Xiaomi could reportedly face more heat in India after the country’s Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) called for a probe into the Chinese manufacturer over its business model and compliance with investment law.

Reuters reported the SFIO released a document recommending authorities look into the movement of funds and whether Xiaomi secured mandatory investment approvals, after India turned the screw on Chinese companies following political tensions in 2020.

Xiaomi is already facing a tax bill in the country and had some banking assets frozen in 2022 for illegal remittances, an allegation it denies.

Reuters reported the government is reviewing the SFIO recommendations and action could be taken.

The SFIO reportedly stated in the document: “The most important part of the proposed investigation should be examination of the beneficial ownership of foreign investors and group entities.”

It added any investigation “should verify whether any direct or indirect beneficial ownership, control or change in control was disclosed and approved as required”.

The SFIO did not specify what it wants investigated. Reuters explained the agency is tasked with looking into corporate fraud, and has the power to arrest and prosecute offenders.

Xiaomi’s smartphone share in India has reduced significantly in recent years.

Counterpoint Research figures indicate the vendor holds fourth-place, with a 13% share.

The post Indian fraud office recommends Xiaomi probe appeared first on Mobile World Live.

An Anthropic AI safety researcher warned there is more than a 10% chance that increasingly capable AI could “kill all humans” within the next decade, highlighting growing concerns in the industry over the pace of development.

Evan Hubinger, manager of the AI Alignment Stress-Testing team at Anthropic, wrote on social media platform X: “I personally think it is >10% within the next decade.”. He explained the risk from existing AI models was “low” but warned he was concerned about “superintelligence” emerging through “recursive self-improvement”, which is the ability of an AI system to autonomously develop its own successor.

He added Anthropic was “trying its best” but did not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and was “not clearly on track to”.

Gambling with lives
Hubinger’s comments came in response to the resignation of AI researcher Jacob Coxon from Anthropic. In a post on X, Coxon accused OpenAI and Anthropic of “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives”.

“Neither company is acting responsibly,” he said.

Coxon argued future AI models could become capable of hacking systems, rapidly transforming industries and acquiring “real power and resources”. He called for greater coordination between AI developers, including a temporary halt to improving model capabilities.

“At OpenAI, many have not deeply internalised the civilisational stakes,” he warned. Meanwhile at Anthropic, he said “the stakes are well-understood” but “they believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must do it themselves, despite the risk”.

AI giants are facing increasing scrutiny over the behaviour of autonomous systems. In recent months, OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta have all disclosed unprecedented incidents involving AI tools carrying out cyberattacks.

Indeed, Anthropic’s August risk report assessed that while the threat posed by current models was low, the company was “less confident in this assessment than we were in prior risk reports”. It said advanced models could eventually automate R&D, rapidly accelerate progress in technical fields, and “lead to catastrophic harm”.

“We are seeing early signs of potential acceleration,” the US AI player stated.

The post Anthropic researcher issues grave AI warning appeared first on Mobile World Live.

A report by Dell’Oro Group found worldwide data centre IT semiconductor and component revenue for servers and storage systems surged 182% in Q2 2026, driven by rising memory prices and continued AI infrastructure investment.

DRAM and storage drive revenue grew at a triple-digit pace, as average selling prices per bit more than doubled year-over-year while continued AI infrastructure investment fuelled broad-based demand across accelerators and complementary server and storage components.

“Data centre component growth accelerated sharply in the second quarter, driven by higher memory and storage prices and continued growth in server demand,” stated Baron Fung, VP of research at Dell’Oro.

He also said Nvidia’s Blackwell platform and custom accelerators from Google and Amazon continued to gain momentum.

Fung added agentic AI is emerging as a meaningful growth driver for general-purpose servers, broadening component demand beyond accelerated computing hardware.

Going forward, Fung stated Dell’Oro expects component revenue growth to maintain momentum through the remainder of 2026, supported by elevated component prices and strong AI infrastructure investment, though supply constraints could limit hyperscaler capital expenditure plans.

The report found accelerated server deployments drove strong demand for complementary components, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), CPUs, memory and high-speed back-end network interface cards.

General-purpose server demand remained strong across cloud service providers, supported by continued infrastructure expansion alongside emerging agentic AI workloads.

The post Data centre component revenue surges in Q2 appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Google is set to invest at least €13 billion in digital infrastructure across Finland over the next two years, putting AI facilities, nuclear power and renewable energy at the centre of its largest single outlay in Europe.

The spending will cover new digital infrastructure across the regions of Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala as the technology giant looks to expand capacity for services including Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube.

The investment is expected to support more than 37,000 jobs nationwide and contribute an annual average of €3.6 billion to Finland’s GDP. Once operational, the new facilities are projected to support around 7,000 jobs annually.

It also includes a commitment of €31 million for local community initiatives over four years, including €10 million for research and innovation. Additionally, more than 4,400 workers will receive AI skills training through local partnerships

According to Google, the new sites will use existing grid infrastructure and locate closer to carbon-free energy sources. The outlay will also fund biodiversity restoration, including native forest, peatland and wetland projects.

Google’s hefty Finnish commitment dwarfs its other European investments. The company pledged €5.5 billion to Germany through 2029 and committed €600 million to a new AI facility in the Netherlands in 2024. It also broke ground on its first data centre in Austria this year as it expands AI capacity across the region.

Nokia backing
Alongside the investment, Google struck a 22-year power purchase agreement with Finnish energy company Fortum to support the continued operation of a nuclear power plant near the southern town of Loviisa. The deal marks the company’s first nuclear power contract outside the US, according to Reuters.

Google said that without the latest agreement, the plant, which currently supplies around 10% of Finland’s electricity and employs about 580 people, would not be able to continue operating beyond 2030. Keeping it online is expected to support grid resilience and help stabilise electricity prices across the country.

Google’s latest outlay deepens its existing presence in Finland, where it has operated a data centre in Hamina since 2009, supporting more than 600 suppliers including domestic operators DNA, Elisa and vendor Nokia.

Commenting on the Google investment, Nokia CEO Justin Hotard pointed to its partnership with the company on delivering optical and IP networks, while outlining a commitment to build out infrastructure to help connect Google’s activities in Finland to the world.

“Every AI token is a network moment. Billions of agents, devices, and people act on intelligence in real time, and every one of those moments depends on a network that is fast, secure and always on. Nokia builds those networks,” said Hotard.

The post Google commits €13B to Finnish AI appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Accenture and Google Cloud expanded their long-standing partnership with the launch of a global joint initiative aimed at helping enterprise customers deploy and scale agentic AI tools and platforms.

The two companies formed the Accenture Gemini Enterprise Business Group, a new unit operating within the existing Accenture Google Business Group, designed to help customers deploy Google Cloud’s agentic AI platform.

It will integrate Accenture’s certified Gemini Enterprise talent with dedicated Google Cloud engineering resources to assist clients in moving AI projects from experimental phases into commercial production.

As part of the rollout, the partners plan to establish a 1,000-person workforce of forward deployed engineers (FDEs) to work with clients on-site to plan and build AI applications based on the Gemini Enterprise platform.

The new unit will use Accenture’s existing foundation of nearly 50,000 Google Cloud-skilled personnel to build repeatable industry solutions, speed up time-to-value, and create specialised capability centres for enterprise-wide integration.

The Accenture and Google Cloud initiative targets accelerating enterprise demand for agentic AI architectures, which rely on autonomous digital agents to automate complex, multi-step workflows.

Julie Sweet, chair and CEO of Accenture, stated the business group aims to unite advanced AI capabilities, data assets, and industry expertise to help corporate clients achieve productivity and growth targets faster.

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian noted deploying agentic AI has quickly become a primary priority for enterprise technology buyers aiming for operational transformation.

FDE trend
The move mirrors a growing pattern across the tech landscape as vendors deploy specialised engineering talent directly to client sites. OpenAI recently established a $10 billion joint venture with institutional investors to finance dedicated enterprise deployment teams, while Anthropic investors backed a $1.5 billion standalone venture to build hands-on FDE capabilities for corporate deployments.

The post Accenture, Google Cloud form enterprise AI group appeared first on Mobile World Live.

AT&T Business and Amazon Leo reached a deal to bring satellite broadband to enterprise and public sector customers, with the company becoming the first major US operator to employ the low Earth orbit (LEO) network in a bundled set-up including fibre and 5G.

The operator plans to offer the connectivity as a fully managed service on top of its existing terrestrial networks. Customers would get one bill, one point of contact and round-the-clock customer service.

AT&T is to provide the equipment to connect to the satellites.

Shawn Hakl, AT&T Business SVP and head of product, said enterprise and public sector customers need a platform which delivers reliable connectivity across fibre, 5G and satellite in a single managed architecture.

Chris Weber, VP of Amazon Leo Business and Product, said the satellite network adds resilience to the network.

AT&T stated the companies are “moving through a structured, phased deployment designed to ensure business-grade reliability before broad availability”.

It plans to issue pricing and configuration details in the coming months.

The explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket in May could put the timeline for the launch of the AT&T Business closer to 2027: the rocket company is repairing damage to a launchpad and aims to restore operations by the end of the year.

Amazon Leo is simultaneously pushing into direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity, seeking regulatory approval to deploy up to 5,105 satellites, with deployment scheduled to begin in 2028.

All three major US operators are involved in various D2D moves through deals with Amazon Leo, SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile, along with collaborating to close coverage gaps.

AT&T Business is bidding to differentiate by bundling the connectivity option.

The post AT&T taps Amazon Leo for business satellite play appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote later this month on two items intended to free up spectrum for next-generation connectivity, according to chair Brendan Carr (pictured).

The first is a satellite spectrum abundance order, which would allow the FCC to unlock more than 1,000 MHz of spectrum across the 12GHz and 42GHz bands. The FCC stated the freed-up airwaves could support a range of connectivity services, including faster satellite broadband.

The second item is a proposal to seek comment on modernising the FCC’s rules governing ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, an unlicensed spectrum category used across IoT, automotive and consumer devices. Carr noted the rules have not been comprehensively updated since their adoption in 2002.

“The FCC’s work to free up more spectrum continues apace this month,” Carr said. “Today, I shared two items with my colleagues that will push more commercial spectrum into the marketplace than ever before. By unlocking these bands, the FCC will give a big boost to American innovation and promote economic growth across a wide range of industries.”

On the satellite order, Carr said the move is designed to ensure consumers continue benefiting from competitive, high-speed internet delivered from next-generation satellite systems.

On the UWB proposal, he said the rule changes would unlock further opportunities for unlicensed devices across a wide swath of spectrum, pointing to UWB’s role in applications from vehicle safety systems to package tracking.

He stated the technology is so deeply embedded in everyday life that most people are unaware of its role, and that the proposal represents the FCC’s first comprehensive modernisation of the rules in over two decades.

Both items are scheduled for a vote at the FCC’s 30 September open meeting. The satellite spectrum move comes as regulators globally weigh how to balance growing demand for satellite broadband capacity, driven by operators including Amazon Leo, SpaceX’s Starlink and others, against existing terrestrial and federal spectrum users. The 12GHz band in particular has been the subject of a long-running dispute between satellite operators and terrestrial 5G proponents over interference risks and competing use cases.

The meeting items build on Carr’s broader push to release more spectrum since taking the chair, which has included restarting the agency’s first spectrum auction in four years. Auction 113, covering AWS-3 licences in the 1695-1710MHz, 1755-1780MHz and 2155-2180MHz bands, forms part of the FCC’s Build America Agenda, targeting 800MHz of new spectrum by 2034.

The post FCC eyes spectrum vote for space-based services appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Qualcomm struck a deal with Amazon to develop customised silicon for large-scale AI data centre infrastructure, while issuing a warrant to the technology giant to acquire a stake worth up to $4 billion in the chipmaker.

The move marks Qualcomm’s latest strategic expansion into the data centre sector, building on its recent moves to establish an AI-native foundation, acquire AI software specialist Modular, and advance its agentic AI ambitions beyond edge devices.

Under regulatory filings tied to the deal, the agreement is linked to up to $60 billion in potential commercial transactions.

As part of the arrangement, Qualcomm issued Amazon a warrant to acquire up to 25 million shares at $161.26 apiece, representing a potential $4 billion stake which vests across tranches tied to purchase milestones.

The operational partnership centres on creating tailored processors optimised for AI inference workloads across Amazon Web Service (AWS) data centres.

By combining Qualcomm’s experience in power-efficient compute design with AWS’ global cloud footprint, the companies aim to tackle the skyrocketing energy and compute demands driven by generative AI applications.

Alongside customised processing chips, the agreement encompasses high-performance optical connectivity technologies.

Qualcomm plans to supply optical digital signal processor and serialiser/deserialiser products capable of supporting speeds up to 1.6 Tb/s.

The high-bandwidth interconnects are designed to clear data bottlenecks within data centre networks, allowing large clusters of AI chips to communicate with minimal latency.

Both ways
The collaboration works both ways, as Qualcomm also plans to deepen its internal adoption of AWS infrastructure.

The chipmaker will use cloud-based AI tools, including Amazon Bedrock, to run electronic design automation workloads aimed at accelerating its own chip development cycles.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon highlighted the rapidly accelerating demand for AI requires foundational advances across both processing and network interconnects to maximise operational efficiency.

AWS VP Prasad Kalyanaraman added the co-development effort will deliver more performant and cost-effective infrastructure for cloud customers globally.

The deal marks a significant expansion for Qualcomm, which has spent recent years diversifying its revenue beyond smartphones into personal computers, automotive systems and now cloud-scale hardware.

For AWS, working directly with Qualcomm on specialised silicon offers another avenue to manage the high-power consumption and soaring costs associated with operating global AI services.

The post Qualcomm lands custom AI chip deal with Amazon appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Siemens Mobility, Deutsche Bahn and others made strides in an automated train development project after tests proved the technical feasibility of the concept.

The intelligent transport company and German national rail operator are collaborating with relevant industry and scientific partners on the AutomatedTrain project.

Siemens Mobility stated testing proved the viability of Grade of Automation 4, the highest tier in relevant self-driving technology, by having one of its Mireo trains transfer from a depot to a station to begin services.

Marc Ludwig, CEO of Rail Infrastructure, said Siemens Mobility and its partners have “developed the decisive technologies” which establish the “foundation for the next generation of rail transport”.

The work is “a significant step forward in bringing automation to the railway”, he added.

Testing involved the train receiving instructions then preparing itself for operation by conducting necessary tests before embarking on a journey where it “independently detects obstacles and reacts appropriately”.

Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Johannes Steiniger branded the concept as “the future of mobility” and an example of how autonomy could help maintain a reliable rail service in the face of a shortage of skilled staff.

Technical points
Siemens Mobility stated the system relies on digital signalling technology based on the European Train Control System, which in part employs mobile networks to transfer real-time information.

Automatic Train Operation technology and intelligent vehicle control systems are also in the mix, with the Advanced Vital Vehicle Operation platform providing pre- and in-operation safety checks.

The train relies on highly-precise positioning information and digital maps. Siemens Mobility explained “state-of-the-art sensor systems” spot problems on tracks, to which the train can respond automatically.

The post Siemens Mobility makes tracks in rail automation appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The GSMA renewed calls to governments and regulators to make the full upper 6GHz band available for mobile, arguing the industry is ready to support large-scale deployments.

More than 60 operators, device manufacturers, chipset makers, network equipment providers and other industry players have backed the position, with the GSMA stating policymakers need to provide greater certainty around future spectrum availability.

According to the industry association, countries representing more than 80% of the global population now support mobile use of the band, which covers 6.425GHz to 7.125GHz. The frequencies have also been included in national spectrum roadmaps. In addition, the first spectrum assignments have already taken place, with further awards expected across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas as market demand evolves.

The GSMA urged policymakers to include the entire band in future spectrum plans and make it available for full-power macro-cell mobile services, arguing this will provide operators with the certainty needed to invest in future networks.

It noted upper 6GHz could add capacity in busy cities as mobile data traffic increases, supporting the evolution of 5G-Advanced and future 6G networks. The band could also support the 200-400MHz channel bandwidths expected in the 6G era.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath said the industry is “ready to put the upper 6 GHz spectrum to work for consumers and businesses around the world”, adding, “governments now have an important opportunity to turn international harmonisation into real-world connectivity”.

He argued that “timely, pro-investment spectrum decisions are needed to give operators the certainty to invest”, while arguing such policy moves could support national digital ambitions and inclusive mobile development.

Global effort
The GSMA’s latest call forms part of repeated efforts to secure upper 6GHz for mobile. Last year, the industry association praised guidance by the European Commission’s spectrum advisory group RSPG supporting up to 700MHz for mobile use.

Countries across the world are considering how best to use the 6GHz band. In January, UK regulator Ofcom proposed sharing the band between mobile and Wi-Fi, prompting the GSMA to warn the approach could constrain future mobile deployment.

Meanwhile, China approved regional 6GHz trials for 6G in May and earlier this month, Nokia and Optus tested the spectrum across several use cases.

The post GSMA pushes mobile case for upper 6GHz appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Mistral a levé 3 milliards d’euros lors d’un tour de table de série D mené par Samsung Electronics, portant la valorisation de l’ex-start-up française au-delà de 21 milliards d’euros. Ces fonds devraient permettre à Mistral d’intensifier les efforts destinés à construire une IA de pointe souveraine.

Samsung a copiloté le tour de table aux côtés du Scaleup Europe Fund, soutenu par l’Union européenne (UE), et de PSG Equity, investisseur historique. Selon Mistral, cette levée constitue le plus important tour de table en capital jamais réalisé par une entreprise technologique européenne.

Parmi les nouveaux investisseurs figurent le fonds de capital-investissement Advent et le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg. Des investisseurs historiques, dont le premier actionnaire de Mistral, ASML, ainsi que Nvidia, Salesforce Ventures et Bpifrance, ont également participé.

Mistral indique que ces fonds serviront à développer sa recherche en IA de pointe et sa capacité de calcul, ainsi qu’à soutenir les investissements en infrastructures, le développement de modèles, la croissance commerciale et l’expansion internationale.

L’an dernier, la pépite française promue au rang de leader européen avait levé 1,7 milliard d’euros lors d’un tour de série C mené par ASML, pour une valorisation de 11,7 milliards d’euros.

L’entreprise indique que la demande croît pour une IA souveraine alliant performance et maîtrise, les entreprises et les gouvernements prenant en compte « les dépendances technologiques de long terme, les exigences de gouvernance des données et les choix de déploiement ».

Mistral met en avant son « approche intégrale et ouverte » ainsi que ses modèles à poids ouverts, se présentant comme une « couche d’IA souveraine » offrant aux organisations davantage de maîtrise sur leurs données, leurs modèles, leur puissance de calcul et leurs systèmes de production.

Dans la course

La quête européenne d’indépendance technologique a gagné en urgence après la décision américaine de juin de restreindre l’accès étranger à deux modèles d’IA avancés développés par Anthropic.

Johan Bergqvist, directeur financier de Mistral, a déclaré à Reuters qu’il était important pour l’Europe de disposer de « son propre type de fournisseur d’IA dans la course ». Il a ajouté qu’il existe « une dimension politique dans l’accès à ces solutions » et que les organisations doivent veiller à ne « pas compromettre » leur accès à la chaîne d’approvisionnement de l’IA.

Johan Bergqvist a également indiqué à l’agence de presse britannique que l’entreprise était en bonne voie pour atteindre 1 milliard de dollars de revenus récurrents annuels d’ici la fin de l’année, la croissance provenant de plus en plus d’Asie et d’Amérique du Nord. Il a ajouté qu’une éventuelle introduction en Bourse restait une option, bien que le calendrier reste « encore incertain ».

The post Samsung mène une levée de fonds de 3 milliards d’euros pour Mistral appeared first on Mobile World Live.

La GSMA a renouvelé son appel aux gouvernements et aux régulateurs afin qu’ils rendent disponible l’intégralité de la bande 6 GHz supérieure au mobile, estimant que le secteur est prêt à soutenir des déploiements à grande échelle.

Plus de 60 opérateurs, fabricants d’appareils, fournisseurs de puces, équipementiers réseau et autres acteurs du secteur ont soutenu cette position, la GSMA affirmant que les décideurs politiques doivent apporter davantage de certitude quant à la disponibilité future du spectre.

Selon la GSMA, un ensemble de pays représentant plus de 80 % de la population mondiale soutient désormais l’usage mobile de cette bande, qui couvre 6,425 GHz à 7,125 GHz. Ces fréquences ont également été intégrées aux feuilles de route nationales consacrées au spectre. Par ailleurs, les premières attributions de spectre ont déjà eu lieu, d’autres étant attendues en Europe, au Moyen-Orient, en Afrique, en Asie-Pacifique et sur le continent américain, à mesure que la demande du marché évolue.

La GSMA exhorte les décideurs politiques à inclure l’intégralité de la bande dans leurs futurs plans de spectre et à la rendre disponible pour des services mobiles macro-cellulaires à pleine puissance, estimant que cela apportera aux opérateurs la certitude nécessaire pour investir dans les réseaux futurs.

Elle souligne que la bande 6 GHz supérieure pourrait accroître la capacité dans les villes très fréquentées à mesure que le trafic de données mobiles augmente, soutenant l’évolution du 5G-Advanced et des futurs réseaux 6G. La bande pourrait également prendre en charge les largeurs de canal de 200 à 400 MHz attendues à l’ère de la 6G.

Pour Vivek Badrinath, directeur général de la GSMA, le secteur est « prêt à mettre le spectre 6 GHz supérieur au service des consommateurs et des entreprises du monde entier ». Il note en outre que « les gouvernements ont désormais une occasion importante de transformer l’harmonisation internationale en connectivité concrète ».

Vivek Badrinath fait encore valoir que « des décisions rapides et favorables à l’investissement en matière de spectre sont nécessaires pour donner aux opérateurs la certitude d’investir ». Il ajoute que de telles orientations politiques pourraient soutenir les ambitions numériques nationales et un développement mobile inclusif.

Effort mondial

Ce nouvel appel de la GSMA s’inscrit dans une série d’efforts répétés pour sécuriser la bande 6 GHz supérieure au profit du mobile. L’an dernier, l’association avait salué les orientations du groupe consultatif sur le spectre de la Commission européenne (Radio Spectrum Policy Group, ou RSPG), favorables à l’usage mobile jusqu’à 700 MHz.

Partout dans le monde, les pays étudient la meilleure façon d’utiliser la bande 6 GHz. En janvier, le régulateur britannique Ofcom avait proposé de partager la bande entre le mobile et le Wi-Fi, poussant la GSMA à avertir que cette approche pourrait limiter les futurs déploiements mobiles.

Parallèlement, la Chine a approuvé en mai des essais régionaux en 6 GHz pour la 6G, et plus tôt ce mois-ci, Nokia et Optus ont testé ce spectre sur plusieurs cas d’usage.

The post La GSMA plaide pour l’attribution de la bande 6 GHz supérieure au mobile appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Les plus grands opérateurs mobiles européens auraient entamé des discussions visant à former un consortium candidat à l’attribution de fréquences adaptées aux services satellites, avec l’objectif de lancer des services conjoints de connexion directe aux appareils (D2D, direct-to-device) sur le continent.

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone et Telefónica chercheraient selon Bloomberg à unir leurs forces pour sécuriser les fréquences que l’Union européenne (UE) a réservées à une entreprise européenne, dans le cadre d’un plan visant à renforcer sa souveraineté et à accroître la concurrence face à SpaceX d’Elon Musk, qui domine le secteur mondial du D2D avec Starlink.

L’UE a indiqué qu’elle fixerait des règles concernant la répartition du spectre en bande 2 GHz, réservant un tiers de l’allocation aux entreprises locales, un projet qui a suscité les foudres de SpaceX.

Selon la proposition de l’UE, un opérateur satellite obtenant l’essentiel du spectre devra être majoritairement contrôlé par une entreprise européenne, précise Bloomberg.

Vodafone est déjà notamment impliqué dans une coentreprise satellite avec l’américain AST SpaceMobile, conçue pour proposer des services D2D. Bloomberg indique que la participation à 50/50 dans cette société devrait être revue pour que Vodafone puisse prétendre à l’obtention du spectre.

Les licences actuelles pour ce spectre doivent expirer en 2027.

L’UE prévoit également de réserver un tiers du spectre au réseau satellite européen IRIS², un projet piloté par la Commission européenne et l’Agence spatiale européenne.

La constellation est construite par un consortium composé d’Hispasat, SES et Eutelsat, proposant principalement des services haut débit avec des capacités D2D limitées.

The post Quatre grands opérateurs européens envisagent une coentreprise satellite D2D appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Liberty Global agreed to sell towers owned by VodafoneZiggo to an entity owned by funds managed by a trio of companies in a €670 million deal, while revealing more asset sales are on the way.

The transaction, struck with infrastructure specialists DigitalBridge, TD Greystone Infrastructure and L&G, values the Dutch tower assets at 16.2x of their 2025 EBITDA.

Liberty Global has moved quickly since sealing its acquisition to take majority control of VodafoneZiggo early last month, which consequently led to the creation of Ziggo Group.

The holding entity holds Liberty Global’s interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet.

Through the tower sale, Liberty Global stated it will use the proceeds to retire debt across Ziggo Group, before adding further sales processes are underway.

It is looking to raise €1.2 billion to €1.4 billion from non-core asset disposals to support its intended listing of Ziggo Group in Amsterdam in the middle of 2027.

Mike Fries, chairman and CEO of Liberty Global, said the sale represents an important step towards the listing, as well as creating a platform for long-term value for shareholders and investors “who want to own part of this regional telecoms powerhouse.”.

The tower sale is subject to regulatory approval.

The post Liberty Global dumps VodafoneZiggo tower assets appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider Freshwave continued to make big progress with urban small cell deployments, adding the UK city of Canterbury to its list through an ongoing tie-up with VMO2.

A quartet of 4G- and 5G-compatible small cells are involved, offering a boost to VMO2 mobile users in busy areas of the city centre.

Freshwave emphasised the discreet qualities of the equipment, a boon in terms of minimising the aesthetic impact in the historic city.

The deployment is being conducted in close collaboration with Kent County Council, the local authority in which Canterbury sits.

David Wimble, cabinet member for Economic Development and Special projects at the council, explained the authority is helping the deployment by providing access to “suitable council assets” as it seeks to provide the reliable connectivity it regards as “an essential part of modern life”.

The arrangement is one of more than 40 Freshwave has agreed with local authorities throughout the UK.

A previous small cell deployment for VMO2 covers the town of Guildford and Freshwave is a key player in a large-scale rollout in the city of Glasgow.

Mobile network operator account director Neil Barnes said such collaborations are “key to delivering mobile connectivity” and Freshwave’s approach shows “how local authorities and industry can work together to improve coverage” in areas with the greatest need.

The post Freshwave, VMO2 extend small cell run appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Verizon and Corning agreed a multi-billion dollar fibre supply deal covering more than 80 million miles of high-density optical fibre and connectivity products, running from 2027 to 2032.

The companies stated the agreement is designed to support surging demand for consumer broadband and converged services, alongside growing infrastructure needs from AI hyperscalers.

Verizon Business CEO Kyle Malady noted securing fibre at this scale allows the operator to build “the network of the future” at an unprecedented level, combining mobile connectivity and broadband into a single, converged architecture.

He said the deployment will also underpin the high-capacity, low-latency backbone required by AI hyperscalers.

The fibre supply is intended to accelerate Verizon’s progress toward a medium-term goal of 40 million to 50 million broadband passings, expanding fibre-to-the-home and business connectivity.

The operator stated the approach means cell towers, enterprise data centres and residential neighbourhoods will connect to the same high-capacity backbone.

Verizon framed the deal as central to its AI Connect strategy, which involves deploying dense fibre cabling across major long-haul corridors to directly connect data centres.

It said the approach positions it as an infrastructure partner for major AI hyperscalers, including Amazon Web Services, while also extending AI-related connectivity benefits to consumers, businesses, schools and communities.

The agreement builds on a three-decade partnership between Verizon and Corning. It is structured to let Corning continue expanding its US manufacturing capacity to supply the physical materials needed for Verizon’s buildout.

Corning Optical Communications SVP and GM Mike O’Day added the expanded partnership will help link AI data centres while also extending high-speed fibre access to homes.

US fibre
Corning also counts AT&T as a customer, having struck a $1 billion, multi-year fibre supply deal with the operator in October 2024 to support AT&T’s Gigapower fibre joint venture and broader broadband expansion plans.

The Corning agreement adds to a series of moves by Verizon to expand its fibre footprint. In July, Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings invested $1.5 billion in Eaton Fiber, Verizon’s exclusive wholesale fibre-building partner, to fund an acquisition of Ripple Fiber and accelerate network expansion to more than a million locations outside Verizon’s existing footprint.

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman has described that wholesale partnership model as a capital-efficient way to extend its fibre broadband reach.

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile US are actively beefing up their fibre holdings through joint ventures, wholesale agreements and outright purchases of fibre-rich companies to support the convergence of mobile and fibre-based broadband services.

The post Verizon, Corning ink fibre supply deal appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Huawei edged closer to laying claims of racketeering to rest as a court case brought by the US is set to get underway later today (8 September) when the process of picking a jury begins.

The Chinese vendor is steadfast in denying any wrongdoing in a matter dating to 2018 which resulted in then CFO and now rotating chair Sabrina Meng being detained by authorities in Canada.

ABC News reported the US Department of Justice (DoJ) is pursuing claims Huawei stole and attempted to steal trade secrets, ignored sanctions on doing business in North Korea and aided Iranian authorities in monitoring protestors during unrest in 2009.

The trial is one of several attacks made by the US against Huawei: it also alleges the vendor is a threat to national security and has imposed stringent restrictions on its access to key technologies.

Nikkei Asia noted the DoJ dropped two claims from its case late last week; a conspiracy charge relating to historic US presidential powers afforded under the International Emergency Economic Power Act and another relating to economic sanctions breaches.

The move left 12 charges in place.

Huawei told Nikkei Asia it is not guilty and the “narrative” of the US case is “demonstrably false”.

Prisoner swap
Although charges against Meng have long-since been dropped, Nikkei Asia noted the bargain she struck to achieve this could now hurt Huawei.

It explained the founder’s daughter admitted she made false statements about the company having worked within US sanction and export rules, details which have been cleared for use in the looming trial.

Most observers note the court case is something of a watershed in a long-running trade battle between the US and China in which big companies from the latter have become symbolic pawns.

The post US, Huawei racketeering showdown to begin appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Mistral raised €3 billion in a Series D funding round led by Samsung Electronics, taking the French AI player’s valuation above €21 billion as it ramps up efforts to build sovereign frontier AI.

Samsung jointly led the round with European Union (EU)-backed Scaleup Europe Fund, and existing investor PSG Equity. According to Mistral, the raise marks the largest ever equity funding round by a European technology company.

New investors included private equity firm Advent and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, while existing backers including Mistral’s largest shareholder ASML, Nvidia, Salesforce Ventures and Bpifrance also participated.

Mistral said the funds will expand its frontier AI research and compute capacity, as well as support infrastructure investment, model development, commercial growth and international expansion.

Last year, the startup raised €1.7 billion at a €11.7 billion valuation in a series C funding round led by ASML.

The company said demand is growing for sovereign AI that combines performance with control, as enterprises and governments consider “long-term technology dependencies, data governance requirements and deployment choices”.

Mistral emphasised its “full-stack and open approach” and open-weight models and as a “sovereign AI layer” that gives organisations greater control over their data, models, compute and production systems.

In the game
Europe’s push for technological independence has gained urgency following a US decision in June to curb foreign access to two advanced AI models developed by Anthropic.

Mistral CFO Johan Bergqvist told Reuters that Europe having its “own kind of AI provider in the game is important”. He added that there is “politics involved in the access of these solutions” and organisations need to ensure they “do not compromise” their access to the AI supply chain.

Bergqvist also told the outlet the company is on track to hit $1 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of the year, with growth increasingly coming from Asia and North America. He added a potential IPO remains an option, although the timing is “still up in the air”.

The post Samsung leads €3B Mistral funding round appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Europe’s biggest mobile operators reportedly entered discussions to create a consortium that will bid on spectrum suitable for satellite services, with the view of launching joint direct-to-device (D2D) services in the continent.

Bloomberg reported Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone and Telefonica are looking to combine to secure airwaves that the European Union (EU) has earmarked for a European company, as part of a plan to bolster sovereignty and raise competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which dominates the global D2D sector with Starlink.

The EU has indicated it will set rules around the distribution of 2GHz spectrum, reserving a third of the allocation for local companies, a plan which has drawn fire from SpaceX.

As per the EU’s proposal, a satellite operator securing a bulk of the spectrum will have to be majority controlled by a European business, Bloomberg noted.

Vodafone is already notably involved in a satellite joint venture with US-based AST SpaceMobile, designed to offer D2D services. Bloomberg stated the 50-50 ownership of the company would need to be adjusted for Vodafone to be in the running to secure the spectrum.

Current licences for the spectrum are due to expire in 2027.

The EU also plans to reserve a third of the spectrum for the IRIS2 European satellite network, a project led by the European Commission and European Space Agency.

The constellation is being built by a consortium consisting of Hispasat, SES and Eutelsat, offering mainly broadband services with limited D2D capabilities.

The post Europe operator quartet plot D2D satellite venture appeared first on Mobile World Live.

La GSMA ha renovado su petición a gobiernos y reguladores para que destinen la totalidad de la banda alta de 6 GHz a uso móvil, con el argumento de que la industria está preparada para respaldar una amplia variedad de despliegues.

Más de 60 operadoras, fabricantes de dispositivos, fabricantes de chips, proveedores de equipos de red y otros actores del sector respaldan esta posición, según ha indicado la GSMA, que pide a los responsables políticos mayor certeza sobre la disponibilidad futura del espectro.

Según la asociación, las regiones que representan más del 80 % de la población mundial aún no permiten el uso móvil de esta banda, que abarca de 6,425 GHz a 7,125 GHz, pese a que estas frecuencias ya figuran en los planes nacionales de varios países.

La asignación de este espectro, añade, lleva tiempo pendiente, con adjudicaciones previstas en Europa, Oriente Medio, África, Asia-Pacífico y América a medida que evoluciona la demanda del mercado.

La GSMA reclama que se incluya toda la banda en los futuros planes de espectro y que se ponga a disposición de los servicios móviles de macrocelda a plena potencia, ya que considera que esto dará a las operadoras la certeza que necesitan para invertir en las redes del futuro.

La banda alta de 6 GHz, señala la asociación, podría aportar la capacidad necesaria para responder al aumento del tráfico en las ciudades, a medida que avanzan el 5G-Advanced y las futuras redes 6G. También podría dar soporte a los anchos de canal de 200-400 MHz previstos para la era del 6G.

El director general de la GSMA, Vivek Badrinath, ha afirmado que la industria está “preparada para que el espectro de 6 GHz funcione en beneficio de consumidores y negocios en todo el mundo”, y ha añadido que “los gobiernos no deben dejar pasar la oportunidad de armonizar internacionalmente la conectividad real”.

Unas “decisiones de espectro oportunas y favorables a la inversión son necesarias para dar a todas las operadoras la certeza que necesitan”, ha argumentado, y ha señalado que este tipo de medidas puede impulsar la inclusión digital y el desarrollo móvil.

Esfuerzo global

La última petición de la GSMA forma parte de sus esfuerzos reiterados para asegurar la banda alta de 6 GHz para uso móvil. Hace algún tiempo, la asociación valoró positivamente las directrices del grupo asesor de espectro de la Comisión Europea (RSPG), que respaldaban destinar hasta 700 MHz al uso móvil.

Varios países de todo el mundo están valorando cómo aprovechar mejor la banda de 6 GHz. Semanas atrás, el regulador británico Ofcom propuso compartir la banda entre uso móvil y wifi, lo que llevó al GSMA a advertir de que ese enfoque podría limitar el despliegue móvil futuro.

Por su parte, China aprobó pruebas regionales de 6G en esta banda meses atrás, y en fechas recientes Nokia y Optus han probado este espectro en varios casos de uso.

Con información de Amiya Johar.

The post La GSMA reclama la banda alta de 6 GHz para uso móvil appeared first on Mobile World Live.