Nokia Strengthens MEA Leadership to Accelerate Network Evolution and Growth
Nokia announced three senior appointments for its Middle East and Africa (MEA) operations, naming Mikko Lavanti as President, Roque Lozano Barbero as Senior Vice President of Network Infrastructure, and Danial Mausoof as Senior Vice President of Mobile Infrastructure. The new leaders will steer sales, expand network infrastructure, and accelerate mobile‑network innovation, particularly around 5G and the emerging AI‑driven telecom ecosystem. These moves come as operators across MEA increase spending on advanced connectivity and digital infrastructure. Nokia aims to cement its role in the region’s next phase of the AI supercycle.
US-Listed Data Centre Operator Equinix Doubles Down on South Africa
Equinix is investing roughly $405 million to add 160 MW of data‑centre capacity in South Africa, bringing its total under development to 332 MW across Johannesburg and Cape Town. The company acquired about $48 million of land, expanding its footprint beyond Gauteng. All funding...
New Overhead Network System Enables National Signal Extension
An innovative overhead network system using tethered high‑altitude aerostats will extend 5G broadcast capability across the UK, allowing rapid deployment of private networks for live productions. The project, led by the Scandinavian Centre for Aerial Methodology with the Southern Kraków...
Telechips Advances Network Gateway Chip Business, Seeks Global Customers
Telechips is accelerating its network gateway chip business, launching proof‑of‑concept projects with select global customers as it seeks a profitability turnaround. The company is simultaneously expanding AI‑integrated automotive semiconductor offerings for ADAS and autonomous driving, while upgrading its in‑vehicle infotainment...
NWN Pushes ‘Intelligent Connectivity’ To Power AI Everywhere In The Enterprise
NWN announced its Intelligent Connectivity platform, a next‑gen Network‑as‑a‑Service that fuses HPE Mist Wi‑Fi, its Experience Management Platform and multi‑vendor APIs into a unified operating model. The solution, slated for general availability in the first half of 2026, promises AI‑driven...
Corning, Meta Begin North Carolina Cable Manufacturing Facility Expansion
Corning and Meta have broken ground on a major expansion of Corning's optical‑fiber manufacturing in Hickory, North Carolina, under a multiyear agreement worth up to $6 billion. The new capacity is expected to lift Corning's North Carolina workforce by 15‑20 percent, creating...
Faced With Starlink Competition, Ground Segment Leaders Turn to Orchestration, Specialization
Ground‑segment providers are feeling the pressure of vertically integrated LEO megaconstellations such as Starlink and Amazon Leo, which manufacture their own user terminals and drive prices to rock‑bottom levels. Executives from Ovzon, SpaceBridge and Comtech warned that the traditional consumer‑grade GEO...
KRYTAR Announces Two New 3 dB, 180-Degree ULTRA+ Hybrid Couplers Covering 10 to 40 GHz
KRYTAR, Inc. unveiled two new 180-degree ULTRA+ hybrid couplers covering 10‑40 GHz with 3 dB coupling. The ULTRA4100400 model uses 2.4 mm connectors, while the ULTRA4100400K employs 2.92 mm K‑connectors, both offering tight amplitude (±0.9 dB) and phase (±8°) tolerances. They support 20 W average and...
PLDT Ready to Block Roblox if Ordered
Philippine telecom giant PLDT, together with its wireless unit Smart Communications, announced it will block access to the online game Roblox if ordered by regulators. The move follows a request from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, which flagged Roblox...
VTel Wireless Partners with Ericsson to Launch First Nationwide 5G Standalone VoNR Roaming for Rural America
VTel Wireless has partnered with Ericsson to deploy a cloud‑native 5G Core and Radio Access Network, enabling the first rural carrier to offer nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) VoNR roaming. The solution replaces legacy LTE‑based voice underlays with end‑to‑end 5G voice,...
See Everything, Always: Manufacturing Precise Positioning with Private 5G
Private 5G networks now embed precise indoor positioning, delivering meter‑level accuracy without separate hardware. This unified approach replaces fragmented Wi‑Fi, UWB, Bluetooth and RFID solutions, giving manufacturers real‑time visibility of assets, workers, and equipment. Integrated location services feed directly into...
Delta In-Flight Connectivity Takes Off with Amazon Leo
Delta Air Lines has partnered with Amazon to equip its fleet with high‑speed, low‑latency internet via Amazon Leo, the company’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellite service. The rollout will begin in 2028 with an initial installation on 500 aircraft, expanding Delta’s existing AWS‑based...
Cato Networks Unveils Modular Adoption Model for SASE Platform
Cato Networks announced a modular adoption model for its core SASE platform, allowing enterprises to select and add capabilities such as AI security, SD‑WAN, SSE and universal ZTNA on demand. The solution runs on the GPU‑powered Cato Neural Edge, a...
Es’hailSat, EgyptSat Expand Partnership with New Satellite Capacity Agreement
Es’hailSat and EgyptSat have signed a multi‑year satellite capacity agreement to expand VSAT services across Egypt and the broader MENA region, building on a partnership established last year. The deal taps Es’hailSat’s two high‑throughput satellites at 25.5°/26° East and its Tier‑4...
India Telecom Operators Shift to Experience-Led Differentiation Over Price Wars: Opensignal
India’s telecom market is maturing, with operators moving from price‑driven battles to experience‑led differentiation. Opensignal data shows Reliance Jio still dominates nationally, holding over 43% of adjusted gross revenue and leading consistent quality in 58 of 63 metros. Yet subscriber...
AOI Receives New Order for 800G Data-Center Transceivers From Major Hyperscale Customer
Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI) secured a volume order exceeding $53 million from a major hyperscale customer for 800‑gigabit single‑mode data‑center transceivers. The order supports AI‑driven GPU clusters and will be shipped between Q2 and mid‑Q3 2026 after product qualification. AOI’s CEO highlighted...
Vodafone Completes Video Call Where No Network Exists Using Satellite Tech
Vodafone successfully completed a live video call from Clare Island, Ireland – a location with no mobile coverage – using a standard smartphone connected to AST SpaceMobile’s satellite network. The call was received in Dublin by Vodafone Ireland CEO Sabrina...
Nigerians Used 1.26 Million Terabytes of Data in February, Down From January
Nigerian internet traffic fell to 1.26 million terabytes in February, a drop of 125,475 TB from January’s 1.38 million. Despite the lower total, average daily usage rose to 45,000 TB, a 0.7% increase, reflecting intensified per‑user consumption. Telecom operators MTN and Airtel added over...
Savanna Fibre Sparks Price War in Kenya’s Stagnant Broadband Market
Kenyan ISP Savanna Fibre, launched in 2024, has introduced a 100 Mbps broadband plan priced at KES 2,000 (≈$15), undercutting Safaricom’s comparable offering by about 80%. The company also offers a 1 Gbps tier for $77, roughly half the price of Safaricom and...
Call for Input on the Possible Amendment of the BEREC Roaming Benchmark Data Collection Procedure
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has opened a public consultation to amend its roaming benchmark data‑collection procedure following the Roam‑Like‑At‑Home extension to Ukraine and Moldova on 1 January 2026. Operators are invited to submit feedback via an EU...
Indra Develops New Satellite Communications Terminal for Submarines
Indra has finished development and certification testing of the TSUB‑40Ka, a Ka‑band satellite communications terminal designed for submarines. The Ka band permits smaller antennas and markedly higher data‑rate links than traditional X‑band or Ku‑band systems. The terminal complies with MIL‑STD/STANAG...
Huawei Secure SD-WAN Full SASE Solution: Secure, Intelligent Connectivity for Modern Enterprises
Huawei has launched its Secure SD‑WAN Full SASE solution, a unified platform that blends networking, security and AI‑driven management for enterprise connectivity. The solution dynamically routes traffic over MPLS, broadband, LTE or 5G while encrypting tunnels and providing integrated firewall,...
Eutelsat in Talks with India's Space Agency to Boost Satellite Launch Options
Eutelsat is negotiating with India’s ISRO to add launch capacity, aiming to cut dependence on SpaceX and Ariane rockets. The talks come after the OneWeb merger and a plan to launch 440 new satellites, a programme estimated at €2 bn ($2.3 bn)....
Pan-India Monthly 5G Data Traffic Surges 70% On-Year in 2025: Nokia
India’s 5G data traffic surged 70% year‑on‑year to 12.9 exabytes in 2025, according to Nokia’s Mobile Broadband Index 2026. 5G now represents 47% of total mobile broadband traffic, with average monthly consumption per user exceeding 31 GB, an 18% CAGR over...
Airalo Partners Busan to Provide eSIM Services for International Visitors
Airalo has signed a letter of intent with Busan Metropolitan City to distribute 100,000 free eSIM vouchers and launch destination‑specific eSIM packages for international visitors. The partnership also includes discounted eSIMs for Busan residents traveling abroad, joint marketing campaigns, and...
CDG Advances Real Time Subscriber Data Automation for Communication Service Providers with Calix Subscriber Services API
CDG has launched a Calix Subscriber Service API integration that links its Elements OSS/BSS platform with the Calix One suite in real time. The connection synchronizes subscriber records, equipment details, and service tiers instantly, eliminating manual data entry. By leveraging...
Starlink to Appeal Namibia Licence Rejection
Starlink will appeal Namibia's telecom regulator decision that rejected its licence and spectrum access because the company is fully foreign‑owned, violating the country's 51% local‑ownership rule. Nigeria's communications authority has mandated that telcos compensate customers with airtime credits when service...
Rakuten Mobile Extends Partnership with Netcracker for AI-Enabled Digital BSS to Support Its Mobile Network in Japan
Rakuten Mobile has extended its multi‑year partnership with Netcracker to continue using the AI‑enabled, cloud‑native Digital BSS platform for its nationwide 4G and 5G network. The renewal builds on a collaboration that began when Rakuten launched in 2019 and adds...
Vodafone Idea Is Using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme to Modernise Transport Network
Vodafone Idea (VIL), India’s third‑largest telecom operator, has deployed Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) to upgrade its transport network. The rollout achieved a 1.6 Tb/s capacity on a meshed Data Center Interconnect (DCI) fabric, aimed at meeting surging bandwidth demand. VIL expects the...
Virgin Media O2 Accelerates UK 5G Upgrade Programme
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has signed multiyear contracts with Ericsson and Nokia as part of a £700 m (≈$889 m) mobile transformation plan to overhaul its UK 5G network. The agreements will upgrade the majority of VMO2’s radio access network to 5G+...
World Backup Day 2026: A Telecom B2B Guide to Data Protection in the AI Age
World Backup Day on March 31 highlights telecoms’ need for robust data protection amid AI‑driven growth. AI adoption has surged, with 77% of telecom executives citing operational benefits and 61% using AI for analytics, but it also inflates data volumes and...
Service Quality and Consumer Protections to Improve in Proposed Changes to NBN Regulation
The ACCC released a draft determination that will set NBN Co’s regulatory framework from 1 July 2026, proposing lower capital spending, reduced weighted‑average cost of capital, and tighter benchmark service standards. It also upgrades the entry‑level broadband offering to a 25 Mbps download/10 Mbps...
Telecom News: Ethio Telecom, Safaricom, MTS, MegaFon, T2 Mobile, VimpelCom, Beeline
The Nigerian Communications Commission has mandated that mobile operators provide airtime credits to subscribers when service quality falls below standards, tying fines to infrastructure upgrades. Ethiopia’s government introduced a Universal Access Fund, requiring operators to contribute 1.5% of annual gross...
Telecom News: Fiber Broadband Association, NFR, Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices
The Fiber Broadband Association unveiled a "fiber‑first" framework to help U.S. states accelerate middle‑mile fiber deployment, emphasizing cross‑agency coordination, dig‑once policies, and streamlined permitting. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) rolled out an AI‑enhanced optical‑fiber‑cable (OFC) system at 50 level‑crossing gates,...
Telstra Overruled in Mobile Coverage Claims Stoush
Australia’s regulator ACMA confirmed its draft standard that classifies signal strengths below –115 dBm as ‘no coverage’, forcing carriers to label maps with four tiers: good, moderate, usable and no coverage. The rule means Telstra could have up to one million...
AT&T Unveils New Bundle
AT&T launched OneConnect, a bundled offering that pairs unlimited wireless service with 1 Gbps fiber home internet for new customers in eligible fiber‑powered markets. The single‑line package is priced at a fixed $90 per month, inclusive of taxes and fees. Two‑user...
Fiber Frenzy
Charter is extending its Spectrum network in Marion County, Florida, to serve more than 15,000 addresses with up to 1 Gbps speeds, and will fund an $18,000 grant for the local Marion Senior Services program to boost digital literacy among older...
Charter Outlines Billing, Community Benefits Post-Merger
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is the last regulator to approve Charter’s $34.5 billion merger with Cox Communications, and both firms responded with a 55‑page filing covering billing, PEG channels, and broadband deployment. Charter asserts the deal will let Cox...
Gigapower Drops FCC Petition
Gigapower, a joint venture between AT&T and BlackRock Global Infrastructure Fund, withdrew its FCC petition after a dispute with the city of Rock Hill, South Carolina, over access to roughly 1,692 city‑owned utility poles. The conflict stemmed from Rock Hill’s...
WAVE Achieves First Cloud-to-Gateway Satcom Virtualization with AI Signal Analysis
Members of the IEEE‑backed WAVE Consortium—AWS, Gilat Defense, and SES Space & Defense—demonstrated the first standardized cloud‑to‑gateway satellite communications virtualization using FPGA acceleration. A 10 Mbps video stream was transmitted through a DVBS‑2X modem, digitized at an SES gateway, and processed...
Live in the Booth: AST SpaceMobile President Scott Wisniewski Talks Spectrum Strategy and Defense Potential
AST SpaceMobile President and Chief Strategy Officer Scott Wisniewski highlighted the recent launch of the BlueBird 6 satellite, a new agreement with European carrier Orange, and the company’s evolving spectrum strategy. He announced that AST secured its first Space Development Agency...
SpaceBridge Launches UniHub as Streamlined VSAT Platform
SpaceBridge unveiled UniHub, a compact all‑in‑one VSAT hub that consolidates SDR multichannel modulation, burst demodulation for up to 800 carriers, network communication center functions, QoS, and advanced waveforms like TDMA and dSCPC. The platform promises reduced footprint, lower SWaP, and...
I've Used Google Fi for 8 Years—Here's Why I've Stuck Around for so Long
Joe Fedewa, a veteran tech journalist, has relied on Google Fi for eight years, citing its hassle‑free number porting, flexible pricing and seamless device activation. The carrier’s original $35 base fee plus $10 per gigabyte model remains unchanged, while newer...
How Lumen Is Dismantling Decades of Network Complexity
Lumen Technologies, a $12.4 billion telecom operator with a 500,000‑mile fiber network, faced fragmented inventory from decades of acquisitions, operating over 17 legacy systems and nearly 500 data sources. It built a unified data layer and AI‑driven digital twin, launching the...
Delaware Becomes the Fifth State in IQ Fiber’s Growing Footprint
IQ Fiber officially launched its 100% fiber‑optic service in Kent County, Delaware, marking the company’s entry into its fifth Eastern U.S. state. The rollout is backed by a $150 million investment that will span the next 18‑24 months and generate more...
Invences Empowers Small Businesses With Smart Telecom Networks
Invences, founded in 2023 by telecom veteran Bhaskara Rallabandi, delivers autonomous, low‑cost private 5G/6G networks for small businesses, farms, factories and universities, especially in underserved areas. The Texas‑based startup leverages Open RAN, virtualized RAN, digital twins and agentic AI to...
IDB Invest and Proparco Partner with Millicom to Expand Digital Infrastructure Across Latin America
IDB Invest and French development finance firm Proparco are jointly investing $100 million in a Colombian‑peso‑denominated bond issued by Millicom International Cellular. Each institution will anchor $50 million, financing network upgrades across Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Paraguay. The proceeds...
South Korea Extends Facial Recognition SIM Registration Pilot to June 2026
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has pushed back the end of its facial‑recognition SIM registration pilot to June 30, 2026. The trial, which began in December, requires users to scan their face at activation to match identity‑document data, targeting fraud...
ESIM and iSIM for IoT: Remote Provisioning, Flexibility and Scale
Embedded SIM (eSIM) and integrated SIM (iSIM) are reshaping IoT connectivity by allowing carriers and enterprises to provision cellular profiles over the air. eSIM uses a dedicated chip, while iSIM embeds SIM functions directly into the device’s main processor, cutting...
The 10 Coolest IoT Connectivity Companies: The 2026 Internet Of Things 50
The 2026 CRN IoT 50 highlights ten connectivity firms reshaping enterprise IoT in the AI era. AT&T’s $5.75 billion acquisition of Lumen’s Quantum Fiber adds 4 million fiber sites, targeting 60 million locations by 2030. Other leaders include Aeris with over 100 million devices, Myriota’s...