SKS Technologies completes Delta Elcom acquisition for AUD 12.5 million
AUSTRALIA 06:51

SKS Technologies completes Delta Elcom acquisition for AUD 12.5 million

Australian IT services company SKS Technologies Group has completed its acquisition of Sydney-based data centre specialist company Delta Elcom, following an earlier announcement in December. Delta Elcom is an electrical and communications contractor specialising in data centre infrastructure and complex technology projects. The business generates annual revenue of around AUD 25 million and provides design, installation and maintenance services across data centre construction, network cabling and integrated

Meta removes almost 550,000 under-16 accounts in Australia
AUSTRALIA 06:30

Meta removes almost 550,000 under-16 accounts in Australia

Meta said it had removed access to almost 550,000 accounts belonging to users it believes are under the age of 16, one month after Australia's social media age ban law came into force. The company said the removals took place by 11 December 2025 as part of its initial compliance with the legislation. In an update on its Australian and New Zealand policy blog, Meta said ongoing compliance would involve a multi-layered approach that it expects to refine over time. It reiterated concerns about the lack of an i

LG Uplus expands membership programme benefits for 2026
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:28

LG Uplus expands membership programme benefits for 2026

LG Uplus has announced an expansion of benefits under its flagship membership programme, U+2+, as it enters 2026, adding new food delivery, dining and leisure offers alongside incentives for long-term customers. From 13 January, eligible customers can access the updated benefits through the operator's U+one app. As part of the changes, LG Uplus will offer a two-month free subscription to Baemin Club, the paid delivery service from Baedal Minjok, marking the first time a Korean mobile operator has bundled th

NTT applies to shift telegram service to special correspondence framework
JAPAN 06:26

NTT applies to shift telegram service to special correspondence framework

NTT East and NTT West have applied for government approval to operate their telegram service under Japan's special correspondence delivery regime, following amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act. The two operators said they have submitted an application to the minister for internal affairs and communications to begin operating as a licensed "specified correspondence delivery" provider. The move reflects legal changes that will remove telegram services from the scope of regulation under the Telec

Industry seeks clarity as Korean AI Framework Act looms
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:23

Industry seeks clarity as Korean AI Framework Act looms

South Korea is preparing to enforce what it describes as the world's first comprehensive AI law, positioning itself as an early regulator of AI as global rules remain fragmented, according to the Korea Herald, citing industry sources. The AI Framework Act, passed in December 2024, is due to take effect on 22 January, with the government promising a one-year grace period before penalties are applied.

SK AX gains first government recognition for gen AI certification
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:21

SK AX gains first government recognition for gen AI certification

South Korea's SK AX has received government recognition for its generative AI skills certification scheme, marking the first such approval in South Korea for a programme focused on generative AI capabilities. The company said its AI Competency Certification Platform had been approved under the "company qualification government recognition system" by the ministry of employment and labour and the human resources development service of Korea.

KT has lost over 210,000 users since penalty waiver
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:18

KT has lost over 210,000 users since penalty waiver

More than 210,000 customers of Korea Telecom (KT) have left the operator for a different service provider after it began waiving early termination fees following its major data breach, according to Maeil Business, citing industry sources. As of 11 January, 210,603 KT users switched to rival carriers since 31 December, averaging more than 17,000 departures per day. On 8 January alone, 24,252 subscribers left KT, including 15,701 who moved to SK Telecom (SKT). On 10 January, as more users moved to other carri

South Korea steps up AI cooperation with Nvidia and OpenAI
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:17

South Korea steps up AI cooperation with Nvidia and OpenAI

South Korea's ministry of science and ICT has moved to deepen international cooperation on AI following senior-level meetings with Nvidia and OpenAI in California, alongside engagement with Korean-founded startups and investors in the US. The ministry said second vice minister Ryu Je-myoung visited the headquarters of Nvidia and OpenAI on 9 January, as part of efforts to strengthen public-private collaboration on AI infrastructure, talent development and safety. The visit builds on discussions held last yea

Broadband, TV, mobile soon most popular multi-play bundle
NETHERLANDS 06:17

Broadband, TV, mobile soon most popular multi-play bundle

Broadband, TV and mobile (BBTVMO) is set to become the most popular consumer multi-play bundle in 2026 in the Netherlands. According to research by Telecompaper, the combination already had the second biggest subscriber base in Q3 2025, at one in four households in the Netherlands.

Wild weather and vandalism disrupt telecoms across Australia
AUSTRALIA 06:13

Wild weather and vandalism disrupt telecoms across Australia

Telecommunications services in parts of north Queensland were disrupted over the weekend after vandalism damaged network infrastructure as Tropical Cyclone Koji approached the coast, compounding challenges for operators managing severe weather impacts. An unplanned outage caused by vandalism disrupted services to around 5,000 premises in parts of Townsville on Saturday 10 January. According to an NBN Co spokesperson, technicians worked through the night and restored services for the majority of affected cus

ChatGPT tops Korea's mobile app downloads last year
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:09

ChatGPT tops Korea's mobile app downloads last year

ChatGPT ranked first in new installations in South Korea's mobile application market last year, far outpacing other apps, according to IGAWorks' Mobile Index. ChatGPT reached 16.57 million cumulative new downloads last year, the highest among all mobile applications. The number of ChatGPT users leapt by 341 percent from January to December last year, pushing its overall ranking up to 27th. According to Maeil Business, citing company sources, the number of active devices using the app also reached 19.49 mill

SoftBank and OpenAI to invest USD 1 billion in SB Energy
UNITED STATES 06:07

SoftBank and OpenAI to invest USD 1 billion in SB Energy

OpenAI and SoftBank Group have agreed to invest USD 1 billion into SB Energy, which is backed by SoftBank and Ares Management, to support the buildout of AI data centres as part of the Stargate initiative. OpenAI and SoftBank are each investing USD 500 million into SB Energy. OpenAI has also selected SBE to build and operate its previously-announced 1.2 GW data centre site in Milam County. The equity funding supports SB Energy's growth as a development and execution partner for data centre campuses and asso

UNITED STATES 06:05

Meta sets out US nuclear power agreements to support data centre growth

Meta has announced a series of agreements to support existing and new nuclear power projects in the United States, with the aim of securing long-term electricity supply for its data centre and AI infrastructure. The company said the projects could support up to 6.6 GW of new and existing nuclear capacity by 2035, supplying grids that serve Meta's operations, including its Prometheus data centre cluster in New Albany, Ohio.

JAPAN 06:02

CAICA Digital completes Web3 IoT trial using 5G RedCap and MQTT

Japan's CAICA Digital has completed the second phase of a proof-of-concept trial for its Web3-based IoT integration initiative, advancing work on a real-time machine-to-machine and edge computing platform using 5G RedCap and MQTT. The trial is being carried out jointly with its subsidiary, NCXX, and is structured in three stages: initial implementation of an M2M and MEC platform, enhancement of communication protocols, and the planned introduction of decentralised identity authentication.

GLOBAL 06:00

Kepler launches first optical relay satellites tranche

Satellite company Kepler Communications announced the successful launch of the first tranche of its optical relay satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The satellites will now begin commissioning as Kepler transitions its optical data relay network into operational service. The tranche consists of 10 satellites, each approximately 300 kilograms, equipped with high-capacity SDA-compatible optical terminals and multi-GPU on-orbit compute modules with terabyte

PAKISTAN 04:35

Pakistan to slash taxes on mobile phone imports

Pakistan's National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance has formally directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Ministry of Finance to reassess the current tax structure for imported mobile phones. The FBR is expected to submit a report with specific 'policy options' for tax reduction by March 2026.

PAKISTAN 03:46

Jazz unveils JazzWorld corporate identity, appoints chief AI officer

Pakistani operator Jazz has unveiled 'JazzWorld', its refreshed corporate group identity. The operator says JazzWorld reflects its evolution into a multi-business organization, bringing together connectivity, digital, financial, lifestyle, health, data centre, AI, and platform businesses under one unified vision.

GLOBAL 00:04

The week in telecoms: CES brings Wi-Fi 8 and more smart glasses, while Warner sticks with Netflix

CES last week brought news of more smart glasses and the first Wi-Fi 8 products, while Samsung's preliminary earnings report suggests the Korean company is profiting fully from the AI-driven demand for memory chips. Warner Bros meanwhile has decided to stick with Netflix and officially rejected Paramount's rival offer, while Italy takes a stance on Cloudflare's role in piracy and gets a new network sharing alliance.

BELGIUM 9 JAN

Orange Belgium's Hey! wins brand of the year award

Orange Belgium's budget brand Hey! has been named Brand of the Year for 2026 by Product of the Year (POY) Belgium. This is the first time a telecom brand has been named in this category, with the award based on a survey of around 10,000 consumers. 

GERMANY 9 JAN

Allianz signs global AI partnership with Anthropic

Anthropic has signed a global strategic partnership with Allianz to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) at the German insurance group. The partnership focuses on teaching employees how to use AI, using AI to accelerate internal processes, and setting new standards for accuracy. Under the partnership, Anthropic's Claude models are integrated in Allianz's internal AI platform, which is free for all Allianz employees to use. Claude Code is redefining software development for a large number of developers at All

LATVIA 9 JAN

Tele2 Latvia introduces AI call analytics to improve customer services

Tele2 Latvia has introduced AI software that can analyse conversations to help with customer service. Developed and implemented by Latvian startup Asya.ai, the Pitch Patterns system uses AI to recognise the content of a conversation in Latvian and other languages, as well as identify the voice tone, intonation, speech rate and other expressions. The tool will help identify situations when a call was not successful and offer tips to help employees improve communication and service quality. The solution can r

NETHERLANDS 9 JAN

Dutch TV time down 5% year-on-year in December

TV viewing time in the Netherlands reached a seasonal peak in December, but was still down 5 percent year-on-year, figures from the NMO show. Average daily time watching the main TV in the home was 211 minutes per day, including 130 minutes for linear TV (-6%) and 81 minutes for VOD services (-5%).

NETHERLANDS 9 JAN

Odido owners revive IPO plans - report

The private equity owners of Odido have revived plans for an IPO of the Dutch operator. The stock market listing in Amsterdam could start as soon as this month and raise about EUR 1 billion or more, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Odido confirmed last year that it was considering an IPO, but the listing never happened due to turbulent market conditions. 

BELARUS 9 JAN

A1 Belarus adds partner promos to loyalty programme

A1 Belarus has added a new option to its loyalty programme AI Plus, allowing customers to use their accumulated points for promotions at partners of the operator. Up to 100 percent of the price of a partner purchase can be covered in this way.

Just In

06:51

SKS Technologies completes Delta Elcom acquisition for AUD 12.5 million

06:30

Meta removes almost 550,000 under-16 accounts in Australia

06:28

LG Uplus expands membership programme benefits for 2026

06:26

NTT applies to shift telegram service to special correspondence framework

Commentary

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

8 DEC 2025 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

31 OKT 2025 11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

Background

00:04

The week in telecoms: CES brings Wi-Fi 8 and more smart glasses, while Warner sticks with Netflix

5 JAN 00:52

The week in telecom: Finnish security check, M&A completions and telco job cuts

23 DEC 2025 10:32

Netherlands TV-video market grows 2.6% in Q3 to EUR 759 mln

22 DEC 2025 00:25

The week in telecoms: YouTube, Instagram take on TV market and WBD rejects Paramount