IoT Connectivity Solutions for Enterprise: What Infrastructure Teams Must Evaluate Before Scaling
Enterprises scaling IoT fleets often rely on single‑carrier SIMs, which can cause coverage gaps when devices move across regions. Multi‑IMSI and eUICC SIMs let devices switch among dozens of operators, delivering continuous connectivity and remote profile updates. Dedicated IoT connectivity platforms aggregate access to 400+ networks in 160+ countries and provide centralized SIM lifecycle management. Evaluating network coverage, SIM type, data model, platform tools, and flexibility is essential before committing to a provider.
New NTIA Cost Study Lowers 2018 Estimate for Nationwide NG911
The NTIA’s 2026 cost study estimates that completing the nationwide rollout of next‑generation 911 will require $5.8 billion to $9.27 billion, roughly 30‑40 percent less than the $9.5‑$12.7 billion projected in 2018. The reduction reflects more than $4.5 billion already spent by states and localities...
StarlingX 12.0 Is Right on Time for Mixed-Hardware Edge Deployments
OpenInfra Foundation released StarlingX 12.0, the first major 2026 update of its open‑source distributed cloud platform used by telecom operators such as Verizon and Vodafone. The release introduces Precision Time Protocol Partial Timing Support, enabling sub‑microsecond synchronization across mixed‑hardware edge...
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East African Countries to Launch Regional Satellite
Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda announced a joint effort to design and launch a regional communication and broadcasting satellite under the Northern Corridor Regional Communication and Broadcasting Satellite Initiative (NCRCBSI). The ministers met on the sidelines of the Connected...
Nokia Bets Big on AI-Driven Network Infrastructure, Sees Double-Digit Growth
Nokia is pivoting from its mobile legacy to an AI‑driven network‑infrastructure business, forecasting double‑digit growth this year. The company unveiled its autonomous network fabric, a suite that blends AI, security and automation for rapid service rollout. In India, Nokia is...
Cisco Nerds Out: May the Fourth Be with Your AI Assistant
Cisco unveiled "Galaxy Mode" for its AI Assistant, a limited‑time Star Wars‑themed interface for Meraki and Thousand Eyes customers that runs through June 4. The release introduces Deep Reasoning, an AI‑driven analysis engine that interprets network events and offers security compliance...
Why 2G Will Outlast 3G in South Africa
Vodacom announced it will deactivate its 3G network before shutting down 2G, citing stronger demand for low‑cost 2G devices and the ability of most 3G phones to fall back to 2G. The price barrier remains steep: a basic 4G handset...
Vodafone Idea Launches Rs 4,997 Hybrid Pack with Year-Long Validity and IR Benefits
Vodafone Idea (Vi) has launched a Rs 4,997 (~$60) Hybrid prepaid pack that combines domestic benefits with international roaming for a full year. The plan offers 1.5 GB daily data, unlimited calls and 100 SMS in India, plus 100 minutes and 5 GB data...
Vodafone Idea Spectrum Payment Obligations Can Be a Burden
Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), India’s third‑largest telecom operator, faces steep spectrum usage charge (SUC) obligations starting FY27, amounting to ₹7,000 crore ($0.84 billion) in FY27, ₹15,000 crore ($1.8 billion) in FY28 and ₹28,000 crore ($3.4 billion) in FY29. While a recent reduction of adjusted gross revenue...
Europe’s Mobile Markets Face Hidden Congestion: Latency Crisis Exposes Network Quality Gaps
Ookla’s Q1 2026 analysis of 30 European mobile markets reveals a pronounced evening congestion dip, with speeds falling up to 66 % in Spain and latency rising sharply in several countries. Switzerland, despite the highest mobile ARPU (≈$55) and 74 % 5G adoption,...
Welcome to the Great American Satellite Age
Basalt Space, led by CEO Max Bhatti, assembled its first small satellite in a San Francisco apartment and delivered it to SpaceX for an April 1 launch on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg. The startup plans to let customers lease or own private...
Which Is the Most Trusted Internet Service Provider? Vote for Your Top Pick
CNET is reopening its People’s Picks series with a May‑long survey asking readers to vote for the most trusted internet service provider. The two‑minute questionnaire goes beyond speed and price, targeting reliability, peak‑hour performance, and customer‑service experiences. Participants from both...
Vocus and Fortinet Fighting Shadow AI with Secure Shield Launch
Australian telecom Vocus and cybersecurity firm Fortinet have launched Vocus Secure Shield, a managed SASE platform designed to expose and control shadow AI usage within enterprises. The service leverages Fortinet’s AI‑driven security and deep application awareness to detect AI tools,...
India's 6G Ambition Faces a 5G Monetization Reality Check
India’s drive toward 6G leadership is being eclipsed by the struggle to monetize its 5G network, despite covering over 90% of the population and deploying half a million base stations. Operators like Airtel report an average revenue per user of...
BSNL Boosts 4G Experience in Kerala with 7000 Sites
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has activated 6,979 4G sites across Kerala, expanding coverage to homes, offices and hard‑to‑reach tribal and border areas. The rollout includes 322 sites specifically aimed at underserved regions, using fully indigenous technology supplied by Indian...
Fabs & Labs: Spectrum Control
Spectrum Control announced the opening of its new Marlboro facility, a 150,000‑sq‑ft campus that merges RF design, testing and semiconductor fabrication under one roof. The site features cleanrooms, anechoic chambers, high‑speed signal labs and $45 million of cutting‑edge equipment. By consolidating...
Making Waves
Microwave Journal released its May 2026 "Making Waves" issue, a downloadable PDF that spotlights the latest breakthroughs in microwave and millimeter‑wave technology. The publication bundles expert commentary, case studies, and data on emerging 5G, satellite‑comm, and advanced material applications. By providing...
Vodafone Idea Eyes ₹25,000 Crore SBI-Led Funding After AGR Relief
India’s third‑largest operator, Vodafone Idea, is in talks with a State Bank of India‑led consortium for a ₹25,000 crore ($3 bn) term loan and an additional ₹10,000 crore ($1.2 bn) working‑capital facility after the government cut its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) liability by 27%...
Unregistered Branded SMS to Be Labelled ‘Unverified’
Australia’s communications regulator ACMA announced that from 1 July 2024 any SMS sent with an unregistered branded sender ID will be marked “Unverified”. The label will group such messages with known scam traffic, making them more likely to be ignored. Businesses...
SES Accelerates Multi-Orbit IFC Strategy with meoSphere and Next-Gen ESA Development
SES accelerated its meoSphere program, a next‑generation Medium Earth Orbit network, by advancing ground‑segment development of multi‑band electronically steered antennas (ESA). The first phase will deploy 28 high‑power K2 Space satellites at ~8,000 km, each delivering 20 kW and enabling software‑defined beamforming....
Eric Bethras: From Fiber to Fabric, the Next Evolution of BEAD
Eric Bethras outlines Maryland’s Digital Infrastructure Group (DIG) as a model for evolving the BEAD program from isolated fiber builds to a multi‑use digital fabric. The state leverages a geospatial “Single View” platform and a “Goldilocks” investment strategy to align...
Airtel Prepaid Data Packs for Cricket Season: May 2026 Edition
Airtel has rolled out 16 refreshed prepaid data packs aimed at cricket‑season streamers, pricing daily data as low as Rs 22 (≈$0.27) and premium bundles up to Rs 361 (≈$4.35) for 50 GB. New offerings bundle JioHotstar, Netflix, ZEE5 and Airtel Xstream, while...
Protecting Telecom Operators From Cyberattacks Is a Matter of National Resilience
Singapore authorities disclosed that four major telcos were infiltrated by the APT group UNC3886, which accessed critical network systems and technical data. While service remained uninterrupted and no customer data was stolen, the breach demonstrated a deliberate effort to map...
Jio Recharge Which Offers 84 Days of Validity for Rs 5.3 Per Day
Reliance Jio launched a Rs 448 prepaid plan that delivers 84 days of service for roughly $0.06 per day, offering unlimited voice calls and 1,000 SMS but no data. The offering comes after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) required operators...
Emirates Introduces Starlink WiFi on A380 Fleet for Ultra-Fast, Seamless Connectivity
Emirates is installing Starlink satellite Wi‑Fi on its A380 fleet, delivering up to 2 Gbps total bandwidth and free connectivity for all passengers across cabins. Each aircraft will carry three antennas, enabling seamless streaming, gaming and work at cruising altitude. The...
How Coratia Technologies Is Protecting Undersea Data Highways With Marine Robots
Coratia Technologies, an Odisha‑based deep‑tech startup, is deploying marine robots to survey and protect undersea fibre‑optic cables after recent threats in the Strait of Hormuz. The company has raised about $2.6 million and landed a roughly $8 million contract with the Indian...
Clandestine Network Smuggling Starlink Tech Into Iran to Beat Internet Blackout
A covert network is smuggling Starlink satellite‑internet terminals into Iran to bypass the government’s prolonged internet blackout, which began after the Feb. 28 airstrikes. The operation, funded by Iranians abroad, has already moved at least a dozen devices since January, with...
I Didn't Know There Were Two Kinds of Network Switches Until I Almost Bought the Wrong One — Here's What...
The article explains that network switches fall into two categories—unmanaged and managed—and why the distinction matters when purchasing. Unmanaged switches are plug‑and‑play devices that cover speeds from 100 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps, making them ideal for most home networks. Managed switches add...
Two Ways to Build the Internet in Space - China, Inc. Vs Starlink Et Al
SpaceX’s Starlink constellation now exceeds 10,000 satellites and is projected to reach 16,083 by 2030, keeping it ahead of rivals. China’s satellite strategy groups three constellations—Guowang, Qianfan and Honghu‑3—into a coordinated, layered architecture that would total about 11,692 satellites by...
Bharti Airtel Rs 49 vs Rs 99 Packs Reveal a Clear Strategy Around Short-Term Data Usage
Bharti Airtel introduced two short‑term unlimited data packs—Rs 49 (~$0.60) for 1 day and Rs 99 (~$1.20) for 2 days—both delivering up to 20 GB of high‑speed data per day before throttling. The plans differ only in validity, signalling a shift from volume‑based pricing to...
Jio Rs 198 vs New Rs 199 Prepaid Plans: What a Re 1 Difference Really Gets You
Reliance Jio has introduced a new Rs 199 prepaid “Affordable Pack” alongside its existing Rs 198 “True 5G Unlimited” plan. Both cost roughly $2.40 and $2.38 respectively, but the Rs 198 option delivers unlimited 5G data for 14 days, while the Rs 199 option caps...
Nigeria’s Internet Market Rebounds as Broadband Subscriptions Hit 109.7 Million
Nigeria’s broadband penetration rose to 50.58% in November 2025, pushing total subscriptions to 109.7 million, up from 96.3 million a year earlier. Data traffic climbed to 1.24 million TB, indicating higher usage per subscriber despite the 2024 NIN‑SIM cleanup that cut active connections. The rebound...
‘There Is Real Danger’: Landline Phone Users Voice Fears over Digital Switchover
The UK will shut down the public switched telephone network (PSTN) by January 2027, moving all landlines to a digital voice service that runs over broadband. Vulnerable households in remote areas fear losing emergency contact during power cuts, as the new...
T-Mobile’s SuperBroadband Shows What Airtel and Jio Could Build Next in India
T‑Mobile has launched SuperBroadband, a managed service that fuses its 5G network with Starlink low‑Earth‑orbit satellite to create an always‑on business internet connection. The dual‑network architecture provides automatic failover, a single contract and bill, and a financially backed uptime guarantee....
FCC Grants 26 Rip and Replace Extensions
The Federal Communications Commission approved deadline extensions for 26 smaller telecom operators participating in its Rip and Replace program, which reimburses the removal of Huawei and ZTE gear. Extensions, ranging up to six months, were granted to address supply‑chain shortages,...
FCC Proposes to Streamline Broadband Data Collection
The FCC is set to vote on May 20 on a draft order that would overhaul the Broadband Data Collection (BDC) system used to build the National Broadband Map. The proposal trims redundant reporting, aligns definitions with Form 477, and introduces...
Carr: FCC Open to Ideas on Tentative Rural Subsidy Inquiry
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the agency will hold a vote in May on a tentative inquiry to modernize three rural broadband subsidies slated to sunset between 2026 and 2028. The inquiry targets roughly $1.6 billion of the High Cost program’s...
Knowing Isn’t Enough: The Supreme Court Redefines ISP Liability for Piracy
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed a $1 billion jury verdict against Cox Communications, ruling that an ISP’s mere knowledge of subscriber piracy does not create liability. The majority opinion limits secondary liability to situations where the provider intentionally encourages infringement...
US Senator Pushes Action on Cable Sabotage
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch announced a hearing to spur new actions against undersea cable sabotage, citing at least eight suspected incidents since 2022, primarily in the Baltic Sea. He urged public attribution of attacks and a coordinated...
4iG Group, Grid Telecom Eye Adriatic Subsea Cable
Hungarian 4iG Group’s International Digital Infrastructure unit and Greece’s Grid Telecom have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a high‑capacity terrestrial fiber link between Albania and Greece and to explore a high‑fiber‑count subsea cable across the Adriatic and Mediterranean....
Short-Term AM License Renewal Results From Continued ‘OPIF’ Rule Flub
The FCC announced that the owner of the "Awesome" Class B AM station in Greenwood, Mississippi will undergo a short‑term license renewal. Chairman Brendan Carr cited a continued misapplication of the OPIF (Other Public Interest Factors) rule as the cause. The...
FCC Releases Tentative Agenda for May Open Meeting
The FCC announced a tentative agenda for its May 20 open meeting, highlighting four major initiatives. A third Report and Order will modernize the Disaster Information Reporting System to cut redundant paperwork for broadcasters during emergencies. The commission will also...
Taiwan Dongyin Cable Break Triggers Backup Links
Taiwan activated a microwave backup system for Dongyin after a ship’s wreckage broke the undersea cable linking the island to Beigan. The backup restored mobile voice, data and internet services, though cable TV remains offline and some latency persists. Chunghwa...
Costa Rica's ICE Awards Ericsson $220m 5G Network Contract
Costa Rica’s state‑run Electricity Institute (ICE) has awarded Swedish telecom giant Ericsson a $220 million contract to build a nationwide 5G network. The deal includes a Stand‑Alone Open RAN architecture and a multi‑vendor approach, with Coasin‑Nokia providing base‑station equipment. ICE plans...
Fiber Broadband Association Report Positions Fiber as the ‘Fourth Pillar’ of AI
The Fiber Broadband Association unveiled a report titled “The Fourth Pillar of the AI Era,” arguing that fiber optics are now a core component of hyperscale AI systems rather than just a connectivity layer. The paper highlights that modern AI...
Ubiquiti Introduces UniFi Dream Machine Beast with 25G Networking and NVR Support
Ubiquiti unveiled the UniFi Dream Machine Beast, a rack‑mount gateway that combines routing, security and storage for enterprise‑grade networks. Powered by an 8‑core Arm Neoverse N2 CPU, 16 GB RAM and a 128 GB SSD, the Beast delivers up to 25 Gbps of...
Bangladesh Private Subsea Cable Faces Delay
Bangladesh’s first private subsea cable, the Bangladesh Private Cable System (BPCS), has hit a regulatory impasse despite $53 million already invested. The consortium—Summit Communications, CdNet Communications, and Metacore Subcom—needs no‑objection clearances from the foreign affairs, home affairs, and national security ministries...
Bill Introduced to Expand Enrollment of Lifeline Program
Legislation introduced as H.R.8576 and S.4438 would require the FCC to launch a competitive grant program that helps states increase enrollment in the Lifeline broadband subsidy. The bill targets the persistent gap where only about 22% of eligible low‑income households...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Jorge Ciccorossi, ITU Radiocommunications Bureau
The upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference 27 (WRC‑27) will set the spectrum allocation framework for next‑generation satellite constellations, a decision that could make or break European mega‑constellation plans. Jorge Ciccorossi, head of the ITU Radiocommunications Bureau’s Space Strategy and Sustainability Division, outlined...
Indus Towers Flags Delays, Cost Pressures as LPG Supply Tightens Amid West Asia Conflict
Indus Towers, the Bharti Airtel‑owned tower platform, warned that the West Asia conflict is tightening LPG supplies, a critical input for steel‑coating processes, which could slow tower construction and lift costs. Fuel and power expenses, about ₹11,996 crore (~$1.44 billion), represent 37%...