Vodafone Ireland survey highlights nostalgic mobile phone memories
IRELAND 23 JUN

Vodafone Ireland survey highlights nostalgic mobile phone memories

New research from Vodafone Ireland shows that staying connected with family and friends (66%), accessing social media (54%) and banking, budgeting and managing finances (32%) are the top three reasons for using a mobile phone. This is based on a survey of 500 mobile phone users in Ireland aged 40+, as Vodafone marks 25 years of operating in the country. By comparison, voice calls were the main use of mobile phones in 2001, with SMS/text messaging emerging as a key feature.

Sub-Saharan Africa to lead global 5G growth with over 10-fold subscriber increase by 2031
AFRICA 23 JUN

Sub-Saharan Africa to lead global 5G growth with over 10-fold subscriber increase by 2031

Sub-Saharan Africa's transition to advanced connectivity is moving at a rapid pace and the region is forecast to lead global 5G subscription growth, surging from roughly 30 million users in 2025 to 370 million by 2031, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report. Total mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa are projected to reach 1.31 billion by 2031, up from 1.05 billion in 2025.

Samsung, Huawei lead foldable phone market in Russia
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 23 JUN

Samsung, Huawei lead foldable phone market in Russia

Russian sales of foldable smartphones totaled 42,000 units in January to May of this year, according to a study from the operator MTS. Sales revenues amounted to RUB 3.9 billion. Sales of such devices increased by more than 50 percent in the past two years, while the average retail price declined by 16 percent to RUB 92,600.

Smartphone prices to hit record high as volumes fall 12% in 2026 - Omdia
GLOBAL 23 JUN

Smartphone prices to hit record high as volumes fall 12% in 2026 - Omdia

Total global smartphone shipments are set to contract by 12.2 percent year-on-year in 2026, according to the latest forecast from Omdia that contrasts with the researcher's earlier prediction of a 7 percent annual contraction. The expected year-end total of 1.093 billion units represents a decline of 152 million units compared with 2025 and shows that rising component costs and geopolitical uncertainty are prompting vendors to move away from low-cost, high-volume models, driving a structural change in the m

Currys says 1 in 3 Brits holding onto their first mobile phone
UNITED KINGDOM 23 JUN

Currys says 1 in 3 Brits holding onto their first mobile phone

New research from UK tech retailer Currys shows that 1 in 3 Brits are still holding onto their first phone phone, of which 25 percent are old Nokia phones. The average home has 30 unused devices, with UK households hoarding more than 880 million unused devices nationwide. Mobile phones are the most commonly hoarded device, with 4 in 5 Brits keeping old mobile phones. 

South Korean broadcasters record third consecutive year of revenue decline
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 23 JUN

South Korean broadcasters record third consecutive year of revenue decline

Revenue across South Korea's broadcasting sector fell for a third consecutive year in 2025, declining 0.8 percent year-on-year to KRW 18.65 trillion, as advertising revenue continued to weaken across most segments of the market. The figures, published by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), cover 371 broadcasting operators including terrestrial broadcasters, pay TV providers and programme providers. Total broadcasting advertising revenue fell 12.3 percent to KRW 2.01 trillion, with declines recorded a

Korean streaming user base rises 4% as Netflix retains lead
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 23 JUN

Korean streaming user base rises 4% as Netflix retains lead

The combined monthly active user base of major over-the-top (OTT) video streaming applications in South Korea reached 22.09 million in May 2026, up 4 percent from 21.24 million a year earlier, according to data released by market intelligence firm Wiseapp Retail. The company said streaming usage has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7 percent over the past three years. The findings are based on statistical estimates derived from a panel of South Korean smartphone users, covering an estimated popul

China PC shipments down 2% in Q1, full-year outlook projects 14% drop
CHINA 23 JUN

China PC shipments down 2% in Q1, full-year outlook projects 14% drop

Mainland China's PC and tablet markets declined by 2 percent and 5 percent year-on-year, respectively, in the first quarter of 2026, according to a report from Omdia. Total PC shipments fell to 8.9 million units, while tablet volumes declined to 8.3 million units. PC shipments in mainland China are expected to plunge 14 percent to 36 million units in 2026, while tablet shipments are forecast to drop 11 percent to 32 million units.

5G availability soars to almost 80 percent across 29 European markets - Opensignal
EUROPE 22 JUN

5G availability soars to almost 80 percent across 29 European markets - Opensignal

Opensignal has published market research exploring 5G performance and adoption in most EU markets plus the UK, Switzerland and Norway. The insights are based on sample connection data collected in Q1 2026. These figures show that user devices were in reach of a 5G signal more than 78 percent of the time, with the figure rising above 90 percent in a handful of markets, namely Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and Cyprus. This indicates that 5G infrastructure has reached maturity across the EU and aligned stat

Angola's mobile market adds 2 mln subscribers in 2025
ANGOLA 22 JUN

Angola's mobile market adds 2 mln subscribers in 2025

Angola's mobile sector added over two million new subscribers in 2025, taking the country's total to 28.4 million active users, equal to a 75 percent penetration rate, according to data from regulator Inacom. While Unitel remains the dominant market leader with a 73.3 percent share, Africell has captured a 25.5 percent share, and Movicel holds 2 percent.

E& outlines path to autonomous network in TM Forum white paper
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 22 JUN

E& outlines path to autonomous network in TM Forum white paper

E& and TM Forum have launched a new white paper on the UAE operator's path to a fully autonomous network. The paper sets out E& UAE's vision to move from traditional automation towards AI-native, intent-driven and closed-loop operations. It provides a structured blueprint for how telecom operators can evolve network operations from manual and reactive models to intelligent, self-optimising and self-healing networks, while keeping human governance and policy controls at the centre, the company said.

Kenyan mobile market grows subscriptions 7% in March quarter
KENYA 22 JUN

Kenyan mobile market grows subscriptions 7% in March quarter

Active mobile subscriptions in Kenya increased by 7.4 percent to 84.1 million during the third quarter ended March according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). The surge was driven by aggressive telecom customer win-back campaigns and rising smartphone adoption, which pushed the national mobile penetration rate to 157.7 percent.

IRELAND 22 JUN

Irish SMEs lose over EUR 3 billion a year from cyber attacks - Eir Business

New research from Eir Business shows that cyber attacks are costing Irish SMEs up to EUR 3.4 billion a year through downtime and lost productivity. The report shows that the biggest losses are coming from repeated day-to-day cyber disruption, instead of major one-off attacks. The report, The Hidden Cost of Cyber Risk, shows that Irish SMEs are losing over 7.2 million work days annually as a result of cyber breaches, with businesses suffering multiple incidents each year. This equates to almost 3 lost workin

BRAZIL 22 JUN

Cetic report shows Brazilian companies increase use of AI in 2025

The latest Cetic.br report shows that 17 percent of Brazilian enterprises utilised AI in 2025, up from 13 percent the previous year. AI adoption grew to 15 percent among small firms and reached 50 percent among large corporations. Generative AI and automated language tools led the charge. Natural language generation tools jumped 10 percentage points to a 30 percent adoption rate among AI-using firms. Turnkey, off-the-shelf software remains the primary implementation method (80%), though internal AI developm

HUNGARY 22 JUN

Fibre and M2M drive Hungary's telecom growth in Q1

Fixed-line internet subscriptions in Hungary grew by 0.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, propelled by a 6.1 percent surge in the FTTH segment. Optical network users reached 1.78 million with another 1.90 million on other connections, according to data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office.

NORTH MACEDONIA 22 JUN

North Macedonia broadband market grows 1.6% in 2025

North Macedonia's telecommunications market experienced modest growth during the fourth quarter of 2025. According to the country's regulatory agency, AEK, the fixed broadband subscriber base edged up to 555,415 by the end of Q4. This represents a minor 0.92 percent increase from the previous quarter and 1.61 percent growth year-on-year. Makedonski Telekom remained the dominant player, securing a 40.71 percent market share. A1 Makedonija held the second-largest position at 35.55 percent, followed by Telekab

GLOBAL 21 JUN

The week in telecom: sovereignty debate comes to VivaTech, Ericsson succession and Fox buys Roku

The VivaTech summit highlighted progress in European digital sovereignty last week, after the US capped foreign use of some of Anthropic's leading models. Ericsson secured its CEO transition, and Fox is acquiring Roku to boost its streaming efforts. 

SPAIN 19 JUN

Average spend on Spanish convergent packages down to EUR 38 in Q4

The average amount spent by Spanish households on convergent packages fell sharply in the last three months of 2025, according to the latest survey conducted by communications regulator CNMC. The monthly spend on a convergent package with fixed and mobile telephony plus broadband access (without pay-TV) came to EUR 38.3 a month in the final quarter of 2025, down sharply from EUR 40.3 a year earlier.

UNITED KINGDOM 19 JUN

UK payment fraud losses reach GBP 1.28 billion in 2025 - UK Finance

Criminals stole GBP 1.28 billion through payment fraud in the UK in 2025, up 4 percent from 2024, according to the latest Annual Fraud Report from UK Finance. Most authorised push payment (APP) fraud cases originate online (66%) or through telecoms networks (17%) - leading UK Finance to call for tougher obligations on companies operating in these sectors.

UNITED KINGDOM 19 JUN

Hyperoptic sees network traffic spikes during World Cup games

UK fibre altnet Hyperoptic said some of the highest network traffic spikes on its network so far in June has been driven by fans watching 2026 FIFA World Cup games. It recorded peal network traffic around 10 percent higher than a standard Wednesday evening (around 1.4 Tbps) during the open game of the competition. During England's first game on Wednesday 17 June, traffic peaked at around 1.6 Tbps (around 15% higher than typical early-June Wednesday evening).

SPAIN 19 JUN

Barely 2% of Spanish consumers change phone every year - study

Spain's smartphone replacement cycle remains slow, with only 2.2 percent of consumers changing their device annually in 2025, according to a consumer survey by sector watchdog CNMC. The data shows most users hold on to their phones for longer periods, with 9.0 percent upgrading every two years, 19.4 percent every three years, 24.6 percent every four years and over a third (37.5%) waiting five years or more.

UNITED KINGDOM 19 JUN

London Mayor wants city to become global esports hub

The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has outlined plans to major London a major global hub for esports, with the aim of attracting more international companies and major events to the city, and boosting opportunities for young people. He wants to build on the success of London hosting several high profile events - including the current Valorant Masters Tour at the Copper Box Arena, and the League of Legends World Championship Final at the O2 in 2024.

SPAIN 19 JUN

Spain tops Europe FAST streaming adoption - study

Spain has emerged as the leading market for free ad-supported streaming television in Europe, with 79.3 percent of viewers consuming FAST content daily or several times a week, according to a Rakuten TV survey. The report, titled "The FAST Advantage", showed Spain ahead of Germany (78.3%), France (78.0%), Italy (67.3%) and the UK (65.3%). Across all five countries surveyed, 73.7 percent of respondents reported frequent FAST usage, while 80.1 percent said the format is now either a main way to watch TV or an

POLAND 19 JUN

Polish video time down in May - Nielsen

Video time in Poland was down in May, according to The Gauge study from Nielsen. The average time spent in front of the TV screen was 3 hours and 36 minutes, representing a 15-minute decrease compared to April and down by 14 minutes compared to May 2025 when there was a presidential election. Cable accounted for 37.7 percent of viewing, ahead of satellite (23.1 percent) and terrestrial (21.0 percent), while streaming's share of TV time dropped to 10.7 percent, down from 10.9 percent in April.

Just In

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Vodafone Ukraine installs solar panels at 100 base stations

23 JUN 16:12

Burkina Faso inspects telecom infrastructure to boost security

23 JUN 16:10

Bouygues Telecom updates 5G box offer with lower prices

Commentary

23 JUN 09:56

ACM blocks Delta/Glaspoort deal - what can KPN do?

5 MEI 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

20 APR 10:36

Netflix back to organic growth and doing just fine

Background

21 JUN 22:52

The week in telecom: sovereignty debate comes to VivaTech, Ericsson succession and Fox buys Roku

1 JUN 00:13

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

23 MEI 23:42

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O

18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom