SK Telecom outlines ATHENA AI-native 6G strategy
SK Telecom has released its ATHENA 6G white paper and has set out an AI-native, cloud-native network framework emphasising zero-trust security, virtualization, and open interfaces; it has committed to standards work and has planned demonstrations at MWC 2026.
Japan advances O-RAN, vRAN deployments gradual
Analysts have identified Japan as the Asia‑Pacific leader in open vRAN, and Rakuten has operated the largest fully virtualised O‑RAN network; other operators have progressed with pilots, but large‑scale vRAN deployments have remained limited owing to integration and maturity challenges.
Telefónica advances AI automation and enterprise edge
Telefónica has reported advances in AI-driven network automation and has expanded enterprise edge compute in Spain, stating 12 level‑4 autonomous use cases, a joint AI innovation hub with Mavenir, and a plan to deploy 17 edge nodes by end‑2026.
Samsung, KT and Keysight validate 7 GHz X-MIMO trial
Samsung, KT and Keysight have validated X-MIMO in the 7 GHz band, demonstrating peak downlink speeds of up to 3 Gbps in outdoor trials using a 256-port base station, ultra-high-density antennas and eight simultaneous data streams.
Telus acquires 3.8 GHz spectrum in BC and Alberta
Telus has acquired 3.8 GHz spectrum in British Columbia and Alberta and has said the spectrum has added capacity, has underpinned enterprise and mission‑critical use cases, and has enhanced urban and rural 5G coverage.
AI-Driven Dynamic Spectrum Sharing for 4G/5G
Operators have adopted AI-driven dynamic spectrum sharing to optimise licensed-band utilisation, have reduced capital expenditure through incremental 5G rollouts, and have identified operational, interference and regulatory challenges that have required additional validation.
Samsung to modernise Videotron core network
Samsung has been selected by Videotron to modernise its network with a cloud-native 5G NSA and 4G LTE core on Dell PowerEdge servers, and has been engaged to enhance resilience, automation and scalable service delivery.
Towards a Single Global Smartphone SKU
Research has shown that reconfigurable RF front ends have made a universal smartphone SKU technically feasible, and vendors have begun commercialising software-defined duplexers to reduce manufacturing costs, logistical complexity and environmental impact.
Challenges of Achieving Reliable Indoor Connectivity
The piece has argued that indoor connectivity has remained unreliable due to fragmented ownership, misaligned economic incentives and ageing infrastructure, and has proposed federated, multi‑stakeholder approaches to align investment and operational responsibilities.
Direct-to-device connectivity: commercial prospects
Operators and satellite providers have launched trials and limited D2D services, but monetisation has lagged expectations; usage has remained low and analysts have warned that consumer willingness to pay has not yet materialised.
India targets 1bn 5G subscribers by 2031
India has projected 1 billion 5G subscribers by 2031 and has achieved near‑nationwide district coverage, supported by about 500,000 base stations; industry forecasts have predicted significant 5G uptake and a decline in 4G users to around 190 million by 2031.
Singtel to open Brazil sales office for enterprise services
Singtel has announced plans to open a Brazil sales office by Q3 2026 and has said it has sought local operator partners while providing SD-WAN, SASE and cloud-first orchestration to multinational customers across Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
Telefónica and Nokia test agent-ready Open Gateway APIs
Telefónica and Nokia have tested AI agent integration with Open Gateway APIs in a lab, focusing on a fraud‑prevention use case, and have emphasised that agent authentication, authorisation, privacy and auditable controls have been necessary prerequisites for commercial deployment.
WiTricity launches 600 W wireless charger for golf carts
WiTricity has launched a 600 W wireless charger for golf carts priced at $1,625, half the price of its 900 W unit; it has been released for immediate availability and has been made compatible with multiple light electric vehicles.
MasOrange and Ericsson deploy 5G-Advanced across Spain
MasOrange and Ericsson have deployed 5G-Advanced RAN features across 20 Spanish cities, and MasOrange has announced commercial expansion to 40 cities, extending VoNR, carrier aggregation, RedCap and L4S capabilities to about one-third of the population.
Ericsson trials 5G SA network aboard Italian naval vessels
Ericsson has demonstrated a self-contained 5G Standalone network aboard two Italian Navy vessels with Leonardo, validating secure, real-time exchange of classified and unclassified data and assessing performance, security and resilience for mission-critical maritime operations.
Telia launches nationwide 5G standalone in Norway
Telia has launched commercial 5G standalone across Norway, delivering sub-10ms latency and network slicing for critical sectors; the rollout has followed pilots with public and defence organisations and has come amid a planned RAN consolidation with rival ice.
Swisscom targets 60% FTTH coverage by end-2026
Swisscom has outlined accelerated fibre and 5G rollout plans in Switzerland and Italy, has set a 60% FTTH target for end‑2026 and has maintained long‑term targets of 75–80% by 2030 and around 90% by 2035.
Virgin Media O2 activates 5G SA in Manchester
Virgin Media O2 has activated 5G standalone in Manchester and neighbouring towns, has extended service to over 500 UK locations, and has increased spectrum holdings following a Vodafone acquisition to support capacity and enterprise use cases.
Rakuten Mobile records first full-year EBITDA profit
Rakuten Mobile has recorded its first full-year EBITDA profit of JPY12.9bn, revenue has risen to JPY374.7bn, subscriptions have reached 10.01m and ARPU has increased to JPY2,467; it has announced plans for capex to exceed JPY200bn in FY2026.
Two Vodafone approaches to private 5G
Vodafone Business has reported 173 private 5G deployments; Vodafone Idea has faced national spectrum and policy gridlock in India. Nokia has signalled an exit from campus-edge units, and the private 5G market has shown improving yet fragile momentum.
Implementation Challenges of WPA3 in Managed Wi‑Fi
Industry analysis has concluded that WPA3 has delivered stronger cryptography but has exposed operational and interoperability gaps in managed Wi‑Fi, notably in transition mode, optional feature implementation, MPSK support and real-world cipher-suite adoption.
Vodafone Business reports 173 private 5G deployments
Vodafone Business has reported 173 commercial private 5G deployments across about 20 countries, with almost 60% fully private, and has announced plans to add two vendors to its existing Nokia and HPE supplier lineup.
US carriers shift competition towards broadband
The three major US carriers have reported solid 2025 results, with T-Mobile having outpaced rivals in postpaid and 5G fixed wireless broadband growth, while Verizon and AT&T have preserved larger revenue bases through fibre expansion and operational restructuring.
India private 5G: operator-led model and integration gaps
Vodafone Idea has flagged IT/OT integration and use-case planning failures that have hindered private 5G uptake in India, has identified spectrum and urban deployment constraints, and has said operator-led, IoT-bundled service models have gained traction.
Telefónica Germany advances cloud-native network strategy
Telefónica Germany has pursued an end-to-end cloud-native network transformation from core to edge, has identified cultural and legacy compatibility issues as primary barriers, and has migrated critical packet-core workloads to public cloud and has planned further cloud-scale migration.
AI for satellite network handovers and resource management
Researchers and operators have applied AI to manage handovers between moving satellites and ground networks, have improved predictive allocation and spectrum coordination, and have encountered limits from on-board hardware, latency budgets and regulatory fragmentation.
Kapsch and NCTA launch live C-V2X tolling system
Kapsch TrafficCom and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority have deployed a production C-V2X tolling system on NC-540 and have integrated roadside units with NCTA's back office, and have appended connected-vehicle data to toll transactions to validate end-to-end operations.
SoftBank posts record nine-month revenue, details telco plan
SoftBank has reported record nine-month revenue of ¥5,195bn and operating income of ¥884bn, has attributed a ¥60bn ransomware revenue hit, and has outlined a telco strategy focused on standalone 5G, AI-RAN and sovereign cloud investments.
LG Uplus to complete autonomous network by 2028
LG Uplus has advanced its autonomous network strategy, has deployed AI agents and digital twins to automate fault detection, response and traffic optimisation, has reported reductions in mobile and home complaints and has set a 2028 target for full autonomy.
Telus acquires 3.8 GHz spectrum in Canada
Telus has acquired 3.8 GHz licences in British Columbia and Alberta for C$317.6m and has increased its average mid-band holdings to 104 MHz to support 5G capacity, private networks, public safety and AI-related services.
MWC26 Barcelona to run 2–5 March at Fira Gran Via
GSMA has scheduled MWC26 Barcelona at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via for 2–5 March and has assembled exhibitors, keynote speakers and themed zones presenting live airport, AI, satellite and industrial connectivity demonstrations.
Connexion Mobility to supply OnTRAC to GM Canada
Connexion Mobility has signed an agreement to provide its OnTRAC platform to General Motors Canada for the national launch of the Enhanced Exposure Programme scheduled for February.
Google Cloud and Liberty Global five-year partnership
Google Cloud and Liberty Global have announced a five-year partnership centred on deploying Gemini AI, expanding Google hardware distribution, and collaborating on network automation, data-centre capacity and SMB cloud services across Liberty Global's European operating companies.
Dell'Oro Adjusts O-RAN Forecast on 5G and 6G Demand
Dell'Oro has raised the long-term O-RAN outlook driven by 5G and early 6G expectations, while it has lowered near-term O-RAN and cloud RAN revenue projections and has trimmed multi-vendor RAN share forecasts to under 5% by 2030.
GMV and EM&E sign collaboration on ATP and SILAM
GMV and EM&E Group have signed a strategic collaboration to develop ATP self‑propelled artillery and to nationalise the SILAM rocket system and ammunition, with GMV supplying fire‑control, guidance and navigation systems and integration with the national TALOS C2.
GMV Brave platform for SBAS monitoring and analysis
GMV has deployed GMV Brave®, a platform that has automated monitoring, analysis and reporting of SBAS performance, and has produced daily system- and algorithm-level metrics to support operational analysis, benchmarking and incident triage.
Verizon targets metro fibre, private 5G for AI inference
Verizon has outlined a strategy to deploy dense metro fibre and private 5G to support enterprise AI inference at the edge, and has expanded its One Fiber project and capex to densify major US cities.
Global broadband access equipment spending to peak in 2028
Dell’Oro Group has forecast global broadband access equipment spending to peak at $18.8bn in 2028 and has projected 0.3% annual growth to 2030, citing slower 50 Gbps PON rollouts and continued XGS‑PON, DOCSIS 4.0 and Wi‑Fi 7 investment.
Telia and ice to combine mobile RAN in Norway
Telia Norway and ice have combined their radio access networks into a 50/50 joint company, have retained separate core networks, and have said the move has been expected to improve rural coverage while yielding material cost and capex synergies.
Hyundai Motor Group, Vodafone IoT agree Middle East rollout
Hyundai Motor Group has struck a partnership with Vodafone IoT and has initiated rollout of connected car services across five Middle Eastern markets, using Global SIM+ for regulatory compliance and centralised connectivity management.
Heilind adds Molex FAKRA‑Mini to automotive range
Heilind Electronics has added the Molex High‑Speed FAKRA‑Mini interconnect system to its automotive portfolio and has provided connectors supporting up to 28 Gbps and multiple automotive protocols for space‑constrained vehicle connectivity.
Rakuten Mobile to deploy 1Finity 32T32R O-RAN radios
Rakuten Mobile has announced deployment of 1Finity 32T32R O-RAN massive MIMO radios across its nationwide 5G network, which has been integrated with Rakuten Symphony via open fronthaul to enhance capacity and coverage.
SmarTone selects Ericsson for 5G-Advanced RAN upgrade
SmarTone has selected Ericsson to deploy 5G-Advanced RAN equipment, including energy-efficient massive MIMO and triple-band radios, and has implemented programmable network functions, edge computing and exposure APIs to enable differentiated services and reduce operating costs.
U Mobile launches neutral 5G-A enterprise platform
U Mobile has launched a neutral enterprise innovation platform to develop and test 5G-Advanced and AI use cases, has appointed eight partners to provide infrastructure and tools, and has scheduled an EIP Hub for July 2026.
Vodafone Idea plans INR 450bn 4G and 5G investment
Vodafone Idea has increased 4G population coverage to 85.5% and has expanded 4G data capacity by over 43%, and has announced a planned INR 450 billion capital expenditure over three years to accelerate 4G parity and 5G rollout.
Google Tabua subsea cable lands in Sydney
Google has landed the Tabua subsea cable in Sydney as part of its South Pacific Connect initiative and has established a new US–Australia route via Fiji using a system of 16 fibre pairs.
Agentic AI for intent-based telco network automation
Infovista has introduced an agentic AI framework that has combined intent-based networking with multi-agent automation, enabling operators to define intent in natural language and to delegate execution across RAN, core and transport domains.
Wi-Fi 7 strengthens Wi-Fi/5G convergence
Wi-Fi 7 has introduced deterministic scheduling and resource reservation that have improved reliability and enabled tighter Wi-Fi/5G convergence, while venue-funded indoor investment and identity-based authentication have provided operators with greater control over traffic steering.