EU says 19 countries plan IPCEI state aid notifications for AI
EUROPE 12:55

EU says 19 countries plan IPCEI state aid notifications for AI

The European Commission said it welcomes an initiative by nineteen member states to create and pre-notify the first Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) under state aid rules. The project aims to develop a range of decentralised and commonly accessible AI services.

Amazon launches AI-powered virtual assistant Alexa+ in India
INDIA 12:35

Amazon launches AI-powered virtual assistant Alexa+ in India

Amazon has launched Early Access for Alexa+, an AI-powered version of its virtual assistant in India. Amazon also reports that, over the past eight years, Indian users have recorded over 9 billion interactions with Alexa annually. The new iteration expands functionality to include multi-modal task execution, broader device and third-party service integration, localized language support, and personalized context management across home and mobile platforms.

Disney+ signs 5-year deal to air NHL in Sweden and Finland
SWEDEN 12:19

Disney+ signs 5-year deal to air NHL in Sweden and Finland

Disney+ and the National Hockey League (NHL) have announced a five-year broadcasting agreement for Sweden and Finland from the 2026/27 season. The men's ice hockey games included in the deal will stream live on ESPN on Disney Plus. Selected matches will be available on Star Channel in Finland, too. Disney+ customers will have access to live and exclusive coverage of 160 regular season games, which include 50 guaranteed games in Nordic primetime.

Rivera to take over as CEO of Spain's Lyntia
SPAIN 12:09

Rivera to take over as CEO of Spain's Lyntia

Spanish wholesale fibre operator Lyntia Networks has announced the appointment of Luis Rivera as its new chief executive, succeeding José Antonio López after more than five years at the helm. López will remain as a senior advisor at the group until 31 December to facilitate the transition.

Nkom survey reveals high dependence on satellite navigation
NORWAY 11:57

Nkom survey reveals high dependence on satellite navigation

Norwegian telecoms regulator Nkom recently carried out a survey that found that less than half of the national population believes they know how to use analogue maps and compasses well. The watchdog said this poor knowledge is a matter of concern, given that satellite navigation could suddenly stop working. The comments come as Nkom takes part in the annual Jammer Test from 14 to 18 September on Andoeya to test how modern positioning technology withstands jamming attacks.

Dutch regulator publishes draft letter for end-of-contract tariff recommendations
NETHERLANDS 11:57

Dutch regulator publishes draft letter for end-of-contract tariff recommendations

The Consumer and Markets Authority in the Netherlands (ACM) has published its proposal for the information that telecom providers must give customers at the end of their contracts. This includes a recommendation for the lowest available new tariff for their needs, information on ending the customer relationship and a price overview. Market parties can comment on the proposal until 27 October. 

EU confirms plans for minimum age of 13 for social media
EUROPE 11:46

EU confirms plans for minimum age of 13 for social media

The EU is ready to set a minimum age of 13 for accessing social media, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her annual 'State of the union' address. The age restrictions will be part of a new 'EU Kids Act', to be presented 17 September. Von der Leyen said the Commission also plans a 'Digital Fairness Act' for later this year, to put greater obligations on digital platforms to design their services with safety and well-being in mind. 

Italian inflation confirmed at 3.3% in August
ITALY 11:45

Italian inflation confirmed at 3.3% in August

Italy's main domestic inflation rate (NIC) rose sharply to 3.3 percent on an annual basis in August, compared with 2.9 percent in July, according to data from statistics agency Istat that confirmed the preliminary estimate. The figure is the highest annual inflation rate in nearly two years and was mainly due to higher energy and durable goods prices.

Denmark publishes draft bill on use of AI by public organisations to process personal data
DENMARK 11:35

Denmark publishes draft bill on use of AI by public organisations to process personal data

The Danish Data Protection Authority said the Ministry of Research, Education and Digitisation has released a new draft of the AI Authorisation Act for public consultation with a 12 October deadline for comments. The data protection body will now review the proposal and take a closer look at the changes that have been made since the previous consultation.

MTN South Sudan network expansion raises broadband cover to 85% of population in 2 years
SOUTH SUDAN 11:12

MTN South Sudan network expansion raises broadband cover to 85% of population in 2 years

MTN South Sudan is accelerating nationwide digital connectivity through a major infrastructure modernisation project. The operator has upgraded over 500 network sites in partnership with Communication & Renewable Energy Infrastructure (CREI) and backed by development finance partners including Finnfund. Over the past two years, this has boosted broadband coverage from 76.6 percent of the population to 85 percent and raised overall network availability from 97 percent to 99 percent.

Helios Towers commits to keep expanding connectivity across Malawi
MALAWI 11:01

Helios Towers commits to keep expanding connectivity across Malawi

Helios Towers Malawi has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding connectivity, with a focus on underserved rural communities. At a meeting with Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) director general Mayamiko Nkoloma in Blantyre, Helios Towers Group general counsel Paul Barrett pledged to keep supporting national digital infrastructure growth and facilitating the transition from 2G to 3G, 4G, and eventually 5G services.

Japanese mobile carriers to collaborate on 28 GHz 5G mmWave expansion
JAPAN 10:38

Japanese mobile carriers to collaborate on 28 GHz 5G mmWave expansion

Japanese mobile operators NTT Docomo, KDDI Corp, SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile are joining forces on an exploratory 5G mmWave study that could open up expanded access to these higher-capacity wavelegnths. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) envisions technical feasibility work to expand 5G mmWave base stations, while creating a reliable deployment framework to address signal attenuation and obstruction challenges. These characteristics have made rapid coverage builds difficult as they require investment in la

CHILE 10:30

Wom pays USD 13.5 mln bond guarantee for national fibre project breaches

Chilean operator Wom has paid CLP 12.9 billion (around USD 13.9 million) in bond guarantees for breaches in the rollout of the National Fibre Optic (FON) network backbone project, reports La Tercera. The penalty was imposed last month after telecommunications regulator Subtel detected "serious, persistent and widespread" breaches of performance levels across five network macro-zones.

BAHRAIN 10:27

Batelco launches iPhone 18 offerings via interactive campaign

Batelco, part of Beyon, is marking the launch of the iPhone 18 in Bahrain with 'The 18K Challenge', a three-day public fitness campaign from 18 to 20 September. It invites residents to cover a cumulative distance of 18 km by walking or running. Participants can monitor their progress at their own pace using the Strava physical exercise tracking app and joining the official Batelco x iPhone 18 Fitness Challenge Public Club. Eighteen randomly selected finishers will win prizes.

UNITED STATES 10:21

Ooma launches home phone solution for Starlink internet users

Ooma, US-based communications services provider, has launched a new home phone solution called Ooma StarDial for Starlink broadband users in remote and rural locations. The service includes a base station and cordless HD handset, which connect to Starlink internet and provide users with unlimited nationwide calls at no extra charge except for applicable taxes/fees. StarDial also provides customers with an address-based 911 service to contact emergency services in areas with limited cellular coverage. 

GLOBAL 10:15

Zyxel introduces Lite-L3 managed switches with 10G Ethernet, SFP+ ports

Zyxel Networks has announced the launch of its XS1935 series smart managed switches, enabling Lite-Layer 3 network fabrics in the enterprise. The XS1935 line-up provides 10G Ethernet and SFP+ interfaces designed to produce multi-gigabit Lite-L3 bandwidth with future headroom for expansion in SMBs. Compact 10 and 12-port designs will link SMB endpoints such as Wi-Fi 7 APs, servers, NAS/storage systems and professional AV-over-IP devices. 

PERU 10:12

Peru to block a further 300K 'high-risk' handsets in September

Peruvian telecom services regulator Osiptel has announced that it will block another 300,000 devices in September as part of its campaign against the use of stolen or illegal handsets linked to criminal activities. The latest initiative will be carried out in three stages of 100,000 devices each on 15, 22 and 29 July.

SENEGAL 10:10

Cybastion pledges USD 300 mln to accelerate Senegal's digital infrastructure

US-based cybersecurity firm Cybastion has pledged roughly USD 300 million towards Senegal's digital transformation, Ecofin reported. Announced following a Washington meeting between Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye and a Cybastion delegation on 14 September, the funding will target cybersecurity, cybercrime defence, data centre creation, technology transfers and workforce training.The initiative will directly involve local start-ups in project implementation to build domestic capacity and

GLOBAL 10:00

Exa announces new transatlantic cable between New Jersey, Somerset

Exa Infrastructure has announced a new 6,552 km subsea cable called Exa Meridian. This will be its ninth transatlantic cable, running from New Jersey in the US to Brean (Somerset) in the UK. The plan is for the new link to become operational in Q4 2029, boosting capacity and route diversity between North America and Europe. 

SOUTH AFRICA 09:56

Major South African operators' association applies for competition immunity to expand rural connectivity

The Association for Comms and Technology (ACT), which represents major South African mobile operators such as Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Rain and Liquid Intelligent Technologies, has applied for a five-year exemption from provisions of the Competition Act. This would allow big network providers to collaborate on rural infrastructure roll-outs, following a late August gazette by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). However, Paul Colmer of the Wireless Access Providers' Association of

UNITED STATES 09:51

Logix Fiber appoints new Chief Revenue Officer

Logix Fiber Networks, Texas-based fibre network operator, has announced the appointment of Dane Bray as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). He has over 20 years of executive sales and commercial leadership experience, most recently as VP of Kinetic Business at Windstream. Before that, he was VP of Enterprise Sales for Windstream. 

URUGUAY 09:49

Uruguay's Antel surpasses 900 active 5G sites

Uruguay's state-owned operator Antel has activated more than 900 5G sites across its network, an increase of over 500 compared to August 2024. The company said this makes it the operator with the largest number of 5G base stations in the country. It added that it is now preparing for the launch of 5G Standalone (SA) architecture and the new services and business verticals that rely on it.

UNITED STATES 09:45

US mobile operators settle ad campaign lawsuits

T-Mobile US and Verizon Wireless have settled lawsuits accusing one another of misleading customers with ads pledging large savings for customers switching mobile provider, reports Reuters. A dismissal of the lawsuit filed by Verizon, and countersuit filed by T-Mobile, was filed with a Manhattan federal court on Friday 11 September. 

MALTA 09:43

BMIT acquires 49% stake in Malta Properties

BMIT Technologies has completed its acquisition of a 49 percent equity stake in Malta Properties Company (MPC), following shareholder approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 30 September. The transaction provides BMIT indirect ownership of properties hosting data centres, telecom exchanges, and tech-enabled commercial real estate, which are currently leased to anchor tenants under long-term agreements. MPC posted EUR 5.6 million in rental income and EUR 2.5 million in net profit in 2024.

Just In

12:55

EU says 19 countries plan IPCEI state aid notifications for AI

12:35

Amazon launches AI-powered virtual assistant Alexa+ in India

12:19

Disney+ signs 5-year deal to air NHL in Sweden and Finland

12:09

Rivera to take over as CEO of Spain's Lyntia

Commentary

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Can Ziggo Group creation improve visibility for the Dutch market?

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

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

Background

14 SEP 00:34

The week in telecom: iPhone comes to foldable market, European satellite summit underlines sovereign push

7 SEP 11:54

Citymesh capital injection eases doubts over Digi Belgium future

6 SEP 21:46

The week in telecom: smart wearables at Ifa, Deutsche Telekom reshuffle and Vodafone tries premium 5G

30 AUG 23:50

The week in telecom: Meta pays up, SKT and MTN monetise data centres, and mobile network-sharing in demand