JazzWorld, Population Council Pakistan to boost digital inclusion for women, youth
PAKISTAN 06:58

JazzWorld, Population Council Pakistan to boost digital inclusion for women, youth

Pakistani operator JazzWorld and the Population Council Pakistan have signed a 2-year agreement to use digital platforms and data to provide information and access to digital services for women and young people. This collaboration combines JazzWorld's digital reach with the Population Council's research expertise to create programmes focused on digital inclusion, female and youth empowerment, reproductive and maternal health information, and data-driven policymaking.

Fastweb+Vodafone adds free health insurance to premium mobile plan
ITALY 06:52

Fastweb+Vodafone adds free health insurance to premium mobile plan

Italian operator Fastweb+Vodafone has improved the contents of its premium Mobile Ultra plan to include free home assistance policy from insurance partner Quixa. Under the offer, customers of both Fastweb or Vodafone Italia who sign up to Mobile Ultra will receive the free Quixa Health Assistance policy for the whole family normally costing EUR 8.90 a month and including 24 hours a day telemedicine with specialist doctors, emergency medical care, professional home assistance and the AXA health card.

Globe expands Broadband Microshops across 11 provinces in South Luzon and Visayas
PHILIPPINES 06:41

Globe expands Broadband Microshops across 11 provinces in South Luzon and Visayas

Globe Telecom, through its broadband brand Globe At Home, has expanded its Broadband Microshop network across 11 provinces in South Luzon and the Visayas. This network expansion is specifically designed to bring high-speed fibre services and customer support directly into underserved, fast-growing residential communities. Globe's Broadband Microshops are noe available in Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Cebu, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Iloilo, Antique, and Aklan.

Australia launches consultation on regional roads mobile coverage grants
AUSTRALIA 06:32

Australia launches consultation on regional roads mobile coverage grants

The Australian government has released draft grant opportunity guidelines for consultation on the National Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program (RRAMP), an AUD 30 million initiative aimed at expanding multi-carrier mobile coverage along highways and major roads in regional and remote Australia. Under the draft guidelines, the program will provide funding over three years to 30 June 2029 for projects that deliver new or upgraded infrastructure supporting multi-carrier mobile coverage at strategic location

LG Uplus advances quantum network quality standard
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:07

LG Uplus advances quantum network quality standard

LG Uplus has proposed the development of an international standard for managing service quality in quantum-secure communications networks, as operators prepare to deploy next-generation encryption technologies without compromising network performance. The South Korean operator presented the proposal at the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Study Group 13 meeting in Geneva, outlining the development direction for a quality management framework jointly de

SoftBank, Yaskawa Electric trial physical AI platform using GPU cloud
JAPAN 06:05

SoftBank, Yaskawa Electric trial physical AI platform using GPU cloud

SoftBank and Yaskawa Electric have demonstrated a physical AI development platform that combines cloud-based GPU infrastructure with AI-powered industrial robotics, as the companies seek to accelerate the deployment of AI-driven automation in manufacturing. The companies said the proof of concept used SoftBank's AI Data Centre GPU Cloud platform, developed with support from Nvidia, as the development environment for Yaskawa Electric's flexible object handling system. 

NTT Docomo's Starlink Direct reaches 5 million users in two months
JAPAN 06:03

NTT Docomo's Starlink Direct reaches 5 million users in two months

NTT Docomo said more than five million customers have connected to its docomo Starlink Direct satellite-to-smartphone service less than two and a half months after its launch, highlighting growing uptake of direct-to-device satellite connectivity in Japan. The service, which launched on 27 April, uses SpaceX's Starlink Mobile network to provide direct satellite communications for smartphones in areas beyond terrestrial mobile coverage, including mountainous regions, remote islands and coastal waters. 

NTT Docomo launches Disney+ promotion for d Payment users
JAPAN 06:01

NTT Docomo launches Disney+ promotion for d Payment users

NTT Docomo has launched a promotional campaign to encourage customers to use its d Payment service for Disney+ monthly subscriptions purchased through the streaming service's official website. The campaign will run from 17 July to 31 August and follows the addition of d Payment as a supported payment method for Disney+ subscriptions purchased directly through the Disney+ website.

KDDI to trial yen-denominated stablecoin payments at Lawson store
JAPAN 05:59

KDDI to trial yen-denominated stablecoin payments at Lawson store

KDDI has signed a basic agreement with Lawson and blockchain technology company HashPort to conduct a technical trial of in-store payments using a yen-denominated stablecoin at a Lawson convenience store in Tokyo from August 2026. The trial will take place at the Lawson Takanawa Gateway City store and will be limited to employees of the three participating companies. It will evaluate system integration with point-of-sale terminals, checkout operations, payment processing times and wallet usability.

Mitsubishi Estate targets 2.5 GW of data centre capacity in Japan - report
JAPAN 05:57

Mitsubishi Estate targets 2.5 GW of data centre capacity in Japan - report

One of Japan's largest real estate groups Mitsubishi Estate plans to invest around JPY 1.5 trillion (USD 9.3 billion) to develop large-scale data centres with a combined capacity of 2.5GW, according to Nikkei, citing an interview with the company's president, Atsushi Nakajima. The company aims to build data centres ranging in size from several dozen megawatts to several hundred megawatts, with the overall target equivalent to at least 10 facilities.

Telstra faces multiple investigations after nationwide outage
AUSTRALIA 05:55

Telstra faces multiple investigations after nationwide outage

Telstra is facing multiple investigations following the nationwide network outage on 8 July that disrupted mobile voice and data services and affected more than 600 triple zero emergency calls. The carrier has confirmed it will appear before a Senate inquiry examining the incident, while separate investigations are also underway by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the triple zero custodian and Telstra itself.

KT launches security advisory board, expands AI email security offering
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:54

KT launches security advisory board, expands AI email security offering

Korea Telecom (KT) has established an external Information Security Advisory Committee and launched a cloud-based AI email security service for public sector organisations following the award of South Korea's Cloud Security Assurance Programme (CSAP) certification. The operator said the new advisory committee is intended to strengthen its information security governance and help it respond to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats driven by the adoption of AI and cloud technologies. The body will provide

UNITED KINGDOM 05:52

UK designates four cloud providers as Critical Third Parties for financial sector

The UK government has designated Microsoft Ireland Operations, Google Cloud EMEA, Amazon Web Services EMEA and Oracle Corporation UK as Critical Third Parties (CTPs), bringing them under direct oversight by UK financial regulators from 13 July. The designations, announced by HM Treasury, are intended to strengthen the operational resilience of the UK financial system as banks, insurers and financial market infrastructures become increasingly reliant on cloud services.

JAPAN 05:50

BBIX network used to transmit Vivant sequel footage from Thailand to Japan

BBIX, the IX subsidiary of SoftBank, said its cloud-based Open Connectivity eXchange (OCX) service was used to transmit high-definition video footage from Thailand to Japan during production of the sequel to the TBS television drama Vivant, which is scheduled to air on 26 July. The operator said broadcaster TBS used the OCX service, provided by BBIX and its subsidiary BBSakura Networks, to transfer large video files from the overseas filming location to production facilities in Japan. 

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:48

SK Telecom launches summer roaming and membership promotions

SK Telecom (SKT) has introduced a series of roaming and membership promotions for the summer holiday season, offering discounted roaming packages for international travellers and additional benefits for domestic leisure activities. The operator said customers born between 1986 and 2006 who have not used its T Roaming service during the past 36 months will be eligible for a 70% discount on selected Baro and Baro YT roaming plans until 21 August. The offer is available once per customer and cannot be combined

ASIA 05:47

Keppel fully commits Bifrost subsea cable capacity with final fibre pair deal

Singapore infrastructure company Keppel has signed an indefeasible right of use (IRU) agreement with a global hyperscale customer for the final available fibre pair on its Bifrost subsea cable system, fully committing all five fibre pairs in the trans-Pacific cable. The agreements have an estimated total contract value of USD 1.3 billion, including recurring cable operations and maintenance revenue over 25 years.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:45

KT offers discounts on AI and digital subscriptions through carrier billing promotion

Korea Telecom (KT) has launched a month-long promotion offering discounts on AI and digital subscription services paid for through its mobile carrier billing platform, KT Content Pay. The promotion applies to customers who register KT billing as their payment method in the Google Play Store and use it to pay for eligible subscription services. Customers who enrol through the KT Content Pay website can receive a 50 percent discount on subscription payments, capped at KRW 5,000.

AUSTRALIA 05:44

Environmental filing identifies Australian route for Meta's Project Waterworth

Environmental filings have identified Darwin as the Australian landing point for Meta's Project Waterworth subsea cable system, with additional Queensland landing sites planned at Townsville and Karumba, providing the clearest indication yet of how the 50,000km global cable will connect into Australia. The proposed route is detailed in a federal environmental referral lodged by Australian operator Vocus for a geophysical survey known as Project Werribee. 

JAPAN 05:42

SoftBank and PayPay consider investment in 7-Eleven parent - report

SoftBank and its affiliate PayPay are in discussions to invest up to JPY 300 billion (USD 1.9 billion) in Seven & i Holdings, the parent company of 7-Eleven, according to Nikkei, citing industry sources. SoftBank and PayPay are each considering investing around JPY 100 billion, with Sumitomo Mitsui Card, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, also evaluating participation.

THAILAND 04:46

AIS upgrades government and enterprise backbone network with ZTE

ZTE has announced it has completed the first service migration and automatic service activation of Thai operator AIS' government and enterprise backbone network. AIS has adopted ZTE's HI IPNet service across its hardware platforms, network architecture and operations.

GLOBAL 12 JUL

The week in telecom: European telcos take shape as Xavier Niel buys more of Vodafone, Telenor expands in Sweden

Xavier Niel's quest to build a pan-European telecom operator continues with the acquisition of a large stake in Vodafone. Digi completed an IPO for its Spanish business, while SK Hynix tested investor appetite for AI-linked stocks in the US. Pay-TV and broadcast come together again in the UK as Sky confirmed a takeover of ITV, and Telenor is consolidating its focus on the Nordic region with a big Swedish acquisition.

LATVIA 10 JUL

Latvian govt in talks with over 20 potential investors in LMT and Tet

The Latvian government is holding advanced negotiations with 23 potential investors over participation in the planned acquisition of LMT and Tet shares from Swedish telecom operator Telia, Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis. Speaking after an extraordinary Cabinet meeting, Valainis said the identities of the investors cannot yet be disclosed but noted that strong international interest would allow the government to choose the partner whose offer and long-term vision best serve Latvia's interests.

NETHERLANDS 10 JUL

Volt plans Dutch AI Cloud launch for October

The data centre company Volt plans to launch its Dutch AI Cloud in October, providing AI computing power on infrastructure hosted entirely in the Netherlands. The platform is based at its new Volt AI Factory in Amsterdam and is the first step towards a "gigafactory" under development for launch in 2027 in Rotterdam. Partners on the project include Dell Technologies, NorthC Datacenters and the family office of Han de Groot, who started the initiative. 

NETHERLANDS 10 JUL

Freedom Internet loses directors Peelen and Welboren

Randal Peelen has stepped down as managing director at the Dutch ISP Freedom Internet. In addition, commercial and operational director Twan Welboren has left the company, Tweakers reports. It's not yet known who will take over management of the provider.

Just In

06:58

JazzWorld, Population Council Pakistan to boost digital inclusion for women, youth

06:52

Fastweb+Vodafone adds free health insurance to premium mobile plan

06:41

Globe expands Broadband Microshops across 11 provinces in South Luzon and Visayas

06:32

Australia launches consultation on regional roads mobile coverage grants

Commentary

2 JUL 11:26

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

23 JUN 09:56

ACM blocks Delta/Glaspoort deal - what can KPN do?

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?

Background

12 JUL 23:30

The week in telecom: European telcos take shape as Xavier Niel buys more of Vodafone, Telenor expands in Sweden

5 JUL 23:03

The week in telecom: Comcast gives up on vertical integration, BT and Verizon agree global alliance

3 JUL 07:46

TP:Talks - Billogram cuts customer service billing tickets by 40 percent with automated invoicing

28 JUN 23:51

The week in telecoms: Apple raises prices, Qualcomm tries server market and Jio going public