Streaming sets new record for Polish viewing time in April - Nielsen
POLAND 22 MEI

Streaming sets new record for Polish viewing time in April - Nielsen

Video time in Poland was down in April, according to The Gauge study from Nielsen. The average time spent in front of the TV screen was 3 hours and 51 minutes, representing a 2-minute decrease compared to March and unchanged compared to April 2025. Cable accounted for 37.7 percent of viewing, ahead of satellite (23.2 percent) and terrestrial (20.9 percent), while streaming's share of TV time rose to a new record of 10.9 percent. Among individual platforms, YouTube demonstrated a share of 2.3 percent and Net

Azercell supports Baku Flames festival as technology and innovation partner
AZERBAIJAN 22 MEI

Azercell supports Baku Flames festival as technology and innovation partner

Azeri operator Azercell said it has supported The Baku Flames international festival of creativity and effectiveness, participating for the second consecutive year as its technology and innovation partner. The event convenes representatives of leading international companies, as well as experts from the creative industry, marketing and media. This year's programme features speakers from globally renowned companies such as Meta, Google and TikTok. 

Czechia mobile data traffic up 25% in 2025
CZECH REPUBLIC 22 MEI

Czechia mobile data traffic up 25% in 2025

The volume of mobile data transferred over networks in Czechia in 2025 reached approximately 2,160 PB, which represents a year-on-year increase of almost 25 percent, according to figures from the telecommunications regulator CTU. The average monthly data consumption per data SIM card increased to 15.1 GB from 12.5 GB in 2024. The total number of active SIM cards was close to 16 million at the end of 2025.

US fibre-lit buildings to exceed 2 million in 2026
UNITED STATES 22 MEI

US fibre-lit buildings to exceed 2 million in 2026

New research from Vertical Systems Group predicts the US base of fibre-lit buildings, including both commercial buildings and data centres, will surpass 2 million sites this year. The research suggests that by end-2025, roughly 36 percent of eligible facilities were fibre-lit. Lit fibres are active links used to carry data by service providers as a managed service, as opposed to dark fibre capacity that is only switched on when leased by the end client.

Peru 4G speeds up to average 12.8 Mbps in April
PERU 22 MEI

Peru 4G speeds up to average 12.8 Mbps in April

Claro once more headed the 4G mobile internet speed ranking in Peru in April, averaging a download speed of 13.22 Mbps, according to monthly data published by the regulator Osiptel. Across all operators, the average 4G speed was 12.82 Mbps, with Entel coming in second (12.74 Mbps), ahead of Bitel (12.71 Mbps) and Movistar (12.32 Mbps).

O2 Satellite supports 24-hour, 92km challenge across Snowdon
UNITED KINGDOM 22 MEI

O2 Satellite supports 24-hour, 92km challenge across Snowdon

Virgin Media O2's new O2 Satellite service is supporting a new endurance challenge by TV personality Spencer Mathews. He is attempting a 24-hour, 92km trek across Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in Wales, using the satellite connectivity service to stay connected in remote sections of the mountain. The O2 Satellite service is now live on Snowdon for the first time. It will allow him to stay in contact with the support team, navigate in real-time, and access weather updates and live location sharing.

Nicaragua fixed internet lines surge 24% to over 496,000
NICARAGUA 22 MEI

Nicaragua fixed internet lines surge 24% to over 496,000

The number of fixed internet connections in Nicaragua reached a record 496,765 at the end of 2025, up 24.3 percent year on year, according to the latest data from telecom sector regulator Telcor. The rise was attributed in part to a 15 percent annual growth in installed fibre cables to 52,510 kilometres.

Middle East smartphone market forecast to decline 22% in 2026
MIDDLE EAST 22 MEI

Middle East smartphone market forecast to decline 22% in 2026

The Middle East smartphone market (excluding Turkey) is projected to decline by 22 percent in 2026 following a weak first quarter, according to the latest research by Omdia. The report says the first-quarter shipments dropped 6 percent year-over-year to 11 million units. This slump comes despite heavy product frontloading by brands leading up to Ramadan.

German video ad market forecast to grow 4% in 2026 on streaming expansion
GERMANY 21 MEI

German video ad market forecast to grow 4% in 2026 on streaming expansion

Advertising revenues generated through TV, video streaming and audio offerings in Germany are set to grow by 4.3 percent in 2026 to EUR 6.55 billion, according to figures published by Vaunet. Revenues grew by just 0.9 percent last year. Video advertising revenues are projected to rise by 4.8 percent year-on-year in 2026 to EUR 5.73 billion. Of this, EUR 3.12 billion is generated through TV ads, a 4 percent decline year-on-year, and EUR 2.61 billion is expected to come from streaming services, an 18 percent

Cisco Splunk research investigates corporate downtime's financial and hidden costs
GLOBAL 21 MEI

Cisco Splunk research investigates corporate downtime's financial and hidden costs

New research from Cisco's Splunk division puts the annual cost burden of unplanned downtime at Global 2000 companies at approximately USD 600 billion. The aggregate figure represents an increase of around 50 percent since the last edition of this research in 2024. This year's study was conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics, drawing on a hybrid survey methodology combining online feedback and telephone interviews with 2,000 executives from listed firms in Forbes' Global 2000 ranking. Twenty countrie

Barb data shows over 70% of UK homes have SVoD services in Q1
UNITED KINGDOM 21 MEI

Barb data shows over 70% of UK homes have SVoD services in Q1

The number of UK homes with access to a SVoD service reached 20.8 million in Q1 2026, equal to 70.3 percent of all homes, according to the latest Barb data. This is up from 20.6 million homes in Q4 2025. A total of 18.1 million UK homes (61%) had access to Netflix in Q1, compared to 18 million in Q4 2025, and 7.2 million or 40 percent of Netflix homes used its cheapest, ad-supported tier in Q1, up from 6.9 million (38%) in Q4. 

Ofcom secures anti-grooming commitments from tech firms
UNITED KINGDOM 21 MEI

Ofcom secures anti-grooming commitments from tech firms

UK regulator Ofcom has secured commitments from major tech platforms to implement new anti-grooming measures to protect children. Meta, Snap and Roblox have all agreed to adopt new safety measures to protect children from online stranger danger. These include direct chat controls, AI detection tools, and stricter default settings for children's contacts and friendship groups. However, YouTube and TikTok have failed to commit to making any significant changes to stop children accessing harmful content, insis

PERU 21 MEI

Peruvian internet penetration tops 96% of homes - study

The proportion of Peruvian homes with internet went up from 76.2 percent in 2019 to 96.0 percent in 2025, according to data from the annual Residential Survey of Telecommunications Services (Erestel) cited by telecommunications regulator Osiptel. Mobile phone access is also near ubiquitous, rising from 94.1 percent to 99.6 percent over the same period.

GERMANY 21 MEI

Germany forecast to reach 27% of homes connected to fibre in 2026

The household fibre-optic coverage rate in Germany is set to grow to 26.9 percent by the end of 2026, corresponding to approximately 12.5 million homes connected, says a market analysis published by industry group VATM and Dialog Consult. This is a rise from a FTTH coverage rate of 22.7 percent in 2025 at 10.5 million fibre homes connected. By the end of 2026, 7.8 million households are expected to subscribe to FTTB/H connections (homes activated), most of them (70%) offered by competitors of Deutsche Telek

SWITZERLAND 20 MEI

IPTV maintains lead among households in Switzerland - Zattoo report

IPTV maintains its leading position among households in Switzerland as the means to watch TV.  According to the Zattoo TV Streaming Report 2026, 71 percent of households in Switzerland watch television via the internet. By contrast, cable TV has declined from 32 to 30 percent in the past year, and satellite from 10 to 9 percent.

BRAZIL 20 MEI

Brazil improves fixed broadband ranking in Speedtest Global Index

Brazil has improved its global standing in fixed broadband speed, reaching 26th place out of 153 countries in the Speedtest Global Index, according to a statement from the communications ministry. In March, the country's average download speed was 221.53 Mbps, more than double the global average of 120.52 Mbps, and notably faster than Mexico (104.25 Mbps) and similarly sized economies like Italy (117.11 Mbps) and Germany (103.72 Mbps).

UZBEKISTAN 20 MEI

GSMA says mobile telecoms accounted for 8% of Eurasia GDP in 2025

Mobile technologies and services generated USD 270 billion for the Eurasian economy in 2025, equivalent to 8.1 percent of GDP, according to the GSMA's Mobile Economy Eurasia 2026 report. The mobile ecosystem supported approximately 750,000 jobs across the region in 2025. The GSMA report coincides with the start of the organisation's M360 Eurasia 2026 event in Samarkand.

UNITED STATES 20 MEI

US consumer broadband prices little changed in 2025

Average broadband prices in the US were little changed in 2025, according to a study published by industry group USTelecom. Using data from the 14 largest fixed broadband providers, across cable, DSL and FTTH, it found an average price of USD 69.33 per month for speeds between 100 and 940 Mbps, down 0.9 percent from a year earlier. The average cost for 940 Mbps to 1 Gbps was USD 97.34 per month, up 0.1 percent from 2024.

COLOMBIA 20 MEI

Claro and Wom top Colombia mobile network performance ranking

Claro (America Movil) and Wom were again ranked highest in the latest mobile network performance report published by Colombia's communications watchdog CRC. The survey showed that Claro's average 4G download speeds in Colombia clocked in at 20.2 Mbps, well ahead of Tigo (Millicom) with 12.8 Mbps, Wom with 11.5 Mbps and Movistar with 10.7 Mbps.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 20 MEI

LatAm smartphone shipments up 3% in Q1, led by Samsung

Latin America's smartphone market grew 3 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026 to 34.8 million units, accelerating momentum after a strong end to 2025, according to the latest data from Omdia. The increase was attributed to channel inventory build-up, simplified product portfolios and a delay in passing rising memory costs on to consumers. Demand for premium devices priced above USD 500 remained steady, while lower-end segments faced affordability constraints.

GLOBAL 20 MEI

OTN hardware annual sales to surpass USD 18 bln for first time since 2000 - research

The latest optical transport equipment forecast from Dell'Oro Group projects sales above USD 18 billion in 2026 for the first time since the year 2000 - the height of the dotcom boom. The prediction reflects estimated 16 percent annual growth this year, driven mainly by AI data centre appetite for network infrastructure. Already, Dell'Oro cites favourable returns in the first quarter, with about 20 percent year-on-year sales growth fuelled by double-figure rises in WDM systems and IPoDWDM ZR/ZR+ converged p

UNITED KINGDOM 20 MEI

BT Business launches new AI-powered cyber tools for UK SMEs

BT Business has announced a new suite of cyber security tools for UK SMEs, offering industrial-grade security with AI-powered cyber solutions from Crowdstrike. The launch comes as new research from BT Business shows a 300 percent year-on-year jump in malicious scanning activity, with connected devices probed 4,000 times a day on average. Despite half of SMEs saying the risk of cyber attacks is one of their main tech concerns, around 1 in 3 UK SMEs, or around 1.8 million, do not have even basic cyber securit

SOUTH-EASTERN ASIA 20 MEI

SEA smartphone shipments drop 9% in Q1, average selling price hits record high of USD 349

Southeast Asia smartphone market shipments declined 9 percent in the first quarter of 2026, as vendors prioritize profitability over share, according to a report from Omdia. Southeast Asia's smartphone shipments totaled 21.6 million units in the first three months of this year. However, the report shows the standout metric was average selling price (ASP) rather than volume: the ASP reached a record high of USD 349 in the March quarter, which represents an increase of 19 percent year-on-year, as memory cost

GLOBAL 19 MEI

GSA identifies 275 operator-satellite NTN partnerships in 101 countries

The latest data from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) shows a total of 275 publicly announced operator-satellite partnership for Non-Terrestrial 5G Networks (NTN) and satellite connectivity worldwide in 101 countries/territories as of April 2026. A total of 57 operators, across 35 countries/territories, have launched commercial offerings, with satellite-to-mobile services driving NTN growth with 21 partnerships in 17 countries. 

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