Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Telia Estonia, Adtran, Vodacom Group, BSNL, Vodafone Idea, among others.
Telia Estonia Trials Adtran’s 50G PON Technology for Next-Generation Broadband
Telia Estonia is trialing Adtran’s 50G Passive Optical Network (PON) technology to prepare its fiber infrastructure for next-generation residential and business broadband services. The proof of concept will evaluate how 50G PON can coexist with existing GPON and XGS-PON technologies over a common network infrastructure. The trial builds on Telia Estonia’s existing deployment of Adtran’s fiber access platform and will assess the technology’s operational performance and upgrade potential. The approach is designed to enable higher-capacity broadband services while allowing operators to upgrade networks in phases without replacing their existing fiber infrastructure.
Vodacom’s First-Half Earnings Surge 25.7% as Safaricom Acquisition Boosts Growth
South Africa’s Vodacom Group reported a strong first-half performance, with headline earnings per share increasing 25.7 percent to 5.87 rand for the six months ended September 30, 2026, compared with 4.67 rand a year earlier. Service revenue rose 29 percent to 85.1 billion rand ($5.2 billion), supported by its increased ownership of Kenya’s Safaricom. Financial services revenue surged 99 percent to 15.9 billion rand, highlighting the contribution of mobile financial services, particularly M-Pesa. Vodacom increased its Safaricom stake to 55 percent through a $1.6 billion transaction completed in June. The company is appealing a Kenyan court ruling ordering the return of a 15 percent stake to the government.
BSNL Gets Approval for 26,000 Additional 4G Towers, Explores Wider Network Sharing with Vodafone Idea
Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) has received approval to install an additional 26,000 4G towers across India, expanding its infrastructure beyond the 100,000 sites already deployed. The additional installations are expected to strengthen its network coverage, although deployment locations have not yet been specified. Separately, BSNL is discussing an expansion of its infrastructure-sharing arrangement with Vodafone Idea (Vi). The companies currently have an inter-circle roaming agreement covering two to three circles and are considering extending it to 12–13 circles. Under the proposed expansion, Vi could use BSNL infrastructure in selected markets, while BSNL could benefit from Vi’s network rollout, supporting broader connectivity and more efficient infrastructure utilisation.