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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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O2 Business claimed to be the first operator in the UK to offer satellite services for companies with the launch of a direct-to-device (D2D) offer which extends the reach of its connectivity beyond its mobile network.

It pitched O2 Satellite for Business as helping companies and staff to stay connected in more places across the UK.

O2 Business pointed to government figures showing 526,000 registered businesses in England are based in rural areas, which the operator stated makes providing reliable connectivity beyond the reach of mobile networks critical.

The service initiates automatically when customers move beyond O2 Businesses’ mobile coverage, connecting compatible smartphones without the need for additional satellite hardware or apps.

O2 Business stated the service essentially extends landmass coverage from 89% to 95%, giving “businesses greater confidence that their people can stay connected when working in remote parts of the UK”.

Services on offer include messaging, maps, weather and location share.

It is free on O2 Business Ultimate mobile plans, or £2.50 per month for customers on Plus plans.

O2 Business added it tested the satellite service in “challenging real-world conditions”: it provided 100 compatible phones to crews tackling a recent major wildfire in the county of Derbyshire.

“Businesses increasingly rely on always-on connectivity, but work doesn’t stop where mobile coverage ends,” CEO Jo Bertram said.

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UK operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) avoided 5,262 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions over the last decade through a network equipment-related partnership with sustainable tech specialist TXO.

Recovering and refurbishing assets for resale accounted for 4,575 tonnes of the savings reported by TXO. Switches, routers and line cards from VMO2’s fixed operation were common assets returned to the market.

The operator also sourced refurbished equipment: around 687 tonnes of CO2e saved was attributed to this activity, due to VMO2 not having to buy new.

Its TXO partnership also includes recycling, with more than 690 tonnes of the operator’s equipment at the end of its life sent to be broken down.

More than 60% of the recycled weight extracted from the waste was steel, copper and aluminium.

VMO2 head of reverse logistics Paul Franley said the operator aimed to “extend the life of our network hardware so it can be reused, given a second life or disposed of sustainably”, with its partner helping to “maintain network equipment through testing, repair and refurbishment wherever possible”.

“The results of this programme demonstrate how a more circular approach to technology can benefit both the business and the environment.”

TXO chief product and asset recovery officer David Evans urged the technology sector to “move beyond the linear model of buying, deploying and replacing”.

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LG Uplus advanced efforts to apply AI in network automation by testing its ability to control the quality of a Wi-Fi 8-compatible home broadband system.

The self-healing capability employs Edge AI technology, which the South Korean operator explained conducts analyses and adaptation in the router instead of the cloud.

Broadcom contributed a Wi-Fi 8 platform running a neural processing unit to LG Uplus’ trial, enabling the on-board AI computation.

The operator adapted its existing cloud-based AI network prediction model for operation in the router.

There is an argument home broadband and consumer equipment are not often the focus of discussions around self-healing and autonomous networks.

LG Uplus explained the trial is significant in proving routers can become part of “an AI-based quality management platform”, benefitting customer service and infrastructure management.

It stated the companies proved the router could detect and adapt to anomalies before customers notice, boosting stability for bandwidth-intensive services.

LG Uplus plots further trials of how AI could be used to manage Wi-Fi 8 networks.

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The chief executives of some of the biggest operator groups in Europe warned massive amounts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are still exchanged online each year and pressed authorities to give them the power to block it.

Margherita Della Valle from Vodafone Group, Christel Heydemann at Orange, Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer with Telenor Group and Allison Kirkby at BT Group want authorities to provide their companies with the legal clarity to prevent the sharing of more than 100 million CSAM files each year.

They have written an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and European Council President Antonio Costa warning the trading of CSAM material online is “at industrial scale”.

The CEOs argue differences in legal frameworks makes it difficult for telecom and internet service providers to fully pull their weight in tackling the problem, making the removal of barriers to “blocking access to domains and URLs” linked with CSAM a matter of urgency.

The CEOs believe an organisation with the oversight to identify and tackle CSAM throughout the European Union is necessary. They also want interim measures to the same end while such a group is being set-up.

Equally, the executives believe any such authority must be strictly overseen and its focus kept squarely on CSAM.

They called for governments in the region not within the EU to join the efforts with their own legal frameworks.

“Children need protection now, not in several years’ time.”

“The scale of abuse demands decisive action, so Europe must show global leadership.”

Unacceptable
Della Valle, Heydemann, Fasmer and Kirkby pointed to Internet Watch Foundation statistics indicating 62% of “confirmed CSAM web pages” were hosted in the EU in 2024.

A cyber tipline operated by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children “receives tens of millions of reports” involving children mostly aged between seven-and ten-years old.

“Girls are disproportionately targeted”, the executives noted.

They branded it “simply unacceptable” for CSAM to remain accessible due to delays in removing it at the source.

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AT&T picked vendor partner Ericsson to supply 600MHz dual-band radios as it works to put newly acquired spectrum from EchoStar to use across its wireless network.

The operator stated the move is part of its ongoing effort to boost capacity, coverage, and performance nationwide, with a particular focus on improving reliability in harder-to-reach places, including indoors and in rural areas.

AT&T explained the 600MHz spectrum is especially valuable because it can travel farther and penetrate buildings more effectively than some higher-frequency spectrum, helping customers stay connected in more locations, whether at home, at work, or on the move.

It is more than 60% of the way through a broader wireless network modernisation effort. In areas already upgraded with Ericsson infrastructure, AT&T said customers are seeing up to a twofold improvement in average speeds, a 10% reduction in dropped and blocked calls, and up to a 70% reduction in instances of slower data speeds. Standardising equipment at the top of cell towers has also cut uplink interference by as much as 80%, the operator said.

Ericsson was selected through an open, competitive process to supply the 600MHz dual-band radios, which will enable the operator to deploy uplink-enhancing 8RX technology across low-band spectrum for the first time.

AT&T noted the work is designed to strengthen the network for AI-driven applications, including content creation, sharing, and real-time interaction, building on the companies’ previously announced collaboration to accelerate open RAN deployment.

“We’re more than halfway through our wireless network modernisation, and we’re executing to plan,” said Yigal Elbaz, SVP and Network CTO at AT&T. “By combining our newly acquired 600MHz spectrum with Ericsson’s advanced radios, we’re improving coverage and performance for customers today while building a more modern, flexible network for the future.”

Dyon Agnew, SVP and head of Customer Unit AT&T at Ericsson Americas, said the deployment demonstrates the impact open architectures can have on performance at scale, adding that the two companies are working to deliver faster speeds and more consistent coverage across the US.

AT&T said it will share further details on timing and commercial availability of the 600MHz deployment at a later date.

It received final approval for the $23 billion EchoStar deal in July 2026. AT&T started deploying the 3.45GHz spectrum it bought from EchoStar last year through a short-term spectrum manager lease.

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Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges declared all areas of the business delivered impressive growth in the first half of 2026, highlighting continued momentum in the US and demand for its MagentaTV service in Germany fuelled by the football World Cup.

An earnings statement for Q2 2026 showed group revenue rose 4.4% year-on-year to €29.9 billion, while net profit was up 11.1% to €2.8 billion. The top line growth was driven by a 5.2% increase in the US to €19.6 billion and a 3.5% uplift in Germany to €6.5 billion. T-Mobile US earnings were reported on 23 July.

The rest of Europe rose 1.5% to €3.2 billion, while Systems Solutions was a sour point with revenue declining 13.4% to €998 million.

In Germany, the second quarter “was dominated by the FIFA World Cup”, with the company broadcasting all of the matches on MagentaTV. It said a million new customers signed up to the TV offering, with a large majority opting for its flex rate plans.

The company also pointed to an increase of 161,000 customers for its fibre offering and 218,000 new contract subscribers in mobile.

In Europe, it added 189,000 mobile contract customers, 56,000 broadband net additions and 16,000 across various TV offerings.

The decline in Systems Solutions was put down to low orders, however it still anticipates an overall rise over the full year.

For the full year, the company increased its guidance for free cash flow after leases from €19.8 billion to around €20 billion.

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Australian operator Optus joined a growing upper 6GHz movement, completing tests with Nokia it stated could be fundamental in an eventual transition to 6G.

A trial involving a robot dog is one of the items the pair researched. Optus explained the work validated the ability to automate mobile signal measurement, which it stated would have uses in designing indoor 6G networks.

Less showy but equally necessary were tests of advanced antenna technology and use of wider spectrum bandwidths. Optus and Nokia used current 5G infrastructure, but the operator expects the results to offer insights for indoor and outdoor 6G.

Optus stated the pair also explored ways 6G technologies could be localised for Australian demands, with an eye on the requirements of AI services, automation and future digital services.

The capability of upper 6GHz was proven through tests on Optus’ 5G network, with peak download data rates of 3.5Gb/s provided to a smartphone using a MediaTek modem in a set-up employing compatible Nokia massive MIMO antennas.

Optus CTO Sri Amirthalingam said the data rates show “the significant opportunity” upper 6GHz can deliver “for future networks”.

He said the capabilities trialled are set to be important elements in AI-native networks and the digital services these would unlock.

Momentum around upper 6GHz is building and GSMA experts believe it is now ready for real-world use because a designation as a key band means operators can begin planning investments.

Nations are jostling for a leading position in the band’s development and regulators are beginning to explore how best to employ it.

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French state investment bank Bpifrance sold a 2.5% stake in Orange for approximately €1.1 billion, but maintained its position as the operator’s largest shareholder.

In a statement, the investment bank disclosed it successfully placed 66.5 million shares at a price of €16.57 each, a move made in conjunction with the state.

Following the transaction, it separately holds approximately 7.1% of share capital and 5.9% voting rights.

Acting jointly as the group’s shareholder with the French state, the duo hold a stake of approximately 20.4% and 27% of voting rights. Board representation remains unchanged.

Reuters first reported the French stake was planning to sell a small stake in Orange yesterday (30 July).

“Bpifrance reiterates its support and confidence in the Orange management team and in the strategy pursued within the framework of its Trust the Future plan,” the investment bank added.

Orange CEO Christel Heydemann laid out the five-year strategy in February, focusing priorities on customer growth, AI investment and monetising infrastructure assets.

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Singtel confirmed it was in discussions over selling a stake in Australian subsidiary Optus following media speculation infrastructure investor Morrison is eyeing a holding in the business.

In a brief announcement, Singtel stated it is in talks with interested parties, but added there is no certainty any transaction would occur.

It pointed to a previous statement indicating a willingness to collaborate with “an Australian minority partner” while reinforcing its commitment to Optus following a series of high-profile network outages which damaged the unit’s reputation.

Singtel’s latest statement appears to be a response to an Australian Financial Review report claiming New Zealand-based investor Morrison had entered a seven-week exclusivity period to acquire a 30% stake in Optus.

The outlet reported Morrison is looking for additional investors to take part in the project, pitching a potential deal as a way to “bring Optus home”.

This week, Morrison struck a deal with Orange to set up a data centre joint venture in France at a cost of around €3 billion.

ACMA probe
Separately, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) commenced court proceedings over an Optus network outage in September 2025 which affected users’ ability to contact emergency services.

ACMA alleges Optus breached two separate legal obligations on 1,005 occasions, failing to: give end users who made emergency calls access to emergency services; and ensure those emergency calls were carried to the relevant termination point.

If found guilty, Optus could be in line to pay a maximum penalty of AUD250,000 ($174,413) per contravention.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings revealed a $1.5 billion investment in Eaton Fiber to accelerate the expansion of Verizon fibre broadband to more than 1 million locations outside the operator’s existing US footprint.

Eaton Fiber is an affiliate of Tillman which serves as Verizon’s exclusive wholesale fibre-building partner

The investment fully funds Eaton Fiber’s acquisition of Ripple Fiber, a fibre-optic internet provider, alongside the next phase of Eaton Fiber’s network expansion.

The Ripple Fiber deal marks the first step in a buy-and-build strategy aimed at bringing Verizon fibre broadband to more locations through a combination of organic construction and further acquisitions.

Ripple Fiber’s existing shareholders, Platform Investment Partners and KLT, will continue backing the Eaton Fiber platform alongside Tillman and Bain Capital.

The deal builds on a commercial agreement between Verizon and Eaton Fiber fannounced in October 2025, under which the latter funds, builds, maintains and operates fibre network infrastructure, while Verizon serves as the exclusive retail provider for residential and small business fibre services, handling sales, marketing and customer service.

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman stated expanding Verizon fibre’s reach is central to the company’s growth and convergence strategy, describing the partnership as a capital-efficient model to extend its fibre broadband experience beyond its core footprint.

As part of the transaction, Verizon will acquire Ripple Fiber’s existing customers, who will transition to Verizon’s fibre broadband platform over time with uninterrupted service, along with a small portion of Ripple Fiber’s network and related assets adjacent to or partially within Verizon’s existing footprint in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Tillman co-president and Eaton Fiber co-founder Sachit Ahuja said the Ripple Fiber acquisition strengthens Eaton Fiber’s relationship with Verizon, while Bain Capital’s long-term capital provides additional resources to accelerate deployment.

Ripple Fiber founder and chief executive Greg Wilson said the acquisition positions the company to accelerate its mission of connecting homes and businesses to fibre using its experience operating wholesale networks.

The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Eaton Fiber has secured committed debt financing from a syndicate led by Societe Generale and SMBC, alongside existing financing partner Future Standard Digital Infrastructure.

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

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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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Airtel Africa CEO Sunil Taldar announced London as the preferred location for listing shares in its mobile money division, with the IPO expected to take place later this year.

In a trading update, the chief said he believed the UK capital city would provide access to a broad international investor base and “support our ambition to unlock the long-term value of one of Africa’s leading fintech platforms”.

Talking-up the impact of the service on its markets, he noted it continues to expand financial inclusion with “strong engagement”, highlighting Airtel Africa’s growing product range and an increase in digital adoption throughout the region.

In its fiscal Q1 2027 (the quarter to end-June), it had a mobile money customer base of 56.5 million, up 23% year-on-year, and processed a total of $61.4 billion, almost 52% higher.

ARPU from the service stood at $2.40, up 14%.

Although the executive did not expand on the current status of the plan beyond the timeline and location, Bloomberg reported earlier this year the operator could net between $1.5 billion and $2 billion from the share sale.

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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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Fibre proved fruitful for BT Group in the opening quarter of its fiscal 2027 (the period to end-June), becoming the key generator of broadband revenue as the operator booked record levels of connections and uptake.

BT added 514,000 FTTP connections in the three-month period alone, leaving it with a total of 23.4 million. The operator declared it is experiencing record demand for fibre services at its Openreach and consumer businesses.

In wireless, BT asserted EE “maintained its mobile leadership”, pointing to the receipt of a consumer award with category-topping figures in reliability, coverage and performance.

Its 5G network coverage hit 77% of the population.

CEO Allison Kirkby (pictured) declared it a “solid start” to the fiscal year, with gains in consumer customers increasingly backed by BT’s selection for “mission-critical” connections.

She said the consumer business is benefiting from ongoing investment in BT’s brands and services. It is also “stabilising” service revenue in its Business division on “sales order growth from major customers”.

Kirkby was of course positive about a recently-forged JV with Verizon and said BT is unparalleled in the “scale and pace” of work to upgrade the “digital backbone” of the UK.

BT’s numbers leave it “on track to deliver our targets, including cashflow of circa £2 billion”, the CEO explained.

The rising cost of finance impacted pre-tax profit, with the figure for continuing operations dropping from £526 million in fiscal Q1 2026 to £505 million. Revenue was flat at £4.3 billion.

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Telus lured a former executive back to the company from the world of private equity, as it lined up the team it hopes will drive a transformation of its core telecom business.

David Fuller is set to become EVP and group president of Telus Communications on 1 September in an executive shuffle to advance a rejig of the Canadian operator’s business by focusing capital on high margin products, services and customer segments.

Telus president and CEO Victor Dodig (pictured, right) said he has “no doubt” Fuller would “engage and focus our team”, branding the executive “one of the most talented and experienced telecom executives in Canada”.

Fuller ended a 15-year tenure at Telus in 2019 and is returning from a role with Silverlight Capital Partners. He is not long out of the Canadian telecoms sector, though, having been president of Rogers Wireless between 2021 and 2022.

Current Telus Business Solutions president Navin Arora is to become EVP and group president of its Global Platform business, which covers health, agriculture, consumer goods and digital services.

Arora is also to head up enterprise corporate strategy, along with Telus Global Ventures, corporate development and data centre planning.

Dodig described Arora as being given a “critical” position involving “driving value” from the various business units involved.

Current Telus Consumer Solutions EVP Zainul Mawji is to leave, ending a spell of more than 20-years with the company. Dodig said she played key roles in a fibre expansion project and providing products spanning its “residential, security, automation and health lines of business”.

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AT&T reported a 2.3% year-over-year revenue increase to $31.6 billion in Q2, driven by net adds across fibre, fixed wireless access (FWA) and post-paid phone subscribers.

While slightly below analysts’ estimates, the small increase was driven largely by growth in Advanced Connectivity fibre and wireless revenues, including the impact of AT&T’s first-quarter acquisition of Lumen’s mass markets fibre business.

The operator added more than 1 million Advanced Connectivity customers during the quarter. Advanced Connectivity service revenue grew 5.1% year-over-year to $23.5 billion.

AT&T rolls its fibre broadband, FWA, post-paid phone and business fibre services into its Advanced Connectivity category.

It recorded 646,000 total consumer and business internet net adds, comprised of 367,000 fibre and 279,000 FWA connections, marking a record quarter for combined fibre and fixed wireless additions.

Post-paid phone net adds totalled 432,000 to top analysts’ projections of 338,500, according to FactSet.

AT&T chair and CEO John Stankey (pictured) noted on the earnings call those additions mark the strongest consumer post-paid wireless account growth in more than three years. Post-paid churn of 0.86% was down slightly from 0.87% a year ago.

Stankey has long been a proponent of a converged strategy of wireless and fibre services as a key differentiator for the company.

“At the end of the second quarter, 42.5% of our advanced home Internet customers also have a post-paid wireless account with AT&T,” he said on the earnings call. “This convergence rate reached 45% when excluding customers within our acquired footprint from Lumen.

“These are high lifetime value subscribers, and our strong customer growth is a key driver of our accelerated financial growth during the second quarter,” he added.

The operator added more than 1 million total consumer and business fibre locations, bringing its total to 38.6 million. Stankey said it remains on track to exceed 40 million fibre locations by the end of 2026 and more than 60 million by 2030.

Income from continuing operations rose 3.6% to $5.0 billion, while adjusted EBITDA climbed 5.2% to $12.3 billion.

Stankey stated the results demonstrate the company’s structural advantages heading into the next era of connectivity, and confirmed AT&T is accelerating planned share repurchases to approximately $10 billion this year.

SpaceX
The AT&T chief was asked about forging a wholesale agreement with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX but he stated AT&T does not see a need for satellite service as a core part of its distribution strategy because it already handles more than 98% of traffic across its converged customer network.

“I don’t feel a need right now that I need to have a satellite partner as a main distribution vehicle for me because I don’t think it addresses a part of the market that I can’t get to on my own,” he said.

Stankey pointed to the joint venture AT&T formed with Verizon and T-Mobile US, stating it allows the operators to work with multiple satellite operators, including SpaceX, Amazon, and AST SpaceMobile, for the small percentage of coverage which falls outside their terrestrial networks.

“By the time we get into next year, we will have solved for that other 2% and we will be in the market doing what customers want, which is providing them the assurance that they can buy from one provider and always be on the internet,” he said.

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