E& PPF Telecom Group reports 14% revenue growth in H1
EASTERN EUROPE 06:51

E& PPF Telecom Group reports 14% revenue growth in H1

E& PPF Telecom Group posted revenues of EUR 1.292 billion for the first half of 2026, a 14.2 percent increase compared to EUR 1.131 billion in H1 2025. The telecom operator, which serves 12.1 million mobile subscribers and 1.3 million broadband customers across the CEE region, achieved a 14.1 percent year-on-year rise in EBITDAaL to EUR 582 million. The group said it brought its net leverage ratio down to 1.90x, falling back below its target 2.0x threshold.

Poste Italiane gains control of TIM after passing 66.6% of share capital
ITALY 06:45

Poste Italiane gains control of TIM after passing 66.6% of share capital

Subscriptions to Poste Italiane's public tender offer for 100 percent of Telecom Italia (TIM) climbed to 46.52 percent of the latter's share capital on the final day of the initial offering, meaning the state-backed group's total stake in the operator now stands at 66.63 percent, according to data cited by Poste.

Hughes secures contract to deliver LEO satellite connectivity for Brazil voting stations
BRAZIL 06:35

Hughes secures contract to deliver LEO satellite connectivity for Brazil voting stations

Hughes do Brasil announced a contract to supply over 1,000 autonomous connectivity kits, featuring satellite antennas, high-capacity batteries, and field gear, to support vote tabulation and field communications in remote, hard-to-reach areas. Electronic voting machines remain completely offline; election data is cryptographically signed at the source, encrypted during transit, and verified upon arrival, leaving core voting security untouched. Following rigorous TSE technical validation, the project transit

South Korea launches smart village council to expand digital services
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:30

South Korea launches smart village council to expand digital services

South Korea's ministry of science and ICT has launched a new council bringing together the country's provincial governments to coordinate the expansion of digital services under its Smart Village programme. The Smart Village programme, launched in 2019, uses digital technologies including AI and IoT to address local challenges and improve services for residents. Since 2023, the programme has been led by local governments, which develop services based on local conditions and resident needs. Applications have

Arcep seeks views on 3.5 GHz lower band allocation in French Guiana
FRENCH GUIANA 06:20

Arcep seeks views on 3.5 GHz lower band allocation in French Guiana

French telecom regulator Arcep has launched a second public consultation in French Guiana on the allocation of an additional 70 MHz of 3.5 GHz spectrum, within the 3,420-3,476 MHz frequency range. This block has recently become available after the licence for these frequencies, held by Guyacom, expired on 24 July.

Japan and Germany deepen cooperation on AI, Open RAN and 6G
GERMANY 06:20

Japan and Germany deepen cooperation on AI, Open RAN and 6G

Japan and Germany have agreed to deepen cooperation across information and communications technology following the ninth Japan-Germany ICT Policy Dialogue, held in Berlin. Officials from Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications (MIC) and Germany's federal ministry for digital and state modernisation, alongside other government ministries, discussed AI, 5G and Beyond 5G/6G, online protection of minors, wireless power transmission and data policy.

ATIS introduces authority for Stir/Shaken verifications geared to foreign providers
UNITED STATES 06:19

ATIS introduces authority for Stir/Shaken verifications geared to foreign providers

North America-focused ICT standards alliance ATIS said it has won accreditation for a new governance authority to support foreign voice service providers in validating IP phone calls that terminate in the US. The Cross Border Call Authentication Governance Authority (CBCA-GA) has been approved to leverage the Stir/Shaken authentication system overseen by an existing voice ID governance body, the Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority (STI-GA), that ATIS also co-manages. The CBCA-GA will act as a non

Claro Brasil gets antitrust nod for Desktop acquisition
BRAZIL 06:18

Claro Brasil gets antitrust nod for Desktop acquisition

Claro Brasil has received the green light for its acquisition of a 73 percent stake in Brazilian fixed broadband operator Desktop from Makalu Brasil Partners and founding/executive shareholders for BRL 4 billion, with a mandatory public offering to follow for the remaining minority shares. The approval becomes final 15 days post-publication absent appeal. Antitrust body Cade found low risk of market power abuse across overlapping fixed broadband markets in 198 Sao Paulo municipalities.

France's FTTP coverage rises to over 95% in Q2 as fibre net adds slow to 460,000
FRANCE 06:17

France's FTTP coverage rises to over 95% in Q2 as fibre net adds slow to 460,000

France closed the second quarter with an FTTP footprint of 43.06 million premises, up 3 percent year-on-year. Fibre coverage reached over 95 percent of premises, based on operators' deployment roadmaps, up from 93 percent in Q2 2025. Over 2 million premises are still waiting for FTTP connectivity, but an immediate roll-out is not possible for over a third of them, either because they are new buildings still under construction or because deployment is being hindered by external causes, such as refusals from

LG Uplus adds two-minute kiosk intake for used smartphones
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:43

LG Uplus adds two-minute kiosk intake for used smartphones

LG Uplus subsidiary Medialog has added a new service to its Sello used smartphone sales platform that allows customers to deposit a device at a kiosk without waiting for an on-site inspection. The new 'Kiosk Simple Intake' service allows customers to photograph the handset's IMEI, complete identity verification and place the device in the kiosk's storage compartment. The intake process takes around two minutes, after which customers can leave the store without completing any further procedures.

SKT expands 'visiting service' programme through local govt partnerships
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:41

SKT expands 'visiting service' programme through local govt partnerships

SK Telecom (SKT) has signed agreements with four local governments in South Korea's South Gyeongsang Province to expand its 'visiting service' programme, which provides on-site support for telecommunications services and digital literacy. The agreements with Sancheong, Hamyang, Geochang and Hapcheon counties will see the programme operated twice in each county, for a total of eight sessions. The activities will focus on preventing financial crimes such as voice phishing, improving smartphone skills and prov

NTT Docomo begins commercial multi-vendor Open RAN deployment with Nokia
JAPAN 05:40

NTT Docomo begins commercial multi-vendor Open RAN deployment with Nokia

NTT Docomo has begun commercial operation of Nokia's latest base station equipment in a multi-vendor configuration, connecting radio units from different vendors in a deployment compliant with O-RAN Alliance specifications. The operator is using Nokia's Levante baseband card for data processing and Ponente baseband card for control processing. NTT Docomo claimed the deployment is the first commercial operation of Nokia's latest base station equipment in a multi-vendor configuration.

AUSTRALIA 05:37

Australian govt flags network resilience measures after latest Optus outage

The Australian government has flagged further work to strengthen telecommunications network resilience after an Optus outage on 11 September affected voice services across parts of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The outage lasted just over an hour and affected Optus voice calling services, including some triple zero (000) calls, with customers experiencing intermittent call dropouts. 

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:35

Korean Air launches free Starlink Wi-Fi on select flights

Korean Air will begin offering free in-flight Wi-Fi powered by SpaceX's Starlink satellite network from 15 September, initially on four retrofitted wide-body aircraft. The rollout will cover three Airbus A350-900s and one Boeing 777-300ER, which will operate on medium- and long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as selected short-haul routes. The service will be available to passengers in all cabin classes.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:32

LG Uplus activates 24-hour voice phishing response ahead of Chuseok

LG Uplus has activated a 24-hour special response system ahead of the Chuseok holiday in South Korea to protect customers from voice phishing and smishing attacks. The operator said it would strengthen monitoring and blocking of malicious app control servers through its AI-based Secure.AI+ customer protection analysis system. It said the system is currently tracking control servers operated by voice phishing groups and claimed that it is the only South Korean telecom operator with this capability.

AUSTRALIA 05:30

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone launch iPhone 18 Pro offers

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have launched their Australian offers for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, with all three operators opening pre-orders on 12 September ahead of the devices going on sale on 18 September. The handsets start at AUD 2,099 for the 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro and AUD 2,299 for the 256 GB Pro Max.

GLOBAL 05:27

Fujitsu launches Monaka CPU for sovereign AI infrastructure

Fujitsu will begin global sales of its next-generation Fujitsu-Monaka CPU in November, alongside a Monaka Server designed for AI inference and sovereign AI infrastructure. The processor will be available separately to cloud and data centre operators and server vendors, while the server will initially be offered in Japan and Europe.

AUSTRALIA 05:25

Australia doubles maximum penalties under social media age law

The Australian parliament has passed amendments strengthening the eSafety Commissioner's powers to enforce the country's social media minimum age law, including doubling the maximum penalty for non-compliance to AUD 109.2 million. The changes give eSafety greater information-gathering powers, allowing it to demand information and documents from social media companies and third parties, including age assurance and app-store providers, when investigating compliance.

JAPAN 05:23

NTT Docomo Business trials autonomous bus services in Hokkaido

NTT Docomo Business, Otofuke Town and five other organisations will begin trials of autonomous buses and shared bicycles in Otofuke, Hokkaido, from 1 October, aiming to ease congestion around a popular roadside station and encourage visitors to travel around the area. The trial will use an autonomous bus operating at Level 2 between the Otofuke roadside station and the Otofuke Lifelong Learning Centre. The centre's car park will serve as an overflow parking area, allowing the partners to test a park-and-rid

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:21

Korean carriers offer discounts and AI services with iPhone 18 Pro launch

SK Telecom (SKT) , Korea Telecom (KT) and LG Uplus are competing for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max customers with handset discounts, trade-in incentives, subscription services and device-replacement programmes ahead of the 18 September Korean launch. Pre-orders opened at 9pm on 12 September. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at KRW 1.991 million, while the Pro Max starts at KRW 2.2 million.

SINGAPORE 05:18

StarHub launches new iPhone offers alongside 5G+ network

StarHub has announced a range of offers for the new iPhone alongside its enhanced 5G+ network in Singapore. Customers taking selected Unlimited+ plans can receive the new iPhone from SGD 0, with monthly DeviceDollars offsetting device instalments. The offers include 0 percent interest instalments, a SGD 200 trade-in bonus on top of the existing device trade-in value, and up to SGD 350 in additional savings for new lines and port-ins.

GREECE 03:34

OTE appoints Vitzilaios as chief commercial officer of business segment

OTE Group has appointed Yannis Vitzilaios as chief commercial officer for its business segment, effective 1 October. Reporting directly to chairman and CEO Kostas Nebis, Vitzilaios will oversee the group's business-to-business (B2B) operations, corporate strategy, digital services, AI offerings, and international ICT projects for commercial and public-sector clients.

PHILIPPINES 03:24

Smart launches Apple Watch lineup with Device Link add-on

Philippine operator Smart Communications has added the Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to its device lineup, available under Smart Postpaid Plans starting at Plan 999. Monthly device installment rates begin at PHP 692 for the Apple Watch SE 3; PHP 1,321 for the Apple Watch Series 11; and PHP 2,275 for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, supported by interest-free payment options through participating banking partners.

PHILIPPINES 03:12

Philippines unveils USD 34 billion Masterplan to expand AI infrastructure by 2033

The Philippine government has released the final draft of the Philippines AI+ Infrastructure Masterplan (PAIIM) 2026-2033, outlining a USD 34.4 billion strategy to develop the nation into a regional hub for AI infrastructure. The masterplan requires USD 13.5 billion in public funding and USD 21 billion from private investment. Key targets include expanding AI data center capacity 30-fold from 50 megawatts to 1.5 gigawatts by 2033, with an initial 400-megawatt phase completed by 2030 to power an estimated 15

Just In

06:51

E& PPF Telecom Group reports 14% revenue growth in H1

06:45

Poste Italiane gains control of TIM after passing 66.6% of share capital

06:35

Hughes secures contract to deliver LEO satellite connectivity for Brazil voting stations

06:30

South Korea launches smart village council to expand digital services

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Background

00:34

The week in telecom: iPhone comes to foldable market, European satellite summit underlines sovereign push

7 SEP 11:54

Citymesh capital injection eases doubts over Digi Belgium future

6 SEP 21:46

The week in telecom: smart wearables at Ifa, Deutsche Telekom reshuffle and Vodafone tries premium 5G

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