Telia Finland sells 30% more watch phones in H1
FINLAND 10:43

Telia Finland sells 30% more watch phones in H1

Telia Finland said its sales of watch phones grew by 30 percent during the first half of 2026 compared with H1 2025, although it did not specify how many units it had sold. A few years ago, a child's first mobile device was typically a smartphone, but now almost half of first-year pupils wear a watch phone on their wrist, said Telia. More than a quarter of parents are more critical of their children's use of smartphones than they were a year ago.

T-Mobile US supports Hawaiian customers impacted by Hurricane Lala
UNITED STATES 10:42

T-Mobile US supports Hawaiian customers impacted by Hurricane Lala

T-Mobile US is working to restore connectivity for customers across Hawaii following Hurricane Lala. Crews are working to restore sites impacted by the storm, with portable generators deployed and more on the way. T-Satellite is also helping customers stay connected, with around 29,000 text messages sent via satellite since access to the service was extended ahead of the storm. The satellite service has also been used to deliver Wireless Emergency Alerts to compatible phones.

Telecom Plus sees strong partner, cross-selling growth at start of FY27
UNITED KINGDOM 10:29

Telecom Plus sees strong partner, cross-selling growth at start of FY27

Telecom Plus, trading as Utility Warehouse in the UK, has reported a strong start to its new five-year plan announced in late-June. In the first four months of FY27 (April-July 2026), annualised multi-service customer growth is just ahead of its 10 percent full-year target, and over 2.5-times higher than the 3.9 percent multi-service customer growth registered in FY26. 

Mila's wholesale optical wavelength price analysis receives clearance
ICELAND 10:28

Mila's wholesale optical wavelength price analysis receives clearance

Icelandic telecoms regulator Fjarskiptastofa said it has now cleared Mila's optical wavelength wholesale tariff, after the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) made no comments on the draft decision to approve Mila's cost analysis. However, the ESA encouraged the watchdog to update the analysis of the market for trunk segments of leased lines that it is currently working on. ESA also encouraged Fjarskiptastofa to use the methodology recommended in the WACC Notice for estimating the beta value of equity.

Egypt and Huawei explore partnership to digitally transform healthcare
EGYPT 10:13

Egypt and Huawei explore partnership to digitally transform healthcare

Egypt's ministry of health is talking to Huawei abount digital transformation of the national healthcare system through artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and integrated health data platforms. Health minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar met with Huawei representatives to evaluate the telecom company's latest products for the medical sector. Central to the discussions was Huawei's One Cloud model, a unified framework designed to replace fragmented digital systems with a single, integrated platform. The

Alloha Fibra achieves record EBITDA margin in Q2 depite revenue drop
BRAZIL 10:11

Alloha Fibra achieves record EBITDA margin in Q2 depite revenue drop

Brazilian regional fibre broadband operator Alloha Fibra ended the second quarter of 2026 with net revenue of BRL 396.4 million, down 10.6 percent year-on-year. The net loss reached BRL 9.7 million, a strong improvement from a loss of BRL 27.5 million in Q2 2025, despite BRL 139 million in financial expenses. EBITDA was 11.6 percent higher at BRL 215.7 million, while the EBITDA margin reached 54.4 percent, the highest recorded level in company history.

Telegram hit with new RUB 15 mln fine for online content violations in Russia
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10:09

Telegram hit with new RUB 15 mln fine for online content violations in Russia

The Moscow Taganka Court has found the Telegram messenger guilty of failing to remove content banned in the Russian Federation, Interfax reports. A RUB 14.6 million fine was imposed on the company. This is its second fine in a week for violating content rules, after an earlier penalty of RUB 3.8 million for the same offence.

Norlys says Sinal starts Triangle Region operations after Ewii network takeover
DENMARK 10:02

Norlys says Sinal starts Triangle Region operations after Ewii network takeover

Danish operator Norlys said its Sinal open access fibre operator has started offering its service to retail and corporate customers in Denmark's Triangle Region with effect from 17 August. The Triangle Region is formed by the towns of Billund, Fredericia, Haderslev, Middelfart, Vejen, Vejle and Kolding and Sinal took over the network covering 135,000 addresses there from Ewii in February. Sinal's fibre network enables speeds up to 6 Gbps.

Samsung becomes official partner of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
GLOBAL 09:33

Samsung becomes official partner of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Samsung has agreed an exclusive partnership with games developer Activision to become the official TV, monitor, Wi-Fi speaker and soundbar partner for 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4' first-person shooter (FPS) game. The brings the game together with Samsung's premium display and connected gaming technology. 

Turkcell revenue grows 2.5%, hits 40 million mobile subscribes milestone in Q2
TURKEY 09:32

Turkcell revenue grows 2.5%, hits 40 million mobile subscribes milestone in Q2

Turkcell saw its revenues increase by 2.5 percent year-on-year to TRY 71.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026. Turkcell Turkiye remained the largest contributor, with its revenues growing 1.6 percent year-on-year, boosted by corporate services. Techfin and other segments supported the Group's top-line growth, expanding 7 percent and 18.4 percent, respectively.

Telecel and Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana train momo agents
GHANA 09:31

Telecel and Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana train momo agents

Telecel Ghana has partnered with the Mobile Money Advocacy Group Ghana (MoMAG) to train mobile money agents in regulatory compliance, professionalism and operational excellence. The aim is to strengthen the agent network as a vital pillar of the national mobile money ecosystem. Telecel Ghana sales and distribution director Samuel Sarpong said the training provides agents with the necessary tools and knowledge to improve customer service standards.

MTN Rwanda and Development Bank of Rwanda discuss future growth
RWANDA 09:27

MTN Rwanda and Development Bank of Rwanda discuss future growth

MTN Rwanda chief executive officer Ali Monzer has met representatives of the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) to review their ongoing partnership and discuss future avenues for economic impact. The BRD is a key shareholder in MTN Rwanda.During the engagement, leadership from both organisations focused on aligning strategic goals to maximide value for the Rwandan public. Company officials stated that MTN Rwanda remains dedicated to deepening its relationship with BRD, with both parties actively seeking new o

UGANDA 09:20

Ugandan mobile phone subscription rise by 1.5 million in Q2

The number of active mobile subscriptions in Uganda climbed to 49 million at the end of June from 47.5 million three months earlier, according to the Uganda Communications Commission's (UCC) second-quarter report. Total registered mobile subscriptions reached 64.6 million. Active mobile internet subscriptions grew to 19.7 million from 17.9 million and the number of active smartphones edged up to 20.5 million. However, basic and feature phones continue to dominate the device base.

SOUTH AFRICA 09:12

United Telecoms launches direct WhatsApp integration for South Africa businesses

South African unified communications provider United Telecoms has connected its omnichannel contact centre platform to Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. This lets businesses manage WhatsApp messaging without using a third-party WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP). Companies that prefer to maintain their current BSP, such as 360dialog, can still choose to do so.

MOZAMBIQUE 09:12

Vodacom Mozambique posts 1.5% fall in annual revenues

Vodacom Mozambique reported that total turnover contracted by 1.5 percent to MZN 20.4 billion (EUR 277.5 million) for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2026. According to its annual report, service revenue expanded by 3.3 percent in local currency, ARPU climbed to MZN 129 per month, and total mobile subscribers reached11.6 million. Revenue from the mobile money platform M-Pesa rose 5.2 percent to MZN 4.3 billion, with its active user base reaching 6.4 million.

UNITED KINGDOM 09:10

Dazn to show Dagenham & Redbridge non-league football with KSI

Global sports streaming platform Dazn has announced a broadcast and distribution partnership with British influencer and musician KSI and Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club. The agreement will introduce non-league English football to millions of new fans worldwide, with KSI live streaming a number of the club's matches on YouTube during the 2026/27 season. 

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 09:09

Rostelecom to purchase local SIMs for RUB 116 million

Russian national operator Rostelecom plans to purchase 2.57 million SIMs produced in Russia for up to RUB 115.6 million, according to the information placed on the web portal of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The acquisition is planned in 2026 and 2027. This expected to support the Russian state-owned company Element developing the chip for SIMs.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 09:07

MTS loses CEO at ON Media

Russian operator MTS said that Sofia Mitrofanova has left as CEO of its media holding company ON Media, the former MTS Media, after two years in the position. Dmitriy Smirnov has been appointed the acting CEO. He is already CFO at ON Media since 2025 and before that was CFO of the B2B unit at the company Positive Technologies.

UKRAINE 09:02

Samsung starts sales of new foldable smartphones in Ukraine

Samsung Electronics Ukraine has started sales of the Galaxy Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and  Watch9 smartwatches in its Samsung Experience Store shops, on the online shop, as well as in shops of its partners. Customers buying the foldable smartphones are offered free access for six months to Google AI Pro, which includes 5 TB data storage. That represents a total savings of UAH 5,495.94. The watches also come with a 60-day trial of Strava and two months of iF

UNITED KINGDOM 09:02

Quickline, JCYEB support digital business start-up in Hull

Quickline Communications, UK rural broadband provider, has awarded a grant to a young entrepreneur in East Yorkshire through a digital inclusion and youth entrepreneurship partnership with John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank (JCYEB). Alex Sparkes, a computer science graduate from the University of Hull, has secured a grant of GBP 728.97 to support his Hull-based business Heuro Studios, which makes immersive digital experiences, websites and apps. 

NETHERLANDS 08:59

Dutch consumers less keen to make telecom savings

Almost half of Dutch consumers (47%) said they have no intention of reducing their spending on telecom services, despite the uncertain economic outlook. This is the highest percentage since Telecompaper started measuring the indicator in 2023 in its Consumer Insights panel, when the figure was just 42 percent. Around 1,600 consumers were asked in Q2 about their spending plans.

GHANA 08:55

MTN Ghana to build 80 sites in northern regions

MTN Ghana will construct 80 network sites in the country's five northern regions in 2026 as part of its USD 1.1 billion nationwide infrastructure investment, MyJoyOnline reported. There will be 38 in the Northern region, seventeen in Savannah, fourteen in Upper East, eleven in North East, and one in Upper West. Senior manager for base station subsystems Emmanuel Kwei Afutu announced the roll-out at the company's 30th anniversary celebrations and said that USD 380 million has been earmarked for network deplo

SENEGAL 08:35

Senegal drafts cyber law to protect essential services

Senegal is taking steps to reinforce the protection of its digital infrastructure following a series of cyber incidents that exposed vulnerabilities within public institutions, Wearetech reported. On 13 August, the ICT ministry presented a new bill on critical information infrastructure protection and digital security to the National Assembly. A joint parliamentary committee, comprising the Laws Committee and the Culture and Communication Committee, reviewed the proposed text.

UNITED STATES 08:34

US broadband coverage expands to nearly 100% with FWA, satellite, but ISP choice remains limited

Wireline broadband coverage, with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps, improved to 93.9 percent of the US population as of June 2025, up from 93.1 percent a year earlier, according to the FCC's latest report. When fixed-wireless service is added, the coverage improves to 96.9 percent, and when satellite is added, 99.7 percent of Americans can receive at least 100 Mbps internet service at home. 

Just In

10:43

Telia Finland sells 30% more watch phones in H1

10:42

T-Mobile US supports Hawaiian customers impacted by Hurricane Lala

10:29

Telecom Plus sees strong partner, cross-selling growth at start of FY27

10:28

Mila's wholesale optical wavelength price analysis receives clearance

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