• Telus turns to AST SpaceMobile for D2D
• European 6G projects get €116m in funding
• India’s Jio Platforms is set for international expansion

In today’s industry news roundup: Canadian operator will offer direct-to-device services starting later this year in partnership with satellite operator AST SpaceMobile; 20 European 6G projects receive funding from smart networks body; Jio Platforms appoints an international expansion leader; and much more!

Canadian operator Telus is the latest telco to sign a commercial agreement with low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite operator AST SpaceMobile for the enablement of direct-to-device (D2D) services that will “bring space-based cellular broadband service to places it’s never reached before across Canada”. As part of the deal, Telus will “invest in ground-based satellite infrastructure and become an equity shareholder in AST SpaceMobile”. Planned for launch in late 2026, the services will enable Telus customers to “send texts, make calls and use data in Canada’s most remote locations… using the smartphone they already own with no special equipment required,” noted AST SpaceMobile in this announcement. Nazim Benhadid, chief technology officer at Telus Networks, stated: “By combining Telus’ award-winning wireless network and AST SpaceMobile’s innovative satellite technology, we’re eliminating connectivity gaps across Canada and ensuring our customers in even the most remote corners of the country can stay connected to what matters most, when it matters the most. This is a significant milestone in our commitment to keep all Canadians connected, no matter where they live, work or explore.”

The European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, or SNS JU, has used its presence at this year’s MWC to announce €116m in funding for 20 6G R&D projects. The public-private partnership noted that about 80% of its projects embed AI and machine learning as core components, which it says reflects AI’s “central role in intelligent, autonomous 6G network management”. The investment is part of a broader €630m in EU funding from the Horizon Europe programme and brings the SNS JU project portfolio to 100 projects. The SNS JU plans to invest a further €270m in 2026 and 2027 to “ensure European leadership in the race to 6G”. And to tie into another major MWC26 theme, one of the projects receiving funding is called SOVEREIGN-6G, a group that aims to establish Europe’s first unified 6G telco cloud. 

Jio Platforms, the telecom and digital tech division of giant Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) that includes the country’s mobile market leader Reliance Jio, has long been developing all manner of IT and networking technology for its own operations but has not made a major push to take those products to the international market. Now, though, with a major IPO of Jio Platforms looming, it seems plans for international expansion are being put in place, as Dan Bailey has been appointed as its president with responsibility for international business initiatives. Bailey has more than 35 years of experience across consulting and investment banking and most recently served as chairman of Deutsche Bank’s telecom, media and technology practice.

Pan-African operator MTN has reached a memorandum of understanding with the UN high commissioner for refugees to provide connectivity to support displaced communities across Africa. The MoU will see MTN work with the UN refugee agency to advance meaningful connectivity and digital inclusion solutions for the 20 million-plus refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), asylum seekers and host communities across MTN’s markets. The partnership will also look at ways to lean on MTN’s broader ecosystem to raise funding and build further partnerships. Implementation is expected to begin in Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan and then scale up across MTN’s other markets.

BICS has announced a partnership with Syniverse to integrate their 5G signalling hub solutions to expand 5G standalone (5G SA) roaming. The agreement means that mobile operator partners of Syniverse and BICS – the international arm of Proximus Global – can connect to their signalling hubs to more easily establish 5G SA roaming relationships with operators on the other. “By peering with BICS, we’re making it easier for operators to focus on delivering reliable experiences to people who expect their devices to work wherever they travel,” stated Syniverse’s chief product officer, John Wick.

– The staff, TelecomTV