Airtel Nigeria secures 10-year spectrum licence renewal
NIGERIA 07:29

Airtel Nigeria secures 10-year spectrum licence renewal

Airtel Nigeria has secured a ten-year spectrum licence renewal from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), strengthening the operator's long-term strategy. The renewed licence covers Airtel's core spectrum holdings, supporting continued capital investment in network capacity upgrades, infrastructure expansion, and enhanced service quality for subscribers across the country, Airtel said. 

MasOrange first-half revenues up 1.3% following full Orange takeover
SPAIN 07:29

MasOrange first-half revenues up 1.3% following full Orange takeover

Spanish operator MasOrange reported first-half 2026 revenues of EUR 3.76 billion, up 1.3 percent year on year, in the first financial release since France's Orange acquired full control at the start of last month. The French group paid EUR 4.25 billion to take over the 50 percent stake in the Spanish operator it did not already own over three years after Orange Spain and Masmovil agreed a 50-50 merger to create MasOrange, the country's largest operator in terms of customers.

Russian implements fines for building owners refusing telecom operators access
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 07:25

Russian implements fines for building owners refusing telecom operators access

Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a law introducing fines fo property developers who do not allow access to apartment buildings for telecommunications operators, reports the news agency RIA. Following its publication in the official law register, fines can be applied for refusing access. These range from RUB 10,000 to RUB 40,000 for private persons and RUB 100,000 to RUB 500,000 for legal entities. In the case of a repeated violation, the fine can reach RUB 40,000 to RUB 50,000 for private persons

ZTE, XLSmart partner on AI-powered 5G and FWA services in Indonesia
INDONESIA 07:24

ZTE, XLSmart partner on AI-powered 5G and FWA services in Indonesia

ZTE has signed a partnership deal with Indonesian operator XLSmart during MWC Shanghai 2026. The agreement expands the companies' existing collaboration across AI, 5G, and FWA, with a focus on building intelligent network capabilities, and developing broadband services in Indonesia.

Zain Bahrain deploys Ericsson scheduler for AI-driven network optimisation
BAHRAIN 07:22

Zain Bahrain deploys Ericsson scheduler for AI-driven network optimisation

Zain Bahrain has deployed AI capabilities within its live 5G radio network in partnership with Ericsson. The initiative aligns with Zain Bahrain's broader strategy to embed artificial intelligence across its network infrastructure, internal operations, and customer touchpoints. By integrating AI directly into its radio access network, the operator aims to lay the groundwork for an adaptive, self-optimizing network built for future demand. The milestone follows the successful live-network evaluation of Erics

Hudson lands 1.8 MW AI customer as new contracts lift data centre towards breakeven
UNITED STATES 07:10

Hudson lands 1.8 MW AI customer as new contracts lift data centre towards breakeven

Cordiant Digital Infrastructure said its US data centre business, Hudson Interxchange, has secured a new five-year contract with an AI infrastructure provider and an expansion order from an existing customer, taking contracted capacity on the latest phase of its New York facility to around 80 percent and moving the operation significantly closer to breakeven. The new customer, described as a specialist provider of high-density GPU cloud infrastructure for AI workloads, has contracted 1.8 MW of capacity at H

Orange plans French data centre venture with Morrison to boost capacity
FRANCE 07:04

Orange plans French data centre venture with Morrison to boost capacity

Orange and New Zealand-based infrastructure asset manager Morrison have agreed terms for a 50-50 joint venture that will incorporate the telecom group's data centre facilities in France. The proposed venture aims to increase existing data centre capacity nearly tenfold to 400 MW, supporting rapidly growing cloud- and AI-driven demand from Orange and Orange Business customers. The two partners said their exclusivity agreement covers a EUR 3 billion investment programme combining Orange assets, Morrison fundi

German FTTH operator Westconnect raises EUR 1.2 bln for expansion
GERMANY 07:03

German FTTH operator Westconnect raises EUR 1.2 bln for expansion

German FTTH operator Westconnect announced it has raised another EUR 1.2 billion in financing to support its network expansion. This builds on the EUR 1.3 billion raised in 2023 and extends the loan's term until 2033. The operator said the addition of new lenders, in challenging market conditions shows the success of its business model.

Tecnotree wins USD 8.8 mln LatAm digital transformation deals
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 06:55

Tecnotree wins USD 8.8 mln LatAm digital transformation deals

BSS and telecoms IT vendor Tecnotree said it has strengthened its presence in the Latin American region via new digital transformation contracts with unnamed customers worth a combined USD 8.8 million. The company will deploy its AI-native digital platform and B2B marketplace to help communications service providers streamline operations, enable real-time monetisation and improve customer engagement through data-driven marketing and experience management.

YouTube, NBCUniversal grow partnership with Peacock bundle, sports and advertising
UNITED STATES 06:52

YouTube, NBCUniversal grow partnership with Peacock bundle, sports and advertising

YouTube and NBCUniversal have signed a multi-year global partnership that will bundle Peacock Premium with YouTube Premium in the US, extend NBCUniversal's distribution on YouTube TV, expand its international streaming services and deepen collaboration across advertising technology and live sports. From early 2027, eligible YouTube Premium subscribers in the US will receive Peacock Premium as part of their subscription, marking Peacock's largest wholesale distribution agreement to date. 

Orange raises FY outlook after MasOrange takeover, organic growth in Q2
FRANCE 06:46

Orange raises FY outlook after MasOrange takeover, organic growth in Q2

Orange reported accelerated growth in the second quarter, helped by its takeover of all of MasOrange in Spain and solid underlying growth. Revenues rose 9.2 percent year-on-year to EUR 10.85 billion, and EBITDAal was up 10.4 percent to EUR 3.53 billion. On a comparable basis, adjusting for acquisitions and currency effects, EBITDAal grew 3.9 percent, and Orange increased its target for full-year growth to over 4 percent from 3 percent previously. 

Converge tops Ookla fixed broadband rankings in Philippines for H1
PHILIPPINES 06:45

Converge tops Ookla fixed broadband rankings in Philippines for H1

Philippines operator Converge ICT has received three recognitions in Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence report for the first half of 2026. The company was named the Philippines' best internet service provider, fastest internet provider, and best fixed latency provider, based on Speedtest Intelligence data collected between January and June 2026.

JAPAN 06:30

NTT Data, NTT West form AI-powered BPO joint venture

NTT Data and NTT West have signed a final agreement to convert NTT Marketing Act ProCX into a joint venture as they seek to build an AI agent-based business process outsourcing (BPO) business, targeting JPY 10 billion in annual revenue by fiscal 2030. The transaction, due to complete in October, will give NTT Data a 51 percent stake in the contact centre and BPO provider, with NTT West retaining the remaining 49 percent. 

PHILIPPINES 06:28

Converge's Angeles Data Centre to support Philippines' new data residency rules

Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited Converge ICT's Angeles Data Centre, following the issuance of an executive order that updates the rules governing digital transactions and data management across government agencies. This order introduces new requirements covering data classification, data residency, cross-border data transfers, and cybersecurity as part of the government's digital transformation programme.

JAPAN 06:03

Japan publishes second Apple and Google smartphone law compliance reports

Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has published the second annual compliance reports from Apple, iTunes KK and Google under the country's Mobile Software Competition Act, highlighting further steps by the companies to comply with rules designed to open mobile operating systems, app stores, browsers and search services to greater competition. The reports outline measures each company says it has implemented since the law came into force in December 2025, while the JFTC stressed that the documents reflect

JAPAN 05:48

Japan's 5G population coverage reaches 98.6%

Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications (MIC) said nationwide 5G population coverage reached 98.6 percent at the end of fiscal 2025, up from 98.4 percent a year earlier and moving closer to the government's 99 percent target for 2030. The figures, based on reports from NTT Docomo, KDDI/Okinawa Cellular, SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile, also showed prefecture-level population coverage ranging from 89.2 percent to 99.9 percent. The government has set a target of achieving at least 99 percent 5G po

JAPAN 05:46

Chugoku Electric Power and NTT begin smart inspection trial at thermal power plant

Chugoku Electric Power and NTT Docomo Business have begun a trial using robots, IoT devices and AI to automate and enhance inspection activities at the 1 GW Unit 2 of the Misumi Power Station in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The trial combines an autonomous mobile robot with fixed IoT cameras and sensors to collect equipment data, including instrument readings, temperatures, vibrations and signs of leakage. 

JAPAN 05:44

Ishikari data centre consortium launched to strengthen regional infrastructure

Japan's Ishikari City and NTT East have established the Ishikari Data Centre Consortium (Ishikari DCC), bringing together data centre operators and electricity and telecommunications infrastructure providers to support the development of the Hokkaido city as a major data centre hub. The consortium aims to coordinate infrastructure development, improve the value of data centres in Ishikari and strengthen collaboration with the city.

JAPAN 05:43

SoftBank and Tohoku University establish AI disaster research centre

SoftBank and Tohoku University will establish a joint research centre focused on combining disaster digital twins with AI for disaster preparedness and response. The SoftBank-Tohoku University AI for Disaster Science Co-Creation Research Centre will be established within Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science on 1 August 2026. The centre will develop an AI for Disaster Science platform designed to support hazard and risk prediction for earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and volc

JAPAN 05:40

KDDI to collect mobile batteries at four Tokyo shops

KDDI will offer free collection of used mobile batteries at four of its directly operated shops in Tokyo from 1 August to 31 October 2026. The collection programme will run at au Style Shinjuku, au Style Ikebukuro, au Style Ueno and Ginza 456 Created by KDDI. Customers will not need an appointment to return eligible mobile batteries, which must not be significantly damaged or swollen. Batteries from any operator or manufacturer will be accepted.

JAPAN 05:38

BBIX adds second AWS connectivity site in Osaka for OCX

SoftBank's internet exchange subsidiary BBIX and BBSakura Networks have added a second AWS connection site in Osaka for their OCX (Open Connectivity eXchange) Cloud Connection service. The new site, at Telehouse Osaka, went live on 28 July and joins the existing AWS connection at Equinix OS1. The Cloud Connection service provides a virtual interface for connecting to public cloud services through OCX. The operators said the additional connection site will allow OCX customers to maintain connectivity through

JAPAN 05:36

Operators flag implementation challenges to Japan's new SIM verification rules

Japan has finalised stricter identity verification rules for mobile service registrations, requiring operators to use IC chip-based authentication for most face-to-face customer identity checks from April 2027, while consultation responses highlighted industry concerns over implementation costs and customer readiness. The ministry of internal affairs and communications (MIC) published the results of a public consultation on amendments to regulations under the Mobile Phone Improper Use Prevention Act, which

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:34

SK Telecom offers Netflix benefits with Galaxy Z Foldable8 pre-orders

SK Telecom (SKT) is offering Netflix-related benefits and other promotions to customers pre-ordering Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8 smartphones between 28 July and 3 August. The operator is running the promotion in partnership with Netflix, focusing on the devices' large 4:3 displays and their use for media consumption. Customers who activate one of the devices and subscribe to a Netflix plan by 31 August will receive KRW 10,000 in Naver Pay points.

JAPAN 05:32

KDDI and Google fund launch AI support programme for Japanese startups

KDDI and Google's Google AI Futures Fund have launched a joint programme to support Japanese startups developing AI-based products and services. The AI Startup Support Programme by KDDI & Google AI Futures Fund will provide selected startups with joint investment from KDDI and Google, early access to Google DeepMind AI models, AI infrastructure and technical support.

Just In

07:29

Airtel Nigeria secures 10-year spectrum licence renewal

07:29

MasOrange first-half revenues up 1.3% following full Orange takeover

07:25

Russian implements fines for building owners refusing telecom operators access

07:24

ZTE, XLSmart partner on AI-powered 5G and FWA services in Indonesia

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Background

26 JUL 23:19

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

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