TelSoc Newsletter – CommsWire 23 May 2025

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Nokia trials 5G platform for military exercise in Norway

Finnish telecoms equipment vendor Nokia has trialled its 5G technology in a defence scenario during Joint Viking 2025, a multinational military exercise in Norway above the Arctic Circle.

Qualcomm and Xiaomi ink multi-year smartphone chips agreement

Smartphone chipset maker Qualcomm and Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi have extended their current 15 years partnership with the signing of a new multi-year agreement.

Orange and IFC partner to boost digital connectivity in Africa

World Bank subsidiary International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) have signed a partnership to strengthen access to digital services in eight African countries.

Spark announces network operations partnership with Nokia

New Zealand telco Spark has announced a strategic network operations partnership with Nokia, under which the global telecoms equipment vendor will manage the day-to-day monitoring and support of Spark’s network.

TPG alleges Telstra’s mobile coverage claims bogus

TPG subsidiary Vodafone Australia, has called for a regulatory investigation into Telstra’s mobile coverage claims after alleging Australia’s largest telco has been misleading Australians by massively over inflating its coverage.

Verizon drops DEI, wins FCC approval for US$20B Frontier acquisition

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau has approved Verizon’s US$20 billion acquisition of American internet and voice services provider Frontier Communications.

Huawei 5G-A used to control autonomous electric mining trucks in China

Chinese telecoms equipment vendor Huawei is providing a 5G Advanced (5G-A) communications network for a fleet of 100 autonomous electric mining trucks, which have officially entered operation at the Yimin open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia, China.

Telia to test Lithuania’s first 5G standalone network in sea port trial

Swedish telco Telia is trialing Lithuania’s first 5G standalone (SA) network at the Baltic Sea port of Klaipėda, with the aim of paving the way for rollouts at critical infrastructure sites across the country.

GSMA calls on governments to lower spectrum pricing

Global mobile operators group the GSMA has released its latest ‘Global Spectrum Pricing Report’, highlighting that average spectrum prices have not reduced in line with operator revenues over the last decade.

Singtel deploys nationwide 5G+ on 700MHz network to consumers

Singaporean telco operator Singtel has unveiled a 5G Advanced service for consumers on its low band 700MHz network. The telco has also made network slicing available for all customers nationwide.