BSNL-Vodafone Idea network sharing pact: What’s in it for both telecom operators  Moneycontrol.com

New SIM card regulations will be implemented in India starting August 24, requiring telecom operators to identify and inform customers who exceed their mobile connection limits, with real-time checks planned for the future.

Sarajevo-based company ZIRA is celebrating 30 years of operations, having grown from its origins to develop innovative software solutions for leading global telecom operators in over 30 countries.

Nigerian telecommunications operators are advocating for enhanced infrastructure protection to sustain the country's significant digital growth, which has been a major economic success story for over two decades.

Serbian citizens spent an average of 7,216 dinars monthly on electronic communications last year, with many changing operators in response to price increases to seek better conditions, according to a RATEL report.

Justice and Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta has proposed new rules that would compel telecom operators to filter and block foreign scam calls that spoof Estonian numbers.

Croatia is debating amendments to the Law on Official Statistics that would allow the state to request personal data from telecom operators and banks during crises, raising privacy concerns among the opposition.

Nigerian telecom operators have compensated over 75 million subscribers for poor network quality, following a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has stated that the National Bureau of Statistics' Capital Importation Report for the first quarter of 2026 does not accurately reflect the true level of investment in the telecom sector.

SpaceX is reportedly posing a significant threat to traditional telecom operators such as Cosmote, Vodafone, and Nova in Greece, according to a report that also touches on Greek political appointments and shipping companies.

Major telecom providers in Poland have increased prices for phone and fiber optic services, leading to higher costs for consumers. This comes as the four largest telecommunication companies reported increased revenues and profits in the first quarter.

Russian security services, including the FSB, and other силовые ведомства have gained access to all sensitive data of Russian citizens, with telecom operators mandated to provide passport, banking, and IP address information.

A legal question has arisen in Poland regarding whether telecommunications companies are obligated to provide subscriber data to municipal police forces who are investigating minor offenses.

French telecom operators, including Bouygues Telecom, Iliad (Free), and Orange, have extended negotiations for the potential takeover of SFR mobile. The talks are now set to continue until June 5.

Lidl, one of the world's largest retail chains, intends to significantly expand its mobile telephony services, aiming to become a major competitor to traditional telecom operators.

European institutions are set to migrate to their own digital cloud infrastructure to bolster information security. The service will be provided for six years by Post Telecom in partnership with several cloud and telecom operators.

Data sovereignty is becoming a central strategic priority for telecom operators, while increasingly shaping global regulatory discussions around artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data…

Croatian lawmakers supported amendments to the Electronic Communications Act, facilitating gigabit infrastructure development but also allowing telecom operators to record financial data, prompting opposition warnings about data protection.

Indian politician Raghav Chadha has reiterated his demand for telecom operators to provide a rollover option for unused mobile data, allowing it to be carried over to the next day's limit and transferred among users.

The Nigerian Communications Commission proposes a new rule requiring telecom operators to provide a 14-day SIM deactivation notice before churning lines. Read More: https://punchng.com/ncc-proposes-14-day-notice-before-sim-deactivation/

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Wednesday that 5G spectrum auction would be held on March 10 and no changes were likely to be made in the schedule, saying that the sale was likely to fetch between $300-$700 million. The authority is offering 597 megahertz (MHz) in several bands in the upcoming auction and three existing telecom operators have been mandated to obtain a minimum of 100 MHz in the auction process. “With the prescribed rate, even if 300 MHz is obtained by the telecommunication operators without any competitive bidding, the government will get $300 million,” PTA Director General Licensing retired brigadier Aamir Shahzad told a media briefing. “And if all the 597 MHz is sold at auction at a slightly competitive rate, $700 million will be available for the government, but this scenario is less likely to happen,” he added. Shahzad said that the auction would be conducted using a multi-round electronic clock auction format, with the main allocation stage starting on March 10. He said the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz bands would be offered during the first round. He added that after the auction process, the rollout of 5G services would take between three and six months as certain infrastructure was needed for the fresh spectrum. Meanwhile, Chairman PTA Hafeezur Rehman said that the auction would lead to improved quality of service and data speed. “Around 50 million new users have been added in the system during the last five years, but only 10MHz was increased in the 2021 spectrum auction,” PTA Chairman said. “Improved data service and enhanced coverage will also increase average revenue per user (ARPU) for telecommunication operators,” he said. The ARPU is a key performance indicator that measures the average revenue generated by a company from each consumer within a specific timeframe, monthly or annually. “We started with $0.7 and now the ARPU has reached $1.3. Therefore, it is likely to increase as more data is consumed by the subscribers,” Rehman said. “The authority expects mobile broadband speeds to improve by around 25 per cent following the auction,” he said. He said that the government had offered many incentives to telecom companies in the new spectrum auction, but obligations to improve the quality of service as well as coverage area had been increased. “This will help the country to embrace further upgradations like 6G and not like 5G, where we have been delayed,” the PTA Chairman said. He added the government had also eliminated the right-of-way fee that used to be around Rs36,000 per kilometre annually; this, he said, would encourage fiberisation projects. The chairman also said that telecom operators had already placed orders for 5G equipment, while local manufacturing of 5G-enabled smartphones had commenced, with 500,000 to 600,000 units produced so far. He said the other measures being taken to facilitate the faster rollout of services after the auction were options for spectrum sharing, relaxation of certain regulatory terms and incentives for network expansion. “Operators have been given one year to make the necessary capital investments without upfront spectrum payments, allowing them to focus on improving service quality,” Rehman added. However, the operators will have to expand 5G coverage to additional cities apart from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, while fiber-to-the-site ratios will increase from 20 per cent to 35pc by 2035. Besides, the minimum download speeds for 4G service have been increased from four megabytes per second (Mbps) to 20Mbps in 2026–27 and to 50Mbps by 2030–35. For 5G, minimum download speeds will rise from 50Mbps initially to 100Mbps by 2030–35, with latency targets reduced to 35 milliseconds. Upload speeds are benchmarked at 20pc of download speeds across both technologies.

The Latvian Ministry of Transport aims to establish minimum reliability requirements for telecom operators to ensure communication services remain available during emergencies.

The Indian government has instructed telecom operators not to issue new SIM cards to individuals who already possess nine or more mobile connections, aiming to prevent subscribers from exceeding the prescribed limit.

Many Nigerians are using replaced SIM cards with fear due to identity confusion, leading to criticism of the NCC and telecom operators for poor handling of refarmed lines. The NIMC attributes the issue to factors beyond its control.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has attributed the increase in mobile data usage to the growing adoption of smartphone applications, cloud services, and other emerging digital technologies.

Telecom operators and stakeholders in Nigeria have endorsed the new regulatory framework introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). They are also advocating for stricter enforcement of these new rules within the telecommunications sector.

Government agencies and telecom operators in Nigeria are intensifying efforts to combat an estimated 27,000 fibre cable cuts nationwide, which are significantly hindering broadband connectivity.

A debate has emerged in Ghana regarding whether telecom operators, who earn billions from active SIMs, or taxpayers should bear the financial burden of validating and maintaining customer records for SIM re-registration.

The Bombay High Court has quashed the Union Cabinet's decisions imposing retrospective one-time spectrum charges on telecom operators Airtel and Vodafone Idea. This ruling could provide significant financial relief, estimated at ₹24,000 crore, to the companies.

Following the acquisition of SFR, concerns are rising among consumers about potential price increases for mobile plans, despite assurances from the acquiring consortium that the move will strengthen competition. Previous examples in Europe suggest caution is warranted regarding the impact of returning to a three-operator market.

The Moldovan Parliament will hold public hearings to address the increasing number of telephone and online fraud cases, inviting representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Intelligence and Security Service, banks, and telecom operators.

The European Commission has proposed a new procedure for selecting telecom operators providing mobile and internet services, aiming to standardize frequency allocation across the EU and potentially lead to consolidation.

Telecom operators within Portugal's Civil Protection are on strike, with the union president assuring that emergency services are guaranteed and only administrative processes are affected.

Shares of China’s three major telecom operators have rallied for a second consecutive day, reportedly driven by interest in the 'token economy'.

The company Čikom is organizing 'Cyber Security Days,' a two-day regional conference dedicated to cybersecurity, bringing together representatives from institutions, companies, the financial sector, telecom operators, international technology partners, and the academic community.

Senior policymakers, regulators, telecom operators, and digital infrastructure providers will convene in Accra on May 6, 2026, for a closed-door session focused on artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Meo, Nos, and Vodafone, major telecommunications operators in Portugal, are under investigation by the AdC (Competition Authority) for strong indications of 'secret concerted practices' to fix internet prices for schools. Searches were conducted, and an administrator's phone contents were copied as part of the probe.

Rival French telecom firms have made a new, higher offer to Altice to acquire SFR, France's second-largest mobile operator, a move that could reshape the country's telecoms landscape.

Leading South Korean telecom operators LG U+, KT, and SK Telecom are withdrawing from stand-alone streaming services due to rising operational costs and intense market competition.

Authorities and telecom operators in Thailand are assessing potential risks to undersea cable systems due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, aiming to safeguard international connections.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued 5G licenses to three operators, with Zong and Jazz beginning phased rollouts and Ufone to follow.

Portuguese telecom operators Nos, Meo, and Vodafone will refund customers for days without communication services due to bad weather, addressing concerns from clients who received bills without the promised credit.

A recent Ciena survey indicates that major Indian telecommunications firms are prioritizing AI-integrated network infrastructure to enhance service delivery and capture future market expansion.

India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) plans to utilize subscriber photos as a method to enforce the existing guideline that limits individuals to a maximum of nine mobile connections across all telecom operators.

Finnish energy company Fingrid has informed Russian telecom operators that it will stop maintaining power line poles carrying fiber-optic communication lines starting in 2027.

Poland faces the loss of 1.4 billion PLN in EU recovery funds if telecom operators fail to connect 128,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet by the end of August. The deadline is part of the National Recovery Plan (KPO) to ensure digital infrastructure development.

Moldova's parliament is considering a bill that would require telecom operators to identify and block suspicious calls, as well as activate prepaid SIM cards only after user identification, to combat fraud.

A new initiative has been launched in Sweden to combat phone scams, compelling telecom operators to block fraudulent calls.

Nigerian telecom operators plan to invest N1.86tn ($1.38bn) in 2026 for significant infrastructure upgrades, network expansion, and improved service quality across the country.

Russia is reportedly expanding its SORM surveillance system, moving beyond telecom operators to build a parallel system within every major company in the country, according to a Kommersant report.

Three French telecom operators have signed a deal to acquire their struggling rival SFR for over $23 billion after months of negotiations.

An article highlights how consumers can be overcharged by telecom operators and provides advice on how to seek compensation, noting persistent issues despite previous guidance.

Russia's Digital Development Ministry has drafted updated requirements compelling telecom operators to store and share an expanded list of user data with security services through the SORM system.

Telecom operators in Austria are warning that a planned legislative amendment for fiber optic expansion is misguided, arguing that investment costs are exceptionally high in the country and criticizing the proposed changes.

China is accelerating the construction of a national computing network, aiming to establish AI infrastructure as a public utility amidst surging demand for AI tokens and new growth engines for telecom operators.

Nigeria's minister has warned telecom operators that they must ensure measurable improvements in their services or face appropriate regulatory action from the government.

Spanish telecom operators MasOrange and Vodafone have collectively lost more than 250,000 customer lines over three months, struggling against competitors Movistar and Digi. MasOrange recorded its worst month in March, while Movistar nearly doubled its line acquisition compared to the previous year.

LG Uplus announced it signed the Tokyo Accord with Japanese telecom operators to expand cooperation in 6G and artificial intelligence. The agreement was made at the GSMA APAC CEO and 6G Alliance Summit in Tokyo on April 14.

Supermarket chain Lidl is reportedly challenging traditional telecom operators by becoming a mobile operator in as many as 30 countries. This move reflects a growing trend of consumer brands offering phone subscriptions.

Roskomnadzor told the St. Petersburg-based news outlet Fontanka that a fault on Rostelecom’s backbone network caused the widespread disruption to bank websites and apps, telecom operators, and other services in Russia on the evening of April 6.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has proposed selling Russian citizens' personal data to banks, telecom operators, and other organizations, according to a draft published on the ministry's portal.

Ziad Shatara, representing Robi, has been elected as the new president of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB).

The three major telecom operators in Bulgaria surpassed 1 billion euros in revenue during the first half of the year, fueled by more expensive plans and digital services, signaling the end of smaller providers.