Warning that South Africa’s Digital Competitiveness Is in Retreat
The Development Bank of Southern Africa’s Digital Infrastructure Investment Study 2025 reveals South Africa’s digital competitiveness slipped to 54th out of 67 countries, only a modest gain from 2020. The report highlights severe weaknesses in training, education and regulatory frameworks, despite near‑universal 4G coverage. It estimates a cumulative $5.7‑$7.5 billion investment is required by 2035 to deliver 100 Mbit/s broadband to every household. The study stresses that infrastructure alone will not close the gap without addressing affordability and digital readiness.
FCC Proposes Tougher KYC Rules to Crack Down on Illegal Robocalls
The FCC has issued a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to tighten Know‑Your‑Customer (KYC) requirements for voice service providers that originate robocalls. The agency wants carriers to collect full names, addresses, government IDs and usage details, retain records for up...
Nigerian Telcos Lost ₦2.3 Billion Worth of Generators to Theft in 2025
Nigerian telecom operators reported the theft of 656 generators and battery systems in 2025, amounting to roughly ₦2.3 billion (about $5 million). Each 15 kVA generator is valued at around ₦3.5 million ($7,600), and the loss forces base stations to go offline, degrading voice...
SA’s R142bn Connectivity Plan: The Real Question Isn’t Funding; It’s Execution
South Africa unveiled a costed roadmap investing roughly R142 billion (about $7.7 billion) to deliver 100 Mbps broadband to every household by 2035. The plan spreads the spending over ten years, aligning public and private capital rather than creating new funding. Analysts argue...
Making Waves
On April 10, 2026, Microwave Journal posted a brief entry titled “Making Waves” that primarily serves as a gateway to a downloadable PDF of the same name. The web page contains navigation links, related‑article references to 2010 MTT‑S events, and...
Fabs & Labs: Filtronic
Filtronic has inaugurated a new state‑of‑the‑art headquarters, design centre and manufacturing facility at NetPark in Sedgefield, County Durham. The complex includes advanced cleanroom environments tailored for high‑frequency components used in space, defence and communications applications. By consolidating R&D and production...
Forecast: 5G to Drive India’s Mobile Services Market
India’s mobile services market is projected to grow from $33.3 billion in 2025 to $43.7 billion by 2030, a 5.6% CAGR, fueled by expanding 5G coverage and rising data consumption. Voice revenues will keep falling at a 2.4% CAGR as OTT apps...
Equity Group Wants More Charter-Cox Commitments
The Digital Equity Los Angeles Coalition (DELAC) has been granted party status in the California Public Utilities Commission’s review of the proposed $34.5 billion merger between Charter Communications and Cox Communications. DELAC argues the merger lacks enforceable commitments to low‑income broadband,...
The Politics of a Subsea Data Cable Link to Antarctica
Researchers note Antarctica remains the only continent without a fiber‑optic link, despite mature subsea cable technology. The U.S. National Science Foundation is studying a cable from New Zealand or Australia to McMurdo, while a Chile‑backed effort eyes a route to King George...
The End of the VSAT Parts Bin
Tactical VSAT systems are moving from a modular “parts‑bin” approach to fully integrated terminal‑modem‑interface platforms. The shift consolidates antennas, ruggedized outdoor modems and a single browser‑based control GUI, slashing deployment time and reducing field failures. Parabolic dishes still dominate high‑throughput...
FCC To Vote on Changes to Audible Crawl Rule
The FCC will vote on April 20 to amend the Audible Crawl rule, which mandates an audio description of visual emergency graphics for the blind and visually impaired. After six postponements since its 2013 adoption, the agency delayed enforcement again until...
TP-Link’s Archer BE3600 Router Is a Fast, Affordable Entry Into Wi-Fi 7
TP‑Link’s Archer BE3600 brings Wi‑Fi 7 to the mass market at roughly $87, delivering up to 3.6 Gbps combined speed across 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Reviewers praise its fast, reliable performance for small households, noting strong 2.4 GHz penetration through thick walls and ample...
Amazon Plans to Launch Satellite Internet in Mid-2026
Amazon announced its home‑internet service, “Leo,” will launch in mid‑2026. The rollout will feature three antenna models—Nano, Pro, and Ultra—delivering up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps upload speeds. Revenue commitments have been secured from partners such as Delta Air Lines,...
CRTC Launches Fourth Call for Broadband Fund Money
Canada’s telecom regulator, the CRTC, has opened its fourth round of funding under the Broadband Fund, targeting fixed broadband and satellite projects that meet the universal service benchmark of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload. Applicants must demonstrate new builds or...
Copa Airlines Confirms Starlink Wifi Rollout Starting This Year
Copa Airlines announced it will equip its Boeing 737 fleet with Starlink satellite Wi‑Fi, becoming the first Latin American carrier to offer LEO‑based high‑speed connectivity. Installation begins this year with most flights expected to have service by October. The move...
What Is a Passive Optical Network (PON)?
Passive Optical Networks (PON) are fiber‑optic systems that use unpowered splitters to deliver a single optical signal to multiple endpoints, eliminating the need for powered equipment between the central office and users. The architecture centers on an optical line terminal...
The FCC Announces Plans to Speed Up The Internet & Fight Robocalls
The FCC set an agenda for its April 30, 2026 Open Commission Meeting that targets five priority areas: modernizing satellite spectrum sharing to expand rural broadband, tightening Know‑Your‑Customer rules to curb illegal robocalls, overhauling device‑authorization to secure communications equipment, launching...
Chunghwa Telecom Invests in Trans-Pacific E2A Cable
Chunghwa Telecom announced a multi‑carrier investment in the E2A submarine cable, a 12,500‑kilometer trans‑Pacific fiber‑optic system linking Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and California. The project, co‑developed with SK Broadband, SoftBank and Verizon, aims to meet surging demand from AI‑driven cloud...
FCC Proposes Sweeping Rules on Foreign Call Centers: Onshoring Mandates, Consumer Protections and Robocall Deterrence
On March 27, 2026 the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking targeting foreign call centers. The package proposes a 30% cap on calls handled abroad, English‑proficiency testing, mandatory disclosures, and a right for consumers to be transferred to U.S....
Bangladesh SMW-5 Repairs Trigger 80-Hour Disruption
Bangladesh’s second submarine cable, SEA-ME-WE-5 (SMW-5), will undergo shunt‑fault repairs from 10 p.m. Thursday, April 9, until 6 a.m. Monday, April 13, causing an expected 80‑hour slowdown or partial outages. Traffic normally routed to Singapore will be diverted to the nation’s other cable, SEA‑ME‑WE‑4,...
TRAI Floats Satellite Spectrum Framework, Seeks Industry Views on Direct-to-Mobile Services
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper proposing a Satellite Communication Network framework that would permit Direct‑to‑Device (D2D) satellite services using either Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) or International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum. The initiative aims to...
TP-Link Launches Extremely Low-Cost TL-7DR3600 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 7 Router
TP‑Link has launched the TL‑7DR3600, a dual‑band Wi‑Fi 7 router priced at $23, positioning it as the cheapest entry‑level model on the market. The device uses five AI‑driven “pixel” antennas and a Starlight chipset to deliver core Wi‑Fi 7 features such as...
Starlink Clears Security Hurdle, DCC Nod Likely Next Week
Starlink has satisfied India’s law‑enforcement security requirements, clearing the biggest regulatory hurdle for its commercial launch. The Digital Communications Commission is slated to meet next week, after which the proposal will move to the Union Cabinet for final approval. Executives...
India Takes a Step Closer to Direct-to-Device with Spectrum Consultation
India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has launched a consultation on how to allocate spectrum for direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite services. The regulator is weighing whether providers should use Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum or International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum, a decision...
SoundHound AI and Associated Carrier Group Partner to Bring Agentic AI to Telecom Customer Service and Employee Experience
SoundHound AI announced a strategic partnership with the Associated Carrier Group (ACG) to deliver its next‑generation agentic AI platform to ACG’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 telecom members. The solution enables end‑to‑end issue resolution across voice and digital channels, cutting call volume...
Wire 3 Lights up First Fiber Internet Customers in Lake County, Florida
Wire 3, a Florida‑based fiber provider, has begun connecting residents and businesses in Leesburg with its 10‑gigabit symmetrical service. The rollout is underpinned by a $50 million private investment and includes a five‑year price lock for early adopters. The company says...
Apply AI Sectoral Deep Dive - Electronic Communications
The European Commission will host a live webinar on April 30, 2026 to explore AI‑driven transformation of the EU’s electronic communications sector. Speakers from DG Connect will discuss real‑world use cases, edge‑AI technologies, and the development of a European Telco...
Openreach Exchange Closures Can Add to Financial Pressure on Altnets – Neos
Openreach plans to shut down most of its 5,600 exchanges, keeping only about 1,000 sites, with the bulk of closures scheduled after 2030. Alternative network providers such as Neos must either dig new fibre routes or lease alternative facilities, a...
Preseem Launches Its First Proactive ISP Virtual Summit
Preseem, a network quality management firm for ISPs, announced its inaugural Proactive ISP Virtual Summit, scheduled for May 5‑6, 2026. The free, two‑day event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern each day and centers on the theme “AI in Action,”...
Best T-Mobile Plans: How to Choose and Which Ones to Pick in 2026
T‑Mobile’s 2026 plan refresh introduces a surprise Better Value offering and highlights three core unlimited options: Essentials Saver, Essentials, and Experience More. Essentials Saver starts at $50 per month with 50 GB of high‑speed 5G data and limited hotspot speeds, while...
Starlink 'Carving Out a Niche' In Urban US – Ookla
Ookla’s Speedtest data for the second half of 2025 shows Starlink shedding its rural‑only image, with five states—Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey and Connecticut—recording more urban than rural subscribers. At the same time, the share of Starlink users achieving the...
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Digital Realty, IXPN Launch New Internet Exchange PoP in Nigeria
Digital Realty has activated a new Internet Exchange Point of Presence (PoP) for the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) at its recently commissioned Lekki data centre in Lagos. The addition expands IXPN’s footprint to 12 data centres across the...
Deutsche Telekom Upgrades Industry 4.0 with Starlink Backhaul
Deutsche Telekom has introduced a managed satellite broadband service for enterprise customers, leveraging SpaceX’s Starlink low‑Earth‑orbit constellation as backhaul for remote sites. The LEO connection delivers 30‑50 ms latency, far lower than GEO satellites, enabling real‑time industrial protocols for applications such...
Intellian Unveils Dual-Band Military Flyaway Antenna
Intellian Technologies unveiled a 2.4‑meter dual‑band tactical flyaway antenna at Satellite 2026 in Washington, D.C. The system can simultaneously operate on X‑band and Mil Ka‑band, making it the first Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) flyaway capable of dual‑band connectivity. Designed for military and...
Fortify Leverages Nullspace EM to Simulate and 3D Print a Cylindrical GRIN Lens for a Conical Horn Antenna
Fortify used Nullspace EM’s simulation platform to design a cylindrical gradient‑index (GRIN) lens that adds roughly 5 dB of gain to a conical horn antenna while shrinking the antenna’s footprint. The engineers created equation‑based permittivity profiles, iterated quickly in the virtual...
Musk, Bezos, Both Cry To Trump’s FCC In Bid To Dominate Satellite Broadband
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Amazon are locked in a proxy fight at the FCC over dominance of low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite broadband. SpaceX alleges Amazon’s Project Leo violates orbital‑debris rules by launching satellites at excessively high altitudes, while Amazon...
Korean Telcos Pledge to Restore Trust and Cut Prices
South Korean telecom giants SK Telecom, KT Corp and LG Uplus met with Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon to announce a three‑point plan aimed at restoring public trust after a series of high‑profile data breaches. The agenda focuses on bolstering...
Keysight and Sateliot Win European Space Agency and GSMA Foundry Challenge for 6G Innovation
Keysight Technologies and Spanish satellite‑IoT firm Sateliot were named winners of the European Space Agency and GSMA Foundry Innovation Challenge at Mobile World Congress 2026. Their joint project, a blockchain‑enabled end‑to‑end anomaly detection platform for 5G non‑terrestrial networks, earned funding...
LTN Rolls Out IP-Based Improvements as Broadcasters Shift Away From Satellite Delivery
LTN Global announced a suite of IP‑video network upgrades aimed at broadcasters moving away from satellite distribution. The enhancements target reliability, visibility, reach and operational control, adding adaptive error recovery, expanded analytics, and new gateway configurations that can handle up...
Sateliot Seeks €100M in Latest Funding Round
Sateliot, the Spanish low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite operator, has opened a Series C round seeking roughly $108 million to finance the launch of 16 additional 5G‑capable satellites. The company already has six satellites in orbit and plans to add five more this year,...
Bull Of The Day: Anterix (ATEX)
Anterix Inc., a provider of private LTE and broadband solutions for utilities and critical infrastructure, has posted four straight Zacks earnings beats, averaging a 36% positive surprise. The latest quarter showed a loss of $0.35 per share versus a consensus...
NTT Boosts Domestic Data Centre Capacity
NTT Data has opened the OSK11 data centre in Kyoto, adding 30 MW of AI‑ready capacity. The facility features dual‑power substations, carrier‑neutral connectivity and redundant air‑cooling with multi‑factor access controls. It is the 14th domestic site operated by NTT Global Data...
Telecom News: Telkomsel, ZTE, Enea, Liberty Costa Rica, Nokia
Telkomsel and ZTE announced a strategic partnership at MWC Barcelona 2026 to pilot AI‑native RAN solutions and the AIREngine module on ZTE’s BBU V9200 platform, aiming to boost network reliability and edge performance across Indonesia. The collaboration also includes expanding...
Telecom News: Multi Business Group, Saudi Telecom, Starlink, AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile, Orange Maroc, Ericsson
Multi Business Group secured a three‑month fit‑out and enhancement contract from Saudi Telecom Company (stc), a deal slated to lift its first‑half 2026 earnings. SpaceX’s satellite arm Starlink has confidentially filed for a potential IPO that could raise up to...
Equinix Launches Data Center in Mumbai, India
Equinix has opened MB3, its fourth International Business Exchange data center in Mumbai and the fifth across India. The five‑story, 5‑acre campus starts with 1,370 racks and can scale to 5,475 racks, backed by a $95 million investment. The facility supports...
Indias 5G Consumers Will Reach over a Billion by 2030: Jyotiraditya M Scindia
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia announced that India expects over a billion 5G subscribers by 2030, following a rapid rollout that installed 500,000 towers and involved roughly ₹450,000 crore (about $54 billion) in capital spending. He highlighted that the country already hosts 400 million...
Sharjah’s Satellite Infrastructure Still Intact After Missile Attack: Space42
On April 7, 2026, a missile struck the administrative building of Thuraya Telecommunications in Sharjah. Space42, Thuraya’s parent, confirmed that satellite services and infrastructure remain fully operational. The attack injured two Pakistani nationals, but no disruption to customers was reported....
Telecom News: Zyxel Communications, Openreach, Fidium, CableFinder, LoRa Alliance
Zyxel Communications and Openreach have introduced optical network terminals (ONTs) made from 95% recycled plastic, with zero‑plastic packaging, as part of Openreach’s “Let’s Reach Zero” initiative. Over half a million of these eco‑friendly ONTs, capable of 1.8 Gbps speeds, have already...
Telecom News: SIMPL Wireless, HDPE, Edgecore Wi‑Fi
SIMPL Wireless launched the Compass Dashboard, a unified IoT connectivity platform that lets users buy SIMPL service, integrate existing carrier contracts, and manage eUICC profiles with real‑time visibility, cutting deployment from months to hours. Allied Market Research projects the global...
T-Mobile US Readies AI Live Translation Trial
T‑Mobile US will begin beta testing AI Live Translation, a real‑time language conversion service that runs natively on its standalone 5G core and agentic AI platform. The feature works over Wi‑Fi and all mobile technologies except 2G, allowing any T‑Mobile...