• Really Wireless unveils ‘clone’ service
• IDC confirms smartphone slump
• VodafoneThree claims UK slicing first

In today’s industry news roundup: US MVNO Really Wireless is offering its customers the chance to have a network-based clone make and take their calls; research firm confirms the worst fears of the smartphone vendor sector; VodafoneThree is claiming to be first to the UK market with a network slicing service; and much more!

US mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Really Wireless is claiming to be the world’s first AI-native mobile service provider with the launch of Really Clone, a “carrier-native AI agent trained on each subscriber’s preferences, voice and communication style” that, according to the company, “allows subscribers to clone their voices and have their phone make and answer calls and take autonomous action on their behalf.” Really, which offers its service over T-Mobile US’s infrastructure, says its Clone service, which will be available in beta form in the next few weeks, can place and receive calls using the subscriber’s real phone number because “it operates at the carrier layer rather than as a third-party application”. Really currently has only a few thousand customers, all of which will receive priority access to the service at no extra cost during the beta period: The MVNO has set itself a target of having 1 million customers by 2027 and there’s a good chance this innovative (some might say sci-fi-like!) service will help to get it some way towards that goal.  

IDC has confirmed what other industry research firms reported earlier this week – the first quarter of 2026 was a very tough one for the smartphone vendor sector. According to IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, global smartphone shipments decreased by 4.1% year on year to 289.7 million units in the first three months of this year, breaking the 10 consecutive quarters growth streak that the market had experienced since mid-2023. And there’s worse to come, as IDC expects that “first quarter slowdown to be a mild precursor for what lies ahead in 2026 as the supply constraints around memory and price increases further dampen the market growth,” the research firm noted. “The smartphone market has entered one of its most challenging periods, driven by acute memory supply constraints that are directly impacting both shipments and demand,” stated Nabila Popal, senior research director for Worldwide Consumer Devices at IDC.

UK operator VodafoneThree has launched 5G network slicing through its enterprise division, Vodafone Business. The operator claims its 5G+ Local Slicing is the first network slicing service to be made available to UK enterprises, offering dedicated, high-performance network lanes, within a defined local area up to 5 square kilometres, with the product already successfully trialled at both the 2024 Glastonbury music festival and the coronation of King Charles III in 2023. Vodafone Business has also launched a contractually agreed network performance product called Network Boost, which prioritises business data traffic in congested areas to keep operations running, even when VodafoneThree’s network is under pressure.

US long-distance network operator Lumen Technologies, which is pinning its future on playing a major role in datacentre-to-datacentre connectivity, has become the first carrier to collaborate with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the hyperscaler’s ‘AWS Interconnect – last mile’ service. The operator stated in this announcement that it is helping to “simplify private connectivity between enterprise locations and AWS” by integrating its last-mile and metro network infrastructure-based Lumen Cloud Interconnect offering with the AWS architecture. Jim Fowler, chief technology and product officer at Lumen Technologies, stated: “Cloud and network infrastructure can no longer operate separately; modern applications demand they work as one. Cloud providers are increasingly integrating connectivity as a cloud service, and Lumen’s network enables that seamless experience. Together with AWS, we’re simplifying how enterprises connect to the cloud, helping them reduce complexity, move faster and support today’s demanding applications.”

Thüga AG, which is associated with and provides consulting services to scores of energy and water utility firms in Germany, has teamed up with Deutsche Telekom to develop sovereign data processing services that are tailored to meet these needs of public energy and water providers. DT will offer AI applications designed specifically for enterprises that are processing sensitive data and which “aim to support public utilities by automating repetitive standard tasks”. DT notes that the “data processing takes place exclusively within the European legal framework, including Deutsche Telekom’s sovereign German T Cloud Public. The solutions are compliant with data protection laws, audit-proof, and ensure that data remains within the company.” Ferri Abolhassan, CEO at DT’s enterprise division T-Systems, stated: “Public utilities are a vital part of our country’s critical infrastructure. Protecting their sensitive data is our top priority. Our Enterprise GPT solutions guarantee digital sovereignty – with maximum security, transparency, and data processing exclusively within Europe. This aligns with all our solutions, from T Cloud to our AI Factory.”

Helios Towers has completed its rollout of 133 telecom sites to expand connectivity in Tanzania as part of a project backed by the local government’s Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF). Helios first launched in the African country in 2011 and has now invested more than $500m to build 4,200 sites across Tanzania, around 45% of which are based in rural areas. It works with local operators including Tigo, Vodacom, Airtel, Yas and Halotel. Overall, around 46 million Tanzanians are covered by Helios sites. USCAF is a public/private partnership established in 2007 as part of the Tanzanian government’s efforts to get more citizens connected in underserved rural regions.

– The staff, TelecomTV