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.

German government offers over EUR 1 bln in fibre subsidies and cuts bureaucracy
GERMANY 07:56

German government offers over EUR 1 bln in fibre subsidies and cuts bureaucracy

The German Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS) announced over EUR 1 billion in subsidies for the expansion of fibre-optic networks in the latest new call for proposals. Changes under the third amendment to the Gigabit Directive 2.0 aim to cut bureaucracy and speed up processes, the ministry says. In future, market research procedures will be shortened to the minimum required under EU law to accelerate expansion, especially in areas where companies are unwilling to

AgileTV enters DACH market with Liwest IPTV contract
AUSTRIA 1 APR

AgileTV enters DACH market with Liwest IPTV contract

Video technology services provider AgileTV has entered the DACH market by launching "next", the IPTV platform in partnership with Austrian operator Liwest. The platform combines linear TV and OTT services and integrates Android TV applications. It is supported by iOS and Android mobile devices, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Samsung Smart TVs (TIZEN). The TV subscribers of Liwest will migrate to the new platform in February 2027.

TDF taps Harmonic products to upgrade DTT multiplex capacity
FRANCE 1 APR

TDF taps Harmonic products to upgrade DTT multiplex capacity

French digital terrestrial TV multiplex operator TDF has implemented upgraded infrastructure from Harmonic to boost transmission capacity for HD broadcasts. Following the upgrades, TDF's multiplex can distribute six HD channels, up from five channels previously. The HD channels set for distribution are BFM TV, CNews, CStar, Novo19, T18 and Gulli.

Arcep consults on draft decision to grant Amazon Leo expanded licence
FRANCE 1 APR

Arcep consults on draft decision to grant Amazon Leo expanded licence

French telecom authority Arcep has published a draft decision for public consultation, in which the regulator would grant a number of additional rights to Amazon Kuiper Services Europe by amending the ten-year licence secured by this Amazon subsidiary in mid-2025. Among the main changes, the draft decision would enlarge the authorised geographical footprint to include the French overseas territories for which Arcep is responsible (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Mayotte, Martinique, St. Pierre and Miquelon, St.

SFR taps Bitdefender to launch Smart SOC service for French SMEs
FRANCE 1 APR

SFR taps Bitdefender to launch Smart SOC service for French SMEs

French operator SFR announced that its B2B arm, SFR Business, is presenting a new cybersecurity offering for SMEs at the InCyber Forum currently taking place in Lille. This follows a collaboration with SFR's long-term partner Bitdefender, which contributes to this latest launch with its Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) and Mobile Security product lines. Dubbed Smart SOC, the service is fully managed by SFR Business' team of over 400 cybersecurity agents nationwide, relying on SOC (Security Operations Cen

Atos completes sale of advanced computing activities
FRANCE 1 APR

Atos completes sale of advanced computing activities

ICT group Atos has confirmed the completion of the sale of its advanced computing activities, following the deal agreed with the French government last year. Since the initial offer, the enterprise value of the assets has been revised from up to EUR 410 million to up to EUR 404 million. This reflects the decision to exclude zData, a big data consulting specialist, from the scope of the transaction.

Swiss Quickline loses customers in 2025 as Wasserwerke Zug withdraws
SWITZERLAND 1 APR

Swiss Quickline loses customers in 2025 as Wasserwerke Zug withdraws

Swiss provider Quickline has reported declines in its customer base in 2025 following the loss of Wasserwerke Zug (WWZ) as a network partner during the year. Adjusting for WWZ's withdrawal, it achieved moderate customer growth, thanks to satisfaction with its products, personalised customer service, and attractive prices and promotions. Quickline said FY revenues saw a 0.4 percent year-on-year uptick to CHF 249 million. 

Westconnect signs wholesale agreement with Deutsche GigaNetz
GERMANY 31 MRT

Westconnect signs wholesale agreement with Deutsche GigaNetz

Westconnect has signed an open access agreement with Deutsche GigaNetz. The cooperation starts in Obertshausen, where Deutsche GigaNetz will use the network of Westconnect currently under construction and planned to cover nearly 14,000 residential connections. Westconnect and Deutsche GigaNetz will soon expand their cooperation to other municipalities.

Telefonica Germany improves mobile coverage with 2,000 expansion measures in Q1
GERMANY 31 MRT

Telefonica Germany improves mobile coverage with 2,000 expansion measures in Q1

Telefonica Germany said it has implemented 2,000 expansion measures in the first quarter of this year to improve its mobile network coverage. This represents a 25 percent increase in terms of expansion activities year-on-year. Telefonica is focusing on improving coverage in previously under-served regions, along rail lines and roads, and on boosting network performance. The operator also activated more than 600 new 5G sites to reach around 99 perfect of the population in Germany with 5G.

Mtel Germany introduces new 'Worry-Free' tariffs for roaming in Balkans
GERMANY 31 MRT

Mtel Germany introduces new 'Worry-Free' tariffs for roaming in Balkans

MVNO Mtel Germany has introduced the 'Worry-Free' mobile tariffs designed to eliminate common anxieties about internet usage while travelling. The primary package covers the Balkans and the wider EU, including countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia, ensuring stable internet where users travel most frequently. An additional global package provides 10, 20, or 30 GB for use in over 80 countries worldwide, simplifying travel, vacations, and business trips.

Iliad's Free launches EUR 30/month Max mobile plan with unlimited data in Europe and beyond
FRANCE 31 MRT

Iliad's Free launches EUR 30/month Max mobile plan with unlimited data in Europe and beyond

French operator Free, part of the Iliad group, has added a new top-tier plan to its mobile portfolio, offering unlimited 4G/5G data in over 135 international destinations. Dubbed Max, the plan costs EUR 29.99/month for B2C customers with no contract commitment, before any discount that applies for Free's fixed broadband subscribers. A 'Pro' version is also available for the same price (excluding VAT), on a no-contract basis. Commenting on the launch, Free's founder Xavier Niel said that this new offer was u

SWITZERLAND 31 MRT

Yallo TV rolls out expanded Highlights feature to aid content discovery

Swiss operator Yallo's subscription TV service Yallo TV is adding auto-generated video previews to its Highlights content discovery feature. Automated technology allows Yallo TV to expand the availability of preview clips by 20 percent.

FRANCE 31 MRT

Canal Plus hails court win against Google, Cloudflare and Cisco over piracy

French pay-TV operator Canal Plus said that it secured a new landmark legal win in its fight against piracy. In a recent decision, an appeal court in Paris upheld a previous ruling in favour of blocking illegal streaming and IPTV services via alternative DNS providers including Google, Cloudflare and Cisco. The operator had argued that these providers should be considered technical intermediaries used to circumvent delisting processes put in place to prevent access to pirated content. This legal case starte

SWITZERLAND 31 MRT

Salt increases Q4 revenues nearly 8% thanks to subscriber growth and price rises

Swiss operator Salt said its operating revenues increased by 7.6 percent year-on-year in Q4 2025 to CHF 265.4 million, driven by subscriber growth and the price adjustment implemented in March. EBITDAaL grew by 12.9 percent during the period to CHF 131.5 million. Investments increased to CHF 48 million from CHF 43.1 million a year earlier, while operating free cash flow rose to CHF 83.4 million from CHF 73.4 million in the same period the prior year.

GERMANY 31 MRT

Telefonica Germany reduces executive board in push to streamline operations

Telefonica Germany has confirmed changes to its executive board to streamline operations, cutting the number of executive board members from seven to six. The new team includes CEO Santiago Argelich Hesse and the new Chief Operating Officer Mallik Rao, as well as Chief Financial Officer Markus Rolle, Chief Officer Legal & Corporate Affairs Valentina Daiber, Chief Organisational Development & People Officer  Nicole Gerhardt and Chief Wholesale & Partner Officer Joerg Kablitz.

SWITZERLAND 31 MRT

Swiss operator iWay lifts revenues 7% in FY25 supported by growing partner sales

Swiss operator iWay said its revenues increased by 7.1 percent in 2025 to CHF 53.6 million, mainly driven by strong demand for internet and TV services, and a growing network of partners. The network of over 500 sales, wholesale and white-label partners remains a key pillar of the company's business model, contributing approximately CHF 26.7 million to revenue in 2025, a 9.2 percent increase year-on-year. This raised the share of revenues generated through the network of partners from 50 to 51 percent.

GERMANY 31 MRT

Telekom Srbija opens new Mtel Germany store in Offenbach

Telekom Srbija Group has further expanded its global retail footprint by opening a new Mtel Germany store in Offenbach. This strategic move underscores the company's commitment to strengthening its presence in Germany, a growth market for the company in Europe. The new store offers a full range of Telekom Srbija Group's products and services under the Mtel Germany MVNO brand.

GERMANY 31 MRT

RTL submits remedies to EU Commission for Sky Deutschland takeover

RTL has submitted proposed remedies to the European Commission to secure approval from the competition authority for the broadcaster's planned takeover of Sky Deutschland. A spokesperson for the Commission said that RTL and Sky Deutschland submitted remedies, and that the European Union's deadline to end its initial investigation into the deal is now 22 April, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

FRANCE 30 MRT

Bouygues Telecom Business integrates Google Pixel smartphones into 5G hybrid and private network portfolio

French operator Bouygues Telecom announced that its B2B arm has partnered with Google Pixel to offer clients a range of smartphones that are fully compatible with 5G connectivity delivered via hybrid and private network deployments. The university hospital centre in Bordeaux (CHU de Bordeaux) is the first pilot customer for this collaboration, as part of the 5mart Ho5pital project announced earlier this year. A small number of Google Pixel smartphones are being tested on the 5G hybrid private network that B

FRANCE 30 MRT

Mistral AI raises USD 830 mln to invest in new data centre near Paris

France-based generative AI company Mistral AI said that it completed its first debt financing, raising USD 830 million from a consortium of banks to strengthen its data centre capabilities. The investment will focus on a campus located in Bruyeres-le-Chatel (Ile-de-France region), financing infrastructure built on Nvidia's Grace Blackwell architecture. The project, which includes 13,800 Nvidia GB300 GPUs, will deliver 44 MW of powered capacity and will contribute to Mistral AI's ambition to build 200 MW of

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)

FRANCE 30 MRT

Orange subsidiary W-HA enables m-payments with 5G slicing at local carnival

Digital payment specialist W-HA, fully owned by Orange, has teamed up with the Orange 5G Lab based in Rennes to facilitate m-payments during Granville's carnival in mid-February, a five-day event that attracted over 150,000 visitors. During this successful trial, Orange demonstrated how its 5G+ service can provide dedicated connectivity using network slicing for 'Tap to Pay Contodeo', W-HA's payment offering that turns smartphones into payment terminals.

GERMANY 30 MRT

OXG signs long-term wholesale partnership with Plusnet

OXG Glasfaser, fibre network JV between Vodafone Germany and Altice, has signed a long-term wholesale partnership with Plusnet. Under the agreement, OXG provides Plusnet with Layer 2 bitstream access to market fibre-optic tariffs nationwide. Network operators, resellers and internet service providers cooperating with Plusnet will also be able to order and market FTTH connections via the OXG fibre-optic network.

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

Commentary

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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