Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Comcast, MSSA, NTN, Huawei, ZTE, among others.
Comcast Expansion Passes 50 Percent Mark, Targeting 7,400 More Michigan Connections
Comcast has surpassed the halfway point in a major network expansion across Michigan’s Jackson County, with the project set to connect more than 7,400 additional homes and businesses to Xfinity and Comcast Business services. Construction is nearing completion in Concord, Horton, Leslie, Onondaga and Rives Junction, while work continues in five other communities. The full project is expected to be completed by spring 2027. Comcast said the expansion is part of its broader Michigan investment, which connected an additional 32,000 homes and businesses during the past year. The upgraded infrastructure will provide access to high-speed Internet, mobile, entertainment, security and business connectivity services, strengthening broadband availability across the region.
MSSA Upgrades NTN Architecture to Support 5G and NB-IoT From Satellites
The Mobile Satellite Services Association has updated its Reference Architecture to address increasingly complex requirements in non-terrestrial networks. Version 2.0 adds guidance for regenerative satellite payloads, which enable processing capabilities onboard satellites, while outlining how 5G New Radio and Narrowband IoT services can operate through a common satellite infrastructure. The framework also examines challenges involving bandwidth, coverage, power, processing capacity and beam resources, while recommending architectural approaches such as Radio Unit sharing. MSSA said the updated architecture is designed to improve interoperability and help operators and vendors evaluate system-level trade-offs as satellite networks evolve. The initiative supports the development of open, interoperable NTN solutions connecting terrestrial and satellite networks.
India Weighs $3 Billion Telecom Gear Replacement as Huawei and ZTE Face Review India is assessing the scale and potential cost of removing legacy Huawei and ZTE equipment from existing telecom networks, a move that could create significant additional capital expenditure for operators. The Department of Telecommunications is collecting information on non-trusted vendor equipment still deployed across networks, while the Ministry of Home Affairs evaluates a possible wider “rip and replace” program. Huawei and ZTE are not approved as trusted sources for new 5G equipment, but their older systems remain in parts of India’s 4G and fixed-line infrastructure. Industry estimates cited in the report suggest replacing equipment across Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea networks could cost up to $3 billion. Any final decision would determine the scale and financial impact of the replacement program.
