Business Insights

The number of wearable bands shipped globally exceeded the 50 million mark in the most recent quarter, with robust market growth accelerating into next year, according to new analyst data.

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, announced its rate of customer connections is close to doubling quarter-on-quarter, with 108,000 customers connected in Q3 2025 (Q2 2025: 58,000), a new record for the company.

European telecoms standards body ETSI has set up the Technical Committee on Quantum Technologies (TC QT) with the goal of consolidating current standards and addressing future market needs.

ETSI says the move is a milestone in its commitment to advancing the framework of standards for quantum technologies across various domains.

Nokia has been testing Ultra Ethernet Transport (UET) traffic across its data centre platforms, and says “AI is changing the game when it comes to expected performance.”

Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) announces the new Dell PowerEdge XR8720t designed to transform edge and telecom infrastructure by delivering unprecedented performance and connectivity, especially for Open RAN and Cloud RAN deployments.

Why it matters:

IBM is unveiling IBM Network Intelligence, a network-native AI solution that addresses the escalating complexity of modern telecommunications and enterprise networks.

Connected Britain is the UK’s leading event for next-generation broadband and connectivity. On September 24th and 25th, the conference brought together over 8,000 leaders from across telecoms, government, enterprise, and technology to provide a unique platform for shaping the future of the UK’s digital infrastructure.

The number of 5G connections worldwide is growing at a rate of knots and as such is projected to hit 9 billion by 2030.

The UK government is handing out another few million pounds in hopes of striking semiconductor gold.

According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the UK's chip sector is set to grow by 75% between now and 2030.

• Nscale selects Nokia as a preferred networking partner for global AI-ready data center build-out.
• Nokia joins other investors in Nscale’s Series B investment round to advance AI infrastructure globally.
• Nokia and Nscale to jointly drive innovation in the networking stack used in AI c

UK comms regulator Ofcom has fined Ericsson owned Vonage £700,000 for failing to ensure some business customers could make calls to emergency services in 2023.

Nokia, Nvidia, Deutsche Telekom and Dell are among a group of investors that have backed budding European hyperscaler Nscale to the tune of $1.1 billion.

OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle have announced further details of their ambitious plan to build $500 billion worth of AI data centres across the US.

Recently merged operator VodafoneThree has signed new contracts with Ericsson and Nokia amounting to £2 billion as it targets 5G SA for 90% of the UK population.

The DSIT-funded UK 5G Innovation Regions (5GIR) programme has seen ten regions throughout the UK receive a share of £36 million of funding as part of a wider programme to drive 5G adoption.

TalkTalk has reportedly lined up investment bankers to manage the final break-up and sale of its remaining businesses.

Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space

• Virgin Media O2 has switched on its next generation 5G Standalone network in 500 towns and cities across the UK
• The operator’s 5G Standalone network is now the biggest in the UK, reaching more than 70% of the UK’s population, and is available to customers at no extra cost
• Bakewell became the latest location to benefit from V

Companies will advance next generation quantum-secured satellite communications on Honeywell’s QKDSat Project with the European Space Agency, sponsored by the UK, Belgian, Austrian, Canadian, and Czech Republic Space Agencies

According to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, security, networks, and data center industries, following two years of capex reductions, global Telecom Capex was stable in the second quarter of 2025 on a year-over-year basis, bolstering the stabilization narrat

• South Korea’s mobile sector is in the cybersecurity spotlight again
• KT Corp has confirmed the potential leak of subscriber data impacting more than 5,000 customers 
• The news comes in the wake of SK Telecom’s major data breach 

• The GSMA has published its latest report on global mobile internet connectivity
• It finds that 3.1 billion people are still not using a 4G or 5G network despite widespread availability
• 5G is said to reach 54% of the world’s population
• Meanwhile, 5G standalone

• UK fibre broadband altnet Community Fibre has been focusing more on building its customer base and less on network expansion for the past year or so
• That focus appears to be paying off, with its customer base growing by 33% over the past 12 months

We’ve reported a few times this year abo

Hi, I’m Matthew Izatt-Lowry, the Head of Economics at FarrPoint, a consultancy headquartered in Edinburgh that advises on digital connectivity, telecoms infrastructure and data centres. Previously, I worked for the Scottish Government as an economist.