Saudi CST declares ICT infrastructure ready for Hajj season
SAUDI ARABIA 12:10

Saudi CST declares ICT infrastructure ready for Hajj season

Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) has announced the operational readiness of the ICT sectors for this year's Hajj season. CST said early collaboration with telecom service providers has seamlessly integrated these capabilities

Zain sees Syria as opportunity for group revenues and profits
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC 12:01

Zain sees Syria as opportunity for group revenues and profits

Zain Group CEO Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi has identified Syria as a major opportunity for revenue and profit growth as the company actively pursues a mobile telecommunications licence to aid in the country's economic revitalization, CNBC reported. Al-Kharafi said the move aligns with a strategy to diversify income streams following strong Q1 financial results. He emphasized the need for robust telecommunications to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, noting that Zain considers the country a strategic, untappe

Zain Iraq partners with 1011 to offer premium content
IRAQ 11:52

Zain Iraq partners with 1011 to offer premium content

Zain Iraq has partnered with Iraqi over-the-top (OTT) and legal streaming service 1001 to deliver high-quality digital entertainment directly to Zain's telecom subscribers, while actively combating digital piracy by promoting legally licensed regional and international content. Subscribers who activate any mobile or broadband bundle valued at IQD 25,000 or above will automatically receive a one-month complimentary subscription to 1001's premium package, known as the 'Fadshiii bundle', offering access to vas

Inaugural ETSI critical comms meeting attended by more than 50 participants
EUROPE 11:45

Inaugural ETSI critical comms meeting attended by more than 50 participants

ETSI has held the inaugural meeting of a new technical committee focused on critical communications systems, welcoming delegates from more than 50 stakeholders from a variety of industry backgrounds. ETSI's Technical Committee on Critical Communications Systems (TC CCS) will progress selected work items inherited from the now-defunct Technical Committee on Tetra and Critical Communications Evolution (TCCE). For one, it will be tasked with maintaining the Tetra standard, which is now roughly 30 years old, ha

STC Bahrain wins contract to manage Ithmaar Bank's AWS billing
BAHRAIN 11:40

STC Bahrain wins contract to manage Ithmaar Bank's AWS billing

STC Bahrain said it will manage Ithmaar Bank's AWS billing to address the rising complexity of cloud cost management as financial institutions accelerate their digital transformation. By consolidating Ithmaar Bank's AWS billing, STC Bahrain will provide a single, transparent monthly invoice, eliminating administrative overheads and ensuring predictable spending. Ithmaar Bank gains access to STC Bahrain's certified AWS experts to govern its cloud financial operations using industry best practices. This unifi

E&, UAE Cybersecurity Council, Open Innovation AI launch sovereign AI platform
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 11:18

E&, UAE Cybersecurity Council, Open Innovation AI launch sovereign AI platform

The UAE Cyber Security Council, E& UAE and Open Innovation AI have launched the UAE Sovereign AI Platform for secure, national-scale infrastructure. It enables organisations to deploy and operate advanced artificial intelligence technologies including generative AI, large language models (LLMs), AI agents, advanced analytics and autonomous workflow within fully UAE-controlled infrastructure for maximum security, resilience and regulatory compliance. A proprietary Sovereign AI Security Framework validates, g

AmpliTech supplies 64T64R cat B radio for Northeast University AI-RAN prototype
UNITED STATES 10:59

AmpliTech supplies 64T64R cat B radio for Northeast University AI-RAN prototype

AmpliTech has announced a further trial with Northeastern University, utilising the category B 64T64R massive MIMO radio prototype that was implemented in February. A follow-up study described as a world first saw AmpliTech's open radio (O-RU) deployed as the central hardware platform for an AI-RAN prototype system capable of massive MIMO transmissions. The device was configured to run AI Aerial, Nvidia's suite for AI-enhanced radio access networks, for layer 1 and 2 processing alongside OpenAirInterface's

Czechia mobile data traffic up 25% in 2025
CZECH REPUBLIC 10:57

Czechia mobile data traffic up 25% in 2025

The volume of mobile data transferred over networks in Czechia in 2025 reached approximately 2,160 PB, which represents a year-on-year increase of almost 25 percent, according to figures from the telecommunications regulator CTU. The average monthly data consumption per data SIM card increased to 15.1 GB from 12.5 GB in 2024. The total number of active SIM cards was close to 16 million at the end of 2025.

Gaj leaves Exatel board
POLAND 10:56

Gaj leaves Exatel board

The supervisory board of Polish operator Exatel has dismissed Magdalena Gaj from the position of management board chair, reports Puls Biznesu. Gal is the former president of the national telecommunications regulator UKE and was appointed Exatel chair in April 2025. 

Calix completes agentic AI upgrade
UNITED STATES 10:56

Calix completes agentic AI upgrade

Calix has completed the rollout of its agentic AI suite across eligible customer footprints powered by its Calix One broadband orchestration platform. More than 1,200 clients in all have been transitioned to the agentic AI-enabled edition of its software, delivered through the Calix Agent Workforce Cloud. It follows the initial release of the upgraded platform on 12 May. Agent Workforce is empowered by Google Cloud server capacity and computational models.

Orange Poland tests 6 GHz band on mobile network
POLAND 10:55

Orange Poland tests 6 GHz band on mobile network

Orange Poland has tested mobile data services on the 6 GHz band around Warsaw. The tests were carried out in cooperation with Nokia using its radio modules and prototpype devices. Orange Poland used a 200-MHz block of spectrum and achieved a maximum speed of 3.17 Gbps, roughly twice what it can deliver with current 5G services on the C band.

O! launches 5G roaming
KYRGYZSTAN 10:50

O! launches 5G roaming

Kyrgyzstan mobile operator Nur Telecom, trading under the O! brand, has launched access to 5G roaming services. The option is available to customers travelling in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and certain other countries.

GLOBAL 10:49

Netnod co-founder joins RIPE NCC executive board

Nordic critical digital infrastructure provider Netnod said co-founder and senior systems specialist Lars-Johan Liman has been elected to the executive board of the RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) by members at a general meeting in Scotland, UK. Liman joins the leadership responsible for providing strategic direction and financial oversight for the regional internet registry. The RIPE NCC serves more than 20,000 members and manages web resources such as IP addresses and autonomous system numbers

POLAND 10:49

Emitel launches data centre services after buying Warsaw site

Cordiant Digital Infrastructure announced that Emitel, its portfolio company in Poland, has acquired a data centre just outside Warsaw, with 2 MW of total IT load capacity and scope for future expansion, allowing it to launch data centre services. This is a milestone for Emitel, marking its entry into the data centre market. The new facility has been developed to Tier 3+ reliability standards, as defined by the Uptime Institute and currently offers co-location, cloud computing and data processing services t

UNITED STATES 10:48

US fibre-lit buildings to exceed 2 million in 2026

New research from Vertical Systems Group predicts the US base of fibre-lit buildings, including both commercial buildings and data centres, will surpass 2 million sites this year. The research suggests that by end-2025, roughly 36 percent of eligible facilities were fibre-lit. Lit fibres are active links used to carry data by service providers as a managed service, as opposed to dark fibre capacity that is only switched on when leased by the end client.

DENMARK 10:45

TV 2 Denmark offers Apple TV and Disney+ with some TV 2 Play packages

Danish broadcaster TV 2 has announced an agreement with Apple TV and Disney+ to give TV 2 Play subscribers access to their streaming services at an attractive price. Customers who have signed up through TV 2 Denmark to the TV2 Play 'Favorit' or 'Favorit + Sport' package are eligible to watch AppleTV and Disney Plus for DKK 119 per month.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10:44

MTS Group revenues up 15% in Q1

Revenues at Russia's MTS Group totaled RUB 201.3 billion in the first quarter of this year, up by 14.7 percent year-on-year, and the company's OIBDA grew by 18.0 percent to RUB 74.7 billion. MTS said OIBDA growth was supported by both B2C and B2B telecommunications services. The net profit grew by 46.4 percent to RUB 7.2 billion.

SPAIN 10:22

ESA, Spain boost cooperation on Iris2 satellite network

Spain's space agency AEE and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a letter of intent to deepen cooperation on satellite connectivity, with a focus on the European Union's Iris2 programme. The agreement highlights Spain's role as a leading contributor to low earth orbit (LEO) activities within ESA efforts supporting the secure communications initiative.

SWEDEN 10:08

Swedish watchdog plans new hearing on price calculation model for access to fixed networks

Swedish telecoms regulator PTS said it plans to hold another consultation at the end of August or early September concerning a new model for calculating cost-oriented prices for access to fixed networks, and to provide a basis for assessing whether or not prices are fair and reasonable. It held a hearing on this issue in 2025. The model package will contain input data, cost calculations and output data based on a fictitious operator. PTS will publish an updated model reference document (MRD) setting out the

CHILE 10:03

Chile's ClaroVTR to air 2026 World Cup in 4K HDR

Chilean operator ClaroVTR (America Movil) has confirmed that customers of its Claro and VTR brands will be able to view the 2026 FIFA World Cup in 4K HDR, the highest resolution currently available. The 2026 FIFA World Cup host feed will distribute all matches in native 2160p HLG (4K HDR) at 59.94 fps, meaning a 50 Hz region such as Chile simply convert the refresh rate from 60 Hz to 50 Hz.

PERU 09:44

Peru 4G speeds up to average 12.8 Mbps in April

Claro once more headed the 4G mobile internet speed ranking in Peru in April, averaging a download speed of 13.22 Mbps, according to monthly data published by the regulator Osiptel. Across all operators, the average 4G speed was 12.82 Mbps, with Entel coming in second (12.74 Mbps), ahead of Bitel (12.71 Mbps) and Movistar (12.32 Mbps).

UNITED STATES 09:43

US Congress seeks details of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon scam prevention action

David Schweikert, chair of the US Congress Joint Economic Committee, has written to the big three mobile operators, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, to ask for additional information to be shared regarding their scam prevention policies. Schweikert, a Republican legislator from Arizona, joined ranking committee member and Democratic New Hampshire representative Maggie Hassan to urge the US carriers to comply with their request, which follows testimony from officials and experts at a bipartisan committee hearing

FRANCE 09:39

Orange France brings back Hello 5G promo to target festival‑goers

Orange France announced an ad hoc boost to its network capacity to avoid congestion at two dozen music festivals taking place later this year. Coinciding with the deployment of these technical measures, the company is also bringing back the 'Hello 5G' time‑limited promotion, first introduced in September 2025. Under this marketing initiative, a dedicated app enables owners of eSIM‑compatible smartphones to test the Orange mobile network free of charge, without changing operator or mobile plan. The offer wil

KUWAIT 09:37

Beyon formalises KWD 825 mln public-private partnership to develop Kuwaiti fixed telecom network

Beyon has signed a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with the Kuwaiti ministry of communications and the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) as the winner of the national fixed telecoms network development project. Investments are expected to exceed KWD 825 million over the 50-year partnership term, financed by the project company to avoid a financial burden on the state. The scheme aims to develop, finance and maintain the fixed network through a modern operating model based on the es

Just In

12:10

Saudi CST declares ICT infrastructure ready for Hajj season

12:01

Zain sees Syria as opportunity for group revenues and profits

11:52

Zain Iraq partners with 1011 to offer premium content

11:45

Inaugural ETSI critical comms meeting attended by more than 50 participants

Commentary

5 MEI 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

20 APR 10:36

Netflix back to organic growth and doing just fine

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

Background

18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom

11 MEI 00:53

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK

3 MEI 23:05

The week in telecoms: big tech faces costs of AI boom and Wi-Fi market consolidates

27 APR 14:33

Virgin Media O2: from coax to fibre and 80% coverage in 2028