ETRI develops video compression technology designed for AI analysis
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:41

ETRI develops video compression technology designed for AI analysis

South Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) is developing video encoding technology designed to reduce the amount of data required when video is analysed by AI rather than viewed by people. ETRI will demonstrate the technology at KES 2026, the Korea Electronics Show, in Seoul from 13 October, alongside two other AI-based media technologies. Its AI video encoding technology is based on the MPEG Video Coding for Machines (VCM) standard and is designed to extract, compress and tr

Japan selects four companies for regional submarine cable subsidies
JAPAN 05:39

Japan selects four companies for regional submarine cable subsidies

Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications has selected four companies to receive subsidies for projects supporting the regional distribution of international submarine cable infrastructure, as part of a government programme to strengthen the resilience of the country's digital infrastructure. SoftBank, IPS, IPS Pro and Shikoku Electric Power have been selected as indirect subsidy recipients. SoftBank's project will be located in Tomakomai, Hokkaido; IPS will develop infrastructure offshore fro

EonFibre launches connectivity service for New Zealand data centre zones
NEW ZEALAND 05:37

EonFibre launches connectivity service for New Zealand data centre zones

New Zealand bandwidth infrastructure provider EonFibre has launched Zone Direct, a connectivity service aimed at data centre developers, hyperscalers, neocloud providers and carriers planning to enter or expand in the country. The service covers connectivity between potential data centre campuses and offshore customers, including regional fibre routes, links to existing and proposed data centres, cable landing stations and international capacity.

StarHub opens new Singapore store and announces Halloween event
SINGAPORE 05:35

StarHub opens new Singapore store and announces Halloween event

StarHub is holding a Halloween event at Clarke Quay and has opened a new retail outlet at Compass One in October. The StarHub WatchParty: Halloween Edition will take place at CQ @ Clarke Quay Fountain Square on 30 and 31 October. The free event will include a screening of Haunted Mansion, a mystery-solving activity, themed games and a costume competition. Visitors will also have access to photo locations and a 360-degree video booth, as well as food and dining offers from participating Clarke Quay merchants

SM+ to acquire PDG's enterprise data centre business in Indonesia
INDONESIA 05:34

SM+ to acquire PDG's enterprise data centre business in Indonesia

Indonesia-based digital infrastructure company SM+ has signed an agreement to acquire Singapore-based Princeton Digital Group's (PDG) enterprise data centre business in Indonesia. The transaction covers five operational data centres in Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Pekanbaru. Subject to customary closing conditions, the acquisition will increase SM+'s Indonesian footprint to 31 sites across 25 cities or markets.

KISA and SKT add voice spam reporting to A.Dot Phone
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:31

KISA and SKT add voice spam reporting to A.Dot Phone

The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) has partnered with SK Telecom (SKT) to add a voice spam reporting function to the A.Dot Phone app. KISA currently receives spam reports through services including Samsung Electronics' quick reporting function and analyses reported numbers and other information to support measures such as blocking illegal spam. However, the quick reporting function was previously available only through Samsung's default phone application, limiting access for users of mobile operato

South Korea collects less than 10% of illegal spam fines
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:29

South Korea collects less than 10% of illegal spam fines

South Korea's collection rate for fines imposed over illegal spam has remained below 10% for the past five years, according to Newsis, citing government sources. Data submitted by the Broadcasting Media Communications Commission to Han Jun-ho, a Democratic Party lawmaker on the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, showed that the collection rate was 5 percent last year. The rate was 5.7 percent in 2021, 5.3 percent in 2022, 7 percent in 2023 and 5 percent in 2024. At

Naver Cloud partners Vietnam's FPT on AI factories and GPUaaS in APAC
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:27

Naver Cloud partners Vietnam's FPT on AI factories and GPUaaS in APAC

South Korea's Naver Cloud has signed an MoU with Vietnamese IT company FPT to jointly pursue AI factory projects and expand GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region. Under the agreement, the companies will jointly discuss the planning, development and operation of AI factory projects, combining their GPU infrastructure, cloud technology, business capabilities and customer networks. The companies said their initial focus will include South Korea, Vietnam and Japan, with opportun

New Zealand eases planning rules for mobile network upgrades
NEW ZEALAND 05:26

New Zealand eases planning rules for mobile network upgrades

New Zealand has introduced revised planning rules intended to speed up the deployment and upgrading of telecommunications infrastructure, including mobile poles, antennas and equipment cabinets. The changes to the National Environmental Standards for Telecommunication Facilities came into force as part of the government's wider reform of the Resource Management Act planning framework. The government estimates the telecommunications reforms could save between NZD 40 million and NZD 50 million in planning and

LG Uplus uses mobile network data to narrow mountain search areas
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:24

LG Uplus uses mobile network data to narrow mountain search areas

LG Uplus has demonstrated a technology that uses mobile network data to narrow the area that rescue teams need to search for people missing in mountainous areas. The operator conducted the demonstration with radio analysis specialist Solbit System in the area around Mount Unjang in Jinan County, North Jeolla Province. The test simulated situations in which a missing person's location could not be accurately determined because GPS signals were unavailable or their mobile phone was switched off.

KT consortium plans December launch for integrated AI service
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:23

KT consortium plans December launch for integrated AI service

Korea Telecom (KT) and 16 partner companies have held a summit to review preparations for the launch of their joint AI service, 'Modoo-ui AI' (AI for Everyone), with a formal launch planned for December. The 17-member KT consortium, comprising companies including KT, Daum, Upstage, Saltlux, EBS, BC Card, Zigbang, ConnectWave, Musinsa, ActionPower, Mathpresso, DeepSearch, Rebellions, Rablup, VESSLAI, Motif Technologies and NC AI, met in Seoul on 12 October for the 'Modoo-ui AI Connect Summit 2026'.

Sakura Internet launches dedicated generative AI platform for enterprises
JAPAN 05:20

Sakura Internet launches dedicated generative AI platform for enterprises

Japanese operator Sakura Internet has launched a fully managed AI model serving service that allows enterprises to run their generative AI models in dedicated environments. Sakura AI Engine Private Edition hosts customers' generative AI models on Sakura Internet's GPU infrastructure and makes them accessible through APIs. The company provides the infrastructure build, operations, monitoring and incident response.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:18

SK Telecom launches cultural tourism project with Korean museums

SK Telecom (SKT) has launched a public-private cultural tourism project with the National Museum of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organisation-affiliated Visit Korea Committee and the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea. The project, called K-Treasure Road, will use exhibitions and experiential content based on Korean cultural artefacts to encourage visitors to travel to regional museums and tourist destinations. It is being developed ahead of the 2027–2029 Visit Korea Years.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:17

LG Uplus receives 46,000 applications for long-term customer event

LG Uplus said 46,000 customers applied for an invitation event at Hwadam Forest, a popular autumn destination in South Korea, with 5,000 places available. The event recorded an application ratio of 9.2 to one. The event is part of LG Uplus's programme for long-term customers and will provide invited customers with access to Hwadam Forest, alongside activities including a stamp tour, family photography and a social media event.

GLOBAL 04:30

Afgelopen week in telecom: Deutsche Telekom licht AI-strategie toe, SpaceX koopt meer mobiel spectrum en Paramount rondt overname Warner Bros af

Er zijn talloze manieren waarop AI wordt toegepast in de telecommarkt, van AI-agents voor klantenservice en netwerkmonitoring tot nieuwe bronnen van zakelijke omzet. Deutsche Telekom nam vorige week de tijd om zijn inspanningen toe te lichten tijdens een analistenbijeenkomst. De verwachte cijfers voor extra omzet en lagere kosten dankzij AI zijn van belang voor het behalen van de langetermijndoelstellingen van de operator, maar het is nog vroeg voordat operators noemenswaardige winsten echt kunnen kwantific

BANGLADESH 03:47

Veon's Banglalink launches Starlink satellite-to-mobile service in Bangladesh

Veon, via its Bangladeshi unit Banglalink, has launched Starlink's satellite-to-mobile service on the local market. Veon also reports that customers can now access selected essential applications and location services outside the coverage of terrestrial mobile networks.

PAKISTAN 03:37

Jazz launches Hamari Superpower 5G ad campaign

Pakistani operator Jazz has launched a brand awareness and 5G positioning campaign dubbed 'Hamari Superpower'. This multichannel campaign is designed to position customer choice as the central theme of Jazz's 5G services, the company said. Using the tagline 'Jazz 5G Apka, Marzi Bhi Apki', the campaign focuses on how users choose to engage with digital technology, from business and content creation to personal communications and leisure.

PAKISTAN 03:12

Jazz secures streaming rights for Pakistan's 2026/27 home cricket season

Pakistani operator Jazz has secured digital streaming rights for the country's home international cricket season from October 2026 to March 2027 through its OTT platform Tamasha. The schedule comprises 25 international matches, including five Tests, 14 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and six Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), with Pakistan set to host Sri Lanka, England, Ireland, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

GLOBAL 11 OKT

The week in telecom: DT puts a figure on telco AI potential, SpaceX threatens mobile launch and Paramount seals WBD deal

It was a relatively quiet week ahead of the Q3 reporting season getting underway, but still plenty of news to keep the sector busy. Deutsche Telekom organised an analyst meeting on AI strategy, SpaceX is buying more mobile spectrum, and Paramount finally completed the takeover of Warner Bros. 

GLOBAL 9 OKT

Spotify extends podcast partnership with Joe Rogan

Spotify is expanding its partnership with 'The Joe Rogan Experience' (JRE) podcast with anew multi-year licensing agreement. The partnership started in 2020, with JRE now the most popular podcast in the world with 18 million followers. Fans will be able to listen to and watch new episodes each week on Spotify, and across other platforms. 

UNITED KINGDOM 9 OKT

BBC, Channel 4 discuss combining some operations - report

UK public service broadcasters BBC and Channel 4 have held preliminary discussion with the government about a potential combination of some of their commercial operations, reports Reuters. According to unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the talks, one option being considered is combining parts of Channel 4 - including some channels, VoD services and ad operations - with BBC-owned UKTV. It would not include the flagship Channel 4 broadcast channel. 

GEORGIA 9 OKT

Silknet adopts SAS Customer Intelligence 360 for personalised offers

Georgian operator Silknet turned to SAS Customer Intelligence 360 to help understand customer behaviour and tailor its offers, the software vendor announced. SAS Customer Intelligence 360 helped Silknet to collect and analyse large volumes of customer data from multiple sources in real time, including customer behaviour analytics, transaction data and demographic information to create personalised marketing campaigns.Silknet uses SAS Customer Intelligence 360 to support customer segmentation and promotional

MALI 9 OKT

Mali secures alternative internet route through new Senegal fibre-optic link

Mali has secured an additional gateway to the global internet via Senegal, Ecofin reported. The Malian Transmission and Broadcasting Company (SMTD-SA) and Senegal Numerique (SENUM-SA) have announced the activation of a cross-border fibre connection at Kidira-Diboli. The link directly integrates their national backbone networks, offering land-locked Mali an alternative to its existing international internet routes.

NETHERLANDS 9 OKT

Odido to offer cloud telephony from Dstny with AI agent, CRM integration

Dutch operator Odido is introducing a new cloud telephony service for businesses, including an AI assistant and integration with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Odido developed the service with the cloud communications provider Dstny and partners Sainer and Red Cactus. The company said it should help make organisations more available to their clients while freeing up employees for more complex work.

Just In

05:41

ETRI develops video compression technology designed for AI analysis

05:39

Japan selects four companies for regional submarine cable subsidies

05:37

EonFibre launches connectivity service for New Zealand data centre zones

05:35

StarHub opens new Singapore store and announces Halloween event

Commentary

24 SEP 13:37

What is KPN's response to the brand expansion at Odido and VodafoneZiggo?

8 SEP 10:16

Odido matches KPN and VodafoneZiggo on cash flow margin, but growth remains limited

11 AUG 10:49

Can Ziggo Group creation improve visibility for the Dutch market?

2 JUL 11:26

Canal Plus misses chance to strengthen Dutch business, time for exit?

Background

04:30

Afgelopen week in telecom: Deutsche Telekom licht AI-strategie toe, SpaceX koopt meer mobiel spectrum en Paramount rondt overname Warner Bros af

11 OKT 23:39

The week in telecom: DT puts a figure on telco AI potential, SpaceX threatens mobile launch and Paramount seals WBD deal

4 OKT 23:20

The week in telecom: FTTH sparks UK competition, AI coming to telco bundles and Samsung raises prices

3 OKT 18:20

Belgian Weekly - Week 40