Deutsche Telekom has joined forces with Huawei to deploy Europe’s first commercially available network built largely around the technology expected to become the final 5G standard. Although the 5G standard has not been formally ratified, the 3GPP standards organization announced it would accelerate its timeline, locking down the first specifications in December. That decision means … Read more

Several major European telecom operators are urging large digital content platforms to contribute to the costs of the connectivity infrastructure they rely on. In a joint statement, the CEOs of Vodafone, Telefónica, Deutsche Telekom and Orange argued that content platforms should share responsibility for financing network capacity and upgrades. “The current situation is simply not … Read more

Telecom operators are caught in a difficult position: neither the OTT services nor customers are willing to absorb the costs of increased bandwidth. With mobile usage surging and users expecting constant access to bandwidth-intensive services like Google, Skype, and Netflix, telecom capacity is becoming an increasingly scarce resource. Industry analysts predicted a decline in global … Read more

Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm has continued to press the Swedish government to reconsider the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority’s (PTS) ban on Huawei equipment. Ekholm has publicly opposed the ban since it was announced in October of last year. He has reportedly sent several text messages to Foreign Trade Minister Anna Hallberg urging a review … Read more

The shift from 4G to 5G focused largely on higher speeds and lower latency. AI-native 6G, by contrast, promises a fundamentally different kind of network—one that blends telecommunications and artificial intelligence to deliver autonomous operation, new services, and more efficient use of resources. Leading technology companies are already laying the groundwork. Their research signals that … Read more

China’s smartphone market has undergone a dramatic shift, with domestic manufacturers now dominating the world’s largest mobile market. For the first time in recent memory, Apple has been pushed out of mainland China’s top five smartphone vendors. According to the latest report from market research firm Canalys, Chinese brands captured all five leading positions in … Read more

Virgin Media is trialling Infinera’s XR Optics technology with the aim of using it to provide multi-gigabit speeds to customers. Jeanie York, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Virgin Media, said: “Our next-generation network already offers gigabit connectivity to more than seven million homes, but with data use and demand for hyperfast speeds surging, we’re … Read more

Nest Labs, the connected-home startup founded by former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, has grown rapidly since its launch—and today it was acquired by Google for $3 billion. Instead of widespread congratulations, the announcement has provoked an outcry online. Social posts range from practical responses—“I just tore mine off the wall. Thanks for … Read more

New proposals from Brussels could cut data roaming charges within the EU by more than half and give travellers greater control over which network they connect to while abroad. This week the European Commission is expected to unveil measures aimed at bringing the cost of international voice and data transfer closer to the level of … Read more

The British government has accelerated its ban on the installation of Huawei telecoms equipment by network operators. From September 2021, operators will be prohibited from installing Huawei equipment in the UK’s 5G networks, the government announced. Purchases of Huawei gear have already been banned since 31 December 2020. “Today I am setting out a clear … Read more