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May 9, 2023

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Podcast Recap, Part 2

In honor of the upcoming fifth season of TeleGeography Explains the Internet, we’re running you through the highlights of all 25 episodes from Season 4, five at a time.

Revisit part one to watch clips on energy conservation in the fiber optic space, the resurgence of satellite, the changing nature of technology, and more.

May 2, 2023

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Podcast Recap, Part 1

We just wrapped up the fourth season of our podcast, TeleGeography Explains the Internet.

After three seasons focused primarily on the WAN, Senior Manager/Podcast Host Greg Bryan spent the last few months more broadly exploring the global business of connectivity with a wide range of guests.

A lot of ground was covered. In fact, if you were to binge the whole season at once, it would take around 20 hours to listen through all 25 episodes.

While that would be very impressive, we've made a highlight reel with bite-sized clips to help you catch up. Stay tuned as we work our way through the season, five episodes at a time.

Apr 13, 2023

The Rise and Fall of a Caribbean Communications Kingpin

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Denis O’Brien—the Irish businessman who founded international telecom group Digicel in 2001—could lose up to 90% of the company to U.S.-based investment firms.

These firms are poised to seize control of the business in exchange for writing off up to $1.8 billion of Digicel’s debt.

The revelation that O’Brien could lose his empire follows a tumultuous period for Digicel. Today we take a look at the rise and fall of a Caribbean communications kingpin.

Mar 27, 2023

Tracking 5G Deployments in the Middle East and Africa

According to the latest data from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database Service, as of March 2023, 18 countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region are served by commercial 5G services.

This includes eight in the Middle East and 10 in Africa.

Feb 15, 2023

2G and 3G Shutdowns Continue

Mobile network operators around the world continue to close legacy 2G and 3G networks in order to migrate valuable spectrum resources to more widely used 4G and 5G technologies.

Following up on our August 2021 piece covering 3G sunsets in Europe, today we have a look at how the situation has developed since then and which markets will be next to wave goodbye to 2G and 3G.

Jan 23, 2023

The Panama Paper Trail: Tracking Five Years of Telecom Upheaval

Back in 2018, the Panamanian government rubber-stamped long-gestating plans to reduce the mobile market from four players to three, seeking to make better use of the country’s spectrum resources.

Despite multiple meetings, no breakthroughs were achieved, and all four operators were unwilling to concede ground.

Five years later, multiple international telecom groups have exited Panama and the authorities find themselves in the unusual position of trying to attract a new operator to fill the void.

Today, we track the key events that led to this point.

Jan 12, 2023

Shake-up in Hungary as Vodafone Exits

U.K.-based Vodafone Group has agreed to leave the Hungarian telecom market after more than 20 years of competing in the country’s mobile and fixed sectors.

Dec 28, 2022

2022: The Essential CommsUpdate Selection

Our daily CommsUpdate newsletter has featured a staggering 82,000 telecom stories since making its debut back in December 2002!

Twelve months is a long time in the world of telecom. So as another eventful year draws to a close, we’re looking back at the telecom stories that captured our readers’ attention during 2022.

From SIM card registration to Simba Telecom, satellite broadband to Standalone 5G, the CommsUpdate team left no stone unturned in their quest to bring you the biggest daily news stories from around the world.

Read on for the most popular CommsUpdate stories of 2022.  

Dec 23, 2022

Ask The Experts: What Defined The Industry in 2022?

What will we remember about this year in telecommunications?

And what does the landscape look like as we kick off 2023?

Greg Bryan (and his rapidly color-changing beard*) posed these questions to six TeleGeography experts in a rousing two-part episode of TeleGeography Explains the Internet. You might have caught the first episode earlier this week.

Dec 21, 2022

CommsUpdate Is 20!

Since making its debut back in December 2002, our daily CommsUpdate newsletter has featured a staggering 82,000 telecom stories and now ranks as one of the most extensive telecom news resources in the world.

Born out of desk research for TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database Service, CommsUpdate is produced by a team based in the historic city of Exeter in Devon, England.

CommsUpdate actually has its roots in the Communications Update newsletter launched by CIT Publications on September 6, 1999. CIT Publications eventually merged with TeleGeography to create the telecom research giant you now know. 

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of CommsUpdate, let's take a look at some of the choice telecom headlines of December 2002. We'll see what has changed in this ever-evolving industry—and what (if anything) has stayed the same.