Network slicing is moving from promise to product, the vendor landscape continues to shift, and the question of what chipsets will power tomorrow’s RAN is no longer theoretical.
This week’s coverage spans standout deployments across the US, UK, and Europe; a bruising quarter for Samsung Networks; Nokia’s portfolio rationalisation; and the growing momentum of satellite-to-device connectivity. Beneath it all runs a common thread: operators are under pressure to extract more value from existing infrastructure while deciding where to place long-term bets on AI, edge computing, and new spectrum.
Network slicing has long been cited as a flagship 5G use case. This week, two significant deployments showed it earning its keep in the field. Verizon extended its Frontline Network Slice to include 5G Standalone-capable laptops, tablets, and smartphones used by first responders, providing dedicated capacity that remains unaffected by general public congestion. The deployment complements Verizon’s broader World Cup 2026 preparations, where slicing will be used to isolate referee body camera feeds and public safety communications across all 11 US host stadiums, with data volumes per match expected to exceed 50 terabytes.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom expanded its consumer slicing proposition under the 5G+ Ultra brand, adding real-time video calling to a service previously focused on cloud gaming. Delivered via its SA 5G network and enhanced with L4S (low latency, low loss, scalable throughput) technology, the service targets congested venues such as stadiums, concerts, and transport hubs. Available at no additional charge to compatible MagentaMobil subscribers, it currently supports FaceTime on iPhones and Apple Vision Pro, with further applications to follow. Internal testing reported a 73% reduction in frames affected by packet loss under the 5G+ configuration.
EE has surpassed 50 million people covered by its ‘5G+’ network (its branding for 5G Standalone), exceeding its original target of 41 million by spring 2026. The network now spans over 610 towns and cities, with monthly 5G+ traffic rising more than 50% over the past six months. EE has reallocated 2.1GHz spectrum across more than 4,000 sites to improve capacity, indoor coverage, and upload speeds, with a further 5,000 sites scheduled for similar treatment. The operator also completed five-carrier aggregation on 5G+ mobile sites, delivering an average 10% improvement in download speeds.
Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC), which allows adjacent sites to share capacity dynamically and improve dense-area performance by up to 20% without new mast construction, is now live in London following earlier launches in Manchester and Edinburgh. Cities including Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Sheffield are scheduled to follow by the end of May. EE is targeting 99% population coverage by 2030, with network investment forming part of BT Group’s £40 billion infrastructure commitment.
Samsung Networks reported first-quarter revenues of approximately KRW600 billion ($410 million), down 25% year-on-year and the lowest Q1 figure since before 2018. The result was largely obscured by the parent group’s exceptional performance, driven by AI-related chip demand, but the networks division remains a persistent underperformer relative to its ambitions in 5G. The company cited “telco industry investment headwinds” and talked of “structural cost discipline,” a phrase typically associated with headcount reductions.
The result partly reflects Samsung’s failure to secure a major contract with VodafoneThree, where the merged operator chose Ericsson and Nokia, citing the speed and certainty of deployment they could offer. Samsung’s Verizon relationship remains its anchor in the US, but the collapse of Dish Network removed another significant customer. With the RAN market expected to remain flat through to 2030, Samsung’s CEO has also cautioned against expecting a major uplift from 6G. The company’s long-term advantage, its financial backing from a profitable broader group, may be the main reason it stays in the game.
Nokia completed the sale of its fixed wireless access business to US specialist Inseego in exchange for equity valued at $20 million, while also taking a direct $10 million stake in the acquirer, bringing its total holding to around 11%. The deal is part of Nokia’s stated strategy of exiting non-core segments and refocusing on infrastructure for the AI era. For Inseego, the acquisition is transformative: it gains Nokia’s FastMile CPE portfolio, an international carrier customer base including Bharti Airtel in India, NBN in Australia, and Telia in the Nordics, and the prospect of doubling its revenues. India, projected to become the world’s largest 5G FWA market by 2030 with 37 million subscriptions, represents the most significant new territory. The two companies intend to collaborate on 6G and wireless edge development.
One of the most strategically significant conversations in 5G infrastructure concerns whether purpose-built silicon (ASICs) will give way to general-purpose processors in the radio access network. Orange Group CTO Laurent Leboucher articulated the dilemma clearly this week, noting that the shrinking RAN market makes expensive custom chip development harder to justify, while the economics and capability of Nvidia’s GPU platforms are increasingly worthy of serious consideration. He said Orange is preparing a major RAN refresh ahead of 2030 and plans to include cloud RAN as a “major option” in its next request for proposal for the first time.
The question is not settled. Ericsson and Huawei remain committed to custom silicon. Intel argues its Granite Rapids CPUs deliver equivalent AI-driven performance improvements at lower cost and energy consumption than GPUs, a view supported by Verizon, Vodafone, and Telus. Samsung has already declared virtual RAN built on Intel its primary direction. Nokia and Nvidia are developing a slimlined GPU form factor designed to slot into existing Nokia AirScale chassis. Orange intends to run trials across both routes before committing.
T-Mobile launched SuperBroadband, a business internet service combining 5G fixed wireless access with Starlink satellite connectivity, targeting every US postcode including areas where fibre is unavailable or uneconomic. The service is fully managed, delivered under a single contract and bill, and promises 99.99% uptime via dynamic routing between the two independent pathways. Priced from $250 per month for a three-year subscription, it is aimed at sectors where downtime carries direct revenue consequences: hospitality, retail, healthcare, and energy. Analysts noted that the model positions T-Mobile as a full-coverage broadband provider and that similar hybrid offerings from other operators should be expected.
Omdia data shows that 22% of European operators have now launched, are trialling, or have announced satellite direct-to-device (D2D) partnerships, with the market moving from concept to early commercialisation. Current commercial services are limited to messaging and basic data, and most operators are positioning D2D as a coverage and resilience add-on, bundled into premium tiers or offered as a paid supplement. Omdia’s advice is to secure partnerships and refine propositions now, before broader adoption drives commoditisation.
Separately, Telefónica España and LEO satellite operator Sateliot announced a collaboration to develop 5G NR Non-Terrestrial Network solutions, combining terrestrial mobile networks with low Earth orbit satellite capabilities for defence, security, and critical communications applications. The partnership includes joint technology pilots and interoperability validation. Regulatory uncertainty and spectrum availability remain the primary barriers to wider D2D rollout across Europe, though Omdia expects the technology to be natively embedded in 6G infrastructure.
China Mobile reported Q1 2026 operating revenue of CNY266.5 billion ($39 billion), up just 1% year-on-year, with profit attributable to shareholders falling 4.2% and EBITDA declining 5%. Competition from China Telecom and China Unicom is squeezing high-end postpaid revenues, telecom service revenue across the market declined in January and February, and a government-imposed increase in value-added tax on mobile data and broadband (from 6% to 9%) is adding further pressure. The operator serves 668 million 5G customers and continues to pivot towards computing and AI services, though internet hyperscalers hold structural advantages in both capital and customer base.
ZTE, by contrast, posted Q1 2026 revenue of CNY34.99 billion ($5.1 billion), up 6.1% year-on-year, with computing representing 27% of total revenue. AI infrastructure demand is offsetting weaker domestic carrier spending, and international markets, driven by 5G deployments and data centre buildout, remain a growth engine. The vendor is positioning itself around a combined connectivity and computing model, with new switching and interconnect technologies aimed at large-scale AI workloads.
5G RedCap, the reduced-capability standard designed to serve mid-tier IoT devices that sit between high-end 5G and low-power NB-IoT, is gaining commercial traction. As of early 2026, 34 operators in 24 countries have invested in the technology, with broader availability expected throughout the year. Early module costs of $30 to $50 are projected to fall to $15 to $25 as production scales, and the standard’s combination of up to 220 Mbps downlink, reduced antenna complexity, and extended battery life makes it well suited to industrial wearables, asset tracking, video surveillance, and environmental sensors. RedCap is positioned to replace LTE Cat-3/Cat-4 as the connectivity layer for a significant portion of industrial IoT deployments.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise released its ProLiant EL2000 rugged edge AI server platform this week, designed for deployments in harsh conditions including military, manufacturing, and telecoms environments. Supporting Intel Xeon 6 processors and available with Nvidia GPUs, the modular system targets the convergence of private 5G, edge computing, and AI inference at locations where latency, data sovereignty, or operational constraints preclude cloud-based processing. The launch reflects a broader trend: defence modernisation programmes in NATO member states, the operational demands of Industry 4.0, and the economics of AI inference are all pulling decision-making capacity towards the network edge.
TM Forum’s CTO George Glass offered a timely reframing of the autonomous networks debate, arguing that the industry needs to shift from asking how to automate networks to asking how to make services resilient to change. Drawing on the analogy of satellite navigation, he described the goal as networks that respond to shifting conditions in real time to preserve the service outcome the customer requested, without the customer needing to know how or over which technology. The piece serves as a useful corrective to discussions that become consumed by the complexity of AI orchestration, digital twins, and policy layers, at the expense of the customer experience that justifies the investment.
Analyst Roger Entner at Recon Analytics raised substantive concerns about the FCC’s handling of a spectrum swap between T-Mobile and private equity firm Grain Management, under which T-Mobile would transfer its 800MHz ESMR licences in exchange for 600MHz spectrum it already leases. Entner’s argument is that the transaction is not routine: Grain has no operational wireless history, cannot meet existing build-out obligations, and is pivoting to a satellite supplemental coverage use case that does not satisfy terrestrial licence requirements. The 800MHz band sits immediately above public safety allocations, a configuration established through a multi-billion-dollar rebanding process. The analysis raises the question of whether the FCC should treat this as a straightforward licence assignment or require a more thorough public interest review.
Samsung Networks has one of its worst quarters since 5G was born
A detailed account of Samsung Networks’ Q1 decline and the structural challenges it faces in a flat RAN market, including candid remarks from VodafoneThree on why it chose Ericsson and Nokia instead.
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/samsung-networks-has-one-of-its-worst-quarters-since-5g-was-born
Orange weighs Nvidia against Intel for 5G chips ahead of new RFP
Orange’s CTO explains why the operator is seriously considering a shift from custom silicon to general-purpose processors in its RAN, ahead of a network refresh that will include cloud RAN as a major option for the first time.
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/orange-weighs-nvidia-against-intel-for-5g-chips-ahead-of-new-rfp
D2D satellite is getting off the ground in Europe
Omdia analysis of where European operators stand on satellite direct-to-device, with a clear-eyed assessment of current limitations and a call to act now before the market commoditises.
https://www.telecoms.com/satellite/d2d-satellite-is-getting-off-the-ground-in-europe
Why the Grain Management spectrum swap with T-Mobile deserves a closer look
Roger Entner’s forensic examination of a spectrum transaction that the FCC is treating as routine but which raises significant questions about build-out obligations, public safety interference, and regulatory precedent.
https://www.lightreading.com/5g/why-the-grain-management-spectrum-swap-with-t-mobile-deserves-a-closer-look
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