AST SpaceMobile AT&T Network Tech North America FCC approves AST SpaceMobile licence for D2D service The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted an initial licence for AST SpaceMobile to launch five of its LEO birds in September. By Mike Robuck
AI & Cloud North America August 5, 2024 KDDI, Cisco back start-up Groq in funding round Groq, a start-up specialising in AI chips, raised $640 million in a funding round which included involvement from KDDI, Samsung Electronics and Cisco, giving it a valuation of $2.8 billion. By Hana Anandira
5G+ Greater China Operators August 5, 2024 China Broadnet on track to hit 50M 5G target Chinese operator China Broadnet reached half its target of signing up 50 million 5G subscribers in three years, racking up 25.2 million subs at end-June, data from the National Radio and Television Administration showed. By Joseph Waring
Greater China Operators August 5, 2024 HKT secures green light to shut 2G service Hong Kong-based HKT received regulatory approval to shut down its 2G network on 8 November, citing decreasing demand and plans to redeploy the spectrum to support 5G and other advanced mobile services. By Joseph Waring
Latin America August 2, 2024 Billionaire Niel ups Millicom offer to $4.4B Xavier Niel’s Atlas Investissement increased its offer to buy Latin America-focused operator Millicom to $4.4 billion, after its initial proposal was deemed too low by the latter's board. By Hana Anandira
Big Tech Intel August 2, 2024 Intel to cut 15,000 jobs in cost saving drive Intel outlined plans to reduce its headcount by more than 15 per cent with the majority of cuts expected by the end of the year, a move which forms part of a multi-billion dollar cost saving plan designed to aid efforts to refocus the business. By Chris Donkin
Apple Devices August 2, 2024 Apple sales rise despite iPhone, China weakness Apple returned to top-line growth in its fiscal Q3, shrugging off a slight drop in iPhone sales and declining revenue in China with the increase driven by a double-digit improvement in services and iPad gains. By Joseph Waring
Greater China North America Regulation Content Hub August 2, 2024 US mulls AI memory chip curbs on China The US government is preparing to curb the export of high-bandwidth memory chips from the largest suppliers in the US and South Korea to Chinese companies, Bloomberg reported. By Joseph Waring
The Friday File: Qualcomm pushes budget 5G chip, Telefonica mulls Colombia exit By Hana Anandira August 2, 2024