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.
Galooli to Provide Remote Energy Management for Connexa
Galooli has been selected by Connexa to supply a remote energy management platform for its nationwide mobile sites, and has been tasked with improving reliability, optimising energy use, reducing emissions and enhancing uptime through real‑time monitoring and controls.
5G-HUB: Integrating Terrestrial and Satellite 5G
The 5G-HUB project has demonstrated integrated terrestrial-satellite 5G enabling resilient, continuous mission-critical services, has developed smart gateways and dual-mode terminals, and has validated vertical handover and dynamic resource orchestration aligned with GOVSATCOM objectives.
SoftBank and Ericsson deploy AI to optimise massive MIMO
SoftBank and Ericsson have deployed an AI-driven external control system to dynamically optimise massive MIMO coverage at Tokyo venues, have used one-minute user distribution data to adjust beams and have reported a 24% increase in 5G downlink throughput.
Virgin Media O2 expands 5G SA to over 500 UK sites
Virgin Media O2 has expanded its 5G Standalone network to over 500 UK sites after Dorset activations, and has linked the rollout to a £700m transformation plan to boost coverage, capacity and low-latency support for enterprise and consumer services.
AI-native air interfaces for the physical layer
Researchers have applied deep learning to design physical-layer waveforms, and trials have demonstrated spectrum, energy and latency gains, while interoperability, standardisation, testing and training-cost challenges have been highlighted.
AT&T reports FY results, targets 40m fibre locations
AT&T has reported fourth-quarter and full-year results, has exceeded its 2025 guidance, and has outlined plans to extend fibre to more than 40 million US locations while emphasising convergence of fibre and mobile services and higher-margin enterprise offerings.
Giga-MIMO and SBFD for 6G upper-midband networks
Research has shown that Giga‑MIMO and subband full duplex (SBFD) have increased uplink capacity, reduced latency and enabled upper‑midband FR3 deployments, supporting higher throughput, sensing and pragmatic co‑location strategies for scalable 6G rollouts.
Digital twins for 6G network optimisation
Industry participants have identified three roles that digital twins have played in enhancing 6G: they have enabled risk-free what-if simulations, supplied context-rich data for AI training, and improved power optimisation to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
Aeris surpasses 100 million connected IoT devices
Aeris has surpassed 100 million connected devices after it has expanded capabilities through its 2023 acquisition of the Ericsson IoT Accelerator, and has driven growth in automotive, industrial and healthcare deployments via its connectivity, security and partner ecosystem.
India reviews BSNL plan for 22,000 new 4G sites
The government has finalised technical specifications for a proposed 22,000‑site BSNL 4G expansion and has indicated the TCS‑led consortium has been identified as the likely awardee, while funding arrangements and broader scale have remained under discussion.
RAN market stabilises ahead of 6G investments
Dell'Oro Group has reported the RAN market has stabilised after a near $10 billion revenue decline, and revenues have been forecast to grow at a 1% CAGR while RAN has been expected to account for 20-25% of wireless capex.
NEC to launch sub-6GHz massive MIMO radio in 2026
NEC has developed a sub-6GHz massive MIMO radio that has delivered up to 54% downlink and 48% uplink throughput improvements, has cut power consumption and size, and has extended vRAN fronthaul to 40 km ahead of a 2026 commercial release.
Entel Peru activates up to 100 MHz in 3.5 GHz 5G band
Entel Peru has expanded active 3.5 GHz 5G bandwidth from 20 MHz to 80–100 MHz, citing capacity and latency improvements, and has aligned the upgrade with a planned investment exceeding $200 million in nationwide mobile networks.
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm and Motorola demo 5G Broadcast
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm and Motorola have demonstrated a 5G Broadcast proof of concept in São Paulo, delivering live television and ancillary services to Motorola handsets and have reported no interference with existing mobile networks.
Gigabit IQ opens £270,000 crowdfunding round
Gigabit IQ has opened a £270,000 crowdfunding round at a £5 million pre‑money valuation, offering 5.12% equity, and has secured £243,650 from 40 investors; it has reported an addressable reach of 1.5 million homes via wholesale partners.
Vodafone Germany 2026 network expansion plan
Vodafone Germany will execute 10,600 construction and upgrade projects in 2026, including 5G upgrades and expanded O-RAN deployment, targeting broader coverage and increased capacity amid rising data demand.
GlobalLogic and Elektrobit expand SDV partnership
GlobalLogic and Elektrobit broaden a 15-year collaboration to accelerate software-defined vehicle development, combining HPC, safety and cybersecurity expertise to support OEMs' compliance and scalable SDV deployment.
Hyundai Mobis launches 5G telematics control unit
Hyundai Mobis announced a 5G multi-function telematics control unit for autonomous and software-defined vehicles, targeting completion of development by H1 2026 and expansion into the global connected-vehicle market.
Wi-Fi 7 adoption expected to accelerate in 2026
Cisco expects Wi‑Fi 7 adoption to rise in 2026 as device availability, enterprise access-point refresh cycles and expanded use cases enabled by Multi-Link Operation increase deployment readiness.
Ericsson launches 5G-native Advanced location services
Ericsson will embed high-precision positioning in its 5G Standalone core, delivering RTK sub-10cm outdoor and sub-metre indoor accuracy from Q1 2026, with integrated APIs for enterprise verticals.
MaxCell announces brand refresh and product updates
MaxCell has announced a brand refresh, a new visual identity and website, and has introduced updated fabric innerduct products; the company has said the changes have supported higher conduit capacity and reduced costs, citing performance and sustainability metrics.
Liberty Global in talks to buy Three Ireland
Liberty Global has been in talks to acquire Three Ireland from CK Hutchison in a potential €1.5bn deal and has been assessing integration with Virgin Mobile and Virgin Media Ireland to form a single converged operator.
India reaches 400 million 5G subscribers
India's 5G subscriber base reached 400 million by end‑2025, supported by rapid network expansion and 518,854 base stations, positioning it second globally behind China.
AT&T 5G integrated into 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander
AT&T will embed multi‑mode 5G (SA and NSA) and LTE into the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander, combining terrestrial and satellite links to support OTA updates, infotainment and software‑defined vehicle services.
Viettel completes Vietnam's first 5G-Advanced trial
Viettel completed a 5G‑Advanced trial reaching 7.3 Gbps using carrier aggregation across 2.6 GHz, C‑band and mmWave; commercial rollout is planned for 2026 on licensed bands.
Operators balance FWA growth with spectrum and capacity
Dell'Oro forecasts FWA revenue growth; operators are managing spectrum and capacity to protect mobile performance, while facing cable bundling competition and potential constraints versus fibre investment.
Virgin Media O2 upgrades mobile network at Stamford Bridge
Virgin Media O2 implemented targeted 4G/5G upgrades and small cells at Stamford Bridge, increasing capacity and speeds and forming part of its broader Mobile Transformation Plan and spectrum deployment.
NEC to end 4G/5G base station development
NEC will cease development of 4G and 5G base stations, maintain support for installed systems and reallocate investment to software, defence equipment and next-generation standards.
Fixed Wireless Access market outlook
Fixed Wireless Access revenues are forecast to rise about 10 per cent in 2025, with subscriptions projected to exceed 191 million by 2029 as operators expand 5G FWA deployments.
SoftBank trials hybrid-powered base station
SoftBank is testing a hybrid solar‑and‑wind base station in Japan to ensure continuity during outages, and deploying an AI sleep control system to reduce energy use and support decarbonisation targets.
Svolt introduces 3.5-generation charging technology
Svolt Energy said its 3.5-generation ion oscillation pulse charging method reduces full charging time by 25% without increasing system costs; mass-market deployment is scheduled for Q3 2026.
NTT Data JV to build intra-Asia submarine cable
NTT Data, Sumitomo and JA Mitsui Leasing formed I-AM NW to build a $1bn intra-Asia submarine cable delivering up to 320Tbps and multiple Japanese landing points to enhance regional connectivity.
Brady updates mobile labelling for telecom maintenance
Brady offers rugged portable printers and RFID tracking for on-site cable labelling and vehicle inventory to improve traceability, reduce repair times and meet labelling requirements.
Keysight and Samsung demonstrate NR‑NTN in n252 band
Keysight and Samsung demonstrated live NR‑NTN connectivity in the n252 band using a commercial Samsung modem and Keysight's UXM platform to validate interoperability for direct‑to‑cell deployment.
Iran enforces nationwide internet blackout amid protests
Since 8 January Iran has imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, reducing external connectivity and disrupting commerce and services; authorities have reportedly blocked satellite links and limited access for selected users.
Kyivstar begins 5G pilot in Lviv with Open RAN plans
Telecom operator Kyivstar has initiated a 5G pilot in Lviv, testing performance and Open RAN architectures; broader deployment depends on security conditions and recovery of national infrastructure.
Ground-based optical links for high-capacity backhaul
Free-space optical links provide low-latency, multi-gigabit backhaul across short distances, reducing civil works and costs; satellites retain coverage advantages for remote regions despite higher latency and shared capacity.
Anritsu and VTT demonstrate D-band wireless viability
Anritsu and VTT validated multi‑gigabit D‑band wireless links (110–170 GHz) in system‑level trials, demonstrating steerable transmitarray antenna performance and planning industry trials for backhaul and 6G use cases.
Ofcom proposes split-priority model for upper 6 GHz
Ofcom proposes staged access to upper 6 GHz, granting early AFC-controlled Wi-Fi access while reserving spectrum for future mobile deployments in dense urban areas; consultation closes 20 March 2026.
SoftBank, Ericsson and Qualcomm complete 5G Advanced trial
SoftBank, Ericsson and Qualcomm trialled low‑latency 5G and 5G Advanced on SoftBank’s Tokyo 5G SA network, demonstrating network slicing and about 90% wireless latency reduction in XR tests.
Katsana launches COSMO iOS app 3.0 beta
Katsana is recruiting users for a beta of its re-engineered iOS app v3.0 (COSMO), optimised for iOS 26; participants will pilot fleet-management features and provide feedback ahead of general release.
Mitsubishi, AT&T embed 5G in 2026 Outlander
Mitsubishi Motors North America and AT&T will embed 5G connectivity in the 2026 Outlander, enabling faster data, over-the-air updates and expanded connected-car services across future models.
