• Bell Canada preps D2D satellite services launch 
• Ericsson and Nokia get squeezed in China
• Is France ready for in-market consolidation?

In today’s industry news roundup: Bell Canada is ready to launch direct-to-device satellite services in 2026 following a successful multiservice trial with AST SpaceMobile; China is clamping down on Ericsson and Nokia mobile network product imports; in-country telco M&A action is expected now that Altice France (SFR) has completed its debt restructuring process; and more!

Following a successful trial of a range of data services (4G voice-over-LTE, video call, broadband connectivity and video streaming) with low earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operator AST SpaceMobile, Bell Canada is ready to launch commercial direct-to-device (D2D) satellite-to-smartphone services in 2026, the operator has announced. “The demonstration, conducted in New Brunswick over the summer, also included successful SMS messaging and emergency alerts using Bell’s powerful and reliable low-band spectrum,” noted the operator, which is one of a number of telco investors in AST SpaceMobile. “The successful demonstrations underscore the potential to extend Bell’s network coverage to Canada’s most remote regions. When commercially available, the nationwide network will reach north of the 59th parallel, extend into coastal maritime zones and cover 5.7 million square kilometres – the widest coverage of any provider in Canada. By harnessing space-based cellular broadband technology, Bell is unlocking new possibilities for consumers, businesses and governments to connect with each other and the world, no matter where they are,” it added. Bell Canada’s CTO Mark McDonald stated: “This is a breakthrough moment for connectivity in Canada. Our strategic investment in AST SpaceMobile, coupled with our ownership and operation of the Canadian ground infrastructure and deployment of low-band spectrum, means we are uniquely positioned to deliver a highly reliable space-based cellular service that Canadians can depend on, built with their security and connectivity needs as the top priority. This technology also opens significant possibilities for enterprises, including remote operations and monitoring in sectors like natural resources, energy and the environment, providing critical data and enabling new efficiencies for Canadian businesses.” Chris Ivory, AST SpaceMobile chief commercial officer, added: “AST SpaceMobile is proud to partner with Bell in this breakthrough achievement, yet another step in demonstrating the capabilities of our space-based cellular broadband technology. The successful video streaming and voice call highlight its potential to revolutionise connectivity in Canada and beyond. We are committed to working with Bell to bring the benefits of cellular broadband to Canadians, enabling new opportunities for businesses and individuals alike."

Nokia knew it was coming… China is imposing new processes that will restrict the deployment by the country’s telcos of network equipment sourced from Ericsson and Nokia, according to the Financial Times (subscription required). It cites sources who say network infrastructure purchases are being more closely analysed and that contracts agreed with the European vendors are being subjected to secret and unspecified “black box” national security reviews by the Cyberspace Administration of China that can last for months and ultimately lead to lost business for the companies, which have seen their revenues from the China market shrink significantly in recent years. The move by the Chinese authorities, which some might regard as retaliation for the European Commission’s branding of network technology from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE as ‘high risk’ from a security perspective, is part of its broader efforts to rely more on domestic rather than imported technology. The move by China is not unexpected: In early September, Tommi Uitto, president of Nokia’s mobile networks division, told Finnish newspaper Talouselämä that Chinese authorities were threatening to ban “western suppliers” from China’s mobile network infrastructure sector because of “national security” concerns – see Nokia’s Uitto warns of China ban

Get ready for a steady stream of M&A reports from the French telecom sector in the coming months now that Altice France (also known by its brand name, SFR) has completed the financial restructuring process it agreed with its lenders earlier this year. The billionaire telecom magnate Patrick Drahi is keen to offload SFR to reduce the debt pile of his Altice empire but a divestment process could not be initiated until the restructuring process had been completed, so now the gloves are off. While it would be quicker and simpler to sell Altice France to a single buyer, the prevailing opinion is that such a transaction isn’t likely and that the most suitable M&A process will be to break up SFR and sell the telco in pieces to the country’s other three operators, a proposition that would come under intense regulatory scrutiny at a national and European level but one that is already being discussed by the parties involved, as has been previously reported. As we noted in late July, Orange CEO Christel Heydemann has already been sowing the seeds for such a plan, which would reduce the number of infrastructure-based service providers in France from four to three. SFR, which generates annual revenues of around €10bn and ended June this year with 14.8 million mobile and 5.9 million fixed broadband customers, is expected to be valued at about €23bn (including the €16bn of debt now on its books following the debt restructuring process).

Like any sector, the telecom industry loves awards, but the one snagged by Zain Kuwait and friends is a little different… The Middle East operator, along with Kuwait’s Ministry of Health (MOH), the Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), have been jointly awarded a Guinness World Records title for “the longest distance between a patient and a surgeon”. As the telco explains, the award was handed out following a “recent remote robotic surgery performed by the surgical team at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital on a patient in Brazil, across a record distance that exceeded 12,000 kilometres”. Read more. 

Proximus has completed the sale of its 92.7% stake in traffic management and traveller information services specialist Be‑Mobile to global parking and mobility applications firm Arrive at an enterprise value of €170m. Read more. 

– The staff, TelecomTV