During the period from March 31th to April 6th, 2026, the following international news occurred:
1. Vodafone Idea expands 5G to 90 new cities, boosts transport network with Ciena
India's Vodafone Idea plans to expand its 5G services to 133 cities by May 2026, adding 90 new cities with a focus on areas with high data demand and high 5G device penetration. Simultaneously, Vi is upgrading its transport network using Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme technology to support bandwidth growth and enhance competitiveness.
2. C-DOT eyes spinoff to take Indian tech global
Indian R&D organisation C-DOT is planning to spin off a commercial entity, with the private sector holding a 51% stake, to take its indigenous 4G/5G technology stack, along with products in quantum communications and AI, to the global market. The technology has already been deployed on BSNL's network, serving approximately 25 million subscribers, and aims to establish an Indian-origin global technology supplier.
3. Poste Italiane’s $12.5bn bid for TIM reflects Europe’s sovereignty drive
Poste Italiane has bid €10.8 billion for a controlling stake in Telecom Italia, aiming to integrate networks, cloud, and digital services to strengthen national digital sovereignty. If completed, the deal would create a state-led telecom giant with annual revenues of approximately €27 billion, reflecting a broader European trend toward domestic control over critical infrastructure.
4. Tower tensions rise in Italy as telcos seek control and lower costs
Telecom Italia and Fastweb+Vodafone have successively terminated their agreements with tower company Inwit, triggering contractual disputes. The move stems from dissatisfaction with monopoly pricing and cost control. Operators are seeking to regain control over infrastructure through self-built tower joint ventures in order to optimise 5G deployment strategies.
5. Ericsson eats into Nokia's share of VMO2 network in new 5G deals
UK operator Virgin Media O2 has completed its radio access network tender, with Ericsson becoming the primary supplier under contracts worth several hundred million euros. Nokia remains an "important" partner but its share has decreased. The investment, approximately $1.9 billion, aims to accelerate standalone 5G deployment. The market is further consolidating toward a duopoly of Ericsson and Nokia.
6. AT&T's 'OneConnect' puts cable in the crosshairs
AT&T has launched OneConnect, a fixed-rate bundled package combining gigabit fibre and mobile services starting at $90 per month for an individual line, with greater discounts for multiple lines. The move aims to increase the convergence rate between fibre and mobile services (currently 42%) and directly challenges cable operators and T-Mobile's broadband and wireless bundling strategies.
7. Small DeepSig is at heart of AI-RAN challenge to Ericsson, Nokia
US-based AI-RAN startup DeepSig is deeply involved in the OCUDU open source project, aiming to replace traditional algorithms with deep learning. The company, collaborating with NVIDIA and Intel, is optimising physical layer performance through its OmniPHY product, seeking to challenge the proprietary technology dominance of Ericsson and Nokia and drive the evolution of radio access networks towards open architectures.
8. Telstra forced to slash mobile coverage claim by a third
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has ruled that Telstra must reduce its claimed mobile network coverage area by approximately one third and, together with other operators, adopt a standardised methodology to reissue 4G and 5G coverage maps. The ruling follows allegations by TPG that Telstra had exaggerated its coverage, misleading consumers. The new maps will display coverage in four tiers: "good," "medium," "basic," and "no coverage."
9. The Wi-Fi gateway as an edge AI system
The Wi-Fi gateway is evolving from a connectivity hub into an integrated edge AI platform, combining wireless connectivity, on-device computing, and AI capabilities. A vice president of technology standards at Qualcomm noted that AI can both optimise network performance and run models such as vision and speech on the gateway, making edge devices smarter and more privacy-focused, thereby driving service upgrades.
10. Global telecom capex set to fall in 2026: Dell’Oro
Dell'Oro forecasts that global telecom capital expenditure will fall by 2% in 2026, followed by minimal annual growth of approximately 1% through to 2030. Current network capacity is deemed sufficient to meet demand, and operators are optimising capital efficiency. Investment is expected to pick up after the launch of 6G in 2030.
11. AI-RAN – lots of talk, little action, no guarantees
Despite NVIDIA's strong promotion of the AI-RAN concept, only a few trials are currently underway, with no operator yet announcing commercial deployment. Nokia plans to launch a GPU-based baseband product by the end of 2026, but the industry remains divided on the practical value of GPUs in the radio access network. Ericsson and Samsung, among others, are leaning toward CPU or custom chip solutions.