Lifecell reaches 29% of voice traffic over LTE network
UKRAINE 16:19

Lifecell reaches 29% of voice traffic over LTE network

Ukrainian operator Lifecell, belonging to the DVL Group, said that the share of its voice traffic on the LTE network has reached 29 percent of all voice traffic. The active VoLTE user base totaled almost 1.5 million in January, up by 2.5 times year-on-year. Around 4.5 million smartphones supporting VoLTE are currently registered on the Lifecell network, equal to 66 percent of all devices connected to the network. The VoWi-Fi user base amounts to 493,000.

Tower company Pilar targets expansion in media sector
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 16:17

Tower company Pilar targets expansion in media sector

Russian tower infrastructure operator Pilar, a subsidiary of the mobile operator T2, said it's expanding in the media market. The group owns more than 33,500 telecommunications towers across the country, while 25 percent of its customers come from the broadcasting segment. The group said it invested over RUB 105 million in the past year to strengthen its masts for customers.

Life Belarus increases 4G speeds with LTE network expansion
BELARUS 16:13

Life Belarus increases 4G speeds with LTE network expansion

Life Belarus announced it has deployed 587 new antennas on 300 LTE base stations across the country since the beginning of this year. The operator provides its LTE services in cooperation with the state-owned infrastructure operator beCloud. Life Belarus completed the upgrade of 139 of the base stations 10 March, and around 85 percent of those base stations work on the 1,800 MHz band. Thanks to the upgrades this year, average data speeds for Life customers have increased 65 percent, the operator said. 

Orange Poland offers local traffic termination on open peering platform TPIX
POLAND 16:10

Orange Poland offers local traffic termination on open peering platform TPIX

Orange Poland has introduced local traffic termination in 14 cities on its open peering platform TPIX. The option is available as an Ethernet VPN in Szczecin, Gdansk, Olsztyn, Poznan, Bydgoszcz, Bialystok, Lodz, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice, Krakow, Kielce, Lublin and Rzeszow. More than 400 operators use TPIX already.

PSO expands fibre coverage by 37,000 households in February
POLAND 15:36

PSO expands fibre coverage by 37,000 households in February

Polish wholesale operator Polski Swiatlowod Otwarty (PSO) announced that it covered around 6,900 new households with its fibre network at 64 locations in February. Most of the new homes passed were in Wroclaw (783), Krakow (774) and Garwolin (591). The operator also upgraded almost 30,000 addresses on its hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network to the FTTH standard, and more than 145 additional households in five sites were covered with fibre using public subsidies. So, the total coverage of its fibre-optic netw

Rostelecom upgrades telecom infrastructure at Evraz plant in Yekaterinburg
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:35

Rostelecom upgrades telecom infrastructure at Evraz plant in Yekaterinburg

Russian national operator Rostelecom has completed the second stage of the upgrade of the telecommunications infrastructure at the Kachkanar mining and processing plant in the Yekaterinburg region belonging to metallurgy holding company Evraz. A single digital environment is expected to accelerate automation of industrial and other business processes there. The operator deployed a private LTE network covering the plant, with nine base stations in the first stage followed by additional towers and indoor infr

Obit reports 29% rise in public Wi-Fi users during Moscow and St Petersburg mobile outages from 07-09 March
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:07

Obit reports 29% rise in public Wi-Fi users during Moscow and St Petersburg mobile outages from 07-09 March

Obit said the number of users of its public Wi-Fi networks rose by 29 percent in the period from 07 to 09 March in comparison with the relevant period in February, as widespread disconnections affected mobile networks in Moscow and St Petersburg. Obit operates hotspots at major sites in both cities. including airports, business and shopping centres, and cultural heritage sites. According to telecom operators, the restrictions and shutdowns are "external" and related to security measures under current legisl

Link Mobility acquires Romanian A2P SMS provider Web2SMS from Netopia for EUR 4 million
ROMANIA 08:47

Link Mobility acquires Romanian A2P SMS provider Web2SMS from Netopia for EUR 4 million

Norway-based communications platform as a service (CPaaS) provider Link Mobility has acquired Web2SMS, a Romanian A2P (application-to-person) SMS provider, from Netopia Group. Launched in 2004, Web2SMS is currently a SMS service provider in Romania, leveraging direct connections with all local mobile operators. This acquisition is expected to increase Link's market share in Romania to approximately 20 percent.

Neterra launches hybrid internet, backup connectivity services for businesses
BULGARIA 11 MAR

Neterra launches hybrid internet, backup connectivity services for businesses

Neterra has introduced two new internet services for enterprises – primary business internet and a backup connection. These services are designed for companies that cannot afford any downtime, Neterra said. The services integrate multiple technologies, including fibre optic networks, 5G, and satellite connectivity via Starlink. Neterra claims that, if one technology fails, the connection automatically switches to another, ensuring continuous connectivity.

BeCloud data centre gets PCI DSS security certificate
BELARUS 11 MAR

BeCloud data centre gets PCI DSS security certificate

Belarusian state-owned infrastructure operator beCloud announced that its data centre has completed an audit for the PCI DSS standard (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). The certification audit was conducted in the "physical security" category and confirmed full compliance of the practices, documented procedures, and technical means used in the integrated security system of the data centre with the requirements of the standard.

Beeline Russia starts Sim sales at Lenta and Monetka outlets
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11 MAR

Beeline Russia starts Sim sales at Lenta and Monetka outlets

Russian operator Beeline has started sales of its SIMs at hypermarket chaom Lenta, as well as in shops of the retail chain Monetka, reports Mforum.ru. SIMs are available in starter packages. The packages are offered in 270 hypermarkets and 373 supermarkets of the Lenta chain across the country, as well as Monetka shops, which are mainly concentrated in the city of Yekaterinburg, as well as in the Yugra, Perm, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen region.

CERT Poland blocks 140 mln attempts to access harmful websites in 2025
POLAND 11 MAR

CERT Poland blocks 140 mln attempts to access harmful websites in 2025

CERT Poland, the Computer Emergency Response Team at the national telecom institute NASK PIB, blocked 140 million attempts to access harmful websites in 2025. CERT also added some 250,000 internet domains to the Warning List and handled around 260,000 security incidents last year. It is one of three national Csirts in Poland and focuses on alerting consumers and small businesses of the latest threats, using channels such as SMS, the web and the myObywatel app. Since it was founded 30 years, the CERT has col

POLAND 11 MAR

Plus adds Samsung Galaxy S26 to smartphone range

Polish operator Polkomtel, trading under the Plus brand, has started sales of the Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphones in its shops. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G 12/256GB costs PLN 6,499, and the 12/512GB version is available for PLN 6,949. The Samsung Galaxy S26+ 12/256 GB costs PLN 5,599, and the 12/512GB version is offered for PLN 6,049, while the Galaxy S26 12/256 GB model is priced at PLN 4,499 and sells for PLN 4,949 for the 12/512 GB version.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11 MAR

Russia loses Express-AT1 satellite

Russian telecommunictions satellite Express-AT1, located at 56 degrees East, stopped working unexpectedly, reports Kommersant. Efforts at the state-owned satellite operator RSCC and the vendor Reshetnev to restore its functions have been unsuccessful. The launch of its replacement is not planned until 2030 when the satellite was expected to reach the end of its serviceable life.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11 MAR

MTS completes private LTE networks for coal miners

Russian operator MTS has deployed private LTE networks for four coal mining companies based in the east of Russia – in the Kransnoyarsk, Primorye, Trans-Baykal regions and Republic of Khakasia. The company Protei acted as the technological partner of the project.

POLAND 11 MAR

Orange Poland extends board directors for 3 years

Orange Poland announced that its supervisory board has reappointed Liudmila Climoc, Jacek Kowalski, Jacek Kunicki and Maciej Nowohonski as members of the management board of the company for new three-year terms. Climoc is the CEO of the operator and president of the management board, Kowalski is HR director, Kunicki is the CFO, and and Nowohonski is the board member in charge of the wholesale market and real estate.

POLAND 11 MAR

Plus starts sales of iPhone 17e

Polish operator Polkomtel, trading under the Plus brand, has started sales of the iPhone 17e smartphone in its shops. The device is available for sale under the installment programme Play Exchange, where customers pay over a 36-month contract and can upgrade their phone to a new model after 24 months. Under this programme, the iPhone 17e costs PLN 2,229 (PLN 299 initial payment and 24 monthly payments totaling PLN 83.33 each). 

SLOVAKIA 11 MAR

Redit adds 4 new TV channels

Slovak pay TV operator Redit, working in Central Slovakia, has added four TV channels from Music Box to its pay TV lineup, reports Zive. The list includes Music Box Classic, Music Box Hits, Music Box Sexy and Music Box Dance. The channels have been added to the XL and XXL packages from the operator.

BULGARIA 11 MAR

De-Cix acquires majority stake in Bulgarian internet exchange BIX.BG

Internet exchange operator De-Cix reports it has become a majority stakeholder in Bulgarian IX operator BIX.BG. Customers at BIX.BG will be able to continue using their existing services under the same conditions, and will also benefit from the introduction of new services on the IX. In addition, De-Cix plans to enhance the ecosystem in Sofia with further international networks from its global platform.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10 MAR

VK's Max app passes 100 mln users

Russian internet company VK said that the user base of its messaging app Max has surpassed 100 million. The daily audience of the messenger averages around 70 million, generating more than 1 billion messages and 28 million calls each day. 

BELARUS 10 MAR

MTS Belarus offers 6 months free in pay-TV promo

MTS Belarus has introduced a promotion for pay-TV subscribers signing up for the package MTS TV 50, including 50 channels, offering the service free for six months. The whole lineup from MTS TV includes more than 120 channels and five video services.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10 MAR

Russian telecom operators reduce capex in 2025

Capital expenditure by Russian operators Rostelecom, MTS and Megafon declined by 9-30 percent in 2025, reports Vedomosti. The investment dropped the most at Megafon, by 29.8 percent year-on-year to around 7.6 percent of the company's revenues (RUB 40 billion). Rostelecom reduced spending by 12 percent to RUB 158 billion (18 percent of revenues), and MTS' capital investment decreased by 8.9 percent to RUB 120.6 billion (15 percent of revenues). Beeline was the only major operator to report an increase in cap

UKRAINE 10 MAR

Beyond.pl to support AI development for Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation

Polish data centre and cloud services provider Beyond.pl has entered into a partnership with the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation. The company said it will provide computing power (GPUs) for training models powering government AI products. This will allow the ministry to train its systems in a secure, high-performance, and scalable artificial intelligence environment without the risk of data leakage.

POLAND 10 MAR

Polish govt adopts cybersecurity strategy

The Polish government has adopted the a national cybersecurity strategy. The document outlines the directions for the development of the country's digital security and strengthens the National Cybersecurity System (NCS). Its implementation is intended to increase Poland's resilience to cyber threats and improve the security of citizens, businesses, and public institutions.

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Background

6 MAR 16:00

The week in telecom: MWC brings 5G advances, AI and satellite integration, plus first robot phone

1 MAR 13:21

The week in telecoms: Paramount tops bidding for WBD, Samsung S26 kicks off MWC showcase

23 FEB 00:28

The week in telecoms: Liberty Global tackles cable vs fibre question, Orange promises dividends and MEA market goes wholesale

16 FEB 00:17

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