On AI Agents Speaking BGP
A recent proof‑of‑concept demonstrates an AI‑driven natural‑language interface that talks directly to a custom BGP daemon. The author argues that existing open‑source BGP suites like FRRouting already provide machine‑readable JSON and can be wrapped with simple REST APIs. Reinventing a BGP daemon adds unnecessary complexity and risk. Leveraging proven routing software while adding an LLM front‑end offers a more reliable path to AI‑enabled network automation.
MWC 2026 | Ericsson to Showcase 6G Capabilities with Apple, MediaTek
Ericsson announced at MWC 2026 that it will showcase live 6G demonstrations in partnership with Apple and MediaTek. The Apple demo will feature Multi‑RAT Spectrum Sharing (MRSS) to illustrate seamless 5G‑to‑6G coexistence, while MediaTek will present a 6G centimeter‑wave data‑call prototype...
Towards an Industry Best Practice for DNSSEC Automation
DNSSEC adoption remains modest, with only 36 % of resolvers validating and 7 % of domains securely delegated in 2025, hampered by complex enrollment and manual key‑rollovers. Automation using authenticated CDS/CDNSKEY records can eliminate these hurdles, and several European ccTLDs have already...
Microsoft Makes a Pitch for Telcos with Announcements Ahead of Mobile World Congress 2026
Microsoft announced a suite of telco‑focused services ahead of Mobile World Congress 2026. The company is rolling out Azure Local, Microsoft 365 Local, and Foundry Local to deliver sovereign‑cloud and edge capabilities for disconnected operations. In March, Databricks Lakebase will reach general availability,...
Ukraine as a Laboratory of Internet Resilience
Four years into Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s Internet has not collapsed despite extensive damage to its telecom infrastructure. Roughly 25 % of cables and equipment were destroyed, representing a $1.6 billion loss, yet service persisted through rerouting, redundancy and rapid repairs. The resilience...
Press Release: Gilat Receives $39 Million in Orders for Sidewinder ESA
Gilat Satellite Networks announced $39 million in orders for its Sidewinder electronically steered antenna (ESA) in‑flight connectivity terminals from a leading satellite operator, with deliveries slated over the next 12 months. The orders cover both line‑fit and retrofit installations, underscoring airlines'...
Peru Begins Campaign to Block Further 100K 'High-Risk' Handsets
Peruvian telecom regulator Osiptel announced a new phase of its anti‑fraud campaign, blocking an additional 100,000 handsets deemed high‑risk. The devices are not listed in the official Renteseg database and are associated with repeated use of invalid or cloned IMEIs....
Anritsu, Qualcomm to Present Pre-6G 7 GHz Device Testing at MWC
Qualcomm and Anritsu will showcase a pre‑6G mobile‑device test case operating at 7.125 GHz during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The demonstration uses an upgraded Anritsu MT8000A test station, extending its RF hardware to cover 7‑16 GHz, thereby adding support for lower...
Dhiraagu Invites Applications for Public Shareholders Slot on Board
Maldives telecom operator Dhiraagu has announced that it will accept applications from public shareholders for a vacant public director seat on its board. The public director represents shareholders who do not hold a majority stake and is elected exclusively by...
American Tower Reports 8% Rise in Q4 Revenue
American Tower posted a 7.5% increase in fourth‑quarter 2025 revenue, reaching $2.74 billion, while property revenue rose 7.6% to $2.67 billion. Tenant billings grew organically by $109 million, a 5.9% rise. Adjusted funds from operations per share climbed 8.2%, marking high single‑digit growth....
Sustainable Spectrum Policy Dossier Updated for 2026
The Sustainable Spectrum Policy dossier has been refreshed for 2026, adding a new research note on space sustainability. It highlights the ESA Zero Debris Charter’s net‑zero target for 2030, the APRSAF “Nagoya Vision” on responsible space use, and IADC’s global...
Cellular Backup for Broadband
Amazon introduced the eero Signal, an add‑on for its eero Wi‑Fi mesh that automatically switches to cellular broadband when the primary internet fails. The 4G‑only device retails for $99.99 and includes six months of service, after which a $99.99 annual...
KPN Refreshes Postpaid Plans to Underline Premium Unlimited Plans
Dutch telecom operator KPN has overhauled its post‑paid mobile portfolio, introducing higher‑priced plans that are simpler to understand. The new offerings feature larger data allowances on fixed‑quota tiers, albeit with reduced speeds compared with the premium unlimited option. Existing customers...
HFCL, IIT Delhi Come Together on Development of Hollow-Core Fiber Tech
HFCL Limited has joined a Department of Telecommunications‑funded consortium led by IIT Delhi to develop hollow‑core fiber (HCF) technology for future 6G and quantum communication networks. The partnership leverages HFCL’s manufacturing expertise and IIT Delhi’s research capabilities to accelerate the...
When ToR Instability Collapses Cross-Rack Redundancy Without Breaching SLA
The article describes a two‑rack deployment where each rack relied on a single top‑of‑rack switch, making each rack a lone failure domain. When the ToR in rack 2 became unstable, database replica loss and ARP failures occurred, yet latency and error‑rate...
Tune Talk Picks Mavenir to Build AI‑driven Mobile Infra
Tune Talk has completed its transition to a fully independent, cloud‑native mobile network operator by partnering with Mavenir, which supplied AI‑driven OSS and BSS platforms. The new architecture gives Tune Talk end‑to‑end control, zero‑touch automation and self‑healing capabilities, accelerating digital...
RAD Debuts 400G Ethernet Platform for DCI, Enterprise Connectivity
RAD announced the ETX‑2i‑400G, a 400 Gbps Ethernet demarcation and aggregation platform designed for data‑center interconnect and high‑capacity enterprise links. The device targets communications service providers seeking low‑latency, SLA‑driven services that can handle AI‑intensive workloads. It incorporates multiple 400 G QSP‑DD interfaces...
Interesting: Open Space Events
Martin Fowler highlighted Open Space events as a self‑organizing format where participants set the agenda on the fly. The approach offers a structured yet flexible alternative to informal gatherings like Net::Beer, making it attractive for small tech meetups such as...
MWC 2026 | Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, TIM and Vodafone Demo Federated Edge Continuum
At Mobile World Congress 2026 the five largest European telcos—Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, TIM and Vodafone—demonstrated the first live European Edge Continuum, a federated edge infrastructure spanning their networks. The federation, built on EU‑funded IPCEI‑CIS components, is now operational in...
Ericsson, University of Toronto Partner to Drive AI Powered Mobile Tech
Ericsson and the University of Toronto have signed a three‑year partnership, committing $1 million to accelerate AI‑powered mobile communications research. The agreement focuses on advancing 5G technologies while laying groundwork for future 6G networks. It also creates industry‑linked projects to develop...
Balancing Growth and Efficiency — APNIC 61 Policy SIG Deliberations on IPv6 and IPv4 Allocation
At APNIC 61’s Policy SIG in Jakarta, members debated two pivotal proposals: prop‑164, which would lower the minimum IPv6 allocation from a /32 to a /36, and prop‑168, which seeks to raise the maximum IPv4 delegation for account holders to a...
New Pepwave 5G Dongle Brings Ethernet-Over-USB 5G to Peplink Routers and Laptops
Peplink is launching the Pepwave 5G Dongle, a compact USB‑C modem that delivers Ethernet‑over‑USB 5G connectivity for its routers and laptops. Built on a Qualcomm X62 chipset, the device supports dual physical nano‑SIM slots, dual eSIMs and a wide range of sub‑6 GHz 5G/LTE...
Broadband Usage in 4Q 2025
OpenVault’s Q4 2025 Broadband Insights Report shows U.S. households downloaded an average 59 GB more and uploaded 10 GB more per month than a year earlier. Upload growth outpaced downloads, driven by video calls, cloud backup and IoT traffic. Fiber subscribers uploaded 93 GB...
Telefónica, Mavenir Partner to Drive AI Innovation in Telecom
Telefónica and Mavenir have signed an MOU to launch an AI Innovation Hub that will serve as a live testbed for autonomous core network technologies. The hub will enable development and validation of AI‑driven orchestration, intent‑based services, and monetization frameworks...
Netlab: The Caveats of Using Startup Configurations
Petr Ankudinov warns against relying on containerlab's startup‑config option for netlab deployments. While containerlab can apply partial startup configurations to most devices, it only supports complete startup files for Arista cEOS, forcing netlab to duplicate initial device setup. Errors in...
Reflections on a Transforming Interconnection Ecosystem
Flavio Luciani and John Souter’s new analysis shows the global peering market is not contracting but evolving. While mature regions exhibit modest dips in ASN counts, overall IXP capacity continues to rise, driven by traffic consolidation and the growth of...
SKT 6G ATHENA White Paper: A Mid-to-Long Term Network Evolution Strategy for the AI Era
SK Telecom released the ATHENA white paper outlining its mid‑to‑long‑term strategy for a 6G network that is AI‑native, Zero‑Trust, and open. The framework, encapsulated by the ATHENA acronym, maps out how AI will be embedded across radio, core, transport and...
Ericsson Goes with Custom Silicon (Rather than Nvidia GPUs) for AI RAN
Ahead of MWC Barcelona 2026 Ericsson unveiled its AI‑RAN portfolio, opting for purpose‑built ASIC silicon instead of Nvidia GPUs and confirming Intel as its only commercial silicon partner. The company highlighted a software‑defined approach that uses hardware abstraction layers to...
Unintended Consequences
EchoStar exited the facility‑based cellular market after FCC pressure to monetize its spectrum, selling valuable bands to Starlink and AT&T while walking away from thousands of tower lease payments. The lease abandonment has prompted tower owners to seek FCC intervention,...
Weekly Wrap: Why I Think Indefinite Spectrum Licences Are a Bad Idea
The European Commission’s Digital Networks Act proposes spectrum licences of up to 40 years, or even indefinite duration, a sharp increase from the current 15‑25‑year norm. Mobile operators back the change, arguing it offers long‑term certainty for investment. Critics contend...
Public Videos: EVPN in MPLS-Based Environments
The article announces that Krzysztof Szarkowicz’s presentation on EVPN in MPLS‑based environments is now publicly available as part of the EVPN Technical Deep Dive webinar series. While EVPN is often discussed alongside VXLAN, its original purpose was to serve as...
Voice Is Nothing But an App
The author filed FCC comments urging the agency to drop Title II regulation for voice services and reclassify them as Title I information services. He argues that traditional copper‑based POTS is obsolete and that today’s voice is delivered by a myriad of...
The Big Fat WLPC 2026 Post-Event Blog
The Wireless LAN Professionals Conference (WLPC) in Phoenix served as the year’s focal point for WLAN engineers, vendors, and thought leaders. The author’s session “Go Open or Go Home” earned the Golden Yagi Award, highlighting community enthusiasm for open‑source advocacy....
Project Gigabit BDUK Update for February 2026
BDUK released its February 2026 update on Project Gigabit, showing that 21% of UK properties now have fibre built. The data, captured on 16 February 2026, reflects contract‑level construction across all regions. BDUK notes a reporting lag, meaning actual on‑ground progress may be slightly...
Nexfibre to Overbuild Old Virgin Media O2 Coax Network as Part of Netomnia Acquisition
nexfibre will finance the fibre upgrade of roughly 2.1 million Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) coax‑served homes that sit alongside the newly acquired Netomnia footprint. VMO2 will pay wholesale fibre‑access fees once the XGS‑PON network is live, with most deployments expected by...
Organisational Changes at Openreach to Take Effect From 1st April 2026
Openreach will implement a sweeping organisational overhaul on 1 April 2026, coinciding with the appointment of Katie Milligan as its new chief executive. The restructure introduces a dedicated Chief Customer Experience role, filled by Surinder Khatter, to head a newly created CX...
BDUK Release Gigabit Figures for October to December 2025
Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) announced that 56,000 premises received gigabit‑capable service in the October‑December 2025 quarter, bringing the cumulative total to 1,373,800 premises – roughly 4.1 % of UK households. The bulk of the new connections came from Project Gigabit contracts...
ANALYSIS: Exactly How Much New Fibre Is Virgin Media O2/Nexfibre Buying with Netomnia?
Virgin Media O2 and Nexfibre’s consortium is buying Netomnia for £2 billion, adding a 3.07 million‑premise full‑fibre footprint. Overlap analysis shows 0.38 m sites already in Project Mustang, 0.22 m in Project Lightning, 0.16 m in Nexfibre, and 1.77 m with only DOCSIS 3.1 coax. Post‑deal, VMO2’s...
Cisco IOS/XR OSPFv2 Not-So-Passive Interfaces
Cisco IOS/XR 25.2.1 violates the OSPF passive‑interface contract by still emitting OSPFv2 Hello packets. The router sends two hellos on a supposedly passive link, then stops, leaving the neighbor in the Init state and causing netlab integration tests to fail....
Taara Lightbridge Pro: An Ultra Reliable Wireless Optical Communications System for 5G Mobile Backhaul
Taara, a Google X spin‑out, unveiled Lightbridge Pro – a carrier‑grade free‑space optical (FSO) system that promises 99.999% uptime for 5G mobile backhaul. The solution delivers up to 20 Gbps full‑duplex capacity and automatically switches to fiber or RF backups when...
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica Agree £2 Billion Deal for Netomnia
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica’s joint venture nexfibre has agreed to acquire Netomnia, the parent of YouFibre and brsk, in a £2 billion transaction. The deal consolidates a significant portion of the UK’s full‑fibre retail market under nexfibre’s control. It brings...
The FCC 2024 Broadband Report
The FCC released its Internet Access Services report for December 31, 2024, intended to update Congress on broadband availability. The analysis highlights persistent flaws: inconsistent location definitions, reliance on ISP‑self‑reported marketing speeds, and omission of significant Fixed Wireless Access customers. Moreover, the...
Zzoomm Brand Now Sold in Both FullFibreLtd and Zzoomm Areas
Zzoomm has become the sole retail brand for the combined 600,000‑premise footprint created by its merger with FullFibre Ltd. The integration, completed on time and on budget, consolidates the former BeFibre brand, which will soon redirect to Zzoomm, and unifies...
EVPN IP-VRFs on Cisco IOS/XE: Configuration Notes
The author explains how to get EVPN IP‑VRFs with transit VXLAN working on Cisco IOS/XE, emphasizing the need to configure an explicit VLAN on switch images or a bridge‑domain on router images for the transit VNI. He outlines the required...
ASA Rules on Virgin Media Advert Following BT Complaint
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled on Virgin Media’s September 2024 TV spot that claimed the company was “Awarded Best Broadband Experience.” While the ASA concluded the claim was not misleading about technology, it found the advert failed to provide verifiable...
Dave Farber
Dave Farber, a foundational figure in the creation of the Internet, has passed away. He helped transform the early research network into today’s global communications backbone and designed the Irvine Ring, a landmark local‑area‑network architecture. Farber was also celebrated for...
Starlink Expands Plan Change Flexibility, Updates Privacy Policy, & Adds 24/7 Phone Support For Connection Issues
Starlink now lets customers switch service plans either instantly or at the next billing cycle, with upgrades prorated and downgrades forfeiting remaining value. The company also revised its privacy policy to permit the use of account and usage data for...
Revamped Opportunity Zone Financing
Opportunity Zone financing is being overhauled under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, creating OZ 2.0 effective Jan 1, 2027. The new rules make the program permanent, introduce a rolling five‑year deferral, a 10% basis step‑up after five years, and a 10‑year...
How Global Digital Cooperation Entered Its Implementation Phase
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the WSIS+20 outcome document in December 2025, cementing a ten‑year architecture for global digital governance aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Digital Goals. Coupled with the Global Digital Compact adopted at the 2024 Summit of...
Podcast: Decoding the Commission’s Digital Networks Act
The European Commission has released a draft Digital Networks Act, aiming to replace fragmented national telecom rules with a unified market framework. The legislation targets spectrum harmonisation and introduces perpetual licences to reduce regulatory uncertainty. By standardising rules, the EU...
