Rakuten Symphony appoints former Telefonica technology chief as strategic adviser
JAPAN 06:36

Rakuten Symphony appoints former Telefonica technology chief as strategic adviser

Rakuten Symphony has appointed Enrique Blanco, former chief technology and information officer of Telefonica and a member of the operator's executive committee, as a strategic adviser. The company said Blanco will work with its leadership team as it expands efforts to support telecommunications operators in modernising network operations, simplifying infrastructure management and pursuing new growth opportunities.

Symphony taps Nokia for Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand subsea cable system upgrade
ASIA 06:32

Symphony taps Nokia for Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand subsea cable system upgrade

Nokia has been selected by Symphony to upgrade the Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand (MCT) subsea cable system. As part of the initiative, legacy equipment will be replaced with Nokia's Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE), powered by its sixth-generation Photonic Service Engines (PSE-6) coherent optics.

Amazon launches 36 more satellites in third Ariane 6 mission
GLOBAL 06:31

Amazon launches 36 more satellites in third Ariane 6 mission

Amazon.com has launched another 36 satellites in its low-Earth orbit network, aboard an Ariane 6 rocket. This was its third launch with Arianespace from the European spaceport in French Guiana, and the largest Leo payload to date. The mission brings Amazon to 367 spacecraft deployed, and marks 100 Leo satellites launched by Arianespace, with three missions completed in less than five months.

Korea and ASEAN complete high-performance computing project in Indonesia
INDONESIA 06:31

Korea and ASEAN complete high-performance computing project in Indonesia

South Korea and ASEAN have completed the deployment of a high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure project in Indonesia, marking a milestone in their broader digital cooperation programme. South Korea's ministry of science and ICT and ministry of foreign affairs, together with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), announced the official opening of the facility at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency.

Globe Telecom launches mobile, home fibre services bundles with 2-year rewards
PHILIPPINES 06:25

Globe Telecom launches mobile, home fibre services bundles with 2-year rewards

Philippines operator Globe Telecom has introduced mobile and home fibre services bundles to provide uninterrupted connectivity both at home and on the go. This unified service structure includes a range of long-term financial incentives and technical upgrades for various customer segments over a 24-month period.

Samsung launches Galaxy A37 5G in South Korea
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:22

Samsung launches Galaxy A37 5G in South Korea

Samsung Electronics will launch the Galaxy A37 5G smartphone in South Korea on 19 June, expanding its mid-range 5G device portfolio with upgraded display, camera and AI capabilities. The device will be available in Awesome Lavender, Awesome White and Awesome Charcoal and will retail for KRW 598,400 through Samsung retail channels and mobile operator stores.

Google Home Speaker launches 24 June for USD 100
UNITED STATES 06:22

Google Home Speaker launches 24 June for USD 100

Google has confirmed the launch of its new Home Speaker, designed to bring Gemini AI into the home. First presented last fall when Google overhauled its Nest device line-up, the Google Home Speaker is now available from 25 June, for USD 99.99/EUR 119.99. A six-month free subscription to Google Home Premium services is included. 

AWS to launch new Local Zone in Athens in July
GREECE 06:15

AWS to launch new Local Zone in Athens in July

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that its new Local Zone in Athens, Greece will be generally available in July. AWS also reports that the first customers are already using the Local Zone ahead of launch to run real-time gaming experiences, local data processing use cases, and content delivery. Other organizations interested in early access can contact their AWS account team.

KT holds customer forum and AI education programme in rural South Korea
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:12

KT holds customer forum and AI education programme in rural South Korea

Korea Telecom (KT) has held a customer engagement forum and AI education programme in a rural area of South Korea as part of its ongoing efforts to gather customer feedback and assess telecommunications service experiences outside major urban centres. The event took place at Okdong Elementary School in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, and involved students, parents and teachers. It was the third session in KT's travelling customer forum programme this year, following events focused on younger customers in

Japanese operators add Oppo Reno15 A to mid-range 5G smartphone line-up
JAPAN 06:05

Japanese operators add Oppo Reno15 A to mid-range 5G smartphone line-up

Japanese mobile operators are expanding their handset portfolios with the introduction of the Oppo Reno15 A, a mid-range 5G smartphone that will be available from multiple carriers later this month. KDDI and Okinawa Cellular announced that the device will be launched through the UQ mobile brand on 25 June, with reservations opening on 18 June. The operator said the handset will also support the au Starlink Direct satellite connectivity service.

NTT Docomo launches open-ear hearing assistance device
JAPAN 06:03

NTT Docomo launches open-ear hearing assistance device

NTT Docomo has begun selling the cocoe Ear open-ear hearing assistance device and the companion cocoe Link television transmitter through its retail and online sales channels, while expanding in-store demonstrations across Japan. The products, developed by NTT Sonority, went on sale on 18 June through Docomo Shops nationwide and the operator's online store. On the same date, Docomo also began offering hands-on demonstrations of cocoe Ear in 56 Docomo Shops across all 47 prefectures.

Hitachi partners OpenAI to target legacy system modernisation and cybersecurity
JAPAN 06:01

Hitachi partners OpenAI to target legacy system modernisation and cybersecurity

Hitachi is expanding its collaboration with OpenAI to develop AI-driven approaches for legacy system modernisation and cybersecurity, with an initial focus on core systems used by financial institutions and other critical industries. The companies said their respective Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) teams will work together to develop methods for analysing and modernising mission-critical legacy systems using OpenAI's AI agent, Codex. The initiative is intended to support the migration of legacy applicatio

AUSTRALIA 05:58

Vodafone Australia restores services following nationwide network disruption

TPG Telecom's Vodafone Australia said services were being progressively restored after a network outage disrupted mobile connectivity for customers across the country on Thursday morning. The operator said the disruption was caused by an outage at one of its network hubs at around 8am AEST. Vodafone said the issue had been isolated and resolved, although some customers could continue to experience intermittent connectivity issues while devices reconnected to the network.

JAPAN 05:56

KDDI expands povo 2.0 offering with free data promotion and new long-term plans

KDDI, Okinawa Cellular and KDDI Digital Life are introducing a new customer acquisition campaign for povo 2.0 alongside an expansion of the mobile service's permanent data add-on portfolio. From 19 June, new povo 2.0 customers will receive ten 24-hour unlimited data passes and an additional 0.1 GB of data when they activate a new SIM under a promotional programme. The offer is available for a limited period to customers who newly register for the service, including those joining through mobile number portab

JAPAN 05:54

Korea and Japan discuss 6G and satellite spectrum policy ahead of WRC-27

South Korea's ministry of science and ICT and Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications have held the seventh Korea-Japan Radio Policy Director-General Meeting in Seoul, focusing on spectrum policy cooperation and preparations for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27). The meeting brought together government officials and representatives from industry, academia and research organisations from both countries. 

JAPAN 05:52

KDDI launches Amazon Prime promotion for au and UQ Mobile customers

KDDI and Okinawa Cellular will launch a promotional campaign offering discounted access to Amazon Prime through the Amazon Prime A La Carte service for au and UQ Mobile customers, alongside enhanced rewards for purchases made on Amazon.co.jp using au Pay. The campaign will run from 1 July to 31 August 2026 and will provide eligible customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime A La Carte via au or UQ Mobile with two months of Amazon Prime membership at no effective cost. The service is available through participa

JAPAN 05:50

Fujitsu and IBM Japan expand collaboration on legacy system modernisation

Fujitsu and IBM Japan have expanded their collaboration on enterprise system modernisation, focusing on the migration and transformation of legacy business applications as organisations prepare for digital transformation initiatives and the retirement of older infrastructure platforms. The companies said they will combine Fujitsu's automated source code conversion technology, Fujitsu Progression, with IBM Japan's AI-enabled development platform, IBM Bob, to support the rewriting and refactoring of business

SINGAPORE 05:48

StarHub's giga! launches youth-focused plan with AI and regional bundle

giga!, StarHub's digital mobile brand, has launched gigaFLEX+, a mobile plan aimed at customers aged 15 to 29, combining mobile connectivity, roaming allowances and access to artificial intelligence tools within a single subscription. The plan is priced at SGD 19.90 per month and includes 800 GB of 5G data that can be used across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, with unused data eligible for monthly rollover. Customers also receive 22 GB of monthly roaming data, comprising 12 GB for Asia roaming

AUSTRALIA 05:46

Australia finalises new wholesale and network reporting rules

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has finalised new record keeping requirements that will expand the telecommunications market information collected from operators. The new Wholesale and Networks Record Keeping Rules will take effect on 1 January 2027 and require specified operators providers to maintain and report records relating to wholesale telecommunications services and network usage.

GLOBAL 05:44

SK Hynix ships 12-layer HBM4E samples to customers

SK Hynix has shipped samples of its 12-layer HBM4E high-bandwidth memory product to major customers, marking the latest step in the development of next-generation memory technology for AI infrastructure. The company said the HBM4E samples were delivered on schedule and that it is working with partners to prepare for mass production. HBM4E is designed for AI training and inference workloads and offers a maximum data transfer speed of 16 Gbps per pin. According to SK Hynix, the product delivers more than 20 p

PHILIPPINES 03:05

GCash Parent Mynt greenlights filing for IPO on Philippine Stock Exchange

Mynt, the fintech arm of Philippines operator Globe Telecom, has announced that its board of directors and shareholders have authorized the company's filing of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a listing application with the Philippine Stock Exchange, in connection with a potential initial public offering (IPO). Founded in 2015, Mynt is a joint venture between Globe Telecom, Ayala Corporation, and Ant Group (an affiliate of Alibaba).

INDIA 02:50

Airtel partners with Indian Army to expand mobile network in Arunachal Pradesh

Indian operator Bharti Airtel has completed the first phase of a strategic initiative in partnership with 4 Corps of Indian Army headquartered at Tezpur. In cooperation with the Army, Airtel expanded mobile connectivity to remote regions in Arunachal Pradesh. Airtel says it can now deliver mobile connectivity in this mountainous, high-altitude, and difficult-to-access region.

MALAYSIA 02:41

RisingJoy inks distribution deals with Astro, IDN App in Southeast Asia

Micro-entertainment company RisingJoy has launched its direct-to-consumer streaming service, RJOY, in Southeast Asia through new partnerships with Astro's Sooka platform in Malaysia and the IDN App in Indonesia. This expansion increases RJOY's global footprint to four markets, building on its recent debuts on TikTok Minis in Japan and the US.

MALAYSIA 02:27

Astro Group CEO Smith steps down, Tan returns as interim head

Astro Malaysia has announced that Euan Smith has stepped down from his role of group CEO, marking the end of a 6-year tenure with the media and entertainment group. Astro's board of directors has appointed former corporate chief Henry Tan as the interim Group CEO, effective 16 June, while a formal search for a permanent successor is underway.

Just In

06:36

Rakuten Symphony appoints former Telefonica technology chief as strategic adviser

06:32

Symphony taps Nokia for Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand subsea cable system upgrade

06:31

Amazon launches 36 more satellites in third Ariane 6 mission

06:31

Korea and ASEAN complete high-performance computing project in Indonesia

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Background

1 JUN 00:13

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

23 MEI 23:42

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O

18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom

11 MEI 00:53

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK