(c)iStock.com/Filippo Bacci Not so long ago, mobile carriers loudly promoted 4G as a transformative leap forward. Early headlines highlighted the first 4G phones and high-profile promotions that made the new technology feel revolutionary. Today, 4G is a routine expectation. We notice when our phones fall back to 3G, H+ or other symbols because 4G speeds … Read more
T-Mobile US attributes widespread network disruptions to severe weather affecting multiple regions of the country, with customers in Texas particularly hard hit. DownDetector reported a significant surge in problem reports yesterday, which eased for a time before rising again in recent hours. According to the outage reports, the largest share—about 53%—concerned loss of mobile data. … Read more
Operator revenue from data is projected to surpass voice revenue by 2018, according to research released by the GSMA at the start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The report highlights an explosion in mobile data driven by growing demand for connected devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, a trend the GSMA says is transforming … Read more
Virgin Media O2’s network is now over 90 percent gigabit-ready, bringing the provider closer to completing an upgrade of its entire footprint by the end of the year. The latest network activation connected an additional 1.6 million homes across towns and cities including Lincoln, Bath, Lancaster, Fife, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Slough and Salisbury. A total of … Read more
SoftBank and OneWeb have signed a distribution partnership to introduce advanced satellite communication services across Japan. The partnership centers on OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services, which offer faster communication and lower latency by operating closer to the planet than traditional satellites. These characteristics make LEO systems well suited to applications that require swift, … Read more
The merger of Vodafone and Three UK has completed, creating a new mobile operator named VodafoneThree. The transaction closed on 31 May 2025 and combines two of the UK’s largest mobile businesses into a single, fully merged company. Vodafone holds a 51% controlling stake in VodafoneThree, while CK Hutchison, the owner of Three, retains the … Read more
Rising costs and shrinking returns are forcing mobile operators to rethink how they design, build and run networks. In Italy, economic pressure is pushing competitors toward cooperation as the rising costs of deploying and operating 5G make it increasingly difficult to justify going it alone. Telecom Italia and Fastweb, the Italian unit of Swisscom, are … Read more
Two reports from IHS Markit detail the market values and growth trends for mobile backhaul equipment and the small cell backhaul segment in 2016. The overall mobile backhaul equipment market was valued at $8.2 billion, while the small cell backhaul segment accounted for just over $148 million. Although smaller in absolute value, the small cell … Read more
More than three-quarters of Australian telecommunications customers report being satisfied with their service, although this proportion has fallen slightly since the previous quarter. The findings come from the latest Telecommunications Customer Satisfaction Survey published by Communications Alliance and conducted in partnership with Roy Morgan Research. The study shows that 74% of respondents were satisfied with … Read more
Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, has been campaigning for a single, unified telecoms market across Europe. TelecomsTech first reported on this initiative in January. She is now intensifying that effort, calling for the abolition of mobile roaming charges by 2014 in a speech to the European Parliament. Many of us have experienced … Read more