Telecom leaders discussed the challenge of monetizing 5G. Vodafone’s ‘The Great British Telecoms Switch’ campaign offers BT customers savings and compensations to switch providers. A Pew Research Center survey found U.S. teens have a complex relationship with smartphones. Verizon’s report shows a 129% rise in mobile network traffic over 5 years. Iliad aims to become the fifth-largest mobile operator in Europe by 2024.
Internet connectivity in West Africa is in a fragile state due to substantial damage to critical undersea cables resulting in limited or non-existent service in regions including Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Benin. The impact is reportedly extreme, with ripple effects reaching as far as South Africa. Telecom giants MTN and Vodafone linked the disruptions to these cable issues.
In an ambitious move, the Indian government has announced its plans to hold a mobile spectrum auction in May, eyeing a starting bid of nearly US$12 billion. Despite the high hopes tied to this event, experts remain skeptical about its success, given the tepid interest expected from the country’s telecom operators.
Austrian mobile operator, Spusu, underscores its commitment to human-led customer service, asserting the decision as a response to positive customer feedback. Meanwhile, contrasting strategies are evident, as Vodafone pioneers AI-based customer service technology.
TalkTalk has surged ahead to become the UK’s largest retail fibre broadband provider, boasting a service reach to over 15 million premises, edging out competitors like Vodafone and Zen Internet in the race for the broadest fibre network. This expansion has positioned TalkTalk at the forefront of the UK’s digital infrastructure landscape, despite facing operational hiccups.
As debate swirls around potential alterations to EU telecom sector merger regulations, European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager maintains her stance. Even with industry pressure for a shakeup due to challenges like 5G rollouts and shrinking profit margins, she insists on preserving existing rules.
In an ambitious move to enhance mobile connectivity across Japan, Rakuten Mobile has announced its plan to offer satellite-to-mobile services by 2026, partnering with AST SpaceMobile. This initiative aims to leverage AST SpaceMobile’s space-based cellular broadband network, enabling direct access to smartphones for text messaging, voice, and data services.
In a significant boost to rural connectivity, Virgin Media O2 has recently achieved a landmark in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) initiative by completing upgrades or constructing 100 sites under its management. This development is set to offer unprecedented mobile coverage quality to rural communities, benefiting not just its own customers but also those of Three and Vodafone, thanks to a collaborative effort to enhance infrastructure.
In a significant stride towards making its 5G network more robust for future technologies, Finland’s Elisa has successfully tested a new uplink carrier aggregation technology. This test, a collaboration with telecom giants Ericsson and Qualcomm, marks a leap in preparing for the demands of the metaverse and other advanced applications.
Neterra, a telecommunications trailblazer for nearly three decades, recently secured the prestigious ‘Best Central & Eastern European Carrier’ award at the Global Carrier Awards 2023. In an exclusive interview with Svetoslava Bancheva, the PR and Digital Communications Manager, Neterra’s evolution from providing Bulgaria’s first internet connection to becoming a global telecom solution provider unfolds. Svetoslava highlights pivotal milestones, including running submarine cables under the Danube River and the establishment of the Sofia Data Center.
