Global smartphone shipments saw a notable 7.8% year-over-year increase in the first quarter of 2024, according to data from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. The total shipments for the quarter reached 89.4 million units, marking the third consecutive quarter of growth and indicating a solid recovery in the smartphone market. Samsung reclaimed its position as the leading smartphone vendor during this period, displacing Apple, which held the top spot in 2023 according to IDC’s figures. The shift reflects a dynamic market landscape where major players are vying for dominance amids ..read more

Vodafone Idea, a struggling telecom operator in India, is set to embark on a significant equity fundraising effort to secure more than $2 billion. This move comes as the company faces mounting bills and aims to finance the rollout of its 5G network. After months of planning, Vodafone Idea’s board has greenlit a follow-on public offering (FPO) scheduled for later this month. The FPO aims to raise up to 180 billion rupees (equivalent to US$2.16 billion) through the sale of new shares. Investors will have a brief window from April 18 to April 22 to participate in the FPO, with shares priced bet ..read more

In a significant step toward enhancing the capabilities of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), Nokia has successfully concluded an optical transmission trial in collaboration with SURF, a key player in Dutch education and research IT infrastructure. The trial achieved a breakthrough single carrier 800Gb/s optical transmission over SURF’s extensive cross-border network, which forms part of the vital research and education connectivity in Europe. The trial utilized a 1648 km point-to-point fibre link between Amsterdam and Geneva, crossing through Belgium and France. This network segment is crucial ..read more

The recent fusion of Orange Spain and MasMovil has caught the attention of Telefonica, a significant competitor in the telecommunications market. As noted by the Spanish news outlet, Expansión, there are ongoing discussions between Telefonica and the monolith newly named ‘MasOrange.’ Interestingly, this merger is valued at an impressive €18.6 billion, a deal that gained endorsement by the European Commission (EC) as of February following extensive regulatory scrutiny. The creation of MasOrange is a game-changer, set to become Spain’s largest operator. Nonetheless, there’s an evident hitch. Th ..read more

An anonymous source this week leaked riveting news indicating a possible merger between two of UK’s principal alternative network providers. If this move is implemented, the resultant entity would see fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) coverage for over one million premises. While this buzz circulates, it has been suggested that the companies in question could consolidate their networks within a span of a month to six weeks. The rationale behind this harmonization seems fairly straightforward. A common investor unites these businesses–Adveap. Likewise, they share a rather synchronized approach to fi ..read more

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology has revolutionized the way businesses communicate. Switching to VoIP can bring significant advantages to any organization, including cost savings, advanced features, and enhanced flexibility. However, as with any major technology transition, the switch to VoIP raises valid and important concerns, and even presents potential pitfalls.  This article explores common challenges encountered when switching to VoIP, and provides strategies to mitigate concerns and assist in achieving a seamless and efficient implementation of VoIP solutions. Addres ..read more

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised alarms regarding the possibility of a collusion among a handful of American tech giants, aiming to manipulate the AI market in their favor. The focus of their worry centers on the control exerted by these companies over the development and commercialization of foundation models (FMs), with Open AI’s GPT being a prominent example. In an investigative effort, the CMA has identified a complex network of over 90 partnerships and strategic investments involving major players such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Nvidia. They f ..read more

Snom, the premium brand for IP based communications, is celebrating a successful year in business after reaping the rewards of its international outlook. This year, Snom’s business skyrocketed in both Spain and Italy. In other European regions, such as France, the United Kingdom and DACH, the manufacturer preserved its market share and it also increased its presence in the Middle East. The past year has been challenging for many businesses. Europe has experienced somewhat conservative purchasing behaviour due to the ongoing global political crisis and economic uncertainty. Even in this clima ..read more

In a bold move delineating South Korea’s ambition to hold a prime spot in the world’s semiconductor industry, President Yoon Suk Yeol recently declared an investment of 9.4 trillion won ($6.94 billion) in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2027. Concurrently, an additional 1.4 trillion won ($1.01 billion) will be channeled to back domestic AI semiconductor firms. Yoon emphasized the critical nature of semiconductor competition in the current landscape during his speech, likening it to a feverish industrial war and a full throttle confrontation between nations. His vision is to elevate the nation ..read more

Swisscom and Ericsson have today unveiled an expansion to their longstanding partnership. This update outlines a multi-year agreement, aimed at enhancing Swisscom’s innovation ecosystem and spurring growth and improved energy efficiency for the service provider’s 5G network in Switzerland. Swisscom’s mobile network has notched a seven-year run as the top-ranked network in Switzerland according to connect magazine and umlaut measuring institute’s mobile network test. Swisscom’s network has developed remarkably over the years under its cloud-native transformation plans. Emphasizing its eco-foc ..read more