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Verizon CEO promises more to come after $1B Google deal

24 July 2026 at 15:47

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman revealed in the company’s Q2 earnings call it had struck a deal worth more than $1 billion with Google for data centre connectivity, while teasing other agreements will be announced before the end of the year.

Schulman said it will provide dark fibre connectivity for Google’s data centres, before adding it expects to announce other deals which together will be worth “multiple billions of dollars in revenue over the next several years”.

Details about the Google partnership were not disclosed in its second quarter earnings statement.

Over the period, Schulman stated its results provide “clear, compelling evidence” a recent shake-up to its consumer plans “is driving a structural inflection point across our entire business”.

“We are accelerating across our key metrics, achieving a step-change in churn reduction while lowering our customer acquisition and retention costs,” he said, while adding its core connectivity business is gaining momentum and the emergence of AI infrastructure revenue was helping reshape its growth trajectory.

Simplified service plans and a new loyalty rewards programme helped the company draw 184,000 postpaid phone net additions during the quarter, representing the highest gains in the segment in the past five years. Mobile and broadband net additions tallied up to 550,000, up 230,000 year-on-year.

Total revenue was broadly flat at $34.4 billion. Mobility and broadband service revenue hit $23.4 billion, a 2.8% increase, but this was offset by a nearly 20% decline in equipment revenue due to lower upgrade volumes.

Net income dropped 22.9% to $3.9 billion, primarily driven by a $1.8 billion hit in pre-tax special items including a $746 million loss related to its international wireline and managed network services business.

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HCLTech, Sarvam plot $1.5B Indian AI data centre

24 July 2026 at 11:56

Indian IT company HCLTech teamed with AI start-up Sarvam to build a data centre in the eastern state of Odisha, tapping increasing demand for the technology and cloud computing.

The project is expected to cost around INR142.6 billion ($1.5 billion), with financial assistance from the government of Odisha, HCLTech stated.

It pitched the data centre as central to boosting sovereign AI and the local developer ecosystem, employing the full-stack of its capabilities with the technology along with Sarvam’s foundation models to tailor services for private and public sector enterprises.

The company stated the data centre would also help to deliver multi-lingual AI-based services in line with calls from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the technology to benefit all citizens.

HCLTech is building its relationship with Sarvam AI after acquiring a 10.5% stake in the business for $150 million.

This month, it struck a $1.1 billion deal with an unnamed European company.

HCLTech CEO and MD C Vijayakumar said the data centre in Odisha is an important milestone in its full stack AI play, explaining the state offers “a progressive policy environment backed by excellent infrastructure”.

In November 2025, rival Tata Consultancy Services also announced plans to develop AI data centres in partnership with private equity company TPG and investing around $2 billion.

HCLTech separately outlined a plan to open a technology centre in the city of Bhubaneswar, also in Odisha.

It intends for the site to be operational by 2028, housing around 5,000 employees.

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T-Mobile US chief buoyant on customer playbook

23 July 2026 at 14:57

T-Mobile US CEO Srini Gopalan (pictured) insisted its second quarter earnings are proof its strategy is working, highlighting the success of customer-focussed initiatives which are leading to a surge in adoption of its premium packages.

Gopalan stated the company’s strategy is simple: “give customers the best network, the best value and the best experience, all in one place.”

“That’s how we eliminate trade-offs for our customers, and that’s what sets us apart, and our results represent another proof point that our strategy is working,” he added.

Since taking on the role in November 2025, Gopalan has changed the reporting structure in results announcements to no longer reveal changes in wireless customer additions.

However, it recorded net account additions of 277,000 in Q2, a 13% decrease year-on-year but up quarterly by 60,000.

Speaking to Reuters, COO Jon Freier stated a push towards more lucrative subscriber plans, which include customer loyalty incentives, unlimited data and device upgrades, is beginning to pay-off.

“We are seeing new customers really kind of adopt our most premium plans at a rate of about 60% of total sales,” he said.

Total sales for the quarter increased 8% to $22.8 billion, with total service revenue up the same amount to just shy of $19 billion. Net income was broadly flat at $3.2 billion, due to the impact of related costs on its UScellular merger.  

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High risk vendor rip out could cost EU up to €40B

23 July 2026 at 11:05

GSMA Intelligence estimated the cost of replacing equipment made by so-called high risk vendors (HRV) from telecoms networks in Europe will cost between €30 billion to €40 billion, based on data from operators representing almost half of the market.

In the study, independently commissioned and sponsored by seven operator groups, GSMA Intelligence put the cost of replacing mobile networks at €16 billion to €22 billion, equating to around €30 to €42 per mobile connection. This is driven by high exposure to HRV equipment and the cost of replacing equipment such as base stations.

Fixed network costs will hit up to €5 billion, representing the costs of fibre terminals, gateways and fixed wireless equipment. Transport networks, which includes optical switches, multiplexers and amplifiers will cost between €9 billion and €12 billion.

The figures cover only direct equipment replacement and exclude write-offs of existing assets, disruption cost, capacity constraints and broader impacts on future investment plans.

Higher prices
GSMA Intelligence further warned excluding HRV’s could reduce competitive pressure, leading to a 24% price increase in mobile network equipment, 19% in fixed network equipment and 10% in transport network equipment.

Higher prices would therefore raise operator investment costs by €8.5 billion between 2027 and 2030, with current budgets for mobile networks set at nearly €42 billion.

The European Commission outlined a proposal making it mandatory to “de-risk” European mobile telecoms networks from high-risk third party suppliers in January, as part of revisions to its Cybersecurity Act.

Over a five year period, it estimated phasing out equipment could lead to annual costs of €3.4 billion to €4.3 billion for operators, while investment in “trusted suppliers” could grow up to €2 billion per year.

Operators Deutsche Telekom, Fastweb, MEO, Orange, Telefonica, United Group and Vodafone Group took part in the GSMA Intelligence study, which was based on limited datasets provided by third parties.

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AMD commits $5B to Anthropic in AI chip deal

22 July 2026 at 16:36

AMD outlined plans to invest up to $5 billion in Anthropic as part of a wider deal for the AI company to add 2 gigawatts of computing capacity to its platform, with deployment set to begin in the first half of 2027.

The duo stated it had struck the strategic partnership to address the extraordinary pace of AI adoption, which is driving rapid growth in demand for training and inference capacity,

Anthropic said it was scaling up its compute infrastructure to serve strong and growing demand for Claude and acquiring AMD’s latest AI server chips “represents a major expansion of AMD’s position at the centre of the global AI infrastructure buildout”.

Deployment of the first gigawatt of AMD’s Helios platform will begin in the first half of 2027. No timescale was given to complete deployment.

In addition, the pair stated they are launching a multiyear engineering collaboration to accelerate AMD software deployment with Claude and the company will adopt the model across its engineering and product development teams.

Details on the $5 billion commitment from AMD into Anthropic were sparse, but it will be dependent on meeting certain milestones. Anthropic has also secured billions in investment from Google and Amazon.

Lisa Su, CEO and chair at AMD, said the deal will help it establish “Helios as a major platform for the next generation of AI infrastructure”.

Chief compute officer and co-founder of Anthropic Tom Brown added access to compute is “central to keeping Claude at the frontier and meeting demand from our customers”.

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President Xi makes pitch for China to lead global AI race

17 July 2026 at 15:10

China President Xi Jinping (pictured) set out his vision for the country to assume a leadership role in AI, calling for increased international cooperation and promotion of open-source technology while taking aim at the US over attempts to govern the sector.

Xi made the comments in a speech at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, where it was announced China, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia are among 30 countries to have joined the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation.

Chinese state media describe the new group as an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Shanghai to promote global AI governance.

Of the new group, Xi said AI should not be a “solo performance by one country, but rather a symphony of global cooperation”.

He said the initiative is a response to the call of the Global South to unite the international community in promoting development and governance of AI, “and it will become a major milestone in the history of artificial intelligence development”.

To further support this, Xi said China will provide 5,000 training opportunities in AI-related fields for developing countries, in addition to establishing AI application cooperation centres.  

In his speech, Xi noted that as AI continues to develop at “staggering speed”, there was a greater need for positive direction.

“We must more precisely grasp the scale of oversight and governance, and more promptly refine measures to forestall loss of control.”

Overstretch
While not naming the US directly, Xi said countries should oppose “overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI, or placing one country’s security over that of others”.

The US has notably placed several restrictions on China, impacting companies in the country from accessing high-end technology.

XI continued to state he was committed to promoting cooperation, bridging the digital divide, promoting sustainable development and avoiding “creating new historical injustices in the field of artificial intelligence”.

Finally, he called on the countries to “seize this rare historical opportunity, encourage open source and open collaboration”, in turn upgrading traditional industries and ensure AI can “empower all sectors”.

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EC calls on Google to level up AI playing field

16 July 2026 at 16:39

The European Commission (EC) ordered Google to ensure rival AI platforms can compete better with the company’s own services on Android and laid out data sharing requirements for its search engine.

The EC stated the measures fall under its Digital Markets Act and are the result of a six-month probe against the company to ensure compliance with the legislation.

In the field of AI, the EC noted competing AI assistants currently have only restricted access to key functions on the current Android OS. This means systems including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude “are not competing on an equal footing” with Google’s own services such as Gemini which have full access.

As a result, third party AI assistants are 60% less attractive to EU users who have an Android device, the EC stated.

The EC stated the measure means users would be able to activate their preferred AI assistant through voice commands.

Third-party users would also be able to employ AI assistants to perform actions in apps on their behalf.

The EC also included safeguards to ensure privacy, device integrity and security.

In total, it will open 11 features on Android to rival AI companies.

Google is also required to share data it collects from its search services with rivals including OpenAI, allowing “for the development and optimisation of third-party search engines”.

The EC stated the move would create a more level playing field with Google Search, although it will be allowed to assess whether rivals pose cybersecurity and data protection risks before opening data to them. The EC stated the measure provides “a fair formula to calculate the price of the shared data”.

Google is required to begin implementing the search measures by January 2027 and the changes to Android from July 2027.

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TSMC ups US investment on AI mega-trend

16 July 2026 at 11:23

TSMC raised its investment budget in the US by a further $100 billion, driven by strong demand for AI technology through to 2030.

In an announcement tied to its quarterly results, the Taiwanese chipmaker revealed it would spend the sum in the US state of Arizona, adding to an investment of $165 billion which it has already committed.

TSMC has pledged to build eight manufacturing sites in Arizona, and with the additional investment, could now set up another four focused on manufacturing advanced 2nm chips, in addition to facilities for advanced packaging.

CEO CC Wei stated its raised outlook was based on demand mainly from cloud service providers, which provide a “strong signal and positive outlook”.

“Thus, our conviction in the multi-year AI mega-trend remains very high.”

He added the investment “will help further foster the development of the US semiconductor ecosystem, strengthen the supply chain and support an increasing number of high-tech, high-paying jobs” in the country.

In Q2 2026 the company reported a year-on-year revenue increase of 36% to TWD1.3 trillion ($40.4 billion), with net income increasing 77% to TWD706.6 billion.

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India to pump $20B into chip, phone manufacturing

15 July 2026 at 15:22

India committed to spend an additional INR1.9 trillion ($19.7 billion) on boosting chip and smartphone production in the country, accelerating an initiative first laid out five years ago.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has allocated around INR1.3 trillion to provide state aid for semiconductors and a INR625 billion outlay on smartphones.

The latest investment builds on the Semicon 1.0 initiative outlined in 2021 to invest around INR1 trillion on starting and establishing the country’s semiconductor sector.

In a statement, Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for Electronics and Information Technology, explained under the refreshed Semicon 2.0, the nation would focus on ensuring chips are being designed in India that can meet all its needs, and by the end of the programme, “we will be 100% self-reliant”.

He added every major industry leader wants to establish a presence in the country “given the growing interest in India’s semiconductor programme”, pointing to partnerships already established with the US, Japan, the European Union (EU), Netherlands, Singapore and Germany.

The minister added the investment and incentives will be aimed at projects around chip design, fabrication of machinery, R&D and talent creation.

Under the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme, Vaishnaw said it would create around 60,000 direct jobs, while it will look to incentivise domestic companies with Chinese suppliers currently dominating the market.

India’s semiconductor advancement adds to similar moves in the US, which has a funding programme in place worth $52 billion. The EU recently unveiled a revamp to its own Chips Act.

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Trump sets up AI threat coordination group

15 July 2026 at 11:49

The US government launched a cybersecurity coordination group allowing AI developers and service providers a formal way to work together to respond to threats emerging from the technology.

The White House stated it, along with the Department of the Treasury, Homeland Security, Department of War and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency worked closely with industry partners to detect threats faster and develop a rapid and prioritised response to cyber vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure sectors.

The group, called Gold Eagle, has been spearheaded by President Donald Trump as part of his vision to secure and accelerate American AI innovation.

It was first revealed as part of Trump’s executive order in June to promote advanced AI innovation and security, which includes plans for the release of a new operational model for cyber defence.

The model aims to tap into frontier AI capabilities to continue advancing faster than adversaries, reduce duplicative scanning efforts and “deliver prioritised and actionable threat and remediation information to defenders” across the government and private sector.

The White House statement explained Gold Eagle will help government and industry collectively identify risks, prioritise action and strengthen the resilience of systems that power the economy, national security and daily life.

Companies involved in the coordination group were not disclosed.

Trump’s administration has taken a hands-on approach to AI regulation.

In May it unveiled a legislative framework to create uniform security and safety guardrails. This followed another executive order at the end of 2025 to secure control of AI regulation away from individual states.

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EC approves €660M German chip investment plan

14 July 2026 at 16:18

The European Commission (EC) approved €659 million in German state aid to finance four new semiconductor facilities, in line with the bloc’s Chips 2.0 Act.

Europe’s executive arm stated the measures would contribute to strengthening the European Union’s (EU) position and autonomy in the semiconductor value chain by supporting “the construction of first-of-a-kind facilities”.

Germany will provide direct grants of €353 million, €214 million, €74.4 million and €17.9 million, respectively, to build the four semiconductor facilities.

The biggest sum will be invested in Baesweiler in North Rhine-Westphalia, on a site to manufacture silicon carbide epi-wafers. The EC explained this new type of semiconductor is expected to be used in various sectors including automotive, industrial, telecoms and energy, enabling improvements in the manufacturing process.

Positive effect
All beneficiaries of the investments have agreed to ensure the broader impact of the projects have positive effects on the EU semiconductor value chain, and strengthens collaboration with universities and research institutions. They also pledged to fulfil orders on a priority basis, develop specialised training programmes and share project-related profits with Germany.

The EC explained an assessment of the plan indicated the measures would promote development of economic activities by creating capacity in Europe, had limited impact on competition and trade in the EU, and had a positive effect on the region’s semiconductor sector.

It stated the awards are the 15th to 18th under its Chips Act 2.0 adopted last month and the original Chips Act.

Under the initiatives, it has provided cumulative aid of around €14.2 billion.

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Ericsson cautions on rising component costs

14 July 2026 at 11:36

Outgoing Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm (pictured) warned higher component costs would impact profitability from its Networks business, as the vendor reported drops across its top line in Q2.

Ekholm highlighted Ericsson took action to mitigate component cost inflation and pledged the company would “continue to pursue internal measures and pricing action to help offset the effect” of likely continued increases in the coming quarters.

“We also expect some pressure on Networks adjusted gross margin in Q3 due to higher volumes of network rollout projects.”

Revenue declined 6% year-on-year to SEK52.7 billion ($5.4 billion) and net income 12% to SEK4 billion. The company attributed the decreases to lower IPR licensing revenue, reflecting a non-recurring benefit from a partial settlement in the comparable period of 2025.

Sales from Networks fell 8% to SEK33 billion due to negative currency impacts and declines in Europe and the Americas.

Its Enterprise division recorded a 19% sales drop.

The picture was brighter in Cloud Software and Services, with sales growing 3% to SEK14.7 billion.

Strength
The Q2 earnings report is the last to be overseen by Ekholm, who is due to leave at the end of September. His successor Per Narvinger will present Q3 figures.  

Ekholm signed-off by stating Ericsson enters the next phase of facing pressures “from a position of strength”.

“Over recent years, we have strengthened our portfolio to capture the next wave of AI-driven connectivity. Building on our technology leadership in mobile networks, we have expanded into attractive growth areas, positioning Ericsson to capitalise as AI increasingly moves into the physical world,” he said.

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SK Hynix seeks to raise $29B from US listing

24 June 2026 at 14:30

SK Hynix outlined plans to go public in the US to raise KRW45.5 trillion ($29.4 billion), which would be the second-biggest IPO in history after SpaceX’s listing earlier this month.

The South Korean high bandwidth memory (HBM) chip company filed for the proposed IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission to list American Depositary Receipts on the Nasdaq.

In total it plans to issue 17.79 million new shares to raise more than $29 billion, giving it a company valuation of $1.2 trillion. It expects to start trading on 10 July.

It will use the cash to fund the buildout of chip factories in South Korea and acquire chipmaking equipment including extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) scanners. It already has an order in place with ASML worth KRW12 trillion.

A supplier to Nvidia and Google, SK Hynix has been a big winner of the AI boom, with its shares quadrupling in value this year. It competes in the HBM segment with Samsung Electronics and US-based Micron.

Indrani De, global head of investment research at financial company FTSE Russell, told Bloomberg SK Hynix’s outperformance reflects its early move in HBM and strong demand for its chip.

“Supply shortages in HBM where Korean firms dominate with 80% market share are expected to last for years,” she said.

The size of the proposed IPO would see SK Hynix surpass Saudi company Aramco’s IPO in 2019, when it raised $25.6 billion, which is currently the second largest behind SpaceX’s $75 billion.  

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Meta unveils low-end, own-brand smart glasses

23 June 2026 at 15:52

Meta Platforms deepened its smart glasses push with the launch of a set of lower-priced models under its own brand name for the first time.

Called Meta Glasses, the company stated it is introducing three styles in partnership with manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, at a starting price of $299.

At the lower end of the price point are the Meta Adventurer and Meta Fury options, while a fashion-inspired variant designed in collaboration with celebrity Kylie Jenner costs $399.

The moves marks a change from Meta’s strategy which has made the company a leading smart glasses provider, with it previously launching eyewear in partnership with well-known brands in the segment such as Ray-Ban and Oakley.

Recent Ray-Ban and Oakley ranges had starting prices of $799 and $499 respectively when they were launched in September 2025.

Competition
Meta stated is offering 26 styles through the new line-up, and like with all the glasses in its portfolio they offer a range of AI features, open ear speakers, an advanced multi-mic array, over 8 hours of battery life and advanced privacy settings.

It also highlighted compatibility with Muse Spark, its first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs built specifically for its products, powering the Meta AI platform.

Competition is ramping up in the smart glasses sector, with Apple reportedly due to launch its own offering later this year, as is Google and Samsung Electronics.

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Five Eyes sounds alarm on AI cyber threat

23 June 2026 at 11:48

The Five Eyes intelligence agency called for urgent action to respond to the evolving AI landscape, warning while the technology would help improve defences over time, it also accelerates the speed, scale and sophistication of attacks.

Five Eyes is a global intelligence-sharing alliance between the UK, Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand: it stated frontier models are expected to exceed current industry expectations, transforming offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.

The timeline for this “is not years, it is months”, meaning action must be swift “to remain ahead”.

“In this environment, cyber resilience is integral to advancing business continuity, market confidence and long-term value,” it stated.

As part of a number of recommendations, the alliance urged leaders to understand and assess, risk, readiness and accountability; prioritise foundational cybersecurity practices and controls; empower cyber leaders with authority and resources; and actively engage as threats evolve.

“Success will come from getting the basics right, acting quickly and integrating cybersecurity into core business strategy. Those that do not will face growing operational and strategic disadvantage.”

It emphasised cyber risk cannot be treated purely as a technical issue, but rather a core business risk, arguing ensuring systems are secure by design should become standard industry practice, resilience should depend on a single solution or technology and there must be an understanding fresh vulnerabilities would emerge as AI systems evolve.

Five Eyes also called for better processes to swiftly patch faulty software, address legacy systems, and limit unnecessary system access and external connectivity.

On the flip side, the alliance stated AI should be used to bolster defences, explaining organisations integrating AI tools into security operations can detect vulnerabilities faster, improve quality, monitor unusual behaviour and respond to threats swiftly.

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Jio Platforms targets record-breaking Indian IPO

19 June 2026 at 15:21

Reliance Industries-owned Jio Platforms filed for an IPO in Mumbai, reportedly with intentions of raising around INR360 billion ($3.8 billion) to pay down debt in its telecoms business.

Billionaire owner Mukesh Ambani (pictured) said at Reliance Industries’ annual shareholder meeting its board had approved a prospectus, which has now been filed with Indian regulators.

Th prospectus did not reveal the size of the listing or a fundraising target, but Reuters reported the sum it is looking for, noting this would be equal to 2.9% of its equity and value the entire business at around INR12.3 trillion.

The previous largest IPO amount raised was the INR278.7 billion generated by Hyundai Motor in a listing in 2024.

Jio Platforms includes the company’s Jio Infocomm telecoms arm and houses its AI, cloud and enterprise network offerings.

Reuters stated around INR275 billion of any sum raised would go towards repaying Jio Infocomm debt.

Ambani said the proposed listing “will demonstrate to the world that India can build technology companies of global scale, global capability and global value”.

Jio entered the Indian market in 2016 and shook up the competitive landscape with low-cost data plans, which attracted millions of users.

In its prospectus, the company stated it had 524.4 million subscribers at end-March, including 268.5 million 5G customers.

The company previously attracted funding from global investors including Meta Platforms, Google and private equity players.

Should the IPO size prove correct, the target is lower than previously mooted: in 2025, Bloomberg reported it was looking to list 5% of its mobile unit, to raise around $6 billion.

Starlink rival.
Also at the shareholder meeting, Jio Platforms revealed it is exploring building its own satellite constellation, a move which would directly rival SpaceX’s Starlink.

Bloomberg reported Jio Platforms’ MD Akash Ambani said it is considering deploying a low Earth orbit satellite network along with exploring partnerships to lease capacity from global providers to “accelerate service availability while building our own long-term sovereign capability”.

The approach would allow Jio to lay the foundation for a satellite broadband play, while working to build ground stations to support the network.

Starlink has partnered with Jio, but is yet to launch services in India due to regulatory roadblocks.

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SpaceX slams Europe satellite spectrum plan

19 June 2026 at 11:54

SpaceX reportedly hit out at a European Commission (EC) plan for distributing satellite spectrum across the bloc, warning current proposals could directly impact connectivity with mobile devices.

Bloomberg reported it had seen a statement from Elon Musk’s rocket company which takes aim at an EC plan to offer only a third of its 2GHz frequency band to companies outside the European Union (EU), keeping the remaining amount for those based in the bloc.

The outlet said the proposal effectively excludes foreign companies, like SpaceX, from offering satellite services to governments and will directly impact the expansion of its Starlink connectivity play.

SpaceX has established a presence in Europe, striking partnerships with European operators including Deutsche Telekom and Orange to offer Starlink D2D services to customers.

However, SpaceX said the EC’s plans will split spectrum “in virtually unusable sub-divided parts”.

It apparently added intentions are inconsistent with international regulations and do not adhere to “Europe’s international obligations and economic reality”.

Ukraine concern
Another bone of contention is an EC aim to reserve airwaves for the Europe IRIS2 constellation, with SpaceX arguing this could risk poorer connectivity in Ukraine where Starlink has been used during the country’s war with Russia.

“The proposal creates a significant likelihood that Europeans will be left without direct-to-device satellite services or that new European operations will create global interference problems, including to emergency services like those in Ukraine,” read the statement.

When outlining the plans, EC EVP Henna Virkkunen said earmarking allocations to local operators would encourage diversification of suppliers and incentivise entry into the market.

She also said the 2GHz band was vital for boosting Europe’s competitiveness, security, and fits in with an ongoing drive around technology sovereignty.

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China unveils plan to embed AI across society

18 June 2026 at 17:28

China’s commerce ministry is reportedly targeting broader use of AI across the country’s consumer economy, unveiling 17 policy measures intended to push the technology beyond industrial applications.

State broadcaster CCTV reported the ministry will use the measures to embed AI into households and businesses, viewing the technology as a lever for economic stimulus.

As part of the plan, it is apparently looking at a fundamental shift in how consumer electronics are designed and sold.

The way devices operate is also a target, moving from functional tools towards AI-integrated systems.

Advancing humanoid robotics in the home is high on the agenda, and the sector has already gained government and private investment.

Chinese players including Unitree and Ubtech were cited as front-runners in the market. They are vying to establish themselves commercially in industrial and consumer spaces.

Structural issues
On the services side, China wants to expand AI’s presence in retail services to public and personal areas.

CCTV cited comments from Lin Jian, deputy director of the international trade cooperation institute at the ministry of commerce, who said the measures are designed to solve structural issues within the country’s services sector.

These include addressing challenges around high labour costs and poor standardisation in service consumption, added Lin.

Beijing is stepping up its AI plans, with Bloomberg reporting earlier this month the government is planning to invest $295 billion over the next five years to build out data centres in the country.

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Ericsson names next Networks chief

18 June 2026 at 11:10

Ericsson named David Hammarwall, an executive within its Americas division, to lead its Business Area Networks division, succeeding Per Narvinger, who is lined up to replace Borje Ekholm as CEO.

Hammarwall is currently head of Customer Unit T-Mobile in Market Area Americas, a position he has held since 2023. He joined Ericsson in 2007 and worked in various roles including as the heads of Product Area Networks, Product Line Radio and Product Line 5G RAN.

The appointment is due to take effect on 1 October, when current Networks chief Narvinger steps into the role of CEO. Hammarwall will also join Ericsson’s executive team.

Narvinger said Hammarwall had been a key leader in driving Ericsson’s technology.

Hammarwall added he takes on leadership of the networks unit at an interesting time, “where Ericsson is truly setting a new standard for network intelligence with AI in RAN by bringing powerful AI capabilities to service providers”.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with all the talented Network employees and to meet customers and partners to create outstanding value.”

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Snap sets out vision for $2,000 smart glasses

17 June 2026 at 16:36

Social media company Snap officially unveiled its new AR glasses priced at $2,195, the company’s latest push into the segment.

A decade in the making, Snap stated the AR glasses developed by its dedicated Specs subsidiary would bring AI assistance, work tools, entertainment and shared experiences “into the world around us”.

The device is scheduled to ship later this year, initially in the US, UK and France.

Specs are priced at more than 15-times the price of Snap’s original $130 camera-only Spectacles, which debuted in 2016 and struggled to gain traction.

Snap emphasised main selling points of Specs as being fully standalone, made from Swiss TR90 polymer and available in two sizes.

A 47mm model weighs 132 grams and a 52mm version 136 grams.

Snap argued current smart glasses are lightweight but limited in what they can do, while headsets “are powerful but can feel isolating and cumbersome”.

Specs are designed to address those drawbacks. The display system is powered by Snap’s proprietary liquid crystal on silicon technology, delivering a 51-degree field of view and 16 million colours. It claimed the display “feels like a 24-inch monitor” while working, or a 115-inch home cinema screen placed 10 feet away when watching a movie.

Other highlights include up to four hours of mixed battery life spanning audio and video playback, AI assistance for services including maps and general queries, and the ability to cast a screen and stream content wherever the user is.

Specs run two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with one dedicated to computer vision and the other running developer tool Lenses.

Lenses enables the glasses to access interactive features including academic and music educational tools.

Qualcomm struck a multi-year platform deal with the Specs subsidiary in April.

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