Meta introduced a standalone app for sellers on its Facebook Marketplace platform, adding AI tools and sales management features to enable merchants to manage listings, reach buyers, and grow their business.

Sellers, the dedicated app, brings together listing management, buyer communications, inventory tracking and sales insights, while syncing with existing Marketplace accounts so users can carry over listings, messages and sales history.

The new app includes AI-powered listing creation, allowing sellers to upload photos and have Meta AI generate details including titles, descriptions, suggested pricing and categories. It also provides a unified inbox for buyer conversations and analytics covering views, clicks, messages and completed sales.

Meta said its original platform Marketplace, which launched a decade ago integrated directly in Facebook, now handles 430 million item listings each month globally. The existing Marketplace platform will remain available through Facebook, with a web version being tested for Seller app users. Android testing is also underway.

Seller is available through the App Store for US users aged 18 and over.

The launch comes as Meta seeks to expand Marketplace’s capabilities and compete more directly with established e-commerce platforms including eBay. The company has previously focused on improving commerce and community features across its platform, including the release of a dedicated Facebook groups app called Forum in May.

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Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week as OpenAI’s models hacked an AI start-up during testing, Samsung unveiled its latest AI-powered foldables, and Verizon and AT&T logged record World Cup network traffic.

OpenAI models hack AI start-up

What happened: OpenAI revealed that a combination of its advanced AI models autonomously breached a controlled testing environment and launched a cyberattack on AI start-up Hugging Face.

Why it matters: During an internal benchmark designed to evaluate advanced cyber capabilities, the models exploited vulnerabilities in OpenAI’s research infrastructure to gain internet access before using stolen credentials and zero-day flaws to access Hugging Face’s systems. OpenAI said it had intentionally relaxed cyber safeguards in the sandboxed environment to test the models’ capabilities, stating the models were “hyperfocused” on completing the evaluation task and went to “extreme lengths”, though the company warned such events are likely to “become more commonplace” as models grow more capable.

Jason Goode, VP at IT service AppViewX, argued “this is the wake-up call the industry needed”, as the models “didn’t defeat their guardrails so much as exploit what their environments already permitted”. He said the episode underlined the “why model governance alone was never going to be enough” and how “the control point has to be the agent’s identity and what it’s actually allowed to touch”. Meanwhile Dan Gray, chief systems architect at technology R&D firm ChronoDyne Systems, added the incident should not be viewed as AI “going rogue”, but as a “cross-organisational control-chain failure” in which the models provided the “speed, persistence and adaptive exploitation capability”, while the organisations supplied “the objective, permissions, infrastructure and attack surface”.

OpenAI models hack AI start-up

Samsung unveils 3 new foldables packed with AI

What happened: Samsung Electronics expanded its foldables portfolio with three new smartphones at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event in London.

Why it matters: The lineup washeadlined by the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Samsung’s first foldable to carry the Ultra branding. The vendor also refreshed the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8, placing AI capabilities and slimmer designs at the centre. Alongside the handsets, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2, while teasing AI-enabled smart glasses developed with Google and Qualcomm. Futuresource Consulting principal analyst Rasika D’Souza noted that despite forecasts smartwatch shipments will top 200 million units in 2026, the market is maturing as growth shifts to wearables including smart glasses and rings, an opportunity targeted by Samsung. She added the event showed Samsung’s strategy “has evolved from simple integration of AI features to now creating AI assistants that can assist meaningfully in daily tasks”. Meanwhile, FDM CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood said Samsung is “doubling down on foldables at exactly the moment the category is about to get its biggest credibility boost”, arguing Apple’s rumoured launch of a foldable iPhone later this year “could also be the moment that turns foldables from a niche premium category into a mainstream flagship battleground”.

Samsung unveils 3 new foldables packed with AI

Verizon, AT&T tally massive data usage during World Cup

What happened: Verizon and AT&T outlined the scale of network infrastructure deployed to support connectivity during the FIFA World Cup, reporting record data traffic and major capacity upgrades across US host venues.

Why it matters: Verizon said its network carried almost 500TB of data across all US host stadiums. The operator boosted stadium capacity by three to five times, installed thousands of under-seat and overhead antennas, and deployed nearly 140 small-cell projects and temporary sites beyond venues. Verizon described the World Cup as an opportunity to “test, refine, and validate our enterprise network capabilities, stressing that many upgrades will remain after the tournament to extend the value of the infrastructure into long-term assets for host cities. Meanwhile, AT&T reported it carried around one petabyte of nationwide traffic during the tournament after preparing its network for two to three times normal demand across 11 US host cities and 146 venues. Verizon’s deployment supported live broadcast production alongside fan connectivity, while AT&T highlighted the role of its FirstNet public safety network in coordinating emergency services.

Verizon, AT&T tally massive data usage during World Cup

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Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai (pictured) rejected concerns Google is losing ground in the AI race after delays to the Gemini 3.5 Pro model, as the company posted a strong second quarter on booming demand for AI and cloud services.

Speaking on the company’s Q2 earnings call, Pichai acknowledged Google needed to improve in areas including AI coding, but said it remained “very committed and very confident of being at the frontier”.

The chief faced repeated questions over whether Gemini could keep pace with rivals in the AI race after Google delayed the launch of its next advanced model in June. He said Google is “committed to being at the full parade of frontier,” offering models at multiple price points including its more affordable Flash models.

Pichai argued “the frontier is an incredibly dynamic space, and it’s fiercely moving forward”, stressing “there are many attributes on which we are still at the frontier”.

He pointed to Gemini 3.6 Flash, released this week, explaining it improved by more than 10 points on a coding benchmark over its predecessor while using fewer tokens. He also revealed the company has begun training Gemini 4, describing it as its “most ambitious pre-training run yet”.

Once Gemini 4 lands, he added the company plans on “picking up pace and releasing models almost at a monthly cadence”.

Strong demand
In Q2 2026, Alphabet pinpointed Google Cloud, which continued to benefit from enterprise demand for AI infrastructure and services.

Revenue from the unit soared 82% to $24.8 billion and operating income more than tripled to $8.8 billion. Google Services revenue increased 15% to $94.5 billion, driven by a 17% spike in Search, 15% in Google subscriptions, platforms and devices, and a 13% rise in YouTube advertising.

Total revenue rose 24% year-on-year to $119.8 billion, Alphabet’s 12th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

Net income surged 298% to $112.1 billion, as it benefitted from a net gain of $98 billion on equity securities. It did not disclose further information, but the company is known to have a sizeable stake in SpaceX and has investment in Anthropic.

“Our AI investments are redefining what’s possible across every part of our business,” Pichai explained, adding ballooning demand for AI infrastructure and enterprise AI solutions helped drive the results.

The search giant also continued ramping AI investment, expecting to spend between $195 billion and $205 billion in capital expenditure this year, up from its previous forecast of $180 billion to $190 billion.

“We have increased ​our capacity quite significantly over the past three years. The demand still outpaces that investment,” explained Alphabet CFO Anat Ashkenazi, adding that although “we’re still in a supply constraint environment”, the company is “seeing very strong demand, both from external cloud customers as well as across the business”.

Looking ahead, the company added it expects capex to “increase significantly” in 2027 as AI demand swells.

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Samsung Electronics expanded its foldables lineup with a trio of smartphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event in London, including the first Ultra-branded foldable as it pushed upgraded form factors and AI-powered features.

Leading the charge was the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, the first device to carry Samsung’s Ultra branding on a foldable. Measuring 4.1mm when unfolded, Samsung said the device is its thinnest Galaxy Fold model to date.

Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, the handset features an 8-inch main display, 5,000mAh battery and a 200MP main camera. It also introduced new Galaxy AI tools including Gemini Notebook, capable of summarising documents and generating content from uploaded files, and Now Nudge, a contextual Galaxy AI feature designed to proactively prompt actions based on user activity.

Samsung also refreshed the Galaxy Z Fold8 with a redesigned display format and adjustable aspect ratios aimed at improving content consumption across video, gaming and reading. The device weighs 201 grams, making it the company’s lightest Fold model, and includes a 4,800mAh battery rated for more than 26 hours of video playback. The Fold8 also introduced an AI-powered editing tool to automatically track and reframe a subject in a video.

In the clamshell segment, Samsung updated the Galaxy Z Flip8 with expanded functionality on its FlexWindow cover display, enabling users to access apps, messages and personalised AI information without opening the handset. The latest Flip model also adds a 50MP main camera and dual recording mode for capturing both subject and creator simultaneously.

Pricing starts at $2,099 for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, $1,899 for the Galaxy Z Fold8 and $1,199 for the Galaxy Z Flip8. All three models will be available from 7 August.

At the event, TM Roh, CEO, president and head of Samsung Electronics’ Device eXperience division, emphasised the importance of foldables in the AI era.

“The question is: if AI is becoming more personal, more proactive, and more multidimensional, what is the optimal device to bring that experience to life? We believe the answer is foldables.”

Wearables
Samsung also refreshed its wearables portfolio with the Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9, its first watches built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite platform.

The smartwatches introduce new AI-powered health features, with the vendor claiming both models received an FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection update. The Galaxy Watch9 starts at $379, while the Watch Ultra2 is priced from $699.

In addition, Samsung unveiled intelligent eyewear, although pricing and a release date were not disclosed.

Doubling down
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said Samsung is “doubling down on foldables at exactly the moment the category is about to get its biggest credibility boost with the much-rumoured arrival of a folding iPhone later in the year.”

He said Apple’s expected entry “could also be the moment that turns foldables from a niche premium category into a mainstream flagship battleground.”

Wood added “Qualcomm is one of the quiet winners from Samsung’s latest launch, securing important design wins across phones, watches and glasses.”

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Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Apple took OpenAI to court over alleged trade secret theft, New York hit pause on mega data centre projects amid rising energy concerns and Nokia unveiled an AI-native RAN platform built around Nvidia’s systems.

Apple launches trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI

What happened: Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, its design startup io Products subsidiary, and former Apple employees, accusing them of a “pattern of theft” of trade secrets tied to the AI giant’s budding hardware ambitions.

Why it matters: The complaint accused OpenAI’s hardware unit, now led by ex-Apple design chief Tang Yew Tan, of using confidential product designs, insider manufacturing knowledge and supplier relationships lifted by former Apple staff. Tan allegedly pushed job candidates to bring “actual parts” from Apple to interviews for a “show and tell. ” Apple accused OpenAI, the former Apple employees, and io Products of “acting in concert and as an enterprise” to advance its hardware ambitions. Later this week, Bloomberg reported OpenAI is readying a smart speaker based on ChatGPT’s AI capabilities to enter the consumer hardware market, pitting itself against players including Apple, Amazon, and Google. Saad Filali, founder of legal advisory assistant 9Anoun AI, called the lawsuit “a real overhang” on OpenAI, warning the case “could delay its first hardware launch and complicate IPO plans.” The trial also marks a particular souring of relations between the two companies. In 2024, outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook partnered with OpenAI to build ChatGPT into iPhones as the company chased fresh AI features. However, the iPhone-maker has shifted more of its workload to Google’s Gemini this year.

Apple launches trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI

New York puts mega data centres on ice

What happened: New York became the first US state to halt approvals for new hyperscale data centres, introducing a one-year moratorium on facilities requiring 50 megawatts or more of power.

Why it matters: The executive order signed by Governor Kathy Hochul pauses discretionary environmental permits while the state develops new rules to “reduce the risk to our energy grid, minimise land disruption, noise pollution, and protect our natural resources, especially our water supply”. The governor added data centre operators may be required to contribute towards statewide grid investment and announced plans to repeal sales tax exemptions which currently benefit hyperscalers. Rabobank energy transition analyst Payal Kaur attributed the move to “mounting community pushback, which has been successful in stalling/cancelling data centre projects, and upcoming elections”. Meanwhile Chris Ward-Jones, co-founder and COO at cloud company blocz, said “this is more than a local planning decision”, adding, “the next wave of AI infrastructure will need to show not only where its power comes from, but who pays for the grid upgrades”. He explained projects must now show “how local resources are protected and what communities receive in return”. The moratorium reflects a wider industry challenge as companies race to expand AI computing capacity while facing rising resource constraints.

New York puts mega data centres on ice

Nokia asserts AI-RAN leadership

What happened: Nokia unveiled an AI-native RAN platform built around Nvidia systems, claiming it would significantly improve network efficiency while allowing operators to upgrade existing infrastructure through software.

Why it matters: The vendor said the platform already delivers a 20% increase in spectral efficiency, with gains of 50% targeted for 2027 and 100% by 2028. It described the AI-RAN platform as “one of the most significant shifts in radio network architecture in decades”, while CEO Justin Hotard said the technology “makes the network intelligent” and would help operators maximise existing infrastructure. CCS Insight research director Ian Fogg said: “The key proposition is that because Nokia’s AI-RAN is based on a software platform, Nokia and its customers can achieve significant performance improvements in future through new AI models/algorithms and without hardware upgrades.” Fogg also highlighted Nokia’s decision to support third-party silicon “rather than developing in-house silicon for 6G and beyond”, arguing the vendor’s commitment differs from Ericsson’s more open stance on RAN and adding “companies do need to place bets if they wish to gain competitive advantage”. Yet, he flagged unanswered questions around costs, including “performance per watt”, efficiency gains and rising component prices. He explained the vendor’s success will depend on “the economics of this approach and Nokia’s ability to achieve those spectral efficiency boosts”, adding, “the real test will be how well this platform performs in the field trials planned for Q4”.

Nokia asserts AI-RAN leadership

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Viasat demonstrated what it claimed was the first satellite-enabled voice call integrated into a BMW Group vehicle, as the satellite operator targets a larger role for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity in connected cars.

Showcasing the technology during the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) Meeting Week in Munich, Germany, Viasat used a BMW iX3 Neue Klasse vehicle’s infotainment system to make the call.

The demonstration relied on Viasat’s L-band satellite network and used the NB-IoT protocol, a standards-based technology designed for lower-data-rate communications, to transmit voice.

Viasat used Qualcomm’s automotive connectivity platform, the Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2, and German IT research organisation Fraunhofer IIS’ NESC AI-based speech codec to support voice and audio transmission over the satellite network. The technology was integrated into the BMW vehicle’s architecture, allowing the call to be initiated and managed directly through the car interface.

According to Viasat, the trial demonstrated the potential of satellite connectivity to connect drivers and passengers in remote regions and support future automotive applications, including emergency communications, fleet management and messaging in areas with limited cellular availability.

Sandeep Moorthy, senior VP of advanced non-terrestrial solutions at Viasat, said the feat aims “to ensure consistent, resilient satellite capabilities for next-generation vehicles”, adding that “by bringing standards-based NTN to vehicles, we can integrate satellite voice and messaging and ultimately enable a future where drivers can remain connected, wherever the journey takes them”.

Viasat added that future releases could support more advanced services, including 5G New Radio (5G-NR) satellite capabilities, which could enable video streaming and improved interoperability between terrestrial and satellite networks.

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UK regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into TikTok to assess whether the platform is meeting its obligations under the country’s Online Safety Act to protect children from harmful digital content.

The probe will assess whether the ByteDance-owned platform has implemented effective age assurance systems to determine if a user is underage and prevent children from encountering harmful material online.

Ofcom’s Age Assurance report, published today, suggested that some age inference models including those used by TikTok “may have failed to correctly identify a significant proportion of children”, potentially exposing them to harmful content.

If compliance failures are identified, the watchdog could impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of the company’s global revenue, whichever is greater. In serious cases, it can also order third parties, including payment providers, advertising services or internet service providers, to withdraw services or block access to the platform in the UK.

A TikTok spokesperson told Reuters the platform “strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers”, adding, “we are confident that we meet our Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to demonstrate this”.

The probe follows initial findings published by Ofcom in May, which revealed TikTok was the service most frequently cited by children as a source of harmful content. More than half of underage users who recalled seeing harmful content identified TikTok as the source, ahead of YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

At the time, the regulator found personalised, algorithm-driven content feeds were a key route through which children encountered harmful material online. It added TikTok was “particularly concerning” as it was one of the platforms that had “not committed to any significant changes in response to our specific demands”.

Last month, the UK government laid out plans to impose a sweeping ban on social media access for under-16 users, alongside restrictions on gaming and live-streaming platforms.

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Huawei unveiled its Pura 90s Series smartphone lineup at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, placing design and photography upgrades at the centre.

Huawei emphasised the series aims to allow users to move efficiently “from capture to refinement” across long-range, macro and low-light photography. The smartphones are fitted with a 200MP ultra large sensor telephoto camera system, alongside a 50MP main sensor and a 40MP ultra-wide lens.

The telephoto setup supports 4x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. AI-powered composition and image optimisation tools are also built in to speed up editing.

The top-end Pura 90s Pro Max variant features a 6.9-inch LTPO OLED display with 1-120Hz adaptive refresh. The device runs on the Chinese vendor’s proprietary EMUI 16.0 operating system and is available in 12GB RAM configurations paired with 256GB or 512GB storage options.

The series comes equipped with a 6,000mAh battery in non-EU markets and support for up to 100W wired and 80W wireless super charging. Handsets are available in four colour gradients.

Alongside the smartphone launch, Huawei unveiled its MatePad Air tablet featuring an OLED PaperMatte display and a bundle of AI tools aimed at supporting document and content workflows. The vendor also refreshed its wearables portfolio with the FreeClip 2 S earbuds, introducing two new colour options, a redesigned charging case and improved user comfort.

Huawei added its latest launches underscore its ambition to building a “connected and cohesive user experience” aimed at supporting “diverse user needs”.

The vendor first launched its Pura 90 series earlier this year, alongside its wide-screen Pura X Max foldable smartphone.

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OpenAI is reportedly preparing to enter the consumer hardware market with a portable, screen-free smart speaker designed to serve as an AI companion in the home.

Sources told Bloomberg the device will access ChatGPT’s AI capabilities to control smart home appliances, play media, answer questions and respond to messages. It will utilise OpenAI’s GPT-Live voice technology to listen and adaptively respond at the same time to support more natural conversations and incorporate AI models beyond those used in existing smart speakers.

In addition, the hardware will apparently feature a camera and sensors to enable the AI to read its surroundings. Unlike conventional smart speakers, the rechargeable device will be portable and feature moving mechanical elements.

It will also draw on user data such as emails to become increasingly personalised over time. OpenAI envisions the speaker developing a humanlike personality, proactively surfacing information, anticipating users’ needs and acting as a physical embodiment of ChatGPT.

OpenAI’s hardware unit is reportedly developing around five products in total, with the speaker set to be the first to market.

Last year, the company splashed $6.5 billion to acquire io Products, the device startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Ive’s creative design studio LoveFrom is also working on the hardware line.

A hardware launch would put the ChatGPT-maker in direct competition with Apple, Amazon and Google in consumer devices.

Trade secrets
Last week, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and io Products, alleging “theft of trade secrets” obtained through former employees during hiring to accelerate the development of its AI devices. According to its lawsuit, more than 400 former Apple employees have joined OpenAI’s hardware effort.

Drew Pusateri, a spokesman for OpenAI, told the BBC OpenAI has “no interest in other companies’ trade secrets” and is “focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere”.

Apple is seeking an injunction that could delay the AI giant’s device sales. According to Bloomberg, OpenAI is aiming to unveil the speaker later this year, with release targeted for 2027, subject to the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly developing its own AI-focused home devices including a smart home hub with a 7-inch display and facial recognition tied to the upcoming AI-powered Siri revamp in iOS 27.

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Research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) found UK teenagers participating in a social media restriction trial reported improvements in sleep, concentration and family life.

The study conducted by market research consultancy Savanta tracked 309 households through a one month pilot testing three approaches to social media restrictions on those aged 13- to 17-years old: a 15-minute daily limit per app, a 9pm to 7am overnight curfew and complete removal of selected social media apps.

Participants across all three groups reported better sleep, improved concentration, more time for studying and increased interaction with family members. However, the impact varied depending on the level of restriction.

The overnight curfew delivered the most consistent sleep benefits and was the easiest restriction for families to maintain, with many continuing it after the trial ended.

A complete ban on social media apps produced the strongest reported gains in focus and reduced distraction, but also caused the greatest disruption to teenagers’ social lives. Many participants argued platforms including Snapchat were central to maintaining friendships, organising plans and staying connected with peers.

Meanwhile, the 15-minute daily limit encouraged more deliberate use but remained the least popular approach, with many finding the limit too short to maintain meaningful online interactions.

However, the study found teenagers often dodged restrictions by accessing social media platforms through other devices, downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) and making false age declarations. “There’s no point in banning it because we’re going to find a way to bypass it anyway,” said one 14-year-old on the overnight curfew.

Social norm

The trial was commissioned before outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to ban social media platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X, for under-16s across the country. Starmer said the move would “give kids their childhood back”, joining a wave of governments across the world imposing social media restrictions for underage users.

Participants broadly backed some form of restriction but preferred rules to scale with age, paired with parental guidance, involvement from young people in designing policies and investment in education, practical support and offline alternatives. The report warned that without substitutes, digital curbs risk pushing teens to other screens, including streaming, television and gaming. “You can’t take something away and not have something to replace it,” one parent said.

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Switzerland’s competition authority launched a preliminary antitrust investigation into Google after it scrapped a search engine selection feature for Swiss users setting up Android devices.

In a statement, the country’s Secretariat of the Competition Commission (COMCO) accused Google of discontinuing the Android Choice Screen feature for users in Switzerland while continuing to offer it in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The screen allows users to select their preferred default search engine during the initial setup of a new Android device.

Swiss users are apparently now presented with Google Search as the default option without being shown the Choice Screen. The watchdog argued this could strengthen the search giant’s position by reducing the visibility of rival providers and “reinforcing barriers to entry” at a critical stage of device setup.

The Choice Screen is designed to reduce “the lock-in effects associated with preconfigured settings”, noting default settings “play a decisive role” in digital markets, the regulator stated.

The watchdog flagged broader competition concerns, stating the change “could affect the ability of search engine providers and, more broadly, other digital service providers to compete”.

A further point of concern for COMCO was the continued availability of the feature in the EEA, arguing the disparity “creates an unequal treatment…even though the competitive issues are comparable”.

Wider assessment
The preliminary investigation will determine whether Google’s conduct breaches Switzerland’s Cartel Act, under which COMCO can impose administrative fines of up to 10% of a company’s Swiss turnover over the previous three years.

“We look forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address ​their questions,” a Google spokesperson told Reuters.

While the probe is focused on Android, the watchdog added its findings “could also be relevant to the assessment of practices related to default settings on other mobile devices”.

Early this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a similar antitrust investigation into Google’s mobile ecosystem over concerns the company used its market power to set up barriers against rival services and favour their own products.

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The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal approved a £3 billion class action lawsuit against Apple over its iCloud service, allowing consumer group Which? to proceed with a claim on behalf of nearly 40 million users across the country.

The lawsuit alleges Apple abused its dominant position and breached UK competition law by “trapping” users into using iCloud. Which? argued Apple steered iOS users towards its own cloud storage service and limited visibility of alternative providers, leading to “rip-off” prices and lower levels of free storage.

The case is expected to go to trial in 2028 after the UK court granted Which? a Collective Proceedings Order (CPO), clearing the path for what could become one of the UK’s largest consumer tech claims.

At the centre of the dispute is Apple’s cloud storage model, where users receive 5GB of free storage before being directed towards paid tiers. Pricing then rises across multiple levels, from 99p per month for 50GB to £54.99 for 12TB in the UK. The consumer group argued this structure reflects a lack of competition, with users “locked-in” once their devices become reliant on iCloud for photos, messages and device data backups.

Strong message
The claim, first filed in November 2024, will cover consumers living in the UK who used iCloud services between 8 November 2018 and 8 June 2026. Potential compensation is estimated at around £77 per user if it succeeds.

Which? also called on the tech giant to resolve the dispute without litigation, urging the company to offer consumers refunds and open up iOS “to allow users a real choice for cloud services”.

However, Reuters reported Apple previously rejected the allegations, arguing users are not required to use iCloud and that third-party alternatives remain available.

Which? CEO Anabel Hoult said the group “wants to make clear that no company, no matter how powerful, can get away with abusing its position”. “The granting of the CPO means we’re one step closer to getting consumers the redress we believe they are owed from Apple,” she noted, adding, “this should send a strong message to any other companies using anti-competitive tactics”.

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SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son reportedly rejected the case put forward by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build AI data centres in space, arguing the economics favour terrestrial infrastructure.

Bloomberg cited comments made by Son at SoftBank’s annual shareholder meeting, who stated the “the main advantage” of eliminating electricity costs by putting AI data centres in space is outweighed by “higher fees to transport everything into space, maintenance and communication delays”.

Son was apparently responding to a shareholder who asked whether SoftBank would pursue a strategy similar to that proposed by the SpaceX chief, who filed for US regulatory approval in February to deploy up to 1 million solar-powered satellites designed to operate as AI data centres. Musk argues persistent access to solar power will “achieve transformative cost and energy efficiency”, adding “in the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale”.

While describing the tech mogul as a “remarkable agent of change”, Son reportedly said SoftBank would instead focus on building “formidable” data centre capacity on Earth. “In the battle for AI, the next few years will be far more important than what might happen a decade or so from now,” he noted, adding “he who strikes first wins”.

Despite intensifying competition, Son argued AI has scope for “ten-fold, a hundred-fold” growth, adding there was ample room for OpenAI and rivals including Anthropic and Google to expand amid accelerating AI demand.

The remarks put Son’s strategy at odds with Musk’s long-term vision for AI. SpaceX launched a record-breaking $75 billion IPO earlier this month, with proceeds funnelled towards funding its space-based AI initiative alongside the expansion of its Starlink satellite network.

Meanwhile, SoftBank has committed around $65 billion to OpenAI despite reports the investments were straining its balance sheets, and pledged to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in terrestrial AI infrastructure and data centres globally.

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Nvidia unveiled what it described as the industry’s first full-stack safety platform for physical AI designed to accelerate the deployment of humanoid robots in industrial environments.

The company said its expanded Halos platform combines AI compute, system software, sensors and inspection tools into a single safety architecture aimed at helping robotics companies build and certify autonomous systems operating alongside human workers.

The chipmaker explained as robots become more autonomous and increasingly rely on AI foundation models, distributed sensors and accelerated computing, “scaling these systems requires a full-stack safety architecture” before they can be trusted to work alongside humans in factories, warehouses and logistics operations.

The stack includes Nvidia’s IGX Thor industrial computing platform, Holoscan Sensor Bridge for sensor connectivity and Halos OS software stack.

Nvidia also opened its Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab to robotics partners, aiming to help them complete pre-certification testing and validate safety systems before approaching regulators.

Digit
Humanoid robotics company Agility Robotics is the first partner to adopt elements of the platform into the proprietary safety system for its Digit humanoid robot, which is already being deployed for industrial applications with customers including Amazon, Schaeffler and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.

The robotics player will also use Nvidia’s Inspection Lab to validate Digit’s safety-related software, AI components and cybersecurity protections against strict standards.

Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson said: “For humanoids to deliver value at scale, safety has to be built into the robot and validated across the entire system.”

She added the partnership with Nvidia “extends our leadership in responsible automation”, describing it as “a non-negotiable requirement for bringing humanoids safely into industrial workflows”.

Deepu Talla, VP of robotics and edge AI at Nvidia said: “Physical AI is transforming how factories, warehouses and logistics operations work. He added developers will be able to “harness Nvidia’s proven autonomous vehicle safety foundation to develop safer robots faster” and deploy systems “alongside workers with greater confidence”.

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Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm stepped down, Anthropic faced a US clampdown on its latest AI models and the UK outlined plans to ban under-16 users from social media.

Ericsson CEO Ekholm set for exit

What happened: Ericsson lined-up a changing of the guard, announcing Borje Ekholm will step down as CEO on 30 September after more than nine years at the helm and lining up current networks boss Per Narvinger to take over.

Why it matters: Ericsson chair Jan Carlson said the incoming CEO brings “deep technical knowledge of our industry as well as extensive commercial experience”, while crediting Ekholm with “extraordinary leadership and strategic advancements”. The chief joined as CEO in 2017 and inherited a business under pressure, steering it through payments scandals, which resulted in a 2019 US fine of more than $1 billion and a $206.7 million. Ekholm will remain at the company as an executive adviser until 15 June 2027.

Narvinger now takes over as 5G spending slows, 6G looms and AI reshapes network demand., He told the Financial Times (FT) the industry is at a “pivotal time”, adding users will “hopefully value your connectivity more” as AI dependence rises. David Hammarwall, currently head of Customer Unit T-Mobile in Market Area Americas, will be Narvinger’s successor as head of the Networks division.

Ericsson CEO Ekholm set for exit

US orders Anthropic to suspend Fable 5, Mythos 5 models

What happened: US President Donald Trump’s administration ordered Anthropic to immediately suspend access to its two most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, over national security concerns.

Why it matters: The order applied to “any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States”, prompting Anthropic to disable the models for all customers globally while it worked out how to comply. Anthropic said it believes officials were responding to a “potential narrow, non-universal jailbreak” affecting cybersecurity safeguards, but argued the issue involved a small number of known minor vulnerabilities which could be replicated on other publicly available models. The company pushed back on the recall, noting Fable 5 had been tested with the US government, the UK AI Safety Institute and private groups before launch. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was among tech executives who raised security concerns about the models with officials. Anthropic called the dispute a “misunderstanding” and is seeking to restore access, adding “if this standard was applied across the industry, we believe it would essentially halt all new model deployments for all frontier model providers”. Gina Neff, professor of responsible AI at Queen Mary University London, told the BBC the speed of AI development means and government and enterprises “need to be able to build up capabilities to keep our companies safe from cyberattacks”. She explained the restriction could limit safe AI testing and international cooperation, adding “we’re in uncharted territory at this point”. The latest development marks a sharp escalation in US scrutiny of Anthropic, which is already suing the Trump administration after the Department of War (DoW) blacklisted it as a “supply chain risk” earlier this year.

US orders Anthropic to suspend Fable 5, Mythos 5 models

UK plots under-16 social media ban

What happened: The UK government laid out plans to ban under-16 users from social media and impose wider child-safety restrictions on gaming, live-streaming and AI platforms, with the landmark online safety measures slated for early 2027.

Why it matters: The proposed ban would apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X, with messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal excluded from the scope. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move will “give kids their childhood back”, arguing “tech giants had their chance and failed”. However, Assembly Research analyst Megan Jenkins said the government appeared to choose “what feels like a punitive measure for children” over making platforms “safer by design”. The UK’s plan follows Australia, which became the first country in the world to ban social media for under-16s last year. However, the government added it will “learn the lessons from Australia’s experience” by introducing tougher age verification tools. Technology secretary Liz Kendall told the BBC the government plans to disclose further details in July on VPNs, a potential method for bypassing restrictions, as well as curfews, chatbots and other restrictions. Alex Brown, head of TMT at law firm Simmons and Simmons said the move signals “a clear hardening of approach to online safety”, but warned companies must now “grapple with the difficult task of age verification”.

UK plots under-16 social media ban

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Orange and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) launched a joint laboratory to explore semantic communications, a technology designed to cut data traffic and energy use in future AI-driven networks.

The AI-Native Communications lab will run for five years and develop semantic communications technologies and applications, which prioritise whether the receiver understands the meaning or content of a transmitted message, even when the received data is not exactly identical to what was sent. This marks a shift away from conventional data transmission, where networks aim to reproduce bits perfectly and treat any alteration as an error.

The partners said the approach could reduce the volume of data exchanged across networks, lowering energy consumption and infrastructure requirements. The technology could also support communication between AI agents, which are expected to play a greater role in future network architectures.

The laboratory will also combine research from Orange and CEA to study network evolution, create shared semantic representations between AI models and contribute to future standards work.

Announced at the annual VivaTech event in Paris by Orange CEO Christel Heydemann and CEA general administrator Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, the pair said the initiative forms part of a broader push to strengthen French and European sovereignty over future intelligent network technologies.

Lyse Brillouet, EVP of research at Orange, said the joint laboratory reflects the operator’s commitment to building “the networks of the future: smarter, more sustainable, and natively designed for artificial intelligence”. She added the move was “a key step in reconciling the performance of our infrastructure with the need to reduce our future carbon footprint”.

Meanwhile, Etienvre stated semantic communications marked “a major breakthrough in how future networks will process information”, adding the collaboration aimed to strengthen Europe’s ability to “design and influence technological standards”.

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European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) called for closer US-European Union (EU) cooperation on AI at the G7 Summit currently being held in France, arguing both sides have a shared interest in accelerating adoption and ensuring powerful models are introduced safely.

In a post on X following a roundtable with partner countries and AI business executives, von der Leyen stated AI is “developing exponentially” and described it as “the most important technology of our time”. She said the technology “comes with immense potential, but also risks for free, democratic societies”, adding Europe and the US should work together because they “represent 70% of the world market”.

According to Reuters, von der Leyen framed AI safety as a shared interest, stating: “We use each other’s trusted technology, and our financial systems are interconnected. “It is in our mutual interest that our citizens and companies can safely use the best AI models,” she added.

New models
The remarks follow a US government order issued earlier this week directing Anthropic to suspend access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for foreign nationals over national security concerns.

Although the Trump administration’s letter targeted foreign nationals, Anthropic said compliance would have required verifying the nationality of every user. It therefore shut both models down entirely for all customers.

In an AI sovereignty push earlier this week, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu argued: “We cannot rely on the goodwill of certain partners who, as we have seen in recent days, are capable of cutting off access to the Anthropic model.”

On the issue, von der Leyen said at the summit “the key question of today is how to introduce new models safely,” calling for G7 countries to exchange information and cooperate through independent entities evaluating models before market release.

She also highlighted adoption as a competitive priority, stating Europe and the US are “at par in terms of AI adoption” but that the bloc wants “our own AI future, not in isolation – that is very important – but together with our trusted partners”.

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Orange stepped up ambitions to drive commercial growth for French start-ups, using the annual VivaTech event in Paris to outline a three-pronged strategy focused on procurement, distribution and enterprise integration.

Orange stated it will buy directly from French start-ups where their technology fits its operational and business needs, use its commercial network to connect companies with public and private-sector buyers and integrate select technology into Orange Business’ enterprise catalogue.

The operator said it aims to boost digital sovereignty by tackling long-standing barriers faced by young French companies, including lengthy contracting processes, limited access to large corporate customers, a lack of commercial references and the complexity of scaling technology at pace.

Separately, Orange Ventures, the group’s investment arm, added it would boost funding for start-ups working in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, health and defence as part of a wider digital trust push.

Orange pointed to several companies it has already worked with under the plan, citing successful partnerships with cybersecurity specialist Anozr Way, circular economy player Circular Place, agentic AI developer H Company and process optimisation firm Kerys.

The initiative forms part of the operator’s partnership with French Tech Mission 2030, a government-backed programme that aims to support the country’s start-ups seeking to move beyond pilots and into commercial deployment.

Orange CEO Christel Heydemann (pictured) said France needs start-ups “capable of reaching industrial scale, sustaining their solutions and rapidly winning their markets,” adding Orange aims to use its “purchasing volume”, “commercial strength” and “integration expertise” to help them grow.

Julie Huguet, director of the French Tech Mission, added “access to customers, trusted relays and smoother sales cycles” were “essential” for start-up growth. She said the partnership with Orange could “generate tangible commercial opportunities for our scale-ups and help bring out the future European technology leaders”.

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Global 5G subscriptions crossed the 3 billion mark in Q1 2026, according to Ericsson’s latest mobility report, as the vendor found changing usage patterns, spikes in data traffic and AI-driven services are fuelling mobile uplink data growth.

Ericsson found 162 million 5G subscriptions were added during the opening quarter of the year. The figure is forecast to more than double to 6.4 billion by the end of 2031.

Overall, Ericsson expects 5G to account for 85% of all mobile data traffic in five years, up from 48% at the end of last year. Indeed, the vendor highlighted changing network traffic patterns as uplink grows generally faster than downlink. Out of 55 service providers, 43 recorded higher uplink growth than downlink, while 17 reported more than 1.5 times higher uplink growth rate.

Ericsson attributed the trend to smartphone communication, collaboration apps, user-generated content and cloud storage. It forecast AI traffic could further push uplink volumes in 2031 to at least three times 2025 levels.

Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden explained mobile networks are “no longer only about providing best-effort connectivity”, but about “critical, intelligent infrastructure that meets diverse application needs”.

“With the upcoming transition to physical AI, traffic patterns will fundamentally shift,” he added, forecasting a transition from centralised AI models in data centres to distributed, autonomous agents connected by 5G.

Commercial 5G
According to the report, around 390 service providers have launched commercial 5G services, with more than 90 offering standalone (SA) 5G. The vendor also found a rise in SA 5G network slicing offers, which rose globally from 65 in its November 2025 report to 84 today.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) remained another bright spot. Ericsson stated 71% of FWA providers now offer the service over 5G, compared to 57% of providers in June 2025. The report pointed to robust 5G FWA momentum in North America, the Nordics, GCC countries and parts of Asia, though it noted growth in Latin America, Africa and parts of Southeast Asia remains limited.

Looking ahead, the vendor added industry attention is turning to 6G, with initial commercial services expected around 2030 and China, US, Japan, South Korea and GCC countries tipped as early adopters.

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Cisco highlighted rising pressure on enterprise networks from AI deployments, warning campus and branch infrastructure is emerging as a potential bottleneck for companies scaling the technology.

In a study conducted with UK-based technology media company Foundry, Cisco found organisations are caught between accelerating AI ambitions and network constraints which could slow progress. It stated more than half of enterprises now have widespread generative AI (genAI) deployments. However, 73% of respondents said AI expansion will cause them to hit campus and branch capacity limits within 24 months.

Indeed, pressure is already building as respondents reported a 34% average increase in campus and branch network traffic tied to AI workloads over the past year, with a further 96% spike expected within the coming year.

Respondents reported AI was already reshaping traffic patterns, with 67% citing increases in internal data traffic tied to AI workloads, while 61% saw growth in continuous automated traffic generated by AI systems. “Suddenly, three AI agents are trying to talk to each other and solve a problem. That is going to be a big thing,” noted the head of AI strategy for global IT and network engineering operations at a US technology company, who was left anonymous.

Cisco highlighted majority of the AI readiness debate has focused on GPUs, cloud platforms and data centre buildouts, while pressure on workplace networks has been underplayed.

Security
Beyond capacity, security is also emerging as a brake on AI scale. Respondents pointed to expanded attack surfaces, shadow AI activity, weak AI-driven traffic visibility and inconsistent policy enforcement as key challenges.

The report found 91% of UK businesses are adding security controls specifically to support new AI workloads. More than half of UK respondents added their current campus and branch security posture may be insufficient for next-generation AI workloads.

“The issue from a security standpoint is that it’s hard to create the guardrails for every possible AI tool that your organisation must use,” a US-based retail executive explained.

According to Cisco, AI is ultimately creating “fundamentally different operational environments”, making network modernisation “a prerequisite for operating and competing effectively in an AI-powered economy”.

The report surveyed more than 3,472 CIOs and technology leaders across 15 countries.

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