Telco and Tech News and Insights

WISP vs Starlink Speeds: Ookla 2025

WISP vs Starlink Speeds: Ookla 2025

Hema Kadia November 19, 2025

New performance data shows U.S. WISPs are getting faster, but low‑Earth orbit players like Starlink are advancing just as quickly—and the competitive gap in rural markets is narrowing. Based on Speedtest Intelligence data from Q1 2021 to Q2 2025, eight of the larger WISPs—Starry, Resound Networks, Nextlink, Wisper Internet, Unwired Broadband, GeoLinks, Etheric Networks, and Rise Broadband—improved speeds, with download gains outpacing uploads. Starry led by a wide margin with a 202 Mbps median download in Q2 2025, followed by Resound at 99 Mbps and Nextlink at 68 Mbps; GeoLinks trailed at 23 Mbps. Crucially, only a minority of WISP

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Alibaba.com AI Mode: Agentic AI for Global B2B Sourcing

Alibaba.com’s global B2B play powered by AI

Hema Kadia November 18, 2025

Alibaba.com AI Mode: Agentic AI for Global B2B sourcing Alibaba.com is folding agentic AI into the buyer and supplier journey to compress time-to-source, improve compliance, and expand access to the long tail of global manufacturing. Market momentum and AI adoption European orders on Alibaba.com have jumped sharply year over year, and the company also reports a large increase in active suppliers worldwide—evidence that SMEs are leaning back into cross-border trade. At the same time, enterprise buyers are normalizing AI in sourcing workflows, and AI is influencing a rising share of online search activity. That backdrop makes this a logical moment

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CTIA Catalyst Program Reaches 30M with Mobile-First Impact

CTIA Catalyst Program Reaches 30M with Mobile-First Impact

Hema Kadia November 18, 2025

A new impact study shows CTIA Wireless Foundation’s Catalyst program has touched 30 million Americans since 2019, underscoring how mobile-first tools can scale social outcomes faster than traditional interventions. The Foundation has invested just over $1 million in unrestricted grants yet reports benefits to nearly one in 12 Americans—evidence of the leverage that wireless distribution, app stores, messaging, and APIs can create when paired with practical problem-solving. More than 30 social entrepreneurs have received support through Catalyst, selected from over 800 applications across 46 states. For telecom leaders, the takeaway is clear: modest, well-targeted funding combined with mobile channels and

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Satellite Connectivity in 2025: The New Backbone of Global Telecom

Orange to launch Europe’s first NTN D2D SMS

Hema Kadia November 18, 2025

Orange is moving to commercialize direct-to-device satellite connectivity in Europe with a carrier-branded SMS service that extends coverage beyond terrestrial reach. Orange will launch “Message Satellite,” an SMS and location-sharing service that lets smartphones connect directly to satellites when mobile or Wi‑Fi coverage is unavailable. The consumer launch in mainland France is slated for 11 December 2025, with professional and enterprise availability following in 2026. At launch, the service will be offered to Orange 5G and 5G+ customers using Google Pixel 9 or Pixel 10 devices, with additional handsets expected over time. Pricing is set at €5 per month after

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Google Invests $40B in Texas AI Data Centers

Google Invests $40B in Texas AI Data Centers

Hema Kadia November 18, 2025

Alphabet’s Google will spend $40 billion to build three AI-focused data centers in Texas, signaling that power access and grid proximity now define hyperscale strategy more than any single technology feature. The build spans one campus in Armstrong County in the Texas Panhandle and two in Haskell County near Abilene, with investments running through 2027. Google expects the program to create thousands of construction and supplier jobs and hundreds of long-term operations roles, consistent with typical hyperscale staffing patterns. Texas offers relatively low-cost power, faster interconnection timelines, abundant land, and pro-investment policies, making it second only to Virginia in U.S.

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AT&T activates EchoStar 3.45 GHz to boost 5G and FWA

AT&T activates EchoStar 3.45 GHz to boost 5G and FWA

Hema Kadia November 18, 2025

AT&T has activated EchoStar’s 3.45 GHz spectrum across a massive swath of its macro network, delivering a step-change in speed and capacity that advances its 5G and fixed wireless agenda. AT&T has deployed the 3.45 GHz band on nearly 23,000 cell sites across the contiguous United States, touching more than 5,300 cities. Early field results point to up to 80% faster 5G download speeds in upgraded markets. The same spectrum injection is lifting AT&T’s fixed wireless access (FWA) product, Internet Air, with download speeds up by about 55%. Mid-band spectrum is the engine of 5G performance at scale.

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Cisco Acquires NeuralFabric for Enterprise AI

Cisco Acquires NeuralFabric for Enterprise AI

Hema Kadia November 17, 2025

Cisco’s intent to acquire Seattle-based NeuralFabric signals a decisive shift toward practical, domain-specific AI that meets real-world constraints around data, compliance, and infrastructure. Cisco plans to acquire NeuralFabric, an enterprise AI platform focused on building small language models (SLMs) from proprietary data with deployment across SaaS and on-premises environments. By focusing on SLMs trained on enterprise data and deployable in hybrid environments, Cisco aims to shorten time-to-value while keeping control where it belongs—inside the business. They reduce inference cost, improve latency, and can be deployed on-premises or at the edge—critical for sectors like telecom, financial services, and healthcare.

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Jeff Bezos Returns as Co-CEO of Project Prometheus AI

Jeff Bezos Returns as Co-CEO of Project Prometheus AI

Hema Kadia November 17, 2025

Jeff Bezos is stepping back into day-to-day operations as co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a new AI company reportedly funded with $6.2 billion to build “AI for the physical economy.” Project Prometheus will be co-led by Bezos and Vik Bajaj, an operator-scientist with leadership experience at Google X, Verily, and Foresite Labs. Early reports indicate the company is targeting engineering and manufacturing tasks across sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and computing hardware. Headcount is already near 100, drawing researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Meta, signaling an aggressive push for top-tier AI talent.

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AI-AI Air Interface Trial Doubles 6G Throughput

NTT Docomo AI-AI Air Interface Trial Doubles 6G Throughput with Nokia Bell Labs and SK Telecom

Hema Kadia November 17, 2025

A consortium led by NTT DOCOMO, NTT, Nokia Bell Labs, and SK Telecom has shown that applying AI to both transmitter and receiver—“AI-AI”—can materially lift outdoor 6G performance, pointing to an AI-native air interface that adapts in real time to messy, real-world radio conditions. Using 5G New Radio as the baseline at 4.8 GHz, the AI-AI approach improved average throughput by roughly 18% across mixed environments and delivered up to a 100% gain in the most challenging sections of a curved public road. The net: AI at both ends consistently compensated for channel fluctuations outdoors, not just in controlled labs.

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Bharti Airtel S&P Upgrade on Strong Q2, ARPU and 5G

Bharti Airtel S&P Upgrade on Strong Q2, ARPU and 5G

Hema Kadia November 17, 2025

S&P Global Ratings has upgraded Bharti Airtel on the back of stronger earnings quality, healthier free cash flow, and a clearer deleveraging path, signaling a maturing Indian mobile market. The action reflects rising confidence that India’s tariff repair is sticking after mid-2024 hikes, with average revenue per user moving up and a larger share of premium 4G/5G subscribers. Airtel’s fiscal Q2 (India) showed operating momentum and cash discipline—key ingredients behind the rating move. Tariff increases and a richer subscriber mix pushed ARPU above the psychologically important INR 200 threshold, aided by postpaid gains, 4G/5G migration, and bundled content.

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