Telia Shows How 5G Standalone Can Move Critical IoT Beyond Best Effort Connectivity

Telia has announced the launch of Telia Critical IoT Connectivity in Sweden, a new service that uses 5G Standalone technology to support more demanding Internet of Things applications. The announcement is interesting not just because it is another 5G SA milestone, but because it shows how operators are starting to turn the more advanced capabilities of 5G into commercial services for enterprise and public sector customers.

For years, IoT connectivity has often been discussed in terms of coverage, device volumes, battery life and cost. These are still important, especially for massive IoT applications such as smart meters, trackers and simple sensors. But not all IoT is the same. Some applications need much more than occasional data transfer. They need predictable performance, low latency, stronger security and the ability to keep working reliably when the network is under pressure.

That is where Telia’s announcement becomes significant. The company describes Critical IoT Connectivity as a service for highly demanding use cases in sectors such as emergency services, energy, transport, industry and healthcare. These are areas where connectivity is not just useful, but can become part of the operational fabric. A delayed meter reading may be inconvenient, but delayed video from an emergency vehicle, unreliable remote control in an industrial environment, or poor connectivity for critical infrastructure monitoring can have a much bigger impact.

The key technical shift here is 5G Standalone. Many early 5G deployments used 5G Non-Standalone, where the 5G radio was added while the network continued to rely on the 4G core. That helped operators launch 5G services quickly and deliver better mobile broadband, but many of the deeper 5G capabilities depend on the 5G Core. With 5G SA, the radio access network connects directly to the 5G Core, allowing the network to support more advanced service control, security, traffic management and slicing.

Network slicing is one of the most important parts of this story. Instead of treating every connection in the same best-effort way, slicing allows an operator to create logical network slices with different characteristics. One slice could be optimised for high reliability and low latency, another for high-performance video, another for massive IoT, and another for standard best-effort connectivity. The physical network may be shared, but the service behaviour can be differentiated.

For operators, this is an important step. 5G SA is not only about faster speeds for consumers. It is about creating a more flexible platform where different applications can be given different treatment depending on their requirements. That becomes especially relevant for IoT, because a smart meter, a video camera, a connected ambulance, an industrial robot and a remote monitoring system do not all need the same network behaviour.

Telia’s service also highlights the role of the public mobile network in critical IoT. Private 5G networks remain very important, especially for factories, ports, mines, airports, campuses and other controlled environments where local coverage, dedicated infrastructure and tight operational control are required. But there are many IoT use cases that are not limited to a single site. Transport systems, energy assets, emergency services, connected vehicles, field operations and distributed infrastructure often need wide-area connectivity.

This is where public 5G SA with slicing becomes attractive. It can offer a route to more predictable and secure connectivity over a much wider geography than a private network. Telia points to its Swedish 5G network coverage, which reaches 99.9% of the population and more than 94% of Sweden’s land area. That wide-area footprint matters because critical IoT often needs to work across cities, rural areas, transport corridors and distributed operational environments.

The announcement also builds on Telia’s NorthStar 5G innovation programme, which has been used to give partners early access to advanced 5G capabilities. This is worth noting because many of the most interesting enterprise 5G services are unlikely to appear fully formed overnight. They need trials, ecosystem development, operational learning and a better understanding of where customers are willing to pay for differentiated connectivity.

The bigger question for operators is whether 5G SA can help move enterprise IoT beyond simple connectivity pricing. If operators can offer more predictable performance, stronger isolation, security, policy control and service-level differentiation, then critical IoT becomes a more valuable proposition than a standard SIM or data plan. That does not mean every IoT application needs 5G SA or slicing, but it does mean operators have a stronger story for use cases where best effort is not enough.

There is also a need for realism. 5G SA does not automatically make every application ultra-reliable or ultra-low latency everywhere. The actual service experience will depend on how the network is designed, how the slice is configured, the available radio conditions, device capabilities, coverage, service-level agreements and operational processes. But the direction of travel is clear. 5G SA gives operators more tools to create differentiated services, and critical IoT is one of the clearest areas where those tools can be useful.

For the telecoms industry, this is the kind of announcement that matters because it connects technology evolution with commercial service design. 5G SA, 5G Core and network slicing have often been discussed in technical terms. Telia’s Critical IoT Connectivity shows how these capabilities can be packaged into something easier for enterprises and public sector organisations to understand: secure, stable and predictable connectivity for important operational applications.

The real opportunity is not just to connect more things. It is to connect the right things with the right level of performance, reliability, security and control. That is where 5G Standalone could become much more relevant for operators, enterprises and society-critical services.

We have also made a short explainer video on how 5G Standalone is being used for critical IoT, using this Telia announcement as an example:

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BT Turns Sovereign Cloud into a Telco Opportunity

BT’s latest sovereign services announcement is more than another cloud launch. It is a sign that digital sovereignty is becoming a serious operator opportunity, especially as AI adoption, national resilience and enterprise risk management begin to converge.

BT Business has announced what it describes as the UK’s first full suite of sovereign services, covering sovereign connectivity, voice, cloud and AI for public and private sector organisations. The announcement is supported by new research from Assembly Research, which suggests that digital sovereignty could unlock an £18 billion productivity opportunity for the UK by giving organisations greater confidence to scale AI securely.

That headline figure is useful, but the more interesting story is what this means for telecoms operators. For many years, telcos have looked for credible ways to move up the value chain beyond connectivity. Sovereign cloud and sovereign AI may provide one such route, not because operators can out-hyperscale the hyperscalers, but because they can bring together secure networks, domestic infrastructure, operational trust, public sector relationships and resilience at national scale.

This was also the theme behind Colin Bannon’s FutureNet World 2026 presentation, The Sovereign Cloud Opportunity for Telcos. The talk is useful because it adds context to BT’s announcement and explains why sovereignty is no longer just about where data is stored. The discussion has moved from data sovereignty to operational sovereignty, and in some cases towards technology sovereignty.

A few years ago, the sovereignty conversation was largely about data privacy, GDPR, encryption, key management and data residency. Those issues still matter, but many customers have now moved on to a harder question: can they keep their business running if something goes wrong? In the FutureNet talk, this was framed as the point where cyber risk, resilience and sovereignty meet. For boards and risk committees, the concern is no longer only whether someone can read sensitive data. It is also whether a critical platform can be switched off, disrupted, restricted, or made unavailable at the worst possible time.

This is where the taxonomy shown in the first slide becomes helpful. At one end of the spectrum sits data sovereignty, with familiar concepts such as data residency, data encryption and metadata control. In the middle is operational sovereignty, which includes tooling, legal entity, operations, certificates, licensing continuity, code escrow and immunity from foreign jurisdiction. At the far end is technology sovereignty, where the ambition is full isolation and technical autonomy.

That distinction matters because many cloud discussions use the word sovereign too casually. A workload hosted in a local data centre is not automatically sovereign in any meaningful sense. The provider, platform, legal entity, operational staff, support model, software supply chain and foreign jurisdiction exposure all matter. In other words, sovereignty is not a single feature. It is a spectrum of control.

BT’s newly expanded portfolio appears to recognise this. The company says its sovereign services are designed to help customers keep sensitive workloads in the UK, meet data residency and regulatory requirements, and adopt AI while maintaining security and operational control. The portfolio spans connectivity, voice, cloud and AI, which is important because sovereignty does not stop at compute. Critical services also depend on networks, communications platforms, monitoring, support, operations and service continuity.

BT had already signalled this direction in December 2025, when it announced a sovereign platform intended to underpin new sovereign voice, cloud and AI services. That earlier announcement positioned the platform as a foundation for UK digital sovereignty, with BT planning to make sovereign options available across a broader set of existing products during the first half of 2026.

The FutureNet talk also made an important engineering point. Cloud resilience is often described in terms of zones and regions, but recent outages have reminded enterprises that multiple zones do not always remove the risk of a common failure plane. For critical workloads, some organisations may increasingly look at active-active architectures across different environments. If they are already considering a second location or second platform for resilience, placing that workload on a sovereign platform may help address another category of risk at the same time.

That is a powerful argument for telcos. Operators are part of national critical infrastructure. They already run complex, highly available networks. They understand regulated environments, emergency services, enterprise SLAs and national infrastructure dependencies. They also have domestic operational footprints, field engineering capability and long-standing relationships with government and large enterprises. That does not automatically make them cloud providers, but it does give them a credible right to play in sovereign platforms.

The slide above, showing BT’s Sovereign Cloud Framework, helps explain how BT is thinking about this market. The framework distinguishes between public cloud, controlled cloud, trusted cloud, domestic cloud and private data centre models. It also separates characteristics such as provider, host and run model, customer environment, sovereignty controls and objectives. Below that, it maps sovereignty parameters including legal entity, platform, data residency and people.

This is a useful way of cutting through the marketing noise. Public cloud with some additional controls may be enough for many workloads. A trusted cloud instance operated through a domestic partner may be suitable for others. More sensitive workloads may require a domestic provider or even a private data centre owned by the customer. There is no single answer, because sovereignty requirements vary by workload, sector, risk appetite and regulatory exposure.

BT’s own Sovereign Cloud proposition is positioned as a private cloud platform hosted and operated in the UK for organisations with sensitive or regulated workloads. The company’s announcement says it is supported by Rackspace Technology’s UK data centre infrastructure, UK-based security-cleared teams and managed services for migration, operations and compliance.

The AI element adds another layer. BT has also announced plans to work with Nscale to deliver sovereign AI data centres in the UK using NVIDIA full stack AI infrastructure. Under the plans, Nscale will build up to 14 megawatts of AI data centre capacity across three existing BT sites, while BT provides the infrastructure and connectivity needed to support the deployment.

This is where sovereign cloud becomes a growth opportunity rather than just a defensive compliance offer. AI adoption is often slowed by concerns around data protection, intellectual property, regulatory exposure, model governance and operational control. If enterprises and public sector bodies can run AI workloads domestically, with clearer control over where data is stored, who can access it and how services are operated, then more sensitive use cases become easier to justify.

For operators, this is not about pretending that they can build an entire technology stack from scratch. The FutureNet talk was realistic on this point. Full technology sovereignty is extremely difficult, expensive and, in many cases, undesirable. Modern infrastructure depends on global hardware, software and cloud ecosystems. Cutting off major innovation engines would not make economic or technical sense for most telcos.

The more realistic question is whether a telco can design, build and operate a platform domestically while still working with global partners. In BT’s case, the argument is not about rejecting hyperscalers, NVIDIA, Rackspace, Nscale or other partners. It is about creating a sovereign operating model around the parts that matter most to customers: location, control, legal exposure, operations, resilience and trust.

There is still a major challenge. Sovereignty remains poorly defined. The FutureNet presentation referred to the risk of sovereign washing, where products are labelled sovereign without a clear explanation of what that actually means. This creates problems for customers and providers alike. If one provider invests in domestic operations, security-cleared staff and locally controlled platforms, while another simply adds a sovereignty label to an existing service, customers need a way to compare them fairly.

This is where regulation or at least an industry framework may become important. The UK has so far taken a relatively open market approach, which encourages innovation but can also create uncertainty. Without common definitions, it is hard for customers to know what they are buying and hard for providers to justify major investments. A shared framework for levels of sovereignty could reduce confusion, support investment and make procurement more transparent.

The commercial question is also important. Sovereign platforms can cost more to build and operate, especially if staff, support, infrastructure and operational controls are brought onshore. Customers may value sovereignty, but not every workload will justify a premium. The market will therefore need clearer segmentation. Some workloads may only need data residency. Others may require operational sovereignty. A smaller set may require highly isolated environments.

This is why BT’s full-suite approach is interesting. By combining sovereign connectivity, voice, cloud and AI, BT is trying to present sovereignty as an end-to-end service model rather than a single cloud product. That fits the way critical organisations actually operate. They do not just need compute. They need networks, communications, security, continuity, support, compliance and governance.

For the Operator Watch audience, the bigger takeaway is that sovereignty could become one of the more credible routes for telcos to participate in cloud and AI. The opportunity is not to become generic public cloud providers. That battle has already been won by others. The opportunity is to become trusted national infrastructure partners that help enterprises and government bodies run critical workloads with greater assurance.

BT’s announcement is therefore both a product story and a positioning story. It shows how an incumbent operator can connect its network heritage, public sector role, security capabilities, cloud partnerships and AI infrastructure ambitions into a single narrative. Whether customers buy into it at scale will depend on pricing, service clarity, workload suitability and the development of common market definitions.

What is clear is that sovereignty is moving from the margins to the centre of the enterprise technology conversation. As AI becomes more embedded in critical workflows, organisations will increasingly ask not only what the technology can do, but where it runs, who controls it, who can access it and whether it will still be available on a bad day.

That is a conversation where telcos have a stronger role than they have had in many previous cloud debates. BT is now making that case explicitly. The success of this strategy will depend on whether the market sees sovereign services not as a compliance overhead, but as a foundation for trusted AI, resilient operations and national digital capability.

The video of the presentation as follows:

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Serbia Enters the 5G Era as Operators Accelerate Nationwide Upgrades

Serbia’s mobile telecommunications market has evolved significantly over the past few years. While the country spent several years preparing for next-generation connectivity through trials and infrastructure upgrades, commercial 5G services only became a reality at the end of 2025.

Data from GSMA Intelligence indicates that Serbia had 8.45 million cellular mobile connections at the end of 2025.

To provide context, it is common for the number of mobile connections to exceed the total population because many individuals use more than one SIM or mobile subscription. For instance, a person may have one connection for personal use and another for work purposes. The growing availability of eSIM technology has made it even easier for users to maintain multiple mobile connections in recent years.

GSMA Intelligence data shows that the total number of mobile connections in Serbia was equivalent to 127 percent of the country’s population in October 2025. Looking at recent trends, the total number of mobile connections in Serbia declined by around 215 thousand, or 2.5 percent, between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025. The data also indicates that 95.4 percent of mobile connections in Serbia can now be classified as broadband connections, meaning that they operate on 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile networks.

However, it is important to note that devices capable of connecting to broadband mobile networks do not necessarily use cellular mobile data. Some subscriptions, for example, may only provide access to voice calls and SMS services. As a result, the share of broadband connections should not be interpreted as a direct measure of mobile internet usage.

Today, the Serbian mobile market is served by three nationwide operators: Telekom Srbija (mts), Yettel Serbia (formerly Telenor Serbia), and A1 Serbia (formerly Vip mobile). Together they cover the entire country and are now transitioning from mature LTE networks toward full 5G deployments.

Based on July 2025 data from Opensignal, Yettel leads the Serbian mobile network market with the best overall experience, securing multiple performance and coverage awards. A1 is a strong competitor, winning several categories, while all operators offer 2G, 3G, and 4G, with 5G deployment expanding in major cities like Belgrade, Niš, and Novi Sad.

Telekom Srbija, operating under the MTS brand, remains the largest telecom operator in the country. It is majority state-owned and offers mobile, fixed broadband, television, and enterprise services.

The operator holds the largest share of the Serbian mobile market, accounting for about 42.7% of the country’s 8.1 million mobile subscribers as of 2024.

Telekom Srbija also leads in network infrastructure. According to regulator reports, it had the highest number of base stations across 2G, 3G, and 4G networks by the end of 2024, reflecting its strong nationwide footprint.

The company had previously conducted 5G trials with vendors such as Ericsson, testing use cases and performance in urban areas. These trials laid the groundwork for commercial deployment once spectrum licences were issued.

The second largest operator is Yettel Serbia, which was previously known as Telenor Serbia before a rebranding in 2022. The company is now part of the e& PPF Telecom Group and provides mobile, broadband, and digital services nationwide.

Yettel holds roughly 33% of Serbia’s mobile market, making it the second-largest operator behind Telekom Srbija.

In preparation for 5G, the operator invested more than €100 million to secure spectrum across key bands such as 700 MHz, 2600 MHz and 3.6 GHz. These frequencies enable a mix of wide-area coverage and high-capacity services required for next-generation networks.

The company has been positioning itself as a strong competitor through network upgrades and digital services, including fixed wireless broadband solutions based on 5G technology.

The third operator is A1 Serbia, part of the A1 Telekom Austria Group. Although smaller than its rivals, it remains a significant player in the Serbian telecom market.

As of 2024, A1 Serbia accounted for around 24.3% of mobile subscribers.

A1 has focused heavily on network modernization and digital infrastructure investments. The company has also announced major investment programmes aimed at expanding fibre infrastructure and strengthening its mobile network in preparation for the 5G era.

Serbia’s long-awaited transition to 5G finally took place in late 2025. The national regulator, RATEL, conducted a multi-band spectrum auction in November 2025 covering frequencies including 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz and 3.6 GHz.

All three operators: Telekom Srbija, Yettel, and A1, secured licences in the auction, each paying just over €100 million, bringing the total value of the spectrum allocation to around €300 million.

Shortly afterwards, the operators simultaneously activated commercial 5G networks in December 2025, marking the country’s official entry into the 5G era.

Initial coverage focuses on major cities and key tourist areas, with broader nationwide rollout planned through 2026. Users with compatible devices can access the new network where coverage is available.

Serbia’s telecom sector is now entering a new phase of development as operators shift their focus from LTE expansion toward advanced 5G services.

In the short term, operators are expected to concentrate on expanding coverage in urban areas and introducing 5G-based fixed wireless broadband as an alternative to legacy fixed connections.

Over the longer term, the deployment of standalone 5G cores and the expansion of fibre infrastructure will likely play a key role in enabling new digital services, supporting industry modernization, and improving broadband connectivity across both urban and rural regions.

Serbia’s entry into the 5G era represents a significant milestone for the country’s digital economy. With spectrum secured, infrastructure investment under way and competitive pressure among operators increasing, the market is positioned for substantial progress in the years ahead.

Telefónica Germany Pushes IoT Beyond Terrestrial Limits

The growing convergence of satellite and cellular connectivity is beginning to reshape how operators approach IoT, and a recent presentation by Miguel Rodriguez, Product Manager IoT at Telefónica Germany, offered a useful perspective on how this shift is playing out in practice.

Speaking at the “5G NTN and Satellite IoT” webinar hosted by Global 5G Evolution, Rodriguez outlined how Telefónica Germany is positioning itself to take advantage of non-terrestrial networks within its broader 5G IoT portfolio. Rather than viewing satellite as a disruptive threat, the company sees it as a natural extension of its connectivity capabilities, enabling it to address use cases that have traditionally remained out of reach.

Telefónica Germany has already built a comprehensive 5G IoT portfolio spanning high performance use cases with standalone and non-standalone 5G, as well as mid and low tier connectivity with RedCap, LTE-M and NB-IoT. The addition of narrowband NTN effectively extends this portfolio beyond terrestrial limitations, particularly for massive IoT deployments that require low power and wide coverage.

A key theme from the presentation was the idea of hybrid connectivity. The goal is not to replace terrestrial networks but to complement them, creating a seamless experience where devices can switch between cellular and satellite depending on availability. This approach is particularly relevant in areas where terrestrial coverage is patchy or economically unviable, such as remote infrastructure, agricultural land, transport corridors and maritime environments.

Rodriguez highlighted that even in mature markets like Germany, there are persistent coverage gaps. These are often in locations where investment in terrestrial infrastructure does not make commercial sense, yet where IoT data can be highly valuable. Satellite connectivity provides a practical way to fill these gaps, ensuring continuity of service and enabling new types of deployments.

On a global scale, the limitations become even more apparent. While low power wide area networks such as NB-IoT and LTE-M have achieved significant reach, there are still many regions without coverage or with limited roaming agreements. Satellite IoT offers a way to achieve truly global deployments, including in regions such as parts of Africa, Latin America and across oceans.

Telefónica Germany’s strategy involves working with multiple satellite partners to address different connectivity needs. For geostationary connectivity, it collaborates with Skylo, focusing on consistent availability and a well-developed device ecosystem. For low Earth orbit connectivity, it partners with OQ Technology, enabling intermittent but cost-effective communication suitable for periodic data transmission. On the broadband side, solutions involving Starlink are being integrated to support higher throughput use cases.

An important aspect of this approach is how it is packaged for customers. Telefónica Germany is aiming to simplify what could otherwise become a complex multi-network environment. The operator acts as a single contracting partner, providing one interface for connectivity management, data access and billing. This abstraction is critical in making hybrid connectivity accessible, particularly for enterprises that do not want to manage multiple providers and technologies.

Affordability also plays a central role. The ambition is to make satellite IoT viable for large scale deployments rather than niche applications. By integrating satellite usage into existing tariffs and enabling opportunistic connectivity, Telefónica Germany is attempting to lower the barrier to entry and support the expansion of massive IoT.

Beyond connectivity, the challenge of integrating satellite data into cloud platforms was also addressed. Narrowband satellite communication typically relies on lightweight protocols that are not directly compatible with standard cloud interfaces. Telefónica Germany’s Kite platform acts as a bridge, converting data into formats suitable for hyperscaler environments such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. This allows devices to remain efficient in terms of power and bandwidth while still enabling seamless cloud integration.

The energy sector emerged as a particularly strong use case for hybrid connectivity. From generation to distribution and consumption, there are numerous points where reliable data collection is critical. Satellite connectivity can support both primary communication in remote areas and fallback scenarios during outages, enhancing the resilience of energy infrastructure.

What becomes clear from this presentation is that non-terrestrial networks are not being treated as a separate domain but as an integral part of the overall connectivity fabric. The combination of terrestrial and satellite networks, supported by unified platforms and commercial models, is moving the industry closer to the idea of ubiquitous coverage.

For operators, this represents both a technical and strategic shift. The ability to offer global, seamless connectivity across multiple access technologies could become a key differentiator, particularly in enterprise and IoT markets. For customers, it opens up new possibilities for deploying connected devices in places that were previously considered unreachable.

The evolution of 5G into a truly integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial ecosystem is still in its early stages, but the direction is becoming increasingly clear. Hybrid connectivity is no longer just a concept. It is starting to take shape as a practical and scalable solution for the next phase of IoT growth.

The talk is embedded below:

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Norway’s Mobile Market Balances Competition and Performance

Data from GSMA Intelligence indicates that there were 6.07 million cellular mobile connections in Norway at the end of 2025. For context, many individuals use more than one mobile connection, so it is common for the total number of connections to exceed the total population. For instance, a person may have one mobile connection for personal use and another for work. The growing availability of eSIM technology has made it even easier to manage multiple connections in recent years.

GSMA Intelligence’s figures show that mobile connections in Norway were equal to 108 percent of the total population in October 2025. Looking at changes over time, the number of mobile connections in Norway declined by 35 thousand, or 0.6 percent, between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.

At the same time, GSMA Intelligence reports that 99.1 percent of mobile connections in Norway can now be classified as broadband, meaning they connect through 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile networks. However, devices that are capable of connecting to broadband mobile networks do not always use cellular data. Some subscription plans may only provide access to voice and SMS services, so this broadband figure should not be interpreted as a direct measure of mobile internet usage.

Norway’s mobile market is characterised by a relatively concentrated structure, with three mobile network operators and a range of mobile virtual network operators that rely on wholesale access to the main networks. The three companies that operate mobile network infrastructure in Norway are Telenor, Telia Norway, and Ice. These operators account for the vast majority of mobile subscriptions in the country and provide the underlying infrastructure that supports a number of smaller service providers.

Historically, Norway’s mobile market has been dominated by two large operators. Telenor has long been the market leader, while Telia has served as the primary challenger since entering the market through its predecessor NetCom. Over the past decade, Ice has emerged as a third infrastructure operator following significant investment in network deployment.

The presence of three network operators has strengthened competition in the Norwegian mobile sector, although the market remains relatively concentrated compared with larger European markets.

Telenor continues to hold the largest share of mobile subscriptions in Norway. The company operates extensive nationwide infrastructure and has historically maintained strong coverage across both urban and rural areas.

Telenor Norway reports 111k FWA subs in Dec 2025, a number that is the same as in the beginning of 2022 (or 15k down from peak). The total number of fixed broadband subs (incl. FWA) is in decline as a growth in fibre subs can't compensate for losses in cable and FWA. FWA now 16% of total base.

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— Tefficient🚥 (@tefficient.bsky.social) 6 February 2026 at 08:14

Telenor also emerges as the dominant force in Norway’s mobile landscape, retaining its Best Network title and standing out as the most-awarded operator in Opensignal’s November 2025 report. From the awards grid, Telenor secures six outright wins and five joint wins, leading in 11 out of 15 measured categories. Telia follows with two outright and six joint wins, while ice collects five joint wins, according to real-world experience data recorded by users.

Telia Norway represents the second largest operator and competes directly with Telenor across most segments of the market. The operator has invested heavily in network upgrades in recent years and has expanded its 5G footprint across the country.

Following on several trials, Telia is first to launch 5G SA commercially in Norway. Telia now offers 5G SA as 'Avansert 5G' to B2B customers across its 5G network nationwide. kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemeldin...

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— Tefficient🚥 (@tefficient.bsky.social) 13 February 2026 at 06:18

Ice, the third network operator, has focused on building its own infrastructure while also relying on national roaming agreements to extend coverage beyond its network footprint. The company has positioned itself as a challenger operator with a focus on competitive pricing and data centric mobile plans.

Breaking: Lyse Tele (ice Norge) and Telia Norway to share mobile network across Norway, a first for the country. news.cision.com/telia-compan...

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— Tefficient🚥 (@tefficient.bsky.social) 2 February 2026 at 18:06

Norway has consistently ranked among the leading European markets in terms of mobile network performance and coverage. Independent benchmarking conducted by Rohde & Schwarz has placed Norwegian operators among the strongest performers globally, reflecting sustained investment in network infrastructure despite the country’s challenging geography and dispersed population. In recent testing covering more than 7,000 kilometres and over half of the population.

Which country - Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden - has the highest mobile and fixed broadband ARPU? What value for money do customers get? The Norwegian government's @dfd.regjeringen.no made this Tefficient analysis public. www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumente...

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— Tefficient🚥 (@tefficient.bsky.social) 8 March 2026 at 09:19

The country’s operators have invested heavily in 4G and more recently 5G infrastructure. For example, Telia reported that its 5G network now reaches close to 99 percent of Norway’s population following several years of nationwide deployment, highlighting the rapid pace of next generation network rollout in the market.

Recent industry developments include plans by Telia and Lyse, the parent company of Ice, to combine parts of their mobile radio access networks in Norway through a jointly owned entity. The companies expect the arrangement to reduce infrastructure costs and improve coverage while continuing to operate as separate retail competitors with independent core networks.

Norway’s mobile market is likely to remain relatively stable in terms of structure. The presence of three infrastructure operators, combined with a range of virtual operators, provides a balance between network investment and retail competition.

Future developments in the sector will likely be shaped by continued 5G deployment, infrastructure sharing arrangements, and the evolving role of wholesale access in supporting smaller mobile brands.

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How Telenor Keeps Svalbard Connected at the Edge of the World

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, situated halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, and is known for its dramatic glaciers, rugged terrain, and a population of polar bears that outnumbers humans. Despite being about as remote as it gets for a functioning community, Svalbard is a premier destination for Arctic adventures such as dog sledding, northern lights viewing, and polar exploration, with Longyearbyen serving as the main settlement and hub alongside communities like Ny Ålesund and Barentsburg. Remarkably, even in these tiny settlements and extreme polar conditions, residents and visitors can make voice calls, send texts, and stream photos, showcasing how modern connectivity thrives in one of the most isolated places on Earth.

The unique telecom landscape of Svalbard is shaped by its governance under the Svalbard Treaty and is part of the Kingdom of Norway. It uses the Norwegian country code (+47) and integrates into Norway’s telecom framework, but due to geography and policy, its connectivity looks very different from the mainland. Svalbard’s remote Arctic setting brings harsh weather and vast areas with no coverage outside major settlements, yet it remains connected to the global internet through the Svalbard Undersea Cable System, a twin submarine fiber link to northern Norway that provides essential bandwidth for both mobile and fixed telecommunications. In its early years, satellite links were vital for communication, but today fiber infrastructure has become the backbone, enabling more stable and higher capacity connectivity.

In Svalbard, Telenor Norge is the dominant mobile network operator and, in practice, the only company physically deploying cellular infrastructure across the archipelago. Telenor has a long and historic presence in Svalbard dating back to the early 1900s, when it provided some of the first telephone and radio services, and today it operates the region’s cellular networks, evolving from GSM to 3G and 4G LTE while also testing 5G for mission critical and emergency use in the uniquely challenging Arctic environment. Early GSM 2G coverage enabled basic voice calls and SMS, followed by the introduction of 3G services in Longyearbyen in the early 2000s, which brought mobile data for the first time. Today, 4G LTE is standard in populated areas such as Longyearbyen, Barentsburg, and Ny Ålesund, making Svalbard home to one of the northernmost LTE networks in the world, and as of 2025, 5G trials are underway for specialized use cases. As a result, residents, researchers, and tourists can access relatively modern mobile data, but only within the limited network footprint of town centres and nearby settlements.

地球上で3番目と4番目に北にある基地局。事業者はTelenor Svalbard pic.twitter.com/j09v53bVu9

— ぱおぱお (@paopao0128) January 31, 2026

In practice, mobile coverage in Svalbard is concentrated around a few key settlements and drops off quickly beyond them. Longyearbyen has the most comprehensive service, with strong 4G LTE coverage throughout the town and nearby areas, supporting calls, data, navigation, messaging, weather checks, emergencies, local transport, and tourism services. Ny Ålesund historically lacked regular mobile coverage due to strict restrictions on radio frequencies around research facilities, but Telenor has since installed a tailored mobile network there, making it the northernmost operational mobile station in the world. Barentsburg is also served by the network, although coverage is generally more limited than in Longyearbyen. Outside these towns there is no mobile service at all, and once you head into the wilderness for activities such as hiking or fieldwork, you are completely offline, which is why satellite communications like Iridium devices remain essential for polar expeditions and remote research.

Other operators can technically work in Svalbard, but almost always through Telenor’s infrastructure. Official licensing records show that a few Norwegian operators, including ICE and Telia Norge, hold mobile spectrum assignments for Svalbard, yet in practice Telenor is the only operator running live cellular infrastructure in the archipelago. Many smaller or virtual operators simply roam on Telenor’s network when in Svalbard, and real world reports from locals and travellers indicate that providers such as ICE rely on Telenor’s base stations because there is no alternative network in town. Telia and others may have spectrum rights on paper, but they do not operate separate physical networks in Svalbard. For visitors using Norwegian or international SIM cards, roaming agreements and coverage can vary, but when a phone does connect, it is effectively using Telenor’s network in these Arctic settlements.

Looking into the future, as Arctic activity continues to grow from tourism to scientific research, Norway is pushing the boundaries of mobile technology in some of the harshest polar conditions on Earth. Ongoing 5G trials aimed at supporting mission critical services such as coordinated rescue operations highlight how Svalbard remains a frontier for telecom innovation. Whether you are planning a journey north or are simply fascinated by communications in extreme environments, Svalbard’s mobile landscape shows that even near the roof of the Earth, staying connected is possible with the right network and careful preparation. 

Automation and Data Driven Network Optimization in Swisscom’s Mobile Strategy

At Ericsson’s rApp DevCon 2025, Swisscom provided a clear view of how automation and data driven network optimisation are becoming core elements of mobile strategy rather than isolated technical initiatives. In a keynote delivered by Francesco Pellegrini, Product Owner for Radio Network Optimisation at Swisscom, the emphasis was on how long term investment in automation, analytics and innovation supports not only network performance, but also the sustained delivery of a high quality mobile customer experience.

For Swisscom, automation is closely tied to its ambition to offer the best possible mobile experience across Switzerland. This ambition has guided network decisions for more than a decade and is reflected in the operator’s consistent top rankings in independent benchmarks. Rather than treating these results as an endpoint, Swisscom views them as a baseline that must be continuously defended as network complexity increases. Data driven insights and automated decision making now play a central role in translating customer experience expectations into concrete network actions.

Advanced analytics allow Swisscom to better understand how customers experience the network in real conditions and to prioritise optimisation accordingly. Automation then becomes the mechanism that allows these insights to be acted upon at scale and with consistency. As mobile networks evolve, with new spectrum layers, denser deployments and growing 5G usage, traditional manual optimisation approaches are no longer sufficient to maintain efficiency or performance.

Swisscom’s journey towards automated radio network optimisation started several years ago with early self organising network capabilities such as antenna tilt optimisation in LTE. Over time, this expanded into a broader portfolio of automation use cases, including open loop optimisation driven by customer experience data and AI supported solutions for performance analysis. Centralised optimisation algorithms for 5G mobility and the introduction of closed loop automation further strengthened this approach. Today, much of the 4G network is optimised through automation, while 5G tuning is already at an advanced stage.

Pellegrini highlighted that achieving this level of automation required more than deploying new tools. One of the main challenges was introducing innovation while continuing to operate one of the highest performing networks in the market. This demanded changes in processes and mindset, particularly within radio optimisation teams. Engineers increasingly moved away from manual, vendor specific tools towards programmable, data centric workflows that support repeatability and scale.

The next phase of Swisscom’s mobile strategy builds on this foundation through its expanded partnership with Ericsson. A key component is the integration of the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform into Swisscom’s existing automation framework. This enables coordination between existing use cases while providing access to a standardised rApp environment and to the wider ecosystem. Just as importantly, it allows Swisscom to leverage data already available within its internal data lake to support more advanced optimisation and automation scenarios.

In radio network optimisation, Swisscom is already working with several AI enabled rApps, including anomaly detection, root cause analysis and antenna optimisation capabilities. At the same time, the operator is exploring the development of its own rApps, with radio optimisation as the starting point. The ambition, however, extends beyond optimisation alone. Network deployment and network healing are also seen as key areas where automation can deliver measurable benefits, particularly through zero touch approaches that accelerate cell acceptance and improve network health monitoring.

A central enabler of this strategy is the evolution of skills within Swisscom’s engineering teams. Radio engineers are increasingly expected to combine deep domain expertise with capabilities in coding, data handling and AI. While radio knowledge remains the foundation, closer collaboration with internal data science teams is becoming essential. This balance allows Swisscom to develop more sophisticated automation use cases without diluting its core engineering strengths.

The keynote also underlined the importance of open ecosystems in sustaining differentiation. Swisscom sees value in combining vendor developed rApps with innovations from a broader community, enabled by a standardised automation platform. This approach supports experimentation, accelerates innovation and reduces dependency on bespoke integrations, all while maintaining control over network performance and quality.

Swisscom’s experience illustrates that automation and data driven network optimisation are not short term initiatives, but long term strategic capabilities. As network complexity continues to grow, the ability to combine customer experience insights with intelligent, coordinated automation will be critical to maintaining leadership. Swisscom’s mobile strategy shows how these elements can be embedded into daily operations, positioning the operator to continue delivering a high quality mobile experience in an increasingly demanding environment.

The embedded keynote video provides additional depth and context, offering valuable insight into how Swisscom is translating automation concepts into real world operational practice.

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Telefonica’s Journey Towards End-to-End Autonomous Networks

At Mobile Europe’s The Briefing event in October, Jose María Ramón Pardo, Autonomous Networks and AI Senior Manager at Telefonica, shared how the company is building the foundations for truly autonomous networks. His presentation offered a clear picture of why automation is no longer optional for operators and how Telefonica is reshaping its operations to meet rising expectations across efficiency, agility and customer experience.

He began by setting out the reality for major operators today. Networks are growing in complexity and customers expect faster services, better reliability and more sustainable operations. At the same time, operators face pressure to support new business models and new digital services. Fortunately, the industry is benefiting from cloud native architectures and software driven networks, which make advanced automation and AI techniques far easier to apply than in the past.

Telefonica describes its evolution in three broad phases. The first phase involved building a basic automation foundation, mainly using rule based systems, device level scripting and early machine learning. Progress was held back by monolithic architectures and vendor dependency, which limited the scale of automation that was possible. The second phase marked the beginning of the company’s Autonomous Network Journey programme, which introduced data driven processes, orchestration, the first closed loop systems and centres of excellence for AI. Machine learning became part of day to day operations, although intelligence was still limited.

Telefonica is now in the phase it calls hyper automation. The company is accelerating its autonomous network ambitions by embedding AI directly into network platforms and operational processes. It is deploying generative AI, digital twins and agent based systems, while investing in the knowledge bases required to support more context aware intelligence. The goal is to enable networks that can plan, adjust, repair and optimise with minimal human intervention.

The Autonomous Network Journey programme brings these efforts together across four dimensions. The first covers the physical network and the shift to open architecture, virtualisation, cloudification and data centre consolidation, along with the retirement of legacy technologies such as 3G and copper. The second dimension is known as the brain, which focuses on the automation platform that manages data, orchestration, knowledge and decision making. The third involves adapting processes along the full service lifecycle, from planning through to operations, to take advantage of autonomous capabilities. The fourth dimension is people, covering skills, culture, organisational structures and new ways of working.

Telefonica tracks its progress using KPIs that include the TM Forum autonomy levels to benchmark maturity across domains. The company has already deployed hundreds of autonomous use cases across its markets, supported by a range of AI techniques. In planning, an AI driven design solution has cut fibre planning time from 60 days to less than a week. In Germany, a large scale digital twin enables mobile site configuration changes to be simulated and optimised before any live implementation, reducing planning and analysis time significantly and helping prevent capacity issues.

Operational use cases are also demonstrating clear value. In Brazil, AI driven self healing in the 5G core detects and resolves anomalies without manual intervention and has reduced average repair times. Agent based systems allow technicians to interact with IP networks using natural language. Large language models support internal documentation queries, and generative AI is used to improve contract management and workforce efficiency.

Looking ahead, Telefonica aims to move beyond isolated use cases to an environment where automation can be delivered at scale. This requires focusing on high value use cases, ensuring the cost to deploy is justified by the expected benefit, and enhancing the automation platform so that new use cases can be rolled out consistently across all network layers. AI needs to be integrated across the full lifecycle of the network and the company continues to explore new techniques such as intelligent agents, large language models and synthetic data generation.

Telefonica is also strengthening its governance approach to ensure responsible and effective use of AI. Collaboration remains important, with partnerships across the vendor ecosystem and other operators helping to accelerate innovation.

Although AI plays a central role, the company emphasises that real transformation depends on more than AI alone. Open architectures, high quality data, knowledge representation, redesigned processes and new organisational models are all essential to make autonomous networks a reality. Automation is considered mandatory for achieving efficiency, enabling new revenue opportunities and meeting the demands of customers and society.

Telefonica’s message is clear. AI and automation are reshaping telecom operations, but success depends on a balanced strategy that combines intelligent technology with architectural readiness, robust data foundations and a workforce prepared for new ways of working. The journey is well underway, and the early results show the promise of a more autonomous network future.

His talk is embedded below:

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How O2 Telefónica is Redefining the Network with NaaS and Open APIs

At O2 Telefónica Germany, the “network of the future” is no longer a distant vision, it’s becoming an operational reality. Under the leadership of Matthias Sauder, Director Networks, the operator has made substantial strides in transforming its end-to-end infrastructure to meet the demands of a highly agile, programmable, and customer-focused future.

At the FutureNet World conference in London (7–8 May 2025), where leading telco and tech stakeholders gathered to explore network automation and AI in telecoms, Sauder shared how O2 Telefónica’s evolution journey spans radio, transport, core, data centres, and cloud landing zones, all underpinned by a strategy that prioritises automation, flexibility, and openness.

The transformation began with a foundational goal: enhancing radio network quality. Once considered the underdog in a three-operator market, O2 Germany set out to radically improve performance by embracing agile practices and reshaping internal structures. Inspired by the Spotify model, the company introduced agility not just in project management but also in technical delivery. This included frequent software release cycles for radio, positioning itself as a global leader in rapid deployment and continuous integration.

A key initiative known as Tech Strategy 25 laid the foundation for modernising radio, transport, and core networks. Today, over 80 percent of the strategy has already been executed. With a largely cloud-native core in place, O2 Telefónica is among the pioneers of this architectural shift. Its collaboration with Ericsson produced one of the world’s first cloud-native digital cores, while a parallel effort with Nokia deployed core services for one million users in a public cloud environment.

The rationale behind both cloud-native and public cloud approaches is clear. Legacy architectures no longer support the operational agility or cost efficiency needed in today’s competitive telecom landscape. Cloud-native systems enable advanced capabilities such as continuous integration, continuous delivery, and seamless in-service software upgrades (ISSU). O2 Telefónica has shown these upgrades can be executed without disrupting live customer services, challenging the long-standing perception that such practices are too risky for telco-grade reliability.

Beyond infrastructure, the company’s future network model hinges on the integration of open APIs and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) capabilities. These aren’t abstract concepts, they’re practical tools enabling agility, programmability, and new revenue streams. Open APIs expose network functions to external developers and partners, unlocking opportunities for co-creation and monetisation that were previously out of reach.

This openness also extends to industry partnerships. A standout example is the company’s collaboration with Siemens, which now leverages O2's slicing capabilities to deliver tailored network services to its own customers. These kinds of arrangements demonstrate how NaaS, built on secure and standardised APIs, can unlock vertical-specific innovation.

But transformation isn’t just about technology, it’s also about mindset and culture. Simplifying and standardising network configurations (for example, reducing radio setups from over a hundred to just two) and promoting a service-centric approach are part of a broader shift. The focus is firmly on use cases and customer value, avoiding the trap of deploying technology for its own sake. Every new system or tool must demonstrate end-to-end value.

O2 Telefónica also recognises that data, rather than AI alone, is the foundation of intelligent automation. Without a robust data strategy, ambitions around AI, closed-loop automation, or service orchestration are unlikely to succeed. The company’s investment in OSS transformation and data-driven operations is laying the groundwork for intelligent networks that can scale, adapt, and optimise in real time.

As the line between network and IT continues to blur, O2 Telefónica is aligning its BSS, OSS, and IT systems with its network strategy. This integrated approach supports holistic innovation and positions the company to deliver services with faster time to market and greater cost efficiency.

The transformation journey shared by Matthias Sauder is more than a technical roadmap, it’s a call for industry-wide disruption. With revenues flat and operational costs rising, embracing NaaS, open APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure is no longer optional. It’s the only viable path for telcos to stay competitive, innovative, and relevant in a software-defined, platform-centric future.

Sauder’s full presentation at FutureNet World provides deeper insight into this journey. You can watch it below:

Moldova's Telecom Evolution: From Legacy Networks to 5G Futures

Moldova, a small Eastern European nation, has developed a robust telecommunications sector, achieving extensive coverage in both wired and wireless communications. The country's compact size has facilitated the rapid expansion of mobile networks, ensuring that even remote areas have access to telephony services.

Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 4.24 million cellular mobile connections in Moldova at the start of 2024. However, note that many people around the world make use of more than one mobile connection – for example, they might have one connection for personal use, and another one for work – so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.

GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in Moldova were equivalent to 125.8 percent of the total population in January 2024. The number of mobile connections in Moldova increased by 946 (+0.02 percent) between the start of 2023 and the start of 2024.

Despite a wave of 3G shutdowns across Europe, many users continue to rely heavily on legacy 3G and 2G networks. These outdated technologies present unique challenges for operators and regulators seeking to modernize infrastructure while minimizing user disruption. According to OpenSignal Moldova has the highest Time on 2G/3G networks. 

Moldova’s telecom market is primarily dominated by three key players: Moldcell, Orange, and Moldtelecom.

Orange Moldova is a subsidiary of the French telecommunications company Orange and offers a wide range of mobile services.

According to nPerf Orange has emerged as a co-leader in 2024, with exceptional performance in Download bitrate and Latency, marking it as a key player in these categories. The operator also leads in Browsing, showcasing its robust capabilities in providing a seamless user experience. Orange has made substantial contributions to the market’s competitive landscape.

Established in 2000, Moldcell has been a prominent player in Moldova's mobile industry. In April 2024, marking its 24th anniversary.

Moldcell has solidified its position as a co-leader with a notable improvement in its overall score. The operator leads in Upload bitrate and shines in Video streaming, demonstrating its strength in these areas. Moldcell also maintains a strong focus on 4G, where it is the undisputed leader. Users benefit from enhanced streaming and upload capabilities, making it ideal for content creators and heavy data users.

Operating since 2007, Moldtelecom, may not be a market leader but is gaining ground and has a reliable network. 

Currently, all operators have isolated pockets of 5G coverage. However, with ANRCETI launching an auction in October 2024 for spectrum across 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1500 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz, 3600 MHz, and 26 GHz bands, the introduction of 5G in these frequencies is set to significantly enhance the user experience.

5G is Growing Slowly in Croatia

Croatia, a picturesque country with a vibrant telecommunications sector, has a competitive mobile market that has evolved significantly over the years. With increasing mobile penetration, enhanced network infrastructure, and a growing demand for data services, the mobile landscape in Croatia is an interesting one to explore. Having written about the imminent launch of 5G in 2020, we were hoping for a lot more progress with 5G rollout so far.

Croatia's telecom market is largely controlled by the incumbent operator Hrvatski Telekom, along with the local branches of United Group and Telekom Austria. However, competition remains strong, supported by several smaller operators. The regulator has played a key role in fostering this competitive environment by implementing measures to facilitate network access and promoting regional licensing. Notably, two recent 5G licenses were allocated specifically for regional rather than national operators.

The mobile market consists of three major network operators (MNOs). These providers have been focused on increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) by encouraging prepaid customers to switch to postpaid plans and boosting revenue from mobile data services. While 5G is now widely available, the full impact of the technology will become apparent after 2021, following the distribution of licenses across various frequency bands. This spectrum, previously reserved for GSM, 3G, and LTE services, will play a key role in the government’s national broadband plan extending to 2027, which aligns with the European Commission’s goals to achieve gigabit connectivity by the end of 2025.

2G on Hrvatski Telekom and A1 is on 900 MHz and Telemach on 1800 MHz, 3G is on 900 MHz and 2100 MHz with all three providers. 4G/LTE is available on bands 1, 3, 7 and 20 (800, 1800, 2100 and 2700 MHz) with carrier aggregation available on all three providers. In 2021 all three operators are rolling out 5G. Hrvatski Telekom and A1 have started on n28 (700 MHz) and n78 (3500 MHz), and are now open for all Hrvatski Telekom prepaid packages and the unlimited A1 prepaid package, but not yet on Telemach and MVNOs.

Hrvatski Telekom (HT) is the largest mobile operator in Croatia, controlling a significant portion of the market. As part of the Deutsche Telekom Group, HT benefits from the vast expertise and resources of one of Europe’s largest telecom companies. HT has consistently led the market in terms of both subscribers and network quality.

Recently Rijeka Gateway has announced a 5G standalone (SA) connectivity partnership with Hrvatski Telekom (HT), marking the implementation of an advanced private 5G campus network.

Rijeka Gateway, which operates facilities at Croatia's largest port in Rijeka, is a joint venture between APM Terminals and ENNA Group. This development is entirely new, without any legacy LTE network infrastructure, which the company highlights as a key advantage, making it the first HT installation to use SA architecture.

Set to commence operations in 2025, Rijeka Gateway will utilize HT's public mobile network to support its primarily remotely operated electric equipment. The terminal emphasizes that its use of electric container handling equipment will significantly minimize environmental impact, reducing noise and pollution for the surrounding community.

The Croatian operator Hrvatski Telekom has already started shutting down their 3G network. Complete switch-off by end of Jan 2025https://t.co/I02prt7vL6https://t.co/nPdwOF8eOm

2G will continue to work as normal#2G #3G #3G4G5G #2G3Gshutdown pic.twitter.com/R7R2nkAbJe

— Zahid Ghadialy (@zahidtg) October 6, 2024

HT has already started shutting down their 3G network and plan to have their 3G completely switched-off by end of Jan. 2025. Their 2G network will still be around for a while.

A1 Croatia (formerly known as Vipnet) is the second-largest mobile operator in the country. A1 is part of A1 Telekom Austria Group, which operates in several European countries. A1 Croatia has positioned itself as a strong competitor to HT, especially in terms of pricing and customer service.

Telemach is the third provider in Croatia. It was called Tele2 before it was sold to a local cable operator. They started 4G/LTE in 2016 already covering 90% and opened it to all prepaid plans. In cities coverage is similar to HT and A1. In rural areas (highways outside cities and unpopulated areas) Telemach roams on Hrvatski Telekom without surcharges. After its acquisition by United Group in 2020, Telemach has been expanding its services and network to compete more aggressively with HT and A1.

The Croatian government and telecom operators have been working together to modernize the country’s mobile infrastructure, especially with the 5G rollout. Both HT and A1 have launched 5G networks, covering major cities such as Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka. Telemach has been somewhat slower in rolling out 5G but is catching up through significant infrastructure investments.

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