Fixing Federal Permitting
The House passed H.R. 5419, the Enhancing Administrative Reviews of Broadband Deployment Act, directing the Interior and Agriculture departments to assess and report on administrative barriers to broadband permits on federal lands within a year. The bill follows previous executive orders from 2012 and 2018 that sought similar streamlining but saw limited impact. While the legislation could improve staffing and processes, its timeline may miss the four‑year window of the BEAD grant program already being awarded. Critics warn that without faster action, permitting delays will continue to stall rural broadband projects.
Bouygues Telecom Taps Polystar to Drive Analytics and Performance Management
Bouygues Telecom has launched a cloud‑native Analytics and Performance Management platform built on Polystar’s Kalix suite, completing a multi‑year migration. The solution unifies data from over 60 core and RAN systems, delivering granular KPI insights across vendors. Customized dashboards and...
IMT-2030 (“6G”) Minimum Technology Performance Requirements for Radio Interface Technologies
At the February 2026 ITU‑R WP 5D meeting in Geneva, the working party reached consensus on the technical performance requirements for IMT‑2030, the forthcoming 6G standard. The draft report defines 20 minimum performance requirements, including seven entirely new metrics, to evaluate...
What Every Family Should Compare Before Switching Cell Phone Companies
T‑Mobile’s Better Value Plan is positioned as a cost‑effective family cell‑phone option that bundles unlimited premium data, generous hotspot limits and a 5‑Year Price Guarantee. For a three‑line household the plan costs about $143 per month, delivering over $1,000 in...
Part I: Outcomes From the IEEE–ITU Sustainable Climate Symposium
The IEEE‑ITU Sustainable Climate Symposium in Geneva highlighted how artificial intelligence can make telecommunications networks more energy‑efficient and climate‑resilient. Participants from standards bodies, UN agencies, industry, and academia discussed AI‑driven optimization, circular‑economy models, and the need for robust governance frameworks....
Giffgaff Adds 24 Month Contracts with No Price Rise in Minimum Term
Giffgaff has introduced 24‑month full‑fibre broadband contracts that lock in prices for two years, avoiding the typical £3‑£4 annual hikes seen across the sector. The plans start at £25 per month for 200 Mbps, £28 for 500 Mbps, and £32 for 900 Mbps,...
Press Release: National Airlines Selects Viasat IFC for A330s
Viasat Inc. announced that its in‑flight connectivity solution has been selected for National Airlines’ three new Airbus A330 aircraft. The airline equipped the jets with Viasat’s GM‑40 Ka‑band terminal, delivering high‑capacity Wi‑Fi capable of HD video streaming and AI‑driven applications...
Where’s the Growth?
The Census Building Permit Survey shows a pronounced regional split in new‑home construction, with South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Idaho and Delaware topping single‑family permits per 100,000 residents, and Washington, D.C., South Dakota and Colorado leading multifamily permits. North Carolina’s...
MANRS for Enterprise Customers
The MANRS initiative, aimed at securing Internet routing, has few participants in Croatia, Slovenia and Austria, leaving enterprises in those markets without verified ISP compliance. The author highlights the difficulty of locating MANRS‑certified providers and points to a new MANRS...
Converge to Deploy 1 Million Ports in 2026, Sets Capex at PHP 23 Billion
Converge ICT announced it will add nearly one million new ports to its network by 2026, targeting underserved regions in the Visayas and Mindanao. The rollout is backed by a PHP 23 billion capital expenditure plan, a 30% increase over the previous...
Telefonica Germany Partners Automobile Association ADAC to Launch New Digital Benefit Programme
Telefonica Germany has entered a partnership with the German automobile association ADAC to embed its O2 and Blau mobile‑service portfolios into ADAC’s newly launched digital benefits platform. Existing O2 and Blau tariffs will be available to ADAC members, and Telefonica...
T-Mobile Poland Offers Full Range of Prepaid Card Purchase Functions Online
T‑Mobile Poland has moved its entire prepaid SIM purchasing workflow online. Customers can now activate eSIMs, select new telephone numbers, and use Mobile Number Portability via the website. The service also supports ordering physical SIM cards with free delivery. This...
A1 Slovenia Leads Survey as Most Frequently Recommended Mobile Operator for Seniors
A recent Aragon agency survey shows A1 Slovenia is the most frequently recommended mobile operator among Slovene users aged over 60. More than 80% of these senior customers actively use mobile data, a rate that exceeds the national average. Seniors...
Beeline Kyrgyzstan Launches Mobile Plan with Zero-Rated AI Apps
Beeline Kyrgyzstan has rolled out a new Ukmush AI tariff priced at KGS 500 per month. The plan offers 80 GB of mobile data, unlimited on‑net calls and SMS, 60 minutes of off‑network calls, and unlimited data sharing. It also zero‑rates traffic to...
The Human Touch
Consumer Cellular, an AT&T‑based MVNO targeting seniors, has surpassed 4.4 million subscribers while many rivals shrink. The carrier maintains a $30 average revenue per user and attributes growth to live‑person customer service and a rapid rollout of brick‑and‑mortar stores. Since opening...
XLSMART Unveils AI-Powered Vision to Lead Indonesia's Digital Future
XLSMART, the product of the 2025 XL Axiata‑Smartfren merger, announced an AI‑centric strategy to become Indonesia’s digital‑economy engine. The telecom now serves 73 million customers, holds a 27% market share and operates 225 000 base stations. AI “copilots” powered by Huawei’s AUTIN...
Can Africa Succeed Where India Failed with the $40 Smartphone?
The GSMA announced a pilot program to launch $40 4G smartphones in Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda by 2026, aiming to connect tens of millions of Africans who are offline despite network coverage. The initiative bundles operators, manufacturers,...
Pilot Photonics Selected by Finchetto for Optical Network Switch
Pilot Photonics, an Irish integrated‑laser specialist, has partnered with Finchetto to supply its nanosecond tunable lasers for the development of the world’s first fully optical passive network switch. The switch aims to slash data‑centre power consumption by up to 20×...
Case Study | Geospatial Technology Accelerating India’s Telecom Growth Story
India’s telecom sector is leveraging geospatial technology to accelerate network rollouts and bridge the digital divide. Jio’s AirFiber project used Esri’s ArcGIS platform to create a national‑scale 3D GIS model covering over 100 million buildings in 900 cities. The system generated...
Getting Network Automation Right: A Practical Strategy for Enterprise Networks
Enterprise network automation hinges on strategic planning rather than just tool selection. Leaders must prioritize process maturity, governance, and skill development before deploying IaC platforms like Terraform or Ansible. A phased, high‑frequency task approach mitigates risk in brownfield environments, while...
Turk Telekom Opens 5G Technology and Innovation Centre in Istanbul
Turk Telekom has opened a 5G Technology and Innovation Centre at its Gayrettepe headquarters in Istanbul. The 600‑square‑metre hub serves as a live‑lab showcasing real‑world 5G applications and demos. It offers a test environment for startups, corporates, universities and public institutions...
Panasonic Enjoys Rapid IFE Growth as Connected Seatback Takes Wing
Panasonic Avionics reports rapid growth of its Astrova OLED inflight entertainment (IFE) platform as airlines adopt low‑latency LEO satellite connectivity, notably United Airlines’ Starlink rollout. United’s Starlink‑enabled seatbacks now let passengers stream personal services such as Spotify directly on the...
🛰️ AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) Deep Dive
AST SpaceMobile’s shares have surged from under $20 to a market capitalization above $30 billion, drawing heightened attention from hedge funds and analysts. Recent filings show Cantor Fitzgerald increased its stake by roughly 140%, a rare move for a company still...
HFCL Bags USD 1.10 Billion OFC Contract with Global MNC
HFCL Ltd. has secured a long‑term supply agreement with a global multinational corporation to provide high‑fibre‑count optical fiber cables (OFC) worth approximately USD 1.10 billion through December 2030. The contract will deliver multi‑million fibre‑kilometre volumes each year, marking HFCL’s first multi‑year OFC deal...
Defining the Blueprint | Shifting Contours of Connectivity in an AI-Native 6G Era
The telecom industry is redefining 6G as an AI‑native, cloud‑native architecture rather than a simple upgrade of 5G. AI will be embedded in every control loop, turning networks into self‑optimizing platforms that can predict failures and allocate resources in real...
Ericsson Drives 6G Journey Toward an Intelligent Fabric at MWC 2026
Ericsson used Mobile World Congress 2026 to showcase its AI‑native 6G roadmap, positioning its silicon‑based radios and open‑source software as the backbone of an intelligent network fabric. The company announced collaborations with Intel, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and the Linux Foundation’s OCUDU...
IOH, Safaricom Partner on AI, Mobile Financial Services
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) and Kenya's Safaricom have signed a partnership to co‑develop digital services, emphasizing artificial intelligence, mobile financial solutions, and network planning. The agreement leverages IOH’s push to embed AI across its telecom operations and Safaricom’s proven M‑Pay...
AT&T Commits $250 Billion Through 2030 to Build Essential Infrastructure for Artificial Intelligence
AT&T announced a $250 billion capital spending plan through 2030 to expand its fiber and 5G networks, specifically targeting the bandwidth and latency needs of artificial‑intelligence workloads. The company aims to become the foundational network layer for the emerging AI economy,...
MTN South Sudan Provides Free Mobile Data for Educare Platform
MTN South Sudan has signed an MOU with Educare to provide zero‑rated access to the Junub Academy e‑learning platform. The initiative allows students and teachers nationwide to use curriculum‑aligned digital content without incurring mobile data charges. By focusing on underserved...
Radost Adds App in Hungarian, Accepts Foreign IDs
O2 Slovakia’s MVNO Radost has expanded its mobile app to include Hungarian, joining Slovak and English. The update also lets users activate service using a range of foreign identity documents, covering countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, the...
Ghana Consults on Plans for A2P Messaging Traffic Gateway
Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has opened a public consultation on a new regulatory framework for international Application‑to‑Person (A2P) messaging traffic. The proposal aims to give regulators greater visibility into cross‑border messaging, curb revenue leakage from unauthorized routing, and combat...
Beeline Uzbekistan Revenues up 12% in Q4
Beeline Uzbekistan, a Veon subsidiary, reported fourth‑quarter 2025 revenue of 1.002 trillion Uzbek soums, an 11.8 percent increase year‑on‑year. Growth was driven by disciplined pricing, higher handset sales and faster digital adoption. Telecom and infrastructure services rose 3 percent to 872.2 billion soums, helped...
Kyivstar Revenues Grow 30% in Q4
Kyivstar, the Ukrainian arm of Veon, posted fourth‑quarter 2025 revenue of UAH 13.5 billion, a 30.1% year‑on‑year increase. EBITDA rose 23.1% to UAH 7.2 billion, delivering a 53.5% margin. The company’s multiplay subscriber base expanded 18% to 7.3 million, while its mobile customer count slipped...
The Most "AI-Powered" MWC of All Time
Mobile World Congress 2026 showcased AI as the event’s prevailing theme, with vendors and operators touting AI‑powered antennas, networks and software. Nvidia emphasized its role as a computing‑platform provider rather than a direct telecom solution builder, enabling AI‑driven network optimisation...
Telia Norway Upgrades Svindelsperre Scam Blocker
Telia Norway has rolled out an upgrade to its Svindelsperre scam‑blocking service, which debuted last year. The enhancement, operational for three weeks, automatically rejects international calls originating from numbers that do not conform to standard numbering formats. By filtering out...
Ericsson on Africa and the Impact of AI at MWC 26
At MWC 26, Ericsson’s VP for West and Southern Africa, Majda Lahlou Kassi, outlined the company’s strategy to pair AI with 5G‑Standalone and 5G‑Advanced to accelerate digital transformation across the continent. The firm unveiled more than ten AI‑enabled radio products and a...
Mobile Mast on Islay Resolves Another Total Mobile Not-Spot in Scotland
The Shared Rural Network programme has activated its second mobile mast on Islay, delivering 4G coverage to a previously total not‑spot. The green‑finished mast near Kilchoman extends service across 14 km of roads, paths and tracks along the island's western coast....
Antevia Networks, Benetel Partner to Drive Outdoor Private 5G Deployments
Antevia Networks and Benetel announced a strategic partnership that integrates Benetel’s outdoor O‑RU with Antevia’s 5G SHIFT private network platform. The combined solution promises faster, repeatable outdoor private 5G deployments with simplified procurement and clearer responsibility boundaries. It is positioned for...
Network Device Telemetry Protocols with Dinesh Dutt
In the latest episode of Software Gone Wild, the host discusses network device telemetry with Dinesh Dutt, a leading authority on the subject. The conversation examines why many operators still rely on screen‑scraping despite the availability of modern protocols such...
bgproutes.io: A Next-Generation BGP Data Collection Platform
bgproutes.io launches as a next‑generation BGP data platform that aggregates routing information from RIPE RIS, RouteViews, PCH and its own peers, surpassing 5,000 worldwide VPs. It uses automated peering via PeeringDB and the BGP Monitoring Protocol to capture both best‑path and...
Still Reports of Ongoing iTalk Outage — Two Weeks On
The iTalk broadband outage has now lasted nearly two weeks, leaving thousands of ADSL and FTTC customers offline. iTalk, a reseller of Vodafone and TalkTalk wholesale services, has not responded to inquiries, prompting speculation about a wholesale migration or commercial...
AT&T Launches New Postpaid and Business Smartphone Plan Lineups Including Up To 300GB Of Mobile Hotspot Data
AT&T unveiled revamped post‑paid consumer and business smartphone plans, introducing the Value 2.0, Extra 2.0 and Premium 2.0 line‑up for individuals and Unlimited Standard 3.0, Advanced 3.0 and Premium 3.0 for enterprises. The top consumer tier now includes 100 GB of mobile‑hotspot data and 4K streaming, while...
Vodafone Greece Waives Roaming, International Calling Fees for Subscribers in Middle East
Vodafone Greece announced a limited‑time support package that eliminates roaming and international calling charges for its Greek subscribers traveling to or residing in the Middle East. The waiver applies to ten countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates...
Total Wireless Expands Store Count as Verizon Pushes Harder Into Value Wireless Retail
Total Wireless, Verizon's prepaid value brand, now operates over 2,000 stores nationwide, adding 1,100 locations in 2025 and averaging three new openings per day in 2026. The company aims to reach 4,000‑5,000 stores as part of a long‑term growth plan....
TOTSCo Consults on Monitoring and Improvements to One Touch Switching
TOTSCo, the operator of the One Touch Switch (OTS) platform, has opened a consultation to address performance gaps after 18 months of operation and roughly 2.5 million broadband switches. The body highlights four problem areas – hub match success, failed messages,...
Lifecell Reaches 29% of Voice Traffic over LTE Network
Ukrainian mobile operator Lifecell reported that voice traffic carried over its LTE network now accounts for 29% of total calls. The carrier’s VoLTE subscriber base reached almost 1.5 million in January, a 2.5‑fold increase year‑on‑year. About 4.5 million smartphones – roughly 66%...
Tower Company Pilar Targets Expansion in Media Sector
Pilar, a Russian tower operator owned by mobile carrier T2, is expanding its presence in the media sector. The firm manages over 33,500 telecommunications towers nationwide, with broadcasters accounting for 25 % of its customer base. In the past year it...
Life Belarus Increases 4G Speeds with LTE Network Expansion
Life Belarus has rolled out 587 new antennas across 300 LTE base stations, boosting its network capacity. The operator completed upgrades on 139 sites by March 10, with roughly 85% of them now operating on the 1,800 MHz band. These enhancements have...
Rostelecom Upgrades Telecom Infrastructure at Evraz Plant in Yekaterinburg
Rostelecom has finished the second phase of modernising the telecommunications infrastructure at Evraz’s Kachkanar mining and processing plant in the Yekaterinburg region. The rollout adds a private LTE network, expanding on nine base stations installed in the first phase with...
Benchmark Telecom Introduces Ranger XL Mobile Mast for Temporary Coverage
Benchmark Telecom, a Belgian telecom infrastructure provider, launched the Ranger XL, a mobile transmitter designed for temporary network capacity. The telescopic mast extends up to 30 meters and can be operational in just 30 minutes. It targets high‑traffic events such as festivals and...