T-Mobile and KKR to broaden US fibre network with Metronet acquisition

T-Mobile and KKR announce strategic acquisition of Metronet to broaden U.S. fibre network

T-Mobile has entered into a joint venture (JV) with KKR to acquire Metronet in a move that will significantly expand T-Mobile's fibre footprint. Metronet, it's worth noting, is currently the fastest-growing pure-play fibre company in the US.

"This is a unique opportunity and a smart, capital-efficient deal that enables T-Mobile to profitably build on our success in broadband and provide fast, affordable, and reliable connectivity options to millions more customers nationwide as a...

25 July 2024 | Broadband

Samsung ditches its stock Messages app to boost RCS adoption

To accelerate the adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS), Samsung has decided to drop its stock messaging app in favour of Google Messages on some of its latest devices. This change was first noticed on phones running One UI 6.1.1 out of the box, which didn't come with Samsung Messages pre-installed in certain countries.

Responding to inquiries about this shift, Samsung provided clarity on its decision.

In a statement to Android Authority, the tech giant...

24 July 2024 | Telecoms

Ofcom hits BT with £17.5M fine over emergency call system failure

Ofcom has imposed a £17.5 million fine on BT for its inadequate preparedness in handling a major disruption to its emergency call service last summer. The incident, which occurred on 25 June 2023, left nearly 14,000 emergency call attempts unsuccessful and potentially put lives at risk.

The failure, described as "catastrophic," affected BT's ability to connect calls to emergency services for over 10 hours, from 06:24 to 16:56. During this period, 12,392 different callers were...

22 July 2024 | Legislation & Government

Ofcom cracks down on unpredictable telecom price hikes

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, will require telecoms providers to clearly state any price increases in pounds and pence upfront, giving customers more certainty about their monthly outgoings.

The new regulations are set to take effect from 17 January 2025 and come in response to the growing trend of major UK phone, broadband, and pay TV companies including inflation-linked price rises in their contracts. Ofcom found that this practice left customers without sufficient...

19 July 2024 | 5G

AT&T data breach affects 109 million US customers

Data breach at AT&T affects 109 million U.S. customer accounts

AT&T has disclosed a significant cybersecurity incident that has sent ripples through the security and tech communities.

The breach, which occurred in April, resulted in the unauthorised access and download of data from approximately 109 million customer accounts, primarily consisting of call and text records from 2022.

Scope and nature of the breach

According to Reuters, the scale of this breach is particularly alarming, affecting nearly all of AT&T's...

16 July 2024 | AT&T

ITU-R appoints Samsung researcher to lead 6G coordination group

Samsung will spearhead the standardisation of 6G technologies in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) until 2029.

HyoungJin Choi, a researcher from Samsung Research, has been appointed as the chair of the Coordination Group on IMT-2030 (6G) at the recent ITU-R Working Party 5D (WP 5D) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. This appointment marks Choi's second leadership role in 6G standardisation efforts within the ITU-R,...

15 July 2024 | 6G

Apple issues spyware warnings to iPhone users across 98 countries

Apple issues new spyware warnings to iPhone users across 98 countries

So far, Apple has issued a new round of threat notifications to iPhone users in 98 countries, informing them that mercenary Pegasus spyware may be used on their phones.

This is the second such notification campaign from the tech giant this year, following a similar effort in April that reached users in 92 countries.

As per a support document on Apple's website, the company has been regularly issuing these notifications since 2021, and they have resonated with users in...

15 July 2024 | Security

Bridging the connectivity gap to power the next generation of AI

Digital transformation today is radically different from the prime years of cloud and SaaS, primarily due to the rise of AI.

To put a finer point, the demands of AI far exceed those of the early cloud. AI models are an entirely different beast from traditional software, often composed of millions, sometimes billions, of parameters and requiring large streams of real-time data.

Just think of AI applications like autonomous driving systems or real-time fraud detection....

15 July 2024 | Telecoms

Mint Mobile now includes free Canada roaming

Mint Mobile has announced the inclusion of free roaming services for all its customers visiting the Great White North. This new feature – which includes unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of high-speed data per month – is now available on all Mint Mobile plans.

The announcement comes as part of Mint Mobile's ongoing efforts to enhance customer experience following its acquisition by T-Mobile.

Mint Mobile’s latest benefit adds to the company's existing perks – such as...

12 July 2024 | Networks

Bridging the digital divide: How a coalition is tackling smartphone affordability

The digital divide, a chasm that has long separated billions from the opportunities of the internet age, may soon begin to narrow.

This week, the GSM Association (GSMA) announced the formation of the "Handset Affordability Coalition," a pioneering alliance of mobile operators, device manufacturers, international organisations, and financial institutions. This global initiative aims to revolutionise access to affordable smartphones worldwide for low- and middle-income populations,...

12 July 2024 | 5G