Four interesting network upgrade projects: … [visit site to read more]

World Communication Awards shortlist

For almost 30 years, the World Communication Awards (WCAs) has celebrated excellence throughout the global telecoms industry. From innovative technological breakthroughs to passionate community support, the WCAs shines a light on the organisations and individuals building our digital future.

The WCAs 2026 shortlist below represents a selection of some of the telecoms sector’s most exciting developments this year. Congratulations to all shortlisted companies.

The winners of the WCAs will be revealed at the World Communication Awards Ceremony on the 25 November at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London.

Book your place to attend the black-tie gala dinner and join the finalists here

5G Award

Airtel and Ericsson, Cloud-Native 5G SA Charging & Policy Platform

Deutsche Telekom and Mavenir, Energy efficient 5G Core

Jio Platforms Ltd., JPLs TelOS AI Suite and JioAirFiber

KT, Evolution of public safety communications through 5G SA

Spark and Ericsson, 5G+ in New Zealand

AI Innovation Award

AIS Thailand and Huawei, AIdriven-intelligent operations solution

Amdocs

AsiaInfo Technologies, AISWare Ontology Platform

China Mobile & Huawei, ICNMaster

Jio Platforms Ltd., JioBrain

Mobileum VoiceShield

Netcracker Technology

Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten AI for Telecom

Telenor AI Factory powered by Red Hat OpenShift AI

VOX Solutions, CLARA AI

Best Digital Transformation Programme

Airtel and Ericsson, Cloud-Native 5G SA Charging & Policy Platform

China Mobile (Shandong) & Huawei, Agentic BSS

KT, KT W-SDN

Netcracker Technology

Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten Site Management 2.0

Singtel, Nestlé partnership

Vodafone Portugal and Celfocus, OneX

Best Network Evolution Initiative

Airtel and Ericsson, Fastest Nationwide Multi-Technology RAN Software Upgrade Program

China Mobile and Huawei, Intelligence OTDR and FME mate

Deutsche Telekom, Horizontal TelCo

Netcracker Technology, Reinventing Network Operations for the Fiber Era

TURKCELL, Next-Generation Super C+L Backbone

vHive, vHive’s TowerAI for MNOs

ZTE and China Mobile, GigaMIMO

Best Operator in a Growth Market

Cellfie Mobile

PLDT and Smart

Turknet

Viettel Burundi (Lumitel), Powering Burundi’s Digital Rise in a Growth Market

Best Wholesale Operator

Sponsored by MDS Global

Colt

e&

RETN

Telin

Virgin Media Business Wholesale

Beyond Connectivity Award

China Mobile (Henan) and Huawei, The network productization solution

Moldcell, Moldcell Money and Moldcell VISA Card

O2 Telefónica Germany & Whalebone

PT. Telkomsel, Sight Sense by Telkomsel Enterprise

Singtel, Multi-domestic connectivity

Skylo

Cloud Award

China Mobile & Huawei, TICC (Telco Intelligent Converged Cloud)

Orange Business and Red Hat

Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten Cloud

Virgin Media O2, Telco Cloud Innovation

Wind River, Wind River Cloud Platform

Connected Communities Award

DigitalC, Canopy

HFCL, Solar-Powered Public Wi-Fi Solution for Nigeria

TAIWAN MOBILE CO., LTD., 5G Smart Firefighting Rescue Assistance System

Telkomsel and Ericsson, Long-haul Microwave and Far Edge Core Solution – Nias

Viettel Solutions, Viettel Intelligent Transportation System

Customer Experience Award

Airties and Turknet

Moldcell

Sparkle

Telefónica, Telefónica Customer Portal (EYE)

TM Research & Development and Group Network Technology, AI-Powered Intelligent Fulfilment Platform

True and Ericsson, AI Based Customer Experience Analysis and Insights

Cyber Security Award

Aeris IoT Watchtower™

Jio Platforms Ltd., JPL’s Cybersecurity Suite

SK Telecom Co., Ltd., Q-HSM: Quantum Hardware Security Module

Whalebone Aura

Enterprise Service of the Year

Aquablue

Comviva, NGAGE for enterprises

Freshwave and Ericsson, 5G on Omni

Singtel 5G+ Mobile Workspace

Future Award

Cohere Technologies, Pulsone Multi-G for Mission Critical ISAC

KT, Building the Foundation for AI-Native 6G Networks with AI-RAN

Singtel, Singtel Hybrid Quantum-safe Network

SK Telecom, AI Routing

Infrastructure Award

Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., International All-Photonics Network (APN) Infrastructure

Intellian Technologies

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Wi Fi@Higher Education Institutions (Wi Fi@HEIs) National Initiative

MOX Networks

Orange Wholesale

Singtel Digital InfraCo

stc Bahrain, 2Africa Pearls Submarine Cable

Sterlite Technologies Ltd., STL Neuralis

People, Culture & Digital Skills Award

Freemove Alliance

Moldcell

PT. Telkomsel, Polaris

TurkNet, Transformation programme

Platform Award

Amdocs, Amdocs BRAND/ON

Circles.co, Circles

Jio Platforms Ltd., TelOS AI Suite Platform

Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten Intelligent Operations

Singtel Digital InfraCo, Paragon

Vox Solutions

Satellite Telecoms Award

Mavenir, Full-Stack NTN Platform

Orange Wholesale

Space42, Thuraya

StarEdge, StarEdge Horizon

Telefónica Satellite Global Services

Social Contribution Award

DigitalC

Ericsson and Vodafone Idea, Robotsav Project

Moldcell, Moldcell Foundation

Palestine Telecommunications Company – Jawwal

PLDT and Smart, #KONEKTEDFORLIVELIHOODS

Smart Communications and Ericsson, Connect to Learn

Viettel Burundi (Lumitel), Lumitel Digital for Life

Viettel Group, School Internet Programme

VodafoneThree, Discovery: Setting a New Standard for Digital Inclusion

Zong 5G

Submarine Networks Award

Indigo Telecom Group

Singtel, Powering the Singapore-Johor-Batam AI and Data Centre Corridor

Sparkle

Telin

Sustainability Award

Airtel and Ericsson, Automated Software-Driven Carbon Reduction Program

Cohere Technologies, ECHO

Deutsche Telekom, Full Stack Energy Efficiency on Telco Cloud

SK Telecom and Intel Corporation, AI-Driven VRAN Resource Pooling

stc & Huawei, Intelligent Green Cloud Energy Saving Solution

The Data Award

AsiaInfo and China Telecom, Cloud Network Ontology Platform

Blue Planet, Blue Planet Intelligent Automation Portfolio

MTN, Data & AI transformation in CVM

PT. Telkomsel, Intelligent Data Quality & Operations Excellence (DQE) Framework

RADCOM, Neura AI Agent Suite

A new data center project, a new IX, and some rural broadband expansion: … [visit site to read more]

Space42, the UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company, and satcoms giant Viasat have signed a binding agreement to co-found Equatys, creating the first shared space and ground infrastructure platform for global direct-to-device and advanced MSS connectivity.

Equatys will offer a platform that will support the extension of mobile coverage and overlay in the places terrestrial networks cannot serve, including in coverage gaps in populated metro areas.

The agreement was signed at World Space Business Week, a gathering for space and satellite business leaders taking place this week in Paris. Upon the formation of Equatys, Space42 and Viasat will commit to an initial equity contribution of up to  US$1 billion.

This is the latest stage in a process that has been going on for some while. In fact the announcement of Equatys as a joint venture took place this time last year.

The company is being established as global demand for satellite-enabled mobile connectivity accelerates. Together, Viasat and Space42 say they bring unmatched global reach through commercial relationships with more than 400 mobile operators worldwide and access to the largest amount (more than 100MHz) of globally coordinated MSS spectrum available for D2D deployment, creating a uniquely scalable foundation for growth.

Equatys is designed to support the connection of smartphones, IoT devices, and other devices and terminals directly to satellites, giving mobile operators a way to offer voice, text, and data where cellular networks are otherwise unavailable or have low density.

The agreement builds on work by Space42 and Viasat on the technical design and manufacture of the satellites, along with ecosystem progress in seamless terrestrial network integration, interoperability standards and feedback from a number of mobile network operators and ecosystem participants. 

Equatys will provide a neutral, shared layer of both satellites and ground infrastructure; by sharing infrastructure rather than duplicating it, ecosystem participants can reduce capital requirements, accelerate deployment, increase service availability, and maintain customer and commercial independence.

Participating operating licensees sharing infrastructure can realise greater cost efficiency than is likely to be possible within their own geographic coverage area and/or spectrum authorisations. Multiple operators can use the same platform while maintaining their own spectrum licensing rights, customers, and commercial relationships.

The business model is open by design, so additional spectrum licensees and satellite operators can use the constellation, which supports high levels of spectrum aggregation, coordination and cooperation.

The initial constellation is the first phase of an architecture designed to scale to 2,800 satellites across 60 orbital planes and three altitude layers, enabling densification without redesign as demand grows.

Space42 holds coordinated L-band spectrum rights across more than 160 markets and mobile operator relationships that extend the platform’s commercial reach. Viasat is expected to serve as prime technology contractor, and holds coordinated MSS spectrum rights in the L-band globally and in the S-band in Europe.

Together, Space42 and Viasat hold commercial agreements with more than 400 mobile operators worldwide and technical capability and access to operate across over 100 MHz of globally coordinated MSS spectrum for advanced MSS services and NTN D2D services.

Liberty Business has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide Jamaican businesses and organisations with access to cloud services supported by local expertise and managed services.

The partnership is part of a wider five-year strategic collaboration between Liberty Latin America (LLA), the parent company of Liberty Caribbean, and AWS. Liberty Caribbean operates Flow, Liberty Business and BTC in the Bahamas.

Under the agreement, Liberty Business customers will have access to cloud advisory and migration services, managed cloud operations, hybrid cloud solutions and disaster recovery. The partnership also includes local billing and support through a single provider.

Liberty Business said the offering is intended to help organisations modernise their IT operations and improve resilience, with target sectors including government, financial services, tourism and hospitality, healthcare and business process outsourcing.

Charles Manus, senior director at Liberty Business, said the partnership would help Jamaican companies move beyond connectivity and use cloud and AI services to improve competitiveness.

The deal gives Liberty Business a broader cloud services portfolio as demand for cloud infrastructure and digital services grows among Jamaican organisations.

Vodafone Idea has secured about US$3.5 billion in debt financing from a consortium led by State Bank of India (SBI), providing the Indian operator with funding to rebuild its network and compete with rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.

The consortium also includes Union Bank of India and the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. The lenders have agreed to provide the financing over a period of nearly 10 years.

Conditions attached to the funding reportedly include Kumar Mangalam Birla remaining chairman of Vodafone Idea throughout the loan tenure, as well as guarantees covering repayment in the event of default.

Vodafone Idea, India’s third-largest mobile operator by subscribers, has been seeking debt financing to strengthen its financial position and fund network investment. The company reported a loss of INR37.5 billion in the quarter ended June, although this was narrower than expected.

The financing comes after the Indian government took steps to ease Vodafone Idea’s financial burden. Authorities capped the company’s past spectrum payments earlier this year, while the government converted about INR370 billion of outstanding dues into equity in 2025, increasing its stake in the operator to 48.99%.

Bloomberg reported that Vodafone Idea’s shares have risen by almost 40% this year, giving the company a market capitalisation of around INR1.6 trillion.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Tom Traugott, SVP of Emerging Technologies at EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure

For most of the AI boom, the limiting question was who could secure the most advanced chips. In August of this year, NVIDIA signaled that the challenge has moved beyond silicon. It announced memorandums of understanding with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR intended to mobilize more than $500 billion of third-party capital for AI infrastructure over time. The goal is to finance not just accelerators, but the broader systems required to turn them into usable compute. … [visit site to read more]

Ethio Telecom revealed on Thursday it has held a stakeholders’ workshop with Djibouti Telecom and Sudatel Group to push their planned Horizon Cross-Border Terrestrial Fiber Initiative into the pre-commercialisation phase.

The Horizon Fiber initiative – first announced by all three telcos in December 2024 and formalised this past February – aims to link subsea cable landing stations in Djibouti and Port Sudan via Ethiopia.

The goal is to create a scalable terrestrial route that enhances regional and international connectivity to support next-generation workloads like cloud computing, AI, fintech, e-commerce, and digital content delivery.

The Horizon Fiber initiative is also pitched as offering global carriers and hyperscalers a reliable, low-latency alternative route for subsea cable traffic across the Red Sea, which has been susceptible to frequent disruptions due to subsea cable cuts in recent years.

According to a LinkedIn post from Ethio Telecom, the workshop in Addis Ababa focused on the commercial and technical requirements to develop the terrestrial fibre corridor across the region with a fully protected, redundant architecture. Ethio Telecom said representatives from Ciena, Nokia and BringCom participated in those discussions.

Other participants in the workshop sessions included Google, Meta (via HIPConsult), Microsoft, Airtel Africa, Bayobab, WIOCC, center3, Saudi Vision, and China Mobile International.

Ethio Telecom said participating partners and global operators “expressed strong interest in leveraging and monetizing the multi-terabit capabilities of the Horizon Fiber corridor.”

Mongolian broadband provider Mobinet is deploying Plume Design’s Plume Platform to power its mobihome broadband service.

The agreement will provide Mobinet customers with access to AI-optimised Wi-Fi, advanced cybersecurity protection, parental controls and real-time home network management through an intuitive mobile app. The Plume Platform continuously learns and adapts to each household, helping deliver stronger Wi-Fi coverage, more reliable connectivity and a safer online experience.

Bat-Erdene Tuvd, Chief Technology Officer of Mobinet, said that the deal would provide its customers with “better Wi-Fi, stronger security and greater control” of their online activities, as well as “faster support and a better overall customer experience without increasing costs.”

As part of its commitment to customer satisfaction, Mobinet is introducing these advanced capabilities to subscribers without additional monthly charges. The Plume Platform enables faster and more proactive customer support via greater visibility into home network performance, allowing Mobinet to identify and resolve many issues remotely, reducing service interruptions, minimizing technician visits and ensuring smoother complaint handling.

“Mobinet understands that customer experience is the true differentiator in today’s broadband market,” said Chris Griffiths, Chief Technology Officer of Plume. “Mobinet selected the Plume Platform because of its unique ability to deliver smarter, safer and more reliable connectivity to households across Mongolia in a single unified solution.”