Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Elsight, La Caisse, Altius Tower Network, Fibocom, 5G RedCap, among others.
US Army Agreement Expands Elsight’s Cellular-Satellite Connectivity Platform
Elsight secured a Basic Ordering Agreement with the US Army covering its Halo mission-critical connectivity platform for uncrewed systems. Halo combines cellular, satellite and RF links into a single resilient communications layer capable of selecting the best available connection and supporting zero-interruption spectrum handoffs. Elsight says the platform has accumulated more than 500,000 operational hours across over 100 customers, including deployments in high-intensity environments. The system supports beyond-visual-line-of-sight connectivity across airborne, ground and maritime platforms. The agreement follows Halo’s inclusion on the US Defense Contract Management Agency Blue UAS Cleared List, providing a pathway for faster military procurement. Elsight is also expanding manufacturing capacity in the United States and Germany as defense demand for resilient multi-network connectivity increases.
La Caisse Invests INR 121 Billion in India’s 258,000-Site Altius Tower Network
La Caisse has invested approximately INR 121 billion, or CAD 1.76 billion, for a 24 percent stake in Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust, significantly increasing institutional investment in India’s mobile infrastructure market. Brookfield remains Altius’ largest investor, with GIC and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation affiliates also retaining stakes. Altius owns and operates more than 258,000 telecom towers and sites across India, supporting operator deployment of 4G and 5G networks nationwide. La Caisse said accelerating mobile-data consumption and continued 5G expansion are increasing requirements for shared tower infrastructure. India remains the world’s second-largest telecom market by scale. The investment positions Altius to fund additional infrastructure expansion as operators increase coverage, capacity and network densification for rapidly growing mobile data traffic.
Fibocom RU311 Brings 5G RedCap to Mid-Tier IoT at Up to 226 Mbps
Fibocom launched its RU311 5G RedCap module series, targeting migration of industrial gateways, surveillance equipment, automotive systems and other mid-tier IoT devices from LTE to 5G. Based on UNISOC’s V527 platform, RU311 supports both 5G RedCap and LTE Cat.4, allowing manufacturers to maintain product flexibility during network transition. In RedCap mode, the module delivers peak download speeds of up to 226 Mbps and uploads of 120 Mbps. LTE performance reaches 150 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink. The LGA version measures 32 mm × 29 mm × 2.4 mm and is designed for compatibility with several existing Fibocom module layouts. RedCap is emerging as an important operator technology for extending 5G beyond smartphones into lower-cost, lower-power connected devices.