State plan will achieve 'near-universal BEAD coverage.' But uncertainty remains around the NTIA's potential plan for further BEAD bidding. Read more on Light Reading:

'Our platform is designed to be easy to use and cost-effective, qualities that unfortunately can also attract occasional bad actors,' said MobileX CEO Peter Adderton. The CEO noted that his firm has safeguards in place to identify and block automated or bulk usage. Read more on Light Reading:

Nokia is replacing Ericsson, Huawei and Samsung at thousands of UK sites operated by VodafoneThree. Read more on Light Reading:

Three people died after Australian telco Optus' emergency call system went down for 13 hours, with politicians warning it will face serious consequences. Read more on Light Reading:

New Street Research's Blair Levin says the FCC has no legal authority to revoke a broadcaster license in this instance. The odds of a revocation are low, but the risk for broadcasters 'is higher than it has ever been,' he said. Read more on Light Reading:

Amazon wants the FCC to roll back a five-year deorbit rule for satellites which was established in 2022 to mitigate the harms of orbital debris. Read more on Light Reading:

EchoStar's share price has soared to a record high after lucrative spectrum sales and its decision to ditch open RAN. Read more on Light Reading:

As the FCC considers changes to its annual broadband report, SpaceX is demanding the inclusion of satellite coverage in its analysis of service availability, arguing the role of satellite broadband 'can no longer be ignored.' Read more on Light Reading:

Light Reading is delighted to announce the winners from hundreds of entries and dozens of finalists in the 20 categories comprising the 21st annual Leading Lights Awards. Read more on Light Reading:

New Street Research policy analyst Blair Levin joins the podcast to discuss the outcome of BEAD's 'benefit of the bargain' bidding and how federal policy changes may exacerbate the digital divide despite increasing access. Listen on Light Reading:

EchoStar has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its entire portfolio of prized AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses to SpaceX in a deal valued at approximately $19 billion. Read more on Light Reading:

Samsung struggled in Q2 2025 in the foldable smartphone market, but analysts expect the smartphone giant will experience a more solid Q3. Read more on Light Reading:

Heavy Reading's Sterling Perrin explains why many CSPs believe AI will increase connectivity demand at a greater rate in their long-haul networks. Listen on Light Reading:

If operators do not swing behind open RAN, they can forget their dreams of diversifying the market, says Mavenir's Pardeep Kohli. Read more on Light Reading:

The decommissioning of Dish's radio access network is bad news for AWS, Fujitsu, Mavenir, Samsung and Wind River and could be another nail in the coffin of true open RAN. Read more on Light Reading:

AT&T's CEO is confident the company can deploy EchoStar's midband spectrum 'quickly,' but he said lowband deployments could take years. Read more on Light Reading:

New for @lightreading.bsky.social: preliminary BEAD results from several states in the past week show fiber is still winning the majority of broadband serviceable locations and funding, but LEO satellite is picking up a bit of steam.

EchoStar will pivot to a 'hybrid mobile network operator' after it sells some spectrum to AT&T. But will the deal satisfy EchoStar's FCC proceedings? Read more on Light Reading:

The new Google Pixel 10 has a number of standout AI and design features, and is now available in Latin America. Read more on Light Reading:

While broadband infrastructure deployment has improved throughout the country, the 'affordability gap' exceeds 30% in multiple rural states, according to research from BroadbandNow. Read more on Light Reading:

"This set of regional outcomes is within potential awardee capacity ... supplies universal coverage of eligible locations, and demonstrates a technology-neutral approach prioritizing low-cost projects," said WV of its final BEAD proposal. || @lightreading.bsky.social

After shedding assets and staff, Spark looks for growth from core telecom services amid a drop in profits. Read more on Light Reading:

As the FCC seeks to free up #spectrum for auction, the Commission should continue to pursue spectrum sharing solutions, Cmr. Gomez stated at the @techpolicyinst.bsky.social Aspen Forum. More in @lightreading.bsky.social: www.lightreading.com/wireless/fcc...

'It's hard to monetize something you don't have,' Ericsson President and CEO Börje Ekholm said at a policy event. 'The network has to be built for 5G SA.' Read more on Light Reading:

Carrier promotions have played an important role in increasing smartphone sell-through rates for the Big Three mobile operators in Q2 of 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. Read more on Light Reading:

This week's episode of #TheDivide pod for @lightreading.bsky.social explores @nycfuture.bsky.social's illuminating report on the digital divide in the Bronx, which includes some great policy recommendations for targeting issues around device access and skills training. Listen here:

SpaceX is complaining that Virginia's revised, fiber-focused BEAD plan ignored a less expensive LEO satellite-powered plan. New Street's Blair Levin believes this could lead to more state-level challenges and inject more delays. Read more on Light Reading:

Deutsche Telekom's new T Phone 3 comes with Perplexity Assistant and Perplexity Pro and has a surprisingly low price tag of €149 in Germany. Read more on Light Reading:

Intel's relationship with other 5G vendors and the difficulty of separating its network assets from the main business are obvious barriers to a deal with Ericsson. Read more on Light Reading:

New for @lightreading.bsky.social: Advocates for fixed wireless access were among the first to cheer the Trump administration's rewrite of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, but early results show a low level of FWA activity and wins.

Louisiana and Virginia released final BEAD proposals awarding roughly 80% of funding to fiber providers. The results may offer 'a path for other states to follow,' says New Street Research analyst Blair Levin. Read more on Light Reading:

ESPN and Fox will offer a discounted bundle featuring the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streamer and Fox One starting October 2. The new, sports-focused combo emerges eight months after Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped the Venu Sports JV. Read more on Light Reading:

Shooting back at a lawsuit filed by Disney and Comcast's NBCU, Midjourney said its AI-powered image- and video-generation platform is protected by 'fair use,' and that the studios and vendors have benefited from its technology. Read more on Light Reading:

ICYMI: NSC helped deliver an “OSCAR worthy” spectrum sharing deployment that has greatly reduced time spent on signal interference for military training ranges. ⚡ Read more in @lightreading.bsky.social‬: www.lightreading.com/5g/nsc-touts...

CommScope is selling off Connectivity and Cable Solutions, its largest business unit. That will leave it with a 'RemainCo' of Access Networks Solutions (ANS) and Ruckus. CEO Chuck Treadway didn't close the door to future M&A. Read more on Light Reading:

A year after selling its outdoor wireless and DAS business to Amphenol for $2.1 billion, debt-ridden CommScope has inked a deal to sell its largest unit – Connectivity and Cable Solutions – for $10.5 billion, also to Amphenol. Read more on Light Reading:

Rakuten and Optus both embrace agentic AI but the two telcos take different approaches to the fashionable new tool. Read more on Light Reading:

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is directing EchoStar to sell AWS-4 spectrum assets, holdings that happen to be coveted by Elon Musk's SpaceX, reports Bloomberg. The report surfaced soon after EchoStar disclosed it made delayed interest payments as talks with the FCC continue. Read more:

The US president's trade deal with the European Union clobbers hopes that telcos would be able to make Internet companies pay for consumer traffic. Read more on Light Reading:

The unwillingness of European governments and telcos to evict Huawei, now deemed a security threat by the European Commission, is worsening the pain felt by Ericsson and Nokia. Read more on Light Reading:

The battle for premium smartphone supremacy is now a multi-front war involving form factors, artificial intelligence and ecosystem strength. Unlike poker, it may not matter who folds first. Read more on Light Reading:

NYC will host a network design and procurement process this summer to roll out Liberty Link: a city-owned fiber network, operated by the NYPL, offering free Internet service for at least three years to 35 affordable housing buildings. @lightreading.bsky.social

T-Mobile's satellite messaging service with SpaceX's Starlink is now commercially available to T-Mobile customers, plus Verizon and AT&T users. Read more on Light Reading:

Light Reading is pleased to announce the finalists chosen from hundreds of entries in the 20 categories making up this year's Leading Lights Awards. Read more on Light Reading:

Hans Vestberg has presided over tens of thousands of job cuts in his time as Verizon's boss, and more can probably be expected. Read more on Light Reading:

Trump Mobile's new gold-colored phone and mobile service is the ultimate test for a celebrity MVNO. Recon Analytics surveyed more than 8,000 people about the Trump Mobile offer to see just how likely consumers are to buy the phone and service plan. Read more on Light Reading:

New Street Research believes wireless and cable operators have 'strong incentive' to pursue more mergers and acquisitions. MoffettNathanson says Cable One is a tempting target, but Charter (who's busy with the Cox deal) and Comcast aren't likely suitors. Read more on Light Reading:

ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer joins the podcast to discuss the regulatory hot-buttons for independent cable operators, including Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, BEAD revisions, the ATSC 3.0 debate and the deletion of net neutrality proceedings at the FCC. Listen here:

Masayoshi Son lays out vision for a future driven by 'incredibly cheap' AI workforce. Read more on Light Reading:

Frustrated by some European unwillingness to ban Huawei, Ericsson is chasing growth opportunities in a cluster of strategically important countries. Read more on Light Reading: