This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Josh Whitehurst, Head of Product, First Orion
For years, branded calling was a “nice-to-have,” viewed as an incremental improvement layered on top of outbound communications. That era is over. Branded calling has reached a tipping point, not necessarily in overall adoption volume, but in customer expectations. … [visit site to read more]
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reportedly decided to take a wait-and-see approach on whether 5G network slicing would violate its regulations on net neutrality.
According to a report from ETTelecom on Thursday, Indian telcos have asked TRAI to revisit its net neutrality rules and make any necessary changes to allow network slicing, which they see as not only a key characteristic of 5G, but a potential generator of new revenues.
Network slicing enables 5G standalone operators to create premium dedicated fast lanes for customers willing to pay more, be it for mission-critical industrial use cases or bandwidth-intensive consumer apps like livestreaming and e-sports.
Critics say that network slicing is another form of differentiated quality of service that they claim goes against the principle of net neutrality, which guarantees open, non-discriminatory access to the internet.
Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel – both of which plan to leverage 5G’s network slicing capabilities – as well as 5G telecoms vendors like Ericsson, have told TRAI that network slicing should be allowed under its net neutrality rules as long as slicing services don’t degrade data speeds for lower-tier users or block users from accessing specific content, the report said.
A TRAI advisor at a panel discussion on Wednesday said the regulator intends to see how network slicing services play out in practice before deciding if they comply with its net neutrality policy, the report said.
That potentially puts telcos in a bind, as it means they would have to launch 5G slicing services with the risk that TRAI might later decide such services violate the policy.
The debate over 5G slicing and net neutrality has come up in other regulatory jurisdictions. In the European Union, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is currently holding a public consultation on whether the EU’s net neutrality regulations already allow network slicing, and – if not – whether they should be updated to do so.
In the US, the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules were repealed in 2017 during US President Donald Trump’s first term. When the Biden administration reinstated the rules in 2024, the FCC said that 5G slicing would violate net neutrality. However, a US court struck down the reinstated rules at the start of 2025.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made a number of recommendations relating to the next auction of spectrum in India. But will they be accepted?
Earlier this week, TRAI publicised a large number of suggestions, apparently based on comments received from stakeholders during a consultation process, and its own further analysis, the most significant of which included the auctioning of the entire available spectrum in the upcoming sale – that is, spectrum in the 600MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, 2500MHz, 3300MHz, and 26GHz frequency bands.
That’s about 11,790MHz of spectrum, valued at about INR2.1 trillion (US$23.1 billion), more than 2022’s US$17 billion, but a lot more than the 2024 sale that raised only US$1.30 billion when Reliance Jio emerged as the sole bidder for the 700MHz spectrum.
Among its many other recommendations, TRAI suggested lower entry barriers for new entrants (including reduced net-worth requirements in some areas) and spectrum caps to safeguard competition – though this would not apply to any telecom carrier that has already acquired spectrum that exceeds the cap.
After the 2022 auction, the 600MHz range reportedly contributes to nearly 62% of the overall spectrum availability with a reduced base price of up to 17%. TRAI suggested that while the spectrum charge on 600MHz may be levied for a period of 20 years, the validity period of the spectrum should be increased by four years to 24 years and that there should be no rollout obligations for the initial four years. Some commentators have suggested that this may have something to do with device availability.
TRAI also advocated reserving the 6GHz (upper) band for mobile telephony services and added that the available airwaves bands in the 6425-6725MHz and 7025-7125MHz should not be put up for sale until after the WRC-27, the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference, at which a number of decisions regarding spectrum usage worldwide will be made.
TRAI pointed out that a number of former Indian operators are dealing with insolvency and said that any spectrum they hold should be made available for the forthcoming spectrum auction. It also proposed a reduction of up to 10% in the spectrum cost from the auction-determined price for all licensed service areas (LSA) across frequency bands. LSAs include remote, rural or underdeveloped regions.
The bottom line, across the entire auction, is that spectrum could be close to 20% cheaper than prices recommended in 2022.
According to the Economic Times news service, the Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) would take a call on the spectrum auction following a review of the regulator’s recommendations – of which there are many more on TRAI’s website. The DoT will announce the actual dates for the live auction in the coming months.
Spectrum auctions worldwide are apparently attracting less interest recently. There has also been a perception that Indian prices have been too high in recent auctions. If TRAI’s recommendations are accepted does this mean pressure to get the spectrum sold could outweigh the – possibly unrealistic – desire to get a good price?
This makes Virgin Media O2 the first operator in the UK and Europe to launch satellite powered data services, enabling customers to stay connected in areas with no traditional mobile coverage, known as ‘not-spots’.
The service boosts Virgin Media O2’s UK landmass coverage from 89% to 95%, delivering a coverage uplift equivalent to an area around two thirds the size of Wales.
O2 Satellite has been designed to complement O2’s existing mobile network and customers will connect automatically when traditional cellular coverage is unavailable. This will help people stay connected when travelling or taking part in activities such as hiking, climbing, water sports and sailing, offering greater peace of mind in rural, coastal and other remote locations.
As well as extending coverage into not-spots, O2 Satellite provides more resilience and acts as a back-up, helping customers retain connectivity in the rare event of a local cellular network outage where coverage is completely unavailable.
At launch, O2 Satellite supports text messaging and data across apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Google Maps and more, providing an additional layer of reassurance when customers move beyond terrestrial mobile networks. The service is initially available to customers with the latest Samsung smartphones*, with support for other devices, manufacturers and apps to be introduced soon.
The service is the result of a UK-first partnership with SpaceX, using Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit satellites to deliver connectivity direct to mobile devices using O2’s licensed mobile spectrum transmitted from space.
The launch of O2 Satellite follows successful internal trials, with Virgin Media O2 employees already using the technology in real-world conditions across the country.
At launch, O2 Satellite is available as a £3-per-month bolt-on and will be included at no extra cost for all Ultimate Plan customers in the near future, benefiting tens of thousands of consumers.
Lutz Schüler, CEO of Virgin Media O2, said: “This is a defining moment for UK mobile connectivity and a statement of our intent to keep innovating and ensure our customers can stay connected no matter where they are. By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two thirds the size of Wales for the first time.
“We already have the UK’s largest 5G+ footprint and we’re not standing still, investing heavily this year in our mobile network to give O2 customers a brilliant, reliable service that they can depend on.”
Baroness Lloyd, Minister for the Digital Economy, said: “This is a major achievement for the UK and demonstrates leadership in next-generation connectivity. Being the first in Europe to launch direct-to-device satellite data services puts the UK firmly at the forefront of mobile innovation. O2 Satellite is a boost for growth and connectivity and a strong signal of the UK’s leadership in the global digital economy.”
Stephanie Bednarek, VP of Starlink Commercial Sales said: “Delivering Starlink Direct to Cell in partnership with Virgin Media O2 underscores the importance of keeping people connected no matter where they are. For the first time, millions of people across the UK will have access to data, voice and video through apps, and messaging in remote areas where terrestrial coverage isn’t available.”
The switch on of O2 Satellite follows Ofcom’s recent approval of the UK’s first licence for satellite-to-smartphone services.
O2 was recently recognised as the most improved mobile network across Europe in Umlaut Connect’s Mobile Network Test, an independent and comprehensive benchmarking report. It was also awarded Best Mobile Network Coverage at the Uswitch Telecoms Awards for the second year in a row, which recognised the scale, reach and reliability of O2’s mobile network. In its full year 2025 financial results, Virgin Media O2 reported that its 5G Standalone network now reaches 87% of the UK outdoor population – the largest 5G Standalone footprint in the country.
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Telcos are some of the most data-rich organisations on the planet but using that data effectively remains a major challenge. For Jean-Francois Allard, Director of EMIA (Utilities and Communications) at Octave, a spin-off from Hexagon, digital twins – digital replicas of physical assets enabling real-time interaction – are a vital platform for leveraging that data.
“It’s about creating a continuous loop, where changes in the physical world are reflected in the digital world and vice versa,” he explained. “To say it shortly, our main goal is to put data in action.”
Allard argues it is useful to consider digital twins not as a novel system, but rather as a maturation of earlier digital models.
Previously, digital models focussed primarily on digitising physical assets into a central inventory. These models were limited by their relatively static nature, requiring significant manual oversight to generate actionable insights. As such, these models have quickly evolved into what Allard terms ‘digital shadows’, where sensors and field data provide a one-way stream of real-time information into the model.
A digital twin takes this paradigm to its logical conclusion, making the system synchronised and bidirectional, allowing it to autonomously react to incoming data in real-time.
“You can have in real time both real world and digital world that are synchronized so that fully autonomously, this is the ultimate goal,” says Allard.
While industries like nuclear power are already approaching this level of sophistication for security reasons, Allard estimates that telecom is still “5 to 10 years” away from full autonomy.
Managing the complexity of telco networks
What makes a telecoms digital twin more complex than a water or power grid? According to Allard, it is the interplay between physical infrastructure and logical services. In what he terms a “relational digital twin,” the system must track everything from the trench in the ground to the specific IPTV service running through a single strand of fibre.
“In telecom, you manage the physical aspects… but also what’s inside,” Allard explains. “You need to know this hierarchy at all times[…] so that you can manage the services, the fibre links, and fibre channels in near real-time.”
This precision understanding of huge, distributed networks and their various technical elements not only allows for more efficient automation, it also improves customer experience. By using OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) technology integrated with a digital twin, for example, Octave can locate a network failure within 10 metres on a 100-kilometre backbone network, resulting in faster repair and less downtime.
Infusing digital twins with AI
As the industry looks toward the next decade, AI is the clear catalyst for scaling these digital twins. However, Allard warns that the “intelligence” of the system is strictly capped by the quality of the underlying data.
“AI today is only valid if the data you are using to feed your AI is valid. Good data will provide good AI analysis. Bad data can only bring you bad answers,” he cautions.
When the data is sound, the applications can be highly effective. Allard highlights two primary use cases:
“What if you are in the green field and you want to find a route but you have no information but pictures?” Allard asks. “AI can help you. AI can identify a route just based on the pictures. So, this is where AI can go beyond just using existing data – it can create a new path that you didn’t even didn’t think about.”
Getting the foundation right
Building an effective digital twin is a major undertaking. For Allard, the key is to build with purpose rather than chasing a “rich” but unusable model. He suggests starting with the basics, like connection points, nodes, and cabinets, rather than trying to map every inch of the network at once.
“Anticipate […] Ask what you want to do with your data,” Allard concludes. “Very often we see customers having a very, very rich model, but it’s so complex that it’s very difficult to take a benefit from it.”
Octave Website; Youtube; LinkedIn
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Global fintech platform Pine Labs has announced that it has won multiple contracts from three of the leading oil and marketing companies (OMCs) in India: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
Pine Labs will be entrusted with deploying, managing, and maintaining the digital payments infrastructure at petrol pumps and merchant outlets across India.
These are described as multi-year contracts aimed at leveraging the expertise of Pine Labs in managing the payment rails for swifter, secure, seamless money movements at the point of sale.
This is not a small undertaking: it involves nearly 130,000 digital payments acceptance devices to be deployed and maintained across India.
Pine Labs will also be managing IOCL’s loyalty rewards platform called XTRAPOWER, in use by hundreds of thousands of fleet operators in India. The programme, built on robust API integrations, caters to fuel management, fleet analytics, trip management, and secure chip and PIN digital payment transactions including card, mobile and RFID payments.
B Amrish Rau, CEO, Pine Labs, explains: “By combining our tech prowess with the massive retail footprints of top OMCs in India, we are enabling a tech-first and robust payments infra and a world-class prepaid loyalty rewards ecosystem. The software-first approach of Pine Labs will ensure faster product feature rollouts, minimal on-site intervention, and a unified payments and rewards/loyalty platform for accelerated digitisation of fuel retail commerce in India.”
Pine Labs operates in India and a growing number of international markets including Malaysia, UAE, Singapore, Australia, USA, and Africa.
It’s certainly been busy in India of late. As we reported at the time, in December API-enabled technology platform Setu, owned by Pine Labs, announced the launch of what it calls India’s first agentic bill-payments experience.
In February meanwhile, Pine Labs announced a collaboration with OpenAI to engineer what it called the era of agentic commerce in India. And in late January one of Sri Lanka’s largest listed entities, the Pan Asia Banking Corporation (PABC), and Pine Labs announced a partnership that will see the Pine Labs implementing an end-to-end card management platform for the bank.
Samsung Electronics and Orange Group, one of Europe’s leading telecommunications operators, today announced an expanded partnership, entering the next phase of their virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN projects in Europe. Building on successful pilots completed since 2023, the companies have agreed to extend the number of vRAN and Open RAN sites in 2026.
With the seamless integration of Samsung’s vRAN and Open RAN solutions in previous projects, the operator’s live network delivered enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) and an improved end-user experience, showing performance maturity and operational effectiveness comparable to or better than those of traditional RAN solutions.
Samsung and Orange have been working together to ensure that vRAN and Open RAN are viable solutions in building sustainable networks. This open and flexible architecture not only enhances network resilience but also fosters innovation by enabling the operator to leverage optimal solutions.
In this next phase, the companies are further advancing their vRAN and Open RAN collaboration by integrating the latest processors into Orange’s networks. This includes Samsung’s AI-powered vRAN with Intel Xeon 6 system-on-a-chip (SoC), which runs on a single commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server from Dell with a cloud platform from Wind River.
This upgraded solution with enhanced computing power enables a powerful, single server to meet high-capacity configuration requirements from Orange, resulting in a smaller footprint, improved performance, reduced power consumption and simplified operations. This also helps the operator to handle intensive workloads and AI applications on a single server by flexibly managing network resources and applying unused computing capacity to run AI and edge applications on its existing network.
“Moving forward to the next chapter of our collaboration with Orange demonstrates how Samsung’s software-driven, open solutions are a proven, robust foundation that offer reliable network performance and services to operators and customers alike,” said Angelo Jeongho Park, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re committed to advancing virtualized and open platforms as beacons of innovation that can harness AI to meet the high demands of future networks.”
“From our first call for the pilot project to our current phase in the field, Samsung’s virtualized RAN and Open RAN have proved significant performance achievements in Orange’s networks,” said Laurent Leboucher, Orange Group CTO. “With new deployments planned ahead, we look forward to further accelerating the transformation of Orange’s networks to be AI-ready.”
This strategic collaboration underscores the continued commitment of both companies to driving innovation based on an open architecture, delivering cutting-edge solutions and AI capabilities into the network.
Samsung Networks has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions, including chipsets, radios and cores. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung is driving the industry to advance 5G networks and paving the way for 6G and beyond with its market-leading product portfolio, from purpose-built RAN, vRAN, Open RAN, AI-RAN and core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools and applications. The company currently provides innovative network solutions to mobile operators that deliver boundless connectivity to hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
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Malaysian operator Tune Talk has taken a major step in its evolution from mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to fully fledged mobile network operator (MNO), partnering with Mavenir to run its own end-to-end network.
In a statement, Mavenir said the collaboration enables Tune Talk to operate its network independently using Mavenir’s cloud-native OSS and BSS platforms. The shift gives the operator greater control over network operations, improved reliability and the flexibility to roll out new digital services more quickly.
The upgraded architecture has already supported the launch of several new services, including digital ID integration, Mastercard ID Theft Protection, insurance products and in-app streaming offerings such as drama and gaming subscriptions.
The next phase of the partnership will see Tune Talk deploy advanced orchestration capabilities and next-generation, AI-powered BSS software to further enhance automation and service personalisation.
Tune Talk CEO Gurtaj Singh Padda said the move marks a strategic turning point for the company.
“Becoming a fully cloud-native MNO marks the start of a new chapter for Tune Talk and reinforces our ambition to build a smarter, more agile mobile network for Malaysia and beyond,” he said. “These foundations enable us to move faster, personalise services at scale and unlock new value through AI-driven innovation for our growing customer base.”
Mavenir President and CEO Pardeep Kohli added that the partnership reflects Tune Talk’s commitment to continuous innovation.
“Our fully cloud-native approach is essential to enabling the speed, flexibility and efficiency they rely on to keep delivering for their customers,” he said.
Since its launch in 2009, Tune Talk has operated as an MVNO, utilising a strategic wholesale agreement with CelcomDigi to deliver nationwide 4G and 5G connectivity.
The move positions Tune Talk among a growing number of operators embracing cloud-native infrastructure as they seek greater autonomy, cost efficiencies and faster service innovation in increasingly competitive mobile markets.
