News

U.S. federal agencies are reportedly considering a significant restriction on TP-Link, a company that produces widely used home internet routers, amid escalating concerns over national security linked to China.

The U.S. Commerce Department, alongside the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense, has proposed banning future sales of TP-Link Systems’ devices, a company whose routers reportedly comprise more than a third of the American home router market. The proposal reflects deepening anxieties about the potential for Chinese influence over technology critical to the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure.

TP-Link Systems, headquartered in California and recently spun out from its former Chinese parent company TP-Link Technologies, faces scrutiny for lingering connections with China. Despite the corporate split completed last year, officials remain wary of the company’s ties to Beijing, fearing that such links could expose American consumers’ data to security risks.

In May, several Republican lawmakers, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, advocated for a ban on TP-Link routers. Their concerns have been fueled by investigations revealing that Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers in cyberattacks targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, most notably 2024’s Salt Typhoon attacks.

TP-Link has rebuffed these claims, noting that many device brands were compromised in the attacks and that no evidence was presented that the company is connected to China.

The Commerce Department has not yet implemented the proposed ban and may still opt against it. TP-Link Systems contends that it is a U.S.-based firm that poses no threat to consumers. A company spokesperson told The Independent that no official actions or confirmations regarding the ban have been made and that any regulatory concerns can be addressed through practical measures such as onshoring development and enhancing cybersecurity transparency.

The current scrutiny of TP-Link occurs in the broader context of intensifying tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly over technology and trade disputes. This move parallels actions taken against other Chinese technology firms like TikTok, where U.S. regulators have similarly cited national security as a basis for restricting Chinese influence on American digital infrastructure.

In addition to national security concerns, TP-Link Systems is facing a criminal antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation focuses on the company’s pricing strategies, specifically allegations of predatory pricing. The case suggests that TP-Link may be deliberately selling products at a loss in order to monopolise the market, before increasing prices at a later time.

TP-Link currently controls about 65% of the U.S. home networking market. As such, the potential ban on TP-Link devices would represent one of the largest consumer technology prohibitions in recent U.S. history.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

News

The Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison and the French telecommunications group Iliad, led by billionaire Xavier Niel, are reportedly in preliminary talks to merge their operations in the Italian telecom market.

According to multiple sources cited by Reuters, the discussions could lead to a joint venture combining CK Hutchison’s subsidiary Wind Tre and Iliad’s Italian operations, which currently operate under the Free brand.

Wind Tre, formed from the 2016 merger of Three Italy and Wind and wholly owned by CK Hutchison since 2018, is Italy’s third-largest mobile operator with a market share of approximately 24%, while Iliad holds around 11%, according to Italian regulatory authority AgCom.

Any merger would reduce the number of mobile operators in Italy from four to three, thus drawing significant regulatory scrutiny from national and European regulators. The European Commission has traditionally been resistant to this kind of consolidation, but in recent years its attitude has thawed, allowing significant mergers in numerous markets, like MasMovil and Orange in Spain and Vodafone and Three in the UK.

However, the European Commission’s prior approval of the Wind Tre merger came with conditions that allowed Iliad entry into the market as an antitrust remedy and explicitly prevented Wind Tre from acquiring Iliad before 2026. This timeline suggests a full merger before then may be unlikely, but a joint venture or other cooperation frameworks could be considered.

Iliad’s Italian operations have been valued at over €3 billion, with the group stating a valuation of €4.45 billion when it attempted a bid for Vodafone Italia in late 2023, which was rejected.

Earlier this year, Iliad also explored a potential tie up with Telecom Italia (TIM), indicating its strategic ambition to expand its footprint in Italy. Meanwhile, CK Hutchison has been reportedly considering divesting some of its telecom assets globally, valued between £10 billion and £15 billion (€11.37 billion to €17 billion), with Italy and the UK being the largest European contributors to its telecom revenues. Its telecom division accounted for roughly 25% of CK Hutchison’s group operating profit in 2024.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

News

The move would be the largest consolidation of the UK altnet market to date

According to a report from the Financial Times, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has entered into negotiations to acquire fibre altnet rival Netomnia for £2 billion.

The move would represent the start in earnest of long-awaited consolidation of the UK’s fibre broadband market.

Founded in 2019, Netomnia’s fibre network currently covers 2.8 million premises, with roughly 400,000 ISP customers. The operator is one of the fastest growing in the UK, targeting 3 million premises passed by the end of the year and 5 million by the end of 2027.

If acquired, anonymous sources suggest that Netomnia’s network would be folded into those of VMO2 and/or Nexfibre, the joint venture owned by VMO2’s shareholders Liberty Global/Telefonica and InfraVia Capital.

VMO2’s network has around 6.4 million premises covered by full fibre, while Nexfibre has roughly 2.3 million. Combining Netomnia with either of these players would make the resulting company the second-largest fibre network operator in the UK, overtaking rival CityFibre, which has around 4.3 million premises passed.

No official agreement has yet been reached. In fact, VMO2 may yet have some competition for Netomnia, with the report also noting that CityFibre is discussing a tie up with the company.

Netomnia has also been positioning itself more as an acquirer than an acquiree. Netomnia acquired smaller rival brsk last year, a deal which remains the largest M&A activity in the altnet market to date, and more smaller players could yet follow.

Speaking to Total Telecom at Connected Britain earlier this year, Netomnia CEO Jeremy Chelot spoke about the company’s rapid growth and his ambitions to make it the “largest altnet in the UK”. The company recently secured an additional £300 million in junior debt in order to fuel its expansion, both organic and inorganic. It also undertook a major rebrand, which Chelot said was more representative of the company’s scale and potential.

The altnet market has been primed for consolidation for some time, with smaller players largely struggling towards a positive cash flow in a highly competitive market. Despite this, M&A has been slow to materialise, largely due the networks’ ever-shifting borders and disparate valuations. If Netomnia is acquired by either of its major rivals, it could be a catalyst for a consolidation cascade.

In related news, VMO2’s latest earnings report coincides with the announcement of a new partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink. The deal will see the operator make use of the Starlink’s nascent direct-to-device (D2D) capabilities via a new product called ‘O2 Satellite’.

Starlink’s D2D capabilities, which are currently limited to data and messaging services, are intended to help fill in the UK’s various ‘not spots’, enhancing the network’s overall coverage in rural areas.

Commercial launch is expected in H1 2026.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

• Dry cooling, which will ensure water consumption at the site will be comparable with conventional office buildings

• Retaining 54% of the land as open space

• A commitment to create new ecological habitats which will deliver a biodiversity net gain of at least 10%

“The UK is a cornerstone of the global economy and is a natural home for our most substantial investment in Europe to date. This development brings a significant amount of data centre capacity to Britain, contributing to the government’s AI growth ambition. But this investment goes far beyond building the infrastructure needed to unlock the UK’s digital potential. It’s the evolution of an ongoing partnership with the local and national community,” said James Tyler, UK Managing Director, Equinix.

“This £3.9 billion investment is a huge win for Britain. It will give businesses – from life sciences to high street banks – the ability to connect to thousands of other businesses across the world in an instant, powering our AI ambitions, boosting growth and creating hundreds of well-paid jobs. This is about making sure the UK is at the forefront of the digital revolution and ensuring that every community benefits from the opportunities this new technology brings,” said Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

“This announcement reflects the scale of opportunity the UK has to strengthen its digital foundations. As highlighted in our Foundations for the Future report, data centres are the backbone of our economy – they enable innovation, productivity and growth across every sector. Continued investment in sustainable, resilient digital infrastructure will be critical to delivering on the UK’s ambitions for AI and long-term economic prosperity,” said Luisa Cardani, Head of Data Centres, techUK.

This announcement builds on Equinix’s established UK footprint, and existing investment which includes:

• 14 data centres located in the UK. Across these facilities, a large portion of the customer base is UK-based businesses. Equinix supports over 10,000 different customers globally

• Over 1,200 UK-based employees, contributing £145 million directly to household income in the UK

• All sites designed for heat to be exported, enabling future conservation of energy which also benefits local communities

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

FORT LAUDERDALE. October 27, 2025 — MTN, the leading global provider of best-in-class satellite and wireless solutions, announced the launch of a cutting-edge solution for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity: StarEdge Horizon, a service that provides a Layer 2 network architecture over SpaceX-Starlink for enterprises. StarEdge Horizon delivers more consistent performance by routing long-haul traffic off the public internet. This avoids the extra latency typically introduced by using standard VPNs and tunneling, especially when centralizing security at MTN’s servers or the customer’s cloud or data center.

“StarEdge Horizon is a fundamental shift in how LEO is deployed for enterprise users,” said Emmanuel Cotrel, CEO at MTN. “We are moving beyond basic internet access to deliver a true Layer 2 private network solution. This is about providing corporate security, guaranteed high-speed, with a simplified network and seamless integration for redundancy. This ensures that mission-critical operations in every remote corner of the globe are always connected with fiber-level secure connectivity.“

Layer 2 is a method that allows two points to communicate as if they were on the same local network, simplifying data management. With StarEdge Horizon, this protocol provides many benefits to companies such as:

• Redefining Security and Simplified Wide Area Network (WAN) Integration: As companies have made security a top priority, StarEdge Horizon is engineered to improve cybersecurity while unifying remote corporate networks. With a true private network architecture, StarEdge Horizon’s private path lets remote sites connect into the corporate WAN through MTN’s points of presence. Internet access is centralized at MTN’s servers or the customer’s data center under one policy, improving visibility and reducing operational complexity and cost.
• Mission-Critical Performance and Continuity: The system also enables advanced Network Segmentation and Quality of Service (QoS) prioritization. In moments of network saturation, this capability guarantees that mission-critical data, such as control systems or security feeds, is prioritized over general internet traffic, maintaining operational continuity. In addition, StarEdge Horizon system seamlessly integrates with OneWeb, LTE, or traditional VSAT solutions, providing automatic redundancy.
• Direct Cloud Peering and Static IP: In addition, Horizon provides private connectivity options to major clouds (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) where available, reducing exposure to the open internet for cloud-bound traffic. It also delivers true static IP addressing and subnet allocation, giving each remote site or device a secure and consistent network identity. This enables centralized monitoring, policy enforcement, and access control capabilities that are essential for enterprise security, remote management, and application allow-listing.

StarEdge Horizon is rolling out with enterprise customers across land-based sectors including energy, construction, and logistics, among others. MTN plans broader availability for the maritime sector in Q1 2026.

###

About MTN

MTN is a world-class network operator that connects global operations with the speed, security, and trust required. Our multi-network architecture delivers resilient, fully managed connectivity for critical systems and remote teams across the maritime, energy, government, and enterprise sectors.

Headquartered in Florida with offices across Europe, the Middle East, and South America, MTN enables rapid deployments and white-glove service anywhere. The company has pioneered the delivery of converged connectivity solutions on a global scale by partnering with major wireless carriers and satellite communications providers that integrate 5G/LTE and high-throughput satellite (HTS) networks, as well as cutting-edge Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations such as Starlink and OneWeb.

For more information, please visit www.fmcglobalsat.com or www.mtnsat.com

Media contact

Fernando Arreaza Vargas, Director of Media Relations and Corporate Communications

Fernando.vargas@mtnsat.com | +1.305.343.8279

Press Release

Ericsson  and Saudi Railway Company (SAR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing rail operations through 5G technology.

The collaboration aims to modernize the rail’s communication systems, improve passenger experience, and drive digital advancements within the transportation sector in alignment with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy of Saudi Vision 2030. By introducing state-of-the-art 5G infrastructure into rail networks, the collaboration aims to enhance the reliability and connectivity of railway systems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ericsson will provide its expertise in 5G and Future Railway Mobile Communication Systems (FRMCS) technologies by deploying the solutions, infrastructure, and technical support required to enable advanced rail communication and operational capabilities.

Under the MoU, Ericsson and SAR will deploy mission-critical 5G capabilities to ensure reliable and secure rail communications and enhanced rail performance services. They will also develop and test FRMCS-based use cases, and high-speed broadband solutions for passengers (“Gigabit train”).

The collaboration will also involve establishing a test lab or innovation center to validate 5G applications in a rail context, creating training programs to upskill SAR’s teams in FRMCS/5G rail technologies, and conducting a trial deployment of Ericsson’s solutions on one of SAR’s existing rail lines to evaluate integration and performance in real-world conditions. It will also enable use cases such as train control, staff communications, real-time video streaming, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity onboard trains.

The collaboration between Ericsson and SAR highlights the transformative potential that 5G technology can offer to the railway industry and marks an important step toward the modernization of rail communication systems in Saudi Arabia. Together, they are setting the tracks for a connected and efficient railway network that supports the national digital transformation goals of the Kingdom.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

News

The German broadband market is currently focused on an aggressive transition from older Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) infrastructure to high-speed fibre optic services. This transition is being driven by a combination of commercial necessity and increasing regulatory demand for transparency.

Vodafone Germany is taking commercial action to actively encourage this technology shift. The company has launched a new set of aggressive fibre tariffs from 26 October, aiming to boost the uptake of faster broadband, a strategic priority for the country’s Digital Ministry. The move is crucial for Vodafone, as its German operations—the group’s largest market—have been a financial drag, partly due to customer churn following a regulatory change that granted tenants the right to choose their broadband provider in multi-tenant dwellings. The company previously acknowledged that “Slowing growth in Germany’s fixed broadband market may affect overall performance” in its most recent quarterly earnings report.

The new GigaZuhause (GigaHome) fibre offers are designed to make the switch from DSL highly attractive for the more than 10 million German households that can access them. Vodafone is increasing value by delivering higher speeds for the same price. New download bandwidths will be 150Mbps, 300Mbps, and 600Mbps (up from 100Mbps, 250Mbps, and 500Mbps respectively), along with up to three times higher upload speeds. In a further incentive, the price for the fastest gigabit tariff, GigaZuhause 1000, will be reduced by €10. The flexibility to downgrade without penalty after six months is intended to remove a key barrier to customer adoption of higher-tier services.

However, the push to accelerate the fibre switch is simultaneously being checked by regulatory action demanding honesty in marketing. This week, the Koblenz Regional Court ruled that ISP 1&1 misled customers by promoting its fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) connections as full fibre optic services. The court banned the use of deceptive terminology, such as “fiber optic DSL,” which it found created a false impression of a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service.

This ruling is highly significant, emphasising that while FTTC is faster than traditional DSL, it still relies on copper cables for the final connection to the home, a segment that “falls short of FTTH’s gigabit potential without signal degradation over copper.” The court’s insistence on “clear and unambiguous” advertising sets a precedent across the EU, compelling providers to be precise about their network’s final-mile technology.

For the B2B community, these developments underline that the German fibre transition requires a dual strategy: not only must providers offer compelling commercial incentives to migrate customers away from DSL, but they must also invest in true FTTH infrastructure to support their speed claims and avoid regulatory penalties for misleading advertisements.

Zvezdana Lazic-Latincic, Vice President, Fibre & Connectivity Delivery,1&1 Versatel is speaking on a panel on Accelerating network deployment in Germany at Connected Germany. Alongside her are Frederic Ufer, VATM; Benjamin-Georg Ernst-Treffer, Tele Columbus Netz; and Jakob Kwiatkowski, Deutsche Glasfaser. Come and join the at the event, book your place at www.totaltele.com/connectedgermany

Total Telecom are testing AI tools for content generation. This article used Noah Newsroom, please let us know about any inaccuracy

Podcasts

The public shouldn’t have to think about connectivity. It should just work, says Rob Chambers, the managing director of Total Telecom.

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Rob Chambers, the Managing Director of Total Telecom, says Connected Britain has evolved with the growth of the connectivity market in the United Kingdom.

“What started as being a conversation purely about fibre rollout has now moved on to a more complete discussion about connectivity and what people do with it,” he said, speaking to Beyond the Cable in at Connected Britain. 

Connected Britain, held annually in London, brings together thousands of industry experts, innovators, and policymakers. The event boasts an impressive lineup of top speakers, cutting-edge exhibitors, and networking opportunities for those driving the United Kingdom’s digital transformation.

Similar to Total Telecom’s U.S. events, like Connected America and Broadband Communities Summit, Connected Britain is also technology agnostic.

While the United Kingdom’s connectivity market may be in some more advanced stages than the U.S., Chambers said it’s not all ahead of the curve.

He said he believes North America has excelled at adopting technologies like low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, whereas LEO has been slower to take hold in European markets.

Still, in the next five years, Chambers predicts the connectivity picture in the United Kingdom will become more complete.

“I’ve banged the drum a long time for the fact that the public shouldn’t have to think about connectivity. It should just work,” he said.

Nowadays, Chambers said it’s harder to think about what people don’t use connectivity for, rather than what they do use it for.

Looking ahead, Chambers also said he hopes to see more participation from emerging sectors.

“I think we’ll start seeing more around things like smart grids, more around sustainable energy, more around cybersecurity and protection of infrastructure,” he said.

Subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter!

News

Finnish vendor Nokia reported a third-quarter profit that surpassed market expectations, driven by strong demand in optical and cloud services, including sales related to AI-focused data centres following its acquisition of US optical networking firm Infinera. The company’s comparable operating profit reached 435 million euros in the quarter through September, significantly exceeding the 342 million euros analysts had forecast.

This profit beat comes despite a challenging year for Nokia, which had previously issued a profit warning in July due to factors including US tariffs, a market slowdown, and a weaker dollar. The company has also “lost ground in the North American telecoms market” after US carrier AT&T chose Nordic rival Ericsson for a $14 billion 5G contract in 2023, phasing out Nokia’s existing deal.

The AI and Cloud Catalyst
Despite these headwinds, Nokia’s quarterly group net sales rose 12% to 4.83 billion euros, above the 4.6 billion forecast, supported by strong growth in Optical Networks and cloud services. Artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud customers accounted for 6% of group net sales and 14% of network infrastructure sales, with optical networks alone seeing a 19% rise on a constant currency basis.

Nokia’s CEO, Justin Hotard, highlighted the accelerating demand, stating, “AI and data center demand continues to be robust. In fact, it continues to accelerate from our perspective”. This focus on high-growth areas like AI is part of a strategic investment, with mobile networks remaining Nokia’s core business. Looking ahead, the Finnish company anticipates annual operating profit to be between 1.7 billion and 2.2 billion euros, a slight increase from the previous range of up to 2.1 billion.

Ericsson’s Cost Discipline
Meanwhile, rival Ericsson is executing a strategy that pivots “from prioritising top-line growth to being disciplined on costs and considering non-core disposals and cash returns”. This strategic pivot is playing out better than anticipated, with Morgan Stanley raising its price target on Ericsson due to “stronger-than-expected cost efficiencies and higher profitability forecasts”. Operational improvements, including a 6% workforce reduction and better management of the geographical mix, are helping to sustain margins at historically high levels. Analysts now expect gross margins in mobile networks to reach “record levels above 50% in 2025 despite a 6–7% revenue decline”.

Ericsson’s improved expense management is forecasted to keep operating margins steady in the 12–15% range through 2026. The company, which analysts now describe as resembling a “Telco” with a focus on free cash flow, is also expected to significantly boost shareholder returns. The firm is estimated to distribute 30 billion kronor in 2026, which is around 10% of its market capitalisation, through a mix of ordinary dividends, a special dividend, and share buybacks.

A Shared Path to Value
Both Nokia and Ericsson are demonstrating a business focus on margin expansion and financial discipline. For Nokia, this involves leveraging its Infinera acquisition and capitalising on surging demand from AI and cloud customers to drive growth in optical networks. For Ericsson, the emphasis is on rigorous cost control and operational efficiency to deliver strong profitability and substantial returns to shareholders.

This dual focus on profitability and capitalising on high-growth sectors signals a maturing phase for the telecom equipment industry, where disciplined management of costs and strategic investments in future technologies are key to driving value for a technically knowledgeable and business-focused audience.

Ericsson have made the shortlist for this years World Communication Awards in several categories including the 5G Award alongside Batelc0, Jio Platforms, KT and Singtel. View all the finalists here

Total Telecom are testing AI tools for content generation. This article used Noah Newsroom, please let us know about any inaccuracy

News

Applied Digital has signed a lease with a US investment‑grade hyperscaler for roughly $5 billion of contracted revenue over an estimated 15‑year term, covering 200 megawatts (MW) of critical IT capacity at its Polaris Forge 2 campus near Harwood, North Dakota.

The agreement, announced on 22 October 2025, phases the initial 200MW across two buildings that are expected to begin coming online in 2026 and reach full commissioning in 2027. The hyperscaler holds a first right of refusal on an additional 800MW — the remainder of the campus’ 1 gigawatt (GW) build‑out — giving Applied Digital potential to scale the site substantially if demand materialises.

With this deal, Applied Digital says its total leased capacity in North Dakota with two major global hyperscalers across Polaris Forge 1 and 2 reaches 600MW. The company has promoted the project’s design and sustainability metrics, stating Polaris Forge 2 is engineered for a projected power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.18 and “near‑zero water consumption,” and built for high power density and liquid cooling.

Wes Cummins, Applied Digital chairman and chief executive, said: “What sets us apart isn’t just the size of our pipeline – it’s how fast we can deliver. The real constraint in this industry is execution, and our team continues to prove that large‑scale, next‑generation data centers can be designed, financed, and brought online faster and more efficiently than anyone thought possible.”

The lease follows a string of recent transactions for Applied Digital, including a 150MW lease with CoreWeave at Polaris Forge 1 and a previously announced $5bn partnership with Macquarie Asset Management. The company has also been highlighted in industry rankings for rapid growth.

Industry observers say the deal underlines continued hyperscaler appetite for purpose‑built, inland sites that offer grid capacity and cooler climates for high‑density AI and high‑performance compute workloads. Questions remain about execution risks — including permitting, financing and construction timelines — and how quickly additional capacity can be monetised if the tenant exercises expansion rights.

For B2B buyers and suppliers in the data‑centre ecosystem, the transaction signals ongoing demand for specialised AI infrastructure and opportunities in power, cooling and construction services as hyperscalers shift more of their build‑out into large, modular campuses outside traditional coastal markets.

Hyperscale Live: INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY, AND FINANCE FOR AI
New from Total Telecom 21-22 October 2026, Lisbon. Find out more

Total Telecom are testing AI tools for content generation. This article used Noah Newsroom, please let us know about any inaccuracy