
LPWAN: Technologies Powering Low-Power Wide-Area IoT Connectivity
Low‑Power Wide‑Area Networks (LPWAN) have become essential for scaling IoT deployments, offering long‑range connectivity while consuming minimal energy. The article outlines the three dominant LPWAN standards—LoRaWAN, NB‑IoT, and LTE‑M—and compares them to traditional Wi‑Fi and cellular solutions. It highlights key use cases such as smart metering, asset tracking, and agricultural monitoring, where millions of battery‑powered sensors can operate for years without maintenance. The piece also notes LPWAN’s limitations, including low data rates and higher latency, prompting many firms to adopt hybrid architectures.
Why Investment in 5G Standalone (5G SA) Is Becoming a Key Foundation?
Investment in 5G Standalone (5G SA) is emerging as the backbone of next‑generation telecom networks, delivering roughly 23% lower latency and tighter quality‑of‑service control than non‑standalone deployments. China now commands about 80% of SA samples, while Europe lingers in single‑digit penetration,...

Pioneering Global Connectivity Through Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks
Airbus is building an integrated connectivity platform that merges terrestrial mobile infrastructure with low‑Earth‑orbit satellite constellations to deliver uninterrupted, gate‑to‑gate broadband for aircraft. The initiative includes a successful 5G non‑terrestrial network trial with Eutelsat’s OneWeb and the launch of the...

Telefonica Puts 5G SA in a Shopping Centre
Telefonica has launched Spain's first indoor 5G Standalone network at Madrid's Plaza Norte 2 shopping centre, marking a national first. The deployment, powered by Vantage Towers' Distributed Antenna System, aims to deliver ultra‑low latency connectivity in a high‑density retail environment. While the...

Tesco Mobile Ireland Reaffirms No Annual Price Increases on Its Contracts
Tesco Mobile Ireland has reaffirmed its 2021 pledge to keep 24‑month contracts free of annual price hikes, reinforcing its position as Ireland’s largest MVNO with roughly 500,000 customers. New research of over 1,000 Irish consumers shows 94% rate bill predictability...

New Mexico Program to Give Low-Income Assistance for Broadband
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 152, creating the Low‑Income Telecommunications Assistance Program. The law earmarks $10 million from the State Rural Universal Service Fund to reimburse providers offering reduced‑rate broadband to qualifying households. It targets students at risk,...

Parks: Wi-Fi Gaps Undermine Household Broadband Quality
Parks Associates’ new white paper reveals that Wi‑Fi dead spots are eroding the perceived quality of broadband in U.S. homes, even as 80% of households subscribe to fixed internet and 25% enjoy gigabit speeds. Roughly 40% of smart‑device owners report...

Senegal's Free Internet Plan Could Pose Cybersecurity Risks
Senegal announced a Universal Connectivity initiative to deliver free Internet to one million residents, especially in remote areas, by the end of 2026. The plan follows a broader digital strategy that aims to make the digital economy account for 15%...

Skylo's Trajectory Toward the 'Standardized Sky' Looks to Include Multiple Orbits
Skylo is pursuing a partner‑centric satellite messaging model, leasing capacity from Viasat and EchoStar rather than building its own constellation. At Mobile World Congress the CEO highlighted a network that now spans 36 countries, supports over 20 carrier interfaces and...

Brightspeed Launches Whole-Home Wi-Fi
Brightspeed, the nation’s third‑largest fiber builder, unveiled its Whole Home Wi‑Fi service for new fiber customers. The offering bundles up to two professionally installed Wi‑Fi 7 extenders, a free router, a month of service and a prepaid Mastercard, delivering up to...

Blues Integrates Skylo NTN Satellite with Cellular and Wi-Fi in a Single Notecard IoT Module
Blues and Skylo unveiled Notecard for Skylo, a single IoT module that merges NTN satellite, narrowband cellular, and Wi‑Fi connectivity with automatic failover. The device eliminates the need for separate radios and satellite contracts by offering pay‑as‑you‑go satellite usage. It...
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ZTE Earnings Fall by a Third as Costs Soar
ZTE reported a 33.3% drop in net profit for 2025, falling to RMB 5.6 billion, even as total revenue rose 10.4% to RMB 133.9 billion driven by strong enterprise demand. The core carrier business continued to shrink, with revenue down 10.6% and operating margin...

Hutchison Sells Out of Macau as Losses Mount
Hutchison Telecommunications sold its 3 Macau unit to CTM for HK$110 million, ending two decades of operations in the region. The Macau business posted a full‑year 2025 loss of HK$43 million, nearly double the prior year, contributing to an overall group loss...

Qualcomm Plots Out 6G, Wi-Fi 8 Future with AI as the New User Interface
Qualcomm unveiled its AI‑edge roadmap at MWC 2026, emphasizing a shift from cloud‑centric AI to hybrid edge AI across smartphones, wearables, PCs and future 6G networks. The company introduced a Snapdragon 8 Elite platform with a 37% faster neural processing unit, a Snapdragon Wear Elite...
Introducing America’s Connected Future
The Federal Communications Commission has aligned with more than two dozen states to overhaul antiquated telecom rules that force carriers to maintain costly copper lines. The new America’s Connected Future initiative highlights that four‑in‑five households are wireless‑only and only 1.4%...

Open Cosmos Announces ConnectedCosmos
Open Cosmos unveiled ConnectedCosmos, a sovereign low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) constellation delivering secure broadband and direct‑to‑device IoT connectivity for enterprises and governments. The network integrates real‑time Earth observation data from the Open Constellation, creating an “active” resiliency service that enables rapid threat...

Middle East Telco Brands Climb Global Rankings
Middle East telecom operators have secured eight spots in the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2026, underscoring the region’s rising brand equity. Saudi Arabia’s stc topped the regional list, ranking ninth worldwide with a 9% brand‑value increase to $17.6 billion and an...

Eurobites: UK Pumps £180M Into Timing Network Backup
The UK government announced a £180 million programme to build a resilient timing network that will back up the current satellite‑based system used by critical services such as mobile operators and power grids. The new network will broadcast a secure timing...

Molex Introduces 145 GHz Multi-Port Coaxial Assemblies
Molex has launched the Cardinal Multi-Port High-Frequency Coaxial Assemblies, extending its test‑and‑measurement portfolio to 145 GHz. The new modules deliver phase‑matched connectivity and support data rates up to 448 Gbps, targeting AI back‑haul, 5G/6G, mmWave radar and terahertz imaging. Multi‑port configurations (1×4,...

Virgin Media Ireland Launches €15 per Month SIM-Only Plan with “For Life” Pricing
Virgin Media Ireland introduced a €15 per month SIM‑only plan that guarantees permanent "For Life" pricing. The offering provides unlimited calls, texts and data within the Republic of Ireland, plus 37 GB of EU roaming data. Customers benefit from price certainty...
Virgin Media O2 Owner Eyes Broadband Deals to Take on BT Openreach
Virgin Media O2, the joint venture between Virgin Media and O2, is exploring new broadband packages aimed at challenging BT’s Openreach wholesale arm. The move seeks to capitalize on the company’s combined fiber and 5G networks to offer competitive speeds...
BMW Selects NTT Docomo for Smart-Car Connectivity in EVs
BMW will embed NTT Docomo Business’s smart‑car connectivity platform in its next‑generation electric vehicles launching from 2026, beginning with the iX3 model in the Neue Klasse line. The solution relies on an embedded SIM that delivers stable, multi‑country mobile links, enabling real‑time...

Iranian Authorities Urged by Rights Groups to Lift Restrictions on Internet Access
Human Rights Watch urged Iran to end its sweeping internet shutdown amid the escalating US‑Iran conflict. Cloudflare Radar reported a 98% drop in traffic on Feb 28, leaving roughly 92 million citizens offline. The regime’s “tiered internet” grants fast access to state...

Report: Telcos Missing Opportunity to Improve Networks Using AI
The WBBA’s State of AI in Telecoms report, based on a survey of 340+ industry professionals, shows AI adoption is accelerating but remains centred on internal efficiency and customer support. While 42% of operators use AI mainly for service and...

Engineering the Outcome-Driven, Premium Experience in 2026
In 2026 telecom premium shifts from raw speed to guaranteed business continuity, latency certainty, and trust‑by‑design. Surveys show roughly 80% of customers now rate experience on par with service quality, and half of enterprises are ready to pay extra for...
DoT May Stick to Its 5% Charge for Satcom Spectrum
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is set to retain a 5% adjusted gross revenue (AGR) usage fee for satellite communications (satcom) spectrum, rejecting the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) 4% proposal. DoT will also apply a 1% discount for...
Airtel Lines up $1 Bn Investment for Data Centre Arm Nxtra
Bharti Airtel's data‑centre subsidiary Nxtra Data is raising $1 billion to expand capacity to a gigawatt scale. The round includes $300 million each from Airtel and private‑equity firm Carlyle, and a $400 million commitment from Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed’s Alpha Wave Global. Funds will...

Adtran’s CEO Says Carriers Are Taking a Managed Optical Fiber Network (MOFN) Position
Adtran is positioning itself in the emerging Managed Optical Fiber Network (MOFN) market as carriers seek secure, high‑capacity fiber services for enterprises and hyperscalers. The company reported a 33% year‑over‑year rise in optical networking revenue, propelled by cloud and enterprise...

Malik Khan: The Beginning of a Post-Satellite Era for B2B Media Distribution?
The FCC’s ongoing C‑band auctions have stripped B2B media distributors of roughly 60% of their satellite spectrum, and a second auction of Upper C‑band is slated for mid‑2027. Broadcasters now face a shrinking pool of transponder capacity and must redesign...

There's a Setting Buried in Every Router that Your ISP Doesn't Want You to Touch
ISPs ship routers pre‑configured to use their own DNS servers, silently logging every lookup. Because most default settings lack DNS over HTTPS or TLS, queries travel unencrypted and can be harvested or intercepted. The article highlights how ISPs monetize this...

James Potter of L3Harris Highlights MCX Developments, Adoption
James Potter, director of strategic solutions at L3Harris, highlighted the accelerating adoption of 3GPP‑standard mission‑critical (MCX) services across utilities, public‑safety agencies, and mass‑transit operators. He noted that MCX offers higher data rates and native broadband capabilities, positioning it as a...
Telecom News: MWC 2026, Huawei, QuSecure, Turk Telekom, Ericsson
At Mobile World Congress 2026, Huawei introduced its AI‑driven Next‑Generation Fiber Access Network (FAN) that leverages OptiXstar EG ONTs to deliver Wi‑Fi 7 speeds exceeding 2 Gbps and full‑home coverage for data‑intensive services. QuSecure showcased a hybrid post‑quantum TLS 1.3 solution that...

‘Unmet Needs’ Persist in Tribal Broadband Despite Progress, Report Finds
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has pushed forward reforms and awarded $6.5 million to nine Tribal applicants as part of the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) funded by the 2021 infrastructure law. A new Urban Institute report, however,...
10 Questions to Ask a Telecoms Provider Before Signing Up
The article outlines ten essential questions businesses should pose before committing to a telecom provider, covering network coverage, pricing transparency, service level agreements, data limits, and future technology roadmaps. It emphasizes scrutinizing hidden fees, contract flexibility, and the provider’s capacity...
Capitec Taking on Vodacom and MTN in South Africa
Capitec Bank announced it will enter South Africa's telecommunications sector, launching its own mobile and broadband services. Leveraging its extensive retail branch network, the bank plans to distribute low‑cost data and voice packages directly to consumers. The move pits Capitec...
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Botswana's BoFiNet Appoints New CEO
Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet) has named Dr. Gaone Seleka as its new chief executive, succeeding Keabetswe Segole. Seleka brings a blend of telecom, fintech and academic experience, highlighted by a PhD in Business Administration. His mandate includes scaling the recently...
Jio, Airtel, Vi, Oppose Permitting Internet Providers to Offer DLCs, Seek Forbearance
Indian telecom giants Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and state‑run BSNL have formally opposed a draft regulatory change that would allow Internet Service Providers to offer dedicated leased circuits (DLCs) to enterprises. The operators argue that permitting ISPs to...

Wi-Fi 8 and the IoT Enterprise: What Next-Gen Wi-Fi Means for Connected Devices
Wi‑Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) is being positioned as an ultra‑high‑reliability upgrade rather than a pure speed boost. It adds coordinated multi‑AP scheduling, tighter roaming control and lower tail‑latency to address the worst‑case performance that enterprise IoT teams chase. The standard keeps Wi‑Fi 7’s...
Xiaomi BE19000 Pro Combines Wi-Fi 7 Speed With Integrated NAS Features
Xiaomi has unveiled the BE19000 Pro, a tri‑band Wi‑Fi 7 router that promises a combined wireless throughput of up to 18,656 Mbps. The device adds an M.2 2280 slot and a USB 3.0 port for built‑in NAS functionality, while offering dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports for...
Jio IPO Timeline Nears as $4 Billion Listing Looms
Reliance Industries is preparing Jio Platforms' mega‑IPO, slated for early 2026, targeting a $4‑4.5 billion raise by selling a minimum 2.5% free float. Analysts argue the tiny public float could force the shares to trade at a premium, potentially neutralising the...

Why CPE Security Is Now a Strategic Imperative for Telcos
Telecom operators moving to all‑IP, software‑defined networks have pushed the security perimeter to the customer premises, turning CPE devices into exposed, internet‑facing nodes. Legacy firmware, slow patch cycles and overlooked set‑top boxes create easy entry points for attackers, exposing core...

Her Voice. Her Vision. Her Impact: Women Leadership in Telecom in 2026
Telecom Review’s International Women’s Day 2026 feature spotlights senior female leaders from Mobily, du, Huawei and Ericsson, illustrating how the industry’s "Give to Gain" theme translates into concrete actions such as sponsorship, mentorship and strategic project access. The executives argue...
CFX Download Catches Up with CableLabs
CFX Download hosted CableLabs EVP/CTO Mark Bridges to discuss the company’s new Quality‑by‑Design (QbD) partnership with Zoom, upcoming Tech Summit highlights, and future broadband innovation initiatives. The QbD collaboration aims to accelerate service design and deployment across cable networks using...
Mediacom in D.C.
Mediacom, representing ACA Connects members, petitioned the FCC to revise legacy rules that obligate cable operators to keep detailed signal‑leakage logs and make subscriber records available for inspection. The company argues that in today’s all‑digital networks, signal leakage incidents have...

Chinese State Hackers Target Telcos with New Malware Toolkit
Chinese state‑linked APT group UAT‑9244 has been compromising telecom service providers across South America since 2024. The campaign deploys three previously undocumented malware families—TernDoor, a Windows backdoor using DLL side‑loading; PeerTime, a multi‑architecture Linux ELF backdoor that leverages BitTorrent for...

Back to Books? Key Takeaways From NTIA Listening Sessions
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) held public listening sessions on Feb. 11 and Feb. 18 to discuss how to use unspent funds from the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Analysts at Kaptivate compiled the comments, highlighting strong...

LinkWorx & Bivocom: A Parternership for Robust Industrial IoT
LinkWorx announced a strategic partnership with Bivocom, integrating its Multi‑SIM (MSIM) technology into Bivocom’s industrial wireless portfolio. The combined solution delivers automatic carrier selection and failover, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for IoT and M2M devices in harsh environments. Targeted sectors include...

Q&A: ATSC’s Luiz Fausto on Ensuring 5G Broadcast Delivery Via 3.0
ATSC is finalizing an amendment to its Recommended Practice A/327 that details how ATSC 3.0 broadcasters can interleave 5G Broadcast waveforms within the same RF channel. The proposal leverages ATSC 3.0’s built‑in time‑domain sharing mechanisms, requiring no changes to the core standard, and...

High Power Dual-Directional Coupler
The new high‑power dual‑directional coupler from MIcable operates from 1 to 8 GHz with 30/40 dB coupling and can handle 600 W continuous‑wave power. It delivers VSWR ≤1.4:1, insertion loss ≤0.4 dB, coupling accuracy ±0.8 dB and flatness ±1.1 dB, and a minimum directivity of 14 dB. The device...

Co-Packaged Optics and the AI Data Center: From Skepticism to Strategic Adoption
Co‑Packaged Optics (CPO) is being touted as a solution to AI data‑center bandwidth, latency, and power challenges. While hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Google, Meta and Amazon are already testing CPO to slash interconnect power by up to 40 % and enable...