Canal Plus renews funding deal with French film industry in nearly EUR 1 bln deal for 2028-2032
FRANCE 15:22

Canal Plus renews funding deal with French film industry in nearly EUR 1 bln deal for 2028-2032

French pay-TV operator Canal Plus has announced a five-year agreement renewing its longstanding commitment to support the French film industry. Like the previous partnership covering the 2025-2027 period, this new deal allows Canal Plus to broadcast films to its subscriber base as early as six months after their cinema release in France. The agreement applies to both Canal+ and Cine+ OCS activities, and commits EUR 980 million to French and European productions over a five-year period starting in 2028.

Banglalink's Toffee platform hits 20 million monthly users during FIFA World Cup 2026
BANGLADESH 15:05

Banglalink's Toffee platform hits 20 million monthly users during FIFA World Cup 2026

Veon has announced that Toffee, the digital entertainment platform of its Bangladesh operator Banglalink, has completed its live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, recording its highest levels of sports streaming activity during the tournament. Over the 39-day tournament, Toffee recorded 200 million views and 2 billion live watch minutes.

Vivo launches T5e smartphone in India
INDIA 14:48

Vivo launches T5e smartphone in India

Vivo has launched the T5e smartphone in India. The device is equipped with a 5500mAh battery and supports 15W fast charging. It features a 6.74-inch HD+ display and is powered by the Unisoc T7225 octa-core processor.

MTS Belarus expands 5G roaming to 36 countries
BELARUS 14:48

MTS Belarus expands 5G roaming to 36 countries

MTS Belarus said that it has expanded its 5G roaming services to the networks of 46 mobile operators, working in 36 countries worldwide. 5G services from the operator are available in 18 EU and EEA states, as well as in numerous countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the North America. MTS Belarus plans to launch 5G roaming services in additional destinations soon. 

Canal Plus customers increase to over 41 mln in June after growth in Europe and French-speaking Africa
GLOBAL 14:47

Canal Plus customers increase to over 41 mln in June after growth in Europe and French-speaking Africa

Canal Plus group reported a subscriber base of 41.2 million at the end of June, up 8 percent year-on-year from a restated 38.0 million, including the MultiChoice footprint. The direct pay-TV customer base increased 5 percent to 33.7 million, while wholesale partnerships accounted for 7.5 million customers, up 26 percent. By geography, 45 percent of total subscribers were located in Europe, following growth of 10 percent supported by a good performance in France across direct and indirect distribution channe

Kaufland Mobil lets new customers test plans for free
GERMANY 14:29

Kaufland Mobil lets new customers test plans for free

German MVNO Kaufland Mobil will launch a promotion on 30 July allowing new customers to test a mobile plan for free for one month, teltarif.de reports citing information in the latest Kaufland promotional leaflet. Customers can test the Smart S, Smart M or Smart L plans free of charge for four weeks. The plans offer 25GB, 50GB and 100GB data for EUR 8.99, EUR 13.99 and EUR 18.99 per month respectively. 

Sky Sports to show over 1,500 live football matches during 2026/27 season
UNITED KINGDOM 14:18

Sky Sports to show over 1,500 live football matches during 2026/27 season

Sky Sports will show more than 1,500 live football matches in the UK during the new 2026/27 season - across the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Women's Super League (WSL) and Scottish Premiership. This will include 215 exclusively live Premier League games. It also confirmed that the 2025/26 season was the most watched Premier League season on Sky Sports ever, with viewing up 25 percent year-on-year. 

T2 raises 4G coverage in 2.3 GHz band in big cities
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 14:13

T2 raises 4G coverage in 2.3 GHz band in big cities

Russian mobile operator T2, a subsidiary of the national operator Rostelecom, has expanded the coverage of its LTE-2300 network in 15 cities with more than 1 million residents. The capacity of the network increased, on average, by 25 percent, and the 4G coverage in the band expanded in eight regions. LTE services on the 2,300 MHz band have become available on more than 4,000 base stations, T2 said, in parts of Moscow, St Petersburg, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk and other cities.

Levira picks Nakolos platform from Big Blue Marble for 5G broadcast public warning tests
ESTONIA 14:12

Levira picks Nakolos platform from Big Blue Marble for 5G broadcast public warning tests

Estonian company Levira has chosen the Nakolos platform from Big Blue Marble (BBM) for the Pocket Siren project in Estonia. The Nakolos platform formed a key part of a large-scale public warning initiative designed to evaluate how 5G Broadcast performs across a variety of real-world scenarios. Nakolos delivers the 5G Broadcast core, service management, mobile applications, SDKs and the integration expertise.

MTS Russia sells Huawei MatePad ProMax, opens orders for Pura90s phones
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 14:10

MTS Russia sells Huawei MatePad ProMax, opens orders for Pura90s phones

Russian operator MTS said that it has started sales of the tablet Huawei MatePad ProMax in its shops. The Huawei MatePad Pro Max (12/256 GB) PaperMatte Wi-Fi costs RUB 99,990, or RUB 114,990 with the attachable keyboard.

Apple confirms new device leasing offer with Klarna in US
UNITED STATES 14:08

Apple confirms new device leasing offer with Klarna in US

Apple has confirmed the launch of a new device leasing offer in the US. People buying hardware directly from Apple can now get an iPhone for as little as USD 17.99 per month and an Apple Watch or iPad from USD 11.99 per month. They must go through a credit check with Klarna to qualify for a lease contract, which can run for 12 or 24 months for the iPhone and Watch and 24 or 36 months for an iPad or Mac. At the end of the contract, they can choose to buy the device for a one-off payment, return it to Apple o

Bell launches AI-powered spoofed call detection service
CANADA 14:01

Bell launches AI-powered spoofed call detection service

Bell Canada has upgraded its AI-enabled Suspicious Call Detection service to include protection against spoofed calls. Bell becomes the first Canadian mobile carrier to introduce an AI-powered spoofed call detection capability. It is rolling automatically to customers using any Android or iOS handset across Bell, Lucky Mobile, Virgin Plus, No Name, PC Mobile and Maxi mobile services.

GLOBAL 13:56

5G backhaul to fuel extended demand growth in PtP microwave segment - Dell'Oro

Dell'Oro Group's five-year forecast for point-to-point (PtP) microwave radios indicates the segment is set for at least another 24 months of demand growth. The forecast reflects ongoing 5G backhaul coverage expansion in regions that depend more on microwave links, resulting in an increased revenue share against wired fibre and copper-based methodologies in the next four years. This is a notable development given that wired connectivity in mobile backhaul has proliferated with each cellular generation. Howev

SPAIN 13:30

MasOrange boosts Galician network with 400 upgrades

Spanish operator MasOrange together with its regional brand R has carried out nearly 400 upgrades to its mobile network across 217 municipalities in Galicia to boost connectivity during the summer peak season, above all in coastal and popular inland tourist areas. The interventions aim to ensure network capacity and service quality amid higher data traffic demand.

ALBANIA 13:30

Albanian competition watchdog places new obligations on Vodafone and One

Following an investigation into anti-competitive behaviour such as parallel price hikes and identical packages, the Albanian Competition Authority has imposed strict new requirements on Vodafone Albania and One Albania. To protect consumers and improve market transparency, the regulator is giving both operators 90 days to comply with mandatory changes. Key measures include launching discounted plans for pensioners and students aged 18 to 23, making budget packages available in physical stores, and giving su

ETHIOPIA 13:20

Ethio Telecom's Telebirr becomes official partner for Great Ethiopian Run

Ethio Telecom said its Telebirr platform has partnered with the 2026 Great Ethiopian Run to digitise participation and streamline financial operations during the 10 km road race taking place on 22 November. Telebirr will enhance event registration and digital payments. Under the slogan 'My Run, My Color', the event in Addis Ababa will have an expanded online charity component via GivenGain.

LITHUANIA 13:19

Bite deploys Massive MIMO antennas at outdoor arenas in Vilnius and Kaunas

Bite Lithuania has deployed Massive MIMO antennas from Ericsson in Vingis Park in Vilnius and in the Darius and Girenas Arena in Kaunas, the most popular locations for outdoor entertainment events in the country. The antennas quadruple the capacity of the network to support high-quality mobile internet services for up to 15,000 users simultaneously.

POLAND 13:16

Fiberhost launches broadband at up to 8 Gbps in Poznan

Polish wholesale operator Fiberhost has added fixed broadband options with up to 2.5 Gbps and 8 Gbps speeds to its offer, reports Telko.in citing a corporate statement. The options are available in the city of Poznan and its surroundings at the initial stage. The offer is expected to become available across the Greater Poland region in 2027, using the operator's XGS-PON network.

BAHRAIN 13:13

Zain Bahrain partners with PIE to roll out new self-service machines

Zain Bahrain has expanded its partnership with Payment International Enterprise (PIE) to deploy next-generation self-service machines (SSMs) across all its retail outlets in the country. Building on the long collaboration between the companies, the upgraded kiosks feature larger high-resolution displays, enhanced privacy controls, and a faster interface to streamline the in-store customer journey. Through these machines, customers can perform a wide range of services independently, including instant activat

EUROPE 13:12

Big Blue Marble brings C2PA content credentials to Cloud Video Kit

European media technology company Big Blue Marble (BBM), headquartered in Vienna, has been added to the Conformance List of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), confirming that its video processing services meet the requirements of the open technical standard for verifying the origin and history of digital content. This allows BBM to generate valid Content Credentials for its clients' video content through Cloud Video Kit.

GERMANY 13:09

Previder expands in northern Germany with Sysmind takeover

Dutch IT services group Odin has acquired Sysmind Service- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, a German IT services provider based in Hamburg. It will become part of Previder. Sysmind specialises in cloud, security, modern work and managed services for medium-sized organisations. No financial details of the takeover were disclosed. 

ANGOLA 12:53

Mercury expands 5G across Angola in USD 20 million digital pivot

Angolan telecom provider Mercury, formerly MSTelcom, is accelerating a nationwide roll-out of its enterprise-grade 'My5G' network, targeting full coverage across all provincial capitals and major commercial hubs by 2027. Backed by a USD 20 million repositioning investment, the company is evolving beyond traditional connectivity to offer an integrated ecosystem of digital services, including cybersecurity and upcoming artificial intelligence solutions, according to Forbes Lusophone Africa. Built for high-dem

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 12:46

Telikom PNG and government expand digital public infrastructure

Telikom PNG has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to accelerate Papua New Guinea's digital modernisation through joint infrastructure development. The partnership focuses on expanding Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with an emphasis on digital identity systems, e-government services and emerging technologies to broaden nationwide connectivity.

ITALY 12:38

Lyca Mobile to migrate to TIM network in Italy

Italian operator Lyca Mobile has confirmed plans to switch from the Vodafone Italia (Fastweb+Vodafone) network to that of Telecom Italia (TIM). In a blog post, Lyca said new customers will be activated on TIM's network while the migration for existing customers will occur "automatically and gradually", without specifying a date. There will be no need to replace SIM cards, as Lyca is a full MVNO.

Just In

15:22

Canal Plus renews funding deal with French film industry in nearly EUR 1 bln deal for 2028-2032

15:05

Banglalink's Toffee platform hits 20 million monthly users during FIFA World Cup 2026

14:48

Vivo launches T5e smartphone in India

14:48

MTS Belarus expands 5G roaming to 36 countries

Commentary

2 JUL 11:26

Canal Plus misses chance to strengthen Dutch business, time for exit?

23 JUN 09:56

ACM blocks Delta/Glaspoort deal - what can KPN do?

5 MAY 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MAY 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

Background

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19 JUL 23:41

The week in telecom: OnePlus exits tough smartphone market and Apple takes on OpenAI

12 JUL 23:30

The week in telecom: European telcos take shape as Xavier Niel buys more of Vodafone, Telenor expands in Sweden

5 JUL 23:03

The week in telecom: Comcast gives up on vertical integration, BT and Verizon agree global alliance