What’s up with… SoftBank, Google, Comsol

• SoftBank and Ericsson validate AI in the RAN
• Marvell to become Google’s AI chip hero
• Comsol unveils new South African 5G wholesale play

In today’s industry news roundup: SoftBank and Ericsson see 25% efficiency boost in an AI-RAN trial in Japan; Google signs a mega deal with Marvell that will see the tech giant become a stakeholder in the chipmaker; South Africa’s Comsol unveils plans to enter the wholesale 5G market following a fundraising round; and much more!

SoftBank and Ericsson have trialled a new AI-native RAN scheduler technology on the Japanese telco’s commercial 5G network. Together, the companies validated Ericsson’s AI-native Scheduler for Link Adaptation, which is a feature of the Swedish vendor’s AI-in-RAN software, applying AI directly within the radio access network in real time. The technology is intended to improve network performance by boosting spectral efficiency, user throughput and the stability of the network. Early test results saw improved spectral efficiency by around 25% and downlink user throughput by 50% compared with conventional solutions, according to Ericsson. In a press release, Ericsson explained: “While conventional Link Adaptation optimisation methods have primarily relied on rule-based algorithms based on offline analysis and static parameter configuration, Ericsson’s AI-native Scheduler for Link Adaptation runs on baseband equipment based on real-time AI decisions.”

Google has signed an agreement with US semiconductor firm Marvell Technology to build custom AI chips in an expansion of their existing relationship. The deal covers several parts of Google’s tensor processing unit infrastructure, according to a filing by Marvell, including AI inference accelerators, storage controllers, network interface controllers, memory interface controllers and near-memory computing products. The partnership goes beyond just chipbuilding, however, as Marvell also issued Google a warrant allowing it to purchase up to 58.97 million shares at $206.58 each – roughly $12.18bn altogether, as reported by Reuters. Marvell already works with the likes of Amazon and, in March, Nvidia said it was investing $2bn in the Silicon Valley-based company.

South African fixed wireless operator Comsol has announced plans to enter the wholesale 5G home broadband market after receiving backing from two new shareholders. Platform Investment Partners, which has made 10 founder-stage fibre investments across four geographies over the past decade, and Wimsey Capital, a privately held investment company, have both bought stakes in Comsol after it completed a multibillion-rand debt and equity raise to build a new 5G network. Existing investors Convergence Partners and Solcon Capital have also invested an undisclosed amount of additional growth capital in the company, which was founded by CEO Iain Stevenson in 1997. According to a Bloomberg interview with Stevenson, Comsol has already reached a vendor-partner agreement with ZTE and the company plans to complete its build out by the end of 2028. Some of the build is already underway, covering more than a million households in Gauteng, with further expansion into the Western Cape planned by 2028. Comsol aims to blanket South Africa with around 2,000 base stations, creating a new wholesale option for South African service providers.

Telekom Malaysia (TM) saw its second-quarter revenues grow 6.8% to 2.96bn ringgit (MYR) year on year, but saw its net profits fall. TM attributed the revenue bump to sustained demand for data, information and communications technology, and other core telecom services, saying it has seen growth “across all customer segments”. In its latest financial filing, operating profit before other gains and finance costs (EBIT) fell to MYR 545.5m from MYR 640.0m in the second quarter 2025, due to a number of costs, according to the company, including “the group’s continued initiative to accommodate voluntary separation requests from employees seeking early retirement or career transitions, as well as strategic investment in the FIFA World Cup 2026 sponsorship”. It also pointed to other one-off costs, including a previously announced 5G capacity write-down.

Colombian energy firm Negratín has turned to Telefónica to trial internet of things (IoT) connectivity, real-time location tracking and smart access control across its construction projects. The solutions are already being deployed in Negratin energy projects in rural areas of Colombia, including La Mina, La Tabla and Tropezon, but the company said it plans to expand to other markets in which it operates, which include Mexico, Chile and Spain. Digitalising vital processes, such as team co-ordination and materials control has enabled the firm to shift from manual and decentralised models towards systems based on real-time information, it noted in this press release. The system, supported by Telefónica’s connectivity infrastructure, enables continuous data updates and the management of 215 devices and assets on site, generating a volume of data that is integrated into project operations to facilitate Negratin’s decision-making processes.

The Indian government has taken initial steps to disband the Digital Communications Commission, the body which has oversight of telecom policy matters, according to reports from the country. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) initiated the process to abolish the DCC, which was until 2018 known as the Telecom Commission, but the move will need to be approved by the cabinet, according to the Economic Times. The commission, which was established in 1989, brings together DoT members and outside advisers to determine telco issues, such as spectrum pricing and border regulation, before major decisions move up to the full department. It was meant to speed up policy decisions, but the DoT claims that decisions are being delayed due to the commission, which is currently missing several members. It is designed to run on full attendance of the Telecom Secretary and four full members, but it has been operating shorthanded, though it is unclear what (if anything) the government plans to replace it with.

NTT Data, the global IT services and consulting arm of the NTT Group, which also owns NTT Docomo, has agreed a multi-year strategic alliance with US cybersecurity vendor Palo Alto Networks in a bid to help enterprises adopt AI, modernise cybersecurity and build network resilience for the AI era. Palo Alto Networks said it is one of the company’s first strategic alliances of its kind with a global systems integrator, adding that the partners have set a goal of generating $1bn in joint business by the end of 2029. The partnership will combine Palo Alto’s AI-powered cybersecurity solutions with NTT Data’s consulting, engineering and managed services. Together, they outlined a number of joint solutions that will target enterprise sectors, including financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and the public sector, such as autonomous security operations centre, AI governance, identity security, zero trust and SASE, resilient cloud, and firewall modernisation.

– The staff, TelecomTV