News

According to a report from ISPreview, UK ISP Gigabit IQ has opened a crowdfunding round seeking £270,000 to accelerate its expansion.

The company carries a pre-money valuation of £5 million and is offering 5.12% equity to new investors, as seen on the campaign page.

At the time of writing, the company has aready seen £243,650 committed by 40 investors.

Gigabit IQ is a retail ISP combining full-fibre connectivity with safety and device-protection services, such as FamilyGuard+ and CyberGuard+.

The company says it has an addressable reach of 1.5 million homes via various wholesale partners, including Full Fibre and F&W Networks’ networks.

The company first announced it would seek to raise cash via crowdfunding in October last year, saying the strategy reflected their community-centre approach to broadband. At that time, the company was aiming to raise £500,000.

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Press Release

Open Cosmos, the company building satellites to understand and connect the world, has today launched the first satellites in its new proprietary low-Earth-orbit (LEO) telecom constellation, just one week after securing high-priority Ka-band spectrum.

The two satellites, launched by Rocket Lab from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand on its Electron rocket for the mission named ‘The Cosmos Will See You Now’, represent the first activation phase of Open Cosmos’ future-ready satellite network – a programme designed to deliver scalable, resilient and coordinated space-based services for Europe and the world.

Lift-off took place as scheduled at 10:52 (GMT) / 11:52 (CET) / 23.52 local time (NZDT) on 22 January, ushering Open Cosmos from constellation design and manufacturing into on-orbit validation – sitting at 1050km circular Earth orbit.

Beyond the technical achievement, the launch serves as a powerful proof point for Open Cosmos’ constellation readiness. It confirms that the system design, manufacturing processes and operational model are flight-ready – laying the groundwork for the phased roll-out of the wider network in the months ahead.

Commenting on the launch, Rafel Jordà Siquier, Founder and CEO of Open Cosmos, said:
“This launch is a major milestone for Open Cosmos and a critical step in our mission to provide secure, sovereign connectivity for Europe and the world. Moving from spectrum to satellites in-orbit demonstrates not only the maturity of our system, but our ability to turn strategic ambition into operational capability extremely fast.

“These first satellites lay the groundwork for a resilient network designed to support governments, institutions and commercial partners with dependable space infrastructure when it matters most.”

The first two satellites are the result of a truly pan-European effort, with teams across the UK, Spain, Portugal and Greece contributing to the programme. Together, they showcase Open Cosmos’ vertically integrated approach – from mission design and satellite production to operations. The satellites will operate under Spain’s regulatory framework for satellite registration and operational licensing.

Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said: “What a great way to start off the year, by welcoming a new customer and launching a mission tailored just for them. We’re proud to deliver their payload to orbit and with Rocket Lab’s proven track record of consistent quality and 100% mission success in recent years, I’m confident to say they made the right choice. Partnering with Open Cosmos is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to supporting our European partners in achieving their launch goals.”

From spectrum to space
The launch follows Open Cosmos’ recent (14th January) award of scarce High-Priority Ka-band spectrum filings from the Principality of Liechtenstein, a critical enabler for the company’s constellation ambitions. With the satellites now in orbit, Open Cosmos can begin testing and validating the system performance in real operational conditions.

In orbit, the satellites will be used to:

• Test satellite operations and first testbed demonstrations
• Validate system developments across the wider future network
• Demonstrates proof-of-concept for Open Cosmos constellation readiness

Together, they form the foundation for a scalable, multi-satellite architecture designed to meet growing global demand for reliable space-based capabilities.

By combining in-house manufacturing, European engineering talent and access to strategically valuable spectrum, Open Cosmos is positioning itself as a new kind of constellation builder: agile, collaborative and focused on delivering practical, deployable space infrastructure providing secure connectivity and critical data.

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News

With the sale of its stake in True, Telenor is left with just two mobile businesses in Asia

This week, Norwegian telco giant Telenor has announced the sale of its 30.3% stake in Thailand’s True Corporation for NOK 39 billion ($3.9 billion).

The deal will see Telenor immediately offload a 24.95% stake to Arise Digital Technology, a holding company owned by Thai billionaire Khun Suphachai Chearavanont.

The remaining 5.35% stake is to be sold in two years’ time via a mutual put/call option, allowing Telenor to sell the shares at the original deal price or the prevailing market price, whichever is greater.

Telenor gained its stake in True via the merger of their local mobile operator DTAC (Total Access Communications) was merged with True Corporation in 2023.

Since then, Telenor has faced significant headwinds in key Asian markets, often leading to rapid divestments at considerable loss.

In 2022, the company wrote off its business in Myanmar following coup. One year later, rapid currency devaluation in Pakistan ravaged Telenor’s, leading to its sale.

Now, with the sale of their stake in True, Telenor has just two major telco businesses in Asia: Grameenphone, the largest company in Bangladesh, in which Telenor holds a majority stake (55.8%); and CelcomDigi in Malaysia, in which it holds a 33.1% stake.

Outside of Asia, Telenor operates major operators in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

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News

The move comes after a previous takeover bid was rejected in October 2025

According to reports, Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, Orange have confirmed that they are once again at the negotiating table with Altice France for the purchase of rival operator SFR.

In a statement, the trio said that they had been conducting due diligence since early January, but no formal deal has yet been reached.

“The legal and financial terms of the transaction have not yet been agreed upon,” said the companies in a joint statement.

Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, and Orange first made a joint bid of €17 billion to acquire SFR in October last year. Bouygues was expected to acquire about 43% of SFR’s assets, Iliad 30%, and Orange 27%.

The deal covered the majority of SFR’s assets, but notably excludes stakes in Intelcia, UltraEdge, XP Fibre, and Altice Technical Services. Altice’s businesses in French overseas departments and regions are also excluded.

However, the approach was quickly rejected by SFR’s billionaire owner Patrick Drahi, who said the company was seeking an offer over €20 billion.

Today’s announcement suggests that the consortium is willing to increase their bid significantly, but by exactly how much is unclear. A report from BFM, published prior to the official statement from the consortium, suggested that the companies may meet Drahi’s wishes of around €20 billion.

If agreed, the deal would spark considerable regulatory scrutiny for reducing the number of mobile operators in France from four to three. While operators have long argued that four players in the market are too many, leading to inefficient investment in national infrastructure, regulators have traditionally been wary of reducing market competition.

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BARCELONA, Spain – January 20, 2026 – iQmetrix, the only global provider of Interconnected Commerce solutions for telecom retail, today announced its return to Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona with the first-ever Telecom Retail Summit.

The exclusive half-day summit designed to spark an overdue conversation: telecom sells the most advanced technology on earth, yet delivers one of the least inspiring retail experiences in modern commerce.

Bringing together telecom industry leaders, futurists, and retail innovators, the Telecom Retail Summit challenges the industry to rethink the role of the store and redefine how customer experience, technology, and operations come together in the Store of the Future.

From Transactions to Experiences

A true evolution in telecom retail requires more than new technology. It requires a shift in mindset.

As the industry enters what MWC has defined as the ​“IQ Era,” a new age of intelligence shaped by human ideas and smarter connections, customer expectations are rising across every touchpoint. While network and digital channels continue to accelerate, physical retail remains of telecom’s most powerful brand moments. The opportunity now is to ensure the store evolves with the same intent and intelligence as the network behind it.

“The store is no longer just where transactions happen. It is where the brand comes to life,” said Christopher Krywulak, Chief Executive Officer at iQmetrix. ​“Customers expect the same level of intelligence and thoughtfulness in-store that they experience everywhere else. We are bringing the industry’s together in Barcelona to discuss how human ideas, enabled by the right technology, can create retail experiences that truly move the brand forward.”

The Agenda: Fixing the Retail Disconnect

The Telecom Retail Summit moves beyond high-level theory into the operational realities of retail transformation. The agenda challenges legacy assumptions with sessions including:

• We Sell the Most Advanced Technology on Earth. So Why Does the Store Feel Stuck in 2009? A candid panel digging into why the telco in-store experience lags behind other sectors. We explore what leading retailers get right and what brands must do to close the gap in customer experience (CX).
• Inside the Store of the Future: Why Apple Gets It and Most of Us Don’t Modern retail leaders aren’t asking for more tools. They are asking for better outcomes. This session examines how agentic AI and intelligent automation allow stores to adapt in real-time. We break down the principles top retail brands apply to create a vision where technology supports the experience rather than dominating it.
• Your Network Is Intelligent. Your Store Is Not. That’s the Problem. Great retail experiences don’t happen on top of broken systems. This session exposes the ​“spaghetti bowl” tech stack holding retailers back and focuses on how ensuring operational excellence behind the scenes creates a frictionless experience online, in-store, and the hybrid in between.

Experience the Store of the Future, Live

The summit concludes with a transition from vision to reality. Attendees are invited to a live Store of the Future demonstration. Here, they will witness how new flows, agentic AI, and smarter experiences come together to create a retail space where customers genuinely want to be.

Registration and Availability

Registration for the Telecom Retail Summit is by application only via the MWC Partner Programmes. We invite industry leaders to secure their place or schedule a private meeting with the iQmetrix executive team using the options below.

https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/agenda/sessions/6105-the-telecom-retail-summit

News

Local authorities and critical infrastructure operators are being warned to update their cyber defences to fend off Russian hacktivists

This week, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is warning that Russian-state backed hackers are consistently targeting the UK public sector and critical infrastructure with dedicated denial of service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt and disable services.

DDoS attacks involve flooring target websites with illegitimate website traffic, rendering them unusable for genuine customers. While unsophisticated in cyberattack terms, these attacks can still cause enormous disruption to critical services, impacting thousands of people.

The NCSC is calling on at-risk organisations to review and improve their DDoS defences. This includes identifying potential vulnerabilities upstream and working more closely with ISPs to clarify when and how they can throttle traffic to limit impact to existing users.

The document provides advice on how to respond once an attack has taken place.

“We continue to see Russian-aligned hacktivist groups targeting UK organisations and although denial-of-service attacks may be technically simple, their impact can be significant. By overwhelming important websites and online systems, these attacks can prevent people from accessing the essential services they depend on every day,” said Jonathon Ellison, Director of National Resilience the NCSC. “All organisations, especially those identified in today’s alert, are urged to act now by reviewing and implementing the NCSC’s freely available guidance to protect against DoS attacks and other cyber threats.”

Pro-Russian hactivism is on the rise, not just against the UK but against the West at large. In December last year the NCSC joined numerous international cybersecurity agencies in releasing a new advisory on the scale of international cyber attacks, as well as providing security recommendations to reduce their likelihood and impact.

The piece names various pro-Russia hacktivist groups, including Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), Z-Pentest, NoName057(16), and Sector16 as key culprits.

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The South Korean operator claims the record-breaking fine is excessive and does not consider the company’s proactive response

Last year, SK Telecom (SKT) revealed it had suffered an enormous data breach in 2022, affecting 26.9 million customers. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) subsequently fined the company 134.8 billion won (around $91 million) for failing to protect customer data.

Now, SKT has said it will appeal the fine, with reports suggesting that the operator deems the fine to be unjustified and disproportionate.

The fine is the largest ever delivered by the PIPC, far exceeding the previous record: a 100 billion won ($68 million) fine imposed jointly on Google and Meta in 2022 for collecting user data for personalised ads without clear consent.

“We are seeking a detailed judicial review of whether the PIPC’s penalty is appropriate,” said SKT in a statement.

The penalty from the PIPC was calculated based on SKT’s mobile revenue, a fact which SKT says differs from previous PIPC rulings. In a 2023 case against SKT’s rival LG Uplus, for example, the resulting fine based on purely on the revenue generated from the specific system that was hacked, resulting in a much smaller penalty (6.8 billion won, or $4.6 million).

The operator also notes that there has been no reported direct or indirect damage to customers as a result of the breach.

This claim, however, has been challenged by the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), which was approached by 58 of the affected customers seeking dispute mediation last year.

“Considering the joint investigation conducted by the government and the private sector in July and the ruling by the PIPC, it was recognized that the hacking incident caused damage to consumers,” the agency said.

“SK Telecom holds responsibility for compensating individual consumers for the damage,” it added.

In December, the KCA ordered SKT to offer affected customers 100,000 won ($67) in compensation in the form of 50,000 won ($33.5) reduction in monthly subscription fees and 50,000 won in credits usable as cash equivalents.

If the ruling stands and every customer makes use of the offer, SKT’s total estimated payout would be around 2.3 trillion won ($1.5 billion) – greater than the company’s 1.43 trillion won ($970 million) net profit in 2024.

The operator is reviewing the ruling and may yet contest it.

SKT has so far pledged to invest 1.2 trillion won ($783 million) in improving its cybersecurity measures and compensating customers affected by the breach.

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The cuts follow lay offs in other markets, including France, Canada, and Spain

This week, telecoms giant Ericsson has announced it is preparing to cut around 1,600 jobs in its home market of Sweden, citing the need to remain competitive.

The mobile network equipment maker currently employs around 14,500 people in the country, with the reduction therefore representing more than 10% of the companies domestic headcount.

“The proposed staff reduction is part of global initiatives to improve cost position while maintaining investments critical to Ericsson’s technology leadership and the execution of the strategy to deliver high-performing, programmable networks that enable differentiated services and new monetization opportunities,” said the company in a press release. “Initiatives to increase operational efficiency will continue across the Group but will not be announced separately.”

According to Ericsson, negotiations are underway with relevant Swedish trade unions.

Ericsson has been facing financial headwinds in recent years, primarily driven by strong international competition and underwhelming 5G demand. This, coupled with the disastrous acquisition of API specialist Vonage for $6.2 billion in 2022, saw the company initiate streamlining efforts in 2023, including cutting 8,500 jobs.

No additional cuts were announced until 2025, when Ericsson revealed a sting of layoffs in its overseas offices. In summer, Ericsson announced plans to cut around 300 jobs in Spain; in September, around 100 ‘technical jobs’ in Canada were on the chopping block; and in December, reports suggested the company also planned to lay off around 134 jobs in France.

Of course, Ericsson is not alone in facing these financial pressures – or to be responding with significant downsizing. The company’s Scandinavian rival Nokia is notably in the process of cutting 14,000 jobs by the end of 2026, in an effort to save around €1.2 billion, with around 700 jobs in France and Germany being the latest to be excised.

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