France closes 2025 with 2.4 mln SIMs in 2G devices
FRANCE 09:49

France closes 2025 with 2.4 mln SIMs in 2G devices

The number of SIM cards in 2G devices decreased to 2.4 million in Q4 2025, down from 2.8 million in Q2 2025, according to telecom regulator Arcep. This represented 1.8 percent of all active SIMs across devices dedicated to voice/text/data services, and 3.9 percent of the M2M installed base. Over the same period, SIMs in 2G-only and 3G/2G-only devices fell from 5.9 to 5.2 million.

Colombia nears 6 mln pay-TV subs
COLOMBIA 09:32

Colombia nears 6 mln pay-TV subs

Colombia reached 5.96 million pay-TV subscribers at the end of 2025, steady year on year, according to a report from the country's ICT ministry Mintic. The figure is equivalent to a penetration rate of 11 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, accessing content through various technologies, while revenues came to COP 635 billion, said Mintic.

Peru telco revenues up 2% to PEN 17.8 bln in 2025
PERU 09:06

Peru telco revenues up 2% to PEN 17.8 bln in 2025

Peru's leading telecom operators reported total revenues of PEN 17.8 billion in 2025 as a whole, up 1.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the latest figures from regulator Osiptel. The result was mainly driven by higher revenues in mobile and fixed internet services, with the watchdog predicting that revenues will continue growing to reach around PEN 19 billion in 2027, by which time the number of mobile and fixed internet lines will have exceeded 22 million and 5 million respectively.

ACCC finds most NBN users receive expected speeds, but gaps remain
AUSTRALIA 05:51

ACCC finds most NBN users receive expected speeds, but gaps remain

Most Australian households are receiving broadband speeds close to those advertised under their NBN plans, although some high-speed services and fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) connections continue to underperform, according to the latest Measuring Broadband Australia report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The regulator found that average download speeds across fixed-line NBN services reached 98.5 percent of plan speeds during evening peak hours in December 2025. ACCC commissioner I

Memory price surge to impact smartphones, consumer devices in Q2
GLOBAL 05:27

Memory price surge to impact smartphones, consumer devices in Q2

Rising demand from AI and cloud infrastructure is expected to drive significant increases in memory prices in the second quarter of 2026, with implications across telecom-related end markets including smartphones, consumer devices and data centre services, according to analysis from TrendForce. Contract prices for DRAM will increase by 58-63 percent quarter-on-quarter, while NAND flash prices are expected to rise by 70-75 per cent, as suppliers prioritise higher-margin server and AI-related applications.

Global video market to reach USD 1 tln by 2030 - Omdia
GLOBAL 05:24

Global video market to reach USD 1 tln by 2030 - Omdia

Analyst firm Omdia projects that combined global revenues from traditional television and online video will exceed USD 1 trillion by 2030, driven primarily by growth in digital advertising formats. Total revenues are expected to rise from USD 775 billion in 2025 to USD 1.03 trillion by the end of the decade. Online video advertising is forecast to be the main contributor to this growth, increasing from USD 309 billion in 2025 to USD 540 billion in 2030. Its share of total revenues is expected to rise from 4

MTS leads growth in UC&C revenues
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 1 APR

MTS leads growth in UC&C revenues

​Telecom operator MTS led growth on the Russian UC&C (Unified Communications & Collaboration) market for the third year in turn in the first half of 2025, according to a study from J'son & Partners Consulting. MTS demonstrated a 73 percent year-on-year increase in sales in the period. VK Tech followed with 48 percent growth, and Yandex 360 grew by 32 percent.

Zain's brand valuation increases 16% in latest Brand Finance ranking
AFRICA 1 APR

Zain's brand valuation increases 16% in latest Brand Finance ranking

Zain Group said its brand valuation increased by 16.1 percent in the past year to reach a record USD 4.039 billion, marking the highest brand value in the company's history and a year-on-year increase of USD 560 million. In the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 ranking for 2026, Zain attained a Brand Strength Index score of 83.3 out of 100 with an AAA- brand strength rating. The Kuwait-based company was named the 25th strongest telecom brand globally.

Wallonia digital maturity index shows 94% of households connected to internet
BELGIUM 1 APR

Wallonia digital maturity index shows 94% of households connected to internet

Internet penetration has reached 94 percent of households in the Belgian region of Wallonia and 89 percent of people in the region have smartphones, according to the latest digital maturity barometer by the regional government's digital agency. Households are also more satisfied with their internet connections, with 64 percent considering the connection quality good, up 4 percentage points from the previous survey. At the same time, almost one in ten (9%) said they experience service disruptions regularly.

Italian jobless rate up to 5.3% in February
SPAIN 1 APR

Italian jobless rate up to 5.3% in February

Italy's official unemployment rate climbed to 5.3 percent in February, up 0.1 percent compared to the previous month's upwardly revised figure of 5.2 percent, according to the latest provisional data from Istat. February saw a 29,000 monthly fall in the number of employed people (+13,000 YoY) as well as a 1.0 percent drop in youth unemployment, measuring job-seekers aged 15 to 24 years old, to 17.6 percent.

Chile tops LatAm fixed broadband affordability ranking
CHILE 1 APR

Chile tops LatAm fixed broadband affordability ranking

Chile has by far the most economical fixed broadband rates among seven Latin American nations analysed by JP Morgan, announced sector watchdog Subtel in a statement. The report found that Chilean consumers pay up to seven times less for fixed broadband services compared to users in Guatemala and Mexico.

2degrees research highlights decline in voice calls despite rising mobile usage
NEW ZEALAND 1 APR

2degrees research highlights decline in voice calls despite rising mobile usage

New Zealand operator 2degrees has published new research indicating that while mobile phone use continues to increase in New Zealand, voice calls are declining and are associated with higher levels of perceived personal connection than text-based communication. The nationwide study, conducted in March 2026 among 830 adults, found that 68 percent of respondents primarily use messaging services, including SMS and social platforms, to stay in touch, compared with 15 percent who default to phone calls. 

PORTUGAL 31 MRT

Portuguese rights group sees signs of progress in fight against digital piracy

There were 1.29 billion visits to piracy websites in Portugal between April 2024 and March 2025, according to a report from FEVIP, the Portuguese Association for the Defence of Audiovisual Works. Despite this high volume, a slight reduction from the previous year suggests that prevention and blocking measures are proving effective in limiting the availability of illegal content, the group said. Authorities blocked approximately 182 million illegal content instances in 2025. 

JORDAN 31 MRT

Jordanian fixed voice subscriptions drops 2% in Q4, mobile broadband subscriptions rise 6%

The total number of subscribers to fixed voice telecommunications services in Jordan declined by 1.8 percent year-on-year to 4.77 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 4.86 million in Q4 2024, according to from Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC). It says that the residential sector accounted for 67 percent of the total and the commercial sector for the other. The report also shows that the total number of mobile broadband subscriptions rose by 5.7 percent to 8.5 million from 8.04 million.

NETHERLANDS 31 MRT

Dutch score well on digital skills adoption, above EU averages

Almost nine in ten small businesses in the Netherlands have a basic level of digital intensity, among the highest in the EU according to new statistics from the Dutch agency CBS and Eurostat. The latest benchmark of the EU's Digital Decade targets shows almost 89 percent of companies with 10-250 employees meet the basis digital adoption measure, just under the EU's official target of 90 percent by 2030. Only Finland and Denmark do better. 

ITALY 31 MRT

Italian inflation rises to 1.7% in March

Italy's main domestic inflation rate (NIC) rose to 1.7 percent annually in March, up from 1.6 percent the previous month and 1.0 percent in January, according to preliminary data from statistics agency Istat. The rise was mainly due to higher energy and unprocessed food, partly offset by slightly lower prices for recreation, transport and housing services.

MACAU 31 MRT

5G dominates in Macau's contracting mobile market in February

Macau saw a decline in both mobile and fixed-line subscriptions in February, according to the regulator CTT. The mobile market ended the month with 1.46 million active lines, down from 1.48 million in January. Postpaid 5G accounted for the largest segment with 882,461 users, followed by prepaid 5G (244,569), postpaid LTE (213,510), and prepaid LTE (122,851).

NETHERLANDS 31 MRT

ACM report shows Dutch broadband penetration at over 91% in 2025

Another 220,000 homes passed with FTTH were realised in the Netherlands in the fourth quarter of 2025, taking the total fibre coverage to 8.944 million households, the latest ACM data shows. The market regulator said the number of active fibre connections increased to 3.636 million at year-end, up by 90,000 from the end of September. Additional data on the fibre coverage at municipal and provincial level was published in the latest quarterly update of its market monitor and fibre map, as well as an update o

UNITED KINGDOM 31 MRT

EE TV launches Smart Search AI discovery feature

UK operator EE is bringing AI-powered content discovery tool Smart Search to its hybrid pay-TV service EE TV. Smart Search's natural language processing engine is able to retrieve content by searching for general themes, moods, plot elements, or even key lines from a show or film, EE said. Results from Smart Search span EE TV's integrated apps and channels list, producing a seamless experience across live and on-demand sources.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 31 MRT

South Korea's cloud market surpasses KRW 9 trillion

South Korea's cloud market exceeded KRW 9.26 trillion in revenue in 2024, according to a government-backed industry survey, reflecting annual growth of 25.2 percent. The findings were published by the ministry of science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency as part of their annual assessment of the domestic cloud sector. The report attributes the expansion to increasing demand linked to generative AI, alongside ongoing policy support and industry investment. Over the five-year period from 2

ASIA 31 MRT

Asia-Pacific ICT spending set to reach USD 647 bln in 2026 - IDC

ICT spending across Asia-Pacific excluding Japan and China is forecast to reach USD 647 billion in 2026, according to new data from IDC, with growth of 5.4 percent outpacing global averages. The market is projected to exceed USD 758 billion by 2029, reflecting a transition from early-stage digital experimentation to large-scale deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 30 MRT

Samsung takes lead in tablet sales at Megafon in Q1

Tablet sales in units grew by 72 percent in shops of Russian operator Megafon and its subsidiary Yota in the first quarter of this year, according to the company. Samsung took the lead among brands, overtaking Xiaomi. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A11 was the bestselling tablet, followed by the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 and Samsung Tab A11+.

SLOVAKIA 30 MRT

O2, Slovak Telekom lead porting gains in 2025

O2 Slovakia saw the most customers connect to its network in 2025 through number porting, according to figures collected by Zive.sk. O2 gained 10,312 telephone numbers. Slovak Telekom also had a net gain, of 8,171 telephone numbers. Orange Slovakia lost 11,923 telephone numbers through porting, and 4ka lost 6,384 numbers last year as well.

FRANCE 30 MRT

French public sector spends 62% more on public cloud services in 2025, with OVHcloud top provider

France's public sector entities ordered EUR 84 million worth of public cloud services in 2025, up 62 percent year-on-year, according to a new report published by the country's Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM). This spending mainly benefitted European-based cloud providers, which accounted for a combined 70 percent share. OVHcloud led the 2025 ranking with contracts amounting to EUR 30.2 million. Within this list, the top five group also included AWS (EUR 11.1 million), Outscale (EUR 9.8 million)

Just In

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MTN Uganda runs Digital Literacy Programme training in Western region

10:36

Vi to expand 5G footprint to 18 cities of Maharashtra by May

10:32

Cyan meets FY outlook, forecasts further sales growth in year ahead

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Sisvel launches cellular POS patent pool with Huawei, Nokia, LG as licensors

Commentary

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

2 FEB 13:49

KPN results show little bother from the competition

2 JAN 13:21

Open Dutch Fiber's new management team takes up turnaround challenge

15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

Background

29 MRT 22:46

The week in telecoms: Italy brings back PTT, US bans foreign routers and social media on trial

23 MRT 00:38

The week in telecoms: OFC and Nvidia events drive data centre networking talk, Orange debuts full French office stack

16 MRT 00:25

The week in telecoms: Pakistan ready for 5G, Google exits FTTH market and Canal Plus works on pay-TV turnaround

6 MRT 16:00

The week in telecom: MWC brings 5G advances, AI and satellite integration, plus first robot phone