EU greenlights Liberty Global buy-out of VodafoneZiggo venture
NETHERLANDS 13:15

EU greenlights Liberty Global buy-out of VodafoneZiggo venture

Liberty Global has obtained clearance from the EU competition authorities to acquire 100 percent ownership of the Dutch operator VodafoneZiggo. The agreement to buy Vodafone Group's 50 percent stake in the company was announced in February and is part of a plan to merge VodafoneZiggo with Liberty Global's Belgian subsidiary Telenet. The new company Ziggo Group will then be listed on the stock market. 

O2 UK survey shows growing popularity of non-English music
UNITED KINGDOM 13:10

O2 UK survey shows growing popularity of non-English music

Non-English music is getting more popular in the UK, with over one quarter (28%) of music listeners discovering non-English artists in the last year, according to new research from Virgin Media O2. The O2 survey found that listening to non-English music artists has inspired 25 percent of music fans to learn a new language. Millions of Brits are now listening to non-English songs, despite only 18 percent speaking more than one language.

Eurofiber forecasts higher revenues, lower capex in 2026
EUROPE 13:05

Eurofiber forecasts higher revenues, lower capex in 2026

Eurofiber expects its revenues to grow to around EUR 361 million in 2026, an increase of EUR 12 million from last year thanks to expansion of its fibre footprint in France and Germany. Capital expenditure will be slightly lower, down an estimated EUR 8 million to EUR 203 million, according to its annual report recently filed in the Netherlands.

Vodafone UK launches summer sale
UNITED KINGDOM 12:57

Vodafone UK launches summer sale

Vodafone UK has launched a summer sale, with savings across pay monthly handsets, tablets, refurbished devices, watches and SIM-only plans. For example, customers can save up to GBP 936 with the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL; GBP 576 with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra; GBP 360 with the iPhone 16 Pro; or GBP 360 with the latest iPhone 17. 

Gilat secures European defense satcom terminals contract
EUROPE 12:53

Gilat secures European defense satcom terminals contract

Gilat Satellite Networks announced an order to supply customized satcom terminals to an unnamed European ministry of defense. Delivery is expected over the next twelve months. Built for mission-critical performance, Gilat DataPath's custom satcom terminals deliver reliable connectivity in challenging conditions. Engineered to meet unique operational requirements, these tailored systems combine ruggedized construction with multi-orbit capabilities to ensure resilient communications across harsh and unpredict

Absa Bank Kenya partners with Google Hustle Academy to train SMEs
KENYA 12:52

Absa Bank Kenya partners with Google Hustle Academy to train SMEs

Absa Bank Kenya and the Google Hustle Academy have formed a partnership to provide business training and financial support to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Over the next year, the initiative aims to reach 3,000 SMEs. The rollout is already underway, with more than 600 businesses having completed the first three training cohorts.

Orange Spain awarded EU-backed data project at Valencia Conference Centre
SPAIN 12:50

Orange Spain awarded EU-backed data project at Valencia Conference Centre

Orange Spain (MasOrange) has secured a contract to run a data integration and governance project at the Valencia Conference Centre (PCV) focused on turning the venue's operational data into a strategic asset. Backed by Next Generation EU funds, the initiative will enable the PCV to base operational and strategic decisions on consolidated information, streamline building and resource management, and accelerate digital project deployment.

Russian online ads market up 8% in Q1
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 12:50

Russian online ads market up 8% in Q1

The Russian online advertising market was worth more than RUB 117 billion in the first half of this year, reports Vedomosti from a study released by the Russian Association of Communication Agencies (ARKA). The market grew by 8 percent year-on-year and formed more than half of the whole advertising market (RUB 220 billion). The total advertising market increased by 5 percent. 

Rendo Fiber network grows to 98,000 homes passed, over 65% activated
NETHERLANDS 12:48

Rendo Fiber network grows to 98,000 homes passed, over 65% activated

The Rendo Fiber network in the Netherlands grew to nearly 98,000 homes passed in 2025, a 0.7 percent increase from the previous year, according to a recently filed annul report. The FTTH joint venture owned by Rendo Group and Delta Fiber also increased its target for total homes passed to 102,000. It's looking beyond homes to also connect recreation areas, and is working more on activating customers on the network. At the end of 2025, 65.4 percent of homes passed by the network were connected, an increase o

Play extends power supplies contract with Statkraft
POLAND 12:29

Play extends power supplies contract with Statkraft

Polish operator Play, controlled by Iliad, has extended a contract on renewable power supplies with the company Statkraft for three years. From 01 January 2027, Play will increase the volume of renewable energy purchased annually to 51 GWh.

Nokia autonomous networks fabric to launch on AWS before year-end
GLOBAL 12:26

Nokia autonomous networks fabric to launch on AWS before year-end

Nokia and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are expanding their partnership in a bid to ease full-stack telecom deployments in the AWS cloud. The partners have agreed to implement Nokia's Autonomous Networks Fabric, introducing a major cloud resource for advanced AI tools and compute services deemed critical to Level 4 network autonomy. The AWS platform launch is expected later this year.

RETN adds Kaunas-Bialystok route to increase cross-border diversity in northern Europe
LITHUANIA 12:25

RETN adds Kaunas-Bialystok route to increase cross-border diversity in northern Europe

RETN has expanded its European backbone with a new fibre route between the city of Kaunas in Lithuania to the city of Bialystok in Poland via Suwalki, strengthening route diversity between the Baltic region and Central Europe. The route links Kaunas, a major aggregation hub for Baltic traffic, with Bialystok, a key eastern Polish network node connecting onward to Warsaw and Western European backbone routes. Passing through Suwalki, it traverses one of the principal terrestrial crossings between Lithuania an

EUROPE 12:23

Enreach adds Haptap platform to streamline Teams Phone deployments

Enreach announced an agreement to work with Haptap on Microsoft Teams Phone deployments. As a result, the European unified comms provider gains access to Haptap's Call Manager for Microsoft Teams, a centralised platform that supports efficient configuration and management of Teams Phone environments across multiple customers.

FRANCE 12:16

Talks start on fate of 60% of SFR employees not included in takeover plan

Only around 40 percent of employees at French operator SFR are guaranteed a job at one of the three new owners of the company, according to information reported by La Tribune. Bouygues Telecom, Iliad (Free) and Orange have agreed to take on around 3,000 SFR employees upon completing the takeover agreed earlier this month. That compares to over 8,000 in total employed at SFR. Negotiations with labour representatives on the terms of the deal started 24 June at SFR's head office.

SPAIN 12:04

Telefonica completes nationwide rollout of 17 edge nodes in Spain

Telefonica said it has completed the deployment of 17 edge computing nodes across Spain, part of a national Edge Plan announced earlier this year to accelerate digital transformation and strengthen technological sovereignty by converting legacy copper exchanges into mini data centres. The nodes, distributed across major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Bilbao, Valladolid, Gijón, La Coruña, Terrassa, Santa Cruz de Tenerife

GLOBAL 11:48

Nokia, Databricks outline vendor-agnostic data flow to support cross-domain telecoms automation

Nokia and Databricks announced the completion of a proof of concept (PoC) trial aimed at maturing a substrate-agnostic data framework to support AI-driven autonomous networks. The ability to deploy varied data operations platforms would help carriers achieve scale in multi-agent AI workloads, while enabling real-time data ingestion to feed network parameters into cross-domain automation tools. Engineering teams from the respective partners have compiled a real-time performance management use case to trial t

DENMARK 11:46

Telenor wins 5G router comparison test in Denmark

Telenor said it has come first in a test of 5G routers on the Danish market. It commissioned Belgian network specialist Excentis to conduct the independent analysis, and Telenor's Wi-Fi 7 router received the best marks of the ten devices evaluated. It did particularly well at handling multiple connections at once. 

NORWAY 11:34

Norwegian consumer council, tech workers call on govt to strengthen digital sovereignty

The Norwegian Consumer Council (Forbrukarradet) and the representative associations of graduates and workers in the tech industry, Tekna and NITO have handed over a series of recommendations to the Minister of Digitalisation Karianne Tung on how the country could strengthen its digital sovereignty. They see a growing vulnerability in public services from the reliance on large, international technology companies, and warned this could result in higher prices, reduced services and risks to security.

ITALY 11:32

TIM to broadcast 'Dear England' exclusively in Italy

TIM (Telecom Italia) said it has reached an agreement with Sony Pictures to air the football-themed series "Dear England – The Penalties of Revenge" exclusively in Italy. The four-episode British miniseries chronicles the rebirth of English football at the hands of an unexpected innovator, national team coach Gareth Southgate.

GLOBAL 11:11

Telco's value problem: Nearly 50% customers question what they pay for

Here's what the Simon-Kucher Global Telecom Study 2026 data says. 

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 10:46

MTS upgrades payment service MTS Flex

Russian operator MTS has upgraded its payment service MTS Flex to support paying purchases in installments over the mobile application My MTS. The option to pay on terminals from the bank Sber also was added. Customers can access MTS Flex in all shops accepting QR codes for payments.

UGANDA 10:45

MTN Uganda debuts smart wristbands for student transport

MTN Uganda has launched the Cashless School Days initiative at Kololo Secondary School, introducing a smart wristband solution designed to make students' daily commutes safer, more convenient, and completely cash-free. Powered by MTN Business, the solution introduces wearable wristband technology that simplifies school transit into a quick "tap-and-go" experience. 

GLOBAL 10:43

Vantiva strikes US distribution deal for connected care platform

Vantiva has reached a deal to supply its TV-based connected care platform, HomeSight, to an in-home care provider that operates across the US and Canada. California-headquartered Comfort Keepers has more than 600 franchisees and divisions that will now be able to offer HomeSight technology to senior-aged end clients, along with the newly-launched Comfort360 ecosystem designed to streamline connected care services. Launched earlier this month, Comfort360 brings together professional caregiving and curated su

EGYPT 10:43

Orange Egypt partners with ministry to launch Start Hub

Orange Egypt has formed a strategic partnership with Egypt's ministry of social solidarity to launch Start Hub, an initiative designed to empower university students and recent graduates with the skills to build successful careers. Orange said this strategic partnership underscores its commitment to supporting the government's investment in human capital, youth empowerment, and workforce readiness. The platform offers career guidance, skills development, training, and employment opportunities. 

Just In

13:15

EU greenlights Liberty Global buy-out of VodafoneZiggo venture

13:10

O2 UK survey shows growing popularity of non-English music

13:05

Eurofiber forecasts higher revenues, lower capex in 2026

12:57

Vodafone UK launches summer sale

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Background

21 JUN 22:52

The week in telecom: sovereignty debate comes to VivaTech, Ericsson succession and Fox buys Roku

1 JUN 00:13

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

23 MEI 23:42

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18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom