Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Telefonica Brasil, Vivo, Orange Romania, Swisscom, Ericsson, among others.
Telefonica Brasil Eyes Vero Acquisition to Expand Fiber Broadband Footprint
Telefonica Brasil, which operates as Vivo, has confirmed preliminary, non-binding discussions with shareholders of Brazilian fiber provider Vero about a possible acquisition. No agreement has yet been reached on the transaction structure, price or conditions, and Telefonica said no decision has been made. Vero’s network passes approximately 7.2 million homes and serves 1.3 million broadband customers across nine states, potentially extending Vivo’s regional reach without requiring equivalent new construction. Vivo already passes 32 million homes and serves 8.2 million fiber customers. However, Vero carries around R$3 billion (US$550 million) in net debt, equal to 3.3 times EBITDA, and faces customer pressure and a negative credit outlook. The talks come amid consolidation in Brazil’s fiber market.
Orange Romania Achieves 40 Gbps in 50G PON Fiber Technology Trial
Orange Romania has tested 50G Passive Optical Network (PON) technology at its 5G Lab in Bucharest, recording symmetrical speeds of approximately 40 Gbps and latency below one millisecond over a single fiber. The operator said the technology could support services such as 8K and 16K video, Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8, virtual reality, remote television production and cloud gaming. Enterprise applications include software-as-a-service, cloud computing and data-intensive artificial intelligence workloads. 50G PON can share existing fiber infrastructure with GPON and XGS-PON using different wavelengths, allowing upgrades without installing new cables. The tested equipment supports all three generations on one port and can connect up to 128 customers. Orange Romania plans further trials but has not announced a commercial launch date.
Swisscom and Ericsson Cut 5G Core Upgrade Time by 60 Percent and Service Setup Time by 97 Percent
Swisscom and Ericsson reported significant operational improvements from automated cloud-native mobile core management on November 3. Swisscom’s deployment of Ericsson’s GitOps-based lifecycle and configuration management capabilities reduced software upgrade times by 60 percent and service setup times by 97 percent. The technology replaces traditional manual procedures with automated workflows that continuously reconcile network configurations against predefined operating requirements. Swisscom has also moved away from monthly maintenance windows and overnight software upgrades toward changes during normal working hours. Ericsson is extending the approach across its cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core portfolio. Swisscom is evaluating additional AI-driven automation, including roaming partner configuration. Investment value, affected network functions and deployment scale were not disclosed.
