• Verizon goes nationwide with Ericsson’s automation platform 
• Deutsche Telekom expands its AI partner ecosystem 
• ETSI names Asian partners for AI standardisation drive

In today’s industry news roundup: Having already put it through its paces, Verizon will now roll out the Ericsson Intelligent Controller (EIC) nationwide in order to deploy multiple network automation rApps; with its latest sovereign play, Deutsche Telekom’s B2B division T-Systems teams up with German vendor Sparxity to develop and deploy energy-efficient AI infrastructure; ETSI strikes partnerships with groups in Japan and Korea over AI standardisation; and much more!

Major US telco Verizon is to deploy the Ericsson Intelligent Controller (EIC) nationwide as part of its ongoing work with the Swedish vendor to boost radio access network (RAN) performance and efficiency. The rollout of the EIC will support the deployment of AI-native rApps, which are modular, cloud-native software programs that can help automate, manage and optimise the RAN. Having already used its initial EIC deployment to run an in-house developed rApp that eliminates manual intervention from fixed wireless access (FWA) inter-radio access technology handover processes, the US telco now plans to deploy the EIC nationally this year, and will also test and deploy new rApps designed both internally and by Ericsson, including the Cell Anomaly Detector rApp, Root Cause Explainer rApp and Anomaly General Optimizer rApp, which aim to boost operational efficiencies. “Our expanded collaboration with Ericsson brings AI-native RAN automation that elevates performance across mobility and fixed wireless access,” says Matt Butz, VP of network planning at Verizon. “Using the Ericsson Intelligent Controller, and Ericsson rApps, in a live environment, we demonstrated AI cell shaping of massive MIMO and traffic steering with significant gains in throughput and efficiency. Verizon’s ability to self-develop rApps on this open platform will help usher in a new level of automation as we prepare for 6G,” he added. The deployment of rApps is a major step towards Verizon’s stated goal to reach Level 4 cognitive automation on its network, which the operator outlined in a blog last year. The EIC is built on open standards and is part of the vendor’s Intelligent Automation Platform, which it claims supports an ecosystem of more than 100 rApps developed by more than 100 members. “We’re proud to deepen our collaboration with Verizon to advance how AI transforms mobile networks,” stated Ravi Vaidyanathan, VP and head of cloud software and services for the customer unit Verizon at Ericsson Americas. “Together, we’re driving major gains in network performance and building a smarter, more efficient and autonomous network, unlocking better customer experiences and transforming operations.”

Deutsche Telekom’s enterprise division, T-Systems, is adding AI infrastructure company Sparxity (formerly SpiNNcloud Systems GmbH) to its AI partner ecosystem: The two companies aim to combine Sparxity’s “sparse-native computing technology” with T-Systems’ datacentre infrastructure and operational expertise. According to DT, the two companies will “jointly develop and deploy the next generation of energy-efficient AI computing infrastructure in Europe. Sparxity’s technologies are used for so-called energy-saving and demand-driven ‘sparse computation’,” which involves “directing computing power exactly where it is needed”. Initially, Sparxity’s current hardware will be used to jointly develop approaches for the technical integration of the next generation of Sparxity chips with T-Systems’ datacentre infrastructure and partner ecosystem, with the first deployment targeted in 2028. “Building on this, the two companies plan to develop high-performance, energy-efficient AI computing systems for future applications and optimise them for specific use cases,” added DT. Ferri Abolhassan, CEO of T-Systems, stated: “Germany and Europe need a powerful AI infrastructure that can be operated and scaled economically. With our T Cloud portfolio and our AI factory in Munich, we have created the basis for this. We are open to further partners and are looking forward to having Sparxity on board in our AI factory soon. The German company scores particularly well with its energy-efficient use of AI computing power.” And in case it was left unsaid, Karsten Wildberger, Germany’s federal minister for digital transformation and government modernisation, hammered home the sovereignty message: “The project shows that digital sovereignty is feasible in Germany – if we combine our own technological expertise with efficient infrastructure and strong partners.”

Industry specifications body ETSI has been busy. It has teamed up with the ICT standardisation organisations from the Republic of Korea (the Telecommunications Technology Association) and Japan (the Telecommunication Technology Committee) to “explore the creation of a new global, industry-led partnership for AI standardisation” with the aim of forming an AI Partnership Project (AIPP), it announced. Bettina Funk, chair of the ETSI General Assembly, stated: “Global cooperation is essential in AI standardisation, even if priorities and expectations are not always the same. Exploring a new partnership with Japan and South Korea offers an opportunity to ETSI members to make progress on practical standards that respond to real needs. Such cooperation could bring valuable new perspectives and complement existing standardisation efforts, with a focus on delivering practical results.”

Separately, ETSI has released a new technical specification that aims to reduce the risk of generative AI systems producing harmful deepfakes. Developed by ETSI’s Technical Committee on Securing Artificial Intelligence (TC SAI), ETSI TS 104 275 “aims to strengthen accountability among AI developers and operators by providing practical measures and safeguards that demonstrate how to mitigate deepfake-related risks.” noted ETSI in this press release.

ETSI has also established a new Industry Specification Group on Semantic Technologies in AI-Native Networks (ISG SEM), “bringing together industry and research organisations to advance semantic communications and lay the foundations for future 6G standardisation,” it announced. The ISG’s mission is to “coordinate research into semantic technologies, establish common technical foundations and support their future standardisation as the industry continues to develop 6G networks.” Emilio Calvanese Strinati, convenor of the ETSI ISG SEM, stated: “As we move towards 6G, networks will need to do more than simply transmit data. They will need to understand and prioritise the information that matters, enabling more intelligent, efficient and responsive communications. But realising this potential requires a common approach across the industry. The ISG SEM will bring together valuable expertise from across the research and technology communities, laying the foundations for interoperable, AI-native networks.” 

VodafoneThree has been working with British authorities, including the National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, to crack down on illegal SIM farm operations, leading to eight arrests and the recovery of more than 1 million compromised card details that had been “phished” by criminals. SIM farms are collections of hundreds or even thousands of SIM cards, used by criminals to route large-scale volumes of text and voice traffic to members of the public, often with the aim of deceiving victims into handing over sensitive data – known as phishing. According to figures shared by VodafoneThree, around 3 million victims suffered financial loss through fraud in the year ending March 2025, while the Home Office estimates the cost of such scams to the UK economy to be around £14.4bn in 2024. VodafoneThree has been sharing intelligence with the NCA and London Police’s Fraud Targeting Cell to help identify suspected SIM farm activity. The data has been used by the specialist Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), which is funded by the banking industry, to disrupt organised criminal activity and recover what law enforcement described as potentially the largest haul of compromised payment details ever recovered. Lord Hanson, UK minister for fraud, said: “It only takes one fraudulent text to deprive people of their hard-earned money and SIM farms give fraudsters the tools to target their victims at scale. The law we introduced to ban their use is now in force. Those using these devices to defraud the public will not only continue to face the full force of the law but will also be hit with hefty fines. Criminals are increasingly working on an industrial scale, so we are meeting them with the same force by partnering with mobile networks and law enforcement to disrupt their operations and hit the scammers where it hurts."

Dutch telecom operator KPN has renewed its longstanding agreement for voice and mobile outsourcing with international carrier iBasis. The deal, which was first struck in 2017, has been renewed for a further five years, meaning iBasis will continue to manage KPN’s roaming and internet of things (IoT) traffic, while further strengthening their partnership in GRX, eSIM and 5G standalone services. iBasis was originally formed in 1996 to provide wholesale long-distance services using voice over IP (VoIP), but in 2007 it acquired KPN’s existing international voice business in a deal that made KPN a majority shareholder in the company. The Dutch firm then sold off iBasis to Tofane Global in 2019, but the two companies maintained their working relationship, first renewing the outsourcing agreement in 2024 for three years and now again for a further five. “This second renewal with KPN is a strong recognition of what we have built together over the past nine years,” said Patrick George, CEO of iBasis. “Our consolidation strategy enables us to deliver the scale, efficiency and network capacity required to manage continuously growing international traffic. With our service quality and customer experience at the heart of our partnership, we are proud to continue supporting KPN with the reliability and responsiveness required as its international voice and mobile needs evolve.”

Telefónica Brazil – which operates in the Latin American country as Vivo – has opened preliminary talks over a deal to buy local fibre company Vero. First reported last week by local media, Telefónica confirmed in a market clarification that it had held non-binding talks with Vero shareholders over a potential transaction, though no agreement had been reached at the time of reporting. BN Americas claims the filing came after Brazil’s securities regulator CVM asked for clarification over a potential bid. Vero was formed as the result of the 2023 merger between Vinci-backed Vero and Americanet and has a network passing more than 7.2 million homes across 426 cities. Some 99% of its base accesses its 53,500km fibre infrastructure. The deal would add to Vivo’s existing 8.2 million fibre base – it also has around 105 million mobile customers – but talks remain at an early stage. Brazil is seen as one of Telefonica’s core markets at a time when the Spain-based telco has been selling off a number of assets in the Latin America region. Brazil itself has seen consolidation recently after America Movil subsidiary Claro completed the purchase of a majority share in Sao Paulo’s biggest ISP, Desktop. Vivo had also been linked to a bid for Desktop but negotiations stalled, according to several reports

In the wake of the launch of its Crux platform, Alianza has appointed former Vonage executive Neelam Sandhu as its chief marketing and ecosystem officer. “As the company’s first CMO, Sandhu will help accelerate Alianza’s next phase of growth as it expands beyond its communications platform business into the emerging era of AI-driven cognitive communications,” noted the vendor in this announcement. 

– The staff, TelecomTV