- Undersea cable chaos: Two major submarine internet cables were mysteriously severed near the Red Sea, crippling connectivity across India, Pakistan, the Gulf and beyond ts2.tech. Microsoft warned Azure cloud users of higher latency as data rerouted around the cuts ts2.tech. Repairs could take weeks, underscoring the fragility of the global internet backbone ts2.tech. Officials suspect sabotage amid regional conflicts, calling it a “wake-up call” to protect critical infrastructure ts2.tech ts2.tech.
- SpaceX’s big spectrum play: Elon Musk’s SpaceX agreed to buy $17 billion worth of wireless spectrum from EchoStar to fuel Starlink’s new direct-to-cell satellite service ts2.tech. The deal gives SpaceX coveted 2 GHz licenses to beam broadband straight to ordinary smartphones, aiming to “end mobile dead zones around the world,” said SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell ts2.tech. SpaceX will even shoulder $2 billion of EchoStar’s debt ts2.tech. Regulators applauded this creative satellite-mobile tie-up as a way to expand rural coverage ts2.tech, though investors sent telco stocks dipping on fear of new competition ts2.tech.
- Satellite internet race heats up: SpaceX’s 113th launch of 2025 lofted 24 more Starlink satellites (now over 2,000 launched this year) to broaden coverage ts2.tech. Rival Amazon’s Project Kuiper has 100+ satellites in orbit and is gearing up for a September 25 launch of 27 more ts2.tech, targeting beta broadband service by year’s end. Amazon also signed JetBlue Airways as the first airline to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi via Kuiper satellites from 2027 ts2.tech ts2.tech – a direct challenge to Starlink. And OneWeb (now part of Eutelsat) finished deploying its ~650 satellites, activating low-latency internet in new markets like South Korea and India through partnerships ts2.tech ts2.tech.
- Outages and crackdowns: A province-wide mobile internet blackout in Balochistan, Pakistan has now stretched past one month, keeping ~15 million people offline by government order ts2.tech. In Iraq, authorities imposed nationwide internet shut-offs for a few hours each morning during high school exams, a controversial annual practice aimed at curbing cheating ts2.tech. And in Turkey, as opposition protests loomed on Sept 7–8, the government throttled social media to a crawl – slowing Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and more ts2.tech. The intentional bandwidth choke lasted into the next day, a tactic digital rights activists call a “predictable playbook” to quell dissent ts2.tech.
- Bridging the digital divide: New initiatives rolled out to connect underserved communities. MTN South Africa will sell 4G smartphones for just 99 rand (~$5) to 1.2 million low-income customers still on 2G/3G, ensuring they aren’t left offline as older networks shut down ts2.tech. In the Philippines, Smart Communications launched plug-and-play 5G Home WiFi kits – prepaid wireless broadband routers – to bring high-speed internet to rural villages lacking fiber lines ts2.tech. And New York City kicked off a “Liberty Link” pilot to wire up 35 public housing complexes with free gigabit Wi-Fi for some 2,200 low-income households by year’s end ts2.tech. (Globally, about 2.6 billion people – 32% of humanity – still lack internet access, the UN warns, and closing that gap by 2030 may require a $2.6 trillion investment ts2.tech.)
Undersea Cable Sabotage Cripples Connectivity
A sudden undersea fiber break has wreaked havoc on internet traffic between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. On Sept 7, monitors detected that two critical submarine cables – SEA-ME-WE 4 and IMEWE – were cut near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ts2.tech. The impact was felt across continents: data slowed to a crawl or stopped entirely in countries including India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE ts2.tech. Major Gulf ISPs like Etisalat and Du experienced nationwide slowdowns, and millions of users saw sluggish or lost connectivity as traffic scrambled to re-route ts2.tech ts2.tech. Even Microsoft sounded the alarm, warning Azure cloud customers of increased latency due to “multiple undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea” forcing data onto longer paths ts2.tech.
No culprit has been confirmed, but the timing and location sparked fears of sabotage. The Red Sea cable corridor lies near conflict zones, including Yemen – where Houthi rebels have been suspected of past attacks on undersea cables (allegations they deny) ts2.tech. With the region on edge from war, Yemen’s exiled government outright accused Houthi forces of deliberately slicing the internet cables ts2.tech. “What is happening today in the Red Sea should serve as a wake-up call… to protect the digital infrastructure that serves as the lifeline of the modern world,” implored Yemeni information minister Moammar al-Eryani ts2.tech. Saudi officials declined to comment on the cause ts2.tech, keeping the incident murky. Accident or malice, the damage is done.
Repairs will not be quick. Specialized cable repair ships must locate and haul up the cut fibers from the seabed – potentially a weeks-long process for multiple breaks ts2.tech. In the meantime, millions from South Asia through the Middle East remain stuck with spotty, bottlenecked internet. Traffic is flowing, but congested: alternate routes are straining under the load, adding noticeable delays ts2.tech. NetBlocks, an internet observatory, called it a “series of subsea cable outages” and reported multiple countries “have been affected” ts2.tech. Kuwait even confirmed a third cable (FALCON) was cut during the same period ts2.tech, compounding the region’s connectivity woes.
The episode lays bare the fragility of the internet’s backbone. Just a handful of undersea arteries carry the bulk of data between Europe and Asia, creating single points of failure. “Even an errant anchor drop in the shallow Red Sea could sever vital links between continents,” one Middle East network operator noted, underscoring how a moment of bad luck or sabotage can upend internet access for entire regions ts2.tech. Industry experts and officials are now calling for greater resiliency – from building more diverse cable routes to guarding existing ones. A senior U.S. FCC commissioner warned that foreign adversaries have targeted submarine cables and stressed the need to secure these “critical arteries” against tapping or cutting ts2.tech ts2.tech. The Red Sea outage is a vivid reminder: in 2025’s interconnected world, a few underwater snips can send shockwaves across global networks.
SpaceX’s $17 B Spectrum Gamble Reshapes Satellite-Mobile Internet
High above Earth, SpaceX is making a blockbuster bet that blurs the line between satellite and cellular service. On Sept 8, SpaceX announced a $17 billion deal to buy wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar – a move aimed at turbocharging Starlink’s forthcoming direct-to-cell coverage ts2.tech. The landmark deal hands SpaceX exclusive rights to about 30 MHz of S-band spectrum (around 2 GHz) that EchoStar held for a mobile-satellite network, plus portions of other bands datacenterdynamics.com mobileworldlive.com. In essence, SpaceX is acquiring the airwaves needed to beam broadband directly to ordinary smartphones from its satellites, without relying on any ground towers ts2.tech.
“With exclusive spectrum, SpaceX will develop next-generation Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellites… a step change in performance to enhance coverage for customers wherever they are in the world,” said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, vowing the deal will help “end mobile dead zones around the world.” ts2.tech
As part of the pact, SpaceX will also take on about $2 billion of EchoStar’s debt and integrate EchoStar’s Boost Mobile customers into the Starlink direct-to-cell service once available ts2.tech. U.S. regulators have cheered the tie-up as an innovative way to extend wireless coverage to remote areas by marrying satellites with mobile networks ts2.tech. In fact, the FCC had been investigating EchoStar for sitting on these spectrum licenses without adequate use; that probe was dropped immediately after EchoStar agreed to sell the assets to SpaceX and AT&T mobileworldlive.com mobileworldlive.com. FCC officials, who had pressured EchoStar to put the dormant airwaves to work, praised the sale for turning “underutilised” frequencies into expanded connectivity for Americans off the grid mobileworldlive.com mobileworldlive.com.
Traditional telecom investors, however, took notice – and some fright. News of SpaceX’s cellular ambitions sent shares of terrestrial carriers dipping on concerns of new competition ts2.tech. After all, Starlink’s satellite-to-phone service (set to pilot in 2024) could eventually bypass rural cell towers and challenge incumbents, especially for remote and maritime users. Industry analysts say it’s the boldest signal yet that SpaceX is dead serious about entering the mobile market, not just with satellite hotspot gadgets but by effectively becoming a global cell carrier from space ts2.tech.
SpaceX isn’t going it alone, either. In parallel with the EchoStar spectrum purchase, AT&T inked a deal to acquire a complementary chunk of EchoStar’s airwaves – roughly 30 MHz of mid-band (3.45 GHz) and 20 MHz of low-band (600 MHz) spectrum that will integrate into AT&T’s terrestrial 5G network datacenterdynamics.com. An AT&T executive told investors this spectrum can be deployed via software update “as soon as we get regulatory approval,” letting AT&T immediately boost capacity and accelerate the shutdown of its legacy copper lines by shifting more customers to wireless broadband (fixed 5G) datacenterdynamics.com datacenterdynamics.com. “It allows us to accelerate our legacy decommissioning… and pull our old infrastructure out of the network,” said AT&T’s Mass Markets chief Jenifer Robertson, noting only ~3% of AT&T’s customers still use copper lines now datacenterdynamics.com datacenterdynamics.com. In other words, the EchoStar deals are helping AT&T fast-track its vision of a fiber-and-5G future while retiring outdated networks datacenterdynamics.com datacenterdynamics.com.
All told, SpaceX’s $17 billion spectrum splash is reshaping the telecom landscape’s future. It cements SpaceX’s pivot from solely satellite broadband (Starlink dishes) to hybrid satellite-cellular services that work on everyday phones. It also exemplifies a broader convergence: satellite operators teaming with telcos (or taking their spectrum) to fill coverage gaps. Regulators are smiling at the public-interest upside – more connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach areas – but incumbent mobile providers are undoubtedly watching closely. If Starlink’s direct-to-phone service delivers on its promise, the traditional boundaries between sky and earth in telecom may dissolve, bringing us closer to a world where you can get a high-speed signal anywhere on the planet from orbit.
Satellite Internet Race Accelerates Globally
SpaceX’s gambit comes as the competition in satellite internet intensifies. The company’s launch cadence is nothing short of blistering – on Sept 6, SpaceX conducted its 113th launch of the year, adding another 24 Starlink satellites to its low-Earth orbit megaconstellation ts2.tech. By now, SpaceX has deployed over 4,500 Starlink satellites in total (with more than 2,000 launched just in 2025) ts2.tech ts2.tech. This rapid expansion has extended Starlink’s broadband service to dozens of countries – from rural Alaska to ships at sea – and grown its subscriber base to over 1.5 million users, according to company disclosures ts2.tech ts2.tech. In fact, Starlink’s frenetic pace also achieved a rocketry milestone this week: SpaceX’s 500th rocket booster landing, reflecting the reuse that makes these near-weekly launches possible ts2.tech.
And SpaceX will need every bit of that head start, because rivals are racing close behind. Amazon’s Project Kuiper, the tech giant’s answer to Starlink, is finally lifting off in earnest. After years of development, Amazon now has just over 100 Kuiper satellites in orbit (from prototype launches in late 2023 and early 2024) ts2.tech. The next big step comes on September 25, when Amazon plans to launch 27 more Kuiper satellites aboard an Atlas V rocket ts2.tech. If all goes well, Amazon aims to begin beta-testing its satellite internet service by the end of 2025, with a full commercial rollout in 2026 ts2.tech. Critically, Amazon isn’t just launching hardware – it’s lining up customers. This week, Amazon scored its first airline partnership: JetBlue Airways will equip 200+ aircraft with Kuiper satellite terminals to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi starting in 2027 ts2.tech. “Staying connected is part of everyday life, even when you’re 35,000 feet in the air – and we’re pumped to bring that to life with JetBlue,” said Amazon Devices SVP Panos Panay in announcing the deal ts2.tech. For Amazon, winning marquee clients like airlines (and potentially cruise lines and governments) will be key to catching up to Starlink’s lead ts2.tech. Deep pockets don’t hurt either: Amazon is investing billions in its planned 3,200-satellite constellation and can afford an aggressive rollout.
Meanwhile, OneWeb – now merged with Europe’s Eutelsat – has completed its first-generation LEO network and is pivoting from deployment to expansion. With nearly 650 satellites aloft, OneWeb has focused on connecting governments, enterprises, aviation and maritime customers rather than individual consumers. In early September, OneWeb hit new markets: in South Korea, it is installing ground stations and gearing up to launch commercial LEO broadband service by end of this month (partnering with Hanwha Systems and KT SAT) ts2.tech. And in India, OneWeb/Eutelsat just formed a major joint venture with the Tata Group’s satellite arm Nelco to create “OneWeb India,” aiming to deliver secure low-latency connectivity across India’s remote regions and for strategic sectors ts2.tech. “This new service will strengthen India’s digital infrastructure and national security, while ensuring reliable connectivity in underserved areas,” said Eutelsat’s Asia-Pacific VP Neha Idnani of the Tata tie-up ts2.tech. Notably, India’s Bharti Enterprises – a key OneWeb shareholder – is hedging its bets by also partnering with SpaceX to market Starlink once approved locally ts2.tech. As one Bharti executive put it, the Indian market “offers ample space for both Starlink and OneWeb to grow” ts2.tech.
Across Africa and other developing regions, the strategy is collaboration: telecom operators are teaming with LEO constellations to reach the unconnected. For example, Airtel Africa (operating in 14 countries) signed a deal with SpaceX to roll out Starlink broadband to rural communities, schools and clinics across its footprint ts2.tech. Starlink is already licensed in 9 African nations and seeking approval in more ts2.tech. “We’ll enhance connectivity for enterprises and communities like schools and health centres,” said Airtel Africa’s CEO, highlighting a shared mission with SpaceX on digital inclusion ts2.tech. OneWeb, for its part, just opened a new ground station in Angola and is working with pan-African carriers to extend coverage ts2.tech. From Alaska to Zambia, the satellite internet “space race” is entering a pivotal phase: coverage is rapidly expanding, but so is competition. With Starlink’s first-mover advantage, Kuiper’s vast resources, and OneWeb’s strategic alliances, the coming years will determine how the sky-based broadband market shakes out – and how many players will ultimately provide internet from orbit.
Next-Gen Mobile Networks: 5G Upgrades and 6G Breakthroughs
On the ground, telecom operators are pushing the envelope of 5G performance while laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s 6G. In the UK, BT Group’s EE achieved a world-first network innovation that promises faster, smarter 5G service without adding a single new tower. On Sept 9, EE and vendor Ericsson announced they have deployed inter-site 5G carrier aggregation – essentially allowing neighboring 5G cell sites to coordinate and share capacity in real time ericsson.com ericsson.com. This advanced RAN (Radio Access Network) software feature, called Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC), lets two 5G base stations bond their downlink spectrum together, boosting data speeds by about 19% on average (and more than 2× under ideal conditions) for users in those areas ericsson.com. EE initially trialed the technology in Bristol and has now gone live on select 5G sites in Manchester and Edinburgh – just in time to handle crowds at Edinburgh’s famous festival events ericsson.com. The carrier plans to extend it to other busy city centers (London, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, etc.) over the next year ericsson.com.
The benefit for customers is a smoother, faster mobile experience, especially in congested areas. By dynamically combining spare capacity from two cell towers, EE can deliver higher peak downloads and more consistent throughput when many users are competing for bandwidth ericsson.com ericsson.com. Notably, this was achieved with software and fiber rather than new spectrum or hardware: each site was fitted with a small optical plug-in to enable tight coordination with its neighbor via BT’s high-speed fiber backhaul (with under 0.5 ms delay between sites) ericsson.com ericsson.com. “We’re delivering a smarter, faster network that meets growing demand for data – without the need for disruptive infrastructure changes,” said Greg McCall, BT’s Chief Networks Officer ericsson.com. Ericsson executives likewise hailed the inter-site carrier aggregation as an example of clever software boosting capacity beyond what a single mast could do alone ericsson.com. As mobile data usage surges, such techniques show how 5G networks can evolve through intelligent upgrades, not just bigger antennas.
Other operators are likewise expanding 5G coverage and capacity worldwide. In New Zealand, Spark announced it has secured additional C-band spectrum to bolster its 5G network, acquiring licenses in the 3.5 GHz range to increase urban capacity and prepare for 5G Standalone services mobileworldlive.com. Many countries are reallocating spectrum from legacy networks to 5G – for instance, Oman recently completed a nationwide shutdown of 3G service, refarming those frequencies for 4G/5G use datacenterdynamics.com datacenterdynamics.com. Oman’s regulator noted that since phasing out power-hungry 3G gear, the country is saving over 2 million kWh of electricity per year while 5G now covers 90% of the population datacenterdynamics.com datacenterdynamics.com. Around the world, dozens of carriers are announcing timelines to sunset 2G and 3G networks over the next 2–3 years, freeing up spectrum for newer technologies and encouraging any holdout customers to upgrade their devices.
And on the horizon, researchers are already forging ahead toward 6G. In a breakthrough out of China, a team of academics this week unveiled what they call the world’s first “all-frequency” 6G microchip – a tiny thumbnail-sized chip capable of wireless data rates over 100 Gbps by operating across a huge swath of spectrum from 0.5 GHz bands up into the terahertz range bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. The chip integrates what used to require nine separate radio components into one, using a reconfigurable architecture that can switch between frequencies on the fly bez-kabli.pl. While 6G standards are still years away (the 2030 timeframe for commercial rollout is often cited bez-kabli.pl), this prototype demonstrates the kind of ultra-broadband, high-speed links 6G might deliver – potentially powering applications like immersive AR/VR, autonomous systems, and massive IoT with fiber-optic-like speeds over the air bez-kabli.pl bez-kabli.pl. “This full-spectrum approach enables reconfigurable wireless links with vastly improved bandwidth and latency,” the researchers noted of their design bez-kabli.pl. In another glimpse of the future, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo announced it has begun early trials of 6G antennas that could use smart metasurfaces to dynamically direct signals – part of a broader push in Japan, Europe, and the US to shape 6G technologies in the latter half of this decade.
In short, today’s mobile internet is rapidly evolving on two tracks: optimizing current 5G networks to their fullest potential, and innovating the building blocks for 6G. From clever network software upgrades like EE’s, to new spectrum allocations and energy efficiencies, 5G is growing smarter and more widespread. And parallel to that, the first breakthroughs that will define 6G’s capabilities are emerging in labs. All this bodes well for mobile users – as these advancements trickle into commercial networks, we can expect faster speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connections, setting the stage for the next generation of wireless experiences.
Connectivity Outages and Censorship Clampdowns
Even as new networks light up, intentional shutdowns and outages continue to plague users in various regions – often at the hands of authorities. In Pakistan, roughly 15 million residents of the vast Balochistan province have been in an information blackout for over a month ts2.tech. The government cut off all mobile data services there in early August amid military operations against separatist militants, and has repeatedly extended the shutdown (most recently past August 31) with no end date in sight ts2.tech. Officials claim insurgents were using cellular networks to coordinate, necessitating the drastic measure ts2.tech. But critics – including human rights groups – argue the policy is collective punishment that has severed a lifeline for ordinary civilians. The internet ban has reportedly crippled daily life: students can’t access online classes, businesses and digital payments are disrupted, and families are cut off from communication. “I couldn’t even work or pay bills,” one affected resident told Amnesty International, which called for restoring access immediately ts2.tech. For now, Balochistan remains one of the world’s largest ongoing blackout zones.
Next door in Iraq, the government has been going dark on a schedule – in the name of stopping exam cheating. This week Iraq enforced its annual ritual of nationwide internet shutdowns during high school final exams ts2.tech. From 6am to 8am on exam days, all internet service (fixed and mobile) was cut off across the country ts2.tech. The aim is to prevent students from leaking or looking up answers online. But the collateral damage is huge: every morning blackout freezes banks and businesses, media, and government services for hours. “School exams are no reason to block internet access,” digital rights advocates fume, noting that very few countries resort to such sweeping measures ts2.tech. Even Iraq’s telecom ministry admitted the shutdowns are controversial, but it continues to follow the practice each year. While service does resume after each exam period, Iraq’s approach highlights how some governments are still willing to pull the plug on the entire internet – sacrificing connectivity for millions – to try to enforce social controls.
In Turkey, authorities employed a more targeted clampdown on dissent. On the night of Sept 7, ahead of planned anti-government protests, Turkish users found that their social media suddenly slowed to a crawl. Data from NetBlocks confirmed that major platforms – X (Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and others – were being throttled by Turkish internet providers, making those apps nearly unusable ts2.tech ts2.tech. The throttling (essentially extreme bandwidth limiting) lasted well into Sept 8, coinciding with the time of the opposition rallies ts2.tech. By drastically hindering popular communication tools, officials hamstrung protesters’ ability to organize and live-stream, without the need for an outright block. It’s a tactic Turkey has used before – during past political unrest or even exam leak scares – as a form of “soft” censorship. Authorities gave no official explanation for this latest slowdown ts2.tech. But activists were unsurprised, calling it a predictable playbook under President Erdoğan’s government to quell dissent while minimizing public fallout. The incident underscores the growing trend of using throttling (which can be harder to detect or circumvent than total blackouts) to control online spaces in moments of turmoil.
Outages weren’t all deliberate, though. In Africa, Telecom Namibia suffered a major network disruption on Sept 8 that knocked out both mobile and fixed internet services in parts of the country techafricanews.com techafricanews.com. Technicians worked through the night, and by Sept 9 service was fully restored to the affected regions, the operator reported techafricanews.com. The company apologized for the incident – caused by damage to fiber infrastructure – and said it is taking steps to prevent similar occurrences. And in the U.S., some Spectrum and CenturyLink customers in the Pacific Northwest experienced a widespread outage on Sept 9 after a fiber-optic line was accidentally cut by construction, illustrating how a single mishap can temporarily wipe out connectivity for thousands of people in a region bakercityherald.com bakercityherald.com.
From conflict-driven blackouts to government-mandated slowdowns to random cable cuts, the past 48 hours have highlighted the vulnerability of our connected society. Each incident, in its own way, raises urgent questions. How can we better safeguard internet access during crises or political events? Are there more proportional ways to address security concerns than flipping the “off” switch on an entire province or country? And as people become ever more reliant on connectivity for education, work, health and safety, what are the human costs when that lifeline is severed? The tension between national security and digital rights continues to play out in real time on the world stage.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Affordable Access Initiatives
Amid the setbacks and showdowns, there were also significant efforts this week to expand internet access to those still offline or stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide. Around the globe, governments, telcos and communities launched projects aimed at making connectivity more affordable and inclusive – recognizing that billions of people remain unconnected even as 5G and satellites grab headlines.
One striking initiative comes from South Africa, where operator MTN announced it will offer ultra-low-cost smartphones to ease the transition away from 2G/3G for its poorest users. Up to 1.2 million prepaid customers will be given the option to buy a new 4G Android smartphone for just 99 rand (≈$5.40) – a 90%-plus discount off the typical ~$40 retail price ts2.tech. The program will roll out in phases through 2026, targeting customers who still rely on basic 2G/3G handsets. It’s timed with South Africa’s plan to shut down 2G and 3G networks by 2027 and refarm those frequencies for 4G/5G reuters.com reuters.com. “At MTN, we are committed to going the extra mile to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital era,” said MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi reuters.com. As the country upgrades to newer technologies, “it is vital that we take proactive steps to connect as many South Africans as possible,” he added reuters.com. The sentiment directly addresses critics who warn that forcing 2G/3G shutdowns could exacerbate the digital divide if low-income users can’t afford 4G devices reuters.com. By heavily subsidizing smartphones, MTN aims to migrate customers to 4G without pricing them out – and in turn, preserve their connectivity (and its customer base) in a 4G/5G-only future.
In the Philippines, a new project is targeting remote rural communities that lack wired broadband. Leading mobile operator Smart Communications launched “Smart 5G Home” – a plug-and-play wireless broadband kit that uses 5G signals to deliver home internet, much like a portable Wi-Fi hotspot but with higher power for household use. The device, which comes with a bundled prepaid unlimited data plan, is being offered at affordable rates and can be self-installed, making it ideal for far-flung villages where laying fiber optic cables is impractical ts2.tech. Smart introduced the 5G Home kits on Sept 4 and is focusing on connecting students, remote workers and small businesses in underserved areas. By simply plugging in the unit and placing it where the 5G signal is best, users can get high-speed internet instantly – no technician visit required. This addresses the Philippines’ urban-rural digital gap, where cities have fiber and 5G, but many rural towns still have sluggish or no internet. Wireless fixed home 5G could be a fast solution to bring those communities online.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the nation’s biggest city is investing in free connectivity for its most disadvantaged residents. New York City launched a pilot program called “Liberty Link” to provide free gigabit Wi-Fi in public housing complexes ts2.tech. In this initial phase, 35 housing developments in the Bronx and Harlem – home to over 2,200 low-income families – will be equipped with high-speed wireless internet by the end of 2025 ts2.tech. The project is funded by a combination of city and federal grants aimed at digital inclusion. Beyond just installing Wi-Fi hotspots, the program will also offer digital literacy training for residents, teaching skills like basic web use, online job hunting, telehealth access, and cybersecurity best practices ts2.tech. City officials noted that even in a metropolis like New York, there are pockets with shockingly low home broadband adoption (often due to cost barriers), and public housing residents have been among the least connected. By treating internet as a public utility in these buildings – freely available like heat or water – the city hopes to improve educational and economic outcomes. It’s essentially an urban counterpart to rural connectivity efforts, ensuring that connectivity gaps within cities are addressed alongside those between urban and rural areas.
Grassroots and nonprofit-driven efforts are also playing a role in closing the gap. The Internet Society Foundation this week announced grants for nine community networks across Africa, Asia, and Latin America ts2.tech. These locally built networks range from indigenous women in the Amazon setting up solar-powered Wi-Fi for their villages, to community mesh networks in remote Himalayan areas. Such projects empower people to build and maintain their own internet access where commercial providers haven’t reached, using creative solutions like solar panels, point-to-point wireless links, and shared bandwidth models.
All these initiatives – from big telco programs to municipal Wi-Fi to community tech – underscore a growing recognition: achieving universal internet access will require targeted, innovative solutions to reach those left offline. According to fresh data from the UN’s ITU, approximately 2.6 billion people worldwide still do not use the internet at all ts2.tech. Progress is being made (that figure was 3 billion a few years ago), but connecting the last one-third of humanity is proving challenging. The ITU estimates that ensuring “meaningful connectivity” for everyone by 2030 could cost an additional $2.6–2.8 trillion in investment ts2.tech – a massive sum that far exceeds current commitments. So while governments and companies have pledged around $50 billion so far, much more will be needed ts2.tech. The flurry of projects seen in recent days – cheap smartphones, 5G hotpots, free Wi-Fi, community networks – are important steps toward closing the access gap. They also highlight that reaching universality isn’t just about cutting-edge tech like 5G and satellites, but also about affordability, local engagement, and political will to bring every community online. The digital divide remains a solvable problem, experts say, if these efforts can be scaled up and sustained in the years ahead.
Industry Moves and Regulatory Outlook
The past 48 hours also saw significant telecom industry shifts and debates on policy that could reshape how carriers operate in the coming years. In Europe, executives are renewing calls for consolidation and regulatory change to bolster the sector’s fortunes. And on the regulatory front, authorities are balancing competition concerns with security and infrastructure needs in a rapidly changing telecom landscape.
One high-profile voice is Marc Murtra, the new CEO and executive chairman of Spain’s Telefónica. In interviews this week, Murtra argued that Europe’s telecom market is too fragmented and needs greater scale to compete globally reuters.com. He noted that Europe has 41 telecom operators with over 500k customers each, compared to just 5 in the United States or 3–4 in China reuters.com. This, he says, leaves European telcos without the size and profits to invest in critical areas like AI, cybersecurity, and next-gen infrastructure reuters.com. Murtra is pushing EU regulators to allow more mergers and acquisitions, reversing a long-held stance that blocked many big telco mergers to keep competition high reuters.com. In his view, the old fears that consolidation will hurt consumers are overblown, given new competition from tech giants and cable companies. Europe, he argues, risks falling behind in technology if it doesn’t permit the emergence of pan-European telecom giants. “If Europe wants strategic autonomy in technology, we’re going to have to have large or titanic European operators,” Murtra told Reuters reuters.com. “I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but imagine a Europe where the satellite systems, the hyperscalers and artificial intelligence are in the hands of tech bros – and this could happen.” reuters.com He has been lobbying officials on a proposal that regulators strike a sort of “social contract” with telcos: let them consolidate and expand into new tech arenas, in exchange for commitments to invest heavily in Europe’s digital infrastructure reuters.com reuters.com. It’s a bold vision that would reshape Europe’s telecom landscape, and it comes as some big deals are already brewing – for example, Vodafone’s plan to merge its UK arm with Three UK (now under review by regulators), and reports that Orange, Bouygues and Iliad have explored carving up their French rival SFR reuters.com.
Outside Europe, market consolidation is advancing in other regions. In Africa, the government of Ghana moved forward with a plan to merge two major mobile operators in a bid to strengthen competition. Ghana’s #3 carrier (state-owned AirtelTigo, now rebranded AT Ghana) will be combined with #2 carrier Telecel Ghana after Telecel’s recent acquisition of Vodafone’s local unit ts2.tech. The merged entity would have around 26% of Ghana’s mobile subscribers, creating a more robust challenger to the dominant MTN, which currently holds roughly 74% share ts2.tech. Officials in Ghana emphasized that the merger is aimed at stemming the heavy losses the smaller operators have faced and ensuring a viable second national operator ts2.tech. They pledged that there would be no job cuts as a result of the combination and expressed hope that a stronger #2 will drive better services and prices through competition with MTN ts2.tech. This reflects a broader trend in many emerging markets where 3 or 4 operators are struggling – governments are increasingly open to consolidation to create more sustainable players (Kenya and Nigeria have seen similar discussions, for instance).
On the regulatory side, security and spectrum policy remain hot topics. In the U.S., regulators are continuing a tough line on network security with a focus on Chinese equipment. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week affirmed it will ban “untrusted” Chinese components in new telecom projects that fall under its jurisdiction – notably undersea cables that land on American shores ts2.tech. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr cited espionage and sabotage risks, claiming “we have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries, like China” ts2.tech. The FCC is also streamlining permits for what it deems “trusted” vendors to build new cables, to ensure vital links are built without delays ts2.tech. This follows earlier U.S. moves barring major carriers from using Huawei/ZTE gear in 5G networks. Similarly, Spain’s government made waves a few days ago by abruptly canceling a €10 million contract with Telefónica to build a public network, solely because the plan involved Chinese vendor Huawei – Madrid cited concerns over “strategic autonomy” and digital security bez-kabli.pl. The incident shows how geopolitical security worries are directly impacting telecom procurement in Europe as well.
In spectrum management, regulators are walking a fine line between pushing innovation and enforcing accountability. The FCC’s handling of the EchoStar spectrum saga (as discussed above) is one example – effectively pushing the asset into hands (SpaceX and AT&T) that will use it, rather than letting it lie fallow. In South Korea, regulators this week announced a probe into KT Corp after a mobile payment system breach mobileworldlive.com, underscoring growing regulatory scrutiny on telco cybersecurity practices. And in New Zealand, the government completed an auction of 3.5 GHz C-band spectrum to operators like Spark and 2degrees, but controversially reserved a portion for a local Māori trust to ensure indigenous participation in 5G – a policy balancing commercial and social objectives (this follows a similar reservation in a prior 5G auction).
Looking ahead, the telecom industry is clearly at an inflection point. Market forces are driving companies to seek partnerships and mergers (telco–big tech joint ventures like Jio–Meta in India, or cross-border mergers in Europe). Policymakers are grappling with how to foster robust telecom players that can invest in new technology, without letting competition languish. And all of this is unfolding as new entrants from the skies (satellite broadband) and the tech sector (think Google Fiber or Apple’s eSIM initiatives) disrupt the traditional telco domain. The next few months will be telling: Will Europe’s regulators soften their stance on mergers as executives like Murtra urge? Can satellite operators and mobile carriers cooperate to expand coverage, or will they collide in competition? How will governments balance national security with the desire for low-cost vendors in 5G/6G rollouts? The only certainty is that the global telecommunications landscape is evolving rapidly – with big bets, bold experiments, and regulatory cross-currents all part of the complex picture.
Sources: Reuters; TS2 Space ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech reuters.com reuters.com ts2.tech.
