During the period from anuary 31th to February 6th, 2026, the following international news occurred:

1. Huawei and Qualcomm tussle for 5G patents lead as 6G draws closer

The latest report from LexisNexis shows that Huawei leads in both the number of 5G patent families and the volume of technical contributions, while Qualcomm ranks first in the "Patent Asset Index" (which measures patent value). The current 5G patent licensing market is valued at approximately $15 billion annually. In 2024, Qualcomm's licensing revenue reached $5.6 billion, far exceeding Huawei's $630 million. As 5G expands into sectors like industry and automotive, patent value continues to rise. The report also notes that Asian companies like LG Electronics and South Korea's ETRI are leading in patents related to 5G Advanced (Rel-18). The influence of these two giants is expected to extend into the 6G era.

2. HKT boosts mobile backhaul to 25 Gbit/s at Hong Kong's key event venues

Hong Kong Telecom (HKT) has upgraded the mobile backhaul network at several major event venues, including the Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong Coliseum, and Hong Kong Velodrome, to 25 Gbit/s. This aims to enhance the reliability and capacity of 5G networks in high-density areas. It will support more simultaneous user connections, reduce congestion and latency, improve real-time application experiences, and align with the Hong Kong government's push for a "mega event economy" and smart city development. Previously, the Office of the Communications Authority coordinated with operators to add 5G base stations at key venues.

3. NEC readies 5G massive MIMO radio for 2026 launch

Japan's NEC Corporation has announced it will commercially launch its new 5G Sub-6GHz massive MIMO radio unit in the first half of the 2026 fiscal year. In simulations, the equipment achieved a 54% increase in downlink throughput, a 48% increase in uplink throughput, a reduction in power consumption of approximately 42%, and reductions in volume and weight by 23% and 33% respectively, supporting single-person installation. Combined with its virtualized radio access network, the fronthaul distance can be extended to 40 km, improving deployment flexibility. Earlier, Nikkei reported that NEC would halt new hardware development for 4G/5G base stations to focus on software, defense, and next-generation technologies.

4. BSNL mulls 4G expansion in India

Indian state-owned operator BSNL is considering deploying an additional 22,000 4G base stations nationwide, with the technical specifications currently being finalized. If approved, the order will be executed by the existing TCS-Tejas-C-DoT consortium, which has already deployed approximately 98,000 4G sites for BSNL. The government is also exploring funding options to potentially further expand the network scale in the future. BSNL's 5G upgrade will be entirely based on a domestic technology stack. It previously planned to launch 5G services in Delhi and Mumbai in December 2025.

5. Nokia CEO hails Huawei ban by EU as results disappoint

Nokia's CEO welcomed the EU's plan to mandatorily exclude "high-risk vendors" like Huawei, viewing it as beneficial for building trusted networks in Europe. The company's 2025 financial results show revenue from its mobile networks business declined by 4%, with an operating margin of only 2.8%. In contrast, its Network Infrastructure business (including optical transport) saw revenue grow by 23%, aided by the acquisition of Infinera and AI demand. Nokia continues to implement workforce reductions and integrate business units to improve profitability. Its sales in China have decreased from nearly €2.2 billion in 2018 to €913 million in 2025.

6. Virgin Media O2 reaches over 500 UK sites with 5G SA

UK operator Virgin Media O2 has expanded its 5G standalone network coverage to over 500 sites across the country, recently completing deployments in several towns in Dorset. This 5G SA network, based on a dedicated 5G core, offers lower latency, better supporting AI and next-generation applications. This expansion is part of the company's £700 million mobile network transformation plan to improve 4G/5G coverage and capacity in urban, rural areas, and transport hubs. Previously, the company also acquired 78.8 MHz of spectrum from Vodafone.

7. Eurobites: Netmore acquires Actility for LoRaWAN IoT assist

Swedish IoT company Netmore has announced the acquisition of French low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) provider Actility to strengthen its presence in verticals such as utilities and smart cities. Actility has deployed thousands of LoRaWAN projects globally with over 50 operator partners. In other news, UK-based Open Cosmos is collaborating with the UAE's Sahara Space to develop a satellite constellation integrating Earth observation and IoT connectivity; and UK operator TalkTalk is reportedly in talks with potential buyers regarding its consumer and wholesale businesses.

8. Ericsson resists Nokia-like Nvidia pact, keeps chip options open

Ericsson's CEO stated that the company adheres to a "disaggregated software and hardware" strategy, enabling its radio access network (RAN) software to be compatible with multiple chip architectures (such as x86, GPU, and its own proprietary chips), unlike Nokia's deep partnership with Nvidia. Ericsson believes it is premature to commit to a single hardware platform and wants to make flexible decisions with customers regarding AI-RAN and 6G evolution. Simultaneously, the company continues to invest in proprietary chips, believing they offer advantages in total cost of ownership.

9. Eurobites: Vodafone goes subsea in Greece

Vodafone plans to deploy a 340-kilometer subsea cable system (Thetis Express) in Greece, connecting Crete with the mainland, supplemented by three terrestrial routes. This aims to position Greece as a "digital corridor" connecting Europe to other continents. The system will link data centers in Heraklion and Athens with a maximum transmission capacity of 180 Tbps. Additionally, Vodafone's IoT division, in partnership with Skylo, has launched a satellite NB-IoT service; and its UK operation has signed a four-year agreement with Centrica to provide fixed-mobile convergence services.

10. AT&T banks on convergence to halt wireless churn

AT&T's Q4 2025 results show it added 421,000 net postpaid phone subscribers, but its churn rate increased by 13 basis points year-on-year to 0.98%, with prepaid net losses of 255,000 subscribers. The company expects wireless service revenue to grow at an annual rate of 2%-3% through 2028 and is pinning its hopes on a "fiber-first" convergence strategy (bundling fiber and mobile services) to reduce churn and enhance customer value. Furthermore, AT&T has completed its acquisition of Lumen's fiber assets and plans to adopt a selective approach to spectrum procurement.

11. Entel Peru increases 3.5 GHz spectrum for 5G

Peruvian operator Entel Peru has significantly expanded its 5G mid-band spectrum, increasing the available bandwidth in the 3.5 GHz band from 20 MHz to 80-100 MHz (contiguous spectrum). This aims to enhance network capacity and speed, supporting high-demand applications like telemedicine and industrial automation. This upgrade is part of Entel's over $200 million mobile network investment plan in Peru. By the end of 2025, 5G device connections in Peru exceeded 4.3 million.

12. RAN market stabilizes ahead of 6G development: Dell’Oro

According to the latest forecast from Dell'Oro Group, the global Radio Access Network (RAN) market is stabilizing after a revenue decline of approximately $10 billion during 2023-2024. RAN revenue is projected to see a compound annual growth rate of only 1% over the next five years, remaining flat until 6G-related investments gradually begin towards the end of the decade. RAN investment is expected to account for 20%-25% of wireless capital expenditure. Massive MIMO and beamforming are identified as key technologies for future 6G deployment.

13. 6G Foundry: Air-interface innovations for always - on AI at scale

6G radio access technology is evolving around two core innovations: Giga-MIMO (massive MIMO with thousands of antennas) and sub-band full duplex (SBFD). Giga-MIMO utilizes antenna arrays with thousands of elements in the upper mid-band (7-15 GHz) to achieve wide-area, high-speed coverage. SBFD significantly increases uplink capacity and reduces latency by dividing uplink and downlink sub-bands within the same carrier. These technologies aim to support future applications like always-on AI, immersive XR, autonomous driving, and integrated sensing and communication, while being compatible with existing site deployments. Related standardization is advancing in 3GPP R18/19, laying the groundwork for 6G commercialization.