A shameless plug, but mark your diaries – April 28, the Defense Communications Forum, a brand new virtual event from RCR, and a chance for you to hear from industry leaders about the role of private 5G, non‑terrestrial networks, edge computing, and AI‑enabled systems to support of mission-critical government and defense operations. By convening a cross-section of defense industry experts with technology innovators and system integrators, the forum will share practical insights and lessons from real-world deployments. It will focus on how next-generation networks are being applied to enhance security, resilience, and operational effectiveness in defense communications. Not to be missed; sign up now.
James Blackmann
Executive Editor
RCR Wireless News
RCR Top Stories
The big dig – edge AI: Power and land matter, of course, but Nvidia, SUBCO, and Zayo – on a panel at PTC’26 – argue that latency and scale in terrestrial and subsea fiber are the next constraints as AI moves from training to inference.
Humain’s $1.2bn AI bet: Humain and Saudi Arabia’s National Infrastructure Fund have unveiled a $1.2bn non-binding fund to accelerate 250MW of AI data center capacity, reinforcing the Kingdom’s ambitions to become a global AI hub.
NEC preps 5G radios: NEC is preparing a new 5G massive MIMO radio unit for a 2026 launch, promising higher throughput, sharply lower power consumption and tighter integration with vRAN to reduce operator costs.
5G broadcast push: As Brazil ramps up mobile TV ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola demo live 5G-based broadcasting at SET Expo 2025 in São Paulo.
Entel boosts mid-band 5G: Entel is expanding its 5G strategy in Peru by expanding contiguous spectrum at 3.5 GHz to as much as 100 megahertz, aiming to boost capacity, reduce latency, and support advanced digital services.
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Beyond the Headlines
Defense Comms Forum: RCR has announced the launch of the Defense Communications Forum, a new event to address the evolving communications challenges defense organizations face as they modernize critical infrastructure.
AI under/over-supply? AI capex is surging, DC vacancy has vanished, and AI is pushing demand far beyond traditional hubs – but questions remain over power, people, and long-term returns as development spills into secondary markets.
AI digital divides: PTC in Hawaii focused lots on AI data-center buildouts for hyperscalers to train frontier models, plus on terrestrial and subsea fiber; and power infrastructure for big AI builds. Read RCR‘s onsite coverage.
AI readiness in fiber: AI workloads are changing the way fiber networks are being designed, deployed, and upgraded; they are also changing how we should assess them. Connectivity now requires control, scalability, and proximity.
Agentic AI in Industry 4.0: Industry leaders explore how agentic AI on private 5G is transforming factories and plants. The discussion highlights not just the technology, but the architectural and governance foundations.
What We're Reading
$6bn Corning and Meta: Corning and Meta have agreed a $6bn deal for Corning to supply advanced optical fiber, cable, and connectivity for Meta’s U.S. data center expansion, boosting Corning’s North Carolina manufacturing and jobs.
Private 5G review: Research firm Kaleido has released a new report about the private 5G vendor market – billed as the “industry’s most comprehensive competitive analysis” in the space. It covers 49 service providers; worth a read.
Nokia edge AI deal: Nokia has signed a deal with Blaize to deploy hybrid AI inference across the Asia Pacific, combining Nokia’s networking expertise with Blaize’s edge AI platform for scalable, real‑world AI at the edge and cloud.
Port connectivity lab: Thames Freeport’s new connectivity lab embeds innovators into real port and industrial sites to trial 5G‑enabled AI, sensor, and automation tech at DP Gateway, Port of Tilbury and Ford Dagenham.
5G racing at MWC: CircuitX in Barcelona will work with Ericsson, Telefónica, Formula E, NTT DATA, Elmo, and others to demo 5G teledriving, drones, AR/VR, and live telemetry at Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya at MWC.
Events
Join this RCR Wireless News‘ event to understand the current state of the Wi-Fi as we examine a myriad of evolving use cases and monetization strategies being deployed by industry. Register now
Industry Resources
Webinar, September 18th
The journey to a fully autonomous network – The evolution of network automation and how Amdocs is leading the way
