• New act set to bar Huawei, ZTE from EU networks
• Qualcomm to create AI hub in Ireland
• Irancell CEO sacked after defying clampdown

In today’s industry news roundup: A revision to the European Union Cybersecurity Act could spell bad news for Huawei and ZTE; Qualcomm to invest in AI-enabled product development at its facility in Cork; head of Iranian operator that defied a clampdown on internet access during public protests has been dismissed; and more!

A revision to the European Union’s Cybersecurity Act, which is set to be presented to lawmakers in Brussels on 20 January, is set to make it compulsory for network operators in the European Union’s 27 member states to stop using technology supplied by “high-risk” Chinese companies, such as Huawei and ZTE, according to the Financial Times (subscription required), which cited unnamed officials with knowledge of the plans. Telcos in EU member countries are currently asked to comply with recommended measures outlined in the EU toolbox for 5G security that was first introduced in 2020, but the measures have been voluntary and have not been uniformly implemented. Now, the revision is set to make such measures mandatory, though the timelines for phasing out network technology would depend on the cost and timescales associated with sourcing and deploying alternatives, according to the FT report. Suppliers to the solar energy and security scanning sector would also be affected if any such revisions were passed into law. Should the measures become enforceable (China is already saying such rules would go against competition laws), it would impact operators such as Telefónica, which continues to source Huawei tech, and offer up additional business opportunities for the likes of Ericsson, Nokia, Ciena, Samsung and other vendors that would not be subject to the same restrictions.

Wireless chip giant Qualcomm is to invest €125m over the next three years to transform its site in Cork, Ireland, into a strategic AI facility, a move that will result in the creation of hundreds of new jobs and take the site’s headcount to more than 1,000, the Irish Post reports. The investment, which will see the facility focus on developments in products for the internet of things (IoT), automotive and datacentre sectors as well as for mobile devices, is being supported by the Irish government through IDA Ireland. 

Last week, we reported on the government of Iran’s moves to block internet access in the Middle-Eastern country amid massive protests. But reports suggest not all telecom operators complied. The Agence France Presse news agency claims the CEO of Iran’s second-largest mobile operator, Irancell, has been dismissed for failing to comply with the shutdown order, as reported on Barrons. Alireza Rafiei was removed from the position of CEO at the company after about a year of activity, according to the AFP report. Irancell is 49% owned by MTN and the rest owned by Kowsar Sign Paniz, an Iranian government company. Reports from Iran suggest access to global internet is still limited in the country, with most internet service providers blocked. Iranian authorities have announced they will restore internet access “gradually”, though no timeline has been shared.

Belgian national operator Proximus, which has been in flux and seen a lot of senior management changes since its previous CEO Guillaume Boutin jumped ship to join Vodafone as head of investments and strategy in May last year, has revamped its top management team as it preps the announcement of a new strategic plan on 27 February. Group CEO Stijn Bijnens, who took on the CEO role at the start of last September, has reshaped the senior management team (aka the Proximus Leadership Squad) to reflect the telco’s “commitment to strengthen its customer focus, its value proposition in the B2B activities and to sharpen its strategic innovation path”. You can find out more about who is now responsible for what at Proximus in this announcement but it’s worth noting that Seckin Arikan retains his role as head of Proximus Global, the subsidiary that comprises BICS (connectivity services), Telesign (digital identity) and communications platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) specialist Route Mobile: Arikan became CEO at Proximus Global on 1 November last year.

Dell’Oro Group has forecast stronger-than-expected growth in 5G mobile core and edge computing spending in the next five years. The research firm now expects the 5G mobile core network (MCN) sector to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% during the period 2025-30 driven by increasing demand for services enabled by 5G standalone (5G SA) networks, though it didn’t share its estimated market value in dollar terms for the period. Dell’Oro had previously forecast a 6% CAGR for the MCN sector for the 2024-29 period. “The key inflection point is the acceleration in 5G SA network subscriber growth as these networks mature and expand coverage to more cities, including rural and indoor areas, encouraging more 4G subscribers to upgrade,” noted Dave Bolan, research director at Dell’Oro Group. “Additionally, the introduction of reduced capability (RedCap) 5G SA chips for smartwatches and lower-cost 5G SA IoT devices is making 5G SA more appealing to consumers and enterprises, especially for private networks compared to LTE.  Also, new mobile network operators are preparing to launch more 5G SA networks,” he added. As previously reported, 2026 is expected to witness an uptick in 5G SA deployments following some notable momentum last year. In addition, Dell’Oro has raised its growth forecast for the multi-access edge computing (MEC) sector to 22% CAGR for 2025-30, from its previous 17% CAGR forecast for 2024-29, “as demand for lower-latency AI applications continues to grow”.  

– The staff, TelecomTV