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Meta ordered to pay €30M to Deutsche Telekom

Meta ordered to pay €30M to Deutsche Telekom
A German court has ordered Meta’s Edge Network Services to pay Deutsche Telekom roughly €30 million for network services tied to Meta traffic, reshaping leverage in Europe’s peering and interconnection market. The dispute centered on whether Meta’s subsidiary used Deutsche Telekom’s private interconnection and peering points under a valid, paid contract after an earlier agreement expired. The court sided with the operator, concluding that continued use of those private interconnection facilities created obligations to pay for services over a multi-year period covering traffic from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Rogers Satellite-to-Mobile: NTN Connectivity for Consumers and IoT

Rogers Satellite-to-Mobile: NTN Connectivity for Consumers and IoT
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.

India SIM binding mandate for messaging apps

India SIM binding mandate for messaging apps
India’s Department of Telecommunications has ordered major messaging apps to implement continuous SIM binding and frequent web re-authentication to curb fraud, with compliance expected in early 2026. The directive applies to app-based communication platforms that use mobile numbers as identifiers, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, Josh, and regional players like Arattai. Apps must continuously verify that the SIM linked to the registered number is present and active on the device, not just at account setup. Additionally, web sessions (e.g., WhatsApp Web) must auto-logout every six hours, forcing users to re-link via QR code.

Meta, Google, and Microsoft Ramp Up AI Spending

AI Capex Supercycle: Meta, Google, Microsoft
Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft signaled that AI infrastructure is now a multi-year capital priority measured in tens of billions per year. In their latest results, Meta guided capital expenditures into the $70–72 billion range with an even larger step-up expected the following year. Alphabet raised its 2025 capex outlook to $91–93 billion, up sharply from prior estimates. Microsoft reported $34.9 billion of capex in the most recent quarter, materially above expectations and up strongly year over year. These figures point to the largest synchronized build-out of compute, storage, and networking capacity in the history of cloud.

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.

Jio Haptik WhatsApp AI Agents for SMBs from ₹10,000

Jio Haptik WhatsApp AI Agents for SMBs from ₹10,000
Reliance Jio's Haptik has launched WhatsApp and voice-based AI agents for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) starting at 10,000, signaling a step-change in how Indian firms automate customer engagement at scale. Haptik is extending its SMB platform, Interakta WhatsApp-first CRM and support suite used by over 50,000 businessesto include autonomous AI agents for chat and voice. The entry pack is priced at 10,000 and covers roughly 2,000 AI-driven conversations, putting the effective cost per interaction in the 35 range. Crucially, they support 22 Indian languages. Haptik reports that early adopters are automating up to 80% of repetitive support queries and seeing 2025% lift in lead-to-sale conversions.

Indian Telcos Push for OTT App Regulation Amid Calls for Level Playing Field

Indian Telcos Push for OTT App Regulation Amid Calls for Level Playing Field
Indian telecom operators are pushing for regulation of over-the-top (OTT) communication apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, arguing that the current regulatory framework is unfairly skewed. While telcos are subject to strict regulations and fees, OTT platforms operate with minimal oversight, despite offering similar services. This disparity has led to calls for a level playing field, with proposals including bringing OTT apps under telecom regulations and introducing a PAN-India single license for telcos. The debate also touches on net neutrality concerns and the potential impact on consumers and businesses, as any regulatory changes could affect the cost, availability, and innovation of communication services.
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