Ziggo Group creation at 2026 low point sets stage for growth ahead
BENELUX 15:58

Ziggo Group creation at 2026 low point sets stage for growth ahead

The transformation of Dutch operator VodafoneZiggo continues with the planned creation of the Ziggo Group in the second half of this year. This will see the company combined with Telenet, the operator active in Belgium and Luxembourg. In 2027 the Ziggo Group will be spin off to shareholders of Liberty Global, as a kind of dividend, and get its own stock market listing. While there is significant uncertainty still, the plan may lead to improved results, a condition key to a successful spin-off. 

Beeline Russia, Yandex start set-top box partnership
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:39

Beeline Russia, Yandex start set-top box partnership

Russian operator Beeline said that it has signed a cooperation agreement with the internet company Yandex on sales of set-top boxes. Subscribers of Beeline will be able to buy smart set-top boxes powered by the YaOS from Yandex. The devices support the internet company's voice assistant Alice. A pilot project started in Volgograd, Kostroma and Oryol already, where Beeline subscribers on convergent packages or fixed double-plays can purchase the set-top boxes.

Solar revenues up 15% in 2025
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:38

Solar revenues up 15% in 2025

Revenues of Russian cybersecurity services provider Solar, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, totaled RUB 25.6 billion in 2025, up by 15.3 percent year-on-year. Revenues from product sales increased by 15.2 percent to RUB 20.6 billion. OIBDA of the company was RUB 4.8 billion, and the OIBDA margin amounted to 19 percent, down by 5 percentage points. The customer base included around 1,500 companies, up by 50 percent, Rostelecom said.

Plustelka switches 2nd multiplex to DVB-T2
SLOVAKIA 15:37

Plustelka switches 2nd multiplex to DVB-T2

Slovak pay-TV provider Plustelka said that it will switch the second multiplex for terrestrial TV services to the DVB-T2 standard on 14 April. If the channels TA3, JOJ Plus, JOJ Krimi or Sport 2 disappear, customers are advised to retune their TV sets or set-top boxes.

Vodafone Germany cut prices, increases data on GigaMobil plans for broadband customers
GERMANY 15:35

Vodafone Germany cut prices, increases data on GigaMobil plans for broadband customers

Vodafone Germany is cutting prices and increasing data volumes on its GigaMobil S and GigaMobil M plans under a new promotion valid until 12 May. The GigaMobil S plan with 100 GB costs EUR 19.99 instead of the regular EUR 39.99 for 25 GB per month, and the GigaMobil M plan with unlimited data is reduced to EUR 24.99 per month from EUR 49.99 for 50 GB. The minimum contract term to sign up for both plans is 24 months. Customers can benefit from the promotion if they already have an internet connection provide

T-Mobile Poland covers almost 92% of population with 5G
POLAND 15:32

T-Mobile Poland covers almost 92% of population with 5G

T-Mobile Poland has expanded the coverage of its 5G network to 91.8 percent of the country's population. The operator said on social media that it runs 12,693 base stations in total. The coverage of the 5G network on the C band reaches 62.5 percent of the population. In total, 4,858 5G base stations work on the 3,600 MHz band, and 611 5G base stations operate on the 700 MHz band.

Telia Estonia launches standalone 5G
ESTONIA 15:31

Telia Estonia launches standalone 5G

Telia Estonia has launched the 5G Standalone (5G SA) technology on its network, also supporting VoNR (Voice over New Radio) calls on the 5G network. This follows successful tests in March of the services with customers at the World Biathlon Cup in Otepaa. 

Russian satellite TV operators lose coverage, customers after Express-AT1 goes dark
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:25

Russian satellite TV operators lose coverage, customers after Express-AT1 goes dark

Russian satellite TV operators Tricolor and NTV-Plus restored broadcasting in the Urals and Siberia after the unexpected loss of the Russian satellite Express-AT1, reports Cnews.ru. NTV-Plus uses the Yamal-402 satellite, and Tricolor broadcasts over the satellite ABS-2A. Nevertheless, customers need to change converters and software on their receivers. Due to the changed orientation of the satellite Express-AT2, NTV-Plus is no longer able to provide services for subscribers in the Far-East. Tricolor lost 1.

MTS, HSE University start IT engineering training project
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:22

MTS, HSE University start IT engineering training project

Russian operator MTS has launched a joint project focused on IT engineering studies with the Moscow HSE University. The project is aimed at supporting researching by students to engineer technological solutions for the telecommunications industry. The project will be carried out under a practical training format, based on industrial tasks for real cases at MTS. It includes three training trends: ML developers able to use software tools, data science and backend developers.

Lifecell pays UAH 4 bln in taxes in 2025
UKRAINE 15:21

Lifecell pays UAH 4 bln in taxes in 2025

Ukrainian operator Lifecell, belonging to the DVL Group, said that it paid UAH 3.96 billion in taxes to the state budget in 2025, up from from UAH 2.03 billion in 2022. In 2022 to 2025, the company paid more than UAH 11.6 billion in taxes in total.

Team Telecom Armenia completes 2G network shutdown
ARMENIA 14:37

Team Telecom Armenia completes 2G network shutdown

Operator Team Telecom Armenia has completed the disconnection of its GSM network, reports Arka. More than 1,000 base stations have been switched to LTE and 5G technologies. Team Telecom Armenia is the first operator in the country to shut down GSM services. The project was started in August 2025.

Rostelecom places RUB 15 bln bond
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 14:36

Rostelecom places RUB 15 bln bond

Russian national operator Rostelecom announced that it has placed a RUB 15 billion bond on the Moscow Exchange. The annual interest rate is 13.65 percent for the two-year debt. The company plans to use the funds for refinancing existing debt.

ZIMBABWE 14:06

Econet InfraCo provides rural clinics with free solar energy

Econet InfraCo, the infrastructure arm of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, is providing free solar power to rural clinics within 5 km of its base stations. The scheme began in 2025 and uses telecom infrastructure to support vaccine storage and emergency treatment. reflecting the company's focus on community impact and sustainable development. Several clinics have already been connected under Econet's partnership with Higher Life Foundation (HLF).

EGYPT 14:00

Egypt plans SIM cards with child protection by June

The Egyptian National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) says it will bring out SIM cards with child protection within 60 days, Egypt Today reported. These SIMs will be available from Vodafone, Orange, WE and Etisalat, enabling parents to block adult or violent content and bypass-prevention tools. Mohamed Shamroukh, NTRA executive chairman, told a House of Representatives committee meeting on 05 April that the service will be rolled out commercially at all four of the country's mobile operators.

BELGIUM 13:53

BBC First rebrands as BBC Belgium

The BBC is rebranding its channel BBC First in Belgium with the name BBC Belgium from 05 May. Developed by its commercial arm BBC Studios, the channel targets the Dutch-language population with British drama series featuring Dutch subtitles. The Belgian rebranding follows the same move in the Netherlands and Scandinavia in recent years by the British broadcaster. 

UNITED KINGDOM 13:51

OpenAI pauses Stargate UK plans due to high energy costs

OpenAI is putting plans for a Stargate AI data centre in the UK on hold due to the high cost of energy and regulation in the country, reports Bloomberg. In an e-mailed statement to the news organisation, OpenAI said there was "huge potential for the UK's AI future", and that it will reconsider the Stargate UK AI infrastructure project when long-term infrastructure investment is supported by the "right conditions". Plans for Stargate UK were announced in September 2025. The project delay was originally repor

KENYA 13:51

Kenya reaches 300 operational digital hubs with more under way

ICT cabinet secretary William Kabogo Gitau has provided Kenya's National Assembly ICT with an update on the progress of the country's digital innovation hub project. At present, over 300 digital hubs are operational, supported by more than 20,000 devices. A time-bound plan is in place to ensure that 101 completed hubs are equipped, operational and staffed within two months. Another 199 hubs are under construction in 22 constituencies, Kabogo said. These will be equipped and opened on a first-completed, firs

SOUTH AFRICA 13:41

Melon Digital agrees eSIM deal with Airalo in South Africa

Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) platform Melon Digital has partnered with global eSIM provider Airalo to enable international visitors to South Africa to access local, affordable mobile data, voice and messaging services upon arrival. The partnership eliminates the need for physical SIM cards and avoids high roaming fees, allowing travellers to connect in over 200 countries.

UNITED KINGDOM 13:41

EE research highlights Brits' TV watching etiquette red-flags

UK operator EE has published new research on the nation's TV viewing habits, with Brits spending an average of 20 hours a week sat down watching TV, and more than 4 in 10 Brits (43%) saying watching TV was their favourite part of the day. The research highlights a clear set of green-flag and red-flag behaviour relating to TV and sofa etiquette - with over one third (39%) of Brits judging others on their bad TV/sofa behaviour. 

NETHERLANDS 13:39

KPN, Thales start testing sovereign cloud for Dutch military

The Dutch defense ministry announced it has started work on setting up a sovereign cloud in its own data centre, to ensure a secure online environment for the country's military and its most sensitive data. The deal with suppliers Thales and KPN was first announced in June 2025, and the ministry has sent an update to parliament on progress with the plans. The new platform is expected to help reduce reliance on US cloud providers, and make sure the Netherlands remains in control of its own top-secret data. 

SPAIN 13:38

Vodafone Spain debuts ad campaign for latest convergent offer

Vodafone Spain has launched a new advertising campaign starring Goya award-winning actor Luis Zahera to promote its latest convergent offer with pay-TV content. The corresponding ads features Zahera as a doctor encouraging patients to "switch to Vodafone Quality to get rid of the pain of overpaying."

FRANCE 13:31

Altice France shortlists four bidders in sale of XpFibre stake - report

Four investment firms are competing to acquire the 50.01 percent holding in French fibre venture XpFibre that Altice put up for sale earlier this year, according to information gathered by Le Monde. Following a first round of bids, the candidates moving to the next stage of the process are reportedly Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, DigitalBridge, KKR, and Vauban Infrastructure Partners.

GLOBAL 13:29

Kore Group to launch Kigen eSIM-powered connectivity suite for enterprise IoT

Kore Group has joined forces with Kigen, provider of remote eSIM and SIM provisioning solutions, to launch a SGP.32-compliant enterprise IoT connectivity management suite. Launching later in the year, Kore Group's product will help enterprise clients operationalise connected endpoints powered by the GSMA's latest IoT-grade eSIM standard. The line-up will cater to diverse IoT playbooks, unlocking device lifecycle services and analytics to support endpoints ranging from high-power connectivity gateways to bat

NETHERLANDS 13:25

Ziggo ordered to negotiate new royalties deal for music on foreign channels

Ziggo must agree new copyright terms for music used in TV programmes and films shown on foreign channels on its cable network, a court has ruled. The ruling by the regional appeals court for Arnhem-Leeuwarden comes in a suit brought by the rights collector Sena, which represents artists and producers of recorded music.

Just In

15:58

Ziggo Group creation at 2026 low point sets stage for growth ahead

15:39

Beeline Russia, Yandex start set-top box partnership

15:38

Solar revenues up 15% in 2025

15:37

Plustelka switches 2nd multiplex to DVB-T2

Commentary

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

2 FEB 13:49

KPN results show little bother from the competition

2 JAN 13:21

Open Dutch Fiber's new management team takes up turnaround challenge

15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

Background

15:58

Ziggo Group creation at 2026 low point sets stage for growth ahead

7 APR 11:48

Netherlands TV-video market revenues up just 0.5% in Q4

5 APR 23:40

The week in telecoms: Free goes all-in on roaming, AT&T tries FMC innovation and Starlink gets bigger

29 MAR 22:46

The week in telecoms: Italy brings back PTT, US bans foreign routers and social media on trial