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3GPP

A European 6G-XR consortium led by Capgemini, Ericsson, i2CAT and Vicomtech demonstrated holographic calling and edge-anchored XR services on live standalone 5G, signaling how networks will evolve to support immersive collaboration at 6G scale. The team executed end-to-end trials of real-time holographic communication and distributed XR experiences spanning edge nodes across Barcelona and Madrid. To keep spatial media stable under cell load, the partners implemented proactive congestion detection and an on-demand quality mechanism that prioritizes holographic traffic. Notably, the consortium has referenced IMS Data Channel as a vehicle to anchor real-time holographic streams within operator service frameworks.
UK regulator Ofcom has opened formal investigations into BT (including EE) and Three after nationwide voice service outages this summer impaired access to other networks and to emergency services. BT notified Ofcom of a software-related failure that disrupted interconnect voice services to and from the EE mobile network on 24–25 July 2025. During the incident, many BT and EE customers could not complete mobile calls to other networks or reach emergency services. Three separately reported a UK-wide disruption to voice services on 25 June 2025, which also affected some customers’ ability to contact emergency services.
Rogers Communications has moved from beta to a commercial footprint for satellite-to-mobile in Canada, extending basic connectivity and select apps to consumer smartphones while adding an industrial IoT tier for remote operations. The new Rogers Satellite service enables a curated set of popular apps to work beyond terrestrial coverage, including WhatsApp calling, Google Maps, AccuWeather, X, and CalTopo on most modern smartphones. In parallel, Rogers introduced satellite-to-mobile for IoT businesses, targeting asset tracking along highways and rail, as well as sensor telemetry in forestry, mining, and other resource sectors where terrestrial cellular is sparse.
The latest 3GPP cycle consolidates 5G-Advanced (Release 18), sets the agenda for Release 19, and frames early 6G studies, with direct implications for operator investment, enterprise use cases, and vendor roadmaps. Release 18, the first phase of 5G-Advanced, is moving from standards completion into implementation, bringing carrier-grade enhancements in spectral efficiency, energy savings, and mobility performance. Release 19 now builds on these foundations, prioritizing further RAN efficiency, XR and video delivery at scale, richer analytics/exposure in the core (NWDAF, NEF/CAPIF), and enterprise-grade reliability across private and public networks.
3GPP has become the organizing framework for how public safety, utilities, transportation and enterprise security adopt LTE/5G for mission-critical communications (MCX). For mission-critical users, 3GPP’s scope includes capabilities such as push-to-talk, data and video designed for high availability, priority, pre-emption and end-to-end security. For agencies and enterprises, the value of 3GPP is practical: it lowers integration risk, clarifies feature expectations and aligns multi-year investment roadmaps. Standards are the foundation; operational reliability is the measure of success. 3GPP is the baseline for resilient, interoperable operations.
A strategic merger to accelerate standardized 5G NTN Cobham Satcom is merging its Network Division with Gatehouse Satcom to push 3GPP-based non-terrestrial networks from trials to scalable deployments. The combined entity will sit as a subsidiary within Cobham Satcom Group, led by Kenney Schmidt Christiansen, Gatehouse Satcom’s current CEO. Cobham Satcom will hold a majority stake and continue to serve maritime, government, and enterprise customers through its SAILOR, Sea Tel, EXPLORER, and TRACKER brands. The transaction requires standard regulatory approvals but positions both companies to offer an end-to-end 5G NTN platform spanning software, ground infrastructure, and terminals.
New data points to a step-change in cellular IoT adoption as 5G broadens into mid-tier and massive-scale use cases while 4G-era LPWA keeps expanding. Omdia forecasts cellular IoT connections to reach roughly 5.9 billion by 2035, driven by expanding addressable use cases across industrial automation, utilities, transportation, retail, and consumer-adjacent categories such as wearables. The growth profile is no longer tied only to premium 5G performance; instead, scaled adoption is coming from three complementary pillars: 5G RedCap for mid-tier performance at lower cost, 5G Massive IoT (evolving NB-IoT/LTE-M under a 5G core), and 4G LTE Cat-1bis for low-cost devices that still require voice or moderate throughput.
New consumer research commissioned by Viasat and executed by GSMA Intelligence signals that non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are becoming a mainstream buying factor for mobile subscribers. The survey of more than 12,000 smartphone users across 12 countries finds persistent coverage gaps: over a third of respondents lose basic cellular service multiple times per month. That pain point is translating into intent. Roughly six in ten consumers say they would pay extra for satellite-enabled connectivity on their phones, and nearly half indicate they would switch operators if out‑of‑coverage service were included in their plan. On average, those willing to pay would accept a 5–7% uplift on their current monthly bill, with outliers such as India approaching a 9% premium.
A landmark private 5G pilot at EMSTEEL with e& UAE signals how industrial networks in the region are evolving from connectivity add-ons to strategic infrastructure. The pilot delivers dedicated, high-speed wireless coverage across complex industrial spaces that are often hostile to traditional Wi‑Fi and public cellular. For manufacturers in the UAE, this is a meaningful milestone: it showcases a path to secure, deterministic wireless that can carry safety-critical and time-sensitive workloads on the shop floor. Private 5G gives factories a foundation to adopt connected worker tools, real-time quality control, AI-assisted operations, and digital twins without moving sensitive data off-site.
ZTE, China Unicom Liaoning and Dalian Changhai Airport have put a 5G-Advanced private network with integrated sensing and communications into live service to address low-altitude security at an island test flight field. The partners deployed a private 5G-Advanced architecture that fuses high-throughput connectivity with precision sensing on the same infrastructure, tailored for a maritime, island airport where traditional patrols and single-sensor radars leave blind spots for “low, slow, small” targets such as drones and bird flocks. According to the partners, the network is running 24/7 at the test flight field and has lifted low-altitude detection accuracy near 98%. By consolidating connectivity and sensing on one footprint, the deployment claims about 30% less space and roughly 25% lower capital intensity versus separate radios and radars.
Hrvatski Telekom will deploy dedicated private 5G networks at Zagreb, Zadar, and Pula airports under a €5.6 million “NextGen 5G Airports” program co-financed by the European Commission’s CEF Digital initiative. The project was selected in a competitive CEF Digital call focused on 5G and edge for smart communities, with €3.09 million in EU grant funding and the remainder financed by Hrvatski Telekom and partners. The program targets operational efficiency, safety, and a better passenger experience through dedicated, configurable, and SLA-backed wireless infrastructure. Edge computing on or near the airport premises will enable low-latency processing for video, safety systems, and time-sensitive control.
Vodafone is accelerating a multi-year resilience programme to keep emergency and critical services online during grid failures, an issue that is moving from rare-event planning to board-level risk management. In response, Vodafone fast-tracked its Enhanced Power initiative to harden more than 10,000 critical mobile access sites across Europe over the next two years, starting in Portugal. The system uses AI to predict outages, throttle non-essential loads, and place selected radio elements into low-energy modes, preserving channels for emergency calls, SMS, and priority users. More than 400 core and backbone facilities in the EU are provisioned with batteries and diesel generators for at least 72 hours of backup or guaranteed refueling within 48 hours.

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