Fingrid to cut fibre backbone line to Russia in 2027
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 14:07

Fingrid to cut fibre backbone line to Russia in 2027

Finnish energy company Fingrid has informed Russian telecom operators that it will stop servicing electricity transmission towers connecting the two countries in 2027, reports Kommersant. Fibre-optic backbone lines connecting both countries are carried on the same poles. After the termination of supplies of Russian electricity to Finland in 2022, the operation of cross-border power supply lines became economically unviable for both Fingrid and Russian power supplier Rosseti. 

CityFibre looks to raise GBP 900 million for acquisitions - report
UNITED KINGDOM 14:02

CityFibre looks to raise GBP 900 million for acquisitions - report

CityFibre is looking to raise GBP 900 million (USD 1.2 billion) from shareholders to finance fresh acquisitions and challenge larger rivals such as BT Openreach, reports Bloomberg News citing an unnamed source familiar with the plans. Investors looking to provide fresh equity investment include Mubadala Investment, Antin Infrastructure Partners, Goldman Sachs Group and Interogo Holding, according to the report. This follows a GBP 2.3 billion financing round in July 2025. 

VMO2 shareholders considering options to reduce debt pile
UNITED KINGDOM 13:53

VMO2 shareholders considering options to reduce debt pile

The parent companies of Virgin Media O2, Liberty Global and Telefonica, are considering options to lower the UK telecoms group's GBP 22 billion debt burden, reports the Financial Times. According to unnamed sources familiar with the plans, options being considered include slashing the group's expected GBP 200 million dividend for 2026, cutting jobs and scaling back capital expenditure.

Azercell gets over 3,700 calls to Children's Hotline in H1, launches open-air library in Shusha
AZERBAIJAN 13:49

Azercell gets over 3,700 calls to Children's Hotline in H1, launches open-air library in Shusha

Azeri operator Azercell said that the Azerbaijan Children's Hotline, which runs with its support, received 3,751 calls in the first half of this year, marking a significant increase over the corresponding period of the previous year. Psychological support was the most common reason for contacting the hotline, accounting for 1,245 calls during the reporting period. The service also handled 819 cases involving violence, including domestic, psychological, physical, sexual, economic and social violence, as well

Honduras opens USD 24 mln tender in AWS band
HONDURAS 13:49

Honduras opens USD 24 mln tender in AWS band

Honduran telecommunications watchdog Conatel has announced the launch of a spectrum tender to expand 4G and 5G mobile services nationwide. The regulator published terms for auctioning three 20 MHz blocks in the 1.7 GHz AWS (1,700-2,100 MHz) band, a frequency range already widely allocated across Latin America for advanced mobile networks.

MTS starts service for businesses transitioning to hourly power metering
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 13:46

MTS starts service for businesses transitioning to hourly power metering

Russian operator MTS has announced the launch of a service based on MTS EnergyTool for interval power metering at small supply points. At these points, power consumption is determined based on an averaged graph instead of hourly readings, which creates inaccuracies. The new service, designed for participants in the wholesale power market, involves replacing current power meters with smart meters with a built-in communication module. Data collection, processing and template generation are performed in MTS' c

Orange Slovakia's 5G coverage reaches 92% of population
SLOVAKIA 13:34

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.

Manx Telecom raises fibre broadband speeds, confirms 3% price increase
ISLE OF MAN 13:32

Manx Telecom raises fibre broadband speeds, confirms 3% price increase

Isle of Man-based Manx Telecom has announced changes to its fibre broadband speeds from 01 September 2026; along with an annual inflationary price increase of 3 percent to all fixed, broadband, mobile and SIP tariffs. The Fibre 1000 plan will remain unchanged; with the Fiber 500 increasing by 40 percent to Fibre 700; the Fibre 200 increasing by 100 percent to Fibre 400; the Fibre 100 speed doubling to Fibre 200; and the Fibre 30 speed increasing by 233 percent to Fibre 100. The Fibre 40 and Fibre 20 plans a

Fastweb+Vodafone supports marine biodiversity events in Sicily and Sardinia
ITALY 13:31

Fastweb+Vodafone supports marine biodiversity events in Sicily and Sardinia

Italian operator Fastweb+Vodafone has renewed its partnership with marine conservation non-profit Worldrise to back the latter's Seaty project, which has set up a network of areas in Sardinia and Sicily aimed at protecting Mediterranean biodiversity. The areas treat protected coastal stretches as "marine cities" where conservation, scientific monitoring and community engagement run year-round. 

Quectel introduces high-end Wi-Fi 7 modules with built in Bluetooth, Zigbee support
GLOBAL 13:30

Quectel introduces high-end Wi-Fi 7 modules with built in Bluetooth, Zigbee support

Quectel has announced the launch of two new connectivity modules for tri-band Wi-Fi 7 applications. Product codes FCE870X and FME170X target high-end Wi-Fi clients such as TV set-top boxes, smart home hubs and gaming devices, but are engineered to function correctly in most Android and Linux-based OEM deployments. The modules are based on Synaptics' SYN4384 chipset.

Atos narrows FY revenue guidance downwards, posts smaller net loss in H1
GLOBAL 13:27

Atos narrows FY revenue guidance downwards, posts smaller net loss in H1

France-based ICT group Atos has further narrowed its full-year revenue guidance after previously abandoning the ambition to return to positive annual growth due to a "slightly softer" than expected first-quarter performance. Full-year revenue is now expected to decline by 5 percent organically, at the lower end of the revised guidance range issued in April (-1% to -5%). The group generated EUR 1.66 billion in revenue during the three months to June, representing an organic decline of 6.3 percent.

Magenta venture Alpen Glasfaser activates new lines in Carinthia as fibre expansion continues
AUSTRIA 13:24

Magenta venture Alpen Glasfaser activates new lines in Carinthia as fibre expansion continues

Magenta has presented the progress of its fibre deployment in the state of Carinthia through its Alpen Glasfaser joint venture with Meridiam. Lines recently began going live in Voelkermarkt and Spittal an der Drau. Many customers in the Reifnitz and Raunach areas of Maria Woerth in the district of Klagenfurt-Land have gained fibre connections, as well as those in Villach and Wolfsberg, Magenta said.

IRELAND 13:20

Eir mobile data traffic jumps 36% during GAA final

Eir registered a strong increase in mobile data traffic on its network during the GAA football final on Sunday 26 July, with data usage up 36 percent compared to an average day. The GAA All-Ireland Senior Football final was won by County Mayo - with data traffic across its four main mobile network sites in the county town of Castlebar increasing by around 49 percent on the night of the team's homecoming to 6.7TB, from 4.5TB the previous Sunday.

UNITED KINGDOM 13:06

VMO2 urges parents to monitor their smartphone use over summer

Virgin Media O2 is calling UK parents to assess their Digital Intentionality Score, helping them to better understand their digital habits and develop a healthier relationship with technology. New research from the company shows that almost half (43%) of parents of under-18s struggle to only use their smartphone intentionally; with the average unintended scrolling time set to reach 88 hours over the summer. Parents of under-18s spend on average more than 3 hours a day on their phones unintentionally. 

EUROPE 13:04

Titan OS launches nine Xite music channels in Netherlands, Germany and UK

Barcelona-based Titan OS has reached a content partnership with global music video platform Xite to launch nine free, curated music channels across the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. The channels are now live on Titan OS-powered TVs from Philips, JVC, Vestel and Sharp.

EUROPE 13:03

EU opens tender for EUR 10 bln in funding for AI gigafactories

The EU has finally opened the tender for public funding to build AI gigafactories. Following strong interest in the initial interest round last year, it has increased the number of sites that will receive funding to seven in total. Along with matching funds from member states, the EU aims to mobilise over EUR 10 billion in public funding to support the projects and create a leading computing infrastructure for the most advanced AI development. It expects this could mobilise another EUR 20 billion in private

MIDDLE EAST 12:48

E& Group revenue rises 9% in Q2

E& Group has reported an 8.7 percent year-on-year increase in revenue in the second quarter to June to AED 19.2 billion from AED 17.7 billion. Net profit for the quarter was largely steady at AED 3.1 billion, up 1.1 percent, while earnings per share rose slightly to AED 0.36 from AED 0.35. EBITDA surged 9.8 percent to AED 9.0 billion from AED 8.2 billion in Q2 2025.

GLOBAL 12:44

Silicom lifts FY guidance amid Q2 growth surge

Networking hardware vendor Silicom benefited from strong order activity in the second quarter, resulting in a group turnover of USD 23.8 million against USD 15 million one year earlier. Silicom has responded with a significant hike in its FY growth target, now projecting over 50 percent growth year-on-year based on a USD 93-95 million turnover, up from 33 percent growth and USD 82-83 million revenue previously. The firm is targeting a Q3 sales increase of up to 66 percent with revenues of USD 25-26 million.

ITALY 12:41

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.

GLOBAL 12:36

Google launches age check API for Play Store developers

Google is introducing an age-check API that helps Google Play Store app developers verify the age range of end users. Play Age Signals API is programmed to automatically retrieve age data supplied by the parent or guardian in Google's existing Family Link console, a parental control dashboard that supports supervised app usage.

GHANA 12:29

Clydestone Ghana sues MTN over mobile money patent dispute

Clydestone Ghana has begun High Court proceedings against MTN Ghana and Mobile Money Fintech, it has disclosed in a regulatory filing with the Ghana Stock Exchange on 29 July. Specific legal grounds were not detailed in the brief disclosure but Clydestone asserted its legacy in the Ghanaian financial technology sector, noting its 37-year history of building local payment infrastructure since 1989. According to ITWeb, the legal proceedings centre on a 2007 commercial engagement that the fintech firm alleges

GLOBAL 12:27

Samsung, Apple strengthen lead as global smartphone market contracts 6% in Q2

Omdia has downgraded its estimate for global smartphone shipments in the second quarter, putting the market drop at 6 percent year-on-year compared to an estimated 4 percent decline announced earlier this month. In total 272.0 million units were shipped in Q2 2026, according to the market researcher. Demand seen in Q1 in anticipation of memory price hikes has disappeared, and the impact of the higher chip costs is now flowing through the market. Samsung and Apple have done best at withstanding the market ef

SOUTH AFRICA 12:16

Altron HealthTech gets new MD in September

South African multi-platform IT services provider Altron has announced the appointment of Collin Govender as managing director of Altron HealthTech from 01 September. Govender succeeds Leslie Moodley, who announced his early retirement earlier this month. Govender currently serves as Altron's Group chief operating officer, overseeing strategy execution, human capital, ESG, enterprise IT and real estate across the group's operating model.

BELGIUM 12:14

Mobile Vikings offers EUR 5 monthly discount with Dazn subscription

Belgian provider Mobile Vikings has started an offer with Dazn, the sports streaming service. Customers who sign up for the Dazn Total plan at Vikings pay EUR 30 per month and receive a EUR 5 credit on their Mobile Vikings bill. This makes Dazn the same price as subscribing directly from the sports streamer.

Just In

14:07

Fingrid to cut fibre backbone line to Russia in 2027

14:02

CityFibre looks to raise GBP 900 million for acquisitions - report

13:53

VMO2 shareholders considering options to reduce debt pile

13:49

Azercell gets over 3,700 calls to Children's Hotline in H1, launches open-air library in Shusha

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 MAY 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MAY 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