Traficom awards 5 stars to 14 municipalities for broadband connections
FINLAND 14:08

Traficom awards 5 stars to 14 municipalities for broadband connections

Finnish telecoms regulator Traficom has awarded five stars to fourteen municipalities for their broadband connections this year. Service still varies greatly, especially in sparsely populated areas, but there are now only nine municipalities scoring less than two stars. The five-star municipalities are Espoo, Helsinki, Traskanda, Grankulla, Kempele, Kervo, Kotka, Lahtis, Jakobstad, Birkala, Reso, Riihimaki, Vaasa and Vantaa. Those with fewer than two stars are Enontekis, Kaavi, Keitele, Lestijarvi, Puumala,

Gigabit broadband available to 89% of UK homes - Ofcom
UNITED KINGDOM 13:52

Gigabit broadband available to 89% of UK homes - Ofcom

The latest Ofcom data shows that gigabit-capable broadband (at least 1 Gbps) is available to 27.1 million households across the UK as of January 2026, equal to 89 percent of premises. This is up from 26.4 million premises (87%) a year earlier. The Connected Nations Spring Update shows that full-fibre broadband was available to 24.9 million or 82 percent of UK homes in January, up from 23.7 million six months earlier. 

Norwegian telecom infrastructure investments fall by around 10% in 2025
NORWAY 12:13

Norwegian telecom infrastructure investments fall by around 10% in 2025

Investment in Norway's mobile networks fell by about NOK 1 billion from 2024 to around NOK 3.1 billion in 2025, according to regulator Nkom. Total spending on telecom assets declined by just under NOK 1.8 billion to NOK 9.96 billion last year. Director John-Eivind Velure said investments have been declining since 2022 in both mobile and fixed networks, which could mean that the most profitable areas have already been developed. As both mobile and internet infrastructure carry more and more essential service

Swedish annual broadband subsidy round opens with SEK 820 mln available
SWEDEN 12:00

Swedish annual broadband subsidy round opens with SEK 820 mln available

Swedish telecoms regulator PTS said applications for this year's broadband subsidy round are open until 26 August, with SEK 820 million available in 2026. There are 192,548 eligible buildings this year. The minimum project size is five buildings and applications can be made for up to SEK 15 million per project.

Hong Kong loses nearly 1,500 fixed-line subscribers in January
HONG KONG 02:39

Hong Kong loses nearly 1,500 fixed-line subscribers in January

Hong Kong lost 1,494 fixed-line subscribers in January 2026, ending the year with 1.69 million users. The total includes 669,842 residential fixed-lines and 1.029 million business lines. The number of non-exchange lines (which includes IP telephone and fixed wireless services) declined to 1.354 million in January 2026 from 1.360 million in the previous month, according to figures from the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA). The number of leased lines increased to 136,874 in January 2026 from 136,

Hong Kong passes 10 million 5G subscribers milestone in January
HONG KONG 02:30

Hong Kong passes 10 million 5G subscribers milestone in January

Hong Kong lost 46,453 mobile lines in January 2026, ending the month with a total of 34.28 million mobile lines, according to the latest figures from the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA). The prepay base stood at 23.45 million in January, down from 23.54 million in December, while the number of postpaid lines increased to 10.82 million from 10.78 million.

UK cyber security sector revenue grows 11% in 2025 to GBP 14.7 bln
UNITED KINGDOM 12 MEI

UK cyber security sector revenue grows 11% in 2025 to GBP 14.7 bln

The UK's cyber security sector grew by 11 percent in 2025 to generate revenue of GBP 14.7 billion, according to newly-released government data. The number of cyber security companies grew by 20 percent or 438 to a total of 2,603, with the sector creating 2,300 jobs last year to reach a total of 69,600 workers (full time equivalents). The total gross value added (GVA) of the cyber security sector has reached around GBP 9.1 billion, up 17 percent year-on-year. GVA per employee has risen 13 percent from GBP 11

LEO satellite broadband could boost global GDP by USD 863 bln by 2035
GLOBAL 12 MEI

LEO satellite broadband could boost global GDP by USD 863 bln by 2035

An expansion of LEO satellite broadband services could boost global GDP by USD 32-863 billion by 2035, according to new research from Oxford Economics for Amazon. The report shows that LEO satellite broadband connectivity could support between 800,000 and 21 million jobs worldwide by 2035. It models three scenarios - incremental, intermediate and transformative - to reflect different LEO adoption levels.  

Italian industrial output up 0.7% in March
ITALY 12 MEI

Italian industrial output up 0.7% in March

Italy's industrial production climbed 0.7 percent in March compared to the previous month, according to the latest data from national statistics agency Istat. On a quarterly basis, average industrial production levels were still down 0.2 percent from January to March compared with the previous quarter.

Hollandsnieuwe helps bring down price of gigabit broadband in Netherlands
NETHERLANDS 12 MEI

Hollandsnieuwe helps bring down price of gigabit broadband in Netherlands

The cost of gigabit broadband service is slowly falling in the Netherlands. The monthly average price is down 6.3 percent in the past two years to EUR 51.28, according to the latest comparison in Telecompaper's pricing database. The launch of Ziggo's budget brand Hollandsnieuwe on the fixed broadband market in November 2025 has helped bring down the average.

Vodafone UK gets most broadband customer complaints in Q4 - Ofcom
UNITED KINGDOM 11 MEI

Vodafone UK gets most broadband customer complaints in Q4 - Ofcom

TalkTalk and Vodafone received the most complaints from UK broadband customers in Q4 2025, according to the latest telecoms and pay-TV complaints data from regulator Ofcom. TalkTalk's complaints were flat (10), with Vodafone's complaints rising quarter-on-quarter to 11 complaints per 100,000 customers. Virgin Media was the least complained-about broadband provider at 5 complaints, compared with an industry average of 7 complaints per 100,000 customers.

Radio, TV account for most Irish public complaints about broadcast media
IRELAND 11 MEI

Radio, TV account for most Irish public complaints about broadcast media

New data from Irish broadcasting regulator Coimisiun na Mean (Cnam) shows that 97 percent of public complaints about broadcast/on-demand media relate to content on radio and TV broadcasters; with content on VoD services accounting for less than 3 percent of complaints. More than three quarters of complaints made by the public relate to news and current affairs content - with top the concerns being a failure to comply with the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality - citing bias, inaccuracy and a lac

ITALY 11 MEI

TIM tops OpenSignal Q1 network performance ranking

Telecom Italia (TIM) was again recognised as the operator that offered the best mobile and fixed network performance in OpenSignal's latest 'Consistent Quality' ranking for the Italian market, corresponding to the first quarter of 2026. Measurements collected from January to March 2026 found that TIM achieved the most consistent mobile network quality with a score of 80.5 percent, ahead of Vodafone Italia (78.9%), Fastweb and Iliad (both 78.7%), and WindTre (77.6%).

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11 MEI

Russian ICT market grows 13% in 2025

Revenues on the Russian ICT market totaled RUB 9.4 trillion in 2025, up 12.6 percent from the previous year according to a study from the Statistical Research department of the HSE Institute. That is more than twice the annual inflation rate of 5.6 percent in the country in 2025. IT revenues totaled RUB 4.8 trillion, up by 14 percent, and telecom services revenues increased by 8.1 percent to RUB 2.65 trillion.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11 MEI

Huawei leads expanding wearables market in Russia

Sales of wearable devices totaled around 1.5 million units in Russia in the first quarter of this year, according to figures from the mobile and electronics retail chain M.Video. Sales revenues amounted to RUB 11.5 billion. The average retail price of the devices grew by 10 percent year-on-year to RUB 7,800. Huawei, Xiaomi and Redmi led unit sales, and Huawei, Apple and Samsung were at the top by sales revenues.

FRANCE 11 MEI

French prepaid SIMs decrease by 220,000 in Q1

Prepaid connections in mainland France recorded a net loss of 220,000 in the March quarter to stand at 6.46 million, or 8 percent of the overall postpaid/prepaid installed base. According to telecom regulator Arcep, the postpaid segment achieved 72,000 net additions in the same period, resulting in a quarterly net loss of 148,000 across postpaid and prepaid connections. The increase in the postpaid segment was entirely driven by the ongoing positive performance of B2B connections (+83,000 versus +62,000 in

MEXICO 11 MEI

Televisa cut to 'BBB-' by S&P on revenue decline, competitive pressure

Mexico's Grupo Televisa has been downgraded to "BBB-" from "BBB" by S&P Global, which also revised the outlook to negative, citing declining revenues and intensifying competition. The ratings agency above all cited a 17.5 percent drop in satellite services revenue at Sky Mexico and a 25.9 percent fall in related revenue-generating units (RGUs).

BRAZIL 11 MEI

Brazil mobile market adds over 2 mln lines in March

Brazil reached 273.5 million mobile lines in March, up from 271.3 million the previous month, equal to a 102.6 percent penetration rate, according to figures published by Anatel. 4G technology accounted for 64.9 percent of total lines, ahead of 5G (22.1%), 2G (6.7%) and 3G (5.3%). Vivo holds the largest market share at 37.9 percent, followed by Claro (33.2%) and TIM Brasil (22.7%).

ITALY 11 MEI

Over 1 in 10 Spanish users lodge fixed broadband complaint in Q4

Fixed broadband issues resulted in more than one in ten Spanish users filing a complaint in the final quarter of 2025, according to the latest household survey conducted by communications and markets regulator CNMC. The findings show that 10.2 percent of Spanish households submitted a complaint about their fixed broadband service in the October to December period, followed by 6.1 percent about their electricity service, 5.6 percent about mobile telephony and 5.2 percent regarding gas.

FRANCE 11 MEI

Orange retains lead in French 5G site activations during April

French operator Orange once again recorded the largest monthly net increase in active 5G sites across mainland France, adding 368 during April, net of overlapping deployments across 2.1 GHz (+226), 700 MHz (+155) and 3.5 GHz (+134) frequencies. According to spectrum agency ANFR, Bouygues Telecom achieved the second‑largest monthly gain (+283), ahead of SFR (+153) and Free Mobile (+46).

GLOBAL 11 MEI

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK

Preparing telecom networks for the changing world of AI was a recurring theme last week, with global operators like Lumen and NTT working on a shift in their business to focus more on the networking needs of the future. Corning confirmed a big investment in optical capacity to support demanding clients like Nvidia, and the EU agreed to give everybody more time to prepare before its AI regulations kick in.

UNITED KINGDOM 8 MEI

Baroness Lane-Fox to lead London AI and Jobs Taskforce

Technology businesswomen Baroness Martha Lane-Fox has been appointed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan as Chair of the new London AI and Jobs Taskforce. The taskforce will include experts from business, government, trade unions, the AI industry and the skills sector to review the impact of AI on jobs in London; identify risks and opportunities for employers and Londoners; and provide recommendations and advice on boosting AI skills. 

NETHERLANDS 8 MEI

Odido edges out KPN for first place in Umlaut fixed broadband benchmark

Odido has come first in Umlaut's latest benchmark of fixed network providers in the Netherlands with a score of 981 out of 1,000 potential points. KPN is close behind with 979 points, and Ziggo achieved a score of 961, meaning all three operators qualify for an "excellent" rating from Umlaut. Odido did particularly well on upload speeds and stability, while KPN had the best latency and geographic availability, and Ziggo scored highest for download speeds.

GLOBAL 7 MEI

Global tablet shipments flat at 37 million units in Q1 - Omdia

Global tablet shipments were flat at 37 million units in Q1 2026, up 0.1 percent from Q1 2025, according to Omdia. Apple led the market with shipments of 14.83 million units, up 7.9 percent from 13.75 million a year-earlier, for a 40.1 percent market share. Samsung tablet shipments reached 5.79 million in Q1, down 12.6 percent year-on-year, for a 15.7 percent market share.

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Background

11 MEI 00:53

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK

3 MEI 23:05

The week in telecoms: big tech faces costs of AI boom and Wi-Fi market consolidates

27 APR 14:33

Virgin Media O2: from coax to fibre and 80% coverage in 2028

26 APR 23:04

The week in telecoms: sovereign hopes take hold in Europe and Apple confirms new CEO