(Image Credit: Vodafone) Many mobile operators are turning to WiFi-based solutions to ensure customers stay connected where cellular signals are weak. For example, UK carrier Three offers an app that enables voice calls over WiFi using a customer’s mobile plan, while EE leverages built-in smartphone features to provide WiFi calling without requiring a separate app. … Read more

Vendors and operators across the UK are closely watching China as it prepares to launch commercial 5G networks by 2020 and is forecast to become the world’s largest 5G market by 2025. A recent report from GSMA Intelligence and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) projects that after a phased two-year testing … Read more

The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) has launched an industry initiative to create a unified set of wholesale standards for interactions between internet service providers (ISPs) and alternative network providers (altnets). This effort arrives at a pivotal moment for the UK telecoms sector as the industry prepares for the copper switch-off and navigates ongoing consolidation … Read more

SK Telecom (SKT) has announced a $100 million investment in Anthropic to develop a large language model (LLM) tailored for telecommunications companies. Anthropic, a San Francisco–based AI research and safety company, has previously received investment from SKT’s venture capital arm, SK Telecom Venture Capital. This new investment deepens the partnership between SKT and Anthropic with … Read more

Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, is reportedly developing its own mobile operating system, with plans to launch it later this year. Reports about the project have appeared in the Chinese press and international outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. Alibaba, which established a dedicated Cloud Computing division in 2009, has not issued … Read more

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has published the third edition of its “Who Has Your Back?” report for 2013. As an organization dedicated to defending civil liberties in the digital world, the EFF’s annual review helps consumers identify which service providers are taking meaningful steps to protect user privacy and resist government overreach. The report … Read more

Optus and Ericsson have demonstrated peak downlink speeds of 3.4 Gbps on Optus’ live 5G standalone network in Sydney, achieved through four-component carrier aggregation across multiple spectrum bands. The trial aggregated Optus’ downlink holdings at 900 MHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz to create a combined 220 MHz of bandwidth. The companies said … Read more

Interest in CryptoPhone’s secure devices has surged since Edward Snowden exposed the extent of the NSA’s mass surveillance programs. During their investigations, CryptoPhone’s mobile security team discovered and patched 468 vulnerabilities in stock Android. In one test on a Samsung Galaxy S3, the team observed the device leaking data roughly 80–90 times per hour. One … Read more

The Spanish government raised €437 million (about $510 million) after a multi-day auction of 5G spectrum that drew participation from four national operators. The auction offered frequencies in the 3.6GHz to 3.8GHz band, a range widely considered suitable for rolling out 5G services. Organizers set a minimum reserve of €100 million, and competitive bidding pushed … Read more

US chipmaker Intel has announced the successful completion of 5G interoperability testing with China Mobile and Huawei. The tests, conducted in line with the 3GPP Release 15 standard, represent a key milestone on the path to commercial 5G deployment. Asha Keddy, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager for Next Generation and Standards, said the work … Read more