AI efficiency is not transformation
EUROPE 14:33

AI efficiency is not transformation

Dutch organisations primarily use AI to make existing tasks more efficient. Fundamental changes to business processes remain limited. According to Lucas Jellema, CTO of Conclusion, the problem lies not so much with the technology itself, but with the way organisations structure their processes. Moreover, many lack a clear understanding of the actual returns on their IT investments.

NBI continues fibre network roll-out in Carlow, Offaly, Limerick
IRELAND 13:14

NBI continues fibre network roll-out in Carlow, Offaly, Limerick

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) will complete the National Broadband Plan (NBP) roll-out in Carlow in the coming weeks. The State Intervention Area covers 9,000 premises across County Carlow, representing a government investment of EUR 32 million. NBI also confirmed that 4,519 premises across County Offaly have now connected to the NBP network - from a total of 12,788 eligible premises. 

Vodafone UK, 3 UK confirm pricing for new iPhone Duo
UNITED KINGDOM 13:06

Vodafone UK, 3 UK confirm pricing for new iPhone Duo

Vodafone UK and 3 UK are both accepting pre-orders for the new Apple iPhone Duo foldable smartphone. Vodafone customers can get the new iPhone Duo with GBP 50.46 per month (GBP 100 upfront) with an Unlimited SuperMobile plan; or from GBP 27.45 per month (GBP 100 upfront) on a standard plan with 1GB data - both when trading in an eligible device.

Meeza partners with Microsoft to launch sovereign private cloud service in Qatar
QATAR 13:03

Meeza partners with Microsoft to launch sovereign private cloud service in Qatar

Qatari managed IT services company Meeza  has announced plans to bring Microsoft sovereign private cloud to organisations in Qatar. The new offering has Azure Local as its foundation and will be delivered directly from Meeza's local data centres. Supported by Meeza's end-to-end managed services and connectivity, it enables enterprises to run critical, regulated and sensitive workloads on high-performance, cloud-consistent infrastructure residing within Qatar.

Vodacom retains Safaricom control as court fast-tracks appeal
KENYA 12:58

Vodacom retains Safaricom control as court fast-tracks appeal

Vodacom Group says it will retain its controlling stake in Safaricom until a fast-tracked appeal is determined. It said it remains the registered holder of the Safaricom shares purchased from the Kenyan government on 30 June. The company added that the purchase price paid to the state will be preserved until the appeal is heard. 

CSL acquires US IoT eSIM connectivity provider Simpl Wireless
UNITED STATES 12:57

CSL acquires US IoT eSIM connectivity provider Simpl Wireless

UK-based CSL Group, global provider of critical connectivity, has announced the acquisition of US-based Simpl Wireless, IoT eSIM connectivity provider. CSL provides managed IoT connectivity across more than 3 million connections in the transport, utility, healthcare, building security and infrastructure sectors. The acquisition gives the group a US base, local team and carrier partnerships to deliver services to customers across North America.

Etisalat UAE and Cyber Security Council develop threat intelligence platform Discovery Secure
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 12:53

Etisalat UAE and Cyber Security Council develop threat intelligence platform Discovery Secure

The UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) and Etisalat UAE have developed Discovery Secure, which is currently in its proof-of-concept phase. It functions as a secure, locally hosted security "radar" that lets organisations turn raw data into actionable intelligence for national-level threat analysis. By centralising cyber threat intelligence, the platform gives authorised users visibility into emerging risks and trends while streamlining investigation, enrichment and assessment workflows.

Bechtle wins up to EUR 80 mln contract to supply iPads and accessories to schools in Saarland
GERMANY 12:44

Bechtle wins up to EUR 80 mln contract to supply iPads and accessories to schools in Saarland

German IT services provider Bechtle has announced a won a contract worth a maximum of EUR 80 million to supply schools in the state of Saarland with Apple iPads and Bechtle's own Articona-branded accessories. The Saarland Ministry of Education and Culture and 52 school authorities representing a total of 333 schools are eligible to purchase the devices and accessories under the contract. Bechtle's IT business in Saarbrucken will serve as the central point of contact and will coordinate the roll-out, service

Nebius acquires Israeli start-up Inferize
GLOBAL 12:40

Nebius acquires Israeli start-up Inferize

Amsterdam-based AI cloud company Nebius has announced the acquisition of Israeli start-up Inferize, inference optimisation specialist, for an undisclosed sum. Inferize technology helps reduce the time to launch and expand large AI models - with the Inferize team and technology joining the Nebius Token Factory, a managed inference platform for production AI. Nebius Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Danila Shtan said the acquisition adds a team with extensive GPU systems expertise. Inferize was established in Ja

Italian inflation confirmed at three-year high of 4.2%
ITALY 12:38

Italian inflation confirmed at three-year high of 4.2%

Italy's main domestic inflation rate (NIC) reached a three-year high of 4.2 percent on an annual basis in September, compared to 3.3 percent in August, according to data from statistics agency Istat that confirmed the preliminary estimate. Inflation was up 0.7 percent month-on-month in September, following a 0.5 percent rise in August. Istat said the annual hike was mainly due to surging higher energy, unprocessed food and transport prices.

Advania poised to open new Finnish HQ
FINLAND 12:31

Advania poised to open new Finnish HQ

Advania said it will be opening its new Finnish head office in the Pasila district of Helsinki this month and will also deploy Microsoft Places to support the development of the working environment and hybrid work. It said Pasila Linkki is an energy-efficient office building in a location convenient for public transport and sustainable mobility. It belongs to Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company, one of Finland's largest property owners and landlords. 

Channel 4 appoints new CFO; launches new cross-platform ad product
UNITED KINGDOM 12:26

Channel 4 appoints new CFO; launches new cross-platform ad product

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has appointed Mary Basterfield as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She will take up her new role on 19 October, with outgoing CFO Lucy Thomas leaving the company at end-October. Basterfield is an experienced CFO, most recently serving as Group CFO and Executive Director for S4 Capital. Before that, she was Group Finance Director for Just Eat. She will be responsible for finance, procurement, technology, content management and workplace functions, joining the Executive Committee and th

GREENLAND 12:15

Tusass starts phasing in new B2B broadband portfolio

Greenlandic operator Tusass has announced a new portfolio of broadband services for business customers. Two lower tiers will initially be available in ten larger settlements before coming to the rest of Greenland as the infrastructure becomes ready. Commercial director Nikolaj Christoffersen said the company's approach is to listen to customers and translate their needs into services that create real value, and the business sector has long been demanding new internet products.

GLOBAL 12:13

Proofoint acquires Varonis Systems for USD 6.3 billion

Global cybersecurity company Proofpoint has signed an agreement to acquire Varonis Security, data and AI security specialist, in all all-cash deal worth around USD 6.3 billion. Varonis shareholders will get USD 49.75 per share in cash, with the deal valuing the company at around 53x LTM free cash slow and 8.4x LTM revenue. The combined cybersecurity group will serve over 16,000 enterprises and millions of organisations worldwide. 

SPAIN 12:04

Avatel launches redundancy plan affecting 444 jobs

Spanish operator Avatel has opened a collective redundancy process that could affect up to 444 jobs, or 33.5 percent of its 1,325-strong workforce, according to report by Expansion citing trade unions. The company, Spain's fifth-largest operator by customer base, has formally established a negotiating table with unions to begin consultations.

GLOBAL 12:03

Gulf Bridge, Turk Telekom to explore new international connectivity routes between Gulf, Europe, Asia

Gulf Bridge International and Turk Telekom International have signed an agreement at Capacity Europe 2026 to explore network interconnection, new international connectivity routes and joint service offerings. The cooperation is designed to connect GBI's subsea and terrestrial network across the Arabian Gulf with TTI's European infrastructure, with a focus on improving connectivity between the Gulf, Europe and Asia. The companies will assess opportunities to integrate network capacity and exchange traffic, w

CHINA 11:52

Geely vehicles outside China to feature built-in Google Automotive Services starting 2027

Geely has announced plans to extend Google Automotive Services across its vehicle brands in overseas markets from the first half of 2027, expanding Google's presence in the automotive software ecosystem beyond existing deployments such as Polestar. Geely will integrate Google Automotive Services into the digital cockpits of eligible vehicles across its passenger vehicle portfolio in overseas markets where Google services are available.

PERU 11:33

Fibre surpasses 83% of fixed broadband total in Peru

The number of active fixed line internet accesses in Peru reached 4.10 million at the end of the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest update from telecom regulator Osiptel. The April to June period saw the number of active fibre-to-the-home accesses in Peru climb 2.6 percent year on year to 3.41 million, equivalent to 83.3 percent of the fixed broadband total, resulting in well over nine in ten users accessing download speeds above 100 Mbps.

TANZANIA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF 11:32

Airtel Tanzania partners with Zoom and Sibia Technologies for virtual medical appointments

Airtel Tanzania has announced a strategic partnership with Zoom and Sibia Technologies to explore innovative digital solutions aimed at transforming healthcare delivery across the country.

GLOBAL 11:25

Akamai reports global interest in cloud compute line-up

Akamai has disclosed global sales activity for its cloud computing service offering on the heels of its eye-catching USD 11.6 billion contract with Anthropic. The vendor did not identify any new sign-ups, but did reveal that the bulk of orders came from software and SaaS enterprises, with strong demand for state-of-the-art GPU infrastructure such as Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Server Edition. Anthropic's seven-year agreement aims to fulfil the AI vendor's growing need for CPU workloads, providing access

GLOBAL 11:21

Noke reaches 500,000 self-storage smart lock deployments using Wirepas mesh connectivity

Wirepas has announced that its mesh connectivity now supports 500,000 deployments of Noke smart locks from Janus International Group at self-storage sites worldwide. Janus is a provider of smart access control for the self-storage, commercial and industrial sectors. Wirepas Mesh's decentralised connectivity enables Noke smart locks to operate with no single point of failure and easy commissioning, even in remote locations where cellular or Wi-Fi coverage does not reach.

CZECH REPUBLIC 11:18

AMC brings Selekt Light streaming service to Czech Republic and Slovakia

AMC Global Media said that it's bringing the Selekt Light streaming service, replacing the existing offer AMC Mikro, to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The new service gives viewers access to a diverse selection of content from the AMC Global Media portfolio in one place and across devices. Following the launch of the Selekt platform in Hungary, this marks another step in its expansion across Central Europe. Selekt Light will be available free of charge in both countries following a simple registration pro

FINLAND 10:54

New Finnish rules on reporting telecom disruptions take effect in January 2027

Finnish transport and communications agency Traficom said new rules for reporting telecom disruptions will come into effect on 01 January 2027, replacing regulations from 2020. One major change is that telecommunications operators will be obliged in future to report threats of disruptions that do not yet prevent services from functioning, but which could do so if they worsen. The new rules also specify the threshold for notifying Traficom of cases of sabotage, and update the associated procedures.

SWEDEN 10:18

Swedish sovereign AI supercomputer Sferical One launches formally

Ericsson says the formal launch of the 'Sferical AI' project's sovereign artificial supercomputer, Sferical One, took place on 15 October. The system has been running since late summer. Ericsson is a founding member of Sferical AI alongside AstraZeneca, Saab, SEB and Wallenberg Investments, with SKF as a strategic partner.

Just In

13:14

NBI continues fibre network roll-out in Carlow, Offaly, Limerick

13:06

Vodafone UK, 3 UK confirm pricing for new iPhone Duo

13:03

Meeza partners with Microsoft to launch sovereign private cloud service in Qatar

12:58

Vodacom retains Safaricom control as court fast-tracks appeal

Commentary

24 SEP 13:37

What is KPN's response to the brand expansion at Odido and VodafoneZiggo?

8 SEP 10:16

Odido matches KPN and VodafoneZiggo on cash flow margin, but growth remains limited

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?

Background

11 OKT 23:39

The week in telecom: DT puts a figure on telco AI potential, SpaceX threatens mobile launch and Paramount seals WBD deal

4 OKT 23:20

The week in telecom: FTTH sparks UK competition, AI coming to telco bundles and Samsung raises prices

3 OKT 18:20

Belgian Weekly - Week 40

3 OKT 18:04

German Weekly - 40