Japanese manufacturers consider backing SoftBank domestic AI venture - report
JAPAN 06:01

Japanese manufacturers consider backing SoftBank domestic AI venture - report

Around 30 Japanese companies across sectors including chemicals, robotics, automotive and electronics are considering investments in a new AI venture established by SoftBank, according to Nikkei, citing industry sources. The report said the project aims to develop domestic AI capabilities focused on "physical AI", using manufacturing data from areas such as materials and machinery to train systems capable of autonomously controlling machines and robots.

NTT Docomo and Toshiba Tec explore retail data partnership
JAPAN 05:59

NTT Docomo and Toshiba Tec explore retail data partnership

NTT Docomo and Toshiba Tec have begun discussions on a partnership aimed at supporting manufacturers and retailers through the use of consumer purchasing behaviour data. The companies said the initiative would combine NTT Docomo's marketing assets, including its more than 100 million d Point Club members and customer profiling technologies, with purchasing data collected through Toshiba Tec's point-of-sale systems, which the companies said account for more than half of the domestic Japanese market for EPOS

KDDI and Supership launch ServiceNow-integrated SMS notification service
JAPAN 05:56

KDDI and Supership launch ServiceNow-integrated SMS notification service

Supership and KDDI have launched a new enterprise messaging service that enables SMS notifications to be sent directly from the ServiceNow workflow platform. The service, called "KDDI Message Cast for ServiceNow", is designed to automate SMS delivery based on events and workflows managed within the ServiceNow platform. According to the companies, the service allows organisations to trigger SMS notifications for functions including customer service updates, contract renewal reminders and emergency alerts lin

NTT Data invests in Flux to strengthen AI consulting and implementation
JAPAN 05:54

NTT Data invests in Flux to strengthen AI consulting and implementation

NTT Data has entered into a capital and business alliance with Japanese AI startup Flux as part of efforts to expand its AI consulting and implementation capabilities. The operator said the investment is intended to strengthen its ability to respond to growing demand for AI-related services, particularly in consulting and upstream project planning. NTT Data said the partnership would combine its industry expertise and customer base with Flux's AI consulting and engineering capabilities. The collaboration is

Aussie Broadband launches international mobile roaming service
AUSTRALIA 05:48

Aussie Broadband launches international mobile roaming service

Aussie Broadband has launched international mobile roaming for its mobile customers through updates to its MyAussie and Carbon customer management portals. The service allows residential customers to enable roaming through the MyAussie platform, with roaming also required to be activated in device settings before use. Customers travelling in designated International Zone 1 countries will receive 5 GB of data along with unlimited calls and texts for AUD 5 per day. Customers travelling in Zone 2 and Zone 3 de

KDDI joins Philippine smart city study with Globe Telecom, Ayala and Mitsubishi
PHILIPPINES 05:47

KDDI joins Philippine smart city study with Globe Telecom, Ayala and Mitsubishi

KDDI has signed an MoU with Philippine operator Globe Telecom, Ayala Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation to jointly study the development of an "Intelligent City" initiative in the Philippines. The agreement will focus on the use of digital technologies and advanced connectivity to support sustainable urban development and improve services for residents and businesses.

SK Telecom expands internal AI automation with new agent platform
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:44

SK Telecom expands internal AI automation with new agent platform

SK Telecom (SKT) has launched a beta version of an internal AI agent platform designed to automate employee workflows as part of a broader programme to accelerate AI-driven transformation across the company. The operator said the service, called A.Biz Cowork, enables employees to train AI agents using their own work processes so that repetitive tasks can be automated without requiring coding knowledge. The platform is being deployed internally as part of SK Telecom's wider AX, or AI transformation, strategy

Fujitsu partners with Anthropic on AI deployment and cybersecurity
JAPAN 05:42

Fujitsu partners with Anthropic on AI deployment and cybersecurity

Fujitsu has announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic aimed at accelerating the deployment of AI technologies in Japan and strengthening cybersecurity capabilities for critical infrastructure and other mission-critical sectors. The agreement will combine Anthropic's AI models, including Claude, with Fujitsu's systems integration and operational capabilities in sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, defence and critical infrastructure. Fujitsu said the partnership would focus on the deployme

NTT launches Arctic Wolf managed endpoint defence service in Japan
JAPAN 05:40

NTT launches Arctic Wolf managed endpoint defence service in Japan

NTT Security Japan has begun offering Arctic Wolf's Aurora Managed Endpoint Defense service in Japan as part of an expanded partnership with the cybersecurity company. The operator said the service, known as AMED, combines endpoint protection and endpoint detection and response capabilities with a managed monitoring and response service operated by security specialists on a 24-hour basis.

LG Uplus MVNO Medialog reports rise in online used smartphone sales
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:38

LG Uplus MVNO Medialog reports rise in online used smartphone sales

MediaLog, a subsidiary of LG Uplus, said online used smartphone sales through its Sello platform increased 12 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. The MVNO said the number of users in their 20s and 30s rose 23 percent over the same period, indicating growing demand among younger consumers for non-face-to-face used smartphone transactions.

Deloitte and Netskope expand partnership for managed SASE services
GLOBAL 05:36

Deloitte and Netskope expand partnership for managed SASE services

Deloitte and Netskope have expanded their strategic partnership to provide managed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) services for enterprise customers seeking to modernise security and networking infrastructure and support AI adoption. The companies said the service combines Deloitte's cyber operations, advisory and managed security capabilities with Netskope's SASE and Security Service Edge technologies, including software-defined wide area networking, zero trust network access, secure web gateway, cloud a

Ofcom fines adult content provider GBP 600,000 over age checks and breaches
UNITED KINGDOM 05:34

Ofcom fines adult content provider GBP 600,000 over age checks and breaches

Ofcom has fined pornography provider Youngtek Solutions a total of GBP 600,000 for breaches of the UK's Online Safety Act, including failing to implement age verification measures and missing a deadline to provide information to the regulator. The regulator said Youngtek Solutions, which operates four adult websites, did not have effective age assurance measures in place between 25 July 2025 and 22 September 2025, allowing children to potentially access pornographic content. 

INDIA 03:46

Amazon brings 2026 Fire TV Stick HD to India

Amazon has launched its new Fire TV Stick HD in India. The 2026 Fire Stick HD is estimated to be around 30 percent narrower than the previous generation model and connects wirelessly via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. Amazon says with its Fire TV Stick HD, customers across India will be able to stream movies and TV episodes across content providers and enjoy Xbox cloud gaming without a console.

INDIA 03:36

Vi expands 5G services to 33 more cities in Kerala state

Indian mobile operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) has expanded its 5G services to 33 more cities in the state of Kerala. This follows an initial rollout that covered 18 cities across all 14 districts, including major hubs like Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Malappuram. The operator has also established a presence in regional centers such as Kollam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Palakkad, and Kannur. Vi also reports that this latest expansion makes 5G accessible to 2.1 million additional residents throughout Kerala

PHILIPPINES 03:30

Globe Telecom to offer Synchronoss Personal Cloud to 54 million subscribers in Philippines

Synchronoss Technologies has won a contract from Philippines operator Globe Telecom. Under the terms of the deal, Synchronoss will offer its Personal Cloud to Globe's more than 54 million customers across the Philippines.

UKRAINE 27 MEI

Ukraine to optimise use of 2,600 MHz band

Ukrainian national telecommunications regulator NKEK has issued a draft amendment to the plan for the use of telecom spectrum resources. The draft document has been sent to the Ministry of Digital Transformation for approval. The changes focus on optimising the use of the 2,600 MHz band.

BELARUS 27 MEI

MTS Belarus offers 5G on Samsung Galaxy S26 series smartphones

MTS Belarus said it has expanded the list of devices supporting 5G services on its network to Samsung's Galaxy S26 series of smartphones, namely the standard Galaxy S26, the S26+ and the S26 Ultra. The operator provides 5G services using more than 1,100 base stations located in Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel and Mogilyov.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 27 MEI

Beeline Russia launches VoLTE roaming in US and Vietnam

Russian operator Beeline has launched its VoLTE roaming services in the US and Vietnam. The services have become available on the network of the US operator T-Mobile and Vietnam operator Viettel.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 27 MEI

MTS, HSE University to cooperate on AI training

Russian operator MTS has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Moscow-based HSE University. They will cooperate on AI training of staff working in the telecommunications field. The agreement is the extension of a long-term cooperation underway already at MTS and HSE University.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 27 MEI

MTS closes RUB 40 bln bond issue

Russian operator MTS has closed orders for its RUB 40 billion bond emission which will be placed on the Moscow Exchange. Funds will be used for refinancing current debt, as well as general corporate purposes.  

FRANCE 27 MEI

France's Arcep shines light on environmental impact of digital sector and AI

French telecom authority Arcep has issued publications as part of its environmental remit. In particular, these new reports aim to improve and share insight on the impact of the digital sector and generative AI on Earth's resources, drawing on indicators collected by Arcep, expert knowledge, and scientific literature. The information gathered directly by Arcep is summarised in a study based on 2024 data, covering data centre facilities, network equipment, telecom operators' networks and device manufacturing

TAJIKISTAN 27 MEI

Zet-Mobile launches VoLTE roaming with China Mobile

Tajikistan mobile operator Zet-Mobile has launched VoLTE roaming services on the network of China Mobile. Customers holding smartphones not supporting the technology are able to use voice roaming on the China Unicom network.

SCANDINAVIA 27 MEI

Ad-supported tiers account for 80% of new Nordic streaming subscriptions

Eighty percent of new Nordic streaming subscriptions in the past year were for advertising-supported services, according to consultancy Mediavision's 'Nordic TV & Streaming' analysis for spring. This is a "major shift" in the region's streaming landscape, it said. The Nordic market now exceeds 27 million paid streaming subscriptions, up by approximately 3.5 million since spring 2025, and the growth is mainly from hybrid video on demand (HVoD) subscriptions, combining lower prices with advertising.

EUROPE 27 MEI

EU to reserve mobile satellite spectrum for local players, public sector

The European Commission has adopted a plan to auction key spectrum in the 2 GHz band for satellite direct-to-device services. It includes a proposal to reserve part of the frequencies for the public sector network Iris and another share for EU service providers. The aim is to auction the EU-wide licences before the current permits expire in May 2027.

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Japanese manufacturers consider backing SoftBank domestic AI venture - report

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