Tech

More than two years after the first commercial 5G networks went live, 5G has already become the fastest-adopted mobile generation. Meanwhile, plenty innovation is being planned for the years to come for 5G. It therefore makes sense for the industry to take stock of what has gone right in 5G so far and what could

Facebook already asks for your thoughts. Now it wants your prayers. The social media giant has rolled out a new prayer request feature, a tool embraced by some religious leaders as a cutting-edge way to engage the faithful online. Others are eyeing it warily as they weigh its usefulness against the privacy and security concerns

Samsung’s heir apparent has been granted a parole, but when and how he could take the reins at Korea’s biggest chaebol is still not clear. Lee Jae-yong, or Jay Y. Lee as he is known in the international business circle and western media, has been granted a parole by Korea’s Justice Ministry, 18 months into

Revenue at the UK-based operator increased 5% in the first six months of the year, but prepaid customer growth and roaming remain areas of concern. Three UK reported a “solid” set of financial figures for the first six months of 2021 and appeared relieved it has been able to carry through the stronger momentum it

Apple reportedly shared a memo internally acknowledging the “misunderstandings” around the new features aimed at protecting children. It also emphasised that these features are important for keeping children safe. The Cupertino tech giant recently announced it will implement a system that checks photos on iPhone devices in the United States before they are uploaded to

Also in today’s EMEA regional round-up: Swisscom on a roll in H1; Brits watching even more telly in lockdown; UK operators get to grips with 5G. The pandemic-prompted switch to large-scale remote working has persuaded BT to launch a new managed security service aimed at larger companies and the public sector. The idea is that

Rakuten announced partnership with 1&1 to build “Europe’s first fully virtualised mobile network” for the German greenfield operator. The company also set up a separate unit to drive global expansion. Rakuten’s PR and comms team had a busy day. In addition to announcing the acquisition of its long-term OpenRAN partner Altiostar, the company also shared

Mi Mix 4 has allegedly made its way to Geekbench and the listing hints at some of its specifications. Xiaomi recently announced that it will unveil Mi Mix 4 on August 10 in China and it will come with a host of improvements over the Mi Mix 3 5G that was launched 2019. Mi Mix

When T-Mobile US published its Q2 results last week it once again talked up the progress it is making in integrating Sprint and upgraded its merger synergies guidance for the second consecutive quarter. But it didn’t think to mention its plans for closing down Sprint’s LTE network next summer; it took the eagle eyes of

Also in today’s EMEA regional round-up: Paramount+ streaming service heading for Sky platforms; Saudi Telecom Company’s Q2 impresses; Virgin Media slide-tackles BT and Sky over TV soccer coverage. Telecom Italia (TIM) and its international services arm, Sparkle, have been carrying out what they say is the first public demonstration of an “international quantum connection”. The

Samsung announced that Indian customers can reserve a pre-booking for its upcoming flagship smartphones by paying Rs. 2,000. Although it did not officially name the phones, Samsung will be launching its next generation foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, on August 11 at its Galaxy unpacked virtual event. Fans

Trade organisations called on the Biden administration to expedite its China policy reviews and to reopen trade talks with its main rival. The Wall Street Journal reported in an exclusive that on Thursday dozens of US trade organisations sent a letter to Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, and Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary, urging

Ethiopia has formally announced that it will launch the process to award a second new mobile licence later this month, including a permit to offer financial services. But despite the removal of what has been widely seen as a key stumbling block in the liberalisation of the country’s telecoms market, African telco giant MTN is

PlayStation VR 2 will reportedly have two OLED displays that will support high-dynamic-range (HDR) video — that should make it brighter, more vibrant with an expanded colour spectrum, and capable of deeper blacks and more powerful whites. The original PSVR headset had a standard-dynamic-range (SDR) LCD display. The next-gen PlayStation virtual reality headset will also

KPN has secured a €1 billion credit facility that is linked to its own sustainability goals, a further sign that telcos are taking this stuff seriously. The Netherlands-based operator said it has refinanced an existing credit line. The interest rate on the new facility is tied to KPN’s performance in three specific areas that form

Also in today’s EMEA regional round-up: Sparkle turns to Infinera to power 400G services; auctions ahoy in French overseas territories; EE puts on its headphones and Hawaiian shirt in the cause of 5G. Amazon’s Prime Air drone-delivery research programme, based in Cambridge, UK, appears to have gone into a nosedive, if a report on Wired