Virgin Media O2 considers bringing back Virgin Mobile brand - report
UNITED KINGDOM 14:22

Virgin Media O2 considers bringing back Virgin Mobile brand - report

Virgin Media O2 is considering bringing back the Virgin Mobile brand as looks to regain customers and investor confidence, reports The Sunday Times. The Virgin Mobile service was withdrawn in 2023 in favour of the O2 mobile brand. Newly-appointed Consumer CEO Lyssa McGowan is working on several proposals to win back customers, with sources indicating that bringing back Virgin Mobile is one option under consideration. Another possible option is the launch of an O2-branded broadband service, with both options

Polish video time increases in September - Nielsen
POLAND 14:16

Polish video time increases in September - Nielsen

Video time in Poland increased in September, according to The Gauge study from Nielsen. The average time spent in front of the TV screen was 3 hours and 38 minutes, representing a 7-minute increase compared to August and stable compared to September 2025. Cable accounted for 38.6 percent of viewing, ahead of satellite (23.2 percent) and terrestrial (20.5 percent), while streaming's share of TV time dropped to 10.4 percent, down from 11 percent in August. 

Mozambique opens tender for 600 rural mobile sites
MOZAMBIQUE 14:15

Mozambique opens tender for 600 rural mobile sites

Mozambique's Ministry of Communications and Digital Transformation, via regulator INCM, has launched an international tender to build 600 solar- or hybrid-power 2G and 4G infrastructure sites in unserved rural areas, aiming to extend national telecom coverage to roughly 90 percent, reported Diario Economico. Financed by a concessional loan from the Export-Import Bank of China, the Universal Access Project includes providing end-user devices through local operators. Bids across four independent lots are open

Lightning Fibre expands network; announces Black Friday offers
UNITED KINGDOM 14:11

Lightning Fibre expands network; announces Black Friday offers

UK regional altnet Lightning Fibre has expanded its network to cover an additional 2,500 premises in East Sussex and Kent. The extended roll-out covers premises in Tenterden (Kent), Hailsham, Hastings and St Leonards (all East Sussex) - including many flats and apartments. 

Voice calls and messaging lead internet use in North Macedonia
NORTH MACEDONIA 14:07

Voice calls and messaging lead internet use in North Macedonia

Some 93.7 percent of people in North Macedonia aged 15 to 74 used the internet during the first quarter of 2026, with 91.2 percent of households enjoying home internet access, according to the State Statistical Office. The vast majority of internet activity focused on communication, led by internet-based voice/video calls (93.5%) and messaging services (88.4%) across platforms such as WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, Skype, and FaceTime. According to the survey, 81.2 percent of the population accessed the intern

Polish operators start accepting bookings for iPhone Duo
POLAND 14:03

Polish operators start accepting bookings for iPhone Duo

Polish operator Play, controlled by Iliad, started taking reservations for the iPhone Duo smartphone on 16 October. The foldable phone starts at PLN 9,999. T-Mobile Poland said that the iPhone Duo 256GB is priced at PLN 10,299, the 512GB version is offered for PLN 11,299, the 1TB model costs PLN 13,299, and the iPhone Duo 2TB starts from PLN 16,299.

Openreach extends Project Gigabit contract to cover Forest of Dean
UNITED KINGDOM 14:03

Openreach extends Project Gigabit contract to cover Forest of Dean

Openreach has signed an agreement with Building Digital UK (BDUK) to add the Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire) area to its Project Gigabit contract. The contract change was agreed in September 2026 after BDUK and FullFibre mutually agreed to terminate a Project Gigabit contract covering the Forest of Dean and West Herefordshire. Openreach and BDUK previously agreed a contract change in April 2026 to include the West Herefordshire area.

Brazilian telcos challenge mandatory data centre investments in 6GHz auction
BRAZIL 14:01

Brazilian telcos challenge mandatory data centre investments in 6GHz auction

Telefonica Brasil (Vivo) and Claro have objected to a proposal by Brazil's telecom regulator, Anatel, that would require winners of an upcoming 6 GHz spectrum auction to fund data centre construction in the North, Northeast, and Central-West regions, Valor Economico reported. At a public hearing, the operators argued that the auction obligations should focus strictly on improving and expanding mobile coverage rather than data infrastructure. Additionally, both companies called on Anatel to delay the auction

TP-Link signs US production deal to avoid foreign routers ban
UNITED STATES 13:55

TP-Link signs US production deal to avoid foreign routers ban

TP-Link Systems is planning to start building its routers and networking gear in the US. The company said it signed a letter of intent with Key Tronic with the aim of beginning US-based production in 2027. The move is expected to help TP-Link avoid being excluded from the US market under the FCC's new policy of prohibiting foreign-produced routers. 

Fibrus completes first phase of Project Gigabit contract in Cumbria
UNITED KINGDOM 13:55

Fibrus completes first phase of Project Gigabit contract in Cumbria

Fibrus, Belfast-based fibre broadband provider, has completed the first phase of its Project Gigabit government-funded contract in Cumbria. It has made full-fibre broadband available to more than 37,700 premises in some of the hardest-to-reach communities across the county, working with delivery partner Viberoptix. The GBP 150 million contract will see Fibrus reach over 53,500 homes and businesses across Cumbria. 

Movistar Prosegur inks home and business security deal with Allianz
SPAIN 13:36

Movistar Prosegur inks home and business security deal with Allianz

Telefonica said its Movistar Prosegur Alarmas joint venture with Prosegur has teamed up with insurer Allianz to offer joint security systems to customers taking out new home or business insurance policies in Spain. The optional service will be added to Allianz's ecosystem of value-added services, with a focus on prevention as well as protection and assistance.

Swiatlowod Inwestycje, Nexera cover 3.4 mln households
POLAND 13:34

Swiatlowod Inwestycje, Nexera cover 3.4 mln households

Polish wholesale operator Swiatlowod Inwestycje has reached fibre network coverage for 3.4 million households across the country, according to a post by Krzysztof Wrobel, board member of the company. The reach increased after the takeover of the wholesale operator Nexera. Swiatlowod Inwestycje covers 2.6 million households, and Nexera's network covers around 800,000.

EUROPE 13:27

Motorola expands Global Connect travel eSim offer to Europe

Motorola Mobility announced the expansion of its travel eSim service to 14 countries in Europe. The Global Connect app was introduced earlier this year in several Latin American countries and is now available in Europe, delivered in partnership with the MVNE Gigs. The app requires an eSIM-compatible mobile handset and comes pre-installed on select Motorola smartphones. It provides roaming bundles for over 160 countries around the world, via a second Sim with no contract required. 

NETHERLANDS 13:22

Startphone app passes 10,000 downloads in 4 months

The Startphone app developed by Dutch mobile operator Odido with the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) has been downloaded over 10,000 times since its launch four months ago. Odido said downloads increased since the EU announced plans for the 'Kids Act'. The app supports parents with introducing kids to their first smartphone and safe use of apps and online services.

GLOBAL 13:12

HFCL celebrates banner fiscal Q2 with profits up over fivefold

India-based connectivity vendor HFCL has reported surging profits in its second fiscal quarter to end September and cited its best quarterly performance for the period. Post-tax profits soared 448.1 percent year-on-year, reaching INR 3.94 billion, while EBITDA rose 223.5 percent to INR 6.58 billion on margins of roughly 25.9 percent. 

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 13:11

Megafon, Beeline rank first for download speeds at busy Moscow Metro stations

Russian operators Beeline and Megafon led by average internet access speed at 24 busy Moscow Metro stations, according to a study by agency TelecomDaily. The average download speed for the four networks was 184.9 Mbps. Megafon was in first place with 194.4 Mbps and MTS took second place with 186.8 Mbps. Next were Beeline with 185.3 Mbps and T2 with 173 Mbps.

UNITED STATES 13:02

SpaceX wants to join the mobile market, but why?

SpaceX wants to enter the mobile market, and the prospect has sparked some selling of telecom stocks, notably the big three operators in the US. Existing operators can only lose from a newcomer on the market, but the question is how much, over what period. We expect the impact to be mainly in the US, and to be gradual, over a longer period. However, Starlink's motive for entering this market is questionable given the high capital requirements – also at its many other businesses. 

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 12:58

Turbo Cloud and MGRI institute to develop AI services for geological exploration

Russian national operator Rostelecom said that its subsidiary Turbo Cloud and the Russian State Geological Prospecting University (MGRI) have entered into an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation for a period of three years. Rostelecom will provide a technological base for joint research, development, additional training and implementing trusted AI services for geological exploration and subsoil use.

OMAN 12:55

Ooredoo Oman outsources Nojoom loyalty scheme management to A.IDEA

Ooredoo Oman has agreed a contract with regional customer engagement leader A.IDEA to oversee the end-to-end management, expansion and modernisation of its Nojoom loyalty scheme Ooredoo will continue to drive customer communications, integration with the Ooredoo App, and account access. A.IDEA will manage programme strategy, partner onboarding, offer management, customer engagement and performance analytics. The partnership starts with Nojoom Life, a new lifestyle platform launching on the Ooredoo App in th

ITALY 12:53

EU charges KKR with providing 'incorrect or misleading' information during NetCo buy

The European Commission has charged US private equity firm KKR with providing incorrect or misleading information during its EUR 22 billion acquisition of Telecom Italia's fixed-line network (NetCo) in 2024. The EC approved the deal in May 2024 after KKR gave assurances that it would not worsen wholesale access to the copper and fibre networks for rival operators, but later opened a formal investigation following complaints from several of those companies.

GERMANY 12:48

OXG Glasfaser builds FTTH network for over 5,200 residents in Zittau

OXG Glasfaser, the fibre network JV between Vodafone Germany and Societe Generale, has expanded the Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network for the benefit of more than 5,200 households in the city of Zittau in the state of Saxony. It has installed more than 5,200 connections since construction began in August 2025 out of 11,800 planned in total, and has laid approximately 22 km of fibre-optic infrastructure so far in the city.

JAPAN 12:43

1Finity and NTT trial all-photonics link to support construction of Japanese expressway

1Finity, NTT and Hazama Ando have completed a concept-stage trial based on the IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN) communications grid. The proof of concept (PoC) outlines a potential use case in the construction industry.

IRAQ 12:41

ZTE partners with Mannai to accelerate Iraqi digital transformation

ZTE has announced an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mannai Digital Transformation, a regional ICT products and services provider, at the fifth Iraq international telecoms and information technology exhibition and conference. Leveraging Mannai's extensive Middle Eastern expertise in data centres, IT infrastructure and digital initiatives, the partnership targets opportunities in cloud computing, data centre infrastructure and enterprise transformation. By combining ZTE's servers, storage, data centre

MIDDLE EAST 12:26

STC Group sets out plans to move to AI-native network by 2030

STC Group has released its AI Native Core Network White Paper at Network X 2026, setting out its plans to transition to an AI-native network by 2030. It explains how the operator is embedding AI into its core infrastructure to enhance reliability and automate operations. The white paper says rapid advances in artificial intelligence and 5G-Advanced are driving unprecedented network complexity. Emerging applications, such as AI-enabled calling, immersive communications and autonomous AI agents, demand ultra-

Just In

14:22

Virgin Media O2 considers bringing back Virgin Mobile brand - report

14:16

Polish video time increases in September - Nielsen

14:15

Mozambique opens tender for 600 rural mobile sites

14:11

Lightning Fibre expands network; announces Black Friday offers

Commentary

13:02

SpaceX wants to join the mobile market, but why?

24 SEP 13:37

What is KPN's response to the brand expansion at Odido and VodafoneZiggo?

8 SEP 10:16

Odido matches KPN and VodafoneZiggo on cash flow margin, but growth remains limited

11 AUG 10:49

Can Ziggo Group creation improve visibility for the Dutch market?

Background

18 OKT 23:28

The week in telecom: Apple, Amazon try AI consumer device alternatives as smartphone market crashes

17 OKT 09:26

German Weekly - Week 42

11 OKT 23:39

The week in telecom: DT puts a figure on telco AI potential, SpaceX threatens mobile launch and Paramount seals WBD deal

4 OKT 23:20

The week in telecom: FTTH sparks UK competition, AI coming to telco bundles and Samsung raises prices