Amazon updates TV UI, branding at CES presentation
GLOBAL 5 JAN

Amazon updates TV UI, branding at CES presentation

Amazon.com is continuing its refresh of the Fire video devices with a new Fire TV app, TV user interface and renewed TV range presented at CES in Las Vegas. The UI update features greater integration of its AI assistant Alexa+, which the company says should make it easier and quicker to find something to watch.

Matter alliance schedules inaugural Unify event to guide interoperable IoT dialogue
UNITED STATES 5 JAN

Matter alliance schedules inaugural Unify event to guide interoperable IoT dialogue

The Connectivity Standards Alliance will host a new event in Texas this June to spotlight the current impact and future innovation frontiers for its interoperable IoT networking initiatives. Unify is scheduled for 16 to 18 June in Austin, Texas. It marks the first public gathering organised by the alliance since it launched Matter, the interoperable smart home protocol for local device orchestration, in 2022.

Bakcell acts as partner of Media Literacy conference
AZERBAIJAN 5 JAN

Bakcell acts as partner of Media Literacy conference

Azerbaijan operator Bakcell acted as the innovation partner of the Media Literacy Conference. The event featured in-depth discussions on the role of media literacy in the modern era, the information ecosystem within the digital environment, and the impact of artificial intelligence on this field. The conference was recognised as an important platform for strengthening professional dialogue in the field of media literacy and exploring opportunities for sustainable cooperation on the topic.

TechOne rolls out OptaScale platform for AI-driven business automation
NETHERLANDS 5 JAN

TechOne rolls out OptaScale platform for AI-driven business automation

Dutch IT services provider Techone announced the launch of OptaScale, a platform to help small and medium-sized businesses assess and automate their internal processes for greater efficiency. According to the company it provides a practical application of AI to help businesses move beyond the test phase and achieve real results with the new technology. 

Qualcomm plans expansion in robotics market with new Dragonwing processor
GLOBAL 5 JAN

Qualcomm plans expansion in robotics market with new Dragonwing processor

Qualcomm announced robotics as its next area of expansion. At CES in Las Vegas, the chipmaker is demonstrating a new Dragonwing processor for industrial robotics, developed through work with companies such as Figure, Kuka Robotics, Booster and VinMotion. The robotics architecture draws on Qualcomm Technologies' expertise in power efficiency and edge AI performance in smartphones and laptops, with the aim of making possible full-size humanoids for a variety of settings. 

KPN to keep price hikes in line with inflation in 2026
NETHERLANDS 5 JAN

KPN to keep price hikes in line with inflation in 2026

Dutch operator KPN has pledged to not raise prices in 2026 more than the national inflation rate. While annual price hikes will go ahead in July for fixed services and October for mobile as usual, KPN said the increase would not be greater than the increase in CPI, as reported by the national statistics office CBS. The announcement is designed to make sure new and existing customers know what to expect in their contract. 

DirecTV Business rolls out streaming TV option
UNITED STATES 5 JAN

DirecTV Business rolls out streaming TV option

DirecTV for Business announced the US nationwide launch of streaming-based TV subscriptions for small enterprises. The platform provides access to the DirecTV line-up of live and on-demand entertainment content in addition to over 140 FAST (free ad-supported television) channels. This is expected to appeal to urban businesses facing landlord restraints barring satellite dishes or line-of-sight issues encountered in high-rise buildings. Content includes local broadcast station groups, major movie studios, ne

RTL+ surpasses 7 mln paying subscribers
GERMANY 5 JAN

RTL+ surpasses 7 mln paying subscribers

RTL+, the streaming service of German private broadcaster RTL, has surpassed 7 million paying subscribers at the turn of the year. RTL said it has one of the fastest growing streaming services on the German market. Last year, RTL+ attracted an average of more than 10 million monthly users, recording a cumulative net reach of 10.24 million people per month.

Verizon gives away tickets to Super Bowl, World Cup
UNITED STATES 5 JAN

Verizon gives away tickets to Super Bowl, World Cup

Verizon is giving away tickets to the NFL Super Bowl and the Fifa World Cup. As part of its sponsorship of the soccer tournament later this year, Verizon is giving away tickets in a draw over the My Verizon app. This third ticket give-away, promoted in a campaign with former England player David Beckham, will run daily at 15.00 hours 07-11 January for members of the Verizon Access loyalty programme, with tickets awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Sequans clinches LTE Cat 1bis contract with IoT connectivity device vendor MultiTech
GLOBAL 5 JAN

Sequans clinches LTE Cat 1bis contract with IoT connectivity device vendor MultiTech

Sequans announced a strategic supplier partnership with MultiTech, provider of IoT connectivity devices including modems, routers, gateways and sensors. Under the agreement, Sequans will initially supply its LTE Cat 1bis silicon platform Calliope 2 to empower MultiTech's upcoming embedded cellular modem products. 

Telus starts share buyback, management buy stock
CANADA 5 JAN

Telus starts share buyback, management buy stock

Canadian operator Telus announced that members of its top management team bought over 357,000 of the company's shares in the last two months. The company also acquired nearly 2.3 million shares on the open market at an average price of CAD 17.39, as part of its new share buyback. Those shares will be cancelled. 

O2 Slovakia adds 2 new TV channels
SLOVAKIA 5 JAN

O2 Slovakia adds 2 new TV channels

O2 Slovakia has added two TV channels to its pay-TV lineup: the film channel Kviff.tv, available for all subscribers, and the health channel TV Doktor, which is added to upper packages. TV from O2 starts at EUR 7 monthly for around 20 channels.

FINLAND 5 JAN

Finnish police continue investigating Elisa cable damage

Finnish police say they are continuing to investigate damage to Elisa's telecommunication cable that occurred in the Gulf of Finland on 31 December and will provide an update as soon as there is any significant new information. It was announced last week that the Fitburg, a cargo ship, was suspected of responsibility for the damage.

CZECH REPUBLIC 5 JAN

Fayn takes over Telly's fixed telephony and VoIP services

Czech operator Fayn said it has taken over the fixed telephony and VoIP services of Telly, with no change to the conditions of service. Fayn claims that thanks to its specialisation in telecommunications, it will be able gradually to improve Telly's existing services without any increase in the price for customers. 

MEXICO 5 JAN

Mexico to free up 600 MHz band for 5G

Mexico's new Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) has announced plans to include the 600 MHz band (614-698 MHz) in its Annual Programme for the Use and Exploitation of Frequency Bands (PABF) for the year 2026. In a statement, it said the band freed up following the reorganisation of digital terrestrial television (DTT) spectrum is ideal for the deployment of 5G services in the country due to its propagation and coverage characteristics.

UNITED STATES 5 JAN

Comcast completes spin-off of Versant cable channels business

Comcast has completed the spin-off of part of its TV business in the new company Versant Media Group. Comcast shareholders received shares in Versant pro rata for their holdings in Comcast, and the new company's stock started trading on the Nasdaq market 05 January. 

SLOVAKIA 5 JAN

Digi Slovakia runs broadband and pay-TV promotion for new customers, discontinues MTV channels

Digi Slovakia is offering new customers access to its fixed broadband and IPTV services at promotional rates starting from EUR 1 monthly for the first three months. The offer is valid for new subscribers to its TV M bundle providing more than 70 television channels, or to its TV L package with more than 100 channels, as well as to its Internet S bundle (up to 50 Mbps) or Internet M bundle (up to 400 Mbps). Standard rates will apply later.

GLOBAL 5 JAN

GSMA names former Turk Telecom, Totogi executive as chief strategy officer

The GSMA announced that Hakan Dursun has been appointed as its new chief strategy officer and joins the leadership team. Dursun brings more than 20 years of telecoms, technology and management expertise, including over eight years with Turk Telekom from 2011 until 2019, latterly serving as the Turkish operator's chief marketing officer in the consumer segment. Dursun had previously held senior leadership positions at BT.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 5 JAN

MTS launches DDoS protection service for operators and owners of autonomous systems

Russian operator MTS has launched a service offering protection from DDoS attacks aimed at operators and organisations owning autonomous systems. The service is expected to reduce operating expenses for network security. It is based on a domestic product included in the register of local software run by the Ministry of Digitisation.

KYRGYZSTAN 5 JAN

Kyrgyztelecom expands fixed networks in Jalal-Abad, Batken regions in 2025

Kyrgyz national operator Kyrgyztelecom said it deployed around 800 kilometres of fibre-optic lines in the Jalal-Abad region in 2025, thereby significantly boosting the coverage of its fixed internet and TV services. It said 344 public entities connected to its broadband services during the year. The operator also deployed more than 3,000 kilometres of fibre-optic lines in the Batken region in 2025.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 5 JAN

Beeline Russia reports 22% higher demand for PBX services among SMEs in 2025

Russian operator Beeline said that the number of new connections to its PBX services by SMEs grew by 22 percent year-on-year in 2025. The demand for integration with CRM systems increased by 17 percent.

GLOBAL 5 JAN

Wereldwijde consumententechmarkt in 2026 naar verwachting vlak door afkoeling in China

De wereldwijde markt voor consumententechnologie en duurzame goederen blijft in 2026 vrijwel vlak, met een omzetdaling van 0,4 procent tot circa USD 1,3 biljoen, tegenover 3 procent groei in 2025. Dat blijkt uit cijfers van NielsenIQ, gepresenteerd door de Consumer Technology Association (CTA). In de meeste regio's is beperkte groei te zien, maar China vormt een uitzondering na sterke stimulering vorig jaar.

GLOBAL 5 JAN

Zyxel Networks introduces GS1200v3 managed switches

Zyxel Networks has introduced a refreshed portfolio of five and eight-port gigabit Ethernet switches with web-managed functionality. The new GS1200v3 series is intended to meet growing connectivity needs among power users, home offices and small businesses. Five product iterations are available and one of these, the 10v3 model, provides two dedicated fibre SFP+ uplink ports. All of the devices offer gigabit-capable Ethernet downlink for 1 Gbps connectivity towards end devices ranging from PCs, to network at

LATVIA 5 JAN

Arelion suffers damage to Baltic Sea cable between Latvia and Lithuania

A sub-sea fibre-optic cable belonging to Arelion and connecting the city of Liepaja in Latvia with the coastal resort of Palanga in Lithuania was damaged at the beginning of January, news agency Elta reports. The cable is an important part of the countries' critical infrastructure, providing Latvia and Lithuania with internet connectivity with Scandinavian countries. Telia uses the cable for its services but said customers were unaffected by the break after the operator re-routed traffic.

Just In

5 JAN 16:19

Amazon updates TV UI, branding at CES presentation

5 JAN 15:55

Matter alliance schedules inaugural Unify event to guide interoperable IoT dialogue

5 JAN 15:52

Bakcell acts as partner of Media Literacy conference

5 JAN 15:51

TechOne rolls out OptaScale platform for AI-driven business automation

Commentary

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

31 OKT 2025 11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

Background

5 JAN 00:52

The week in telecom: Finnish security check, M&A completions and telco job cuts

23 DEC 2025 10:32

Netherlands TV-video market grows 2.6% in Q3 to EUR 759 mln

22 DEC 2025 00:25

The week in telecoms: YouTube, Instagram take on TV market and WBD rejects Paramount

15 DEC 2025 01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation