FiberCop acquires Genoa and Padua properties
ITALY 6 FEB

FiberCop acquires Genoa and Padua properties

Italian wholesale operator FiberCop has announced the acquisition of two strategic properties located in the northern cities of Genoa and Padua from Central Sicaf, a company owned by Covivio. The buildings already serve as operational sites for FiberCop and are two of the main Points of Presence (PoPs) of the operator's national telecommunications backbone.

ATIS introduces open fibre access specifications programme
UNITED STATES 6 FEB

ATIS introduces open fibre access specifications programme

ATIS, North America's 3GPP partner organisation, is launching a new programme to deliver a unified specification for open access fibre builds. The Open Access Network Forum (OANF) provides a collaborative field for ISPs, technology partners and suppliers of open access infrastructure. It aims to foster viable operating models and technical architectures to underpin scale-up of open access fibre in North American markets, while staying abreast of regulatory considerations.

Ribbon just misses FY target as project delays hurt Q4 revenues
GLOBAL 6 FEB

Ribbon just misses FY target as project delays hurt Q4 revenues

Ribbon Communications fell just short of its revised FY sales target of USD 847-867 million, as multiple customer and project delays impeded its Q4 intake. Annual revenues grew 1.3 percent to USD 845 million, but Q4 sales finished 9.6 percent lower at USD 227 million. The company was profitable in both reporting periods, generating a net income of USD 40 million in FY25, and USD 89 million in Q4. The FY result marks a turnaround from Ribbon's USD 54 million net loss in 2024, while Q4 profits were sharply hi

Bertinetti named Retelit COO
ITALY 6 FEB

Bertinetti named Retelit COO

Italian B2B-focused fibre provider Retelit, owned by Spanish infrastructure fund Asterion Industrial Partners, has announced the appointment of Guido Bertinetti as its Chief Operating Officer, tasked with bringing recent investments to full operational capacity, while expanding and strengthening the company's network and data centre infrastructure to enable the widespread adoption of AI and other technologies.

Swiss Fibre Net opens up fibre network in Kirchberg with Salt, Sunrise
SWITZERLAND 6 FEB

Swiss Fibre Net opens up fibre network in Kirchberg with Salt, Sunrise

Swiss Fibre Net (SFN) is partnering with Salt, Sunrise, and public utility EnerCom to open up the fibre-optic network in the town of Kirchberg in the canton of Bern. The company has activated more than 2,800 connections so far. This means that approximately 95 percent of the population has access to FTTH access, which will be further expanded in the coming years.

ETB and DirecTV exploring Colombia pay-TV alliance
COLOMBIA 6 FEB

ETB and DirecTV exploring Colombia pay-TV alliance

Colombian operator Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogota (ETB) said it has formally informed competition regulator SIC of a possible commercial partnership with DirecTV for the provision of television services. The aim is to respond to the transformation in audiovisual consumption patterns by marketing a convergent service including ETB's fixed broadband and DirecTV's pay-TV offering, said the companies.

Malawi telecom firms restore services after flooding crisis
MALAWI 6 FEB

Malawi telecom firms restore services after flooding crisis

Malawi's telecom services have been fully restored after being disrupted due to extensive damage caused by heavy rainfall in the southern and central regions during December 2025 and early January. The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) activated the Emergency Telecommunications Operations Centre (ETOC) to coordinate disaster response and ensure uninterrupted telecommunications services nationwide. ETOC brings together telecom operators, ESCOM, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (

Italy to create EUR 700 mln fund to complete gigabit fibre plan
ITALY 6 FEB

Italy to create EUR 700 mln fund to complete gigabit fibre plan

The Department for Digital Transformation of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and investment agency Invitalia have signed an agreement to boost to the deployment of ultra-broadband infrastructure in Italy via the newly-created National Connectivity Fund. The facility has a budget of EUR 733 million to ensure the grey area objectives of the 'Italia a 1 Giga' project are fully met.

Openreach warns over 500,000 businesses still relying on PSTN network
UNITED KINGDOM 5 FEB

Openreach warns over 500,000 businesses still relying on PSTN network

Openreach is warning that that over 500,000 UK businesses have still not migrated to digital IP services, less than 12 months before the PSTN network is switched-off permanently by end-January 2027. With Openreach set to double prices for legacy phone services by October 2026, it is calling on businesses to test and migrate services now, or risk failing equipment and loss of service.

EU publishes cable security toolbox, with new funding for rapid repairs
EUROPE 5 FEB

EU publishes cable security toolbox, with new funding for rapid repairs

The European Union is moving ahead with measures to protect submarine data cables. A new 'Cable Security Toolbox' outlines recommendations for increased security, and several areas around Europe have been named 'Cable Projects of European Interest' (CPEIs) so they qualify for additional public funding in the period to 2040. The existing Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) - Digital Work Programme will allocate EUR 347 million in funding over the next two years already to help increase resilience of the critica

NBI connects over 164,000 premises to rural fibre network
IRELAND 5 FEB

NBI connects over 164,000 premises to rural fibre network

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has now connected over 164,000 premises across Ireland as the National Broadband Plan (NBP) rural network roll-out enters its final phase. The last quarterly update for the contract year to 31 January 2026 shows that all surveying and design work is now complete, with 82 percent of the entire NBP network built and available for connection. NBI is now building the remaining network, which will be completed in 2026.

Telus activates new North Shore submarine cable network
CANADA 5 FEB

Telus activates new North Shore submarine cable network

Telus has completed and activated the new 125-km North Shore submarine cable connecting Sept-Iles to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, and laid in the seabed of the St Lawrence River. The project involved a joint investment of over CAD 20 million by Telus and the Canadian government. The cable will help boost connectivity for communities east of Baie-Comeau (city in the Cote-Nord region of Quebec), according to Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development - supporting the federal government's ambition of

COLOMBIA 5 FEB

Claro Colombia invests COP 30 bln in Barranquilla 5G and fibre drive

Claro Colombia (America Movil) said it invested COP 30 billion in 2025 to expand and upgrade its technological infrastructure in Barranquilla, the capital of Colombia's northern Atlántico Department. The initiative resulted in a 73 percent rise in fibre-optic connections to 57,000 thanks to an additional 503 kilometres of cables, allowing customers to access download speeds of up to 900 Mbps.

UNITED STATES 5 FEB

IQ Fiber appoints new Chief Operating Officer

IQ Fiber, Florida-based fibre broadband services provider, has appointed Doug Guthrie to the newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), reporting to CEO Ted Schremp. Guthrie has around 40 years of telecoms industry experience, most recently as VP of Systems Operations for Cable One. Schremp said his appointment strengthens IQ Fiber's leadership team as it continues to expand across the Southwest and Mid-Atlantic region. 

UNITED KINGDOM 5 FEB

Safe digging platform LSBUD registers over 4 mln searches in 2025

LSBUD, UK online safe digging platform, registered a record over 4 million searches in 2025, up 6 percent from 2024. LSBUD has asset records over more than 170 members, including underground and overhead cables and pipelines. It also recorded over 10 million individual interactions with member assets in 2025. Richard Broome, managing director, said this was a "major achievement" for LSBUD as it becomes a trusted service for "safer, smarter digging".

BELGIUM 5 FEB

Proximus wins court ruling over Telenet 'fiber' marketing

Telenet must stop advertising its broadband offers with the terms fiber, fibre or glasvezel, according to a ruling from the Antwerp commercial court reported by Belga news agency. The case was brought by rival Proximus, which is the main FTTH provider in the country. 

UNITED STATES 5 FEB

GFiber to offer mesh Wi-Fi 7 router in 3 Gbps, 8 Gbps service plans

GFiber has provided further details of a new Wi-Fi 7 mesh router that will be supplied to customers on its 3 Gbps and 8 Gbps price tiers as standard. The Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 7 Router will be included with Home 3 Gig and Edge 8 Gig plans as standard, helping deliver better speeds throughout customer premises.

UNITED STATES 5 FEB

Crown Castle to cut 20% of workforce in new cost-cutting drive

Crown Castle announced plans for a new round of job cuts, ahead of the sale of its fibre business in the first half and amid falling revenues from its towers activities. The company forecasts another 5 percent fall in site rental income this year, the same as the reported drop in 2025, but AFFO should stabilise, helped by the restructuring and lower interest expense after the divestment.

ITALY 5 FEB

Open Fiber activates FTTH in Tuscan locality of Montecarlo

Italian wholesale-only operator Open Fiber said it has completed the cabling of its FTTH infrastructure in Montecarlo, a locality in the northern Tuscany region. A total of 2,208 homes, commercial premises and offices have been connected to the fibre network, allowing residents and businesses to access the internet at gigabit speeds via operator partners.

ITALY 5 FEB

Arelion connects Rome's Fiumicino and Ciampino airports

Arelion has installed new high-performance IP transit services in Rome's Fiumicino and Ciampino airports, operated by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR). The deployment will deliver secure, low-latency connectivity designed to meet the digital demands of airport operations, staff and travellers, backed by guaranteed service-level performance, said the company.

DJIBOUTI 5 FEB

Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom and Sudatel sign pact on cross-border fibre links

Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom and Sudatel Group have signed a tripartite agreement to implement the Horizon Fibre initiative, a strategic project aimed at establishing a high-capacity cross-border optical fibre infrastructure in their region. The agreement establishes a resilient terrestrial fibre corridor connecting the international submarine cable landing stations in Djibouti, traversing Ethiopia, and extending onward to Sudan's landing stations. This new route creates a scalable, secure and diversifie

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 4 FEB

Rostelecom expands fibre networks in Altay, Amur regions

Russian national operator Rostelecom connected more than 30,000 households to its broadband and other digital services in the Altay region in 2025. The operator said it deployed fibre-optic networks in 34 villages, and more than 5,200 households were also connected in cities and towns. Broadband subscribers at the operator totaled 247,000 households in the region at the beginning of this year.

UNITED STATES 4 FEB

AT&T ties up with AWS and Amazon Leo for cloud workloads, data centre fibre and satellite connectivity

AT&T, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Amazon Leo announced plans to work together, combining AT&T's fibre network with the capabilities of AWS. They aim to improve cloud workload management, data centre connectivity using fibre, and broadband connectivity with satellite support from Amazon Leo. More information will be provided at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in March.

ITALY 4 FEB

TIM upgrades 5G and network capacity for Milano Cortina 2026 Games

Telecom Italia (TIM) said it has upgraded its fixed and mobile networks across key venues, mountain resorts and transport routes for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, aiming to provide high-speed connectivity during the event and leave a lasting digital legacy. As the Games' Official Telecommunications Partner, TIM said it will deliver advanced 5G and ultra-broadband coverage at competition sites, key facilities and along more than 1,300 km of connecting routes.

Just In

6 FEB 14:20

VodafoneThree comes 6th in UK Top Employers list

6 FEB 14:17

Dhiraagu partners with Medianet to introduce MTV Mobile streaming

6 FEB 14:13

Voxi, EE named best mobile, broadband providers by Uswitch

6 FEB 14:12

Macra board assumes office after orientation programme

Commentary

2 FEB 13:49

KPN results show little bother from the competition

2 JAN 13:21

Open Dutch Fiber's new management team takes up turnaround challenge

15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

8 DEC 2025 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

Background

2 FEB 00:45

The week in telecoms: Verizon sparks fears of US price war, Apple beats Samsung in Q4, Telekom ramps up fibre marketing

26 JAN 00:31

The week in telecoms: Netflix and Ericsson all about cash, EU sketches out rip-and-replace and copper transition plans

22 JAN 14:28

Netflix can spend more on content and still improve its margin

19 JAN 00:42

The week in telecom: Apple holds on to smartphone crown, Ericsson slims down and CommScope changes name