A report by Dell’Oro Group found worldwide data centre IT semiconductor and component revenue for servers and storage systems surged 182% in Q2 2026, driven by rising memory prices and continued AI infrastructure investment.

DRAM and storage drive revenue grew at a triple-digit pace, as average selling prices per bit more than doubled year-over-year while continued AI infrastructure investment fuelled broad-based demand across accelerators and complementary server and storage components.

“Data centre component growth accelerated sharply in the second quarter, driven by higher memory and storage prices and continued growth in server demand,” stated Baron Fung, VP of research at Dell’Oro.

He also said Nvidia’s Blackwell platform and custom accelerators from Google and Amazon continued to gain momentum.

Fung added agentic AI is emerging as a meaningful growth driver for general-purpose servers, broadening component demand beyond accelerated computing hardware.

Going forward, Fung stated Dell’Oro expects component revenue growth to maintain momentum through the remainder of 2026, supported by elevated component prices and strong AI infrastructure investment, though supply constraints could limit hyperscaler capital expenditure plans.

The report found accelerated server deployments drove strong demand for complementary components, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), CPUs, memory and high-speed back-end network interface cards.

General-purpose server demand remained strong across cloud service providers, supported by continued infrastructure expansion alongside emerging agentic AI workloads.

The post Data centre component revenue surges in Q2 appeared first on Mobile World Live.

AT&T Business and Amazon Leo reached a deal to bring satellite broadband to enterprise and public sector customers, with the company becoming the first major US operator to employ the low Earth orbit (LEO) network in a bundled set-up including fibre and 5G.

The operator plans to offer the connectivity as a fully managed service on top of its existing terrestrial networks. Customers would get one bill, one point of contact and round-the-clock customer service.

AT&T is to provide the equipment to connect to the satellites.

Shawn Hakl, AT&T Business SVP and head of product, said enterprise and public sector customers need a platform which delivers reliable connectivity across fibre, 5G and satellite in a single managed architecture.

Chris Weber, VP of Amazon Leo Business and Product, said the satellite network adds resilience to the network.

AT&T stated the companies are “moving through a structured, phased deployment designed to ensure business-grade reliability before broad availability”.

It plans to issue pricing and configuration details in the coming months.

The explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket in May could put the timeline for the launch of the AT&T Business closer to 2027: the rocket company is repairing damage to a launchpad and aims to restore operations by the end of the year.

Amazon Leo is simultaneously pushing into direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity, seeking regulatory approval to deploy up to 5,105 satellites, with deployment scheduled to begin in 2028.

All three major US operators are involved in various D2D moves through deals with Amazon Leo, SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile, along with collaborating to close coverage gaps.

AT&T Business is bidding to differentiate by bundling the connectivity option.

The post AT&T taps Amazon Leo for business satellite play appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote later this month on two items intended to free up spectrum for next-generation connectivity, according to chair Brendan Carr (pictured).

The first is a satellite spectrum abundance order, which would allow the FCC to unlock more than 1,000 MHz of spectrum across the 12GHz and 42GHz bands. The FCC stated the freed-up airwaves could support a range of connectivity services, including faster satellite broadband.

The second item is a proposal to seek comment on modernising the FCC’s rules governing ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, an unlicensed spectrum category used across IoT, automotive and consumer devices. Carr noted the rules have not been comprehensively updated since their adoption in 2002.

“The FCC’s work to free up more spectrum continues apace this month,” Carr said. “Today, I shared two items with my colleagues that will push more commercial spectrum into the marketplace than ever before. By unlocking these bands, the FCC will give a big boost to American innovation and promote economic growth across a wide range of industries.”

On the satellite order, Carr said the move is designed to ensure consumers continue benefiting from competitive, high-speed internet delivered from next-generation satellite systems.

On the UWB proposal, he said the rule changes would unlock further opportunities for unlicensed devices across a wide swath of spectrum, pointing to UWB’s role in applications from vehicle safety systems to package tracking.

He stated the technology is so deeply embedded in everyday life that most people are unaware of its role, and that the proposal represents the FCC’s first comprehensive modernisation of the rules in over two decades.

Both items are scheduled for a vote at the FCC’s 30 September open meeting. The satellite spectrum move comes as regulators globally weigh how to balance growing demand for satellite broadband capacity, driven by operators including Amazon Leo, SpaceX’s Starlink and others, against existing terrestrial and federal spectrum users. The 12GHz band in particular has been the subject of a long-running dispute between satellite operators and terrestrial 5G proponents over interference risks and competing use cases.

The meeting items build on Carr’s broader push to release more spectrum since taking the chair, which has included restarting the agency’s first spectrum auction in four years. Auction 113, covering AWS-3 licences in the 1695-1710MHz, 1755-1780MHz and 2155-2180MHz bands, forms part of the FCC’s Build America Agenda, targeting 800MHz of new spectrum by 2034.

The post FCC eyes spectrum vote for space-based services appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Liberty Global agreed to sell towers owned by VodafoneZiggo to an entity owned by funds managed by a trio of companies in a €670 million deal, while revealing more asset sales are on the way.

The transaction, struck with infrastructure specialists DigitalBridge, TD Greystone Infrastructure and L&G, values the Dutch tower assets at 16.2x of their 2025 EBITDA.

Liberty Global has moved quickly since sealing its acquisition to take majority control of VodafoneZiggo early last month, which consequently led to the creation of Ziggo Group.

The holding entity holds Liberty Global’s interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet.

Through the tower sale, Liberty Global stated it will use the proceeds to retire debt across Ziggo Group, before adding further sales processes are underway.

It is looking to raise €1.2 billion to €1.4 billion from non-core asset disposals to support its intended listing of Ziggo Group in Amsterdam in the middle of 2027.

Mike Fries, chairman and CEO of Liberty Global, said the sale represents an important step towards the listing, as well as creating a platform for long-term value for shareholders and investors “who want to own part of this regional telecoms powerhouse.”.

The tower sale is subject to regulatory approval.

The post Liberty Global dumps VodafoneZiggo tower assets appeared first on Mobile World Live.

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.

The post Freshwave, VMO2 extend small cell run appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Europe’s biggest mobile operators reportedly entered discussions to create a consortium that will bid on spectrum suitable for satellite services, with the view of launching joint direct-to-device (D2D) services in the continent.

Bloomberg reported Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone and Telefonica are looking to combine to secure airwaves that the European Union (EU) has earmarked for a European company, as part of a plan to bolster sovereignty and raise competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which dominates the global D2D sector with Starlink.

The EU has indicated it will set rules around the distribution of 2GHz spectrum, reserving a third of the allocation for local companies, a plan which has drawn fire from SpaceX.

As per the EU’s proposal, a satellite operator securing a bulk of the spectrum will have to be majority controlled by a European business, Bloomberg noted.

Vodafone is already notably involved in a satellite joint venture with US-based AST SpaceMobile, designed to offer D2D services. Bloomberg stated the 50-50 ownership of the company would need to be adjusted for Vodafone to be in the running to secure the spectrum.

Current licences for the spectrum are due to expire in 2027.

The EU also plans to reserve a third of the spectrum for the IRIS2 European satellite network, a project led by the European Commission and European Space Agency.

The constellation is being built by a consortium consisting of Hispasat, SES and Eutelsat, offering mainly broadband services with limited D2D capabilities.

The post Europe operator quartet plot D2D satellite venture appeared first on Mobile World Live.