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Tag: mobile networks

  • Bharti Airtel Misses Profit Forecast as Network Costs Climb 11 per Cent

    Bharti Airtel Misses Profit Forecast as Network Costs Climb 11 per Cent

    Bharti Airtel reported a second-quarter consolidated net profit of 88.88 billion rupees, equivalent to 940.45 million dollars, missing market expectations as network operating expenses rose.

    Consensus estimates compiled by LSEG projected net profit at 96.73 billion rupees for the three months ended September 30, even as total revenue increased 16.7 per cent to 608.78 billion rupees.

    Network costs jumped 11 per cent during the period, driven by the maintenance and operation of telecom infrastructure across the country. Licence fees climbed 13 per cent, pushing total quarterly expenses up approximately 15 per cent to 259.32 billion rupees. Consolidated profit nevertheless gained from the 67.92 billion rupees recorded in the corresponding quarter a year prior, though top-line growth could not fully cushion operational inflation.

    Tariff Limits and Premium Migration

    Average revenue per user increased 6 per cent year-on-year to 271 rupees, keeping Airtel ahead of domestic peers on unit realisations. The metric gained traction as the carrier added 18.8 million customers to its combined 4G and 5G footprint. Without broad-based tariff increases across the Indian market since July 2024, the business leaned on product pruning to lift receipts. Airtel removed several lower-tier prepaid denominations during the quarter, steering entry-level customers toward costlier recharge tiers.

    That migration strategy reflects the ceiling facing Indian operators until the next coordinated price adjustment takes place. Relying entirely on organic plan migrations carries friction, particularly as inflation pressures lower-income prepaid consumers. Brokerage Centrum projects an industry-wide tariff increase of 12 to 15 per cent across the next four to five months, an intervention that would directly feed operating margins.

    The Market Share Contest With Jio

    Competition across India remains defined by the pricing environment established since Reliance Jio entered the sector in 2016. Airtel closed the September quarter with an Indian customer base of 498.7 million, up 10.9 per cent year-on-year. That total leaves the operator trailing Jio, which commands 542.4 million subscribers.

    For mobile hardware distributors and digital platform operators, the divergence between the two dominant players shapes commercial exposure. Jio continues to capture volume across price-sensitive tiers, while Airtel defends higher-value urban and postpaid accounts through network coverage investments. Maintaining that premium positioning requires elevated capital allocation toward 5G base stations, driving the maintenance overhead that clipped Airtel’s quarterly earnings.

    Regional Support From African Operations

    International operations provided a counterweight to domestic margin compression. Revenue from Airtel Africa, which spans 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and delivers approximately one quarter of total group revenue, advanced 37.6 per cent.

    The current operating performance follows a prolonged period of post-auction network rollout across India, where capital spending on 5G spectrum and hardware converted into recurring maintenance obligations. While earlier quarters benefited from initial 5G user migrations, operating expenses have now caught up with network densification.

    Market attention now shifts to the timing of broad-based price adjustments, with operators balancing customer retention against the projected 12 to 15 per cent tariff revision expected before the end of the fiscal year.

  • Globe Switches over 1,000 Cell Sites to Renewable Energy

    Globe Switches over 1,000 Cell Sites to Renewable Energy

    Globe converted more than 1,000 cell sites across the Philippines to renewable electricity as of August 2026, tapping the government-backed Retail Aggregation Program to source clean power for its network infrastructure.

    The company rolled out the purchasing framework in 2025, making it the country’s first telecommunications provider to aggregate decentralized cellular installations under the state power scheme.

    Alongside switching grid-tied stations to green power suppliers, Globe replaced standalone diesel generators at remote towers with hybrid solar photovoltaic installations paired with battery energy storage systems. The storage units rely on lithium-ion and sodium-nickel chemistries, which deliver longer operating lifespans and lower handling risks than conventional lead-acid setups. At facilities where diesel generators remain necessary, the carrier installed automated load management hardware to curb fuel consumption and shorten engine runtime.

    Cutting Operating Costs Across Dispersed Networks

    Power represents one of the largest ongoing expenses for mobile tower operators in Southeast Asia. Operating diesel generation in isolated provincial sites carries steep logistics costs, including transporting fuel across island archipelagos and servicing mechanical engines during extreme weather disruptions. Replacing fuel burning with solar and chemical storage eliminates regular tanker deliveries while protecting operating margins against volatile international oil benchmarks.

    For enterprise users, digital commerce platforms, and branch retail networks operating across the Philippines, base station durability directly determines point-of-sale uptime. Prolonged grid collapses during typhoon seasons regularly knock digital payment terminals, inventory networks, and delivery routing offline. Hybrid generation keeps base stations transmitting during municipal power failures, shielding transaction volumes in provincial commercial hubs from weather-related outages.

    Rival Strategies and Grid Modernization

    Globe is running its off-grid power replacement alongside statutory obligations under the Philippine Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. Regional telecommunications operators face parallel operational demands, prompting carriers across Southeast Asia to retrofit passive infrastructure or transfer cell site management to independent tower companies that contract clean energy supplies at scale.

    The operational pivot follows years of extreme weather exposure across the Philippine archipelago. Super typhoons frequently sever regional transmission lines, stranding base stations that rely entirely on local utility distributors or limited on-site fuel tanks.

    A major highlight of executing our Net Zero Strategy has been using the government-initiated Retail Aggregation Program. As the first telco in the Philippines to switch cell sites to renewable energy under RAP, converting over 1,000 sites to clean power reinforces our commitment to operational efficiency, network resilience, and disaster readiness.

    Tracking Battery Deployment Across Provincial Sites

    Tower reliability remains an operational pressure point as Philippine consumer transactions migrate to digital channels and mobile wallets. Automated systems installed on the remaining diesel facilities now report fuel draw and operating hours automatically, reducing the frequency of physical maintenance visits across provincial routes.

    The company continues to deploy hybrid battery packs and solar arrays across additional off-grid towers as older generator assets reach retirement. Regulatory filings under the national energy conservation framework will show the exact drop in diesel consumption as more provincial sites complete the equipment switchover.

  • Digicel Activates First Shared Tower with Vodafone in Papua New Guinea

    Digicel Activates First Shared Tower with Vodafone in Papua New Guinea

    Digicel PNG switched on commercial network equipment on a Vodafone PNG tower in Minj, completing the first live co-location under their September sharing pact.

    The installation in Jiwaka Province anchors a push to trim capital expenditure in rugged regional terrain where redundant physical builds erode margins.

    Engineers activated services at the site in the administrative capital of the Anglimp-South Waghi District. Digicel confirmed the launch forms part of a nationwide programme to pool passive structures, with a reciprocal deployment scheduled next in Western Highlands Province.

    Cutting Duplicate Build Costs in the Highlands

    Terrain across Papua New Guinea makes greenfield tower construction punitive. Building access roads, shipping diesel generators, and securing isolated masts routinely push setup costs beyond sustainable commercial returns in rural districts. Sharing passive vertical assets lets both operators stretch coverage without duplicating heavy capital spending.

    By splitting site power, perimeter security, and mast maintenance, operators protect cash flow while defending baseline retail pricing. The model shifts competitive pressure from signal coverage to consumer service quality, data bundle pricing, and digital payment reliability.

    Consolidation Across Pacific Carrier Infrastructure

    The operational launch aligns with a broader structural pivot across Pacific mobile operators. Rather than fighting protracted land-access disputes and absorbing high backhaul overheads alone, domestic telcos are treating base infrastructure as shared utility space.

    Carrier balance sheets benefit directly from reduced recurring operating expenditure. For retail consumers and small businesses operating in regional market centres, shared infrastructure brings network redundancy, preventing total commerce blackouts when a single mast loses generator power or transmission links.

    Three Co-Location Pacts Signed Since July

    The Minj activation delivers on an agreement Digicel PNG and Vodafone PNG concluded in September. That pact followed Vodafone PNG’s infrastructure-sharing and co-location deal with state-owned Telikom PNG in late July.

    Digicel PNG completed the network circle in October by signing its own separate tower-sharing deal with Telikom PNG. The three bilateral contracts establish a functional co-location framework covering all major licensed mobile operators in the country.

    Work now shifts to Baiyer River Local-Level Government in Western Highlands Province, where Vodafone PNG plans to install transmission gear on an existing Digicel mast.

  • Ericsson Bets on AI Traffic and 550 Million 5G Users to Drive India Growth

    Ericsson Bets on AI Traffic and 550 Million 5G Users to Drive India Growth

    Ericsson expects artificial intelligence applications and rising monthly data traffic to fuel a second wave of network investment in India, where 5G subscribers reached 550 million by September 2026.

    Monthly data consumption across Indian networks has climbed to between 36 and 37 gigabytes per user, according to company figures presented at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi.

    The Swedish telecom equipment vendor is seeking fresh revenue after the rapid initial rollout of fifth-generation mobile infrastructure cooled. India accounted for 12 percent of Ericsson’s regional business covering South East Asia, Oceania, and India in 2025, down from 20 percent in 2023 during the peak of initial carrier deployments.

    Network Capacity Over Pure Consumer Use Cases

    Indian operators deployed 5G across 99.9 percent of the country’s districts in less than four years, making it one of the fastest national buildouts globally. The buildout occurred primarily because carriers needed immediate spectrum efficiency and radio capacity rather than waiting for specialized consumer applications.

    Nitin Bansal, managing director for India and head of networks for South East Asia, Oceania, and India at Ericsson, noted that 5G currently reaches roughly one-third of the country’s population. He argued that shifting directly to 5G rather than expanding older 4G infrastructure provided the necessary capacity to handle escalating consumer usage.

    Direct monetization remains the chief challenge for telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Both carriers spent heavily on spectrum auctions and radio deployments starting in late 2022 and are now pushing higher-margin services to improve average revenue per user.

    Fixed Wireless and Enterprise Slicing

    Fixed Wireless Access has become the fastest monetization channel for Indian network operators looking to bypass fixed-line broadband delays. Data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India showed 13.45 million 5G FWA subscribers active at the end of August 2026.

    Service differentiation is shifting toward premium enterprise and high-tier retail customers. Bharti Airtel introduced commercial 5G network slicing, carving out dedicated network resources to provide guaranteed speeds and lower latency to postpaid retail subscribers.

    For equipment vendors including Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung, these software-defined features generate recurring software licensing fees rather than purely hardware-driven revenue.

    Artificial Intelligence Shifts Network Requirements

    Emerging artificial intelligence workloads on mobile devices are changing baseline infrastructure demands across Asian markets. Generative AI tools and spatial computing applications require heavy uplink capacity and reduced latency, forcing operators to tune cell sites that were originally configured primarily for downlink video streaming.

    Ericsson expects carriers to reconfigure their 5G standalone cores to handle automated traffic management and machine-learning compute loads. Critical infrastructure monitoring and industrial automation in manufacturing hubs around Pune, Chennai, and Gujarat are also pulling private 5G deployments into commercial operation.

    Vendors face pressure to prove these upgrades deliver real cost savings. Indian telecom operators operate with some of the lowest tariffs in the world, leaving slim margins for speculative infrastructure spending without clear returns.

    Targeting One Billion Subscribers by 2030

    India launched commercial 5G services in October 2022 and has since become one of the two largest mobile data markets alongside China. The central government has set an official target of one billion 5G subscribers by 2030.

    Meeting that target requires converting roughly 450 million additional mobile users from legacy 4G and 2G connections over the next four years. That conversion will hinge on the availability of entry-level 5G smartphones priced below 8,000 rupees, alongside wider rural cell coverage where standalone economics remain tight.

  • SoftBank Restores Mobile Coverage Across 5Km Radius from 3,000 Metres

    SoftBank Restores Mobile Coverage Across 5Km Radius from 3,000 Metres

    SoftBank Corp. Announced this week the successful completion of a trial providing mobile communication capability from the air to establish temporary ground coverage during large-scale disasters.

    The trial utilized a domestically designed and manufactured Disaster Relief Unit Pod mounted on a large remotely piloted aircraft system operated by the Japan Coast Guard, conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

    Airborne Cells Over Disaster Zones

    Transmitting radio waves from an altitude of 3,000 meters, the aircraft established a mobile communication area with a radius of over 5 km, delivering outdoor download speeds of up to 20 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps on 5 MHz bandwidth.

    Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications conducted the test alongside the Coast Guard in an inter-ministerial partnership. State backing reflects urgent policy pressure to harden communication networks against catastrophic seismic events along the Nankai Trough.

    Commercial Stakes for Asian Operators

    Regional carriers across Asia-Pacific face heavy costs from climate-driven network outages, yet few have solved wide-area restoration beyond truck-mounted base stations that stall at flooded or blocked roads. Telcos in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Taiwan have tested tethered drones and satellite-to-cell protocols. Short battery endurance and low data throughput limit those tools. SoftBank’s use of a long-endurance maritime surveillance drone bridges the gap between low-capacity orbital links and localized field generators.

    Fleet costs for dedicated aircraft remain steep. Telecom operators cannot justify buying military-grade drones solely for disaster standby. Shared-asset pacts with coast guards and civil defense agencies offer the only workable operating model. SoftBank is positioning its communications pod as a plug-and-play government utility rather than a standalone carrier capital expenditure.

    From Coastal Helicopters to Fixed-Wing Drones

    Testing builds on a phased development program. SoftBank ran initial flights in March 2026 by mounting the DRU Pod on a conventional helicopter over Kuroshio Town in Kochi Prefecture. Those trials proved signal transmission geometry. Engineers then adapted the housing for high-altitude, long-endurance fixed-wing drones capable of staying airborne for dozens of hours.

    Funding stems from a research contract titled Development of Aerial Mobile Network Systems for Rapid Coverage Restoration in Disaster-Affected Areas, awarded to SoftBank in 2023 under the Beyond 5G and 6G Fund Program run by Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.

    Next Steps in Fleet Integration

    SoftBank will now refine pod aerodynamics and automate spectrum handoffs between aerial platforms and surviving ground towers. Field teams plan to test autonomous deployment routines to cut launch preparation times following emergency alerts. Regulators and emergency planners will evaluate standardized operational protocols for the system ahead of commercial rollout targets for coastal disaster response units.

  • Vietnam Shuts Down 2G Network as Viettel Migrates Millions to 4G

    Vietnam Shuts Down 2G Network as Viettel Migrates Millions to 4G

    Vietnam completed its nationwide 2G network shutdown on September 15, 2026, ending legacy service for an initial base of 18.2 million older connections. The migration clears radio spectrum across the country for faster data services.

    State operator Viettel handled the bulk of the transition, moving nearly 8.6 million subscribers onto 4G and 5G voice services between January and September 2026. The carrier reduced its remaining unmigrated voice cohort from 9.3 million users at the close of 2025 to 750,000 by the deadline, bringing 99 per cent of its customer base onto modern data and voice protocols.

    Hardware Subsidies and Village Outreaches

    Getting users off legacy networks required cheap replacement handsets. Low-income subscribers in rural provinces faced steep replacement costs for smartphones, prompting Viettel to market basic 4G feature phones starting at 200,000 VND with handset trade-in options.

    State funds filled the remaining equipment deficit. The carrier worked with the Vietnam Public-Utility Telecommunications Service Fund to distribute 400,000 4G handsets directly to low-income families and welfare beneficiaries. Viettel deployed field teams into remote communes alongside municipal digital task forces, swapping SIM cards manually and training older users on the new devices.

    The Regional Playbook on Spectrum Retirement

    Phasing out 2G has stalled across emerging markets where low-cost hardware remains scarce. In India, Reliance Jio urged regulators in early 2024 to establish a concrete switch-off timetable, yet roughly 250 million Indian users remained bound to 2G feature phones without a mandatory national deadline. South Africa delayed its initial June 2024 termination target to late 2027 after retail point-of-sale card terminals, security alarms and fleet tracking hardware failed to switch in time. Even Britain extended its decommissioning window through 2033 to protect 12 million legacy utility smart meters.

    Vietnam bypassed these extended delays by enforcing a split transition. Regulators barred network access for 2G-only mobile phones in October 2024 while allowing machine-to-machine hardware and devices lacking voice-over-LTE capabilities to operate temporarily on secondary bands. That phased policy gave enterprise fleet managers and utility operators a two-year buffer to retool automated hardware without blocking consumer spectrum reclamation.

    Infrastructure Buildout Across Rural Communes

    Carriers had to expand rural coverage before switching off old transmitters. Viettel added more than 6,000 4G base stations across interior provinces, raising its 4G population coverage to 99.7 per cent and connecting four million people in isolated settlements.

    Network operators secured vital transmission capacity through government spectrum auctions. Viettel secured rights to the 900MHz spectrum band, using the low-frequency band to project wide-area 4G and 5G coverage across mountainous terrain where higher frequencies fail to penetrate.

    Network Expansion and the 5G Target

    The transition resolves a prolonged upgrade cycle that started when Vietnam surpassed 100 per cent mobile penetration in 2009. The country counted 110.5 million mobile internet subscriptions as the switch-off concluded, though infrastructure imbalances persisted across isolated districts. The Ministry of Science and Technology has separately targeted 273 rural villages that still lack dependable reception to eliminate regional coverage holes.

    Carrier investments now turn entirely to high-band cellular deployment. Viettel is installing 20,000 additional 5G base stations using freed transmission spectrum, aiming to reach 50,000 total 5G sites and 97 per cent national population coverage by the end of 2026.

  • Banglalink and Robi Split over 8.4 MHz E-GSM Spectrum Auction Timeline

    Banglalink and Robi Split over 8.4 MHz E-GSM Spectrum Auction Timeline

    Bangladesh’s telecom regulator will proceed with an auction of 8.4 MHz in the E-GSM band this year. It is pushing ahead despite conflicting demands from rivals Banglalink and Robi Axiata.

    At issue are frequencies running from 880 MHz to 888.4 MHz. Carriers need this low-band slice to deepen indoor 4G coverage and expand rural reach across Dhaka and regional districts.

    Banglalink petitioned the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on September 21 to freeze all major spectrum decisions. Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer Taimur Rahman represented the operator. He argued that releasing frequencies before the government finishes its new Telecommunications Policy risks creating structural inefficiencies. That draft policy is expected to allow active infrastructure and spectrum sharing among carriers. Such rules could alter how much raw spectrum each operator needs to hold.

    Robi Axiata took the opposite stance in a September 24 letter. Chief Executive Officer Ziad Shatara urged the regulator to assign the E-GSM airwaves immediately to relieve network congestion. Pricing disputes can wait for the November 2026 spectrum renewal round, he argued. Robi also told the commission that any assigned spectrum must be contiguous to justify fresh capital expenditure.

    Balance Sheets and Spectrum Scarcity

    This clash between Bangladesh’s second and third largest mobile operators reflects differing network assets. Per-operator spectrum allocations in the country remain among the lowest in South Asia. Dhaka’s mobile carriers operate on thin margins and low average revenue per user. Every administrative pricing decision strains their capital allocation.

    An operator with adequate sub-1 GHz capacity has an economic incentive to stall auctions until sharing rules become clear. By contrast, a carrier facing immediate cell-site bottlenecks must secure low-band megahertz regardless of policy ambiguity. For suppliers, tower companies, and corporate investors, regulatory timing in Bangladesh directly dictates infrastructure spending cycles.

    Regulator Holds the Line

    BTRC Chairman Major General Md Emdad-Ul-Bari (Retd) confirmed that the commission will stick to its timetable. The agency has already secured ministry approval to set reserve pricing.

    “This has nothing to do with the policy. The government has given permission to set the pricing for the auction, noting that it is within BTRC’s jurisdiction.”

    Moving ahead without industry consensus brings execution risks for the state. If only one private operator bids alongside state-owned Teletalk and market leader Grameenphone, auction revenue could fall short of government fiscal targets.

    Precedents in South Asian Spectrum Sales

    Administrative floor prices have repeatedly complicated spectrum auctions in Dhaka. In previous allocation exercises, Bangladeshi carriers fought government valuation benchmarks. They argued state fee structures failed to reflect real commercial returns on mobile data.

    The current E-GSM plan dates to April. That month, the BTRC resolved to auction the 880 MHz to 888.4 MHz band to support rising data traffic and prepare networks for broader rollouts. That decision revived a debate over whether sub-900 MHz capacity should be awarded piecemeal or bundled into a broader reassignment across the telecom sector.

    The November 2026 Renewal Window

    Next comes the BTRC’s formal publication of the E-GSM auction guidelines and reserve prices ahead of the bidding rounds later this year.

    Carriers will weigh those auction terms against the wider spectrum license renewals due in November 2026. Those upcoming renewals will determine how much capital mobile operators can commit to expanding their networks.

  • NTT DOCOMO and Nokia Launch Multi-Vendor O-RAN Base Station Platform

    NTT DOCOMO and Nokia Launch Multi-Vendor O-RAN Base Station Platform

    NTT DOCOMO began commercial operations on September 9 for a multi-vendor base station platform built on open radio access network standards in Japan.

    The deployment allows DOCOMO to combine Nokia base station equipment with O-RAN-compliant radio units supplied by different vendors across LTE and 5G networks.

    DOCOMO deployed Nokia AirScale equipment incorporating Levante data-processing and Ponente control-processing technologies to handle more radio units while reducing power consumption.

    Hardware Details and Power Savings

    This updated equipment handles more radio units per site than DOCOMO’s previous Nokia gear while drawing less power. Lower electricity demand directly reduces operating costs across dense urban grids where base station density is highest.

    Under open interface specifications, engineers can pair the central processing base with high-power transmitters for suburban coverage or compact transceivers for city spaces. DOCOMO uses this modular mix to adjust capacity without replacing full base station stacks.

    Multi-Vendor Flexibility in the Field

    Japanese mobile operators have adopted open architecture faster than carriers in North America or Europe. By ending single-supplier reliance on base stations and antennas, DOCOMO forces vendors to compete on unit price, form factor, and power efficiency.

    Field maintenance and troubleshooting carry the main technical risks. Coordinating software upgrades and diagnosing network faults across hardware from different vendors creates operational friction that proprietary setups avoid.

    High-Density Event Deployments

    On September 12, the carrier brought the multi-vendor setup into field service at the 59th Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival. DOCOMO mounted the platform inside a mobile cellular vehicle, pairing it with Nokia Dual Boost Massive MIMO hardware to handle surges in data uploads and voice traffic.

    Engineers plan to expand the base station architecture nationwide. Initial site conversions will focus on metropolitan sectors, stadiums, exhibition centers, and outdoor entertainment venues where mobile traffic spikes.

    Roadmap to Autonomous Networks

    Work on the rollout stems from a technical memorandum of understanding DOCOMO and Nokia signed on August 12. That agreement established joint trials for virtualized radio access networks, cloud infrastructure, and AI-directed network management systems.

    Joint testing now focuses on running Self-Organizing Networks and RAN Intelligent Controller automation tools across mixed-vendor hardware fleets as DOCOMO prepares its transmission grid for 5G-Advanced and early 6G standards.

  • KDDI and SpaceX Partner to Bring Starlink Mobile V2 Direct to Japanese Smartphones in 2027

    KDDI and SpaceX Partner to Bring Starlink Mobile V2 Direct to Japanese Smartphones in 2027

    KDDI has signed an agreement with SpaceX to deliver direct-to-device satellite broadband and voice calls across Japan starting in 2027. The service will tap satellites with 20 times the throughput of older orbital hardware.

    The deal expands KDDI’s mobile brand, au, beyond ground towers. It routes standard smartphone traffic directly through SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile V2 constellation.

    How direct satellite connections work on au phones

    Compatible smartphones connect directly to low Earth orbit satellites when users travel outside cellular base station range. Customers need no specialized handsets, external antennas, or hardware adapters. KDDI signed the agreement on 10 August and disclosed commercial terms on 15 September. SpaceX confirmed the rollout schedule on 17 September.

    Technical specifications released by KDDI show the V2 satellites carry larger phased-array antennas. Each spacecraft provides roughly 20 times the individual throughput of first-generation units. SpaceX will also deploy more spot beams per spacecraft, multiplying data density by roughly 100 times over targeted areas. This capacity supports native Voice over LTE (VoLTE) calling, video streaming, and web browsing from orbit.

    Closing the coverage gaps on islands and mountains

    Japanese mobile carriers currently reach more than 99.9 percent of the population through ground infrastructure. Geographic coverage maps still leave wide blanks across national parks, steep mountain ranges, and outlying archipelagos. In those regions, building fiber backhaul and physical towers is structurally impossible or prohibitively expensive.

    For consumer brands, outdoor logistics operators, and regional transport networks, direct satellite data removes operational dead zones. Delivery fleets on rural mountain passes gain uninterrupted tracking. Travelers on maritime routes keep voice and emergency connectivity without switching SIM cards or buying specialized satellite terminals.

    The race for orbital cellular partnerships

    Rivalries in direct-to-cell services are accelerating across Asia-Pacific and North America as network operators hunt for coverage advantages. AST SpaceMobile is building a competing orbital network to beam 4G and 5G broadband directly to standard devices, backed by United States carriers AT&T and Verizon. Mobile carriers now treat satellite capacity as a core subscription layer rather than an emergency backup.

    Regulatory approvals remain the primary hurdle before commercial launch. Direct-to-device services operate across shared mobile spectrum bands and satellite frequencies. Regulators must grant spectrum rights, interference clearances, and satellite licenses before carriers can activate voice and broadband on retail devices.

    From text alerts to full broadband voice

    The 2027 deployment builds directly on KDDI’s initial trial, au Starlink Direct, which went live in April 2025. That early system supported only low-bandwidth short messaging and selected text-based apps outside terrestrial cell footprints.

    SpaceX must now maintain its launch pace for the larger V2 spacecraft as Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reviews local spectrum authorization ahead of the planned 2027 consumer rollout.

  • Papua New Guinea Ready to Issue 5G Licences in 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz Bands

    Papua New Guinea Ready to Issue 5G Licences in 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz Bands

    Papua New Guinea’s National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) is ready to issue 5G spectrum licences in the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands to qualified mobile operators.

    The regulator established the framework after completing legal, technical, and market assessments, clearing both frequency bands for concurrent 4G and 5G service rollouts across the country.

    Universal Access and Coverage Obligations

    Licence conditions require operators including Vodafone PNG and Digicel PNG, which completed readiness testing in July, to extend 4G coverage to 20 new sites under the Universal Access and Service Program.

    Under the mandate, carriers cannot confine capital expenditure solely to high-yield cities. Operators must absorb the cost of widening base connectivity across remote provinces while commercialising premium data speeds.

    Carrier Timelines and Network Commitments

    Vodafone PNG pledged to activate 5G services in the National Capital District and at least one additional city within 18 months of licensing. It committed to covering 20 per cent of the national population within 36 months. That expands to 30 per cent within 60 months.

    Digicel PNG confirmed technical preparedness ahead of the awards, completing end-to-end 5G network trials on its existing architecture. Competition between the two operators now shifts toward high-capacity broadband links and enterprise digital connectivity rather than basic voice and mobile data pricing.

    Wider Spectrum and Satellite Reforms

    Planning reviews and technical alignment with international telecommunication standards preceded the release. Digicel established its local network readiness during testing in July. Hardware installation can begin as soon as authorities formally execute the frequency grants.

    Regulators will monitor rollout milestones and enforcement across both assigned bands. Next, the authority will draft allocation policies for additional high-demand spectrum, satellite-delivered non-terrestrial network services, and unlicensed frequency bands for public Wi-Fi infrastructure.

  • Axiata Reports Stronger 1H26 Earnings and Declares 5.5 Sen Dividend

    Axiata Reports Stronger 1H26 Earnings and Declares 5.5 Sen Dividend

    Axiata Group Berhad posted higher earnings in the first half of the fiscal year. The company declared an interim cash dividend of 5.5 sen per share.

    Operational gains drove the payout across core markets. Network rationalisation and tighter cost controls helped lift regional performance.

    Regional Markets Drive Operating Momentum

    The Kuala Lumpur-based telecommunications conglomerate manages digital telcos and digital businesses across ASEAN and South Asia. Its portfolio spans frontier and emerging markets including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia, alongside digital infrastructure provider EDOTCO.

    Strong cash generation across operating units supported the distribution. Institutional funds and retail shareholders receive direct returns after sustained capital expenditure on regional network infrastructure.

    Asset Consolidation and Capital Allocation

    Regional operators continue adjusting balance sheets following large-scale consolidation across Southeast Asian mobile markets. Axiata restructured operations over recent quarters to cut debt exposure, streamline holding structures, and focus capital on cash-generating assets.

    For enterprise suppliers and telecom equipment vendors, steady cash flow at group level keeps network maintenance and connectivity contracts on schedule. Frontier market foreign exchange volatility and inflation remain the primary risks. Both pressures compress margins when earnings convert back into Malaysian ringgit.

    Balancing Debt and Shareholder Returns

    Balance sheet pressure drove management to prioritise structural repairs, selective asset monetisation, and strict capital allocation across all operating subsidiaries. Earlier quarters saw earnings tempered by currency depreciation in South Asian markets and rising interest financing costs.

    Investors now look to the group’s full-year earnings release and subscriber growth metrics in Indonesia and frontier markets to confirm dividend sustainability.

  • Reliance Jio Holds 506 Million Users but Trails in 11 Indian Circles

    Reliance Jio Holds 506 Million Users but Trails in 11 Indian Circles

    Reliance Jio reached 506 million mobile subscribers across India while trailing regional rivals in 11 of the country’s 22 telecom service circles.

    The split highlights how regional competition remains stubborn across key states even as the operator dominates aggregate national numbers.

    Regional Market Share Dynamics

    India divides its telecom market into 22 operational circles covering distinct states and metropolitan areas. Jio leads in half of those service areas, driven by heavy nationwide mobile broadband rollout. In the other 11 circles, competing operators retain the top rank through entrenched distribution channels and long-standing subscriber bases.

    Gaining ground in secondary and rural circles requires continuous capital expenditure on base stations and fiber links. Jio has focused its standalone 5G deployment to challenge rival networks where earlier market entrants built strong local brand loyalty.

    The Battle for Secondary Circles

    Across Asian telecommunications, aggregate national subscriber leads frequently mask localized market splits where regional operators protect user share and pricing power. Similar dynamics play out in markets like Indonesia and the Philippines, where provincial dominance often resists nationwide network rollouts.

    Jio now faces the operational test of lifting its rank across those 11 remaining circles as Indian operators push to convert network capacity into higher average revenue per user.

  • One New-Zealand and 2Degrees Form Joint Entity to Share Mobile RAN Infrastructure

    One New-Zealand and 2Degrees Form Joint Entity to Share Mobile RAN Infrastructure

    One New Zealand and rival operator 2degrees will merge their mobile radio access network infrastructure into a jointly owned venture, pooling physical assets across the country.

    The agreement consolidates towers, antennas and base station equipment from both carriers into a single operational entity while keeping retail operations and core networks separate.

    Pooling Capital and Network Sites

    Under the planned arrangement, the two carriers will run their shared radio access network (RAN) through the new entity to cut duplicate capital expenditure and accelerate the rollout of newer wireless standards. Combining site portfolios expands coverage reach and deepens network redundancy without requiring each carrier to build standalone duplicate towers across challenging topography.

    Shared infrastructure models have gained traction across Asia-Pacific as regional operators face elevated spectrum costs and heavy 5G capital requirements. In markets like Australia and Malaysia, regulators and telcos have turned to shared active networks and wholesale single networks to protect cash flow while meeting coverage mandates.

    Operational Focus and Regulatory Steps

    One NZ indicated the structural separation allows both operators to redirect capital toward customer-facing platforms, core network features and digital services rather than tower hardware. Both companies will continue to market their mobile plans independently and compete for subscriber share across consumer and enterprise segments.

    The transaction remains subject to formal regulatory reviews and commercial approvals in Wellington before the joint business begins operational integration.

  • Vodafone Idea and BSNL Agree to Share Networks Across All Indian Circles

    Vodafone Idea and BSNL Agree to Share Networks Across All Indian Circles

    Vodafone Idea and state-owned carrier Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited have agreed to share their mobile network infrastructure across all telecommunications service circles in India.

    The agreement allows both operators to expand operational coverage across urban and rural markets without duplicating infrastructure expenditure. Talks finalized after a direct meeting between Vodafone Idea chief executive Abhijit Kishore and BSNL chairman and managing director Robert J. Ravi.

    Terms of the Circle Sharing Agreement

    Under the framework, the two carriers will implement intra-circle roaming arrangements nationwide. The pact enables subscribers of both providers to access the partner carrier’s towers and base stations in regions where their primary network has limited coverage.

    BSNL operates an extensive footprint in rural and secondary markets across India, while Vodafone Idea maintains higher network density in key metropolitan areas and major urban hubs.

    Infrastructure Collaboration in Indian Telecoms

    The deal reflects broader pressure on Indian telecom operators to optimize network capital costs as they manage heavy operational outlays and ongoing technology upgrades. Sharing radio access networks has become an essential tool for cash-conscious operators competing against better-funded rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.

    Both carriers will now begin technical integration across individual service zones to activate intra-circle roaming on existing spectrum bands.