Yettel, One Hungary owners to swap stakes in network companies
HUNGARY 15:43

Yettel, One Hungary owners to swap stakes in network companies

4iG Group and E& PPF Telecom Group have agreed to work more closely in the infrastructure market. Through a cashless share swap, 4iG Telecommunications Holding aims to acquire up to a 49 percent stake in the wholesale infrastructure company Cetin Hungary. In return, E& PPF Telecom Group would receive a stake of up to 38 percent in 2Connect, the wholesale network arm owned by 4iG. These transactions remain subject to due diligence, final agreements, and regulatory approvals, with completion targeted by early

Ubigi taps Tripsora to expand distribution of eSIM travel connectivity
GLOBAL 15:36

Ubigi taps Tripsora to expand distribution of eSIM travel connectivity

Ubigi, a brand of NTT Group subsidiary Transatel, has launched a dedicated offer for users of Tripsora, an AI-powered travel planning platform developed by UK-based start-up Tripsora Capitals. The two partners have created a co-branded affiliate portal that is currently promoting an exclusive welcome bonus on Ubigi's eSIM prepaid plans for customers who make a travel booking via Tripsora. The bonus consists of 500 MB of data available in over 200 international destinations. In addition, the first purchase v

Vonage boosts API access for global developers
GLOBAL 15:35

Vonage boosts API access for global developers

Ericsson subsidiary Vonage is launching new initiatives to expand its developer community and help accelerate enterprise digital transformation worldwide. This includes the launch of Verified Workspace on the Postman API Network, giving over 40 million developers using Postman access to Vonage network APIs, communications APIs and developer tools. 

Live viewing accounts for 45% of UK TV set viewing in 2025 - Barb
UNITED KINGDOM 15:24

Live viewing accounts for 45% of UK TV set viewing in 2025 - Barb

Live viewing accounted for 45 percent of total identified viewing on TV sets in the UK in December 2025, according to the latest report from TV ratings agency Barb. The 'What People Watched in 2025' report shows that on-demand streaming - through broadcaster VoD services, streaming platforms or video-sharing sites - accounted for 38 percent viewing in 2025. A large proportion of viewing on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ (the UK's three biggest streaming platforms) in 2025 was of content available f

Ooredoo Qatar teams up with Dell on AI-as-a-service
QATAR 15:15

Ooredoo Qatar teams up with Dell on AI-as-a-service

Dell Technologies and Ooredoo Qatar have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make AI-as-a-Service available through Ooredoo's Sovereign AI Cloud. Powered by Dell, this service will offer organisations secure and scalable AI capabilities, hosted within a locally governed cloud infrastructure, to enable innovation and improve operational efficiency across industries.

Improved mobile coverage could add GBP 6.6 bln to UK economy - VodafoneThree
UNITED KINGDOM 15:14

Improved mobile coverage could add GBP 6.6 bln to UK economy - VodafoneThree

New research from VodafoneThree shows that improved mobile connectivity could deliver an annual GBP 6.6 billion boost to the UK economy after 10 years by supporting the creation of 49,000 new businesses. Just over three fifths (62%) of would-be start-up business founders say unreliable mobile connectivity has stopped from starting a new business in their local area. One third (33%) believe that improved mobile coverage would make their local area a more attractive place to set up a business; with one quarte

Humain backs xAI with USD 3 bln series E investment ahead of SpaceX merger
SAUDI ARABIA 15:12

Humain backs xAI with USD 3 bln series E investment ahead of SpaceX merger

Saudi AI firm Humain has announced a USD 3 billion investment in xAI as part of its series E financing round, which preceded xAI's acquisition by SpaceX in early February. XAI announced the completion of its series E round on 06 January, saying it had exceeded the USD 15 billion targeted round size and raised USD 20 billion. As a result of the Series E transaction, Humain became a significant minority shareholder in xAI, with its holdings subsequently converted into shares in SpaceX, according to Humain,

O2 UK launches new McAfee Protect Advanced package for families
UNITED KINGDOM 15:01

O2 UK launches new McAfee Protect Advanced package for families

Virgin Media O2 has announced the launch of McAfee Protect Advanced for O2 mobile customers, a family protection and security product for up to 10 devices. It has been developed exclusively for O2 customers and available through O2 Extras. It provides advanced features such as enhanced parental control, social privacy manager, anti-virus software and McAfee's Text Scam Detector.

IOCO expands cloud operations to Saudi Arabia with AWS
SAUDI ARABIA 15:01

IOCO expands cloud operations to Saudi Arabia with AWS

Specialist technology services provider iOCO, formerly EOH Holdings,has expanded its operations in Saudi Arabia, growing its cloud practice in the region through a partnership with Amazon Web Services.

iXAfrica and Zenlayer offer cloud services to support East African market operations
KENYA 14:52

iXAfrica and Zenlayer offer cloud services to support East African market operations

IXAfrica Data Centre (iXAfrica) has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zenlayer to offer digital infrastructure to customers operating in or expanding into East Africa. They will leverage iXAfrica's NBOX1 campus in Nairobi alongside Zenlayer's global edge cloud and connectivity platform to offer enterprises, cloud providers and digital infrastructure customers better interconnection options, deployment flexibility and optimised performance for latency-sensitive workloads. Focus areas of the

TIM, Microsoft sign AI and cloud-focused digital transformation deal
ITALY 14:40

TIM, Microsoft sign AI and cloud-focused digital transformation deal

Telecom Italia (TIM) and Microsoft have signed an agreement to advance Italy's digital transformation through a number of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity initiatives. The partners said they intend to design and deploy joint digital services tailored to Italian businesses and public institutions, supporting large-scale adoption of the latest technologies.

Comesa watchdog probes Meta over WhatsApp AI terms
AFRICA 14:40

Comesa watchdog probes Meta over WhatsApp AI terms

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC) has formally launched an investigation into Meta Platforms Ireland over claims that the company is abusing its dominant position in the bloc. In its notice of investigation, the Comesa watchdog targets changes Meta made to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms in October 2025 that block third party AI providers from using the WhatsApp Business API. CCCC says Meta amended its terms on 15 October 2025 without

ITALY 14:33

Open Fiber brings FTTH to Pisa localities

Italian wholesale-only operator Open Fiber said it has completed the cabling of its FTTH infrastructure in three municipalities in the province of Pisa (Tuscany) after rolling out over 42km of cables. A total of 2,500 homes, commercial premises and offices have been connected to the fibre network in Calcinaia, Buti, and Santa Maria a Monte, allowing residents and businesses to access the internet at gigabit speeds via operator partners.

OMAN 14:31

Omani regulator conducts trials for Starlink services in rural areas

Oman's Telecommunication Regulatory Authority has announced trials of Starlink aimed at providing services in rural areas and said there has been good demand, especially from institutions such as schools, the Daily Observer reported. The 50 government schools now have access to high-speed internet via Starlink satellites.

GLOBAL 14:22

Ericsson teams with Mistral AI to deliver AI-assisted telecoms R&D capacity

Ericsson has announced an R&D partnership with Mistral AI, a French company specialising in open source foundational models for agentic and language-driven intelligence. The collaboration targets high-impact telecoms R&D use cases enhanced by AI agents tailored to Ericsson's data and engineering environments. It also aims to embed these agents closer to data sources, facilitating faster decision-making in product development and deployment.

GERMANY 14:19

Deutsche Telekom to introduce Magenta Security Mobile.ID platform for Samsung smartphones in summer

Deutsche Telekom plans to launch this summer the platform to protect sensitive information on the smartphones, called Magenta Security Mobile.ID, developed for Samsung's smartphones. The platform, practically a chip in the device, will be available for business customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH region), first. The chip, underpinned by a so-called Secure Element, stores sensitive information, keys, certificates, and ID cards. Users can use the digital ID to unlock the information in the ch

EUROPE 14:12

Scaleway expands quantum-as-a-service offering with Austria's AQT

Iliad's cloud subsidiary Scaleway has announced a new partnership with Alpine Quantum Technologies (AQT), an Austria-based company specialising in quantum computing based on trapped ions. The collaboration concerns AQT's cloud-accessible quantum computer, named Ibex Q1, which operates from the company's headquarters in Innsbruck and can be accessed via the Qiskit, Cirq and PennyLane packages. Scaleway's cloud infrastructure can now act as a bridge, allowing customers to run Qiskit circuits directly on AQT's

EUROPE 14:11

Orange Business wins IaaS contract from Tieto

Orange Business has secured a new contract for its Cloud Avenue IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) portfolio as part of a framework agreement with software and digital engineering group Tieto. The contract aims to support Tieto's activities in the Nordic region and expansion plans in Europe, with a gradual transition to Cloud Avenue infrastructure and managed services under a roadmap spanning around two years. During this period, Tieto will seek to achieve more efficient IT systems through standardised oper

GLOBAL 14:00

Qvantel to present fruits of Optiva merger at MWC 2026

Qvantel will introduce its expanded BSS and monetisation suite at Mobile World Congress 2026, integrating enhanced agentic AI capabilities having completed its acquisition of fellow vendor Optiva. The upgraded Qvantel Flex Suite aims to deliver agile, end-to-end BSS functions, while drawing on intelligent features including GenAI-powered agents. AI agents in Qvantel Flex Suite include pre-made programmes for self-service, cataloguing, operations and B2B sales. Alternatively, operators can utilise the Qvante

UNITED STATES 13:57

FCC to permit all-broadband 900 MHz licences supplanting narrowband land radio

The US FCC has adopted new rules designed to unlock higher bandwidth in 900 MHz frequencies allocated to enterprise use cases including utilities and critical infrastructure. The regulatory update allows for the 10 MHz allocation, spread across 896-901 MHz and 935- 940 MHz ranges, to be deployed differently on a county-by-county basis, potentially opening up all of this spectrum in some markets for broadband wireless services, such as private LTE and 5G networks. Since 2020, the US 900 MHz band has been tra

EUROPE 13:55

Accelleran and Firecell agree merger to introduce EU-sovereign private 5G offer

Accelleran is preparing to merge with fellow private 5G vendor Firecell in a bid to forge a pan-European powerhouse serving private cellular-enabled industrial plants and enterprises. Existing product lines from Firecell and Accelleran will remain supported following deal closing, with Firecell's current CEO Claude Seyrat staying in post to lead the merged entity going forward. The merger is supported by a EUR 7.9 million investment round led by existing investors in the French and Belgian vendors, Matterwa

SPAIN 13:43

Spanish mobile lines top 63 mln in December, users port 497K numbers

A total of 497,164 mobile numbers were ported in Spain in December 2025, up 4.5 percent year on year, according to the latest mobile sector data from the CNMC that complements the regulator's fixed segment update. December saw the total number of active mobile (voice, internet) lines rise by over 1.5 million year on year to 63.0 million, with M2M lines more than doubling to 40.6 million.

GLOBAL 13:43

Broadband Forum says User Services Platform reference code becomes available in prplWare and RDK-B firmware

Broadband Forum (BBF) announced that the reference stack for embedding its user services platform (USP) tool into customer premises equipment has been introduced by two leading open source broadband middleware providers. The Open Broadband USP Agent (OBUSPA) has been integrated with the RDK-B software kit and prpl Foundation's prplWare. PrplWare 4.1 includes support for OBUSPA version 10.0.6, with the latest reference iteration scheduled to roll out in April alongside prplWare 5.0. Operators using RDK-B cur

UNITED STATES 13:40

Ericsson asks Delaware court to set aside Acer 4G and 5G patent claims

Ericsson has sued Acer in Delaware's district court in a bid to dismiss Acer's accusation that US operators breached 4G and 5G patents by deploying Ericsson's mobile site equipment, reports Reuters. The case is named Ericsson Inc vs Acer Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, No. 1:26-cv-00176.

Just In

15:43

Yettel, One Hungary owners to swap stakes in network companies

15:36

Ubigi taps Tripsora to expand distribution of eSIM travel connectivity

15:35

Vonage boosts API access for global developers

15:24

Live viewing accounts for 45% of UK TV set viewing in 2025 - Barb

Commentary

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

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

Background

16 FEB 00:17

The week in telecoms: Cisco rides AI investment wave and European telcos invest in South America

9 FEB 01:54

The week in telecoms: hyperscalers vie for capex crown, Telenor and Vodafone profit from smaller footprints

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