T-Mobile leads Polish fixed and mobile internet speeds in 2025 - Speedtest.pl
POLAND 14:05

T-Mobile leads Polish fixed and mobile internet speeds in 2025 - Speedtest.pl

T-Mobile Poland supplied the fastest fixed broadband, mobile internet and 5G speeds the country in 2025, according to a study from Speedtest.pl. Orange Poland provided the quickest service on FTTH networks.

Belgium drops plans for 26 GHz auction after little market interest
BELGIUM 11:15

Belgium drops plans for 26 GHz auction after little market interest

The Belgian mobile operators are not interested in the 26 GHz band, despite the EU naming this one of the pioneer bands for 5G. The latest market consultation by regulator Bipt found only Proximus interested, but then only if licence prices were much lower and the limits on electromagnetic radiation were relaxed in Brussels and Wallonia regions. Telenet and Orange Belgium said they did not see a need yet for the 26 GHz band, and Citymesh did not respond to the consultation which closed in November. 

Honor brings flagship Magic8 Pro smartphone to Europe
EUROPE 10:24

Honor brings flagship Magic8 Pro smartphone to Europe

Honor announced the release of its Magic8 Pro flagship smartphone in Europe. It first comes to the UK, priced at GBP 1,099 and available from multiple operators and retailers, and the phone also is available for pre-order in selected other European markets for EUR 1,299. Released in China last autumn, the Magic8 Pro is designed to show off the latest in AI innovations. 

French operators step up pace of 5G activations in December
FRANCE 09:52

French operators step up pace of 5G activations in December

The footprint of 5G cell sites emitting a signal across mainland France increased by 757 during December, reaching 45,955 as of 01 January, according to spectrum agency ANFR. This monthly increase was up from 445 in November and 701 in the year-earlier period. All four network operators accelerated the pace of 5G site activations, led by Orange with 521 additional sites across the 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands.

O2 UK expands standalone 5G network to Sheffield
UNITED KINGDOM 09:23

O2 UK expands standalone 5G network to Sheffield

O2 UK announced it has switched on standalone 5G services in the Sheffield area, delivering faster speeds and lower latency across the city. Roughly 580,000 residents across the city of Sheffield and in surrounding areas including Chapeltown, Mexborough, Wombwell, Swinton, Dinnington, and Wickersley can benefit from the upgraded network. 

EU to avoid new rules for big tech in upcoming Digital Networks Act - report
EUROPE 09:18

EU to avoid new rules for big tech in upcoming Digital Networks Act - report

Big tech companies will not face any new regulations in the EU under the proposed Digital Networks Act, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Despite a push from telecom operators to force large internet groups to contribute to the costs of networks and face the same rules as other communication service providers, the EU is not expected to add to the digital regulation already imposed on big tech in recent years when it unveils the draft DNA later this month, the report said. 

NTT Docomo Business launches smart stadium operations platform in East Asia
ASIA 06:36

NTT Docomo Business launches smart stadium operations platform in East Asia

NTT Docomo Business has begun offering a cloud-based facility management platform for stadiums, arenas and large commercial venues following an exclusive distribution agreement with US-based SaaS provider 24/7 Software. Under the agreement, NTT Docomo Business will act as the exclusive reseller of 24/7 Software in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The platform is designed to support the digitalisation of venue operations by integrating incident management, lost-and-found handling, guest requests and facilities

SoftBank trials renewable-powered base stations and AI sleep control
JAPAN 06:33

SoftBank trials renewable-powered base stations and AI sleep control

SoftBank has announced two initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its mobile network as part of its target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain by 2050. The operator has begun a field trial of self-powered base stations using a combination of solar and wind generation in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture. The site is designed to supply around one third of its required electricity through on-site renewable generation, with the remainder drawn from the commercial g

True Move H completes sixth 700 MHz spectrum payment
THAILAND 06:27

True Move H completes sixth 700 MHz spectrum payment

Thai operator True Move H Universal Communication has paid the sixth instalment of its 700 MHz spectrum licence fee to Thailand's National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), continuing its rollout of low-band spectrum to support nationwide 4G and 5G services. The payment, totalled THA 1.88 billion including VAT. The operator also submitted letters of guarantee from financial institutions to secure the remaining instalments, in line with the licence conditions set by the regulator.

Ceragon expects sequential drop in Q4 sales after deferral by key North American client
NORTH AMERICA 8 JAN

Ceragon expects sequential drop in Q4 sales after deferral by key North American client

Ceragon said in an operational update it expects to report fourth quarter sales of USD 81-83 million. The figure is reduced from USD 85.5 million in Q3 and would cap off a disappointing sales performance over the last six months. Ceragon had expected improved visibility in the final months of 2025 but says a deferral in late December by a major North American client to instead receive products in 2026 had impacted Q4 collections. Sales were down 16.7 percent year-on-year in Q3 and 14.4 percent lower in Q2,

Hong Kong passes 32 mln mobile lines in September, over 1 mln M2M connections
HONG KONG 8 JAN

Hong Kong passes 32 mln mobile lines in September, over 1 mln M2M connections

Hong Kong passed 32.3 million mobile lines in September, an increase of around 870,000 lines from the previous month, according to the latest figures from the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA). Most of the growth was in the prepaid market, which counted 21.8 million Sims in September. 4G was still the dominant technology, with 22.7 million users, while the 5G base increased slightly to almost 9.6 million. 

Argela takes part in Turkey-hosted 5G Technologies Promotion event
TURKEY 8 JAN

Argela takes part in Turkey-hosted 5G Technologies Promotion event

Argela has shared details of its recent participation in the 5G Technologies Promotion Event, a digital transformation-focused meeting hosted in Ankara by Turkey's ICT authority BTK. Argela's showing included state-of-the-art innovations in 5G and beyond communication technologies. The company detailed its vision for building smarter, more agile and sustainable network infrastructures, including AI-powered network management, cloud-based system integrations, and end-to-end orchestration platforms. Visitors

GLOBAL 8 JAN

Telit Cinterion and Nokia to launch industrial connectivity bundle with NTN, 5G and Wi-Fi deployment options

Telit Cinterion and Nokia have announced an industrial AIoT product partnership, coupling multi-access 5G, NTN and Wi-Fi connectivity modules with Nokia's Cognitive Digital Mine Platform. The collaboration aims to provide mining, oil and gas, logistics, railways and other industrial clients with AI and digital twins-driven connectivity and compute orchestration, driving more powerful, SLA-grade IoT use cases such as autonomous vehicles, as well as resource planning, asset usage, operational safety and sched

ITALY 8 JAN

CoopVoce adds Turbo 200 and Turbo 400 plans to 5G portfolio

The MVNO of Italian supermarket chain Coop has confirmed the launch of its first 5G plans after reaching a deal last year to migrate its customers to the Vodafone Italia network. The CoopVoce Turbo 200 prepay tariff comes with 200GB of data at 5G speeds plus unlimited calls and 1,000 SMS for EUR 7.90 a month, rising to EUR 9.90 for Turbo 400 with 400GB of data.

JAPAN 8 JAN

NTT Docomo grows subs as overall mobile market expands

NTT Docomo grew its subscriber base in the second quarter (September 2025) to 91.9 million, up from 91.6 million in the June quarter, according to Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) figures. Over the same period SoftBank recorded 56.4 million in Q2, up from 55.7 million. KDDI expanded its subscribers to 71.5 million in Q2, up from 70.7 million. Overall, the mobile market grew to 229.1 million in Q2, up from 226.9 million. Rakuten Mobile also increased to 9.33 million in Q2, up from 8.97 million.

LITHUANIA 7 JAN

Bite Lithuania completes major network modernisation programme

Bite Lithuania said that it has completed one of its largest network development projects, at an investment cost of EUR 100 million. The operator disconnected its 3G network, and now runs more than 1,500 base stations across the country, of which around 1,000 with 5G. More than 330 new telecommunications towers were deployed under the programme. All renewed towers include additional batteries enabling to run the network during power outages of up to four hours.

UNITED STATES 7 JAN

AT&T to bring 5G to Mitsubishi's Outlander SUV

AT&T said it has reached an agreement with Mitsubishi Motors North America to add 5G connectivity to the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander, the carmaker's flagship SUV. As a result, drivers will be able to access ultra-fast data speeds, enhanced entertainment options and improved performance, said the partners.

GLOBAL 7 JAN

Netgear commences pre-orders for 5G M7 portable hotspot

Netgear has started taking pre-orders for a portable 5G hotspot with built-in eSIM marketplace connectivity. Announced in late 2025, the Nighthawk 5G M7 has a list price of USD 499.99. This puts Netgear's product at the quality end of the market, targeting power users such as international and business travellers, catered to through software-based access to eSIM data plans in over 140 countries.

GLOBAL 7 JAN

GCT marks commercial deliveries of 5G RF chipset

GCT Semiconductor announced it has completed the inaugural batch of commercial 5G chipset shipments to its customers. This milestone follows sample 5G deployments with multiple clients in late 2025, including a contract with Airspan and Gogo targeting 5G air-to-ground connectivity in North American air flights.

SERBIA 7 JAN

Yettel Serbia to phase out SBB brand

Yettel Serbia will continue expanding its 5G network in Serbia throughout 2026, CEO Mike Michel told the Beta news agency. Over the past two years, Yettel invested over EUR 100 million in the 5G spectrum auction and more than EUR 60 million in network modernisation in 2025, to prepare for 5G. He also stated that a legal merger with SBB is scheduled for 1 April 2026, at which point SBB will cease to exist as a separate legal entity, with its operations continuing under the Yettel brand.

ITALY 7 JAN

Fastweb+Vodafone and TIM ink Italian 5G network sharing deal

Telecom Italia (TIM) and Fastweb+Vodafone announced a preliminary agreement to cooperate in the development of mobile access networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing model covering around 60 percent of the Italian population. The agreement, which is above all aimed at accelerating the expansion of 5G infrastructure in low-density and underserved areas, is expected to be finalised by the end of the second quarter of this year.

INDONESIA 7 JAN

Indosat reports double-digit data traffic growth over year-end period

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison recorded a sustained increase in mobile data traffic across Indonesia in 2025, with a marked rise during the year-end holiday period, according to the operator. Between 21 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, national data traffic rose by around 15 percent compared with normal days and by more than 20 percent year on year. Indosat said growth was observed across multiple regions, reflecting broader increases in digital activity during the extended holiday period.

FIJI 7 JAN

Fiji advances rural connectivity as Telecom Fiji launches 5G

Fiji has taken parallel steps to expand telecommunications access, with new Universal Service Obligation (USO) contracts signed to improve rural and maritime connectivity and the formal launch of a 5G mobile network by Telecom Fiji (TFL). The Telecommunications Authority of Fiji (TAF) has signed USO agreements with Digicel Fiji and TFL to extend internet and mobile services to underserved communities under the Universal Service Scheme, which is funded through the industry-backed Universal Service Fund.

JAPAN 7 JAN

SoftBank revises online fees, making eSIM procedures free

SoftBank announced it will revise administrative fees for certain online procedures, including SIM reissues and model changes without device purchases, effective 21 January 2026. Under the new structure, eSIM-related procedures will be free of charge. Fees for reissuing an eSIM or completing a model change using a customer-owned device will be eliminated, formalising what had previously been a temporary free arrangement.

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