The US Justice Department has sued to block the acquisition of Juniper Networks by HPE, asserting that it would eliminate competition between two of the three top wireless networking firms.

As the Future Network Programmes conclude, UKTIN is working with DSIT to reflect on the government-funded projects, outlining the key outcomes and the lessons learned to help improve future telecoms initiatives. 

The global market for broadband network equipment is still on the up but it is approaching peak, while broadband subscriptions have hit a new milestone, according to new data published this week.

The broadband access equipment market will grow by 0.8% on average for the next five years, Dell'Oro predicts, putting the sector's peak at US$19.2 billion in revenue in 2028, as cablecos and fibre operators complete major DOCSIS 4.0 and rural broadband expansion projects.

Japan's SoftBank and OpenAI are reportedly discussing a deal that could see the telco become the ChatGPT maker's biggest single shareholder.

That title is currently held by Microsoft, which has so far ploughed $13 billion into OpenAI – more than any other individual entity.

After a difficult few quarters, Nokia returned to sales growth in Q4 after its fixed-line and data centre networking divisions put in particularly solid performances.

"We saw a strong finish to 2024 with 9% net sales growth year-on-year in Q4," said Nokia chief executive Pekka Lundmark. "I am optimistic that the improving market trends we are now seeing will persist into 2025."

Nokia's revenue for the three months to 31 December came in at €5.98 billion, up from €5.42 billion a year earlier, with Europe, North America and APAC all returning to growth.

• Rowan Chesmer, Vodafone engineer, makes historic first space mobile video call from a remote area of Wales to Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, using satellites built to offer a full mobile broadband experience.
• Astronaut Tim Peake joined Margherita in Newbury, UK, for unveiling of first space to land gateway in Europe which seamlessly connects the satellites with Vodafone’s terrestrial network.
• Only satellite service in the world today that offers mobile broadband directly to multiple normal 4G or 5G smartphones.
• Vodafone aims to offer the

As the Future Network Programmes conclude, UKTIN is working with DSIT to reflect on the government-funded projects, outlining the key outcomes and the lessons learned to help improve future telecoms initiatives. 

The £74 billion UK tourism industry is one of the largest sectors of the UK economy, and the government has announced a new ambition to welcome 50 million international visitors per year by 2030 as part of its plans for the country to remain one of the most visited worldwide. 

The Future Networks Awards offer an opportunity for Future Network Programmes projects (any project part-funded by DSIT) to showcase their innovation, impact and intentions to a panel of independent judges. 

Swedish kit vendor Ericsson managed to grow its revenues for a change in the last quarter of 2024, with the RAN business cycle becoming a bit more favourable.

“Q4 marks a strong end to 2024 for Ericsson,” opened Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm in his comments on the latest numbers. Under different circumstances, 2% year-on-year organic sales growth may elicit a more nuanced reaction, but this marks a significant inflection point for a company that has seen sales declines in many of its previous quarters. So we won’t begrudge Ekholm his relief at turning the corner.

FarrPoint consultancy has released the latest update to its Digital Connectivity Readiness Index (DCRI), providing critical insights into the UK’s progress in digital connectivity.