Telecommunications infrastructure Archives | Page 4 of 127

China widens access to value-added telecom services for foreign companies

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has approved 166 foreign-invested enterprises to participate in pilot programmes for value-added telecommunications services since the first approvals were issued in February 2025, according to Xinhua.

The approved companies are authorised to provide services across China, including internet data centre operations, internet access services and information services. The move forms part of broader efforts to expand access to the country’s telecommunications market.

The ministry said the reforms align with international trade and investment rules while building on existing policy frameworks, including China’s commitments under the World Trade Organization and regulations governing free-trade zones. Under the pilot measures, foreign ownership restrictions have been lifted for selected categories of value-added telecommunications services.

More than 3,100 foreign-invested telecommunications enterprises are currently operating in China, and authorities said additional measures are planned to encourage further participation in the sector. Pilot reforms are currently being implemented in Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan and Shenzhen.

Why does it matter?

China’s telecommunications sector has historically maintained restrictions on foreign participation, particularly in value-added services. Expanding pilot programmes and easing ownership limits could increase opportunities for international companies seeking access to one of the world’s largest digital markets.

The reforms also signal China’s broader efforts to attract foreign investment and align aspects of its telecommunications framework with international trade commitments, while testing market-opening measures in selected regions before potential wider implementation.

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Brazil’s telecom regulator adopts AI governance framework

Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, has approved a new AI governance policy aimed at ensuring the ethical, secure, and transparent use of AI across its regulatory and administrative activities. The framework positions the agency among public institutions in Brazil, proactively addressing the challenges and opportunities of AI-driven transformation.

Developed by the agency’s IA.lab research group, the policy establishes principles including human oversight, transparency, data security and the protection of fundamental rights. It also creates a permanent forum to monitor AI use, assess risks, and support decision-making, ensuring AI complements rather than replaces human judgment in regulation.

A key objective of the policy is to strengthen technological sovereignty by encouraging the development and adoption of AI solutions built in Brazil and, where appropriate, trained on local data and optimised for Portuguese-language use cases.

The policy also lays the groundwork for a broader national AI strategy within the agency, designed to expand responsible innovation across telecommunications regulation and public service delivery.

Anatel said the governance model is intended to balance innovation and accountability, enabling the use of AI to improve efficiency while maintaining security, trust and regulatory integrity.

Why does it matter?

The policy places Anatel among a growing number of public-sector regulators establishing formal governance frameworks for AI. As regulatory agencies increasingly adopt AI tools, questions around transparency, accountability, human oversight and risk management are becoming central to public trust.

The framework also reflects broader efforts by governments to promote technological sovereignty by supporting domestic AI capabilities while ensuring that innovation aligns with legal, ethical and public-interest objectives.

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UK Ofcom sets out AI safety and innovation strategy

Ofcom has outlined its approach to enabling safe and secure AI adoption across the UK communications sectors it regulates and within its own work.

The regulator said its approach is technology-neutral and outcomes-based, aligning AI oversight with its wider mission of making communications work for everyone while supporting innovation and growth.

Ofcom’s report uses case studies to show how AI is already shaping regulatory work and the sectors it oversees. Planned and recent initiatives include building a pilot data lake to make spectrum licensing and online safety data more accessible, engaging with innovators to identify regulatory uncertainty, and assessing public trust in AI chatbots.

The regulator is also examining the impact of AI on telecoms customer experience, exploring AI deployment in broadcasting, assessing AI use in cybersecurity for telecommunications networks, and considering how AI could support network management and optimisation.

Alongside innovation support, Ofcom said it is monitoring AI-related risks and emerging harms. Its work includes guidance on technology-led mitigation against deepfakes, research into chatbot-related harms, and action to address risks posed by AI systems to users.

Ofcom said it coordinated with the AI Security Institute and the National Cyber Security Centre to brief stakeholders on the frontier AI cybersecurity implications following Anthropic’s preview of Claude Mythos, which caused concern. It also said it launched a formal investigation into X’s Grok chatbot.

The regulator is also piloting responsible AI use internally, including tools to support policy development, research, consultation processes, tracking of technical standards, and operational efficiency. Ofcom said it will take a safety-first approach and roll out internal AI tools only once it is confident they are safe and secure.

Why does it matter?

Ofcom’s approach shows how AI governance is becoming operational inside sector regulators, not only debated at the government level. The strategy links innovation support with risk monitoring across online safety, telecoms, broadcasting, cybersecurity, spectrum management, and consumer protection. It also shows regulators experimenting with AI in their own workflows while trying to maintain safety, accountability, and public trust.

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OECD examines national security limits in competition enforcement

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has published a policy paper examining how national security considerations are increasingly influencing competition enforcement across a growing range of sectors.

The report highlights the impact of geopolitical developments, technological change, and stronger attention to economic security, resilience, and technological capability. National security issues are increasingly intersecting with competition policy in areas such as energy, telecommunications, and advanced technologies.

The paper explores how competition authorities should address these concerns while maintaining their established legal and analytical responsibilities. It argues that security concerns should be assessed by competition authorities only where they can be expressed as competition-relevant effects under established competition law tools.

Concerns that fall outside the analytical remit of competition authorities should instead be assessed by governments or specialised bodies, according to the OECD.

The paper proposes an analytical framework to distinguish between national security concerns that can be examined through competition law and those that require separate institutional assessment.

Drawing on cross-jurisdictional experience, the OECD examines how national security considerations can arise in assessments of competitive constraints, merger control, coordinated conduct, unilateral conduct, and remedy design.

The paper concludes that preserving clear institutional roles, legal predictability, analytical boundaries, and effective enforcement will become increasingly important as national security considerations continue to shape economic policymaking.

Why does it matter?

The paper reflects a growing tension in competition policy: governments increasingly view sectors such as energy, telecommunications, and advanced technologies through a national security lens, but competition authorities still need clear legal boundaries. OECD’s framework aims to prevent competition enforcement from becoming a catch-all tool for broader security or industrial policy concerns, while still allowing authorities to consider security-related issues when they have measurable competition effects.

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Greece approves major digital governance and interoperability reforms

The Greek Parliament has approved a bill from the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence to expand digital public services, reduce bureaucracy, and strengthen cybersecurity.

The legislation implements the EU rules on the cross-border automated exchange of supporting documents through the once-only principle, allowing citizens and businesses to avoid repeatedly submitting the same documents to public authorities across the EU.

Greece’s new framework establishes technical and operational measures enabling public authorities to retrieve official documents securely and automatically, with the user’s consent. The system will operate through the European interoperability infrastructure and in line with the EU data protection requirements.

The General Secretariat for Information Systems and Digital Governance will oversee technical coordination and implementation.

Beyond cross-border services, the legislation introduces several domestic digital initiatives. These include a Defective Vehicle Recall Registry to notify vehicle owners about critical safety issues, upgrades to the MyStreet application with electric vehicle charging points and emergency gathering locations, and a customer relationship management platform on gov.gr that will allow citizens to track public service requests through a single interface.

The bill also includes measures to accelerate the launch of more than 800 new public-sector interoperability services and strengthen protections against online fraud. A National Malicious Website Blocking List will be established through Greece’s National Cybersecurity Authority to support faster blocking of phishing websites, scam portals, and malicious online services.

Why does it matter?

The legislation shows how EU interoperability rules are being translated into national digital government reforms. Greece is combining the once-only principle for cross-border public services with domestic service integration, citizen-facing digital tools, and cybersecurity measures against online fraud. The result is a broader shift towards public administration built around automated document exchange, consent-based data retrieval, and shared digital infrastructure.

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European Commission proposes EU-wide satellite spectrum authorisation system

The European Commission has proposed a new EU-wide authorisation system for mobile satellite services operating in the harmonised 2 GHz frequency band once current licences expire in 2027. The move is intended to strengthen connectivity, resilience, competitiveness and critical communications across the bloc.

Under the proposal, an EU-level selection process would replace the framework introduced in 2008. The European Commission said a single authorisation system across Member States would improve regulatory consistency and enable satellite operators to provide cross-border services more efficiently.

The proposal would reserve one-third of the 2 GHz band for governmental uses, including critical communications, security and defence, through an EU operator associated with the Union’s IRIS² Secure Connectivity programme.

The European Commission said the new framework is intended to support secure, resilient and innovative satellite services while strengthening critical communications capabilities and reducing strategic dependencies. The proposal was presented in Brussels and aligns with broader plans for EU-level satellite spectrum management.

Why does it matter?

Satellite communications are becoming increasingly important for connectivity, emergency response, government communications and critical infrastructure resilience. A harmonised EU authorisation system could simplify cross-border operations for satellite providers while strengthening the bloc’s ability to support secure communications services.

The proposal also reflects broader European efforts to improve resilience in strategic digital and space infrastructure and reduce dependence on external providers in critical sectors.

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ENISA identifies risk zone sectors in EU cybersecurity assessment

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity has released its 2026 NIS360 report, assessing the cybersecurity maturity and criticality of high-criticality sectors under the NIS2 Directive.

The report says cybersecurity maturity across the EU critical sectors has steadily improved as organisations respond to evolving policy requirements and cyber threats. Banking, electricity, and telecommunications remain among the most mature and critical sectors, while trust services, aviation, and financial market infrastructures have moved into the high maturity band.

Gas, road, maritime, and health strengthened their maturity within the moderate band, although ENISA says progress remains uneven across and within sectors. Factors behind the differences include skills shortages, sector-specific characteristics, and organisational size.

The report identifies a ‘risk zone’ covering sectors with lower-than-average maturity and criticality that exceeds their maturity. ENISA lists health, railway, maritime, ICT management services, space, public administrations, and drinking and wastewater as risk-zone sectors, while gas has started moving out of the category.

ENISA says improvements have been driven by cybersecurity legislation, increased political attention, information sharing, collaboration, and operational preparedness. Regulation, including the NIS2 Directive and the Digital Operational Resilience Act, has helped increase investment and encouraged organisations to address vulnerability management, business continuity, disaster recovery, and supply-chain risk.

The report also points to AI, supply-chain and third-party exposure, and geopolitical volatility as major dynamics shaping the cybersecurity environment. ENISA says AI can improve threat detection and response, but can also support more convincing social engineering, shorter exploitation timelines, and broader access to offensive capabilities.

Why does it matter?

The NIS360 report gives the EU policymakers a comparative view of where cybersecurity maturity is improving and where critical sectors remain underprepared. The risk-zone concept is especially useful because it identifies sectors whose importance to society and the economy exceeds their current level of cyber readiness. That makes the report relevant for NIS2 implementation, national supervision, investment priorities, and resilience planning across sectors such as health, public administration, transport, space, and water.

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European Commission marks .eu anniversary with internet governance focus

The European Commission has marked the 20th anniversary of the .eu top-level domain, presenting it as a symbol of European identity online and an element of Europe’s technological sovereignty agenda.

The milestone was celebrated during the 2026 European Internet Governance Dialogue in Brussels, where policymakers, technical experts, businesses, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders discussed the future of global internet governance.

According to the Commission, .eu has grown into the fourth-largest country-code top-level domain in Europe, with 3.8 million registrations since its launch in April 2006. The EU officials described the domain as a symbol of European identity online and an example of resilient European digital infrastructure, noting that it has operated without a single outage for two decades.

The discussions also focused on Europe’s broader approach to internet governance, digital autonomy, and the reduction of strategic technological dependencies. Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said Europe is at a pivotal moment where digital autonomy, reduced dependencies, and global leadership in internet governance must go hand in hand.

The Commission linked the anniversary to future EU initiatives, including the upcoming Technological Sovereignty Package, which it said would further support Europe’s vision for a decentralised and open internet where users, businesses, and governments have real alternatives and control over their digital future.

Officials also stressed the importance of ensuring that European values, including human rights, inclusivity, and competition, continue to shape the next decade of global internet governance.

Why does it matter?

The anniversary shows how domain governance and internet infrastructure are increasingly being linked to digital sovereignty and technological dependence. By framing .eu as part of Europe’s identity, resilience, and internet governance agenda, the Commission is connecting a long-standing country-code top-level domain to broader debates on autonomy, infrastructure, trust, and Europe’s role in shaping the future of the open internet.

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BEREC to present Digital Networks Act assessment

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) will hold a public debriefing on 10 June 2026 in Brussels to present its final assessment of the Digital Networks Act proposal and the outcomes of its latest plenary meetings.

The event will take place at the IRG Secretariat and will be held in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online participation. BEREC Chair Marko Mismas of AKOS Slovenia will present the assessment with Working Group Co-Chairs and take questions from stakeholders.

The debriefing will also cover key outcomes from BEREC’s 67th plenary meetings, including updates on ongoing work and upcoming initiatives. The full agenda will be published on BEREC’s website after the plenary meetings.

BEREC experts will also introduce a newly launched public consultation on further draft guidance on 5G network slicing, prepared by the Open Internet Working Group.

The event is aimed at policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other interested parties following the evolving EU regulatory framework for electronic communications. Participants can submit questions in advance via the registration form, while online participants will be able to use a Q&A chat function during the livestream.

Why does it matter?

BEREC’s assessment will feed into the debate over the EU’s future telecoms framework, including how regulators approach network investment, competition, open internet rules, and emerging technical practices such as 5G network slicing. The debriefing also offers stakeholders an opportunity to engage directly with regulators before the Digital Networks Act debate advances further.

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Canada advances 5G expansion with new spectrum and tower infrastructure reforms

Canada has announced measures to strengthen wireless connectivity, expand 5G infrastructure and accelerate the deployment of next-generation telecommunications technologies.

The government confirmed the rules for a planned 2027 millimetre-wave spectrum auction in the 26 GHz and 38 GHz bands. The auction will make 4.8 GHz of spectrum available to support advanced 5G applications and future 6G technologies. An additional 850 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz band will be made available through a future non-competitive licensing process.

The auction framework includes spectrum caps intended to ensure that several operators can access spectrum in each area. It also introduces smaller licensing areas, allowing operators to target spectrum access according to regional and business needs.

Alongside the spectrum measures, the government is proposing reforms to modernise Canada’s wireless tower-siting process. Planned changes include a standardised digital approval process and a publicly accessible online portal for applications and consultations. The reforms are intended to reduce administrative burden, improve transparency and support faster infrastructure deployment.

Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly said reliable and affordable connectivity is essential for economic growth, public safety and quality of life. The government said faster and more efficient infrastructure approvals would support competition, innovation and expanded wireless coverage across the country.

Officials also noted that millimetre wave spectrum can carry large amounts of data over short distances, supporting applications such as industrial automation, smart agriculture, private networks and fixed wireless services in rural and remote communities.

Why does it matter?

The announcement shows how 5G and future 6G planning increasingly depend on both spectrum policy and infrastructure deployment rules. By combining new mmWave spectrum with tower-siting reforms, Canada is trying to increase wireless capacity, reduce rollout delays and support data-intensive applications in industry, agriculture, private networks and rural connectivity.

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