A1 signs wholesale fibre-optic agreement with Illwerke vkw in Vorarlberg
AUSTRIA 13:00

A1 signs wholesale fibre-optic agreement with Illwerke vkw in Vorarlberg

Austrian operator A1 has signed a wholesale agreement with fibre-optic network provider Illwerke vkw. With immediate effect, A1 will market its services on Illwerke vkw's fibre network in the state of Vorarlberg. The services are already up and running in the municipality of Schwarzenberg (Bregenzerwald) and will become available in 22 other municipalities in the state. Under the agreement, A1 will also offer Xplore TV, featuring a wide selection of channels, replay functions and  recording options.

Swissto12 closes EUR 61 mln Series C round to scale up manufacturing of satellite products
SWITZERLAND 12:47

Swissto12 closes EUR 61 mln Series C round to scale up manufacturing of satellite products

Swissto12, a manufacturer of advanced radio frequency products, satellite payloads and systems, has closed a EUR 61 million Series C round. It will use the proceeds to scale up manufacturing and integration capacity to meet demand from businesses and governments for HummingLink, a satellite communications terminal for GEO connectivity products, and HummingSat, Swissto12's GEO satellite product line. So far, the company has secured seven contracts for its HummingSat geostationary (GEO) small satellite with s

UK alternative operators grow to over 11% of home broadband market
UNITED KINGDOM 12:45

UK alternative operators grow to over 11% of home broadband market

Alternative operators have accumulated over one in ten home broadband connections in the UK, research by Opensignal claims. It estimates they had a 11.4 percent share of the market in Q2 2026, after adding 4.4 percent points of share in 18 months. This excludes connections from the incumbent ISPs BT (including EE and Plusnet), Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Virgin Media.

Viasat and BMW trial NTN voice call in vehicle infotainment system
GLOBAL 12:43

Viasat and BMW trial NTN voice call in vehicle infotainment system

Viasat said it has successfully completed a first voice call demonstration powered by its satellite-to-automotive technology in a vehicle infotainment platform supplied by 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) partner BMW Group. The trial was supported by Viasat's engineering team in Munich, Germany. An AI voice codec for the call was supplied by 5GAA academic research affiliate Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS), while Qualcomm provided its second-generation Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF silicon p

Ielo announces first PoP in Italy, joins local Internet Exchange Point
ITALY 12:34

Ielo announces first PoP in Italy, joins local Internet Exchange Point

French infrastructure operator Ielo has announced that its clients can now take advantage of more direct routes to Italy following the launch of its first point of presence (PoP) in this market. Located in Milan, the PoP relies on activated capacity links between Italy's second-largest metropolitan area and the French cities of Lyon and Nice. As part of this expansion of remote peering services, Ielo has become a peering partner of Mix, an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) headquartered at the Caldera campus in

US NTIA opens bidding for fourth, AI-themed Innovation Fund opportunity
UNITED STATES 12:33

US NTIA opens bidding for fourth, AI-themed Innovation Fund opportunity

The US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has allocated a further USD 53 million for cellular RAN development projects under the federal Wireless Innovation Fund. The fourth notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is the first to be issued since the NTIA said it was exploring a revised mandate for the Innovation Fund to back US development of AI-RAN technology and other AI-native network architectures. The deadline for this AI-focused funding call will lapse on 09 September, with

Arcep gives Niger's mobile operators one month to fix network issues
NIGER 12:28

Arcep gives Niger's mobile operators one month to fix network issues

Niger watchdog the Authority for the Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services (ARCEP), has issued formal warnings to Zamani, Airtel, Moov Africa and Celtel for failing to meet service quality standards in the capital, Niamey, Ecofin reported. They have been given a one-month ultimatum to address the network shortcomings or face regulatory sanctions. Arcep announced the enforcement action in  government newspaper Le Sahel on 13 July.

Watchdog clears Poste Italiane to begin TIM takeover bid
ITALY 12:22

Watchdog clears Poste Italiane to begin TIM takeover bid

State-backed Poste Italiane confirmed that market watchdog Consob approved the offer document related to its voluntary public takeover bid of Telecom Italia (TIM). The regulator's green light means the offer acceptance period will run from 20 July to 11 September and will concern all ordinary TIM shares trading on Euronext Milan except those already held by Poste.

Claranet starts private equity vertical to target mid-market companies
UNITED KINGDOM 12:21

Claranet starts private equity vertical to target mid-market companies

Claranet UK is launching a dedicated service for private equity-backed companies. With the Claranet Portfolio Operator programme, the operator said it can deliver the cloud, cyber and managed connectivity services needed by mid-market companies with private equity backing. It's advantage is delivering according to a technology plan, meeting the economics and timelines demanded for portfolio investments with agility and speed.

NigComSat holds meeting with African Union of Broadcasting
AFRICA 12:17

NigComSat holds meeting with African Union of Broadcasting

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) managing director and CEO Jane Egerton-Idehen and her executive management have held a meeting with African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) director-general and CEO Gregoire Ndjaka. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase NigComSat's satellite infrastructure, technical expertise and products. The delegation presented achievements such as the successful launch of the Digital Switch Over (DSO), which is expanding access to high-quality digital television

BT deploys 5G network slice at Royal Welsh Show
UNITED KINGDOM 12:11

BT deploys 5G network slice at Royal Welsh Show

BT announced a deployment of 5G+ network slicing for the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society at the annual Royal Welsh Show to help power connected services at the agricultural fair. The dedicated 5G slice is used to help process payments and enable livestreaming, among other services, during the busy event. The protected slice of the mobile network ensures performance isn't impacted if the public network is congested.

Communications Authority of Kenya delivers computers to school
KENYA 12:03

Communications Authority of Kenya delivers computers to school

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has donated computers to St. Benedict Lugulu Secondary School in Western Kenya as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme to improve digital education. The scheme provides pupils with the essential technology and skills needed to participate in the country's growing digital economy. The donation aligns with national digital literacy goals.

UNITED KINGDOM 12:02

O2 brings 5G+ to Oxford

Virgin Media O2 announced it has switched on the O2 5G+ standalone network in Oxfordshire, including in the cities of Oxford, Bicester, Witney and Henley-on-Thames. The roll-out will benefit nearly 450,000 people across 495 towns and villages in the county, and is part of the group's wider GBP 700 million Mobile Transformation Plan. Altogether O2 covers more than 85 percent of the UK population with 5G+, which is available at no extra charge to customers with a compatible device. 

ITALY 12:02

Fastweb teams up with Starlink for Italy's first direct-to-cell trial

Italian operator Fastweb (Fastweb+Vodafone) has partnered with SpaceX's Starlink to test satellite-based mobile connectivity in remote areas via a direct-to-cell (D2C) pilot. The trial, described as the first of its kind in Italy, aims to extend coverage to areas where traditional networks are limited or unavailable.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA 11:56

Equatorial Guinea partners with Huawei to boost digital infrastructure

Equatorial Guinea's state-owned telecom operator Getesa has signed a six-month agreement with Huawei to modernise the country's national mobile and internet networks, Daba Finance reported. The government plans to repurpose a 2,000-kilometre fibre-optic network owned by state electricity company Segesa, currently used only to manage the power grid, to dramatically expand public broadband coverage. Authorities have proposed spinning off Segesa's fibre network into a dedicated commercial company, with Huawei

MALAWI 11:47

Macra holds consultation on data protection registration fee proposals

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), the country's designated Data Protection Authority (DPA), has hosted a stakeholder consultation at the Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre to discuss draft data protection regulations. It enabled stakeholders to review proposed registration fees and help shape a fair, effective regulatory framework. The DPA plans to introduce registration fees for data controllers and processors of "significant importance". They will be scaled based on an organisation's annu

ETHIOPIA 11:42

Safaricom Ethiopia partners hold right to buy back 2.8% stake

Safaricom has disclosed that its co-investors in Safaricom Ethiopia retain the right to buy back the 2.78 percent stake they lost following a recent equity investment, Business Daily reported. Through their investment vehicle called Vodafamily Ethiopia Holding, Safaricom and parent company Vodacom Group exclusively participated in a KES 21.3 billion cash call during the year ending March 2026. This lifted their combined stake in the Ethiopian unit from 57.41 percent to 60.19 percent.

ITALY 11:36

Italian inflation confirmed at 3.0% in June

Italy's main domestic inflation rate (NIC) dipped to 3.0 percent on an annual basis in June, compared with 3.2 percent in May, according to preliminary data from statistics agency Istat that confirmed the preliminary estimate. The slowdown following recent sharp rises reflected lower price hikes for unprocessed food and services related to recreation and transport, which offset higher energy prices.

GLOBAL 11:33

Cohere backs proposed 'dApp' interface for open RAN software plug-ins

Cohere Technologies has announced plans to package its Universal Spectrum Multiplier (USM) software as an Open RAN dApp through the tentatively announced E3 interface space. Cohere said E3 interfaces will allow tighter integrations between software plug-ins and radio access components, including the critical central and distributed units (CU/DUs). As such, E3-powered dApps are expected to push out the innovation frontier, particularly for AI-RAN use cases.

ZIMBABWE 11:31

Econet Zimbabwe invests USD 200mln to boost network capacity

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe says it is investing over USD 200 million to expand capacity, improve service quality and boost infrastructure resilience. The upgrade responds to higher mobile data demand driven by rising smartphone adoption, video streaming and digital services. Econet Group CEO Douglas Mboweni said the immediate priority is to scale network capacity while reinforcing infrastructure to enable more reliable and consistent connectivity.

DENMARK 11:03

3 Scandinavia adds 64,000 subscribers in Q2

3 Scandinavia expanded its customer base by 64,000 in the second quarter of 2026, according to Investor AB, which owns 40 percent of the business. 3 Denmark said it added 14,000 customers during Q2, defying intense competition, and reached 1.82 million altogether. Investor AB said 3 Sweden gained 49,000 customers and reached 2.96 million.

NORTH AMERICA 10:56

Cogeco books USD 1.6 bln writedown on US broadband business

Cogeco Communications has taken a USD 1.6 billion charge to write off the value of its US business, citing continued difficulties on the broadband market there. The impairment charge led to a net loss of CAD 1.4 billion for its shareholders in the company's fiscal third quarter to May. Revenues in the three months fell 4.7 percent year-on-year to CAD 697 million, and adjusted EBITDA was down 3.0 percent to CAD 352 million. Cogeco maintained its full-year guidance, reduced already in April, and said its Cana

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10:41

Rostelecom's Turbo Cloud offers PAYG AI service

Russian cloud services provider Turbo Cloud, a subsidiary of the national operator Rostelecom, has launched access to modern AI models under a pay-as-you-go model. The service Foundation Model Hub offers access to Large Language Models (LLM) for lower costs, making the AI services accessible also for SMEs for various business tasks. The platform is based on GPU infrastructure using Nvidia H200 chips connected over the InfiniBand network.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10:40

Megafon launches 'light' version of Private LTE network

Russian operator Megafon has launched a light version of its Private LTE service, reports Rbc.ru. The new solution enables SMEs to access private LTE networks with as little as one base station. This can be combined with a core network combined in a single unit and deployed quickly with lower costs. The new version supports integration of transport, sensors, cameras and industrial equipment, and can be scaled up to a higher version. Up to five square kilometres can be covered in this way, with capacity up t

Just In

13:00

A1 signs wholesale fibre-optic agreement with Illwerke vkw in Vorarlberg

12:47

Swissto12 closes EUR 61 mln Series C round to scale up manufacturing of satellite products

12:45

UK alternative operators grow to over 11% of home broadband market

12:43

Viasat and BMW trial NTN voice call in vehicle infotainment system

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 MEI 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

Background

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

3 JUL 07:46

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

28 JUN 23:51

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