Fairphone updates Gen 6 phone with more memory, new processor
GLOBAL 12:56

Fairphone updates Gen 6 phone with more memory, new processor

Fairphone has updated its Gen 6 model released a year ago. It comes with extra memory, at 12 GB for the first time on a Fairphone, the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor and Android 16. The Fairphone (Gen. 6+) is priced at EUR 649, slightly more than the previous model, and also comes with a dozen replaceable parts, a five-year warranty, and software updates at least until 2033.

Ericsson and MediaTek test achieves decimetre-level positioning accuracy over commercial 5G network
GLOBAL 12:06

Ericsson and MediaTek test achieves decimetre-level positioning accuracy over commercial 5G network

Ericsson said it achieved decimetre-level accuracy in a high-precision outdoor positioning test with MediaTek. Using standardised 3GPP technology for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real-Time Kinematic (RTK), they demonstrated positioning accuracy down to tens of centimetres over a commercial 5G network. Validation was performed using MediaTek's latest 5G modem technology, capable of live processing of advanced GNSS corrections with optimised power efficiency.

Xiaomi smartphone revenues fall 7.5% in Q2 as higher prices help offset over quarter lower volumes
GLOBAL 11:12

Xiaomi smartphone revenues fall 7.5% in Q2 as higher prices help offset over quarter lower volumes

Xiaomi shipped fewer smartphones in the second quarter, as the memory chip shortage pushed up prices and reduced demand for its low-cost phones. Total shipments reached 31.2 million, down from 33.8 million in the first quarter of 2026 and 26.5 percent less than in the same period of 2025. While the company is expanding in the EV market to help diversify its income, its total revenue for the quarter was still down 6.1 percent year-on-year to CNY 108.9 billion, and the net profit fell 20.3 percent to CNY 9.5

Google plans to shift all Pixel manufacturing out of China in 2027 - report
GLOBAL 10:37

Google plans to shift all Pixel manufacturing out of China in 2027 - report

Google has told suppliers that it plans to have all of its Pixel smartphones, watches and wireless earbuds produced outside of China from 2027, according to the Nikkei Asia, citing sources familiar with the matter. The newspaper said Google did not respond to its request for comment. Its report said Google has been "aggressively" expanding capacity in Vietnam and India to lower its dependency on China in recent years but a "significant" portion of output continues there.

KDDI, Docomo and Rakuten Mobile set to launch arrows Alpha2
JAPAN 07:00

KDDI, Docomo and Rakuten Mobile set to launch arrows Alpha2

KDDI, NTT Docomo and Rakuten Mobile are set to launch FCNT's arrows Alpha2 smartphone in Japan on 27 August, with the operators offering different purchase incentives for the rugged handset. KDDI will sell the Alpha2 through its au Flex Style SIM-free smartphone brand from 27 August, offering customers up to JPY 10,000 in incentives through two launch campaigns. Customers who pre-register and purchase can receive a JPY 5,000 Amazon gift card, while a separate campaign offers the first 20,000 eligible purcha

NTT Docomo to launch Google Pixel 11 range and Pixel Watch 5
JAPAN 06:11

NTT Docomo to launch Google Pixel 11 range and Pixel Watch 5

NTT Docomo will launch the Google Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Google Pixel Watch 5 in Japan on 20 August, with pre-orders for the smartphones having opened on 13 August. The smartphones are designed around Google's Gemini Intelligence, while the Pixel 11 Pro models feature up to 120x zoom. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is around 1mm thinner and 10% lighter than its predecessor, with Docomo also highlighting a new hinge and increased device strength.

Geological survey company Kazakhmys Barlau to adopt Samsung mobile devices for field work
KAZAKHSTAN 17 AUG

Geological survey company Kazakhmys Barlau to adopt Samsung mobile devices for field work

Samsung Electronics Central Eurasia (SECE) and Kazakhmys Barlau, a Kazakhstan mineral exploration and geological survey company, have agreed to collaborate on digitising field production processes. The companies plan to combine Kazakhmys Barlau's experience in automating geological exploration with Samsung's mobile technologies. The goal is to simplify the work of employees at production sites, reduce manual tasks, and speed up data exchange.

Ooredoo Kuwait offers 3 months free with new Huawei Pura 90 phones
KUWAIT 17 AUG

Ooredoo Kuwait offers 3 months free with new Huawei Pura 90 phones

Ooredoo Kuwait announced it has launched Huawei's latest flagship Pura 90 series smartphones, pairing the devices with a limited-time "3 Months Free" promotion. Under the offer, subscribers receive complimentary device installments for three months, generous mobile data and talk benefits, and a free pair of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 earbuds.

Telia Finland sells 30% more watch phones in H1
FINLAND 17 AUG

Telia Finland sells 30% more watch phones in H1

Telia Finland said its sales of watch phones grew by 30 percent during the first half of 2026 compared with H1 2025, although it did not specify how many units it had sold. A few years ago, a child's first mobile device was typically a smartphone, but now almost half of first-year pupils wear a watch phone on their wrist, said Telia. More than a quarter of parents are more critical of their children's use of smartphones than they were a year ago.

Samsung starts sales of new foldable smartphones in Ukraine
UKRAINE 17 AUG

Samsung starts sales of new foldable smartphones in Ukraine

Samsung Electronics Ukraine has started sales of the Galaxy Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and  Watch9 smartwatches in its Samsung Experience Store shops, on the online shop, as well as in shops of its partners. Customers buying the foldable smartphones are offered free access for six months to Google AI Pro, which includes 5 TB data storage. That represents a total savings of UAH 5,495.94. The watches also come with a 60-day trial of Strava and two months of iF

iPhone 18 Pro BOM cost set to rise 38% as memory prices surge - TrendForce
GLOBAL 17 AUG

iPhone 18 Pro BOM cost set to rise 38% as memory prices surge - TrendForce

The bill of materials (BOM) cost of Apple's 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro is expected to increase by around 38 percent year-on-year, driven primarily by rising memory prices, according to analysts TrendForce. Memory accounted for around 10 percent of the BOM cost of the 256 GB iPhone Pro a year ago, but its share has risen to approximately 34 percent in the third quarter of 2026 and is expected to exceed 40 percent in the first half of 2027. Memory has overtaken the application processor and display as the main cost

Smith Micro brings SafePath to consumer app stores
GLOBAL 14 AUG

Smith Micro brings SafePath to consumer app stores

Smith Micro Software has launched an app store edition of its family controls and safety suite tailored to mobile handsets and other consumer devices. Dubbed SafePath Connect, the product is designed to be listed on various app stores on a standalone basis while delivering similar features to the white-label SafePath distribution, which tends to be deployed via MNOs. Key features include real-time location services, parental controls and screen time thresholds.

KAZAKHSTAN 14 AUG

Huawei starts selling Pura90s smartphones in Kazakhstan

Huawei has introduced its Huawei Pura90s flagship smartphone line to customers in Kazakhstan, reports Profit.kz. The range includes the Pura90s Pro and Pura90s Pro Max models. They will go on sale from 14 August at the Huawei Official Store in Almaty and from Huawei official partners. Prices will start at KZT 399,990. 

POLAND 14 AUG

T-Mobile Poland, Play open orders for new Google Pixel smartphone models

T-Mobile Poland has started accepting reservations for Google's new Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL smartphones. The price of the Google Pixel 11 5G 12/256 GB is PLN 3,749 while the Pixel 11 Pro 5G 16/256 GB costs PLN 4,499. The Pixel 11 Pro XL 5G 16/256 GB is available for PLN 5,149 and the Pixel 11 Pro XL 5G 16/512 GB is being offered for PLN 5,699. Items ordered in advance will start being dispatched on 20 August. Delivery is scheduled for the next business day.

INDIA 14 AUG

Realme launches 16x 5G smartphone with 7000mAh battery

Realme has launched the realme 16x 5G smartphone in India. The device features a 7000mAh Titan Battery, 45W Supervooc Fast Charge, and 144Hz display. The realme 16x 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G chipset built on a 6nm process, with up to 18GB Dynamic RAM and up to 256GB storage.

UNITED KINGDOM 13 AUG

UK mobile operators accept pre-orders for Google Pixel 11 series

UK mobile operators are accepting pre-orders for the new Google Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold smartphones. Vodafone UK customers can save up to GBP 1,574 with the Pixel 11 Pro, up to GBP 1,316 on the Pixel 11, up to GBP 1,948 on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, or up to GBP 1,804 on the Pixel 11 Pro XL - when trading in an eligible handset. The Pixel 11 is available from GBP 19.16 per month; the Pixel 11 Pro from GBP 15.92 per month; the Pixel 11 Pro XL from GBP 10.83 per month; and th

CHINA 13 AUG

Honor rolls out Robot Phone with integrated gimbal for smoother pictures

Honor is ready to launch its phone camera evolution that deploys a miniature motorised gimbal integrated into the handset itself. Following a presentation at 2026's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Honor Robot Phone is now a commercial reality, with domestic pre-orders under way and the full launch on 18 August. The 12 GB + 512 GB model costs CNY 9,999 while the 16 GB + 1 TB unit is priced at CNY 12,999.

GLOBAL 13 AUG

GSMA starts device recycling scheme with Closing the Loop and RGX

GSMA Industry Services has announced the introduction of GSMA Circularity Services to help mobile operators and sector partners to extend the life of mobile devices, reduce electronic waste and extract more value from existing assets. The services have been developed with commercial partners Closing the Loop and Recycle Global Exchange (RGX). GSMA Circularity Services provides contact with trusted partners and proven methods to enable the recovery, reuse, refurbishment and responsible recycling of ICT asset

JAPAN 13 AUG

KDDI, Rakuten start Pixel 11 offers

Japanese operator KDDI confirmed the new Google Pixel 11 smartphones will be available from 20 August in the country. Its au subscribers can receive six months free on a Google AI Pro subscription if they buy one of the Pixel 11 Pro models, and receive 20 percent cashback in Ponta points after that if they continue the subscription, reducing the effective monthly fee to JPY 1,980.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 13 AUG

Korean regulator delays decision on Apple, Google app store fines

The Korea Communications Commission has put off a final decision on penalties against Apple and Google for violating the telecoms law with their commissions on app store purchases by iOS and Android users. At its latest meeting 12 August the regulator heard arguments from the companies in its investigation, but said it would not decide on penalties for the violations until an unspecified later date. 

GLOBAL 13 AUG

Lenovo revenue growth jumps to 43% in Q1 as server turnover doubles

Lenovo recorded a strong start to its fiscal year, with revenues in the three months to June up 43 percent year-on-year to USD 26.94 billion. Sales at the company's server division nearly doubled, and smartphone and PC sales also grew in double digits. Adjusted operating profit jumped to USD 1.52 billion from USD 631 million a year ago, while the net result was a loss of USD 609 million, hurt by a writedown of USD 1.69 billion on the value of warrants issued last year.

GLOBAL 12 AUG

Google updates Pixel range with increase in phone prices, predictive health on smartwatch

Google has unveiled its updated range of Pixel smartphones as well as introduced a new Pixel smartwatch with predictive health functions and its own Pixel Tag tracker. Powered by the new Google Tensor G6 processor, the Pixel 11 smartphone range costs USD 100 more than last year's models, starting at USD 899 for the Pixel 11 and going up to USD 1,899 for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. During the pre-order period in August Google is offering up to USD 1,000 off with trade-ins and its new Pixel Watch 5 discounted or f

MIDDLE EAST 12 AUG

Middle East smartphone market contracts 19% in Q2 as vendors prioritize profitability

Middle East smartphone shipments (excluding Turkey) fell 19 percent year-on-year to 10.6 million units in Q2, the region's sharpest decline since Q4 2025, according to Omdia's latest research. Rising device prices, persistent supply constraints, and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty led vendors to prioritize unit profitability over sheer volume. Concurrently, regional retailers adopted cautious inventory strategies to mitigate softening consumer confidence.

INDIA 12 AUG

India smartphone shipments plunge 11% in Q2 on memory chip shortage

India's smartphone market declined 11.1 percent year-on-year to 33.2 million units in the second quarter of 2026, as the ongoing global memory chip shortage kept component costs elevated and squeezed affordability across price bands, according to a report from IDC. Shipments fell to 64.2 million units in the first half of 2026, which represents a decline of 7.9 percent year-on-year. The report also shows this is the lowest first-half volume in five years, even as market value grew 3.6 percent year-on-year.

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Angola Telecom achieves strong improvement in profitability in 2025

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Background

16 AUG 23:57

The week in telecom: Lenovo and Cisco profit from AI-driven demand in Q2, Google updates Pixels and reaches 1 bln Gemini users

9 AUG 23:44

The week in telecom: Starlink's mobile ambitions and LEO challengers, plus Hollywood studios try streaming shorts and sports

2 AUG 23:37

The week in telecom: Telcos resist economic slowdown in Q2 while big tech gears up for more AI investment

26 JUL 23:19

The week in telecom: Samsung works on foldable challenge, US telcos try FMC