Egypt Plans SIM Cards with Child Protection by June
Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announced that child‑protection SIM cards will be launched within 60 days. The new SIMs, offered by Vodafone, Orange, WE and Etisalat, will let parents block adult or violent content and disable bypass tools. NTRA chairman Mohamed Shamroukh confirmed commercial rollout across all four operators during a House of Representatives hearing on April 5. The initiative aims to curb minors’ exposure to harmful online material.
Melon Digital Agrees eSIM Deal with Airalo in South Africa
Melon Digital, a mobile‑virtual network operator platform, has struck a partnership with global eSIM provider Airalo to serve international visitors in South Africa. The deal enables travelers to download a local data, voice and messaging profile instantly upon arrival, bypassing...
Kore Group to Launch Kigen eSIM-Powered Connectivity Suite for Enterprise IoT
Kore Group has teamed with eSIM specialist Kigen to launch an enterprise IoT connectivity suite that complies with the GSMA’s SGP.32 standard. The product, slated for release later this year, will enable businesses to remotely provision eSIMs, manage device lifecycles,...
Asus Expands ProArt Creators' Brand Into Networking with First Wi-Fi 7 Router, Ethernet Switch
Asus has launched its first networking devices under the ProArt brand, unveiling the PRT‑BE5000 Wi‑Fi 7 router and the PQG‑U1080 Ethernet switch. The move mirrors the company’s earlier strategy with the Republic of Gamers line, extending a creator‑focused portfolio that already...
The Regulatory Death Knell for Copper?
In March, the FCC issued an order aimed at accelerating the shift from copper‑based telephone networks to all‑IP fiber and other modern technologies. The order consolidates rules, grants carriers blanket authority to discontinue copper services, and preempts state regulations that...
O2 UK Activates 5G+ Network Across the West Midlands
Virgin Media O2 has switched on its 5G+ mobile network across the West Midlands, delivering standalone 5G service to roughly 5 million people. The rollout covers 47 cities, 79 towns and 597 rural villages, marking a significant expansion of high‑speed mobile...
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[OFC 2026] Part 5 of 5: Hollow-Core Fiber and Next-Gen Transmission: Beyond the Loss Record
Hollow‑core fiber (HCF) is transitioning from laboratory demos to commercial roll‑outs. Microsoft now operates over 1,280 km of Azure HCF with sub‑0.1 dB/km loss and zero field failures, while AWS has introduced HCF in roughly ten data‑center sites. YOFC’s 0.04 dB/km laboratory record...
SIMPL Unveils Compass Dashboard to Enable Real-Time IoT Network Visibility
SIMPL Wireless introduced the Compass Dashboard, a SaaS‑based eUICC orchestration platform that consolidates IoT connectivity, carrier contracts, and device profiles into a single interface. The solution enables instant activation and real‑time visibility, shrinking deployment cycles from months to as little...
Namibia Plans NAD 78 Mln Telecom Investment Tackle Digital Divide as Part of 2026-27 Budget
Namibia will allocate NAD 78 million (approximately $5.2 million) from its 2026‑27 budget to expand telecom infrastructure in underserved regions. The funding is part of a broader NAD 682 million (about $45.7 million) ICT ministry budget aimed at deploying new towers and free public Wi‑Fi. ICT...
Gigaclear Lenders Take Control of Indebted Altnet
Gigaclear, the UK’s largest rural fibre altnet serving about 160,000 customers across 26 counties, has been taken over by its lenders after its debt neared £1 billion (≈$1.25 billion). The National Wealth Fund now holds the biggest share, alongside NatWest and Lloyds,...
3GPP Release 19 Description and Summary of Work Items
3GPP has published technical report TR 21.919, offering a high‑level snapshot of Release 19 work items that define the emerging 5G‑Advanced era. The report, now about 50 % complete, already contains more than 60 concise summaries covering energy efficiency, non‑terrestrial networks, AI/ML, IoT,...
Ethio Telecom Picks Ericsson to Drive Network Expansion
Ericsson and Ethiopia’s state‑owned operator Ethio telecom signed a deal at Mobile World Congress 2026 to modernise and expand the country’s mobile network. The agreement covers deployment of remote and Massive MIMO radios, microwave links and RAN transport across 1,500 sites,...
Setting up Akvorado: A NetFlow Analyser for Your IPv6-First Network
Terry Sweetser details how to deploy Akvorado, an open‑source NetFlow/IPFIX collector, on a modest SOHO server using Docker Compose. The guide walks through enabling SNMP on a router, configuring NetFlow v9 export, and launching the Akvorado stack with ClickHouse and...
Community Fibre — Double the Speed Promotion Returns
Community Fibre has relaunched its Double the Speed promotion, doubling advertised download rates for its standard broadband packages while keeping monthly fees fixed through April 2026. Customers can lock in 200 Mbps for £19/month (~$24), 600 Mbps for £21/month (~$26), up to 2 Gbps...
AI on Edge: Are You Believer?
The telecom sector, long chasing the elusive promise of the edge, is now confronting a shift as real‑time Physical AI and stateful AI agents demand ultra‑low latency. Hyperscalers such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure have dominated centralized cloud...
Banning New Foreign Routers Mistargets Products to Fix Real Problem
On March 23 the FCC updated its Covered List to ban all new consumer routers made abroad unless granted a Department of Defense or Homeland Security exception. The agency says foreign‑made routers create supply‑chain vulnerabilities that could threaten the U.S....
[OFC 2026] Part 4 of 5: 400G/Lane and 1.6T Coherent: Two Fronts, One Power Wall
The OFC 2026 session highlighted two parallel scaling tracks in datacenter optics: 400 Gb/s per lane IM‑DD and 1.6 Tb/s coherent pluggables. Six papers mapped the current technical state, concluding both paths are brushing against fundamental physical limits without any live link...
A Direct Line From LEO: Problem or Opportunity?
Regulators are lagging behind the rapid expansion of low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite services, creating uncertainty for operators seeking global coverage. Industry leaders from the GSOA and GSMA warn that fragmented spectrum rules, legal‑intercept mandates, and cross‑border interference standards could add costly...
Automatic Compensation Payments for Telecoms Faults Rise with Inflation
Effective 1 April 2026, the Ofcom‑backed automatic compensation scheme for major UK telecoms raised its payouts to reflect inflation. Customers now receive £10.34 (≈$13) per day after two days of reported service loss, £32.31 (≈$41) for missed appointments, and £6.46 (≈$8) for...
Openreach Has Installed 500,000 Zyxel ONT to Reduce Plastic Waste
Openreach has installed more than 500,000 Zyxel optical network terminals (ONTs) across the United Kingdom, each built with 95% recycled polycarbonate plastic. The devices support the GPON rollout, delivering up to 1.8 Gbps per connection while reducing the amount of virgin...
Telefonica Germany Expands 5G to Braderup, Juetrichau, Lindenau
Telefonica Germany has rolled out 5G service to three new locations – Braderup in Schleswig‑Holstein, Juetrichau in Saxony‑Anhalt, and the Lindenau district of Leipzig. The expansion adds three active sites and is part of roughly 8,000 network projects slated for...
Train Wi-Fi Is Just Awful — Our Journey From Cardiff to London
A recent test of Great Western Railway’s onboard Wi‑Fi on the Cardiff‑London route revealed severe performance issues. Latency jitter regularly spiked above 400 ms, with occasional spikes nearing 800 ms, and packet loss disrupted connections. Average throughput hovered around 1 Mbps, roughly 1 %...
Soracom Extends IoT Professional Services Offering to North America
Global IoT platform provider Soracom announced the launch of its Professional Services offering across North America, covering the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The new service delivers end‑to‑end solutions‑architecture support, including software and middleware development, connectivity design, billing‑platform integration, and...
HAPS Alliance Outlines Role of Stratospheric Platforms in Future 6G
The HAPS Alliance released a whitepaper describing how high‑altitude platform stations (HAPS) and non‑terrestrial networks (NTNs) will be woven into emerging 6G architectures. It proposes a multi‑layered model that combines terrestrial base stations, stratospheric platforms at roughly 20 km, and satellite...
SKT Deploys AI-Driven Network Management at Seoul Spring Festivals
SK Telecom used an AI‑driven integrated network monitoring platform to keep its mobile network stable during Seoul’s cherry‑blossom festivals, handling a total of 44.9 TB of data traffic. This represented a 1.5‑fold increase over the previous weekend, with a peak of...
LG Uplus Exits Mobile Streaming to Focus on IPTV Services
LG Uplus announced it will discontinue its in‑house mobile streaming platform, U+ Mobile TV, by the end of May. The company will replace the service with a new offering tied to its IPTV infrastructure. This follows similar withdrawals by SK...
Zayo Europe Joins GNM-IX
Zayo Europe has joined the GNM‑IX Internet exchange, bolstering the pan‑European interconnection ecosystem. GNM‑IX already interconnects more than 700 autonomous system numbers and handles over 10.7 Tbps of peak traffic. Zayo’s extensive fibre backbone across major European metros adds low‑latency, high‑capacity...
Is the “Far Edge” A Bridge to Far to Cross for AI Inferencing? What About “Distributed AI Grids”?
Telcos are divided over deploying AI inferencing at the far edge, with Omdia data showing only 15% prioritize it and 11% favor the near edge. AT&T’s Yigal Elbaz questions the value of extending compute to radio sites for marginal latency...
Russia Hacked Routers to Steal Microsoft Office Tokens
Russian GRU-linked group Forest Blizzard exploited vulnerabilities in over 18,000 outdated SOHO routers to hijack DNS settings and intercept Microsoft Office OAuth tokens. The campaign required no malware, instead redirecting traffic through attacker‑controlled DNS servers to perform man‑in‑the‑middle attacks on...
A Peek Into the Latest Merger
Google’s fiber arm, now rebranded GFiber, announced a merger with Astound Broadband, a conglomerate of former cable operators. The combined entity will serve roughly 2 million broadband customers across 7.1 million passings, positioning it as the seventh‑largest ISP in the United States....
EXCLUSIVE: March 2026 Update on Broadband Availability Across the UK, Nations and Regions
The latest UK broadband data shows gigabit availability climbing to 90.49% of premises, a 0.32‑point increase driven largely by Openreach’s aggressive FTTP rollout. Wales’ commercial and government‑backed full‑fibre projects are set to push the nation above the South East in gigabit...
Proximus First Operator to Launch 5G+ in Belgium
Proximus has become the first Belgian operator to launch a standalone 5G+ network, offering a cloud‑native core that delivers higher stability, superior call quality and simultaneous voice‑data use. The rollout begins with business customers on compatible SIMs and will expand...
Hawick Now Has Three Full Fibre Options as Nexfibre Rolls Out
Hawick now has three full‑fibre broadband options as Virgin Media O2 joins GoFibre and Openreach through the nexfibre XGS‑PON rollout. The nexfibre footprint is currently smaller than the existing FTTP networks but is expected to expand. Nearby Jedburgh already benefits from...
APNIC Policy 101: How Policy Shapes Operations — and How Policy Fellows Are Making Participation Easier
At APRICOT 2026 in Jakarta, APNIC’s Policy 101 session illustrated how the region’s internet number resource (INR) policy directly shapes routing, incident response, and registry accuracy. The workshop, led by APNIC Policy Fellows, walked participants through a simulated policy development cycle, using...
Reports of Hyperoptic Outages in Southeast London and Kent Yesterday
Hyperoptic experienced a multi‑hour outage on Monday, April 6, affecting customers in Southeast London and Kent, including Lewisham, Deptford, Greenwich, Woolwich, Dartford and Northfleet. The disruption lasted several hours on the Bank Holiday before services were restored later that evening. Users...
Inside TM Forum’s Catalyst Project “Living Networks – Phase III”
TM Forum’s Catalyst project “Living Networks – Phase III” brings together more than 800 ecosystem members to pilot autonomous, resilient, and energy‑efficient network operations. The initiative introduces a cloud‑native, Kubernetes‑based architecture with enhanced data governance, enabling AI‑driven failure prediction and resource...
Rooftop Leases: Why Multifamily Owners Hold Unique Wireless Leverage
Rooftop leases have become a strategic asset for multifamily owners as carriers seek elevated, high‑capacity sites in dense urban markets. Buildings that can support antenna arrays without costly structural upgrades give carriers a ready‑made platform, bypassing the lengthy entitlement process...
Worth Reading 040626
Stanford researchers warn that AI chatbots are unreliable for personal advice, especially in complex, real‑world conflicts. At APRICOT 2026, APNIC and LACNIC revealed a BGP hijack that blended technical exploits with social‑engineering tactics, underscoring routing vulnerabilities. A RIPE Labs analysis challenges...
Supreme Court Rules on ISPs and Copyrights
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Cox Communications, holding that internet service providers are only liable for copyright infringement if they intend their service to be used for that purpose. The decision overturns earlier rulings that found...
From Telegraph to Waterworth: The Cable War the UK Already Lost
The article links today’s undersea data infrastructure to the British Empire’s All Red Line, a 1902 telegraph network funded by slave‑derived capital. It argues that the physical routes of modern fiber‑optic cables still follow those Victorian chokepoints, allowing European regulators...
AT&T’s $2 Billion FirstNet Expansion Signals a New Era for Infrastructure Investing:
AT&T announced a $2 billion expansion of the FirstNet public‑safety network in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The investment will upgrade 5G coverage, add edge computing and AI‑driven management, and extend service to underserved rural areas. By positioning FirstNet...
Strengthening IPv6 Collaboration: Xiong’an New Area Delegates Visit APNIC
APNIC awarded Xiong’an New Area its first city‑level IPv6 plaque, recognizing the district’s rapid rollout of IPv6 infrastructure. Delegates from Xiong’an and APNIC discussed a joint roadmap that includes IPv6 deployment training and an RPKI roadshow hosted by the city....
The G Model Is Obsolete
Telecom executives are questioning the relevance of the traditional “G” model that ties network evolution to ten‑year generational cycles. In a recent interview, AT&T CTO Yigal Elbaz urged the industry to decouple these cycles from innovation, emphasizing continuous, software‑driven progress....
How to Prepare for the Telecom Drought?
The telecom industry is entering a post‑5G capital‑expenditure drought, a predictable 5‑to‑7‑year slump that follows the massive $1 trillion spend on network build‑out. Capex is expected to compress by up to 40% as vendors slash headcount and protect margins while awaiting...
How Rogers Satellite Is Driving Connectivity for Great Canadian Outdoors
Rogers Satellite has added support for Messenger and onX, turning smartphones into reliable communication and navigation tools for hikers, fishers, hunters and travellers in remote Canadian regions. The service now delivers voice, video and text messaging, offline maps, land‑ownership data...
Blue Origin New Glenn Targets April Launch of AST Space Mobile Satellite
AST SpaceMobile is set to launch its Block 2 “BlueBird” satellite on Blue Origin’s New Glenn NG‑3 mission between April 10‑14, 2026. The next‑generation satellite promises up to 120 Mbps peak data rates and 24/7 nationwide cellular broadband coverage across more than 5,600 cells. Block 2...
VIAVI, Ground Control Partner to Enable Assured Maritime Vessel Tracking and Navigation
VIAVI Solutions has teamed with satellite‑communications specialist Ground Control to embed its Secure µPNT STL‑1000 receiver into the RockFLEET Assured maritime tracking platform. The compact, software‑defined device works with VIAVI’s SecureTime altGNSS LEO service to deliver precise timing and positioning even when...
The RAN Semiconductor War: Ericsson vs Intel vs NVIDIA vs The Rest
The radio access network (RAN) market, worth roughly $35 billion, underpins a $1.3 trillion telecom ecosystem. A shift from traditional silicon to AI‑enabled chips is turning base stations into micro‑AI factories, influencing power consumption and national network strategy. NVIDIA, Intel, and incumbent...
BH Telecom Expands Internet Allowance in TeenZ Package
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s BH Telecom has boosted its TeenZ mobile plan, offering 30 GB of data per month – four times the previous allowance – for customers who sign a 24‑month contract under the “Giga for everyone” campaign. The promotion runs...
Realtek RTL8159 10GbE to USB 3.2 Adapters Sell for About $55 and Up
Realtek's RTL8159 10 GbE‑to‑USB 3.2 adapters have entered the market at prices ranging from roughly $45 to $80, making multi‑gigabit Ethernet accessible for laptops and small‑form‑factor PCs. The WisdPi WP‑UT9 retails for $79 (about $87 shipped to the US), while the XikeStor...
