TELECOM – THIS WEEK (2506)
1. As part of the extended deal, AT&T will update its Nokia IMS Voice Core to include VoNR in a fully cloud-native architecture
AT&T and Nokia have extended their existing partnership to include support for the evolution of the telco’s voice core offering and for injecting additional automation capabilities into its network. AT&T is specifically looking to update its Nokia IMS Voice Core to include Voice over New Radio (VoNR) in a fully cloud-native architecture that it said enables flexible scaling and increased automation.
2. Ericsson and Nokia flaunt cash as open RAN pack struggles
When Börje Ekholm took charge of Ericsson at the start of 2017, his number one mission was to persuade customers contemplating long-term commitments that the Swedish vendor of network gear would survive. Its share price had nearly halved between January and October of the previous year after a shocking run of financial results. By the third quarter, Ericsson had turned unprofitable, reporting a small net loss of 200 million Swedish kronor (US$17.8 million), compared with a profit of SEK3.1 billion ($280 million) a year before, as sales dropped 14% year-over-year, to SEK51.1 billion ($4.6 billion). Net cash fell 37%, to SEK16.3 billion ($1.5 billion). Ericsson's ability to meet financial obligations was suddenly in doubt.
3. Nokia Moon landing aims to shake-up space tech
As Nokia gears up to put a 4G network on the Moon potentially in late February, the feat will mark a milestone for both telecoms and space exploration while representing a high-tech leap towards shaping future lunar connectivity.
4. Tech Mahindra is a Silver Sponsor at Nvidia GTC AI Conference 2025
NVIDIA is a pioneer, accelerating compute to tackle challenges no one else can solve. Their work in AI and digital twins is transforming the world's largest industries and profoundly impacting society. As a proud silver sponsor of NVIDIA GTC 2025, Tech Mahindra is set to showcase AI-powered solutions for various industries such as: Telecom and Communication, Manufacturing and Auto, Healthcare and Life Sciences and Education.
5. Nokia and Orange France extend long-term partnership with new 5G deal
Nokia announced that it signed a four-year contract extension with Orange France to upgrade its 5G radio infrastructure with Nokia’s energy-efficient AirScale portfolio. The new deal will deliver an enhanced customer experience with best-in-class speeds, capacity, and performance across Orange’s footprint in Southeastern and Western France. Orange will also trial Nokia’s 5G Cloud RAN solutions to assess the transition of its network towards Cloud RAN technology.
6. Bouygues Group and AWS sign strategic partnership
Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company and Bouygues, a diversified services group in construction, energies and services, and media and telecoms, have signed a strategic partnership to accelerate digital transformation across Bouygues group’s operations. AWS and Bouygues will build on their existing collaboration to drive cloud adoption across the Equans energies and services network, Bouygues Telecom, and media company TF1 by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize operations, enable faster growth and launch market-disrupting services such as accelerated digital production and enhanced streaming TV experiences. In addition, Bouygues will work with AWS to develop innovative, cloud-based solutions for its construction operations, deploying AI to manage risk, increase agility and efficiency, and enhance competitiveness.
7. Samsung and UScellular enhance 5G fixed wireless service in the mid-Atlantic region
Samsung Electronics today announced that UScellular has enhanced its 5G network capabilities in the Mid-Atlantic region with Samsung’s 5G solutions. The companies have worked together to deploy a new network architecture using Samsung’s 5G mmWave and virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) solution to support UScellular’s growing fixed wireless access and mobile traffic. In November, the operator launched this new service in several markets in the region, already delivering elevated connectivity to its customers.
8. German woes weigh heavy on Vodafone
Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle has achieved a number of her stated aims since she took the helm almost two years ago, particularly those related to asset sales and, at a group level, Vodafone’s numbers look fairly decent: But Della Valle’s dream of turning around the telco’s operations in its single biggest market, Germany, is becoming something of a nightmare if the operator’s fiscal third-quarter report is anything to go by.
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9. DNB and Ericsson supercharge Malaysia’s 5G network with 5G-Advanced capability
Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) and Ericsson have launched 5G Advanced technology on DNB's network, making it one of the first networks to launch this capability. This new technology, leveraging AI, enhances user experience with ultra-low latency and high throughput to bring a truly immersive experience.
10. Amphenol Corporation completes acquisition of OWN and DAS businesses from CommScope
Amphenol Corporation announced it had completed the acquisition of CommScope’s Outdoor Wireless Networks (OWN) and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) businesses. “The acquisition of the OWN and DAS businesses brings to Amphenol a strong portfolio of innovative and advanced technologies for communications networks,” said Amphenol President and Chief Executive Officer, R. Adam Norwitt. “We are excited to welcome nearly 4,000 talented employees to the Amphenol family and look forward to further supporting our customers who are developing next-generation wireless networks around the world.”
11. Hansen secures AUS $50m agreement with Virgin Media Limited
Hansen Technologies Ltd, a leading global provider of software and services to the Energy & Utilities and Communications & Media industries, has signed a master agreement with VMO2 to licence Hansen’s cloud-native Suite for Communications, Technology & Media. The agreement has an initial term of five years with associated revenue of approximately A$50m.
12. Qualcomm is increasingly exposed to China
Lawyered-up Qualcomm is used to winning courtroom battles against other developers of wireless technology. It undoubtedly helps to have one of the world's most valuable portfolios of 5G patents. A recent ranking by LexisNexis put it ahead of both China's Huawei and Sweden's Ericsson, the planet's biggest makers of 5G network products, for ownership of the patents that really matter. In the last fiscal year, Qualcomm earned more than four times as much in licensing revenues as Ericsson, extracting royalties from smartphone makers and other companies deemed to have relied on its technology smarts. Litigation is normal practice against those reluctant to pay up.
13. Researchers link DeepSeek’s blockbuster chatbot to Chinese telecom banned from doing business in U.S.
The website of the Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek, whose chatbot became the most downloaded app in the United States, has computer code that could send some user login information to a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company that has been barred from operating in the United States, security researchers say.
14. Kyndryl introduces SASE services combined with Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE
Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, today announced the launch of end-to-end, secure access service edge (SASE) services, combined with Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE powered by Precision AI, enabling customers to enhance network security by adopting a cloud-first, zero-trust network security solution.
15. Nokia to modernise Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corp’s comms network
Nokia today announced that Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) will use Nokia’s networking solution to replace the legacy Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) transport system with IP/MPLS technology to improve security and reliability in the South region of Vietnam. The new advanced transport network will support new-age applications required for operating highly reliable services to serve rapidly growing air traffic in Vietnam.
16. Telefónica Tech is world leader in IoT management, according to Kaleido
Telefónica Tech, the strategic digital business unit of the Telefónica Group, consolidates its leadership in managed IoT connectivity and reaches the world’s top position in the study ‘Connectivity Vendor Hub: Competitive Analysis 2025’ by Kaleido Intelligence. The analyst firm examined a total of 39 global providers and highlights Telefónica Tech’s ability to develop comprehensive connectivity solutions and the potential of the Kite platform for its scalability, flexibility and developed functionalities in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.