Home » Fiber

Fiber

COAI defends India mobile tariff hike amid OTT traffic

Tech News & Insight
October 12, 2025
Hema Kadia

India’s mobile industry lobby is pushing for tariff corrections as network spending rises faster than service revenues. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) says operators face a growing mismatch between capital outlays and tariff-led returns. By its estimate, the cumulative gap up to 2024 was already around Rs 10,000 crore and is widening in 2025 as data consumption accelerates. COAI argues that a handful of large traffic generators (LTGs) are responsible for most network load without directly contributing to network build costs. Expect a mix of tariff rationalization, plan redesign, and targeted capex as operators chase sustainable returns.

Verizon and AST SpaceMobile Direct-to-Cell Deal for 2026

Tech News & Insight
October 12, 2025
Hema Kadia

Verizon and AST SpaceMobile have advanced their partnership into a definitive commercial agreement to deliver space-based cellular coverage in the United States starting in 2026. The agreement enables Verizon subscribers to connect “when needed” to AST SpaceMobile’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites using standard, unmodified phones. AST says service will focus on coverage gaps across the continental U.S., and will extend Verizon’s premium 850 MHz low-band spectrum into remote areas. AST highlights successful space tests as proof points and positions the network for both commercial and government use.

Assurance, IoT, Monetization, RAN
3GPP, AST SpaceMobile, Devices, Fiber, LEO, Mobility, Partnerships, Policy, Spectrum, Verizon, Vodafone
Agriculture, Financials, Ports, Telecom, Transportation

Telecom Equipment Market Rebounds +4% Global

Tech News & Insight
October 12, 2025
Hema Kadia

After two years of decline, telecom equipment spending is edging back into positive territory with early signs of a broad-based rebound. Dell’Oro Group’s preliminary data indicates worldwide telecom equipment revenues across six tracked sectors rose 4% year over year in the first half of 2025, with markets outside China up a stronger 8%. The rebound was not limited to a single pocket of spend, but three areas led the gains: mobile core networks, optical transport, and service provider routers and switches. By contrast, RAN remains comparatively muted in many markets as 5G macro buildouts mature.

5G, Assurance, Automation, Monetization, Network Slicing, RAN, Security
3GPP, Broadband, Ericsson, Fiber, Huawei, Nokia, Partnerships, Policy, Spectrum
Telecom

Verizon to Acquire Starry for Urban FWA Expansion

Tech News & Insight
October 10, 2025
Hema Kadia

Verizon has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Starry, a fixed wireless broadband specialist focused on MDUs across Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington, D.C. Starry brings nearly 100,000 broadband customers and an MDU-centric network architecture built around wideband millimeter-wave and hybrid fiber. Verizon said the move will support its ambition to double fixed wireless subscribers to roughly 8–9 million by 2028 and extend availability to about 90 million households. Starry’s in-market MDU know-how and neutral-host friendly building relationships give Verizon a fast path to scale in cities where it already owns substantial fiber backhaul and large 28/39 GHz mmWave holdings.

5G, Automation, FWA, IoT, Security
Broadband, FCC, Fiber, Mobility, MVNO, Policy, Signal, Spectrum, Verizon

Orange SafetyCase adds OneWeb LEO for crisis connectivity

Tech News & Insight
October 10, 2025
Hema Kadia

SafetyCase—Orange Business’s portable emergency telecoms unit—now bonds terrestrial access with OneWeb’s LEO satellite backhaul to keep voice, data, and video online when fixed and mobile networks fail. The move adds low-latency satellite links from a European operator to a solution already engineered and built in France, aligning with sovereignty and continuity mandates across the EU. The target users include first responders, public safety agencies, local authorities, operators of vital importance (OVIs), and essential enterprises. LEO adds a robust, geographically independent path that supports modern, IP-based coordination tools—push-to-talk over LTE/5G (MCX), live video, GIS—and does so with the latency profile field teams require.

Assurance, IoT, Satellite & NTN, SD-WAN, Security
Devices, Eutelsat OneWeb, Fiber, LEO, Orange, Policy
Manufacturing, Retail

India Satcom Rollout Nears After TRAI Spectrum Pricing

Tech News & Insight
October 9, 2025
Hema Kadia

India is poised to greenlight commercial satellite communication services once TRAI issues final pricing for satellite spectrum use and associated charges. The communications minister indicated the policy and licensing groundwork for satellite broadband is largely complete, with two GMPCS licenses issued and one additional letter of intent granted. The final trigger is the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s decision on spectrum pricing and usage fees for satcom bands. After that, operators can commence rollouts—initially for enterprise and backhaul, then for consumer broadband in selected markets. Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite unit are positioned to move early, with constellation capacity and gateways progressing.

5G, FWA, IoT, RAN, Satellite & NTN, SD-WAN, Security
3GPP, Amazon, Aviation, Broadband, Devices, DoT, Eutelsat OneWeb, Fiber, India, Investment, Jio, LEO, Mobility, Policy, Spectrum, TRAI
Mining, Retail, Telecom

AT&T 5G lights up NYC’s Joralemon Street Tunnel with Boldyn’s neutral-host network

Tech News & Insight
October 8, 2025
Hema Kadia

AT&T has gone live on Boldyn Networks’ neutral-host infrastructure in New York’s Joralemon Street tunnel, with G line tunnel segments next in the rollout. AT&T customers can now access 5G mobile service through the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) Joralemon Street tunnel, the oldest underwater subway tunnel in New York City, which links the 4/5 lines between Borough Hall in Brooklyn and Bowling Green in Manhattan. Subway connectivity has shifted from convenience to critical infrastructure for safety, accessibility, and productivity. AT&T’s first-mover status sets a competitive benchmark; other national carriers (Verizon and T‑Mobile) are expected to follow as on-boarding progresses across the system.

5G, Automation, Network Slicing, Private Networks
ATT, Boldyn, Cybersecurity, DAS, Fiber, Mobility, Nokia, Private 5G, Spectrum, Verizon
Transportation

Nokia FTTH digital twin and AI tools boost reliability

Tech News & Insight
October 8, 2025
Hema Kadia

Nokia has introduced a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) digital twin and AI-powered applications inside its Altiplano platform to give operators a unified view of active and passive assets and to improve reliability with faster, first-time fixes. The core launch centers on creating a digital twin of the FTTH network that stitches together live data from active elements (OLT/ONT, IP edge, customer premises equipment) with outside-plant passive infrastructure (ducts, cables, splitters) maintained in inventory and geospatial systems. Together, these tools target the highest-impact operational pain points: early anomaly detection, automated topology audits, faster root cause analysis, and improved first-time fix rates.

AI, Assurance, Automation, Digital Twin, RAN
Broadband, Fiber, Nokia, TM Forum
Construction

HPE AI at Ryder Cup: Blended Connectivity & AIOps

Tech News & Insight
September 30, 2025
Hema Kadia

The Bethpage Black Ryder Cup turned a 1,500‑acre golf course into a pop-up smart city, giving HPE a high-stakes stage to showcase end-to-end AI, networking, and edge operations at scale. Golf is a network planner’s stress test: fans are constantly moving, crowd density swings hole-to-hole, and the venue is built from scratch for a few intense days. More than 250,000 spectators demanded seamless connectivity, broadcast-grade reliability, and instant digital services. This environment forced an enterprise-grade blueprint – fast deployment, elastic capacity, airtight security, and automated operations, mirroring the requirements of modern campuses, arenas, and industrial sites.

5G, AI, Assurance, Predictions, Private Networks, RAN, Security
3GPP, Capgemini, Cisco, Devices, Fiber, GenAI, HPE, Mobility, Nvidia, Partnerships, Policy, Private 5G, Signal
Sports & Events Venue

India Joins Telecom Equipment Manufacturing Elite with Indigenous 4G

Tech News & Insight
September 29, 2025
Hema Kadia

India’s nationwide launch of BSNL’s “Swadeshi” 4G stack moves the country from a services-first model to domestic production of core telecom equipment at national scale. India formally launched an indigenous 4G stack for state-run BSNL, alongside more than 97,500 towers announced from Jharsuguda, Odisha. Officials highlighted early reach metrics, noting that roughly 92,000 sites are active and connecting an estimated 22 million users. Telecom equipment sovereignty has become a board-level issue as operators de-risk supply chains, comply with trusted source mandates, and balance costs amid rising traffic and spectrum refarming needs.

5G, Assurance, Automation, Network Infrastructure, Open RAN, Private Networks, RAN, Security
3GPP, BSNL, Devices, DoT, Europe, Fiber, India, LEO, LTE, Partnerships, Policy, Spectrum, VoLTE
Manufacturing, Telecom

Moda Center 5G DAS Upgrade by American Tower

Tech News & Insight
September 29, 2025
Hema Kadia

Large arenas now live or die on mobile performance: digital ticketing, cashless concessions, in-seat ordering, real-time replays, and social sharing all hinge on dense, resilient RF. With nearly 20,000 seats and a heavy calendar of sports and concerts, the Moda Center joins a cohort of tier-one venues investing in 5G as core infrastructure rather than a nice-to-have. American Tower’s role as a neutral host is noteworthy; it positions the venue to support multiple operators on a shared platform, spreading cost, accelerating carrier onboarding, and improving consistency across the “Rose Quarter,” including the adjacent Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum.

5G, AR, IoT, Network Slicing, RAN, Security, Sustainability
American Tower, DAS, Fiber, Mobility, Neutral Host, Policy, Spectrum
Commerce

Why 95% of GenAI Pilots Fail to Scale Across Industries, Including Telecom

Tech News & Insight
September 29, 2025
Hema Kadia

AI is everywhere in telecom, yet most pilots never make it into production because the industry’s data, tooling, and operating models are not ready for scaled automation. Recent industry research suggests that about 95% of AI pilots in telecom fail to scale beyond proofs of concept. Leaders are moving from pilots to platforms by embedding AI in the systems that run the business and anchoring every initiative to measurable outcomes. Telecom AI will not scale through pilots alone; it scales when embedded in the systems that run revenue, experience, and networks.