The week in telecom: Lenovo and Cisco profit from AI-driven demand in Q2, Google updates Pixels and reaches 1 bln Gemini users
GLOBAL 16 AUG

The week in telecom: Lenovo and Cisco profit from AI-driven demand in Q2, Google updates Pixels and reaches 1 bln Gemini users

Lenovo and Cisco in the AI winners columns this week after stellar financial results on server and networking demand. In Asia, Singtel and China Mobile still working on building up the new revenue streams from AI and cloud computing, while Sony invests for the long term despite the smartphone market slowdown. Google had little new to offer in its latest Pixel hardware but reached the milestone of 1 billion Gemini app users.

The week in telecom: Starlink's mobile ambitions and LEO challengers, plus Hollywood studios try streaming shorts and sports
GLOBAL 9 AUG

The week in telecom: Starlink's mobile ambitions and LEO challengers, plus Hollywood studios try streaming shorts and sports

Starlink finally revealed its hand on launching its own mobile network, in SpaceX's first quarterly report. The Hollywood studios are making slow progress on their streaming strategies, including a key milestone in Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros, while Asian telcos are betting heavily on data centres to drive their future growth. 

The week in telecom: Telcos resist economic slowdown in Q2 while big tech gears up for more AI investment
GLOBAL 2 AUG

The week in telecom: Telcos resist economic slowdown in Q2 while big tech gears up for more AI investment

It's going well for 'big tech', at least based on the latest Q2 results, and telecom operators are not doing too badly either, with stronger outlooks from Vodafone, Telefonica and Orange. There is more new money for AI infrastructure in Europe and Korea, and satellite operators SES and Eutelsat also got a big boost in funding to help in the battle against Starlink and Amazon.

The week in telecom: Samsung works on foldable challenge, US telcos try FMC
GLOBAL 26 JUL

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

Samsung took the spotlight last week with its new range of foldable smartphones and smartwatches. It's also eying an alliance with European AI hopeful Mistral, as hardware makers square seek an edge in the increasingly competitive new market. Google was fined again by the EU but with growth accelerating in the AI market, the company will feel a little pain.

The week in telecom: OnePlus exits tough smartphone market and Apple takes on OpenAI
GLOBAL 19 JUL

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

Google, OnePlus and much of the rest of the smartphone market are this week's losers, while Apple keeps coming out on top. The EU told Google to hand over Android and search data to rivals, while Oppo is giving up on the OnePlus brand. Apple's sales keep growing though, and the company is confident enough to sue OpenAI for allegedly stealing its trade secrets. 

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

The week in telecom: Comcast gives up on vertical integration, BT and Verizon agree global alliance
GLOBAL 5 JUL

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

Does vertical integration work for the TMT sector? Rocket Lab seems to think so for the satellite industry and announced a deal to buy Iridium last week, but Comcast is giving up on the idea in the media market and announced plans to split into two companies. BT and Verizon think they will be stronger together on the international market, and the UK is the first to challenge the Paramount-Warner merger.

TP:Talks - Billogram cuts customer service billing tickets by 40 percent with automated invoicing
EUROPE 3 JUL

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

The Swedish fintech Billogram helps telecom operators cut billing-related customer support calls by automating the invoice-to-cash process, with results of up to 40 percent fewer support tickets at some clients. In this TP:Talks episode Ed Achterberg speaks with Jonas Suijkerbuijk, CEO and founder of Billogram, about recurring payments, open banking and why the invoice is one of the most underused touchpoints in the customer journey. Billogram, founded in 2011 in Sweden, has grown into a pan-European paymen

The week in telecoms: Apple raises prices, Qualcomm tries server market and Jio going public
GLOBAL 28 JUN

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

Xboxes and iPads are getting more expensive as the memory crunch deepens, and Micron's result show the higher prices are unlikely to relent soon. Qualcomm is looking to expand into the server market with its new Dragonfly chip range, and Onsemi is swallowing Synaptics to expand in edge AI. Jio has kicked off a major telco IPO, and Meta is also in India in search of a new WhatsApp CEO.

The week in telecom: sovereignty debate comes to VivaTech, Ericsson succession and Fox buys Roku
GLOBAL 21 JUN

The week in telecom: sovereignty debate comes to VivaTech, Ericsson succession and Fox buys Roku

The VivaTech summit highlighted progress in European digital sovereignty last week, after the US capped foreign use of some of Anthropic's leading models. Ericsson secured its CEO transition, and Fox is acquiring Roku to boost its streaming efforts. 

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors
GLOBAL 1 JUN

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

The tech sovereignty bandwagon is gathering followers, with KPN, Telefonica and Tele2 among the telcos announcing new services aimed at reducing reliance on non-EU providers. The EU is also trying to reserve spectrum for local companies, and the Netherlands has blocked a key takeover by a US tech company. 

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O
GLOBAL 23 MEI

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O

IPOs are back and the optical market is booming, with last week feeling a bit like we're back in the dot-com era. SpaceX confirmed it's going public, and Dell'Oro reported optical transport sales have not been this high since 2000. Meanwhile, the Singapore-Australia telecom nexus is undergoing some twists, with the M1 takeover off the cards but Optus possibly up for sale. Google's I/O was all things AI, and Chinese telcos are turning AI tokens into billing units.

GLOBAL 18 MEI

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

Some big moves in the US mobile market last week, as SpaceX secured the FCC's approval for acquiring a large chuck of mobile spectrum, and the three mobile operators agreed a rural coverage alliance. Cisco meanwhile is the latest to report soaring results thanks to AI investment at the same time as cutting jobs, and Telenor and Nokia have each brought in new blood to revive their mobile businesses.

GLOBAL 11 MEI

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

Preparing telecom networks for the changing world of AI was a recurring theme last week, with global operators like Lumen and NTT working on a shift in their business to focus more on the networking needs of the future. Corning confirmed a big investment in optical capacity to support demanding clients like Nvidia, and the EU agreed to give everybody more time to prepare before its AI regulations kick in.

GLOBAL 3 MEI

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

Belden is getting into the enterprise Wi-Fi market, while Nokia is pulling back on CPE sales. Surprising strength in the smartphone market in Q1, with higher sales at market leaders Samsung and Apple, while the rise in memory prices is putting pressure on everyone's margins. The hyperscalers can afford it after a round of strong Q1 results from Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Google. 

UNITED KINGDOM 27 APR

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

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) is undertaking a major upgrade and expansion of its network in the UK to fibre. Nexfibre, a joint venture set up with investor InfraVia, plays a big role in this. However, the company has moved from a strategy initially based on building its own fibre network to acquiring other networks instead. The latest deal is Netomnia, currently under review by regulators, and more consolidation is likely. VMO2 is strengthening its market position, although this is diluted somewhat by the sale of

GLOBAL 26 APR

The week in telecoms: sovereign hopes take hold in Europe and Apple confirms new CEO

This week an even bigger takeover, as Deutsche Telekom contemplates a full merger with T-Mobile US. At the same time Europeans are pushing ahead with "sovereign" ICT plans, with BT entering the fray and Lidl's IT arm taking centre stage. Google will not be left out and held its cloud conference last week, while Meta and Microsoft are cutting jobs to pay for their AI ambitions, and Apple has a new CEO. 

GLOBAL 19 APR

The week in telecoms: SFR takover moves ahead, Amazon bags Globalstar and Netgear in favour in US

France's top operators appear to have sewn up a three-way takeover of struggling rival SFR, and Amazon has taken a big step in the satellite market with the acquisition of Globalstar. Netgear received an exemption to the US ban on foreign-produced routers, while Ericsson's Q1 results show the impact of the uncertainty over trade tariffs in the US and rising component costs. 

GLOBAL 12 APR

The week in telecoms: Samsung profits soar, Netflix targets kids and telcos build defence vertical

Samsung kicked off the Q1 reporting season with preliminary results showing a huge surge in profits on the demand for memory chips. Netflix is looking to lock-in subscribers early with a new kids app, and Telefonica has nearly completed its exit from Latin America. Korea is overhauling its telecom market to restore consumer trust after multiple data scandals, and telcos in Europe are entering the defence sector as an important new enterprise vertical. 

BENELUX 9 APR

Ziggo Group creation at 2026 low point sets stage for growth ahead

The transformation of Dutch operator VodafoneZiggo continues with the planned creation of the Ziggo Group in the second half of this year. This will see the company combined with Telenet, the operator active in Belgium and Luxembourg. In 2027 the Ziggo Group will be spin off to shareholders of Liberty Global, as a kind of dividend, and get its own stock market listing. While there is significant uncertainty still, the plan may lead to improved results, a condition key to a successful spin-off. 

NETHERLANDS 7 APR

Netherlands TV-video market revenues up just 0.5% in Q4

Revenue growth in the TV and video services market in the Netherlands slowed to 0.5 percent in the last quarter of 2025, due to a combination of weak pay-TV numbers and a maturing streaming segment. This is the lowest growth in many years, according to Telecompaper's research. Traditional TV (-1.5%), and especially the basic TV plans (-4.6%), did not perform well, and this was also evident at cable operator Ziggo (-4.4%). SVOD (+9.0%) continues to grow, with revenues supported by price increases and a stead

GLOBAL 5 APR

The week in telecoms: Free goes all-in on roaming, AT&T tries FMC innovation and Starlink gets bigger

Mobile operators are fighting back against the rise of eSim roaming providers, with new offers from Free and Vodafone last week for cheap roaming outside the EU. Setbacks meanwhile for Telenor and Movistar in their consolidation strategies, with regulators ready to block key acquisitions. AT&T presented its new take on FMC pricing, and Meta is looking to expand the appeal of smart glasses with lenses and AI features. Starlink meanwhile is extending its lead on the emerging direct-to-cell satellite market.

GLOBAL 29 MRT

The week in telecoms: Italy brings back PTT, US bans foreign routers and social media on trial

Europe is turning back to the PTT model with a takeover bid from Poste Italiane for Telecom Italia. The US meanwhile has put a ban on foreign-produced routers in the name of national security and seen the first court verdicts over the dangerous effects of social media. In the smartphone market, Apple is getting more interested in the enterprise market, Xiaomi is struggling to grow, and Arm has turned to making its own chips.

GLOBAL 23 MRT

The week in telecoms: OFC and Nvidia events drive data centre networking talk, Orange debuts full French office stack

The OFC and Nvidia's annual conference put the focus last week on the latest advances in data centre networking, with Comcast, Cisco and others also showing off new systems for AI edge and RAN integration. Orange Business also had its own product event with new offers in AI and sovereign services, and Bell and Telia are getting further into the data centre market, too. 

Just In

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Ericsson and Hack for Earth partner on Gulf region sustainability challenge

13:51

NuRAN Wireless secures Nasdaq listing and USD 5 mln West Africa expansion contract

Commentary

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?

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

Background

16 AUG 23:57

The week in telecom: Lenovo and Cisco profit from AI-driven demand in Q2, Google updates Pixels and reaches 1 bln Gemini users

9 AUG 23:44

The week in telecom: Starlink's mobile ambitions and LEO challengers, plus Hollywood studios try streaming shorts and sports

2 AUG 23:37

The week in telecom: Telcos resist economic slowdown in Q2 while big tech gears up for more AI investment

26 JUL 23:19

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