Constructel brings 5G to Bavarian Alps
GERMANY 31 JUL

Constructel brings 5G to Bavarian Alps

Constructel, a subsidiary of Nearing Visabeira, has brought high-speed mobile connectivity to the peak of the Jennerbahn in the Bavarian Alps. Situated at an altitude of roughly 1,800 meters within Berchtesgaden National Park, near the iconic Koenigssee and the historic Eagle's Nest, the newly constructed radio tower eliminates a long-standing dead zone for Deutsche Telekom in one of southern Germany's major tourist destinations, the company said. Nearing Visabeira's technical teams handled the complete ins

FDI in Brazil telecom sector reaches record high in H1
BRAZIL 31 JUL

FDI in Brazil telecom sector reaches record high in H1

Data from Brazil's Central Bank, compiled by the country's Ministry of Communications, shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Brazil's telecom sector climbed to USD 3.582 billion (BRL 18.4 billion) between January and June 2026. This marks a 7.8 percent year-on-year increase over H1 2025 and represents the highest first-half total ever recorded in the Central Bank's time series.

AT&T FirstNet switches on 5G SA core built for public safety
UNITED STATES 31 JUL

AT&T FirstNet switches on 5G SA core built for public safety

AT&T's first-responder network FirstNet has formally launched its new 5G Standalone cellular core, bringing better uplink speeds to service critical uploads such as body-worn camera footage. FirstNet's 5G SA core will serve first responder clients across the US, and is claimed to be the first purely dedicated to public safety scenarios, though AT&T's rivals do offer targeted 5G slices.

Radcom trims FY forecast to reflect lower Q2 turnover due to purchasing delays
GLOBAL 31 JUL

Radcom trims FY forecast to reflect lower Q2 turnover due to purchasing delays

Radcom has downgraded its full-year sales outlook to reflect expected lower second-quarter revenues due to delayed purchase orders. Radcom's preliminary financial update indicates June quarter revenues of around USD 12 million, down 32.2 percent from USD 17.7 million in Q2 2025. Consequently, Radcom now anticipates 2026 revenues will be in the USD 57- 63 million range, implying a 16 percent decline at midpoint.

Claro Costa Rica expands 5G to over 2 million, launches mid-year promo
COSTA RICA 31 JUL

Claro Costa Rica expands 5G to over 2 million, launches mid-year promo

Claro Costa Rica (America Movil) said it has expanded its 5G network coverage across all seven provinces of the country, reaching more than 2.1 million people, with the highest concentration of users in the Greater Metropolitan Area and sustained growth in Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón. Users can access the 5G service without additional cost, reaching speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G LTE, said Claro, which has launched a mid-year campaign to mark the milestone.

Spain launches EUR 18 mln 'very rural' 5G call
SPAIN 31 JUL

Spain launches EUR 18 mln 'very rural' 5G call

Spain's Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration has launched a new EUR 17.9 million funding call to deploy standalone 5G networks in remote rural areas that currently lack both 4G and 5G coverage. Dubbed "5G Redes Muy Rurales" (Very Rural 5G Networks), the programme targets locations where commercial rollouts are not planned within the next three years with a view to extending next-generation connectivity to the most isolated parts of the country.

India unveils proposal to create telecoms production powerhouse in Madhya Pradesh
INDIA 31 JUL

India unveils proposal to create telecoms production powerhouse in Madhya Pradesh

India is preparing to establish a dedicated telecom manufacturing and research zone (TMZ) in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The policy envisages the construction of a 350-acre industrial cluster in the city of Gwalior, capitalising on Madhya Pradesh's arterial location within India. The national government believes the project will attract an influential congregation of telecom manufacturers and innovators, with a focus on building turnkey production and research capacity to encourage domestic businesses.

Docomo completes commercial deployment of Ericsson's RAN Processor 6672
JAPAN 31 JUL

Docomo completes commercial deployment of Ericsson's RAN Processor 6672

Japanese operator NTT Docomo has completed the commercial deployment of Ericsson's RAN Processor 6672. Docomo has also announced plans to expand the deployment of Ericsson's RAN Processor 6655 to enhance its network capacity.

Ericsson deploys RAN Compute platform for NTT Docomo's network in Japan
JAPAN 31 JUL

Ericsson deploys RAN Compute platform for NTT Docomo's network in Japan

Ericsson's RAN Compute platform has been selected by NTT Docomo for its networks in Japan, including 5G. Ericsson says its RAN Compute platform uses the latest Ericsson Silicon and is optimized for 4G, 5G, and 5G Advanced, as well as enhanced AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning RAN workloads.

Vodafone completes acquisition of Hutchison stake in VodafoneThree
UNITED KINGDOM 31 JUL

Vodafone completes acquisition of Hutchison stake in VodafoneThree

CK Hutchison has completed the sale of its 49 percent stake in UK operator VodafoneThree to Vodafone Group, for GBP 4.3 billion as agreed in May. The takeover gives Vodafone 100 percent of the the UK's largest mobile operator. This marks the exit of Hutchison from the UK mobile market, over 30 years since it first launched a mobile network as Orange. 

Megafon Tajikistan adds 23 base stations in H1, tests 5G
TAJIKISTAN 30 JUL

Megafon Tajikistan adds 23 base stations in H1, tests 5G

Megafon Tajikistan said that it launched 23 new base stations in the first half of this year, 47 existing base stations were upgraded to the LTE technology, and 85 additional LTE modules were installed on existing LTE base stations. Testing of 5G technology was carried out on the network as well, reaching speeds up to 1.1 Gbps. Megafon said it plans to implement 4T4R technology on 150 LTE base stations in the next stage of the network modernisation.

T-Mobile Poland activates 5G on C band in more places
POLAND 30 JUL

T-Mobile Poland activates 5G on C band in more places

T-Mobile Poland said that it has activated 5G services on the C band on 48 base stations this week. This takes the C-band coverage to 5,144 sites. The operator also launched its 5G services on the 700 MHz band on 33 additional base stations, raising the amount to 5,190 base stations. T-Mobile Poland currently runs 12,826 base stations in total across the country, up by two new base stations.

SLOVAKIA 30 JUL

Orange Slovakia's 5G coverage reaches 92% of population

Orange Slovakia has launched its 5G services in five more villages, reports Zive, making its 5G services available from 1,401 sites altogether, covering 91.8 percent of the country's population. O2 Slovakia leads for 5G coverage, reaching 99.77 percent of the population. Slovak Telekom follows at 99.1 percent and 4ka's 5G network coverage is 53.5 percent.

ITALY 30 JUL

Boldyn installs indoor 5G at Milan and Rome hospitals

Boldyn Networks has completed the deployment of new indoor 5G infrastructure at two major Italian hospitals: Policlinico Tor Vergata in Rome and San Carlo Borromeo Hospital in Milan. The installations use a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) to deliver high-performance, low-latency 5G coverage throughout the facilities, supporting digital health services aimed at patients, clinicians and visitors.

RWANDA 30 JUL

Rwanda to switch off 3G by June 2027 for 4G, 5G expansion

The government of Rwanda has announced that the nationwide 3G mobile network will be switched off on 30 June 2027 as it aims to phase out legacy technology, expand 4G coverage and lay the groundwork for widespread 5G adoption. According to the ICT ministry, retiring older networks will free up valuable radio spectrum and resources, allowing mobile operators to focus investments on modern infrastructure. While 2G services are also due to wind down, authorities will only decommission 2G once coverage, network

CHILE 30 JUL

Movistar tops Chile 5G speed ranking in H1 2026

Movistar (Telefonica) once again led Ookla's ranking of 5G mobile networks in Chile in the first half of 2026, based on tests conducted over the Speedtest service. Ookla said Movistar achieved an overall Speed Score of 50.1 thanks to average download speeds of 172.4 Mbps, followed by Entel with 139.4 Mbps, Claro with 122.7 Mbps and Wom with 120.4 Mbps. Entel had the lowest average latency in the market, at 636.0 ms, closely followed by Movistar with 646.1 Mbps.

LIBYA 30 JUL

LPTIC and Nokia explore 5G expansion and network upgrades

The Libyan Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Company (LPTIC), led by chairman Ali Ben Gharbia, has held talks with Nokia's regional director and with leadership from local companies to discuss modernising the nation's telecoms infrastructure, The Herald reported. The talks concentrated on deploying 5G technologies, improving network efficiency and accelerating digital transformation. During the meeting, Gharbia emphasised the importance of building strategic partnerships with global tech le

SPAIN 30 JUL

GSMA urges Spain to apply 2026 World Cup connectivity lessons to 2030

A new report from GSMA Intelligence outlines the extent to which connectivity has emerged as a critical factor in the success of major sporting events, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico serving as a testing ground for telecommunications networks. The study, dubbed 'World Cup 2026: are operators the game-changers?', examines the role played by mobile operators during the tournament and draws lessons that the GSMA said could be especially relevant for Spain as it prepares to co-host th

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 30 JUL

KT integrates Galaxy Watch with private 5G service for industrial safety

Korea Telecom (KT) has launched a new industrial safety service that integrates Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Watch with its private 5G offering, enabling enterprises to monitor worker safety across industrial sites. The new Safety Management Watch service combines KT's enterprise private 5G network with Samsung Electronics' SmartThings Pro for Safety platform, which analyses environmental data such as temperature and humidity alongside worker biometric data including heart rate and activity levels.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 30 JUL

SK Telecom expands tariff and loyalty benefits under cost-of-living initiative

SK Telecom (SKT) will expand mobile plan discounts, loyalty rewards and travel benefits during August and September as part of a telecommunications support package agreed with South Korea's government to help reduce household living costs. The operator said customers signing up to its air mobile plans during August would receive reward points equivalent to around 70 percent of their monthly subscription fee for up to 12 months. Existing air subscribers will also be able to use a greater proportion of accumu

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 30 JUL

Korea Telecom fined KRW 54 bln over femtocell breach that compromised network

South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has fined Korea Telecom (KT) KRW 53.98 billion (USD 39 million) after concluding the operator failed to secure its mobile network against a rogue femtocell attack that exposed subscriber data and enabled fraudulent mobile payments. The regulator found attackers copied authentication certificates from a lost KT-operated femtocell and installed them on a counterfeit device, allowing unauthorised access to KT's mobile core network for almost 11 mo

JAPAN 30 JUL

KDDI and Avita integrate Gemini AI model into jointly developed humanoid

KDDI and Avita have announced the integration of Google's Gemini generative AI model into a jointly developed humanoid robot, with the system being demonstrated at the Google Cloud Next Tokyo event on 30 and 31 July. The companies said the development forms part of their strategic partnership in physical AI, announced in March 2026, which combines KDDI's communications and AI platform with Avita's avatar and robotics technologies to develop a Japanese-built humanoid for customer service and reception applic

AUSTRALIA 30 JUL

Ericsson to provide private 5G for Queensland rail communications upgrade

Ericsson has announced it will supply the 5G-enabled Digital Radio System (DRS) technology for the first stage of Queensland's next-generation rail communications network, following the Queensland Government's selection of a consortium comprising Ericsson, UGL Transport and Frequentis for the project. Awarded by the Queensland Government, the contract covers the deployment of the Digital Radio System as part of Stage 1 of The Wave, a public transport and rail infrastructure programme connecting Brisbane and

JAPAN 30 JUL

SDI adopts Open RAN-compatible 5G/4G shared radio system for in-building use

Japanese shared mobile infrastructure provider Sharing Design Inc (SDI) has announced the adoption of SOLiD's Open RAN-compatible nGENESIS distributed antenna system (DAS), with commercial services scheduled to begin during the 2026 financial year. The company said the system complies with the O-RAN fronthaul (O-RAN FH) specification, supports Japan's 1.5 GHz spectrum band, and enables shared 5G sub-6 GHz and 4G in-building wireless coverage.

Just In

1 AUG 17:55

Turkcell launches rewards programme for prepay customers

1 AUG 17:32

Vodafone Turkiye tops 1 million ChatGPT package users in one month

31 JUL 15:25

Datagrid inks supply and installation deal with ASN, OMS for Tasman Ring Network project

31 JUL 14:16

Vantiva eyes H2 recovery after 15% sales decline in January-June

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

26 JUL 23:19

The week in telecom: Samsung works on foldable challenge, US telcos try FMC

19 JUL 23:41

The week in telecom: OnePlus exits tough smartphone market and Apple takes on OpenAI

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