MTC Maris sponsors 09 Music Festival 2026 in October
NAMIBIA 13:00

MTC Maris sponsors 09 Music Festival 2026 in October

MTC Maris has become the title sponsor of the 09 Music Festival 2026 and the event will become the 'MTC Maris 09 Music Festival'. The NAD 500,000 sponsorship underscores MTC Maris' ongoing commitment to supporting local platforms that celebrate Namibian music, youth culture and entrepreneurship. MTC Maris will serve as the exclusive digital payment partner of the event taking place on 02-03 October, enabling cashless ticketing and cashless payments for merchandise, food and beverages.

LSBUD signs MOU to work with underground asset register
UNITED KINGDOM 12:59

LSBUD signs MOU to work with underground asset register

A memorandum of understanding has been signed by LSBUD and the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to work together promoting safe digging practices in the UK. LBSUD is an advisory bureau helping companies identify potential risks in excavation work and conduct safe operations. It will support the new National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) operated by DSIT, which started operations earlier this year as an official register of underground ducts and cables in England and Wales. 

Guinea orders Orange to improve network quality and broaden coverage
GUINEA 12:55

Guinea orders Orange to improve network quality and broaden coverage

Cmmunications minister Mourana Soumah has called on Orange Guinea to upgrade its service quality, reduce internet pricing and expand national network coverage, Ecofin reported. Soumah delivered the directive during a visit to the operator's headquarters, where he met CEO Ousmane Boly Traore. Soumah said these network priorities are vital to supporting the country's Simandou 2040 programme. He reiterated the government's commitment to expanding digital infrastructure by rolling out the national fiber backbon

O2 UK offers free roaming in US for rest of World Cup
UNITED KINGDOM 12:50

O2 UK offers free roaming in US for rest of World Cup

O2 UK is offering free roaming in the US for postpaid subscribers until 20 July, to celebrate the England national football team continuing in the World Cup. Customers on a pay monthly Classic Plan need to log into their MyO2 account and activate the O2 Travel Bolt On (GBP 7 per day) or buy a data bolt-on (1, 3 or 5 GB) and O2 will automatically credit back the cost of the bundle from 06-20 July.

Telefonica Germany plans to cut around 1,400 jobs in business restructuring - report
GERMANY 12:47

Telefonica Germany plans to cut around 1,400 jobs in business restructuring - report

Telefonica Germany plans to cut around 1,400 jobs as part of a business restructuring, Teltarif.de reports, citing employee sources. The trade union Ver.di has warned of drastic cuts lacking a discernible overall plan. Precise, final figures for the job cuts have not yet been fully disclosed. Ver.di estimates that Telefonica will achieve EUR 100 million savings through cost-cutting measures in Germany, according to the report.

DriveNets partners WhiteFiber to deploy logical AI supercluster powered by long-distance data link
UNITED STATES 12:40

DriveNets partners WhiteFiber to deploy logical AI supercluster powered by long-distance data link

DriveNets said it has launched the first commercial AI supercluster powered by scale-across data centre nodes in locations separated by considerable distance. DriveNets' client WhiteFiber, an AI infrastructure provider active in North America, was responsible for commissioning the development. Typically, GPU-driven AI superclusters are situated in a single footprint as using a remote link offers less bandwidth between each node than internally, resulting in congestion bottlenecks.

Micron Technology bulks up on US fabrication spend to cope with AI demand
UNITED STATES 12:37

Micron Technology bulks up on US fabrication spend to cope with AI demand

Micron Technology now expects its expenditure on US chip fabrication initiatives to top USD 250 billion through 2035 as it strives to meet AI-driven demand for its memory chips. Micron anticipates that the increase in investments will support its long-term goal of producing 40 percent of its DRAM chips in the US while creating direct and indirect jobs.

Swiss nonprofit proposes decentralised compute grid powered by unused smartphones
SWITZERLAND 12:34

Swiss nonprofit proposes decentralised compute grid powered by unused smartphones

A Swiss nonprofit alliance is publicising its efforts to build a "serverless" data infrastructure formed of more than 260,000 unused smartphones, connected as part of a massive decentralised compute network. Founded in 2022, Switzerland's Acurast Association believes its technology model is a climate-friendly alternative to building colossal server farms, instead leveraging a pocket-sized cloud to meet demand for distributed computing. At present, it is leveraging this decentralised infrastructure to simula

Traficom seeks comments on new frequencies for local wireless broadband networks and other radio regulations
FINLAND 12:12

Traficom seeks comments on new frequencies for local wireless broadband networks and other radio regulations

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom is seeking comments by 30 August on proposals to amendment Radio Regulation 4 (M4) on radio frequencies and Regulation 15 on radio installations exempt from licensing requirements. The M4 update proposes using the 4050-4200 MHz frequency band for local wireless broadband networks and Traficom is preparing radio licence conditions related to the use of the band.

Italy industrial output falls 0.3% in May
ITALY 11:43

Italy industrial output falls 0.3% in May

Italy's industrial production declined 0.3 percent in May compared to the previous month, the first fall since January, according to the latest data from national statistics agency Istat. The largest declines were seen in the textile, clothing, leather and accessories industries (-6.6%) and in other manufacturing industries, repair and installation of machinery and equipment (-3.8%).

Ofcom publishes proposals to tackle scam adverts and improve user-to-user platform safety
UNITED KINGDOM 11:29

Ofcom publishes proposals to tackle scam adverts and improve user-to-user platform safety

UK communications regulator Ofcom is seeking feedback by 02 October on proposals to force major technology companies to tackle paid-for scam advertisements. Enforcement action will include fines of up to GBP 18 million or 10 percent of global revenue, whichever is greater. Ofcom has also published draft rules under the Online Safety Act to make 'Category 1 services' such as social networks Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat more accountable and give users more control over their online usage.

Zoom brings out standalone virtual receptionist based on AI
GLOBAL 10:44

Zoom brings out standalone virtual receptionist based on AI

Zoom Communications has announced the launch of Zoom Virtual Agent (ZVA) Receptionist on a standalone basis, letting companies add an AI-powered front desk to their existing phone system without requiring Zoom Phone. A free trial programme is open to current and new customers. Regular prices start at USD 29.99 per month/100 minutes, or USD 24.99 monthly under annual billing.

EUROPE 10:38

EU tells Meta to end addictive Instagram, Facebook features

Meta needs to end addictive features on Instagram and Facebook or face potential fines and sanctions from the European Union. The EU's executive body, the European Commission found that the addictive features of the social networks, such as autoplay and infinite scroll, are violating the EU's Digital Services Act and the requirement for large online platforms to assess the risks to physical and mental well-being of their products. Meta will have a chance to respond to the preliminary charges before the EU d

SWEDEN 10:23

Telia Sweden adds AI section to children's 'Mobile Driving Licence'

Telia Sweden said it and children's rights organisation Bris are updating the Mobile Driving Licence by adding a section concerning artificial intelligence. The two brought out the licence as a public education service in 2020 to guide minors and guardians to use mobile phones safely. It is available to anyone free of charge at mobilkorkortet.se.

GLOBAL 10:15

Keysight launches APS-ONE-400 cybersecurity tester

Keysight Technologies has introduced a modular, data centre-targeted cybersecurity test device with four 100 Gbps Ethernet ports. The single rack unit (1-RU) APS-ONE-400 tester pumps out synthetic Layer 4-7 traffic to probe security protocols including Transport Layer Security (TLS) and TLS-targeted post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms.

PORTUGAL 10:15

Kontron picked to modernise Portuguese railway core network

Kontron Transportation has been selected by Infraestruturas de Portugal to upgrade the Portuguese railway's communications core network. This significant contract win establishes Kontron as the new radio infrastructure provider, marking a key step in Portugal's transition toward the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). Kontron's responsibilities will span the entire project lifecycle, from supply and installation to integration, testing, and long-term operational support. To ensure a smooth a

CANADA 10:13

Videotron picks Vecima's Entra vCMTS to fuel Docsis upgrades

Canada's Videotron has signed a deal with Vecima Networks to procure the latter's Entra virtualised cable modem termination system (vCMTS) for upgades in its Docsis cable architecture. The contract also encompasses the EN9000 Generic Access Platform (GAP) and ERM3 series Remote PHY Devices. Entra's cloud-native vCMTS is expected to support Videotron in upgrading its cable infrastructure to next-generation Docsis standards, providing flexibility across Docsis 3.1+, Unified Doscis, and Docsis 4.0 deployments.

ALBANIA 10:12

Vodafone Albania and Nokia launch AI-driven network slicing

Vodafone Albania, in collaboration with Nokia, unveiled AI-powered Network Slicing. Developed by Vodafone Group and implemented on Vodafone's 5G standalone network, this innovation uses AI to analyse real-time conditions and autonomously reallocate network resources. This move enables smarter, more secure, and highly reliable connectivity tailored to specific business and public needs, the operator said.

FRANCE 10:11

Bouygues Telecom, SFR secure regulatory approval for amendments to 'Crozon' agreement

France's telecom authority Arcep said that it has raised no objections to a number of amendments submitted by Bouygues Telecom and SFR with regard to their so-called 'Crozon' network sharing agreement, originally signed in 2014. The changes in question concern technical and operational processes, including the planned integration of new QoS (Quality of Service) indicators. The network sharing elements of the agreement remain the same.

SPAIN 10:11

Orange Spain awarded school training deals in Valencia and Andalucia

Orange Spain (MasOrange) said it has been selected to take part in two regional initiatives to promote educational robotics, programming and computational thinking in public schools in the Valencian Community and Andalucia. The projects are designed to expand access to advanced teaching tools and methodologies from an early age, while also providing ongoing pedagogical and technical support to teachers.

GLOBAL 10:10

ITU sets up focus group for trust, identity and agentic AI behaviour

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has announced the establishment of the ITU Focus Group on Trust and Identity for Humans and Agentic AI the 'AI for Good Global' summit. It will develop frameworks for trusted digital identity and ensure that the behaviour of artificial intelligence agents remains trustworthy and accountable throughout their lifecycle. It holds its first meeting in Paris in November 2026 and its second in Geneva in January 2027

UNITED KINGDOM 09:47

Four arrested in UK illegal streaming crackdown

Four men were arrested in Merseyside following a two-day police operation targeting the suspected supply of illegal streaming services to thousands of customers, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) said. Six search warrants were executed across Birkenhead and Prenton on 25-26 June, leading to the arrests of men aged 41, 47, 49 and 56. The investigation, supported by intelligence sharing between FACT and Merseyside Police, focused on services offering unauthorised access to premium TV, films and li

EUROPE 09:23

European digital advertising market grows over 10% in 2025

Online video has grown to over half of the display advertising market in Europe, according to a report from industry group IAB Europe. The total digital advertising spend in Europe grew by 10.5 percent in 2025 to EUR 131 billion, and display advertising increased by 12.5 percent. Online video ads grew at nearly twice that rate, rising 19.6 percent to EUR 34.0 billion.

SPAIN 09:21

Jazztel gifts 50GB in summer promo

Spanish operator Jazztel, a MasOrange brand, has announced that all new and existing subscribers with a mobile plan will be able to access a one-off 50GB data bundle to be used throughout the summer. Under the tagline "Mas Datos. Mas Verano. Mas Disfrute" ("More Data. More Summer. More Enjoyment"), the operator is inviting customers to activate the bonus data by 31 August via the Jazztel app, desktop area or WhatsApp.

Just In

13:00

MTC Maris sponsors 09 Music Festival 2026 in October

12:59

LSBUD signs MOU to work with underground asset register

12:55

Guinea orders Orange to improve network quality and broaden coverage

12:50

O2 UK offers free roaming in US for rest of World Cup

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

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

21 JUN 22:52

The week in telecom: sovereignty debate comes to VivaTech, Ericsson succession and Fox buys Roku