What’s up with… Verizon, SoftBank, Globe

• Verizon takes its next 6G step
• SoftBank Corp. shares HAPS trial takeaways
• Globe Telecom’s AI chief retires at 44!

In today’s industry news roundup: Verizon teams up with Ericsson for its latest pre-6G tests, which include outdoor-to-indoor connectivity; Japan’s SoftBank reveals more about its recent HAPS-enabled services trial; Globe’s AI chief is taking early retirement to a new extreme; and much more!

Hot on the heels of its recent integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) trials with Samsung and Qualcomm, Verizon has taken the next important step in its pre-6G testing programme by “successfully completing the first pre-standard 6G field call in the 7GHz [spectrum band]” using Ericsson 6G proof-of-concept technology deployed at one of the telco’s commercial network sites in Concord, California. The test marks an important step for Verizon as it was conducted in “a real-world environment” rather than a lab setting, enabling the telco to assess performance “both outdoors and as signals move from outside in through buildings”, noted the partners in this announcement. Verizon is conducting multiple tests and trials with partners that have signed up to its 6G Innovation Forum (6GIF) initiative, which was launched in September 2025 and expanded recently. “The important thing, and the purpose of the 6GIF, is to build the 6G standard from the bottom up, from use cases, as opposed to what we’ve been doing all this time, which is to think about technology, implement it and then ask if anyone is interested,” Verizon’s CTO and senior VP of technology development, Yago Tenorio, told TelecomTV recently. Discussing the test conducted with Ericsson, which is a founding member of the 6GIF, Tenorio noted that the Swedish vendor “plays a vital role in our shared mission to build an open, diversified ecosystem and move 6G from theoretical research into practical, real-world reality. This outdoor 6G milestone demonstrates how close industry collaboration helps us generate the key technical insights needed to shape global standards and understand how future 6G networks could be designed, deployed and experienced.”

SoftBank Corp. has released some more details following the first Japanese trial of its high-altitude platform station (HAPS) service, which took place last month. The Japanese telco trialled communications services delivered from a HAPS aircraft built by US aerospace specialist Sceye, paving the way for the launch of an initial commercial service in 2027. Now the telco has shared further details of that trial with the media: The Sceye HAPS vessel launched from Roswell, New Mexico, on 9 August and, once it reached the stratosphere, headed for Japan, taking 13 days to cross the Pacific Ocean. The tests took place near Kochi Prefecture at an altitude of 17km, with the aircraft connecting to SoftBank’s core network, demonstrating stable operation of voice calls, including emergency calls and text messaging using smartphones, as well as high-capacity data communications, such as video streaming and video calls. It also conducted edge computing tests, claiming that the connection achieved an average round-trip of just 68 milliseconds and managed drone flights from the HAPS platform. Once SoftBank Corp. launches its commercial HAPS offering, it expects the service to be used for the low-latency operation of robots and autonomous vehicles, real-time video analytics over wide areas and even for the AI-enabled optimisation of mobile networks. The Japanese operator ultimately sees HAPS playing a key role in the provision of uninterrupted services in a three-dimensional network infrastructure model that combines connectivity from terrestrial networks, HAPS platforms and satellites.     

Globe Telecom’s AI chief Anton Reynaldo M. Bonifacio is set to leave the company in January after 12 years at the Filipino telecom operator. Announcing his departure in a LinkedIn post, Bonifacio, who recently took responsibility not just for AI but also data, cybersecurity, privacy and digital policy, said he plans to step away from corporate life to “begin early retirement at age 44”. As long ago as May 2024, Globe made Bonifacio its first chief AI officer, and then appointed him as chief intelligence and trust officer (CITO) with responsibility for AI, data, cybersecurity and digital policy back in July 2026. Bonifacio wrote: “After 12 years at Globe Telecom and nearly a quarter-century in technology, I have decided to step down as executive vice president and chief intelligence and trust officer (CITO) to begin early retirement at age 44… Having spent over a decade building teams from scratch, moving first, exploring uncharted territories and daring to be different, I have nothing but gratitude for everyone that made our frontier efforts a success.” [Editor’s note: We have heard of early retirement but… 44? It’s enough to make us weep…] He will depart in January, with Garrett Silao set to take on his responsibilities from then, reporting directly to Globe president and CEO Carl Raymond R. Cruz. “Mr. Bonifacio represented Globe in important conversations with technology and telecommunications leaders, both here and in the global space… Globe has been established not only as an adopter of emerging technology but also a credible voice in shaping how technology can be deployed responsibly and at scale,” noted Globe. His departure comes on the back of notable success. Just last month, Globe was touting the success of its AI investments, revealing it had seen a 2.8x return on them to date. 

It’s been a busy week for Nvidia, which will no doubt be making a lot of Europe-related noise in the coming days as it hosts its GTC Berlin 2026 event (20-22 October). The AI tech giant has brokered expanded partnerships with two auto giants, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, to “advance the next generation of automated driving systems” and “unlock new levels of safety in automated driving technology”, respectively: You can find out more in this announcement with Mercedes-Benz and this press release with Volvo. In the UK, Nvidia is donating $50m worth of high-performance compute access per year, for the next five years, to “strengthen the United Kingdom’s agentic safety and security research capability”. Nvidia’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, stated in this announcement: “AI capability and safety must advance together. The UK brings world-class scientific rigour to this essential engineering challenge. With this $250m commitment, Nvidia will put accelerated computing in the hands of UK researchers to develop, test and strengthen safeguards for increasingly powerful AI. This is how the UK turns research leadership into real-world solutions – and scientific progress into a future that benefits everyone.” And in the world of high-speed, high-capacity networking, Nvidia and Cisco announced plans to develop an ultra-dense small-form factor pluggable (USFP), a “new high-density 400Gbit/s-per-lane optical module designed to equip the hardware ecosystem for the next generation of AI factories using pluggable transceivers”. The USFP tech is “designed to enable AI factory builders to scale from 200 Gbit/s per lane to 400Gbit/s-per-lane Ethernet AI fabrics, while extending a deployment model proven at scale across multiple generations of datacentre networks. With USFP, customers can embrace next-generation optical technology and meet the performance demand of AI workloads without overhauling their datacentre infrastructure.”

South Korean telco KT Corp. has launched a new datacentre interconnect (DCI) service called the ‘AI dedicated line’ that offers speeds of up to 800 Gbit/s to “meet the increasing demand for large-capacity data transmission driven by the expansion of AI datacentres (AIDCs)”, the operator announced (in Korean). The service expands the bandwidth of dedicated lines from the existing maximum of 100 Gbit/s to up to 400 Gbit/s and 800 Gbit/s through the deployment of an “optical-centric network structure based on APN (all photonic network),” an optical networking concept being developed by the IOWN Global Forum. Jeon Myung-jun, head of the Enterprise Service Division at KT’s Enterprise Group, stated: “As AI datacentres and GPU infrastructure expand, the importance of ultra-high-speed and ultra-low-latency networks will grow even more. Through the AI ​​dedicated line, KT will support customers in rapidly and flexibly building and expanding large-scale AX infrastructure.” 

Ooredoo Qatar has launched 5G+ services built on its 5G standalone deployments, claiming to be the first operator in the Gulf state to offer this to customers. The 5G-Advanced network will support “increasingly demanding digital applications”, the operator said, by offering faster speeds, greater network capacity and lower latency. The telco’s press release also mentioned network-slicing capabilities for businesses, although Ooredoo did not disclose any further details about if or when these will be launched. The operator also promised to offer expanded internet of things (IoT) capabilities that will support industrial sensors, asset trackers and utility meters, as well as enabling advanced functions, such as automation. The 5G+ network has already gone live in multiple locations across Qatar, though Ooredoo did not share specifics, and is initially being made available through mobile broadband in those areas. Sheikh Ali bin Jabor bin Mohammad Al Thani, CEO of Ooredoo Qatar, said: “The launch of the 5G+ network reflects Ooredoo Qatar’s continued investment in Qatar’s digital future, which depends on infrastructure that is ready for what comes next. With the 5G+ network, we are enhancing everyday digital experiences for our consumers, enabling innovation, and strengthening the competitiveness of businesses across the country.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled a new plan to help improve connectivity in the UK capital, including a 10-point plan for London’s boroughs. The steps come off the back of a new report, published by the Mayor’s office in partnership with Ookla, that offers “insights” such as the fact that slow network times can contribute to delays and lag when using video calls and maps, and mobile performance varies depending on network and location. Perhaps more insightful is the geographical information it shares – areas of inner north and east London experience weaker connectivity than central, southern and western boroughs, such as Kensington, Lambeth and Hammersmith. In the report, the Mayor introduces what he calls the Capital Connectivity Standard, which is a benchmark designed to assess whether connectivity in London meets the requirements of a global city. The Mayor has also launched an Interactive Connectivity Map, developed by City Hall’s Intelligent Unit, which allows users to check connectivity by location. It should be noted that regulator Ofcom already offers this service for the entire UK. Finally, Khan has announced the London Mobile Connectivity Framework, which outlines 10 practical actions that boroughs can take to support efforts to improve connectivity, including appointing a dedicated mobile connectivity officer; identifying council-owned buildings that could host mobile masts and antenna; and ensuring planning considers connectivity from the outset. While there is no question that connectivity needs to improve in London – the city has fallen to 70th place out of 149 major world cities in recent mobile performance rankings by Ookla – it is questionable how much impact Khan’s actions will actually have on mobile connectivity.

Qualcomm has agreed a renewed global patent licence deal with Chinese smartphone developer Transsion Holdings, covering 4G and 5G mobile devices: The new agreement with Transsion, which markets its devices using the Tecno, Infinix and iTel brands, lasts until the end of 2031. “We are pleased to have reached this early renewal of Transsion’s 4G and 5G licences and to combine the existing 4G and 5G agreements into a single long-term agreement,” stated John Han, general manager of Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL).  

– The staff, TelecomTV