A US university tackled discrepancies in broadband access across its residences by tasking Boldyn Networks to provide a network which treats all buildings as equals.

The neutral host infrastructure player installed the network across 44 residences at Radford University in the US state of Virginia. Around 3,000 students are now being promised a consistent browsing experience through the institution’s ResNet service.

Matt Loecke, SVP for Higher Education with Boldyn Networks US, said the network takes “the day-to-day” off the plate of “an already stretched IT team” at the university.

Boldyn Networks explained it handles the everyday running of the network, enabling Radford University’s IT staff to focus on “initiatives including complex ERP and LMS transitions”.

It stated the IT team would likely also benefit as they work to deploy AI capabilities.

The company cited predictability as a key benefit for Radford University, highlighting hardware management, predetermined service costs and full-time customer care facilities.

Ryan Bailey, director of IT infrastructure at Radford University, said the institution wants to remove barriers to students getting online and welcomed the option to keep his staff focused on “projects that will define how we teach and work” over the next ten-years.

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The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed auctioning 25MHz of spectrum for satellite direct-to-device (D2D) services and terrestrial wireless networks.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) covers allocations in the 1675-1695 MHz and 2020-2025 MHz bands. The agency said the spectrum would help meet growing demand for D2D connectivity alongside traditional mobile services.

The FCC’s three commissioners unanimously backed the proposal, part of a broader effort by the administration of US President Donald Trump to clear up to 400MHz of spectrum for commercial use by 2028.

“We expect big interest in this seemingly modest amount of spectrum, indeed, similar D2D bands are selling for tens of billions of dollars on the secondary market today,” FCC chair Brendan Carr said. “Today’s proposal is a strong start.”

The move follows an AWS-3 spectrum auction which raised $3.5 billion. A further 160MHz of upper C-band spectrum is due to be auctioned by July 2027.

D2D framework
In a separate NPRM, the FCC proposed updating D2D licencing rules and sought public comment on opening nearly 482MHz across eight additional frequency bands for satellite-to-phone coverage.

The changes would remove geographic restrictions on spectrum leasing and routine waiver requirements. It also proposed updating technical standards and performance rules for networks combining terrestrial and satellite coverage.

The rules also advance reallocating portions of the 1675-1695 MHz band for non-federal fixed and mobile services. Mobile satellite services would receive secondary allocations in the band to provide supplemental coverage from space.

“With today’s proposal, we take our most comprehensive step yet to modernise the FCC’s rules for direct-to-device,” Carr said.

SpaceX and Amazon Leo are both developing planned D2D services and could benefit from the FCC’s proposals.

Separately, the commission adopted final rules removing a restriction on drone operations in the 800MHz cellular band. Carr said the change would make spectrum available for commercial and defence uses.

The commissioners unanimously approved the D2D rulemaking and the final drone rules.

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Honeywell Technologies completed an automation system deployment for a major cruise ship operator which is designed to deliver a double-whammy in terms of passenger and crew systems.

The cabin automation system was deployed in more than 8,400 rooms on a trio of Royal Caribbean ships which Honeywell Technologies described as being at the cutting-edge of innovation.

Passengers can use the set-up to customise their room using the cruise company’s app. It covers climate, lighting, window blinds and other elements in the cabins.

The company expects the system to improve the efficiency of Royal Caribbean’s operations, in particular by helping it cap energy usage.

Honeywell Technologies stated such guest experience elements are becoming a point of differentiation in the hospitality sector.

Juan Picon, president and CEO of its Building Automation division, said the system also provides Royal Caribbean with the tools to manage “some of the most-advanced vessels in operation today”.

The Icon Class ships involved are giants in the cruise shipping sector, with capacity for around 7,500 guests and crew on each of the three already in service.

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Operator KPN acquired Dutch business communications software developer Xelion for an undisclosed sum, bolstering its offering for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Xelion is to become part of KPN’s business division which serves SMEs, though will operate independently.

The software company provides a platform combining audio and video calling, messaging and customer contact services. It is compatible with WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams and various CRM systems.  

KPN noted the move fits with its strategy to “help entrepreneurs work smarter” and simplify how they deal with their customers.

It explained end users “expect companies to be reachable via various channels and to be able to switch quickly between calls, messages and customer information”, something helped by Xelion products.

In the long-term, KPN noted its newly acquired technology would offer “new opportunities to further connect communication, customer contact and AI support”.

The move is KPN’s latest targeting SMEs and comes a month after it launched a version of its Mobile AI product aimed at the segment, which provides the means to use AI to process the content of phone calls and make the information quickly usable.

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A Deutsche Telekom plan to merge with its subsidiary T-Mobile US reportedly hit an obstacle, prompting the German operator to decide against making a formal offer for now.

Bloomberg reported Deutsche Telekom faced opposition from its works council and trade unions, which the news outlet stated account for 50% of supervisory board seats.

The news outlet reported Deutsche Telekom was interested in a merger in April. It became the majority stakeholder in T-Mobile US in 2024 and now has close to a 53% stake.

Bloomberg noted Deutsche Telekom could still bring an offer later.

Last month, Bloomberg reported activist investor Elliott Investment Management was pressing Deutsche Telekom to drop the plan, having “built a sizeable stake” in the company.

Deutsche Telekom steadily accumulated T-Mobile US shares in recent years and its former German unit chief Srini Gopalan is now CEO of the latter.

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Japanese conglomerate Hitachi Group revealed when a fresh entity borne of two US subsidiaries would commence operations, a move unveiled earlier this year as it looks to capitalise on businesses’ digital transformation plans.

Hitachi Digital Services and GlobalLogic are being combined to provide a one-stop shop for digitalisation. The company originally explained the united business would aid internal transformations and help external organisations with their own digital shifts.

The united Hitachi Digital entity is scheduled to launch on 1 April 2027, comprising around 35,000 staff across 27 countries.

Hitachi stated the business can offer extensive expertise in vertical industries and emerging applications of AI including for physical purposes.

Staff are also well-equipped to handle AI data and intelligence, cloud and site reliability engineering, and enterprise systems. Hitachi highlighted “longstanding operational technology and domain knowledge” in the industrial sector.

Jun Abe, EVP and head of the Digital Systems and Services Sector, said Hitachi Digital would drive an evolution of the company into a “global digital services” player which would “work alongside clients throughout their business transformation”.

Hitachi is hoping to feel the benefits of the new unit itself through a so-called “customer zero” strategy, whereby it applies fresh services and knowledge to its own digital transformation.

The company previously stated Hitachi Digital would target businesses operating in the automotive, rail and energy sectors.

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Canada-based Terrestar Solutions struck a deal with the UAE company Space42 and US player Viasat to work on an open framework for sharing satellite infrastructure, with the ultimate aim of scaling direct-to-device (D2D) services while preserving national control over critical networks.

The Canadian satellite operator signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the two companies to establish interoperability standards linking its planned CaStar low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation with Equatys, a shared satellite infrastructure venture formed by Space42 and Viasat.

The proposed arrangement would allow operators to share network resources while retaining ownership and control of their satellite assets, ground networks and customer relationships.

For Terrestar this would maintain Canadian control of CaStar, including domestic gateways and ground infrastructure, while enabling it to connect with Equatys globally.

The companies expect the approach to reduce capital and operating costs by allowing operators to extend coverage without having to build and run standalone global constellations.

Under the proposed framework, the companies would coordinate resources including satellite capacity, beams, power and ground gateway access through vendor-neutral interfaces aligned with 3GPP non-terrestrial network specifications, GSMA roaming and interconnection frameworks and other recognised industry standards.

Space42 and Viasat agreed last year to establish Equatys, backed by up to $1 billion in combined equity commitments.

At the time they noted the venture aimed to provide shared infrastructure for satellite operators and other companies delivering D2D and advanced mobile satellite services. The Terrestar agreement marks the first planned application of Equatys’ “sovereign shell” model, which combines shared global infrastructure with satellite systems controlled and operated at a national or regional level.

“The future of mobile satellite connectivity won’t be built by countries or constellations acting alone,” said Jacques Leduc, president and CEO of Terrestar Solutions. “It will be built through open standards-based networks that combine national sovereignty with global reach, positioning us to compete at scale.”

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Samsung Electronics booked its previously flagged profit boost for Q3 as it continues to cash in on demand for memory products for AI, though cost pressures still hamper its mobile devices unit.

Its Mobile eXperience and Networks business, which includes its smartphones and mobile network products, posted an operating loss of KRW600 billion ($448.5 million) compared with a profit of KRW3.6 trillion in Q3 2025.

Revenue for the division was KRW37.7 trillion, up 11%.

It noted although its latest flagships and foldable range drove revenue, cost pressures hit the bottom line, a trend it also cited in Q2.

Samsung plans to focus efforts in the current period on sales of premium handsets and new related products, while aiming to “mitigate profitability risks through efficiency improvements across all business processes”.

In 2027 it intends to focus its device business on flagships and providing “differentiated experiences by customer segment”. It also plans to push “hardware and form-factor innovation”.

To “minimize declines in profit” it plans to undertake “agile market responses and operational efficiency initiatives”.

Samsung’s Networks business recorded a decline in earnings on lower sales in North America and high-margin software.

It is targeting revenue growth across North America, Japan and its home market of South Korea in the current quarter.

Memory boom
Across the whole company, Samsung booked net profit of KRW75.1 trillion, up from KRW12.2 trillion. Revenue was KRW195.3 trillion, an increase of 127%.

It noted the figures are a quarterly high, driven by demand for memory products.

Samsung was bullish on its prospects, expecting “industry-wide competition for AI leadership to drive continued AI infrastructure investment” in the current quarter.

In 2027, it anticipates “AI infrastructure capital expenditure to reach an historic level”.

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Apple unveiled a long-awaited touchscreen MacBook Pro after years of resisting the feature, topping off a fresh wave of product announcements under CEO John Ternus.

The redesigned MacBook Pro in 14- and 16-inch sizes was presented yesterday (28 October), with a tandem OLED display it calls PROLED XDR and touch input which is being brought to macOS for the first time.

Apple stated the touch sensor is built into the panel rather than layered on top, which cuts latency.

It is targeting the feature at designers, musicians, and developers testing iPhone and iPad apps. It noted the touch function works alongside the keyboard and trackpad rather than replacing them. Hardware chief Johny Srouji called it a monumental step for the Mac.

Reuters noted Apple executives had long resisted the idea. Steve Jobs said in 2010 laptop touchscreens were “ergonomically terrible”, and Tim Cook, then CEO, said in 2012 that such devices would be as pleasing to users as converging a toaster and a refrigerator.

“I’m glad to see Apple adopt the best-in-class display technologies with its industry leading silicon and design,” Anshel Sag, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told Mobile World Live. “OLED and touch has long been the mark of a premium laptop for Windows and now I’m glad to see Apple embracing both technologies together.”

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch models of the MacBook Pro offer configurations featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with up to 24 hours of battery life.

Orders opened yesterday, with shipping from 6 November. Prices start at $2,899 for the 14-inch M5 Pro and run to $4,799 for the 16-inch M5 Max.

The launch is the latest in a run of hardware announcements under Ternus, who took over as CEO from Tim Cook in September. His first big reveal was the foldable iPhone Duo foldable smartphone, priced at almost $2,000.

On 13 October, Apple expanded its smart home portfolio of devices, led by the $299 HomeView display built to show off Siri AI. Apple also announced a new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 and accessories made with LG and Schneider Electric.

Ternus is reportedly pushing to speed up product development and is weighing a move away from Apple’s usual launch cycles.

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T-Mobile US CEO Srini Gopalan (pictured) shut the door on a network deal with SpaceX during a Q3 earnings call, telling analysts he sees no reason for an MVNO with the space company.

Gopalan said the operator’s MVNO philosophy has not changed: its criteria includes whether a deal opens a new addressable market, distribution channels or capabilities.

The executive and T-Mobile have long maintained satellite is a complementary product so there is no case for a satellite MVNO.

Gopalan said he does not see an MVNO adding to physical AI and edge efforts for which the operator is building out its standalone (SA) 5G capabilities and moving towards 6G.

“If we’re talking about SpaceX as a customer, or us being a customer of them, that’s a purely commercial agreement,” he said, adding: “I see no room for an MVNO with SpaceX”.

MVNO questions came in the wake of reports SpaceX is seeking access to at least 80,000 US cell sites for Starlink Mobile.

Gopalan said satellite broadband was generally inferior to T-Mobile’s fixed wireless access (FWA) service outside some remote areas, with additional limitations including beam size.

He sees little reason to combine satellite and FWA, noting two-thirds of T-Mobile’s FWA customers are in dense urban areas where it still sees substantial room to grow using fallow network capacity.

“So, we don’t really see a synergistic opportunity with satellite providers”

“I’m very happy to look at a resale arrangement…but an MVNO is a wholly different thing”.

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman also recently ruled out an MVNO with SpaceX and AT&T CEO John Stankey played down the threat SpaceX might pose.

Q3 numbers
T-Mobile’s net income rose 27.3% year-on-year to $3.5 billion on revenue of $23.5 billion, up 7.4%.

Service revenue grew 6.2% to $19.3 billion and post-paid service revenue rose 9.3% to $16.2 billion.

T-Mobile no longer reports wireless customer additions as a separate metric, but stated it added 274,000 net accounts, down 30.8%.

Post-paid account churn was 1.09%, up from 0.97%, attributed to more broadband-only accounts which churn more, and the temporary effect of monthly plan changes.

It had 34,974,000 post-paid accounts compared with 33,979,000 a year earlier. Average revenue per account rose from $149.44 to $155.73.

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