Spain's MasOrange launches Starlink direct-to-cell trial
SPAIN 10:00

Spain's MasOrange launches Starlink direct-to-cell trial

MasOrange has signed an agreement with SpaceX's Starlink to run Spain's first trial of the latter's Direct to Cell (D2C) satellite service in the northern province of Valladolid. The technical pilot aims to test the integration of satellite-to-mobile communications with traditional cellular networks with a view to providing mobile coverage to 4G devices throughout the Iberian Peninsula, said the partners.

U Mobile welcomes first 8 ecosystem partners for Enterprise Innovation Platform
MALAYSIA 09:53

U Mobile welcomes first 8 ecosystem partners for Enterprise Innovation Platform

Malaysian operator U Mobile has welcomed the first eight ecosystem partners for its Enterprise Innovation Platform (EIP). This initiative is designed to provide an agnostic environment for enterprises, SMEs, start-ups, academia and public sector agencies to develop and commercialise their 5G-A use cases, proofs-of-concepts and pilot projects.

Freedom and Solcon named best internet providers in Q4 consumer survey
NETHERLANDS 09:52

Freedom and Solcon named best internet providers in Q4 consumer survey

Freedom Internet and KPN's brand Solcon were the best internet providers in Q4 2025 according to the latest rankings by the consumers union. The Consumentenbond awarded both a score of 7.8 points out of 10. Freedom Internet also received the top score for fixed multi-plays, at 7.8, down slightly from 8.1 in the previous quarter. The ISP scored especially well on internet quality (9.0), fixed telephony (9.1) and overall value (9.2).

UK govt selects Barnsley as first AI Tech Town
UNITED KINGDOM 09:46

UK govt selects Barnsley as first AI Tech Town

The UK government has selected Barnsley in South Yorkshire as the UK's first official Tech Town. Local businesses, schools, colleges and health services will receive bespoke government support to exploit the opportunities of AI, with the town acting as a national blueprint for how AI technology can improve everyday life. The plans are supported by leading tech companies including Microsoft, Cisco and Adobe. All three firms have committed to supporting projects to boost the town's AI and digital talent. 

NFC Forum charts onward path with updated tech roadmap
GLOBAL 09:45

NFC Forum charts onward path with updated tech roadmap

NFC Forum, the global standards body for near-field communication (NFC) technology, has unveiled an updated technology roadmap setting out its plans for technical work in the coming years. The forum is spotlighting six major initiatives to be prioritised under that roadmap. These include delivering on faster data rates, potentially increasing the ceiling for data transport between two NFC-linked devices by up to eight times, and commencing work on the next generation of NFC Wireless Charging specifications,

SmarTone to deploy Ericsson Massive MIMO, Ultralight triple-band macro radios
HONG KONG 09:43

SmarTone to deploy Ericsson Massive MIMO, Ultralight triple-band macro radios

Hong Kong operator SmarTone will deploy Ericsson's latest Massive MIMO radios. The model that will be deployed (AIR 3255) has 30 percent lower energy consumption and a 20 percent lower embodied CO2 footprint compared to the previous generation of the product, Ericsson said.

NVA MP calls for Proximus chairman to give up salary
BELGIUM 09:34

NVA MP calls for Proximus chairman to give up salary

Proximus chairman Stefaan de Clerck should give up his salary for the past year, according to a call from Michael Freilich, a member of the Belgian parliament for the ruling NVA party. This would be a fitting sign of him taking responsibility for the telecom operator's strategic choices in recent years, Freilich said in a blog post reported by De Tijd.

Telefonica Tech inks IoT deal with video door entry firm Fermax
SPAIN 09:34

Telefonica Tech inks IoT deal with video door entry firm Fermax

Telefonica's digital business unit Telefonica Tech has partnered with Spanish video door entry manufacturer Fermax to integrate Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity into the company's systems across Spain, France and Portugal. Under the deal, Telefonica Tech will supply managed IoT connectivity via SIM cards for Fermax's new line of smart door entry panels.

ICANN appoints Nominet as authorised RSP for New gTLDs
UNITED KINGDOM 09:31

ICANN appoints Nominet as authorised RSP for New gTLDs

Nominet, operator of the .UK domain, has been confirmed by ICANN as a Registry Services Provider (RSP) for the New gTLD programme. Businesses, brands and organisations can now apply for their own TLD for the first time in over 10 years. As a pre-evaluated RSP, Nominet can help applicants operate the technical aspects of their selected domain. Applicants can use Nominet's Dragon registry platform to manage reserved, registered and premium domains. 

Virgin Media O2 parents close to deal for Netomnia - report
UNITED KINGDOM 09:25

Virgin Media O2 parents close to deal for Netomnia - report

Telefonica and Liberty Global, parents of UK telecoms group Virgin Media O2, are close to agreeing a GBP 2 billion takeover of UK fibre altnet Netomnia, reports the Financial Times. According to two unnamed sources familiar with the plans, Telefonica and Liberty Global are working with InfraVia Capital to acquire Netomnia through their fibre network JV Nexfibre. A deal could be announced as a early as this week.  

Canal Plus says no current plans to raise DStv subscription prices
AFRICA 09:24

Canal Plus says no current plans to raise DStv subscription prices

Canal Plus Africa CEO David Mignot says the company currently has no plans to increase subscription fees for DStv packages, MyBroadband reported. Groupe Canal Plus's acquisition of Multichoice in September 2025 had raised concerns that the annual price increases for DStv might be scheduled for earlier in the year. Historically, DStv's price adjustments have been done at the start of MultiChoice's financial year on 01 April each year but its fiscal year-end is shifting to 31 December to align with its parent

KPN plans new eurobond to refinance debt due in 2026, 2029
NETHERLANDS 09:23

KPN plans new eurobond to refinance debt due in 2026, 2029

KPN announced a new debt offering for refinancing. The Dutch operator plans a EUR 500 million eurobond under its Global Medium Term Note programme. At the same time it's launching tender offers to repurchase two existing debt issues. This includes GBP 250 million outstanding on a 5 percent bond due in 2026 and up to GBP 300 million of a 5.75 percent issue due in 2029. 

ITALY 09:12

WindTre revamps tourist pass portfolio

Italian operator WindTre has refreshed its range of passes for foreigners visiting the country ahead of the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The plans start with 'Tourist Pass L' with 100GB data at 5G speeds, unlimited calls to national numbers plus 100 minutes to international numbers for EUR 15 for a month. Users acquiring two SIMs can sign up to 'Tourist Pass L Pack' with 200GB of data rather than 100GB.

UNITED STATES 09:11

Crunchyroll increases US subscription prices by USD 2 per month

Anime streaming service Crunchyroll is updating prices for Fan, Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan subscribers in the US. From 02 February 2026, the Fan Tier will rise in price from USD 7.99 to USD 9.99 per month; with the Mega Fan Tier increasing from USD 11.99 to USD 13.99 per month, and the Ultimate Fan Tier from USD 15.99 to USD 17.99 per month. 

GERMANY 09:08

Vodafone Germany introduces second-generation GigaTV Home box

Vodafone Germany has introduced the the new GigaTV Home box for its cable customers. With a more powerful design to support features such as Dolby Vision HDR and more streaming, the box also comes with a redesigned remote control with backlit buttons and improved ergonomics. The box is available for EUR 9.99 per month for the first six months of a 24-month contract and then costs EUR 14.99 per month. The contract includes a TV package offering access to 82 channels in SD and 57 channels in HD.

GLOBAL 09:07

AudioCodes rolls out expanded Webex Calling certifications for IP phones line-up

AudioCodes has announced additional certifications for Cisco's Webex Calling unified communications suite for three of its existing IP phone devices, as well as certain MediaPack analogue gateway hubs. Following this announcement, AudioCodes' C450HD, 445HD and 425 HD IP Phones have been validated for Webex Calling, adding to their existing support for public-switched telephone network (PSTN) calls through the Webex Cloud Connect portal. Certified MediaPack gateways include iterations from AudioCodes' MP-1xx

GLOBAL 08:58

Nintendo Switch 2 sales pass 7 mln units in December quarter

NIntendo said its revenues doubled in the first nine months of its fiscal year, growing 99 percent year-on-year to JPY 1.906 trillion. The Switch 2 is now officially its fastest selling games console ever, passing 17.37 million units sold to date. The December quarter was its best yet, with just over 7 million units sold. 

NORWAY 08:50

Telia Norway and Ice agree to combine RANs

Telia Norway and Lyse, the Norwegian energy and telecom group that owns the mobile operator Ice, have agreed to combine their mobile radio access networks (RANs) in a 50-50 joint venture. They point to competitive and cost advantages as well as benefits for the new emergency network, preparations for increasingly extreme weather and for national resilience. The RAN joint venture, set to start operations in Q2, should lead to "substantial" improvements in mobile coverage as early as 2027, the companies said.

CHILE 08:44

Wom submits USD 1 bln binding offer for Movistar Chile - report

Chilean operator Wom has submitted a binding offer of around USD 1 billion to acquire Telefonica's Chilean subsidiary, according to local daily El Mercurio. The bid addressed to Juan Azcue, Director of Finance and Corporate Affairs at Telefonica Group, was signed by Wom's CEO Chris Bannister, said the report. Neither company has officially commented on the offer. 

MALAYSIA 08:41

Vantage Data Centers appoints Fitri Abdullah as country manager in Malaysia

Vantage Data Centers has appointed Fitri Abdullah as its country managing director, Malaysia. In this newly created role, he will oversee Vantage's business in Malaysia. Fitri will be part of Vantage APAC's leadership team and report directly to Jeremy Deutsch, the region's president.

ETHIOPIA 08:38

Safaricom Ethiopia active subscriber base grows 72% in 2025

Safaricom Ethiopia's number of active customers increased by 71.7 percent year-on-year to 12.2 million at the end of 2025, supported by expanding network coverage and enhanced customer experience. One-month active customers reached 9.6 million, while the 4G network now covers 57.1 percent of Ethiopia's population with 3,483 sites. Mobile data usage continued to rise, with three-month active data customers reaching 9.8 million and average data consumption per user increasing to 6.8GB during the operator's fi

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 08:33

Mango Telecom appoints new CCO

Russian operator Mango Telecom, providing services under the Mango Office brand, has appointed Aleksey Rubtsov the CCO of the company. Rubtsov will take over responsibility for the commercial strategy of the group, as well as development of products for unified communication and marketing technologies. Rubtsov has 12-year experience in the telecom industry and has worked in various management positions at Beeline Russia since 2020.

GLOBAL 08:29

NXP Semiconductors posts higher profits for Q4 as sales growth strengthens to 7%

NXP Semiconductors reported a strong finish to 2025, with fourth-quarter revenues up 7 percent year-on-year to USD 3.34 billion. The sales were above the midpoint of the group's guidance, thanks to strength in the industrial IoT and mobile markets and the acquisitions of Aviva Links and Kinara in October. Operating profit increased 10 percent to USD 744 million, and adjusted EPS rose 5 percent to USD 3.35. 

INDONESIA 08:27

Telkomsel launches IndiHome Gamer pack with Nuon

Indonesian operator Telkomsel, through its IndiHome brand, has introduced an updated version of its IndiHome Gamer service, specifically engineered to meet the technical demands of Indonesia's growing gaming community. Developed in partnership with gaming publisher Nuon Digital Indonesia, the new packages offers connectivity and in-game content.

Just In

10:00

Spain's MasOrange launches Starlink direct-to-cell trial

09:53

U Mobile welcomes first 8 ecosystem partners for Enterprise Innovation Platform

09:52

Freedom and Solcon named best internet providers in Q4 consumer survey

09:46

UK govt selects Barnsley as first AI Tech Town

Commentary

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

8 DEC 2025 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

Background

2 FEB 00:45

The week in telecoms: Verizon sparks fears of US price war, Apple beats Samsung in Q4, Telekom ramps up fibre marketing

26 JAN 00:31

The week in telecoms: Netflix and Ericsson all about cash, EU sketches out rip-and-replace and copper transition plans

22 JAN 14:28

Netflix can spend more on content and still improve its margin

19 JAN 00:42

The week in telecom: Apple holds on to smartphone crown, Ericsson slims down and CommScope changes name