...
Reliance Jio Rolls Out Rs 200 OTT Pass Bundling 5G Data, Live TV and Premium Streaming
Reliance Jio introduced a Rs 200 (≈$2.40) OTT Pass that combines 15 premium streaming apps, over 1,000 live TV channels, 30 GB of high‑speed data and unlimited 5G for a 28‑day period. The bundle, valued at roughly Rs 1,500 (≈$18), is available to...
Amazon Buys
Amazon is acquiring Apple's $400M stake in Globalstar's spectrum holding company, but note that Apple will increase its cash advances to fund C-3 by $400M
Home of the San Francisco 49ers Gets a Network Glow Up
Comcast Business has installed an advanced network backbone at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. The infrastructure supports high‑density Wi‑Fi, mobile engagement, and 4K video production for up to 70,000 fans. Comcast says the upgrade positions the...
Broadcom and Samsung Intro Broadband-Optimized Reference Platform for FWA Market
Broadcom and Samsung have unveiled a broadband‑optimized reference platform for the global fixed wireless access (FWA) market, pairing Broadcom’s BCM6776 Wi‑Fi 8 System‑on‑Chip with Samsung’s B1320 5G modem. The solution is one of the first to merge 3GPP Release 17 5G connectivity...
AST SpaceMobile Gains $10 B Market Value as SpaceX IPO Sparks Satellite‑Mobile Rally
AST SpaceMobile’s stock surged 17% on May 26, adding almost $10 billion in market value after SpaceX’s pending IPO filing ignited a sector‑wide rally. The jump follows the company’s FCC approval for its BlueBird service and more than $1.2 billion in carrier commitments,...
Orange, Vodafone and DIGI Show Contrasting Strengths in Romania’s 5G Market
Orange Romania kept its lead in overall mobile performance and 5G reach in Q1 2026, posting 57% 5G availability and a median download speed of 97.7 Mbps. Vodafone surged ahead in median 5G speed, hitting 180.5 Mbps after integrating Telekom Romania’s spectrum...
Charter Communications Confirms Data Breach Impacting 40 Million Records
Charter Communications confirmed that hackers from ShinyHunters accessed 40 million customer records in an April breach. The company says no sensitive personal or network data was exfiltrated, but the claim fuels a broader debate on telecom cybersecurity and regulatory oversight.
6G Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and Weather Data Supporting Autonomous Traffic
The University of Oulu and the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s 6G Visible project merged 6G networking, artificial intelligence and high‑resolution weather data to create services for autonomous traffic. Researchers built a hybrid intelligent autonomous driving system (HI‑ADS) that fuses vehicle sensors...