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Network operator Openreach (BT) has significantly extended their special offer for broadband ISPs, which discounts the charge on 10Gbps Cablelinks for their FTTP and FTTC lines (GEA), nationwide, to just £399 +vat when taken on Layer 2 Switches (L2S) older than 6 months.

Cablelink (Ethernet) products are how Openreach provide data capacity for their full fibre and other connections (i.e. the connection between their fibre headend and an ISP’s equipment). Suffice to say that any discount on this side may also feed down to impact the price consumers may pay for their service from an ISP (more likely for the biggest providers), so they’re worth keeping an eye on.

The current discount is available to ISPs irrespective of whether they’re already taking advantage of the “Equinox” offer for cheaper full fibre FTTP line rentals. But ISPs won’t be able to benefit from it if they’ve previously purchased a 10Gb Cablelink on the same L2S or the L2S is already at capacity.

The original offer was established back in 2024 and had been due to expire on 31st March 2026, but will now run until 30th September 2027. Further details can be found in the operator’s public briefing, although this is perhaps less about the discount and more about encouraging backhaul networks to expand their coverage across the FTTP estate.

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The regulators for the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey have reached an agreement that should resolve a tricky problem, which meant customers of JT’s mobile service couldn’t keep their existing mobile number when switching to virtual operator Coop Mobile (here). But JT has now agreed to support number ports by 17th March 2026, more than six weeks earlier than first planned.

Just to recap. Coop Mobile came about after the States of Guernsey voted in 2024 to temporarily suspend local competition law in order to allow the merger between Sure and Airtel Vodafone to proceed (here and here), which set in motion a £48m deal to build a new “world-class” 5G mobile broadband network across the islands. The establishment of Coop Mobile (Channel Island Co-Op) formed a required part of that agreement.

However, the recent launch of Coop Mobile soon ran into a problem after both Sure and Coop Mobile complained that consumers who wanted to switch to their mobile service from JT (Jersey Telecom) were struggling to do so, primarily because JT was unable to ensure that they could keep their existing mobile number during the port (switching) process (here).

The good news is that both the Jersey and Guernsey Competition Regulatory Authorities (JCRA and GCRA) have now secured a “significantly accelerated delivery timetable” from JT for the technical changes needed to enable Mobile Number Portability (MNP) to the Coop’s mobile service.

GCRA Statement

Under JT’s original proposal, the required system changes would not have been completed before May 2026. Following constructive regulatory involvement and detailed engagement between JT, Sure, and the Channel Islands Co-operative Society, JT has now committed to delivering full MNP functionality by 17 March 2026, more than six weeks earlier than first indicated.

MNP allows customers to switch providers while keeping their existing number, a key driver of competition and consumer choice. While mobile providers are subject to a regulatory obligation to offer MNP to their customers, the technical arrangements that enable MNP between providers are governed by commercial agreements. The revised timetable follows focused action by the JCRA and GCRA to resolve the commercial dispute, understand delivery barriers and press for a faster resolution that better serves Islanders.

JT has provided regulators with a strengthened implementation plan, including a condensed testing phase and adjusted internal resourcing to accelerate delivery. JT has also given “firm commitment” that all necessary work will be completed as quickly as possible. Continued coordination between operators will remain essential to ensure the new deadline is met.

The JCRA and GCRA have welcomed the revised schedule and JT’s commitment to expedite progress but remain disappointed that regulatory involvement was required to accelerate JT’s delivery of MNP to the Coop Mobile.

Tim Ringsdore, CEO of the JCRA, and Michael Byrne, CEO of the GCRA, said: “Enabling mobile customers to retain their existing numbers is a critical component of effective competition in the Channel Islands’ telecoms markets. The earlier implementation date will provide JT customers with an additional choice of mobile provider sooner than previously expected.”

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The UK Government and the Global Coalition on Telecoms (GCOT), which also includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Finland and the USA, have today published a joint statement that appears to set out their expectations for how the next generation of 6G mobile (mobile broadband) technology should adopt stricter standards to improve network security and resilience.

The future 6G standard is currently still in the middle of its Research and Development (R&D) phase, and most observers don’t expect to see the first commercial network builds surfacing until around 2030 (a few countries expect early field trials around 2027/28). Suffice to say that a lot of work is currently ongoing to help produce the final standard and develop prototype solutions.

The next gen mobile technology is currently thought to be aiming for theoretical peak data rates of up to 1Tbps (Terabits per second) and may be able to harness radio spectrum up to the TeraHertz (THz) bands, while also using AI optimisations, new antenna designs and other changes to improve network efficiency. By comparison, 5G was designed to work between 450MHz and 52GHz, with top theoretical speeds of up to 20Gbps (Gigabits per second).

However, the GCOT believes the development of 6G networks must also be understood as a matter of broader public and strategic interest, rather than a purely commercial or technological undertaking like with previous generations. In that sense they’re now highlighting how the security and resilience of 6G networks must also be recognised as critical aspects of that wider picture.

“That matters to industry as much as to governments and regulators; we will only be able to maximise the commercial potential of 6G networks if consumers and businesses can trust them to provide secure and resilient services and to safeguard the privacy of user data,” said the GCOT. The full statement then goes on to outline the “critical security and resilience considerations” that GCOT’s partners recommend be prioritised in the ongoing development of the 6G system.

GCOT’s Core Principles for 6G Security and Resilience

➤ Containment:

The 6G system limits the ability of malicious actors or software to propagate through the network.

➤ Confidentiality:

The 6G system is built by design to protect the privacy of user data and able to process and provide data confidentially, e.g. it is secure against eavesdropping or attackers, even for data shared over channels which are not physically secure or known.

➤ Integrity:

The 6G system is able to maintain the integrity of data providing guarantees that any changes to data, as it travels through the network, are perceptible. Equally, the integrity of network infrastructure itself should be assured.

➤ Resilience:

The 6G system is measurably resilient and able to maintain service availability for users even in challenging circumstance – in particular for requirements like emergency or first-responder voice and data services, which must be future proofed in the transition to 6G. This includes secure and resilient supply chains.

➤ Regulatory Compliance:

The operators of 6G systems are able to fulfil the requirements of relevant national regulations and legislation. The following principles set out some of the key technological means for 6G to achieve these outcomes. The introductory text in Sections 3 and 4 provide some overarching framing for Security and Resilience respectively, followed by specific principles in the subsequent subsections. Each principle is set out in grey at the top of each section, with explanatory text beneath.

The aforementioned principles will help to guide ongoing GCOT collaboration on these issues, but they are also intended as a guide for all relevant stakeholders. Speaking of which, a sizeable chunk of the industry has already given its support to this approach, including major companies and network operators like 1Finity, AT&T, ATIS Next G Alliance, BT (EE), Ericsson, KDDI, Keysight, NEC, NTT Docomo, NVIDIA, OREX SAI, Qualcomm, Rakuten Mobile, Samsung Electronics, SoftBank, Telus, Videotron, VMO2 (Virgin Media and O2) and Vodafone (Three UK).

Gabriela Styf Sjoman, MD of Research and Commercialisation at BT Group, said:

“We’re proud to have worked closely with the UK Government on the 6G Security & Resilience Principles, and we fully support this shared commitment to shaping robust, future‑ready next‑generation networks. These principles will guide our approach as we help define the standards, technologies and partnerships that will underpin the evolution of 6G.”

Rob Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at VMO2, said:

“Although the commercial launch of 6G networks is some years away, it is helpful to establish at an early stage the principles that will guide the development of 6G and ensure its success. The principles have been informed by industry input and we are pleased to have been part of this process.”

Marco Zangani, Director of Network Strategy and Architecture at Vodafone Group, said:

“At Vodafone Group and VodafoneThree, we are proud to play a leading role in shaping the future of 6G, including through our active participation in 3GPP. This work is essential to protecting customers from emerging cyber threats and strengthening the resilience of our networks. We strongly welcome the launch of these important principles and the commitment of participating governments to work closely with industry in pursuit of this shared goal.”

The full ‘GCOT Security and Resilience Principles for 6G‘ document then goes on to outline some of the specific features that they want to see implemented, such as built-in support for OpenRAN, support for quantum-safe cryptography from day one, autonomous detection of disturbance and the capability to reroute traffic through alternative access networks, implementation of complementary and augmentative non-GNSS Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems (i.e. in case GNSS is disrupted) and AI-driven mechanisms to more quickly and effectively monitor and respond to potential cybersecurity threats and incidents etc.

Overall, we think the goal of making 6G more secure and resilient by design is a good approach, which seems to have already garnered a lot of international support. But it remains to be seen whether this is something that is going to win support from countries and network operators further afield. Equally 6G still needs to be able to work seamlessly with existing 4G and 5G networks, which won’t follow all of the same standards.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Huawei released a series of all-scenario U6 GHz products today at MWC Barcelona 2026 to help carriers unlock the full potential of 5G-A and set the stage for a seamless transition to 6G. The company also launched enhanced AI-Centric Network solutions that will help carriers prepare for the agentic era by enabling intelligent services, networks, and network elements (NEs). Huawei is also showcasing its SuperPoD cluster for the first time outside China, which they have created to offer “a new option for the intelligent world”.

The theme of Huawei’s booth for this year’s conference is “Advancing All Intelligence”, reflecting the company’s plans to build more AI-centric networks and computing backbones that will help carriers and industry customers seize opportunities from the AI era.
U6 GHz: Unlocking 5G-A potential for a smooth transition to 6G

According to Huawei, the next five years will provide a window of opportunity to unleash the full potential of 5G-A. They plan to work with global carriers on the large-scale 5G-A deployment, use high uplink to address surging consumer and industry demand for mobile AI applications, and use the U6 GHz band to unlock the full value of spectrum and pave the way for smooth evolution to 6G.

There are already 70 million 5G-A users globally, and 5G-A is increasingly being adopted by carriers at scale. In China, Huawei has helped carriers deliver contiguous 5G-A coverage across 270 cities and launch 5G-A packages that monetize experience in over 30 provinces.

The all-scenario U6 GHz products and solutions Huawei released today use innovative technologies to create a high-capacity, low-latency, optimal-experience backbone designed for mobile AI applications.

Three-layer intelligence with AI-Centric Network: Seizing opportunities in the agentic era

Following the trend to integrate AI directly into networks, Huawei is using AI to create AI-Centric Network solutions that will act as target networks for the agentic era. These solutions embed intelligence across three layers:

At the service layer, Huawei is helping carriers build multi-agent collaboration platforms, with specialized agents for calling, experience monetization, and home broadband. These platforms will enable AI-driven transformation of carriers’ core services like voice, internet access, and home broadband.
At the network layer, Phase 1 of Huawei’s L4 Autonomous Driving Network (AND L4) solution primarily focuses on single-scenario automation, helping carriers drastically improve O&M efficiency, network quality, and monetization capabilities. By the end of 2025, the company’s single-scenario ADN solutions have been commercially deployed on more than 130 telecom networks worldwide. Moving forward, Huawei will continue to help carriers reshape operations with AI, going beyond single-scenario automation to support end-to-end single-domain network autonomy.
At the NE layer, Huawei works with carriers to accelerate innovation in areas like algorithm optimization for RANs, intelligent and accurate service identification for WANs, and unified service intent for core networks that helps integrate B2C and B2H services. Innovations in these domains are already driving marked improvements in network energy and spectral efficiency, intelligent service awareness, and network resilience assurance.
Computing backbone with SuperPoDs and clusters: A new option for the intelligent world

In the computing space, Huawei is showcasing its computing cluster and SuperPoD products featuring new innovations in system-level architecture, including its UnifiedBus technology for SuperPoD interconnect, for the first time outside China. Key products on display will include the Atlas 950 SuperPoD for AI computing, the TaiShan 950 SuperPoD for general-purpose computing, the Atlas 850E SuperPoD, and the TaiShan 500 and TaiShan 200 servers. These offerings are Huawei’s answer to demand for stronger compute and lower latency – two elements that are especially critical as trillion-parameter AI models become more commonplace and agentic AI is introduced into core production systems.

These offerings also reflect Huawei’s ongoing commitment to going fully open source and open access. The company is actively working with partners to build an open computing ecosystem and provide the world with another option for solid computing power.

In the enterprise space, Huawei’s focus at MWC is on helping different industries accelerate their intelligent transformation. Together with customers, partners, and representatives from different industries, Huawei will unveil a series of innovative practices that are helping different industries go intelligent on all fronts. The company will also share its new offerings in digital and intelligent infrastructure, and give updates on its latest efforts in partner ecosystem development. In total, Huawei will feature 115 industrial intelligence showcases for enterprise customers in different domains; its SHAPE 2.0 Partner Framework; and 22 new industrial intelligence solutions jointly developed with partners.

In the consumer space, Huawei’s theme for this year’s MWC is “Now is Yours”. The company is working to deliver an unparalleled intelligent experience for consumers in all scenarios, and will showcase a range of new smartphones, wearables, tablets, PCs, and earphones that feature its latest breakthroughs in areas like foldable screens, health and fitness, mobile photography, productivity, and creativity. In 2026, Huawei will keep innovating to deliver competitive products with a superior experience, giving consumers greater freedom to discover and create in their own unique way.

Huawei also announced today that it had successfully surpassed the commitment it had made to help drive digital inclusion and combat the rapidly widening digital divide. By the end of 2025, Huawei had worked with customers to provide connectivity to 170 million people in remote areas across more than 80 countries, giving more people access to inclusive digital services.

MWC Barcelona 2026 will be held from March 2 to March 5 in Barcelona, Spain. During the event, Huawei will showcase its latest products and solutions at stand 1H50 in Fira Gran Via Hall 1.

The era of agentic networks is now approaching fast, and the commercial adoption of 5G-A at scale is gaining speed. Huawei is actively working with carriers and partners around the world to unleash the full potential of 5G-A and pave the way for the evolution to 6G. We are also creating AI-Centric Network solutions to enable intelligent services, networks, and network elements (NEs), speeding up the large-scale deployment of level-4 autonomous networks (AN L4), and using AI to upgrade our core business. Together with other industry players, we will create leading value-driven networks and AI computing backbones for a fully intelligent future.

For more information, please visit: https://carrier.huawei.com/en/events/mwc2026

The post Huawei launches enhanced AI-centric network solutions for All Intelligence at MWC 2026 appeared first on Total Telecom.

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Broadband and mobile giant Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has announced that they will credit back the cost of calls, SMS messages and data (mobile broadband) to and from the UK to several countries in the Middle East, which will be backdated to 28th February and run until 7th March 2026 (although this may be extended).

The promotion, which reflects the problems being caused by ongoing events in that part of the world, will apply to customers of O2’s Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go (PAYG) plans, as well as those using Virgin Media’s Home Phone service. The following countries are covered by this: Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

“We want to help our customers stay in touch with their loved ones who are affected by the current situation in the Middle East … We appreciate this is a developing situation and we’ll continue to review the measures we have in place to support our customers,” said VMO2 in a brief statement.

We wouldn’t be surprised if EE and VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) followed suit with a similar offer, although at the time of writing they don’t appear to have introduced one yet.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

[Barcelona, Spain, March 2, 2026] During MWC Barcelona 2026, Huawei released 115 industrial intelligence showcases, together with its customers, during Industrial Digital and Intelligent Transformation Summit 2026. The summit, titled Advancing Industrial All Intelligence, was held by Huawei to explore new practices in industrial intelligence with its customers, partners, and peers. In addition, Huawei also announced the launch of upgrades to its SHAPE 2.0 partner framework. Huawei also showcased 22 new industrial intelligence solutions with partners, for the electric power, manufacturing and retail, finance, transportation, oil and gas, ISP, media, public service, and smart city sectors.

Huawei proposed the ACT Pathway: A replicable intelligence framework

AI technologies have advanced rapidly over the last year, with reasoning models and agentic workflows both maturing, and physical AI beginning to truly take off. This has allowed AI tools to begin entering core production scenarios and helped applications move from pilots to large-scale use. AI agents can also now better understand and interact with the physical world, and are now capable of making decisions independently.

Huawei introduced the ACT Pathway, which they have developed during their collaboration with global customers over the past few years.

Three key steps specified in the ACT framework were mandatory for achieving comprehensive industrial intelligence. The first step is “assessing high-value scenarios”. So far, Huawei has helped customers identify over 1,000 core production scenarios where AI can play a big role. The second step is “calibrating AI models with high-quality vertical data”. Huawei has built a 6-layer AI security framework to ensure every stage of the AI lifecycle is secure and trustworthy. The third step is “transforming business operations with AI talent”. Talent that understands both industry and AI are needed. Huawei does this by focusing on three areas, including hands-on practice programs, CANN open-source communities, vertical industry communities on Huawei Cloud, and ICT Academies.

Huawei worked with customers to release global industrial intelligence showcases

During the summit, A number of Huawei’s customers joined on stage to help launch 115 global showcases for industrial intelligence, including executives from Eskom, Shandong Port Group, Converge ICT, HM Hospitales, and PetroChina (Beijing)’s Digital Intelligent Research Institute, CNPC, providing reference for organizations of various sectors to embark on their journey towards intelligence.

Huawei invited customers to release industrial intelligence showcases. (from left to right: Len De Villiers, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Eskom; Zhang Liangang, Chief Scientist of Shandong Port Group; Nicholas Ma, Corporate Vice President, President Global Gov. & Enterprise Key Accounts, Huawei; Dennis Uy, CEO and Co-Founder of Converge ICT; Dr. Juan Abarca Cidón, President of HM Hospitales; and Su Yila, Deputy Director of PetroChina (Beijing) Digital Intelligent Research Institute Co., Ltd, CNPC)

Huawei upgraded the SHAPE 2.0 partner framework

Huawei upgraded the SHAPE 2.0 partner framework with AI as the core engine. The concept includes five major updates:

The First is AI-powered products upgrades. Huawei is embedding AI into product and solution offerings, such as the new network agents which can now automate fault location and network optimization to make O&M more efficient.

Secondly, Huawei has upgraded their joint innovation mechanism. Partners can use one-stop AgentArts on Huawei Cloud to develop agents and industry AI solutions.

The third is helping partners develop AI capabilities. Huawei has released a set of standards for AI capabilities and launched over 20 new AI certification courses. And it plans to help more than 1,000 partners get AI-certified.

The fourth is making cooperation more efficient with AI. Huawei provides multiple AI tools that help partners increase productivity, like AI-assisted configuration and HUAWEI eKit chat for technical support. These tools make it easier for us to work together.

Fifth is creating more growth opportunities with AI. This year, Huawei is deploying over 3,000 scenario-specific AI experts and launching intelligent transformation lighthouse projects across 38 industries. Its AI-integrated solutions, like the Atlas 850 server, empower partners to efficiently build their own all-in-one AI solutions.

At the summit, Huawei showcased 22 of its latest industrial intelligence solutions jointly developed with partners in the electric power, manufacturing, retail, finance, transportation, oil and gas, ISP, media, public service, and smart city sectors.

Global customers and partners shared innovative practices at the summit, working together to advance industrial all intelligence

Len De Villiers, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Eskom, said at the summit, “Sustainable electricity supports economic growth, reduces poverty, and improves living standards. Eskom remains pivotal in transforming lives through our significant contribution to South Africa’s economy. Eskom’s strategy and turnaround plan is to pursue financial and operational sustainability, and to modernize power system and energy transition. Through unbundling, Eskom will evolve to be more agile and attract the funding required to deliver the future energy landscape and economic growth.”

Ng Wun-kit, Principal of Pui Kiu Middle School, Hong Kong, China, said at the summit, “Vision of Pui Kiu Middle School in the AI era is to be a leading AI-driven educational pioneer, leveraging technology to deliver personalized, intelligent learning, and cultivate future-ready leaders with global perspectives and innovative minds. We have already implemented AI General Knowledge Course, AI-Empowered Smart Classroom, and Smart & Safe Campus. We will launch the Global Model School of Huawei AI Education Center (AIEC) Solution, and we look forward to sharing our transformative journey, proven methodologies with the international community.”

Hoy-Jin Lee, Vice President of Sales, Solum Europe GmbH, said at the summit, “With the industry’s most extensive ESL lineup, Solum is equipped to optimize any store setting. We have jointly developed an All-in-One Retail Infrastructure Platform, unifying telecom infrastructure and ESL into one scalable, cost-efficient architecture. This solution features a unified gateway that supports LTE, Wi-Fi and ESL, with no dedicated ESL AP required; it offers pre-integrated, ready-to-use deployment and an independent, secure network architecture, which can help reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 55 percent and deliver up to 33% savings for large-format stores.”

A Comprehensive display of intelligent transformation, innovative digital infrastructure, and partner ecosystem

In the Enterprise Business exhibition area in Hall 1, 98 exhibition stands and 51 interactive demos were set up to demonstrate Huawei’s commitment to intelligent transformation and innovative digital infrastructure, showcasing the latest products, solutions, and global practices of industrial intelligent transformation to customers and partners.

In addition, Huawei set up a dedicated partner exhibition area to display its latest partner policies, tools, marketable solutions, and star products.

The Huawei Enterprise booth at MWC Barcelona 2026 

MWC Barcelona 2026 is held from March 2 to March 5 in Barcelona, Spain. Huawei Enterprise attended the event with the theme of Advancing Industrial All Intelligence. The Huawei Enterprise booth was located at 1H50, Hall 1, Fira Gran Via. For more information, please visit: MWC Barcelona 2026, Huawei Enterprise 

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News

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

The Wireline Competition Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a $34.5 billion deal which will see Charter Communications acquire a wide range of assets from Cox Enterprises.

The deal, approved on Friday, includes Cox’s residential cable, commercial fiber, managed IT, and cloud businesses, according to the FCC.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the approval “ensures big wins for Americans.”

Comments from Carr were included in the FCC’s announcement Friday.

“This deal means that jobs are coming back to America that had been shipped overseas,” he said. “It means that modern, high-speed networks will get built out in more communities across rural America. And it means that customers will get access to lower priced plans.”

Carr lauds deal as a win against DEI policies
Carr’s statements about the deal took aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, which he has lobbied against fiercely on the FCC.

“On top of this, the deal enshrines protections against DEI discrimination,” he stated.

According to the FCC, Charter implemented “new safeguards” to “protect against DEI discrimination,” the statement reported.

“Specifically, Charter commits to recruiting, hiring, and promoting individuals based on the factors that matter most: skills, qualifications, and experience,” the statement also read.

The recently approved deal was first announced back in May.

In the deal, Cox Enterprises contributes Cox Communications’ residential cable business to Charter Holdings, which is an existing subsidiary partnership of Charter, the company previously announced.

The FCC says Charter will ” invest billions of dollars to upgrade its network and deliver high-speed service to homes and businesses across the country” as a result of the deal.

“This means that Americans will see faster broadband and lower prices,” the FCC’s release stated. “Additionally, Charter’s Rural Construction Initiative is activating new services across rural states, which can bring better service and job opportunities to rural America.”

This article was originally published by our affiliated publication, Broadband Communities – read more at www.bbcmag.com

The post FCC approves Charter’s $34.5B acquisition of Cox: Key details appeared first on Total Telecom.

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Mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) has issued an update on their Joint Venture (SatCo) with satellite operator AST SpaceMobile, which reveals that they’ll kick off their first customer trials of a space-based 4G and 5G mobile (mobile broadband) service – that can connect with regular Smartphones – this Summer 2026.

In case anybody has forgotten. AST SpaceMobile has previously conducted technical trials of a prototype 1.5-ton BlueWalker 3 (here) satellite that orbits at an altitude of a little over 500km and features a huge 693-square-foot (64.4-square-meter) phased array antenna (here). The satellite was specifically designed for sending and receiving mobile signals between the space-based platform and regular mobile handsets – Direct-to-Device (DtD).

The platform was originally developed with support from Vodafone and thus nobody was surprised to see the pair signing a long-term commercial agreement at the end of 2024 (here), which will run until at least 2034. This will support AST’s efforts toward launching a total of 100 similar satellites (BlueBirds) over the next few years (future models will be much larger – 3.5 times bigger – and more capable).

So far, the company has about 6 active satellites in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and they’re aiming to reach 45–60 satellites launched by the end of 2026, which should be enough to deliver continuous coverage across the United States and select markets like the United Kingdom. For its part, Vodafone has already demonstrated a live mobile-to-mobile video call via the new service (here) and they now expect to begin customer trials this summer.

The news follows the launch of Satellite Connect Europe, which is a service provider of open access D2D satellite connectivity and VodafoneThree will be the first UK customer to trial SCE’s services. Headquartered in Luxembourg, and a joint venture between Vodafone Group and AST SpaceMobile, SCE will drive the deployment of five Europe-based ground stations as well as support Vodafone’s wider European objectives to ensure next-gen satellite broadband services comply with relevant spectrum legislation and frameworks.

Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer of VodafoneThree, said:

“This partnership with Satellite Connect Europe supports our ambition to deliver direct-to-device satellite connectivity capable of data, voice, and SMS to our customers, leading to the elimination of coverage gaps in hard-to-reach and remote areas, as well as supporting the closing of the digital divide. At VodafoneThree, we are absolutely committed to connecting our customers in every nation, in every community, and in every corner of the UK.”

The announcement of VodafoneThree’s first customer trials comes only a few days after rival O2 UK (Virgin Media) became one of the first mobile operators in Europe to go live on Starlink’s latest Direct to Cell (DtC) satellite network via its new O2 Satellite service (here), which will directly compete with the Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile solution.

The O2 Satellite service costs just £3 per month extra to add to an existing airtime plan and will initially offer fairly basic text messaging and limited data/specific app connectivity. But it’s expected to improve significantly as more advanced satellites are launched over the next couple of years.

At present we don’t know what kind of final service performance, features and prices we can expect from AST’s initial network, but it’s likely to be fairly limited at launch and competing with O2’s pricing could also be a challenge. In both cases the goal is to tackle notspots and patches of weak signal coverage, which could be particularly handy in remote rural areas and during terrestrial network outages.

On the flip side, all these new D2D networks are also something that may be giving both radio and observational astronomers a few sleepless nights, as the rapid growth of such things risk disrupting their research work.

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The Broadband Forum, which is an industry-driven global standards development organisation, has kicked off a new project that aims to equip global broadband ISPs with clearer guidance on sharing network infrastructure for wholesale use – helping to open up more diverse service choices for customers.

The forum’s new Wholesale Access Project (WAP) plans to define service requirements, best practices, and the technical solutions needed to advance wholesale access in broadband networks in an era of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and cloud networks. The hope is that it will spur technical innovation, efficiency, and automation, while maintaining a consistent high quality of service across the shared infrastructure for existing and new deployments.

“It will outline how access network owners can offer their existing access infrastructure to retail service providers, as well as content, application, and cloud service providers. This approach helps established [broadband ISPs] potentially generate new revenue from their unused network capacity, while giving new providers a faster route to market their services,” said the announcement.

The initiative also addresses wholesale access deployment models applicable to different regulations across the globe. As part of the project, members can collaborate and share insights on their own experiences and advise on the lessons learned and challenges with real-world deployments.

Daniele Franceschini, Head of Technology & Innovation at FiberCop, said:

“As one of Europe’s leading wholesale operators, FiberCop is proud to contribute its expertise in the initiative. Wholesale access has been inherently supported by the Broadband Forum’s network architecture over the past 20 years, and this project takes the best practices from copper‑based broadband to reshape and evolve them for fiber and cloud networks.

The project will identify and define the best innovations, solutions, and practices for Service Providers, covering topics from innovative line testing to domain monitoring, service differentiation, and far-edge computing. Besides serving as co-editor of this new BBF project, FiberCop is coordinating a collaborative team of BBF members committed to contributing on these subjects.”

Daniel Willis, General Manager Advanced Access Technologies at NBN Co, said:

“The project will prove incredibly insightful and help to present opportunities in implementing ‘open’ access within an ecosystem where the network is provided by a wholesale network operator, while the subscriber relationship is owned by a separate retail service provider”.

The work set to be undertaken above sounds similar to what the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), which represents many of the UK’s alternative broadband ISP networks, has already been doing with altnets via the Infrastructure Sharing Group (here) and their complementary Wholesale Standards Initiative (WSI) – here.

Suffice to say that the Broadband Forum’s project is probably arriving a bit too late to have much of an impact upon the UK’s market, but you never know. The Forum said that the initiative’s first stage of work will aim to establish a “holistic framework for wholesale service models, use cases, requirements, and best practices“.

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A new report claims that the debt strained TalkTalk Group, which has allegedly already begun talks with several prospective bidders for their various divisions (here), is set to receive an injection of £115 million from Ares Management – reflecting £65m in new senior debt and a short-term facility of £50m – to boost its finances ahead of any deal.

The group has already had an eventful few years, which was headlined by the demerger of their businesses (Talk Talk Consumer, PXC [Wholesale] and Talk Talk Business Direct) and 2024’s signing of a crucial £400m refinancing package, which enabled them to avoid a default on their debts until 2027 (here, here). This was later followed up by a £120m funding deal in 2025 to help tackle ongoing financial pressures (here).

More recently they’ve also launched a major brand refresh and advertising push for their consumer broadband ISP business (here). At the same time the group is still doing everything it can to cut costs and tackle their underlying debt problem, including the possible disposal (sale) of its remaining businesses and more job cuts (here). In terms of the sale, TalkTalk is already reported to have advanced its talks with several prospective bidders.

However, the latest development today comes from the FT (paywall), which reports that the Group is about to receive an injection of £115m from Ares Management. As well as strengthening the Group’s finances ahead of any deal, the investment also appears to be partly intended to replace a £47m debt facility, which was due to be redeemed in March 2026.

The report indicates that Virgin Media (O2) may have expressed an interest in TalkTalk’s consumer division, while Octopus Investments is said to have an interest in TalkTalk’s business unit. But there’s currently no guarantee that a sale for any part of the business will go ahead (the Group has often struggled to find buyers).