German technology giant Bosch settled a case with the US Department of Commerce for supplying $72 million-worth of sensor products and software subject to export restrictions to Huawei.

The products falling foul of US rules were Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors used in smartphones, wearables and vehicles, along with automotive software.

Announcing the $36.2 million settlement, the US department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) noted Bosch had disclosed the information itself and cooperated with the subsequent proceedings.

BIS explained the products shipped to Huawei or affiliates were covered by the Foreign Direct Product Rule, part of Export Administration Regulations (EAR) restricting the supply of some goods made using specific technology of US origin without a licence.

Shipments found to break the rules were made between 16 September 2020 and 26 September 2024.

Alongside the fine, Bosch must give up profits made as a result of the transactions.  

BIS assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement David Peters said the company had “several opportunities to avoid these violations had they exercised the increased vigilance BIS has repeatedly said it expects of companies whose transactions are governed by the EAR”.

“Today’s action should serve as a warning to embrace compliance and as an example of the benefits of voluntary self-disclosure.”

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Rakuten Symphony appointed former Telefonica CTIO Enrique Blanco (pictured) as a strategic adviser, charging the experienced executive with helping guide the company’s technology and support its ongoing expansion across global markets.

Blanco was global CTIO at Telefonica from 2017 until 2025, having previously been CTO at the group. Towards the end of his stint at the operator he was a vocal supporter of the move to open and virtualised network infrastructure.

Rakuten highlighted the expert brought decades of experience in the telecoms industry, which would help it in a drive to accelerate operator network modernisation.  

Part of the remit of the newly created role is to support adoption of AI-driven operations in the sector, with the ultimate aim of improving end user experience and achieving long term growth.

The vendor noted Blanco joins at a time when operators are upping investments in infrastructure and intelligence while being under pressure to improve returns and deliver better customer experiences.

These trends, it believes, are driving interest in software-based networks, automation and open ecosystems.

Rakuten Symphony president Sharad Sriwastawa said Blanco’s “insights and expertise will accelerate our work with like-minded service providers that want to build better networks for the future of connectivity. His experience will enable us to provide even greater support to operators as they move beyond network modernisation and embrace AI-driven business transformation”.

Blanco added: “The industry has made significant progress over the past decade as we’ve advanced to 5G and beyond, but operators still face many of the same challenges around complexity, cost and speed of innovation.”

Noting Rakuten’s willingness to “rethink” how networks are built and operated, he noted “open architectures, automation and cloud-native technologies give operators more flexibility to adapt their businesses and respond to changing customer expectations. I’m looking forward to helping shape that next stage of the industry’s evolution”.

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AI is an inescapable topic in any business or technology-linked conference in 2026, with sessions often presented by vendors crowing about the abilities of LLMs to transform businesses, up productivity and cut costs.

One of the areas arguably most exposed to the benefits and downsides of the hugely-hyped technology is security, with those dedicated to protecting enterprises seeing an increase in AI-aided attacks but also viewing the technology as a part of the defence.

So it was no shock to see security front and centre at conference Infosecurity Europe 2026 held earlier this month in London, with almost half of the nine keynotes on the opening day featuring AI in the title and the topic frequently mentioned across a large proportion of the other sessions.

During a panel comprising cybersecurity professionals working for McDonald’s, Live Nation Entertainment, IHG Hotels and Resorts, and international law company RPC, there was optimism about the prospects of AI as a defensive tool, though its limitations and potential threat from the technology when used by criminals was also raised.

On the attack.
Spencer Scott, head of information security at RPC (pictured below, far-left), said as with other sectors the legal industry is experiencing a “big uptick in deep fake voice cloning, where you have people impersonating C-suite” taking the form of spoofed executives joining voice calls and phishing through messages.

McDonald’s senior analyst cyber defence Ellie Hallam (pictured, far-right) argued this type of AI-driven trend is especially problematic for organisations reliant on distributed workforces.

“I’d argue if you have organisations reliant on remote workers you’re far more likely to fall victim to that because [attackers] are so good at using AI voice cloning,” she added, noting in an earlier session at the event it was revealed “you now need three seconds of voice to clone someone’s voice”.

Citing current reports on industry trends, Hallam highlighted a consensus AI is accelerating attacks, so “it’s just much more difficult for us as defenders to catch things when we need to, before they’ve become significant risks to the business”.

In terms of how attackers are structuring assaults, she indicated automation for selected tasks is more common than blanket AI being present across every element.

Boring jobs.
A regular selling point of AI across a lot of industries is the ability to take away repetitive tasks which often involve scything through huge volumes of data. These roles are unlikely to be enjoyed by staff or viewed as a good use of an experienced professional’s time.

For these labour-intensive tasks the panel was united in agreeing the technology offers plenty, though the need for human oversight was repeatedly stated.

However, not everyone was convinced by a lot of the vendor claims around use of the technology.

Live Nation Entertainment senior cyber threat intelligence analyst Alice Smith (pictured above, second from left) described AI as a “buzzword” and said she is not the “biggest fan”.

“It’s so hard to sift through all of the noise, all of the information” about the technology, she added, noting it is “always going to be a tool that’s going to be used to make things quicker and to make things more productive”.

“But in terms of actual value, we’re always going to add that.”

Information security director for AMER and EMEAA Managed Hotels at IHG Matt Gregory (pictured above, second from right) added security is “a constant evolution, as the attacker changes we change as well”.

“The tools are there to make things easier and more effective”, he emphasised, but echoed the fact there is a need for “human engagement” and oversight.

Scott explained from his perspective “we’re still not ready to trust AI to take over. It’s not human in the loop, it’s humans on the loop: continuous review with AI as a partner until you feel confident enough it can take [on] those low-level tasks with 100% certainty it’s doing the right thing, not hallucinating and going outside its” boundaries.

“I don’t think we’re there on that yet.”

Smith added “you know the culture of your organisation, you can read the room, you know the nuances, you can bring that to the table”.

“AI can organise the data, but especially [for] intelligence, there has to be a human there bringing that perspective,” she concluded.

On the attack.
Elsewhere on the keynote agenda, Stuart McKenzie, MD EMEA for Google Cloud subsidiary Mandiant Consulting, provided insight from its latest intelligence on threat trends facing the audience of security professionals.

Noting “attackers have adopted AI wholeheartedly”, he explained “we’re beginning to get to the speed and scale of some of the attackers that we have to start thinking about how we’re going to deploy AI to get into those battles”.

“We have to move as fast as the attackers, if not faster, or they’ll be through our environments so quickly”.

McKenzie added the abilities of criminals used to be five-to-seven-years behind activity from nations, but this gap is now nearer 18 months.

The ability for criminal threat actors to identify vulnerabilities is now greater than it’s ever been

Stuart McKenzie, MD EMEA Mandiant Consulting

This “step-change” in speed and scale has seen hackers “exploiting vulnerabilities more often than not before anyone is aware of them”.

“The ability for criminal threat actors to identify vulnerabilities is now greater than it’s ever been with the help that LLMs provide them. It’s given them an uplift in sophistication”.

However, he noted it is not all “doom and gloom”, with new technologies and tactics available to aid defenders too.

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Ericsson announced CEO Borje Ekholm (pictured) will step down at the end of September, with current networks chief Per Narvinger set to be elevated to the top job.

Ekholm, who has been at the helm of the Swedish vendor since the start of 2017, will act as an executive adviser at the company when he relinquishes his position, until 15 June 2027.

Incoming boss Narvinger is currently head of Business Area Networks at the vendor, a position he has held since March 2025.

Prior to taking the networks brief, he headed-up its Cloud Software and Services division. He has been at the company his entire career, which started in 1997.

Ericsson chair Jan Carlson said Narvinger brings “deep technical knowledge of our industry as well as extensive commercial experience and has proved himself in several key leadership positions”.

Carlson added the outgoing chief’s tenure of almost a decade was “defined by extraordinary leadership and strategic advancements” asserting the company had solidified its position as a “leading provider of trusted communications networks”.

He credited Ekholm with challenging “traditional thinking” and positioning the company for long-term success.

Challenges
Ekholm joined Ericsson in 2017 during what he described at the time as a period of “intense change”, with the vendor mid-way through a significant restructure.

Reflecting on his time in charge, the executive stated “we have turned Ericsson around and emerged as a global communications and technology leader” since he arrived.

“Today, Ericsson is driving the transformation of mobile connectivity by changing how networks are used and commercialised, and we are leading the industry into the next stage of AI: the physical AI era. It is our ability to innovate, to adapt and to compete globally that continues to define us.”

He backed Narvinger as the “right leader to continue developing this great company”.

The incoming chief described the appointment as a great honour, adding he was taking over at a “pivotal time in our industry”.

“As AI continues to industrialise, this will increasingly require advanced connectivity solutions, an area where Ericsson is leading,” Narvinger said.

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Telia identified emergency services, energy, transport, industry and healthcare as target sectors for an IoT connectivity service using standalone (SA) 5G the company launched in Sweden.

The operator asserted Telia Critical IoT Connectivity was the first commercially available product of its type in the country to use the network technology, highlighting it had already rolled out SA 5G widely in the nation.

Pointing to frequently promoted advantages of the network architecture for slicing and provision of low-latency, secure communications, it noted SA 5G enabled smart traffic management, and is optimised for video and data.

These factors ensure “reliable performance for key applications even at peak times”.

Head of B2B at Telia Sweden Fredrik Stenberg said the product creates the conditions for customers to “use new digital solutions in the most critical parts of their operations, where the demands are greatest, without compromising security or control”.

The service has been developed partly using the experience and insights Telia gained from NorthStar 5G, a programme launched alongside Ericsson carrying European Union funding which is focused on increasing uptake of the technology in industry.

Its commercial offer on SA 5G is Telia’s second major IoT product announcement in the space of a month.

In May it unveiled Telia IoT Connect, a service providing sovereign infrastructure aimed at companies and authorities requiring secure and resilient communications while keeping all data within Sweden.

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Salesforce struck a deal to acquire AI customer service specialist Fin for around $3.6 billion, a move positioned as bolstering its ability to help companies quickly deploy agents across communications channels.

Fin’s main product is a customer support AI agent which uses its proprietary Apex model. It is marketed as resolving queries across numerous channels including live chat, email, WhatsApp, SMS, Slack and over the phone.

Salesforce plans to use Fin’s offering to compliment its Agentforce platform.

It noted the combination of assets would provide fast “time-to-value options” for businesses, citing SMBs and those which “need to launch quickly, integrate with existing systems and deliver measurable outcomes” as likely customers.

The acquisition also brings Salesforce access to Fin’s experienced team and an “established global customer base of more than 30,000 companies”.

Salesforce chair and CEO Marc Benioff said Fin brings “proven agent technology, a deep commitment to customer success and an incredible AI team that will complement Agentforce with powerful service agent capabilities”.

Fin co-founder and CEO Eoghan McCabe enthused the deal as a “major win for consumers of the world”, adding the combination with Salesforce would enable it to deploy its products “far and wide at a rate far faster than we could have ever achieved on our own.”

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions including potential customary price adjustments. It is expected to close in Salesforce’s Q4 2027 (the three months to end-January 2027).

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Bharti Airtel edged closer to completing a deal which would take its ownership of Airtel Africa to 79%, winning the backing of almost all of its shareholders to acquire an additional 16% interest in the business.

In a stock exchange filing, Bharti Airtel described the near unanimous support for the deal as reinforcing its confidence in the strategic rationale for the move and potential for long-term benefits.

The deal would see the company issue shares to Indian Continent Investment in exchange for its 16% stake in Airtel Africa and was announced in May.

Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal noted “Airtel Africa is central to our growth strategy and is well positioned to deliver robust performance with an increasing contribution to our consolidated revenues”.

“As we look ahead, we see significant potential in Africa for long-term shareholder value creation,” he added.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

Airtel Africa is listed on the London Stock Exchange with a secondary listing in Nigeria. It operates in 14 countries across the continent.

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Senior figures from UK operators Virgin Media O2 and VodafoneThree voiced confidence premium network offerings based on standalone (SA) 5G could become a solid revenue source, during sessions at a circus-themed Ericsson event.

The vendor’s tech showcase was held in central London in a building which also houses the UK’s National Centre for Circus Arts, with performers appearing in the breaks of the main programme.

It brought together operators, enterprises, partners and representatives from UK authorities to discuss the benefits of cutting-edge 5G technology and progress of network rollouts. It acted as a follow-up to a music-themed event in 2025.

Juggling networks
VodafoneThree CNO and network director Andrea Dona (pictured, below) highlighted early progress integrating assets previously held by the Vodafone and 3 UK brands following a merger just over a year ago.

Describing the deal as “a really important one for the country,” the network guru reiterated an argument frequently voiced while the deal was going through the approvals process: it would boost network investment by the combined entity and rivals.

Highlighting a “really fast start” in the process of merging the two networks and employing respective spectrum assets, he added recent benchmark statistics showed peers “have not stood still, they’ve also invested. Everyone feels the pressure to do more and give the UK a better network”.

“There’s still a lot of work to do but I think in some areas we are ahead [of target],” Dona added. “The scene is set for an amazing journey”.

VodafoneThree describes its ambition with SA 5G as to build the “UK’s first nationwide AI-ready network”.

Dona explained the connection to AI was due to SA 5G’s bandwidth and latency being able to support compatible applications, as well as the benefits the technology can bring to the network architecture itself including use in and on the RAN.

“The network we’re building is going to be an exceptional network,” he asserted, pointing to the benefits of slicing in stadia as an example.

“If you want a privileged lane to do your upload and you’re willing to pay,” then you can, he said, adding operators can monetise the network through “quality on demand” offers.

“We need to ensure in a situation with congestion, when a resource is not readily available, we can make it available if you pay for additional quality, additional performance and additional services”.

Selling premium versions of services “happens in every industry”, he said.

Singing in harmony
During a separate session, Virgin Media O2 director of strategy, transformation and planning Anita Tadayon (pictured, below) said she also believes there is an appetite for services based on network slicing on SA 5G, but called for an industry-wide effort to get the message across on what the technology can do.

“Articulating the benefits of slicing for a customer is really important and collectively, as an industry, we have to do that together. We’ve got to sing from the same hymn sheet,” she noted, adding if there’s value “then the customer will pay”.

Speaking broadly on SA 5G, she highlighted a strong push on rolling out the technology at VMO2.

Its network now covers 700 towns and cities, and Tadayon explained the technology benefits all customers whether they have a compatible handset or not.

“I know we talk about monetisation, but look at what it also does for our customers.”

“Absolutely, there’s new innovation and use cases, but it also delivers all of our customers a benefit on coverage, capacity, speed, everything”.

Away from the latest iteration of 5G, she highlighted the operator’s work in providing direct-to-device satellite connectivity to users in remote areas through a deal with Starlink and a push to introduce greater autonomy in its network.

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Telecom Italia (TIM) received a €1 billion payment from the Italian state, refunding a charge from the late 90s the operator has been battling through the courts for years to get back.

The operator paid just over €500 million in a licence fee in 1998 and has been contesting that payment for over 20 years. The final sum awarded to the operator comprises the original amount with inflation and interest added.

In December 2025, the country’s Court of Cassation finally ended a long-running legal row, ratifying a decision made in 2024 to award the sum.

Telecom Italia noted the payment had been flagged in its accounts last year and will “have a net positive impact on the financial position for the current financial year”.

The payment draws a line under what has been a lengthy battle for the operator to get a refund on a fee paid in the wake of the Italian telecoms market being opened-up.

In a statement made in 2024 on the issue, TIM argued courts in Europe had “intervened on this issue on several occasions” with a court in Rome eventually ruling in its favour.

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Nokia positioned the forthcoming addition of an agentic AI framework into its network services platform (NSP) as giving operators the ability to adopt agents using trusted data within secure boundaries.

The vendor stated the move would provide the means for customers to introduce AI operations for IP networks, with agents able to take guided, explainable actions based on real network data.

Commercial availability of the functionality is expected by the end of the year.

Nokia’s NSP is its management and automation platform for multi-vendor IP networks. It asserted the addition of the AI framework supports communication with external agents and would aid operators on their routes towards employing fully automated networks.

The company explained “while AI has the potential to transform network operations, many operators have remained cautious due to concerns around explainability, trust and risk in production environments”.

Its approach to ease these concerns is by “embedding agentic AI capabilities directly into the platform that already serves as the authoritative controller for IP networks”.

The vendor announced the first agent able to use the framework is a troubleshooting bot designed to help operators identify the root causes of problems faster and resolve complex issues.

Nokia VP and general manager for IP network automation software Sasa Nijemcevic said the move would “have a major impact on the way operators manage their networks, and will enable them to enhance their operations significantly and accelerate their journey toward autonomous networks with focus on solving real operational problems”.

“This is an incremental, pragmatic step toward AI‑native networks,” he added.

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SK Group, NTT and Chunghwa Telecom were among the parties to form an AI investment fund expected to reach $500 million, with the aim of backing companies working on technology related to optical and wireless networking.

The IOWN AI Fund has been established alongside Catalight Capital, a company set-up to manage the project from offices in Japan and the US.  

Other current financiers are Development Bank of Japan, and Young Sohn, an entrepreneur who is founding managing partner of VC company Walden Catalyst Ventures and former chief strategy officer of Samsung Electronics.

In a joint statement, the companies and Sohn revealed more than 20 parties around the globe had expressed an interest in contributing to the fund, which is expected to reach $500 million in size.

Businesses apparently mulling the opportunity include KDDI, NEC, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Sony, Fujitsu and various VC companies.

Catalight Capital will be charged with hunting down promising start-ups for investment. Targets will be in technologies related to the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) ecosystem.

It intends to invest in companies working in areas including: photonics; AI processors and advanced packaging; light source and modulators; management technology for distributed AI infrastructure; software; AI models and inference; and applications and services.

Global push
SK Group chair Chey Tae-won stated he hoped the fund would: “play a key role in identifying and fostering AI start-ups not only across Asia but around the world”, noting “to emerge as a competitive AI nation, proactive and large-scale investment in AI infrastructure is essential, and trust-based global cooperation is equally important”.

NTT President and CEO Akira Shimada added “to realise AI-native infrastructure, it is essential to combine the optical and networking technologies that NTT has cultivated with advanced technologies and the strengths of partners”.

“Through the IOWN AI Fund, we will promote business collaboration with promising startups, work together with our global partners to build the IOWN ecosystem, and contribute to the creation of a new industrial foundation”.

IOWN is a vision initially pushed by NTT to drive next generation ICT infrastructure which uses optical networking technology to vastly cut electricity use while delivering high performance. The associated IOWN Global Forum has 170 member organisations.

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MTN Group Fintech signed a deal with Ant International to collaborate on a so-called super-app platform covering a range of lifestyle and commerce services based around the operator’s mobile money platform.

The MTN unit hailed the agreement with the financial technology specialist as a major step in its attempts to build a more resilient and future-ready digital ecosystem across its markets.

Nigeria will be first country to see the results of the pact with a “super-app” platform set to be launched there in Q3 intended to deepen digital inclusion and provide the basis for a range of mobile money-linked services.

It is expected to significantly enhance MTN customers’ mobile money experience in Nigeria, delivering faster transactions, improving reliability, and providing greater integration with other financial and commerce services.

The operator unit explained using Ant’s technology provides the means for it to evolve its product by means including fraud prevention measures and “richer engagement features for consumers and merchants”.

MTN Group president and CEO Ralph Mupita (pictured) said the “partnership aligns” with the company’s “ambition of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress by leveraging scale, technology and strong global partnerships”.

He added it aims to deliver a “more seamless, secure and intuitive MoMo platform that advances digital inclusion and expands economic participation”.

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Samsung Group unveiled plans for a sweeping transformation of its businesses, introducing AI extensively across its companies covering functions from marketing to manufacturing.

The conglomerate believes widespread adoption across its affiliates, which includes Samsung Electronics, will fundamentally change working style and culture across the organisations.

Samsung highlighted it had pioneered the use of AI in consumer devices and wanted to “strongly apply” it to eight major business processes: development, purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, sales, service and management support.

“To enhance business competitiveness amid rapidly changing business environments, Samsung plans to officially introduce external generative AI services such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude across all affiliates in June,” the company added.

Specific aims include enhancing productivity in software and marketing, and upping “operational innovation” in manufacturing.

The company asserted AI was not “just a new technology or a simple tool for improving operations, but rather an innovative technique that triggers fundamental changes in management, actively utilising it as a starting point for discovering new growth momentum”.

To help push the initiative all executives from its companies are set to go through a training camp by the end of 2026, with all 50 CEOs to take the course this month.

It plans to extend the training to eventually cover all employees. Dedicated AI teams are also to be placed across the organisation’s businesses.

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The Norwegian Competition Authority cleared Telenor to buy fibre company GlobalConnect’s domestic consumer business, subject to a handful of conditions including offloading some assets.

Telenor is required to divest fibre infrastructure at addresses both companies already serve. This will impact approximately 6,000 customers.

Around 9,000 GlobalConnect customers using Telenor’s network through resale agreements are also set to be transferred to another provider.

The competition authority’s third requirement involves giving rivals access to the fibre network being acquired, as is the case with Telenor’s existing network.

Telenor president and CEO Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer highlighted the deal strengthens its position in the market and “is good for customers and for market development”.

“Whilst we disagree that remedies were necessary, we are pleased to have reached a resolution,” the executive added, noting the transaction would bolster its customer numbers by 125,000 and take its market share in Norway’s consumer fibre market from 22% to 29%.

The deal is expected to complete in the second-half of the year, with a gradual customer transition afterwards.

Telenor noted the initial NOK6 billion ($634 million) purchase price would be adjusted after it meets the remedies and disclosed at that time.

GlobalConnect plans to continue to serve its base of 12,000 business customers in Norway, spanning enterprises of various sizes, the public sector and global cloud companies.

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Singtel Group positioned a partnership with government-linked body Digital Industry Singapore as helping it accelerate a sweeping AI transformation of its business and strengthen digital infrastructure in the country.

The operator noted the pact, which comes with a grant for the company, will contribute to a multi-year plan to up adoption of AI across its business including within infrastructure, customer platforms and for workforce development.

In the first phase Singtel plans to develop and hire AI talent, establish governance and tech frameworks and build “enterprise advisory and implementation expertise to support AI deployment at scale”.

Among its aims is to become a “world-leading AI-native telco” with advanced AI and machine learning capabilities in all business units.

The operator highlighted its push aligned with a wider national strategy in Singapore which aims to strengthen sovereign digital infrastructure, increase skills of the local workforce and develop “globally competitive leaders” in the AI sector.

Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon added it was “championing enterprise transformation with AI” in its home market.

“As an adopter, provider and enabler of AI, Singtel is embedding intelligent technologies across our operations, delivering trusted enterprise-grade solutions that help customers move from pilot to scale, and providing secure, sovereign platforms and digital infrastructure to support adoption across industries.”

He continued: “Ultimately, our goal is to create real impact not just for our business, but for Singapore, future-proofing our industries to be more competitive and resilient in the AI era.”

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China stepped-up preparations for 6G, launching a programme comprising regional pilots to identify potential use cases and make other advances towards eventual commercial rollout, state-owned news agency Xinhua reported.

The “joint ministry-provincial collaborative pilot program”, announced by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), involves general research into 6G and how it fits into the wider mix of current and emerging technologies.

Among the focuses is exploration of potential applications for the network tailored to specific demand in the regions where the trials are set to take place, including smart maritime operations and use cases for manufacturing.

MIIT’s general aims for the project include the integration of communications infrastructure with AI, satellite and wireless sensing, alongside R&D into new base station technology and other network kit.

The news agency noted the move was intended to support eventual commercial rollout of the technology, which is expected around 2030.

MIIT’s announcement comes around a month after it gave the green light for regional trials in the 6GHz band.

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SoftBank Group’s mobile payment subsidiary PayPay inked a deal to acquire a 70% stake in T&D Financial Life Insurance Company for JPY134 billion ($840 million), part of an aim to broaden its range of financial services.

When launched in 2018 PayPay focused on providing contactless mobile payments but has since widened this to include credit cards and other banking services. It had a base of more than 74 million users as of May 2026.

Announcing the deal, PayPay said the move to buy the life insurance company from T&D Holdings was part of an ambition to “provide comprehensive financial services tailored to each stage of users’ lives”.

The company intends to grow T&D Financial Life’s business through use of its existing platforms and by creating “new customer experiences in the digital life insurance domain”.  

In a linked deal, asset management company One Investment Management intends to buy a stake of almost 15% in the insurance company from T&D Holdings. The current owner will retain the other 15%, though a call option on this is being inserted into the acquisition agreement.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval.

Alongside the proposed acquisition, PayPay agreed a “comprehensive business alliance” agreement 3with T&D Holdings, largely concerning the latter’s insurance brand Taiyo Life.

The pair will “explore the development and provision of services designed to enhance customer convenience and help address social issues, while also drawing on AI, digital technologies, and other capabilities of SoftBank Corp”.

The pact is set to include: offering T&D Holdings’ Taiyo Life insurance products on the PayPay app; exploring call centre enhancement and operational efficiency for Taiyo Life; and jointly exploring a “smart senior city concept”.

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Apple unveiled plans to open a facility for developers in Berlin, Germany, a site intended to help European companies in creating and improving apps for the iPhone-maker’s devices.

The developer centre will be Apple’s first of its type in Europe. It runs similar facilities in Singapore, Shanghai, Cupertino and Bengaluru.

It is set to host workshops for app developers, one-on-one appointments and other in-person sessions in an attempt to help companies elevate the design and performance of applications for iPhones, iPads, macs and other devices using its operating systems.

Apple added dedicated labs will also offer hands-on support across multiple languages.

The company’s VP worldwide developer relations Susan Prescott said Europe was “home to an extraordinary community of developers who are building apps that create connections, encourage creativity, and drive innovation”.

“We have always believed that when developers have the right tools and resources to do their best work, incredible things follow. That belief is what this centre is built on, and we look forward to seeing what the community continues to develop.”

The site, located in the Mitte district of the German capital, is due to open later this year.

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Vodafone Business and carmaker Geely’s European R&D division extended an existing partnership to cover adoption of a range of connectivity platforms intended to support vehicle monitoring and driver experience improvements.

The deal with Geely Technology Europe comprises Vodafone’s Internet in the Car, Mobile Private Networks and Cloud Connect products.

Vodafone noted capabilities supported by the systems include diagnostics, over the air software updates and secure data transfer between vehicles and cloud systems.

The operator is also providing connectivity across the Geely division’s operations in Germany and Sweden and for its sales teams across Europe.

Vodafone highlighted by 2030 98% of new passenger vehicles sold are expected to be connected, adding together with Geely it was “ready to help drive this expansion”.

Geely Technology Europe CEO Giovanni Lanfranchi said: “We’ve moved beyond simple transport solutions. Today, vehicles can be continuously improved through software, with data and connectivity enabling a more responsive and personalised user experience over time.”

Vodafone Business product and international business director Fanan Henriques added: “As the adoption rate of electric vehicles continues to grow, the opportunities to enhance their safety, efficiency and the user experience through digital connectivity are significant.”

“We’re supporting Geely’s growth in vehicle sales across Europe and its operations with a secure, multi-service digital infrastructure.”

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Ofcom called for a concerted effort from mobile operators, local authorities and other entities to improve coverage across the UK, as it published a study highlighting widespread mobile signal issues uncovered on the country’s railway network.

Its research assessed coverage on 24 segments of the UK’s key railway lines. A good performance was deemed to be a download speed of at least 5 Mb/s, 1.5 Mb/s upload, and a response time of 50 milliseconds or less.

It found EE met those standards on 42% of the lines, Virgin Media O2 hit 20%, Vodafone scored 17% and 3 UK 21%. The latter two are now the same company.

Ofcom noted the research “highlights the core problem that mobile signal from masts on the ground often isn’t strong enough around train lines and that some carriage types are difficult for signals to pass through”.

It also found on-board Wi-Fi by train companies was little help, performing well 1% of the time. This was blamed on “outdated technology” and speed caps.

Goals
Alongside the train-specific research, the regulator published a report detailing general aims to improve the quality of mobile coverage in the country.

Here, Ofcom called for a “national effort” to improve services, noting the roles of the mobile industry, local authorities, central government, building developers and landowners.

Highlighting a binding £11 billion investment commitment from VodafoneThree related to merger clearance, Ofcom expects “other networks to respond with their own investment, and collectively this will be a key driver of improvements”.

Ofcom also pointed to issues with infrastructure planning applications in some areas and the advantage of having dedicated indoor coverage systems within sites such as shopping centres.

On train-specific problems, it noted “competition between mobile networks alone won’t be enough to improve mobile signal on trains, and government is currently considering options for how it can help”.

“As well as providing technical advice to Government to help inform its approach, we’ll also look at whether more spectrum – the airwaves all wireless technology relies on – is required”.

Challenges
A statement issued by trade association Mobile UK on behalf of the country’s three mobile operators welcomed the Ofcom research, explaining it “highlights the unique structural and capacity challenges of delivering consistent connectivity on moving trains”.

Noting building the advanced infrastructure required needed “the right enabling environment” the organisation urged government action through the country’s Mobile Market Review and “planning reform to establish a supportive policy and regulatory framework”.

“Dedicated public investment is also critical to tackle complex trackside blackspots, as commercial rollout alone cannot bridge the gap on the rail network,” the statement added. “We look forward to working with Government and Ofcom to achieve this, balancing the need for major investment with Ofcom’s vital role in maintaining low costs for consumers.”

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