I-2SEA cable boosts capacity on key India-Singapore route
On July 3, Lightstorm launched the I-2SEA submarine cable system to significantly boost transmission capacity on the critical India-Singapore route, strengthening Asia Pacific data center interconnect and cloud infrastructure connectivity.
Vodafone tests satellite-based emergency communications in Ireland
On July 3, Vodafone began testing a satellite-based emergency communication system in Ireland. The system provides basic connectivity when terrestrial mobile networks are disrupted during natural disasters. Tests will evaluate the reliability and coverage of direct-to-device satellite technology for emergency response.
FCC proposes upper C-band rules, sidesteps SpaceX request
On July 2, the FCC released draft rules for upper C-band spectrum, declining to adopt SpaceX's spectrum allocation request. The upper C-band is considered a critical mid-band resource for future 5G and 6G. The FCC plans to auction the band in July 2027.
Malaysia's DNB expands 5G capacity as U Mobile exits
On July 2, Malaysia's DNB announced 5G network capacity expansion as U Mobile formally exited the shared wholesale network. DNB's coverage has extended to major cities and industrial zones, though ongoing disagreements over the single wholesale network model and pricing persist among operators.
T-Mobile and Grain receive FCC approval for spectrum swap
On July 2, T-Mobile and Grain Communications received FCC approval for a spectrum swap deal that will optimize both operators' spectrum portfolios. T-Mobile will strengthen its mid-band 5G coverage advantage through the transaction.
Huawei and China Telecom deploy 5G-A smart tourism network in Xi'an
On July 1, Huawei and China Telecom deployed a 5G-A network at the Tang Dynasty Night Market in Xi'an, using 3-carrier aggregation (3CC) technology to support AI-guided tours, AR interactions and crowd management systems for immersive cultural tourism experiences.
China targets 50,000 industrial 5G private networks by 2030
On July 1, China's MIIT and seven other ministries jointly issued guidelines for industrial internet development, setting a 2030 target of building 50,000 industrial 5G private networks with core industry added value exceeding CNY 2.5 trillion.
Qualcomm details 3GPP June plenary progress: 6G standard accelerates
On July 1, Qualcomm's VP of technology standards published an analysis noting that the 3GPP June plenary formally confirmed the Release 21 timeline with the air interface baseline initially defined, setting the direction for 6G key performance indicators.
China Tower to transform sites with digital intelligence, 3.26M 5G sites built
On June 30, China Tower announced it has built approximately 6.2 million base station sites including 3.26 million 5G sites. The company is accelerating digital and intelligent transformation of its tower assets, integrating edge computing and IoT services.
LoRaWAN global deployments reach 125M, growing 25M per year
On June 30, RCR Wireless reported LoRaWAN deployments have reached 125 million, growing at 25 million annually. LoRaWAN continues to see strong growth in smart metering, asset tracking and environmental monitoring IoT applications.
Samsung and KDDI complete AI RAN optimization trial on 5G SA, boosting peak throughput 52%
On June 30, Samsung announced successful completion of an AI-driven RAN optimization trial with KDDI on its commercial 5G SA network in Tokyo. Testing across hundreds of cells showed average downlink throughput improvement of 31%, with peak improvement of 52% in dense urban areas. The technology enables per-cell AI tuning without hardware replacement.
LPWAN comparison: LoRaWAN succeeds commercially, 4G LTE remains cellular IoT safe choice
On June 26, IEEE ComSoc published a deep-dive LPWAN technology comparison report. LoRaWAN was deemed a commercial success with 125M deployments and 25% annual growth. 4G LTE (Cat-1/bis) was described as the safest cellular IoT choice today. NB-IoT underperformed outside China, while 5G RedCap remains early-stage due to high costs and slow 5G SA deployment.