During the period from October 28th to November 3rd, 2025, the following international news occurred:
1. Saudi Railway Company, Ericsson ink 5G pact
The Saudi Railway Company (SAR) and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for 5G collaboration to modernize railway operations and improve passenger connectivity. Ericsson will deploy equipment to enhance communications, train control, and safety. The parties plan to pilot applications like real-time video streaming and IoT connectivity on one line, and will also establish an innovation center and conduct training. This project supports Saudi Arabia's National Transport and Logistics Strategy under Vision 2030.
2. Lumen extends internet-on-demand reach
US technology company Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) has expanded its Internet On-Demand service, adding coverage for over 10 million US business locations (including offices and data centers). By partnering with other providers to overcome its own network limitations, the service leverages a Network-as-a-Service platform to deliver cloud-like, high-performance connectivity. It supports adjustable bandwidth, routing, and pay-as-you-use models, suiting various industries. Future plans include multi-service network equipment with AI monitoring.
3. China 5G users continue to soar
The total number of 5G users for China's three major operators reached 1.14 billion in Q3 2025. China Mobile had 622 million, adding 70 million year-to-date; China Telecom had 292 million, adding 26.3 million year-to-date; China Unicom had 225 million, adding 21.5 million year-to-date. All three companies reported stable net profit growth of approximately 5%, with 5G penetration rates continuing to rise.
4. Telefónica expands 5G coverage to 94% of Spain’s population
Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica announced its 5G network now covers 5,700 towns across the country, reaching over 94% of the population, making it the largest 5G deployment in Spain. It employs a dual-band strategy using 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz: the former covers 5,000 towns to enhance rural and indoor signals, while the latter deploys high-performance nodes in nearly 3,000 towns, delivering speeds over 2 Gbps. The network uses 5G Standalone technology, supporting enterprise applications like network slicing and edge computing.
5. E.ON plugs in with Nokia for network upgrade
Energy company E.ON has signed a five-year agreement with Nokia to upgrade its critical communications infrastructure. The initial project in Germany will set a benchmark for other European business units. Nokia is providing a next-generation network solution including IP routing and optical transport, which can reduce energy consumption by 50% while enhancing security and resilience. It also lays the groundwork for future technologies like quantum-safe networks, helping E.ON achieve efficient services and green development.
6. ZTE reports revenue of $14.5 billion in Jan-Sep
ZTE Corporation reported revenue of RMB 100.5 billion for the first three quarters of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 11.6%. Its computing business revenue surged 180% year-on-year, accounting for 25% of total revenue, with server and storage business growing 250%. Enterprise business revenue grew 130%. R&D investment reached RMB 17.8 billion, accounting for 18% of revenue, as the company continues to expand AI and ICT integration innovation.
7. IoT devices tipped for continued gains
According to IoT Analytics forecasts, the number of global IoT devices will grow 14% year-on-year in 2025 to 21.1 billion. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular technologies account for 32%, 24%, and 22% respectively. Cat-1/bis is meeting the demand from 2G/3G network sunsets, 5G dominates revenue, and RedCap is gradually replacing LTE Cat-4. Data growth will continue to empower the development of AI systems.
8. India adds 6,400 new 5G sites in September
According to data from India's Department of Telecommunications, the country added over 6,400 5G base stations in September 2025, bringing the total to 504,588 by the end of the month. Since March, India has consistently added over 4,000 5G base stations monthly, showing steady deployment momentum. Operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have covered major cities, while state-owned BSNL plans to upgrade its indigenous 4G towers to 5G within eight months and launch services in Delhi and Mumbai by year-end.
9. OneLayer explains £28m global plan to secure private 5G in Industry 4.0
Cybersecurity startup OneLayer secured $28 million in Series A funding to expand into European and Latin American markets. The company focuses on private 5G network security for industrial settings, addressing visibility and secure integration challenges through device identity and policy enforcement. It has partnered with vendors like Ericsson and Nokia and serves over 20 clients in utilities, manufacturing, and other sectors.
10. Siemens Energy taps T-Mobile US for network slicing
US-based T-Mobile is providing network slicing services to Siemens Energy via its SuperMobile platform based on its 5G-Advanced network. The service covers 3,000 US employees (including 1,000 field technicians), supporting real-time collaboration and data transmission across 25 facilities and other scenarios, ensuring communication even during network congestion or in remote environments. It enables field technicians to perform real-time video diagnostics, data synchronization, and satellite connectivity. The service includes built-in security features, ensuring reliable communication during critical energy equipment maintenance, and is being rapidly adopted across multiple industries.
11. SK Telecom ends Q2 with 17.3 million 5G subscribers
SK Telecom's 5G subscribers reached 17.3 million in Q3, accounting for 79% of its total mobile subscribers. Due to a data breach incident resulting in compensation payouts of 5 trillion won, operating profit fell 90.9% year-on-year, leading to a net loss of 167 billion won. The company expects the impact of compensation payments to ease in Q4 and has established an independent AI division to accelerate transformation.
12. stc, AST ink multi-year satellite broadband deal
Saudi Telecom Group (stc) and AST SpaceMobile have signed a ten-year agreement to provide direct-to-device (D2D) satellite broadband services in Saudi Arabia and key markets across the Middle East and Africa. stc made a $175 million prepayment and committed to long-term revenue sharing. AST will build three ground stations in Saudi Arabia and an operations center in Riyadh. By integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, they aim to extend 4G/5G coverage to remote areas, targeting commercial launch in Q4 2026 (subject to approvals from bodies like the Saudi Communications, Space and Technology Commission), potentially benefiting tens of millions of users.
13. Alemania podría financiar la retirada de equipamiento de Huawei
Germany might cover the costs for operators to remove Huawei equipment from their networks to accelerate the process, but this could spark controversy over the use of public funds. According to Bloomberg, the total removal cost exceeds €2 billion, and operators are resistant. The German government views the equipment as a national security risk. Germany's three major operators plan to start removing Huawei and ZTE equipment from their 5G networks from the end of 2026. Funding could come from defense or infrastructure budgets, but the government currently denies such plans exist.
14. Sateliot, Datakorum push NTN 5G IoT in UAE
Spanish satellite company Sateliot and IoT company Datakorum are collaborating to advance Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) 5G IoT in the UAE, providing coverage for infrastructure like oil and gas and water pipelines. They are leveraging Sateliot's 5G NB-IoT satellite constellation to connect devices for smart metering, initiating a proof-of-concept to validate seamless switching between terrestrial and satellite networks, ensuring stable data transmission in remote areas. This will upgrade Datakorum's 'Connectivity as a Service' offerings, filling coverage gaps and supporting the UAE's target of reaching a $1.7 billion 5G IoT market size by 2030.