Today’s telecom news includes announcements on LMT Group, WBA, Fiber Broadband Association, High End Router Market, among others.
LMT Group Launches IoT Shortcut as It Transforms into a Multi-Sector Technology Ecosystem
Latvia’s LMT Group has introduced IoT Shortcut, the world’s smallest mobile data module for sensor equipment, marking a major step in its transition from a mobile operator to a broad innovation and technology company. Now operating as an ecosystem comprising divisions such as LMT IoT, LMT Defence, LMT Systems, LMT Retail & Logistics, LMT Finance, LMT Innovations, and Santa Monica Networks, LMT Group generates half of its business from new strategic sectors beyond communications.
The new IoT Shortcut module offers universal mobile connectivity for IoT devices worldwide, enabling fast integration across diverse sensor equipment. Its software automates data processing, integration, and cloud connectivity while maintaining extremely low energy consumption, extending device battery life up to ten years.
The module is undergoing testing with partners including SAF Tehnika, Spruceful, and Adventum Tech. LMT Group is also in discussions with Infineon Technologies to integrate IoT Shortcut into Infineon’s Edge AI solutions, enabling on-device AI processing that reduces data transmission needs, improves responsiveness, and enhances battery efficiency for IoT sensors.
WBA Industry Report 2026 Shows Rising Confidence in Wi-Fi, Strong Momentum for Wi-Fi 7 and OpenRoaming
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has released its “WBA Industry Report 2026”, revealing strong confidence in Wi-Fi investment and accelerating adoption of next-generation technologies. Sixty-two percent of survey respondents said they are more confident investing in Wi-Fi compared to the past year, while Wi-Fi 7 leads planned deployments for 2026 at 38 percent. AI-enabled and cognitive networks follow closely, with 32 percent planning adoption to boost network performance and reliability.
Smart Home IoT is expected to drive the most network and traffic growth at 36 percent, followed by AI at 33 percent and industrial IoT applications at 24 percent. Stadiums and event venues emerged as the vertical with the highest anticipated traffic growth at 41 percent.
The report highlights strong momentum behind Wi-Fi 7, 6 GHz, AI-driven Wi-Fi, and OpenRoaming. A growing majority view Wi-Fi and 5G as complementary, with 60 percent saying convergence will improve enterprise flexibility. OpenRoaming adoption is gaining traction, with 38 percent having deployed OpenRoaming or Passpoint-compliant networks and another 32 percent planning deployments in 2026.
Top investment drivers for OpenRoaming include frictionless Wi-Fi access, seamless Wi-Fi and 5G/LTE integration, and smooth connectivity across networks. Respondents identified network security and privacy as today’s most critical Wi-Fi priority at 76 percent, followed by Quality of Experience and seamless authentication at 70 percent.
Fiber Broadband Association Expands Leadership Team to Support Rapid Industry Growth
The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) has announced a series of strategic hires across public policy, membership, and sales as it continues to experience strong, sustained growth. With nationwide demand for fiber broadband rising, the Association has recorded 19 consecutive quarters of expansion, and its most recent quarterly operations revenue exceeded budget by 23 percent, driven by rising membership, regional events, investment income, and sponsorships.
To strengthen its advocacy and policy work in Washington and across the country, FBA has appointed Lukas Pietrzak as Public Policy Director. Pietrzak brings extensive federal experience, including senior roles at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and oversight of the USD 42.3 billion BEAD program. Jeanne Le Delaizir, an internationally trained lawyer, joins as Policy Fellow.
FBA has also expanded its membership and operational support team with the addition of Morgan Hubbard as Association and Member Services Assistant, Nura Shalabi as Sales Administrator, and Jackie Coover as Community Management Coordinator. According to FBA President and CEO Gary Bolton, the new hires will strengthen the Association’s ability to advance fiber deployment and help close the digital divide.
Global High End Router Market Surges in Q3 2025, Led by Strong Core Router Recovery
High End Router equipment revenue rose 23 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025, driven by a major rebound in Core Routers, which grew 68 percent during the period.
According to the latest 3Q 2025 Service Provider Router and Switch Report, the overall Service Provider Router and Switch market — covering High End Routers and Aggregation Switches — expanded 16 percent year-over-year to reach USD 3.4 billion. Growth in the High End Router segment was recorded across all regions except Latin America, with North America leading at 47 percent year-over-year growth.
For the first nine months of 2025, Cisco, Huawei, and HPE Juniper were the top three Core Router vendors by revenue share, with Cisco gaining the most share at five percentage points. All major customer segments — communication service providers, cloud providers, and enterprise/public sector — posted year-over-year growth, with cloud providers showing the highest percentage increase and communication service providers contributing the most in absolute revenue.
Shafana Fazal
