Telefonica demonstrated the military capabilities of its 5G infrastructure during an unmanned drone and vehicle exercise, one of the first moves it is making in a collaboration with Portuguese telecoms player NOS Comunicacoes.

The companies combined their 5G technologies during the Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems demonstration. Telefonica stated the work proved the ability to provide fresh services and uses of the pair’s infrastructure.

Telefonica and NOS Comunicacoes formalised their partnership during the event with the signing of a memorandum of understanding covering joint development of future connectivity set-ups, secure communications and digital services.

Defence and security uses are foremost in the companies’ focus. NOS Comunicacoes board member Joao Ricardo Moreira said a changing security and defence “landscape requires digital infrastructure capable of operating in a coordinated manner across national borders”.

As such, network interoperability is one of the key areas the companies agreed to explore.

Also on the table is work involving edge computing, AI, 5G and fresh architectures. Telefonica stated there would also be a focus on how the technologies integrate with “command-and-control systems, autonomous platforms and other emerging technologies”.

It took the companies a year to hammer out the details of their collaboration.

Telefonica Espana director of defence and security Javier Lopez Gutierrez said the work holds the potential to boost European sovereignty and thanked the Spanish and Portuguese navies for providing the “operational environment” to test and evaluate the technologies involved.

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PLD Space kept the focus on European satellite communication ambitions, revealing progress in developing its reusable launcher a matter of hours after major operators outlined plans involving spectrum access.

The Spanish rocket company is gearing up for a demonstration flight of its MIURA 5 reusable launcher with a trio of machines, two on which it tests systems and one on which validated technologies are installed.

PLD Space stated the approach should reap repeatability benefits when it comes time to manufacture its launcher vessels, along with enabling it to validate fresh features without interrupting scheduled operations.

It is progressing development of flight hardware, engines and mechanisms to lift rockets in to position on launchpads.

Its test units have been used to develop fairings and the company is also confident in its trajectory modelling.

PLD Space has a quartet of flight avionic systems ready and is keeping an eye on the ground infrastructure needed, which includes 17,000 square metres of manufacturing facilities along with ten test benches.

The company is also building a launch facility in French Guiana.

Co-founder and CEO Raul Torres said PLD Space must test “every element of the system” rigorously, making the three-vessel approach vital to the speed of development.

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stc Group seized the initiative on AI-native networking, setting a target of employing the technology directly in its core infrastructure by 2030.

The operator believes placing the technology at the heart of its infrastructure is essential to keep pace with growing demand for AI services and the resulting changes to connectivity requirements.

stc detailed its ambitions and approach in a white paper released during the Network X event in Austria last week in which it argued AI is essential to handle the complexity of modern telecoms networks.

In a statement publicising the white paper, stc explained the evolution to 5G-Advanced is a principal driver of increased operational complexity. It also pointed to “AI-enabled calling and immersive communications” as factors necessitating the technology.

stc argued operators are set to become essential providers of connectivity as AI services take-off, stating agents and automated systems “need networks to coordinate communications and computing resources”.

It believes an AI-native network is essential in this regard because of the greater levels of automated decision making and resource allocation the technology should afford.

stc is also seeking to improve network maintenance and reliability.

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Telenor Connexion appointed former Nokia president and CEO Pekka Lundmark (pictured) as its chair, part of a broader board reshuffle at the IoT player linked with an earlier move to bring equity company Verdane into the ownership mix.

Ingrid Wistrand, an executive with experience in the IoT units of Tele2 and Deutsche Telekom, and Verdane representative Morten Weicher are also joining the Telenor Connexion board, as the company moves to broaden the experience among its top brass.

CEO Mats Lundquist said the board shuffle is the “first visible step” in a move to bring Verdane in as a co-owner of Telenor Connexion.

He said the line-up is intended to give the IoT unit a “strong starting point” as it seeks to solidify a frontrunning position in global service provision.

Dan Ouchterlony, Tom Hvammen and Liv Ingeborg Blekkerud remain to oversee corporate development.

Jesper Bruksner is being brought in to handle HR matters: Telenor Connexion highlighted experience in “scaling global technology companies”, having cut his teeth with businesses including digital payments player Klarna and online health provider Kry.

Lundmark led Nokia from August 2020 until April 2025, when Justin Hotard took over.

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Rockwell Automation maintained a recent focus on life sciences by taking a key role in a consortium forged to tackle pharmaceutical industry bottlenecks through digitalisation.

It is a founding member of the Digital CMC Consortium, a group established to streamline the chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) elements of drug development which Rockwell Automation stated is currently hampering the sector due to a reliance on analogue methods.

The consortium describes itself as pre-competitive, meaning it focuses on establishing common ground on which companies can subsequently fight it out. The group produced its first two standardised digital specifications within six months and currently has eight organisations on board.

Rockwell Automation explained the work is needed because current CMC approaches still rely on “manual, document-based workflows”.

Digital upgrades are the only way to adapt to a sector in which treatments are becoming “more complex and personalised”, it stated.

Matt Weaver, VP of global industry life sciences, said the digital transformation of the sector “is not just about technology adoption, it is about building new ways of working”.

Rockwell Automation recently revealed the overall life sciences sector is waking up to the potential offered by digitalisation, though faces some challenges around data insights.

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Live production tools provider Riedel Communications was tapped to provide private 5G connectivity for the German DTM motorsport series, a shift in gear from more traditional vendor-led arrangements but one which taps broader fan engagement moves.

Riedel Communications’ equipment is being used as the main transmission method for onboard cameras under a deal with the DTM and broadcast service provider TV Skyline.

It expects the private 5G connectivity to help provide “more immersive motorsports coverage” and pitched the move as an “essential step toward fully digitally-connected” racing cars.

The network runs at 100MHz and can deliver data rates of up to 140Mb/s in the uplink. Riedel Communications noted efficiencies in the way spectrum is used yields network capacity gains and “comparatively low bandwidth”.

Riedel Communications stated the architecture of its private 5G system enables it to function with between four and seven antennas, easing trackside deployments.

TV Skyline CEO Wolfgang Reeh said the system helps the company to provide innovative coverage and tackles a “limitation in the area of onboard cameras”.

Claudia Wagner, MD of DTM, said the series is advancing its digital ambitions and opening the door to “show spectacular onboard footage”.

The private 5G network is being configured to handle onboard footage from 21 DTM cars along with unique camera angles offered in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Germany series.

Lutz Rathmann, CEO of managed technology with Riedel Communications, said the DTM deal is the first time it is applying private 5G to a major racing series.

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Shipping company Empresa Naviera Petrolera Atlantica (ENPASA) reported various operational improvements after deploying a digital connectivity system from Viasat company Inmarsat Maritime, offering a further example of the sector’s growing connectivity needs.

The company equipped two of its tankers with Inmarsat Maritime’s NexusWave system, recording improvements in connectivity and the time taken to update electronic charts.

Inmarsat Maritime emphasised a welfare aspect as ship crews gain access to unlimited data.

It explained digital technologies are now fundamental to operating ships, pointing to requirements around real-time data and cloud services, among others.

The ENPASA vessels are now able to access “high-performance communications across entire voyages”, Inmarsat Maritime stated.

Mobile World Live delved into the connectivity needs of the global maritime industry in a panel session during our recent Unwrapped: Digital Industries event, in which experts from Shipsider, GSMA Intelligence and Kaiko Systems explained the need for, and challenges in deploying, digital systems in the shipping sector. You can view the session here.

The need for reliable connectivity was emphasised by ENPASA technical manager Sergio Iglesias, who said it is now a “critical enabler of safe, efficient and modern vessel operation”.

Iglesias concurred with our panellists on the deployment path also being important, crediting the local partner of Inmarsat Maritime which handled the task for the “speed of implementation”.

Jose Arias, global account manager at Inmarsat Maritime, said the ENPASA job is a “practical example” of how the company is meeting the “evolving needs of a modern maritime operator”.

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Siemens equipped a forthcoming hydrogen plant as a digital-first facility, deploying dedicated software and twinning products in what it stated is a practical example of how technology can steer the future of such sites.

The work is taking place at Galp Energia’s GalpH2Park in Portugal, a 100MW facility intended to produce up to 15,000-tonnes of renewable hydrogen each year and cut 110,000-tonnes of CO2 when it begins operating later this year.

Siemens is employing a software portfolio developed for the hydrogen sector to boost operational efficiency and increase the value of processing facilities.

The company stated a “predictive digital process twin” is a core element in the Hydrogen Performance Suite, providing real-time information intended to optimise operations and speed decision making.

Siemens explained it uses an “integrated software stack” to model processes, and handle data analytics and visualisation systems to provide “clear, actionable insights”.

It highlighted an integration of the twinning system with “external sources” including “grid operators and energy markets” as a key advantage, providing “end-to-end visibility” of facilities to plant operators.

The GalpH2Park is set to be one of the biggest renewable hydrogen plants in Europe, making it a “lighthouse” for regional energy shifts, Axel Lorenz, EVP of automation process industries with Siemens said.

“We are convinced that digital innovation is the key to making renewable hydrogen economically viable”, he added.

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