During the period from October 7th to 13th, 2025, the following international news occurred:
1. As promised – Airbus deploys private 5G in France and Germany, set to scale globally
Airbus is partnering with Ericsson to deploy private 5G networks at its factories in Hamburg, Germany, and Toulouse, France. The network will support digital production processes such as augmented reality, asset tracking, and predictive maintenance. Airbus plans to replace Wi-Fi with 5G across all industrial areas within the next three years, with subsequent rollouts planned in the UK, Spain, the US, and other countries.
2. Virgin Media O2 activates first UK 5G ‘giga site’ in London
Virgin Media O2 has activated the UK's first 5G 'giga site' in Paddington, London. The site combines newly acquired spectrum from Vodafone with Nokia's dual-band Massive MIMO technology, delivering total throughput exceeding 10 Gbps, capable of supporting 2,000 simultaneous HD video streams. The operator plans to deploy a thousand such sites over the next year as part of its £700 million network upgrade program and now holds 30% of the UK's spectrum market.
3. Deutsche Telekom further expands 5G infra in August
Deutsche Telekom further expanded its 5G infrastructure in August, adding 132 new mobile base stations and upgrading 533 existing sites (of which 128 were activated with 5G for the first time). New sites were primarily concentrated in regions like North Rhine-Westphalia. Its 5G network now covers approximately 99% of households, with LTE coverage near 100%. Utilizing a combination of low, mid-band, and 3.6 GHz spectrum deployments, it is building an ultra-high-capacity network, with 90% of sites targeted to achieve 1 Gbps download speeds.
4. BSNL to upgrade all 4G sites to 5G within eight months
Indian state-owned telecom operator BSNL plans to upgrade all its domestic 4G base stations to 5G within six to eight months. The upgrade will rely entirely on an indigenous telecom technology stack developed jointly by C-DOT, Tejas Networks, and TCS, enabling rapid nationwide 5G coverage and reducing dependence on foreign vendors. BSNL currently operates 98,000 4G base stations, with the government injecting additional capital in August 2025 for support. BSNL also plans to launch 5G services in Delhi and Mumbai in December 2025.
5. Huawei says 5G-A and AI will reshape operator value and network innovation
A Vice President of Huawei's Wireless Product Line stated that the deep integration of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and AI is reshaping operator value. Globally, 50 5G-A networks are expected to be deployed within the year, with operators enhancing ARPU through tiered service plans. Huawei proposed the AgenticRAN architecture, introducing AI in layers to achieve breakthroughs in spectrum and energy efficiency, driving the industry's transition from selling connectivity to sharing capability value.
6. Vietnam unlocks ‘golden’ spectrum for 6G, Wi-Fi 7
The Vietnamese government has approved a new national radio frequency plan, releasing key spectrum resources for 6G and Wi-Fi 7. The 3.4–3.56 GHz and 6.425–7.125 GHz bands are allocated for mobile communications, the 5.925–6.425 GHz band is designated for Wi-Fi 6E/7, and the Ka-band is opened to support satellite internet development, fully aligning with international standards.
7. AT&T launches nationwide 5G SA, pushing toward cloud-native future
AT&T has deployed its 5G Standalone (SA) network nationwide across the United States. This network, based on an independent 5G core, offers lower latency and supports network slicing and edge computing. Concurrently, the company has also achieved nationwide coverage for its lightweight 5G service and plans to rapidly deploy new spectrum via software upgrades, continuing its push towards a cloud-native network transformation.
8. Malaysian telco claims first 5G-Advanced deployment
Yes, the brand under Malaysian operator YTL Communications, has launched the country's first 5G-Advanced (5G-A) service in the Klang Valley, making Malaysia the ninth country globally to deploy this technology. The service leverages the national 5G wholesale network operated by state-owned Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), utilizing Ericsson's 5G-A system and 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum. A nationwide rollout is planned for December this year, supporting Malaysia's digital development.