UK fibre altnets reach 19.7 million premises at end-2025
UNITED KINGDOM 16:10

UK fibre altnets reach 19.7 million premises at end-2025

The fibre network coverage of UK altnets reached 19.7 million premises by end-2025, up 20 percent year-on-year, according to the latest annual report from the Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA). The report was prepared for INCA by Point Topic and Assembly Research. The number of altnet fibre premises in Ofcom's Area 3 increased by 20 percent to 4.4 million, with altnets now having delivered full-fibre connectivity to 46 percent of UK premises in harder-to-reach rural areas.

UK-wide gigabit connectivity could deliver GBP 8.6 bln economic boost - FarrPoint
UNITED KINGDOM 15:59

UK-wide gigabit connectivity could deliver GBP 8.6 bln economic boost - FarrPoint

New research from Edinburgh-based consultancy FarrPoint shows that the UK economy could get a boost of over GBP 8.6 billion if gigabit-capable broadband connectivity was made available to all premises currently without access. The report shows that widespread gigabit connectivity availability across the UK could support more than 13,000 businesses, and help to create/support over 156,000 jobs. The largest single benefit would be a GBP 4.8 billion increase in land values, reflecting the impact of digital inf

Entel tops Chile mobile network experience ranking
CHILE 14:56

Entel tops Chile mobile network experience ranking

Chilean operator Entel continued offering the best mobile network experience in the country, topping most of the rankings following a survey carried out by Opensignal over a 90-day period ending in December 2025. The analysis saw Entel take 11 outright wins and one joint victory across OpenSignal's overall experience, 5G experience, coverage and consistency rankings.

Ireland ends Q4 with 1.05 million FTTP subscriber lines - ComReg
IRELAND 14:40

Ireland ends Q4 with 1.05 million FTTP subscriber lines - ComReg

The number of FTTP subscriber lines in Ireland reached 1.05 million at end-Q4 2025, to account for 59 percent of all fixed broadband subscriber lines, according to the latest quarterly market report from regulator ComReg. Total fixed broadband subscriber lines reached 1.76 million, up 4 percent from the year-earlier quarter. FTTP broadband is available 84 percent of all premises in Ireland; with gigabit broadband available to 90 percent of premises.

VMO2 research shows home internet access vital for education
UNITED KINGDOM 14:24

VMO2 research shows home internet access vital for education

​New research from Virgin Media O2 shows that home connectivity is no longer optional for parents as internet access becomes essential for exam preparation. The majority (80%) of parents say internet connectivity is now more important for their children's education than two years ago; with almost three quarters (73%) saying connectivity is as vital as textbooks once were; and over two thirds (68%) saying their children would fall behind without home internet access. 

Globe is Philippines' most consistent mobile and fixed network - Ookla
PHILIPPINES 07:48

Globe is Philippines' most consistent mobile and fixed network - Ookla

Globe Telecom has the most consistent mobile and fixed network, and the widest 5G coverage in the Philippines in the second half of 2025, according to a report from Ookla. The analysis of millions of user-initiated Speedtest results confirms that Globe's infrastructure delivers a consistent Quality of Service for Filipinos. Globe achieved a Mobile Consistency Score of 87.51 percent for the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

Optical interconnects set to expand in AI data centres - TrendForce
GLOBAL 05:50

Optical interconnects set to expand in AI data centres - TrendForce

Optical interconnect technologies are expected to play an increasing role in AI infrastructure as data centre clusters grow larger and demand higher bandwidth, according to research from TrendForce. Next-generation AI computing architectures, including those being developed by Nvidia, are placing greater emphasis on high-density chip-to-chip connectivity and faster data transmission. These requirements are influencing both intra-rack interconnects and large-scale links between racks in AI data centres.

Smart delivers best mobile video experience in Philippines - Ookla
PHILIPPINES 11 MRT

Smart delivers best mobile video experience in Philippines - Ookla

Smart Communications offers the Best Mobile Video Experience in Philippines, according to a report from Ookla. This award is based on the evaluation of three key performance metrics, including acceptable video start time, uninterrupted playback, and full HD resolution, Smart added.

Global broadband access equipment revenue rises 2% in Q4 - Dell'Oro
GLOBAL 11 MRT

Global broadband access equipment revenue rises 2% in Q4 - Dell'Oro

Global broadband access equipment revenue reached USD 4.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 7 percent sequentially and 2 percent year on year, according to Dell'Oro Group's 'Broadband Access and Home Networking' quarterly report. The spending acceleration in Q4 was not enough to push 2025 into positive year-on-year growth but Dell'Oro says it was an early sign that 2026 should be strong. VP Jeff Heynen said 2025 was the last of three years of reduced operator spending, as service providers prioritis

Portuguese home broadband penetration passes 90% in 2025, over 72% on fibre
PORTUGAL 11 MRT

Portuguese home broadband penetration passes 90% in 2025, over 72% on fibre

Home broadband penetration in Portugal improved by 2 percentage points in 2025 to 90.6 percent of households, according to the latest figures from Anacom. Around 100,000 new subscribers were added during the year, increasing the base by 2.1 percent to 4.8 million connections. Over seven in ten households (72.2%) were on a fibre connection (FTTH/B), up 3.3 percentage points from 2024. That's an increase of 230,000 fibre subscribers in 12 months. 

AMTA calls for national overhaul of Australia's telecoms planning framework
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

AMTA calls for national overhaul of Australia's telecoms planning framework

A report by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has called for reforms to modernise Australia's telecommunications regulatory framework to accelerate mobile infrastructure deployment and investment. The report, Future of Mobile: Reforms to modernise Australia's telecommunications, developed with Deloitte Access Economics, argues that fragmented planning rules and regulatory complexity are slowing network rollouts and increasing costs for operators.

Global PC shipments to fall by 12 percent in 2026 - Omdia
GLOBAL 10 MRT

Global PC shipments to fall by 12 percent in 2026 - Omdia

Global PC shipments (desktops, notebooks, workstations) are expected to fall by 12 percent year-on-year to 245 million units in 2026, according to the latest Omdia research. This will be driven by strong increases in memory and storage prices, including expected increases of at least 60 percent in the first quarter of the year. Additional price increases are also expected in the second, third and fourth quarters, albeit not as high. Omdia expects global desktop shipments to fall by 10 percent in 2026 to 53.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10 MRT

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

UNITED KINGDOM 10 MRT

3 UK survey shows Brits call their mums on average 5 times a week

New research from 3 UK shows that Brits speak to their mum on average 5 times a week, with 41 percent calling them at least once a day. The average call to mum lasts around 67 minutes, showing that calls to parents are not rushed and fitted in between other commitments. Almost half (46%) of Brits prefer to call their mum at the weekend, with 31 percent having to usual time to call. Most calls are made between 10am and 6pm, with no calls to mum after 11pm.

GLOBAL 10 MRT

Global smartphone production reaches 1.25 bln units in 2025 - TrendForce

Global smartphone production reached approximately 1.254 billion units in 2025, an increase of 2.5 percent year on year, with Apple and Samsung Electronics each producing nearly 240 million devices to jointly lead the market, according to analysis by TrendForce. Global output totalled 337 million units in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 2.7 percent quarter on quarter. Shipments during the period were supported by demand for Apple's new iPhone 17 line-up.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 10 MRT

ChatGPT leads usage in South Korea as overall adoption reaches record levels

ChatGPT was the most widely used AI chatbot application in South Korea in February 2026, according to analysis by Wiseapp Retail, based on smartphone usage data. The study, which analysed monthly active users (MAU) and usage time among Korean Android and iOS smartphone users, estimated that ChatGPT recorded 22.93 million monthly active users during the period. This placed it well ahead of Zeta, which had 4.02 million users.

PERU 9 MRT

Peruvian number ports fall to 474K in February, led by Claro

A total of 474,439 Peruvian mobile users ported their phone number to another operator in February 2026, down around 6 percent sequentially, according to the latest data from telecom regulator Osiptel. The figure compares with the 504,397 ported numbers in January and could indicate a potential stabilisation of a maturing market, said the watchdog

NORWAY 9 MRT

Norway has high mobile and fixed broadband ARPU in Nordic context - study

Norway still stands out in the Nordic region for its high mobile and fixed broadband ARPU, according to the Tefficient report 'Assessment of Norwegian mobile and fixed broadband revenues in a Nordic context 2025' for Norway's Ministry of Digitisation and Public Governance. Factors contributing to high mobile ARPU are the inclusion of cybersecurity and cloud services with subscriptions, and market concentration.

CROATIA (HRVATSKA) 9 MRT

Telemach named fastest mobile network in Croatia by Ookla

Telemach has the fastest mobile network in Croatia, according to Ookla data. This recognition, based on millions of Speedtest user measurements, awarded Telemach titles for 'Best Mobile Network' and 'Fastest Mobile Network'. Telemach said it also was the mobile network that attracted the most new users last year.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 9 MRT

Russian online video services market grows 25% in 2025

The Russian online video services market was worth RUB 178.2 billion in 2025, up by 45 percent year-on-year from RUB 123 billion, according to a study from the agency TelecomDaily. The market grew by 44 percent in 2024 and 23 percent in 2023. Advertising revenues totaled RUB 6.4 billion and formed 3.6 percent of all revenues. However, this was down from RUB 7.04 billion in 2024 and 5.7 percent of all revenues.

FRANCE 9 MRT

Free Mobile joins French rivals in activating first 5G sites on 2.1 GHz band

Free Mobile, part of the Iliad group, has begun utilising part of its 2.1 GHz spectrum resources for 5G services, with the activation of the first 34 cell sites during February, according to French spectrum agency ANFR. In comparison, Bouygues Telecom's 5G network included 17,620 sites using the 2.1 GHz band as of 01 March, ahead of SFR with 11,831 and Orange with 2,641.

PORTUGAL 9 MRT

Portugal ends 2025 with nearly 15,500 5G base stations

Portugal had installed 15,495 5G base stations by the end of 2025, marking an 18.4 percent increase from the previous year and 4.1 percent from the third quarter, according to Anacom data. Vodafone led with 5,449 stations, followed by Nos (4,886), Digi (2,695), and Meo (2,465), with Meo showing the highest growth at 57.8 percent.

GLOBAL 6 MRT

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

No shortage of news this past week thanks to the annual mobile industry meet-up in Barcelona. Mobile World Congress brought the usual advances in network technology (5G Advanced, pre-6G, Wi-Fi 8), smartphones (Apple, Xiaomi, Motorola, Vivo) and services (mobile-satellite integration, AI edge). While the traditional telecom players like Ericsson, Telefonica and NTT were clearly present, there was also a large contingent of industry newcomers looking to take a piece of the pie, including Amazon, Nvidia and St

PORTUGAL 6 MRT

Portuguese telecom prices up 0.3% in January

Portugal's telecommunications prices increased by 0.3 percent month-over-month in January but were down by 1.9 percent compared to January 2025. The average change over the past twelve months showed a decrease of 0.9 percent, around 1.2 percentage points less than the EU average increase of 0.2 percent, according to Anacom data. Hungary recorded the highest increase (+5.6%), while France saw the largest decrease (-5.2%).

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Commentary

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Background

6 MRT 16:00

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

1 MRT 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

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