Apple maintained device launch momentum by revealing its latest iPad mini would go on sale later this week, destined to reach customers early next month.

In the US prices start at $699 for a Wi-Fi only model and $849 for those also equipped with mobile connectivity. Storage options are 128GB, 256GB and 512GB, with midnight and starlight the colours on offer.

Apple emphasised the device “fits in the palm” and is a “huge leap in performance”, wireless connectivity, and resistance to water or dust ingress, for which it carries an IP67 rating.

It features an 8.5-inch OLED offering two-times greater peak brightness than previous iPad mini models. Apple’s A20 Pro processor is on board, which the vendor highlighted offers advantages in performing AI-related tasks.

The model runs iPadOS 27, along with the latest iterations of Apple’s Intelligence and Siri assistant, which are configured to tailor responses to individual users.

Dave Pakula, VP of Hardware Engineering, said past models are “beloved” by “creators and small business owners” along with “doctors, field service workers and gamers”.

Apple promises “punchier bass” and greater volume from upgraded speakers featuring custom tweeters.

It emphasised a 12MP camera “on the landscape edge” is configured for video duties, with an equivalent-sized unit on the rear geared towards photo and videography.

The company’s N1 wireless networking chip is compatible with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, described separately by a namesake working group as a “secure, low-power mesh networking protocol” for IoT.

Apple stated the latest iPad mini is 5.4mm thick: GSM Arena pegs the remaining dimensions at 195.3mm by 132.6mm.

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Telefonica spotted an opportunity in growing industrial demand for process optimisation services which it hopes to cash in on through an investment by its domestic unit in Spanish specialist OGA.

The operator paid an undisclosed amount for a 10% stake in OGA, a so-called deep tech company specialising in using AI and operational information to optimise processes in sectors including logistics, retail, energy, health and defence.

Javier Lopez Gutierrez, director of Telefonica Espana’s Defence and Security unit, said the operator hopes to strengthen its industrial AI offer, “with a special focus on the defence sector”.

OGA employs AI, modelling and simulations to work out optimal processes for businesses providing vital services. CEO Juan Carlos Rubio hopes Telefonica’s backing will help it grow its capabilities to the benefit of Spanish and European defence and security sectors.

Telefonica explained it is adding OGA’s services to its range for businesses and public administrations, but noted it is not taking a seat on the company’s board to preserve its independence.

The operator made its investment after working with OGA for the past two years.

Business focus
Telefonica separately noted B2B is proving a lucrative sector after attracting more than 800 domestic organisations to Titan Connect, a marketplace of connectivity services it launched in January for businesses and the public sector.

The set-up pools standalone 5G, fibre and satellite connectivity with a host of systems spanning cloud and edge computing, observation services using AI and power supplies.

Telefonica pitches the service on a greater ability to keep businesses and public sector organisations connected during disruptions.

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Apple shrugged off widely-reported delays to shipments of iPhone Duo models by delivering the first units to eager customers worldwide.

Pictures from various of the vendor’s retail locations showed a clamour for its first foldable model, which hit stores on time based on the release schedule Apple gave when it unveiled the device in September.

Apple stated it is offering a range of trade-in and leasing options on the devices, which have a starting price of $1,999 for versions with 256GB of storage.

The vendor may be particularly pleased with the turnout at a store in Shanghai, China, given the nation is one of its biggest markets.

Bloomberg journalist Vlad Savov wrote the iPhone Duo could ignite a so-far muted foldable smartphone market, though also cautioned the sector may remain niche if Apple fails to shift enough of the devices.

Reports last week pointed to significantly longer waiting times for customers ordering the devices online compared with previous Apple smartphones, with shipments tipped to take up to three months instead of the roughly six weeks of past devices.

Apple highlighted there are “exceptional” deals to be had purchasing iPhone Duo models through mobile operator channels.

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Telefonica listed universities, hospitals, research centres and start-ups as among the likely beneficiaries of a plan to install a quantum computer at a university in Spanish capital city Madrid.

The operator is working with IQM Quantum Computers to equip the Technical University of Madrid with an all-in-one machine to provide real-world experience of the next-generation systems.

Telefonica predicted the technological benefits would be felt throughout Europe. The machine is due to be up and running by year-end and will add to two the companies already provided for use at a supercomputing centre in the northwest of the country.

Borja Ochoa, non-executive chair of Telefonica Espana and CEO of its B2B unit, said the operator wants to become “the best gateway to digital technologies”. He asserted it is the first in Spain to employ post-quantum cryptography to protect “communications between data centres”.

IQM Quantum Computers CEO and co-founder Jan Goetz highlighted anticipated benefits for industries in the Madrid area: “Quantum computing becomes truly valuable when it moves beyond remote laboratory environments”.

The installation extends Telefonica’s recent track record in the quantum computing realm, which includes establishing a centre of excellence, and employing the approach in pharmaceutical research and logistics.

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Iceland’s telecoms regulator commenced a process which could boost local and private 5G network deployments by a host of industries and align the nation with broader global rollouts.

Fjarskiptastofa opened a consultation into allocating spectrum in the 3800MHz to 4200MHz frequency band, one which is widely regarded as ideal for local area networks where capacity matters.

The regulator listed factories, ports and utilities among businesses which could benefit from access to all or some of the spectrum, which it noted is also suitable for delivering fixed wireless access services.

It proposes providing two tiers of licences, one for low-power deployments and another for medium.

Fjarskiptastofa explained low-power settings would be confined within a 50-metre radius, with multiple transmitters allowed.

Medium-range deployments would be “limited to a specific transmission location”.

The regulator proposes licences spanning 20MHz, 40MHz, 60MHz, 80MHz and 100MHz of bandwidth, with the latter the maximum for each permit.

Licences would be valid for a decade and holders would be required to launch services within a year of receiving clearance.

Fjarskiptastofa’s consultation runs until 10 November, after which it intends to publish all comments not covered by confidentiality requests.

The band covered is already popular for private 5G services: in 2025, the European Union called for member states to harmonise access, arguing there are broad benefits for industrial and non-industrial players.

But there are concerns the harmonised approach in the region may not be the panacea it first seems: in 2022, the GSMA expressed concern some member states could favour specific systems and so constrain the market.

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LG Uplus and Ericsson boosted fronthaul coverage, addressing what the operator stated is a key element in the broader AI-RAN landscape and indicating a complete overhaul of equipment may not be necessary.

The companies conducted verification tests of Ericsson fronthaul equipment and network automation systems LG Uplus stated increased the reach of base station equipment by up to three-times over current methods without compromising quality.

LG Uplus clarified the effort focused on the connection between the Radio Unit and the Data Unit.

The operator emphasised there is more at play than expanding the distance connections can be maintained over: it argued the demonstration with Ericsson shows current equipment can be configured for AI-RAN uses, a benefit with obvious implications regarding infrastructure costs.

Lee Sang-heon, head of network advanced development with LG Uplus, said the operator intends to build on the fronthaul work by exploring other fresh technologies needed for “the next-generation network era”.

LG Uplus stated the effort would explore automation technologies and focus validation work on real-world network set-ups.

The operator stated the work would feed into a push towards autonomous networks employing AI.

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Bell Canada flagged cybersecurity credentials as increasingly important in consumers’ choice of businesses after research found almost 40% would shun a company if its protections were doubtful.

A survey of 1,523 adults conducted by the telecoms player’s Cyber division found nearly 60% would stop using a business if personal data was exposed and just shy of 80% reported being the target of an attack in the past 12 months.

Bell Cyber conducted its survey across seven days, beginning on 29 July. The research revealed growing public concern over the role AI is playing in cyberattacks, with 76% believing the technology is contributing to an increase in the sophistication of swindles.

Canadians believe companies are struggling to keep pace with the cyber scams AI is contributing to.

Confidence in companies’ ability to fend off attacks is low: 31% believe businesses can protect personal information from incidents involving AI.

Bell’s research highlighted worries over workplace cybersecurity training, with many staff saying they have taken the initiative by seeking information themselves.

Localisation is one confidence-boosting method the company suggests businesses adopt, with the research indicating trust is greater when information is stored on domestic servers and security overseen by Canadian companies.

The former may be a welcome statistic given Bell is investing heavily in domestic data centre capacity.

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Renowned German sports car maker Porsche hopes to break the mould on industrial digitalisation by forming a business unit to improve internal operations along with boosting its work with other sectors and companies.

Porsche Technologies is being formed by combining the company’s current engineering and digital units, a marriage deputy chair Dr Michael Steiner said would deliver the best of both worlds.

Steiner said the unit would “play a central role” in Porsche’s own “strategic development activities and in its business with other automotive and industrial customers”.

Sectors including space, maritime, defence and medical technology were listed as potential targets.

The company aims to launch Porsche Technologies early in Q2 2027 to provide services spanning development of hard and software through to validation of digital and physical products.

Porsche stated AI and data systems would play important roles in the work of the business, particularly for process optimisation.

Current Porsche Engineering CEO Markus-Christian Eberl (pictured, centre) is to head the new division.

Porsche Digital CEO Stefan Zerweck (pictured, left) is to become the CTO, with engineering unit CFO and COO Dirk Philipp (pictured, right) to occupy the same roles in the new business.

Staff numbers for the combined division stand at around 2,700, located at sites throughout Europe, the US and China.

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Toshiba addressed what it believes is complexity in deploying quantum-safe networks with the release of a platform it stated can lower the need for specific fibre connectivity and equipment.

The Japanese company is targeting the platform at network operators, enterprises, public-sector groups and companies running data centres. It is pitching the set-up as offering more than a bump to security, highlighting potential competitive advantages and revenue opportunities.

Toshiba echoed concerns expressed by many over the potential dangers of quantum computing, noting some nefarious types are already harvesting data to be decrypted when compatible machines come online.

It stated governments, “regulators and standards bodies” are already pressing for action to address potential threats.

The sales pitch for Toshiba’s platform centres on the simplicity of deployment. It states organisations “do not need to rebuild their networks” to use the set-up, which “integrates with existing network infrastructures” and can be run through “a single dedicated connection to large metro, hub-and-spoke, ring, mesh and long-distance networks”.

Andrew Shields, VP of Toshiba Europe and head of its Quantum Technology Division, said the platform should prove cost-effective in deployments “across large-scale networks”.

Toshiba equipped the platform with post-quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution and random number generation, technologies widely regarded as being suitably robust to secure the future computing systems.

Hiroshi Tsukino, VP of Toshiba’s ICT Solutions Division, said the move to quantum-safe technologies is “the largest cryptographic transformation in history” and urged organisations to begin preparing today.

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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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