Airbus Defence and Space won prime contractor status for the development of the next SpainSat NG bird, a secure communications satellite for mission-critical government and defence uses.

Thales Alenia Space separately detailed its selection as a co-contractor for the SpainSat NG-III project, explaining 10 Spanish companies are also on board to provide various technologies.

The contracts were awarded by Spanish satellite operator Hisdesat and the latest bird rounds out the SpainSat NG geosynchronous Earth orbit constellation, which already provides coverage of two-thirds of the planet.

Each company explained current SpainSat NG satellites play a key role in European security and defence, with the European Union, NATO and numerous allied governments employing them.

Airbus Defence and Space’s prime position means it is responsible for design, integration and testing of the satellite. It suggested the work would be an evolution of previous SpainSat NG birds, a fact Thales Alenia Space elaborated on by explaining the latest item would add “several improvements” to the existing model.

The project is to be handled at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Spain. It explained the satellite would use X-band receivers and transmitters which “provide the capability of 16 traditional antennas” and can rejig coverage “up to 1,000-times per second while detecting and mitigating electronic interference”.

Thales Alenia Space is to provide UHF and military Ka-band payloads.

Airbus Defence and Space stated the SpainSat NG-III would be resilient to “high-altitude nuclear events and electromagnetic pulses”.

Development is expected to take 48-months and the satellite is scheduled to launch in Q3 2030 before coming online early in 2031.

Thales Alenia Space asserted the development keeps Hisdesat at the forefront of domestic and allied defence capabilities, along with delivering a boost for the Spanish space industry.

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Japan continued to be lucrative territory for Ericsson, with NTT Docomo picking the vendor to provide RAN baseband platform spanning all generations of its mobile infrastructure.

Ericsson stated what it calls RAN Compute equipment works across 4G, and normal and advanced iterations of 5G. It explained the platform can be foundational in creation of AI-native networks.

The vendor noted the platform expands capacity by up to two times over its previous-generation of equipment. Energy use is “less than half”, elements Ericsson pitched as helping to reduce costs in centralised RAN set-ups.

Ericsson noted the work with Docomo adds to the rollout of Massive MIMO equipment with the operator in December 2025.

Over the course of 2026, it has added contracts with SoftBank Corp and KDDI, among other moves in Japan.

Docomo GM of RAN design department Masafumi Masuda said Ericsson is enhancing the “processing capacity” of the operator’s network, an upgrade needed to “improve communication quality while meeting” rising “traffic demand”.

Yukiko Sato, board director and head of the NTT Group customer unit at Ericsson Japan, said the RAN baseband platform would also “enhance environmental sustainability and reduce operating costs”.

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Ericsson signalled its selection as the digital radio system (DRS) supplier for a multi-billion-dollar rail and public transport project in Australia, a win which puts its 5G systems on track to play a key role in a future Olympic Games.

The work involves rail engineering company UGL Transport and mission-critical communications provider Frequentis and covers the first of three stages of The Wave, a massive infrastructure upgrade to public transport services on the Sunshine Coast in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic games scheduled to take place in Brisbane in 2032.

Stage one involves improvements to the track and infrastructure between the towns of Beerwah and Caloundra in which the national and regional governments are investing a total of AUD5 billion ($3.5 billion).

Ericsson stated the DRS would enable the updated rail network to employ the standardised European Train Control System signalling and control set-up.

Ludvig Landgren, head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, said the company’s 5G systems would “underpin” the region’s transport upgrade plans, delivering “safer operations” and “digital train control”.

Ericsson expects its infrastructure to enable the launch of Future Railway Mobile Communications System capabilities in the future, replacing current rail-oriented iterations of GSM connectivity.

The regional Queensland government expects work on the first stage of The Wave to commence early in 2027.

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Boldyn Networks equipped a pair of Italian hospitals with the connectivity needed to unlock a host of digital health services, overcoming 5G penetration issues by installing equipment inside the facilities.

The neutral host network player stated DAS installations leave the Policlinico Tor Vergata in Rome and San Carlo Borromeo Hospital in Milan set to handle services including telemedicine, remote consultations and patient monitoring.

Boldyn Networks’ 5G DAS deployment is also set to be used for hospital management, bringing IoT, augmented and virtual reality into the mix to improve back-office operations and clinical training.

CEO Antonino Ruggiero said the 5G installations are “another tangible example” of Boldyn Networks’ potential contribution to digital transformation in Italy. He explained the deployments “demonstrate the strategic importance” of the nation to the company’s “global growth strategy”.

Ruggiero argued healthcare is a sector ripe for some of the greatest benefits of innovative connectivity, citing potential advantages for patients and professionals alike.

Boldyn Networks emphasised the 5G DAS set-ups open doors for telecom service providers to offer innovative indoor services.

It made mention of working on projects in other Italian cities and industries, part of a mission to grow 5G connectivity in the nation.

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Bell Canada highlighted a growing problem with unauthorised removal of legacy equipment, reporting copper theft rose almost 80% year-on-year in H1 2026.

The operator stated the problem is most acute in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick but highlighted the dangers copper theft presents in any area due to the impact on critical communication services.

EVP and CTO Mark McDonald said tackling the problem requires “coordinated action” by operators, government, police and recycling companies.

He wants criminals to be held to account and highlighted stolen copper can result in “service outages that can endanger public safety, particularly by disrupting access to emergency services”.

Bell recorded 993 cases of copper theft or vandalism, up 78% year-on-year. It is fighting back by installing alarms to alert local police, upping surveillance and taking legal action against thieves.

It noted some pay-off, with arrests up 32% and brace of recent “favourable” court decisions.

Bell argued there is little monetary value in scrap copper, but emphasised the potentially big societal cost.

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One NZ advised businesses to rethink their approach to responsible AI after research showed consumers are growing worried about the environmental impact of companies’ use of the technology.

Research by the operator involving 1,001 New Zealanders found 45% have concerns over the sustainability of business use of AI, making it a key factor alongside transparency and privacy in overall trust ratings.

Head of corporate affairs and sustainability Nicky Preston said One NZ’s findings “highlight a shift” in attitudes.

“The conversation around AI has largely focused on productivity and innovation to date. But this research shows New Zealanders are starting to consider a broader question”.

Preston noted trust “has always been fundamental to technology adoption” and said sustainability is now part of the “equation”.

One NZ’s research found those worried about environmental impacts believe businesses should prioritise using renewable energy alongside cutting power consumption.

Consumers also want companies to be transparent about the environmental impacts, explain their reasons for employing AI and be open to independent audits.

“Customers and employees increasingly want evidence that organisations are managing AI responsibly through governance, infrastructure choices, supplier decisions and thoughtful deployment,” Preston explained.

The research highlighted consumption of electricity and water as key environmental concerns. Other factors include electronic waste and carbon emissions.

One NZ highlighted more traditional concerns about AI continue to rank highly: it noted respondents are worried about the technology taking jobs away from people, personal data being employed without consent and a lack of human oversight.

Preston said the findings indicate the businesses likely to be the most successful in using AI would be those which show they are “thinking carefully” about social and environmental impacts.

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