Verizon

AST SpaceMobile D2D service by early 2026

AST SpaceMobile D2D service by early 2026
AST SpaceMobile is signaling a pivotal year ahead as it moves from demonstrations to commercial direct-to-device coverage with major operators and an aggressive launch schedule. The company’s plan to begin “intermittent nationwide” service in early 2026, followed by continuous coverage later in the year, is also a forcing function for device vendors, standards work, and MNO network integration. As AST scales to 45–60 BlueBird satellites by end-2026, pass frequency and overlap increase to support “continuous” service across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other priority markets. AST reports over $3.2 billion in cash and liquidity.

AI layoffs surge: telecom and enterprise IT impact

Verizon layoffs: 15,000 cuts, store franchising
October’s job-cut announcements surged, with AI and cost control reshaping staffing plans across technology and adjacent sectors. Planned layoffs spiked to roughly 153,000 in October, up more than 180% from September and about 175% from a year ago, according to the latest Challenger job-cuts tally. Year-to-date announcements for 2025 have crossed 1.09 million, the highest October-through-period since the pandemic shock of 2020 and above comparable 2009 levels. The cuts reflect a pivot from growth-at-any-cost to profitability, with AI rebalancing roles and budgets across the stack. Across reasons given, cost reduction led by a wide margin, and AI adoption was the second-largest driver, underscoring both macro pressure and structural transformation.

FCC to scrap telecom cybersecurity mandate

FCC to scrap telecom cybersecurity mandate
The Federal Communications Commission plans a November vote to rescind a January ruling that tied carrier cybersecurity obligations to CALEA, resetting the regulatory posture after high-profile intrusions tied to Chinese state-linked actors. In January, the FCC interpreted the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) to require telecommunications carriers to protect their networks against unlawful access or interception, and paired that interpretation with a proposal to require written cybersecurity plans and baseline controls. The commission signals it will pivot to a more targeted, collaborative posture with carriers instead of a one-size-fits-all mandate.

Verizon partners with Eaton Fiber for FTTP expansion

Verizon partners with Eaton Fiber for FTTP expansion
Verizon signed a commercial agreement with Eaton Fiber, an affiliate of Tillman Global Holdings, to extend fiber-to-the-premises service well beyond its current Fios footprint and the locations it expects to add through its planned Frontier deal. The structure is straightforward. Eaton Fiber will fund, build, and operate the local access network. Verizon will handle sales, marketing, and customer care and gain full residential retail exclusivity on the new builds during deployment and for a subsequent period. Fiber is the control point for converged services.

Deutsche Telekom device recycling drive

Deutsche Telekom device recycling drive
Germany’s largest operator is turning e-waste into engagement currency with a take-back drive that mixes material recovery with headline incentives. Deutsche Telekom estimates 195 million unused phones are sitting idle in Germany, locking up valuable materials and ESG progress. The company is reframing those devices as an urban mine—rich in gold, copper, and critical minerals—and as a lever to scale circularity ahead of its 2030 ambition to make all IT and network technology, and most end-user devices, recyclable or reusable. By the end of 2024, the operator had already taken back more than 11 million phones across the group.

Verizon Private 5G and Neutral Host for Hospitals

Verizon Private 5G and Neutral Host for Hospitals
Hospitals are turning to a dual-network model that pairs neutral host coverage with private 5G to handle surging data, device density, and distinct user groups across large clinical campuses. Healthcare networks are stressed by electronic health records, telehealth, connected medical equipment, and higher patient expectations for always-on mobile service. A combined neutral host and private 5G architecture lets IT leaders segment traffic and policy by role and use case, align with data sovereignty requirements, and scale capacity as device fleets and AI-driven workflows grow. The model separates public cellular access for general users from dedicated private 5G for clinical and operational workloads.

Verizon Brings Private 5G and Neutral Host Networks to U.S. Hospitals

Verizon Private 5G and Neutral Host for Hospitals
Verizon is transforming healthcare infrastructure with a dual-network approach that combines private 5G and neutral host connectivity. Hospitals like AdventHealth and Tampa General are enhancing AI-powered diagnostics, real-time telemetry, and secure staff communications—while ensuring strong public mobile coverage for patients and visitors. This hybrid model, built on Ericsson’s platform, supports HIPAA compliance, device density, and future scalability for smart hospitals.

Mint Mobile 5G home internet: $30 unlimited

Mint Mobile 5G home internet: $30 unlimited
Mint Mobile is expanding from prepaid wireless into fixed wireless access, introducing a 5G home internet offer that targets price-sensitive households and small offices with unlimited data and headline speeds up to 415 Mbps for as low as $30 per month. The company’s “MINTernet” is a self-install 5G home internet service that rides on T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network, following T-Mobile’s acquisition of Mint’s parent Ka’ena Corporation in 2024. At a starting price of $30 per month, Mint undercuts many cable and fiber entry tiers and lands below other national 5G FWA offers, which typically range from $35 to $60 depending on mobile bundle eligibility.

AT&T Users Tap T-Mobile Satellite D2D: Ookla Report

AT&T Users Tap T-Mobile Satellite D2D
New usage data shows AT&T subscribers are tapping into T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered T-Satellite more than expected, signaling a rapid shift in how carriers and customers think about direct-to-device connectivity. Speedtest intelligence indicates T-Mobile users account for the majority of direct-to-device (D2D) connections to Starlink, roughly six in ten overall and more than seven in ten among devices reporting active service at connection time. The surprise is AT&T’s footprint: about a third of observed connections come from AT&T subscribers, while Verizon’s share is minimal.

T-Mobile 5G-Advanced: Edge Control and T-Platform

T-Mobile 5G-Advanced: Edge Control and T-Platform
T-Mobile US expanded its Advanced Network Solutions portfolio with Edge Control and T-Platform, aiming to deliver private network-like performance over its nationwide 5G-Advanced footprint while simplifying how enterprises deploy, govern, and scale edge workloads. Edge Control enables cellular traffic to exit locally and flow directly into an enterprise’s edge compute environment, rather than traversing centralized cores or the public internet. T-Platform is T-Mobile’s customer portal for managing business services, including Edge Control. Traditional MEC offers low-latency access to hyperscaler edge zones but often relies on internet or backhaul paths that add jitter and sovereignty concerns.

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

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

Verizon to Acquire Starry for Urban FWA Expansion

Verizon to Acquire Starry for Urban FWA Expansion
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.
Private Network Leadership Awrads 2026

Partner Hubs

Download content, access intelligence tools, and hear from executives.

Partner Events

  • M360 ASEAN
  • FutureNet Asia 2026
Scroll to Top