Today's Telecom Pulse
Airtel’s 5G slicing‑enabled Priority Postpaid hits availability snag
Bharti Airtel rolled out its Priority Postpaid service on May 19, using 5G standalone network slicing to deliver premium benefits. The offering is unavailable to most Indian customers because it only works on 5G SA smartphones, while the majority of devices in the $100‑200 and $200‑400 price brackets support only 5G non‑standalone. Early users have reported call failures.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Optimum secures $300M in preferred equity
Starlink Will Provide Connectivity to Archer’s Midnight Air Taxis
Archer Aviation announced a partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink to equip its Midnight electric air taxis with low‑Earth‑orbit satellite internet. The integration will provide high‑speed, low‑latency connectivity for passenger Wi‑Fi and real‑time data links between aircraft, pilots and ground teams. Testing will begin shortly, marking Starlink’s first entry into the urban air mobility market. The collaboration also aims to develop a connectivity platform that supports future autonomous flight capabilities.
Digital Connectivity Readiness: Trai Proposes New Evaluation, Rating Norms for Real Estate Projects
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has unveiled a proposal to overhaul digital connectivity readiness ratings for real‑estate projects. The plan expands the existing five‑star scale to a nine‑star system with half‑star increments and introduces a design‑stage assessment that...
Spectrum Control Introduces PulseShield™ Transportable HEMP Filter Series for Mobile Mission Continuity
Spectrum Control has launched the PulseShield™ Transportable HEMP Filter Series, a compact, lightweight line of high‑altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) filters that meet MIL‑STD‑188‑125‑1A (E1/E2) requirements. The modular, plug‑and‑play units are designed for rapid deployment on mobile shelters, tactical vehicles, and...
Enterprise Networks Transform Into AI-Ready Intelligent Platforms
Enterprise networks are evolving from passive pipes into intelligent platforms. Integrated 5G, edge computing, and built-in security are enabling AI-ready infrastructure that supports intelligence at scale across distributed environments. Check out these use cases: https://t.co/4XYg87VcCI @TMobileBusiness Partner
Weekly Wrap: Resilience Is the New Spectrum Policy Buzzword
The EU’s Digital Networks Act (DNA) is being positioned as a cornerstone for simplifying telecom regulations and reducing market fragmentation across member states. At the Future Connectivity Summit, regulators emphasized the Act’s role in fostering spectrum coherence while also highlighting...
A Telehealth Success Story
The San Francisco Tech Council launched a state‑funded program that teaches low‑income, limited‑English‑proficiency patients how to use online medical portals. Participants received a 45‑minute hands‑on session with a digital navigator, enabling them to schedule appointments, view results, and request prescriptions. Feedback...
Openreach Awarded Another Project Gigabit Type C Contract
Openreach has secured the Project Gigabit Type C Call Off 8 contract for Cheshire, valued at £37.5 million. The agreement replaces the earlier FreedomFibre deal and targets 18,500 hard‑to‑reach premises with full‑fibre gigabit service. Rollout is expected to begin in late 2026, adding roughly 3.2 % additional...
Cloud Calling Data Sovereignty Secures Business Operations
BT has launched Sovereign Voice, a cloud‑calling solution that guarantees all voice traffic remains within the United Kingdom’s borders. The service runs on domestic data centres, is managed by local staff, and incorporates Cisco’s secure‑calling platform. It targets heavily regulated...
UK Reaches 90% Gigabit Broadband Coverage as Full Fibre Rollouts Continue
The UK has reached 90.04% gigabit broadband coverage as of 25 February 2026, up from 85.20% in October 2024. England now sits at 90.58% while Northern Ireland leads with 97.15%. Remote council areas such as Na h‑Eileanan an Iar and the Shetland Islands...
Du-Backed UAE-IX Becomes Middle East’s First 800 GE-Ready Internet Exchange
The UAE‑IX exchange, operated by DE‑CIX and du’s datamena platform, is now technically ready for 800 gigabit Ethernet and offers 400 GE ports, making it the first Middle Eastern IX with such capacity. The upgrade pushes peak traffic beyond 1 terabit per second,...
India on Global 6G Standard-Setting Table for the First Time: Jyotiraditya Scindia
India’s communications minister announced that the country completed the world’s fastest 5G rollout in just 22 months, achieving 99.9% district coverage and connecting 400 million users. For the first time, India has secured a seat at the global 6G standard‑setting tables...
2025: Satcom Gains, AI Losses Near End
.@space42ai in 2025: A good year for Al Yah fixed & @ThurayaTelecom mobile satcom offset by what co hopes is final year of losses for its AI/geospatial Smart Solutions business. Status of #Equatys D2D JV w/ @viasat should clarify this...
Lab: More Complex EVPN/VXLAN Bridging Scenario
The latest EVPN/VXLAN lab adds a more complex bridging scenario where several EVPN MAC‑VRFs are each mapped to separate VLAN segments on individual PE devices. The topology includes three routers interconnected via an IPv4 underlay running OSPF and iBGP, and...
Early Call for Inputs on the BEREC Work Programme 2027
BEREC has launched an early call for inputs to shape its Work Programme 2027, inviting stakeholders to submit project proposals by 15 April 2026. Submissions must use the provided Excel template and be sent to the designated BEREC email address. The programme...
Huawei WiFi Mesh X3 Pro Adds Wi-Fi 7 and Room Lighting
Huawei has unveiled the WiFi Mesh X3 Pro, a consumer‑grade Wi‑Fi 7 mesh system that doubles as an ambient light fixture. The router delivers up to 2.88 Gbps on 5 GHz and 688 Mbps on 2.4 GHz, with WPA2‑PSK/WPA3‑SAE mixed‑mode security and dual 2.5 GbE ports...
Oculeus 2FN Authenticates Calls in Real Time to Stop CLI Spoofing
Oculeus has launched its Two Factor Network (2FN) solution, giving telcos a real‑time framework to authenticate caller identity and stop CLI spoofing. The system creates a parallel verification path with digital signatures that peer‑to‑peer carriers exchange during call setup. Industry...
Airalo, Cathay to Offer eSIMs with Asia Miles
Airalo and Cathay Pacific have partnered to sell discounted eSIMs to Cathay travelers, granting 100 Asia Miles for each eSIM purchased. The miles can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, hotels, dining and other lifestyle rewards. The collaboration taps into a...
TRAI Outlines 6G, AI and Inclusion Roadmap for Broadcast Sector
At the 22nd Video Broadcast and Broadband Tech Summit, TRAI outlined a five‑year roadmap that couples 6G‑enabled gesture and voice TV with AI‑driven content agents, while stressing rural inclusion. The regulator highlighted the need to expand data‑centre capacity to roughly...
Proximus Unveils ‘Amplify’ and ‘Elevate’ Strategy, Targets Stronger Cash Flow and Dividend Growth by 2030
Proximus unveiled two strategic roadmaps – Amplify for its Belgian domestic operations and Elevate for its global business – to drive network leadership, AI‑enabled efficiency and higher shareholder returns. The Amplify plan focuses on nationwide gigabit fiber, copper decommissioning and...
Wildix Looks to Bring Conversations Under Enterprise Control with eSIM
Wildix has introduced Wildix eSIM, an AI‑powered extension of its Mobility Cloud that routes business mobile calls through the enterprise system of record. The solution embeds a single business identity into the SIM, allowing native dialer use while preserving routing,...
M5Stack Unit PoE-P4 Pairs RISC-V ESP32-P4 and 802.3at PoE in 64mm Module
M5Stack unveiled the Unit PoE‑P4, a 64 × 24 mm module that combines Espressif’s ESP32‑P4 RISC‑V SoC with IEEE 802.3at Power over Ethernet. The board packs 16 MB Flash, 32 MB PSRAM, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet PHY, dual MIPI DSI/CSI interfaces, and dual USB‑C ports, delivering up...
How Telekom CoMind Is Redefining AI-Powered Voice and Chat Bots for Enterprise
Deutsche Telekom unveiled CoMind, a modular conversational AI platform that delivers voice and chat bots acting as digital colleagues for enterprises. The solution combines Retrieval‑Augmented Generation, multilingual support and seamless integration with legacy and cloud systems, while adhering to strict...
ISAC Innovation | Ericsson Demos Drone Detection PoC at Texas
Ericsson successfully demonstrated a live proof‑of‑concept for its Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) technology at its Plano, Texas headquarters, using massive‑MIMO radios to detect and track drones in real time. The trial showed that existing 5G infrastructure can be repurposed...
Comcast Now Offers Free Disney+ & Hulu With Some Internet Plans
Comcast is bundling free, ad‑supported Disney+ and Hulu with select Xfinity high‑speed internet plans, also adding Peacock Premium, Xumo Stream Box, and a Wi‑Fi gateway. The offer applies to gigabit, 1.2 Gbps and 2 Gbps tiers and is available to new sign‑ups...
DFC Reauthorization Is Here: The Good, the Bad, and the Next Steps for Connectivity
The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) received a major re‑authorization embedded in the FY2026 NDAA, boosting its contingent liability limit to $205 billion and expanding geographic eligibility for ICT projects. The bill creates a $5 billion equity revolving fund—though unfunded—and grants new...
Better Satellite World: From Classroom to Community, Episode 4: What Makes the Signal Hold?
In this episode, Tamara Bond‑Williams talks with Vaibhav Magal, VP of the International Division at Hughes, about what makes satellite‑based school connectivity reliable, scalable and sustainable across emerging markets. They explain why schools are prioritized as community hubs, the technical...
Legacy IT Debt Threatens Hospital AI Adoption
Legacy IT debt and aging hospital infrastructure could quietly limit AI adoption. The real question isn’t just “What AI tool should we use?” It’s “Is our network ready for what’s next?” That’s the lens @VerizonBusiness brought to the #ViVE2026 conversation. 👇 https://t.co/XjHRtFctef
FiberLight Deepens West Texas Fiber Reach with New 1,400 Route-Mile Build
FiberLight announced a $350 million investment to build 1,400 route‑miles of fiber in West Texas, bringing its regional network to nearly 4.8 million fiber miles. The expansion adds a third diverse route into Abilene, boosting network resiliency and capacity for AI‑driven workloads....
The Challenge of Adding Fiber to Poles
On February 5, 2026 the FCC issued a Memorandum and Order resolving a pole‑attachment dispute between Comcast and Appalachian Power Company (APCO). The FCC reaffirmed that attachers only pay the incremental cost of replacing a pole when the existing pole violates...
IonQ Deploys Romania’s National Quantum Communication Infrastructure (RoNaQCI)
IonQ has rolled out Romania’s National Quantum Communication Infrastructure (RoNaQCI), creating a 1,500‑kilometer quantum‑key‑distribution (QKD) network that links six major cities. The system comprises 36 quantum‑secured links, accounting for more than 20% of Europe’s terrestrial quantum communications capacity. Leveraging wavelength‑division...
Huawei Takes Part in EU Research Programs Despite Commission Crackdown
Huawei is participating in 16 Horizon Europe research projects despite being labeled a high‑risk supplier by the European Commission. Fifteen of the contracts were signed before the 2023 ban, while a sixth‑year project was deemed outside the restriction scope. The...
New Bill Would Impose Shot Clocks on FCC Merger Reviews
Two bipartisan lawmakers introduced the Keep It Moving Act to impose strict shot clocks on Federal Communications Commission merger reviews, formalizing the agency's informal 180‑day deadline. If the FCC exceeds the timeline, applicants could seek a court order to compel...
RightFiber Announces North Texas Expansion, Starts in Seagoville
RightFiber, a Ritter Communications brand, announced a $50 million investment to extend its 100% fiber‑optic network across North Texas, starting construction in Seagoville. The rollout will deliver residential speeds up to 5 Gbps and business connections up to 100 Gbps. The company highlighted...
Critical Juniper Networks PTX Flaw Allows Full Router Takeover
Juniper Networks disclosed a critical CVE‑2026‑21902 vulnerability in the On‑Box Anomaly Detection framework of its Junos OS Evolved running on PTX Series routers. The flaw lets an unauthenticated attacker reach a root‑level service over an external port, enabling full device...
Kinetic Tokens Enable Real‑Time Action for Physical AI
What if data didn’t just inform decisions but triggered action in real time? That’s the idea behind kinetic tokens, and why they matter for Physical AI like robotics. With nationwide 5G SA and 5G Advanced, @TMobile is ready for it. More via...
AST SpaceMobile Encapsulates BlueBird 7 Satellite for Inaugural New Glenn Mission
AST SpaceMobile announced that its BlueBird 7 (BB7) satellite has been encapsulated inside the 7‑meter payload fairing of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, marking the final major milestone before the NG‑3 launch from Cape Canaveral. BB7 is a Block 2 satellite featuring a...
ETSI Issues New Report on ISAC System and RAN Architectures
ETSI’s Industry Specification Group on Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISG ISAC) has published ETSI GR ISC 003, a report that defines the architectural foundations for embedding advanced sensing into future 6G networks. The document outlines a 6G ISAC system reference model supporting monostatic, bistatic...
RAN Guardian Optimizes Network by Targeting 5 Peak Sites
"Only 5 sites experienced peak loads, RAN Guardian optimized the network by adjusting those sites during the event." via DT https://t.co/BnHUMTqlWl
Why Europe Can’t Defend What It Can’t Connect
Europe faces its most contested security decade since the Cold War, with the digital backbone—networks, data infrastructures and connectivity—now the primary frontline. Recent blackouts in Portugal and Spain illustrate how digital failures become national security events, while adversaries target subsea...
Celeste Technologies Complete Successful 5G NR-NTN Interoperability Tests with Sateliot's D2D Constellation Payload
Celeste Technologies announced that its fully software‑based SmartgNB successfully completed 5G NR‑NTN interoperability tests with Sateliot’s direct‑to‑device payload at Qualcomm’s Lannion labs. The campaign validated end‑to‑end traffic across GEO and LEO scenarios, covering both transparent and regenerative satellite payloads, using...
Gilat Demonstrates 5G NTN End-to-End Connectivity over GEO Satellite
Gilat Satellite Networks demonstrated a 3GPP‑compliant 5G non‑terrestrial network (NTN) connection using its existing geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite infrastructure. The end‑to‑end test validated key capabilities such as 5G NTN VSAT, hub technologies, latency compensation and protocol optimizations. Gilat’s success...
Carriers Reveal Some Data, Hide Investment Secrets
The wireless industry is playing hide-and-seek with your investment dollars. Some carriers are finally showing their cards while others are pulling data off the table. Here's what they don't want you to know. 🧵📊
Salesforce Launches Telco-Specific AI Agents to Improve Sales and Customer Retention
Salesforce unveiled Agentforce for Communications, a suite of telco‑specific AI agents designed to automate routine tasks and boost customer engagement. The solution targets a telecom sector facing slowing revenue growth—forecast at 2.9% by 2029—and high churn rates up to 40%....
SES and Africa Mobile Networks Extend DRC Coverage to 27% with 1,100 Rural Base Stations
SES and Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) have installed 1,100 solar‑powered base stations across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pushing mobile coverage to 27% of the population and adding roughly 1.3 million new users. The rollout relies on VSAT backhaul and...
Broadband Shorts February 2026
Amazon One has asked the FCC for a two‑year extension to meet its 1,600‑satellite launch deadline, currently operating only 212 satellites, while the FCC approved an additional 4,500 satellites for its constellation. The NTIA quickly rebuffed Starlink’s push to loosen...
Google Messages Adds Scrollable RCS Business Profiles and Archive Feature
Google is streamlining the Google Messages interface by bringing a consistent, scrollable design to RCS Business Profiles that matches personal contact pages And a new "Archive" option in profile details page. ✅ Details and screenshots - https://t.co/2GxxCFh1Tf https://t.co/DpanHwfdjB
GoFibre Starts Full Fibre Build for 100,000 Premises Rollout in North East Scotland
GoFibre secured a £105 million Project Gigabit contract to deliver gigabit‑capable broadband to 63,000 premises across North East Scotland, with a commercial extension targeting 100,000 premises overall. The rollout will commence in early 2026 in towns such as Stonehaven, St Cyrus, Laurencekirk, Auchenblae,...
Ofcom Says Overall Phone and Broadband Prices Are Falling
Ofcom reports that UK phone and broadband prices are trending down, with high‑speed 900 Mbps plans now costing roughly half of what they did a few years ago. The regulator outlines ten practical ways consumers can cut costs, from switching providers...
Jio Strengthens Market Leadership in Q3FY26 with Strong Revenue Growth: Report
Reliance Jio reinforced its telecom dominance in Q3 FY26, posting adjusted gross revenue of ₹321 billion, a 3.9% quarterly and 11.2% annual increase. Its AGR market share climbed to 43%, gaining 41 basis points sequentially and 114 basis points year‑on‑year, surpassing...
Ribbon and AWS Transform Cloud Deployment for Service Providers and Enterprises
Ribbon Communications announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services to deliver a cloud‑native, secure voice communications suite on AWS Marketplace. The offering bundles Ribbon’s Session Border Controller, policy routing engine, and centralized management platform as containerized services optimized for...