Vivo leads, Apple falls: The changing face of China’s smartphone industry

China's smartphone market has dramatically transformed, with domestic brands now reigning supreme in the world's largest mobile market. For the first time in recent times, Apple has been edged out of mainland China's top five vendors list.

According to the latest market research firm Canalys report, local Chinese manufacturers have achieved an unprecedented feat, securing all five top positions in the second quarter of 2024.

The Chinese smartphone market...

30 July 2024 | Telecoms

France hit by coordinated attacks on telecom infrastructure

France has been targeted by a new wave of sabotage attacks, this time focusing on telecom operators. The incidents occurred on Sunday night and have affected fibre optic networks across six regions of the country.

French authorities have confirmed that installations belonging to major telecom providers SFR and Bouygues Telecom were vandalised. The attacks appear to be well-coordinated, with damage reported in southern France and near the Luxembourg border, as well as in areas...

29 July 2024 | Broadband

The dawn of OpenRAN: Revolutionising mobile networks

Born from the need for greater flexibility and cost-efficiency in mobile networks, OpenRAN (Open Radio Access Networks) emerged in the mid-2010s as a radical reimagining of cellular infrastructure. The concept gained momentum in 2016 when the xRAN Forum was established, later merging with the C-RAN Alliance to form the O-RAN Alliance in 2018. This collaborative effort aimed to break the stranglehold of proprietary, integrated systems that had long dominated the...

25 July 2024 | 5G

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

Singtel and SK Telecom forge partnership to pioneer 6G development

Singtel and SK Telecom forge strategic partnership to pioneer 6G development

Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) and SK Telecom (SKT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to a two-year collaboration focused on developing next-generation networks, with a particular emphasis on 6G technology.

This strategic partnership aims to significantly enhance network performance and security, elevate customer experience, and drive innovation across the telecommunications industry.

The head of ICT infrastructure at SK Telecom, as...

22 July 2024 | 6G

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

Berlin’s 5G shift: Germany to phase out Huawei and ZTE components

In the wake of mounting global concerns over national security, Germany has become the latest nation to join the ranks of countries restricting Chinese technology in critical infrastructure. Following in the footsteps of the US, Britain, Sweden, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Europe's largest economy has announced plans to bar components from Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE in core parts of its 5G networks.

This decision marks a significant shift for...

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