During the period from August 4th to 10th, 2025, the following international news occurred:
1. T-Mobile US/UScellular deal closes, reshaping wireless landscape
T-Mobile has completed its $4.4 billion acquisition of UScellular’s wireless business, gaining its customers, retail stores, and 30% of its spectrum. UScellular rebranded as Array Digital Infrastructure, retaining 4,400 towers and 70% of its spectrum to transition into an infrastructure operator. While the U.S. Department of Justice expressed concerns over market consolidation, it acknowledged the deal could enhance T-Mobile’s competitiveness and reshape the U.S. wireless market.
2. Rogers expands WiFi 7 to Quebec
Canadian operator Rogers has expanded its Wi-Fi 7 service to Quebec, offering 5G home users a new router capable of supporting over 200 connected devices. The service, previously launched in Calgary, features the world’s fastest Xfinity Pro 4G router (4 Gbps downlink/1 Gbps uplink). Rogers plans nationwide Wi-Fi 7 rollout this year to meet surging demand, with household connected devices exceeding 20 and data usage growing 200% over five years.
3. Globe Telecom nears completion of tower sales
Philippines' largest mobile operator Globe Telecom is about to complete its tower sale-and-leaseback program. Since 2022, it has sold 6,945 towers, raising 89.3 billion Philippine pesos (about $1.5 billion). The latest transaction includes the sale of 96 base stations to MIDC and PhilTower for 1.2 billion pesos. The company stated that this move has optimized its capital structure, supported the expansion of 5G networks, and facilitated future investment in digital infrastructure. Currently, its 5G covers 98.7% of major cities in Manila and 97.97% in Visayas/Mindanao.
4. Wireless Logic strikes again – UK firm buys US IoT MVNO Zipit Wireless
UK IoT service provider Wireless Logic has acquired U.S. MVNO Zipit Wireless and its Canadian subsidiary Mtrex Networks. This is its first acquisition of a U.S. company and the 12th acquisition by Wireless Logic in recent years. Zipit focuses on IoT communications in fields such as agriculture and security, has cooperation with multiple operators, with annual subscription revenue exceeding $45 million, and its billing platform has considerable advantages. The deal will expand Wireless Logic's North American IoT footprint and strengthens its global presence.
5. LG Uplus offers AI phone service to 5G premium users
South Korean operator LG U+ has included the "AI Phone" service in its 5G premium packages. Launched in 2024, this service can intelligently answer repeated inquiries about business hours, location, etc., through a virtual assistant 24 hours a day, while managing store information and providing data analysis. Users who sign up before January 31, 2026 can enjoy a monthly fee waiver of 7,700 won ($6) and receive a VoIP device and 50 minutes of call time. The operator has recently also tested 5G RedCap technology in conjunction with Qualcomm and Ericsson to promote IoT applications among small and medium-sized enterprises.
6. Omdia Insight: 5G is Reshaping the Global IoT Landscape
Omdia's report points out that 5G IoT is becoming a focus of innovation. The decommissioning of 2G/3G networks has released spectrum resources, coupled with the decline in 5G module costs, promoting large-scale deployment in scenarios such as smart cities and industrial automation. Automotive IoT is a typical application, and the low-latency feature of 5G supports the development of autonomous driving. However, it is still in the initial stage and faces challenges such as globalization, which requires addressing cross-border roaming and regulatory fragmentation.
7. SpaceX uses satellites to close gaps in mobile and IoT coverage
With Starlink, SpaceX not only provides internet to families in remote areas but also tests direct connection of mobile phones and sensors to satellites. Its "Direct to Cell" technology can solve the problem of insufficient signal coverage of conventional base stations. For example, in New Zealand, One NZ uses Starlink to track beehives in areas without signals and monitor temperature and humidity data of beehives. SpaceX plans to launch global voice, data and IoT services by 2025, and satellite SMS testing in cooperation with T-Mobile has started. This technology will change the way real-time data is transmitted in industries such as shipping and disaster relief in remote areas, and is expected to reshape the industry landscape in the future.
8. China Tower ends H1 with 2.12 million telecom towers
China Tower's first-half 2025 financial report shows that the total number of towers it manages reached 2.12 million, a year-on-year increase of 2.4%; the total number of tenants rose to 3.84 million, with the average number of tenants per tower increasing from 1.80 to 1.81. The company's net profit in the first half of the year increased by 8% year-on-year to 5.75 billion yuan, and revenue increased by 2.8% to 49.6 billion yuan. Among them, businesses such as "smart towers" have grown significantly. The company is also increasing investment in R&D and AI, promoting photovoltaic transformation of base stations, and expanding new fields such as clean energy. Currently, 70% of Beidou ground stations are deployed at tower sites.
9. Jio Platforms launches 10 live 5G network slices
Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of India's Reliance Industries, announced the nationwide launch of 10 5G network slices using its self-developed 5G SA standalone core network, covering scenarios such as enterprises, IoT, gaming, and fixed wireless service JioAirFiber, which can isolate traffic to ensure performance. Jio AirFiber has 7.4 million users, becoming the world's largest FWA service provider, with over 200 million 5G users. The parent company plans to spin off Jio Platforms for listing to raise over $6 billion.
10. SK Telecom ends Q2 with 17 million 5G subscribers
South Korea's largest telecom operator SK Telecom had 17 million 5G subscribers in the second quarter, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, accounting for 77% of the total mobile phone users. Despite losing 220,000 users due to a cybersecurity incident, the company's AI business still grew by 13.9%. Its Ulsan AI data center in cooperation with AWS will be put into operation in 2027, with a total capacity exceeding 300MW. SKT has recently also launched an autonomous AI cloud platform based on 1,000 NVIDIA B200 GPUs to support the national AI basic model plan.
11. China Mobile’s revenues slightly down y-o-y in H1
China Mobile's revenue in the first half of 2025 was 543.8 billion yuan, a slight year-on-year decrease of 0.53%, and net profit was 84.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5%. 5G users increased by 46.01 million net, reaching a total of 599 million, and the total number of mobile users exceeded 1 billion. The company is accelerating the promotion of the "AI+" strategy, upgrading the Jiutian large model matrix, covering more than 50 industry large models, and building a MoMA multi-agent framework to help digital and intelligent transformation.
12. O2, Freshwave expand small cell network footprint in the UK
UK operator Virgin Media O2 has collaborated with infrastructure provider Freshwave to deploy 13 small cell base stations in St Ives and Newquay in Cornwall, 8 of which have been put into use, aiming to improve network coverage in high-traffic areas during the summer tourist season. O2 has deployed over 2,000 small cell base stations across the UK as part of its £700 million mobile transformation plan. The company has recently also spent £343 million to acquire 78.8MHz of spectrum from Vodafone to enhance network competitiveness.
13. T-Mobile to connect acoustic IoT leak detectors for US water utilities
U.S. company FCS has partnered with T-Mobile to provide IoT connectivity for its acoustic water leak detectors. These sensors can achieve remote real-time monitoring through cellular networks. This solution can replace traditional manual inspections, cover remote areas such as mountainous regions, and help water utilities detect leaks in old pipelines in a timely manner. The United States loses 3.33 trillion gallons of water each year due to aging pipelines. This technology can significantly reduce labor costs and water waste, contributing to efficiently solving water leakage problems. T-Mobile plans to launch 5G RedCap services to support medium-speed IoT applications.