Firstly, don’t miss next week’s Test & Measurement Forum (May 19) – if you want to know what’s coming around the corner. Because if it’s on the test benches, it’s going into the networks – so this community knows. Plus, Kelly Hill is back with RCR to chair the event. And Kelly and RCR have been writing about T&M forever – so this is the place to be. Be there, or be sorry. 😉

Secondly, personality matters, right? But so too does policy and content – if personality comes to anything. Style and content, right? Anyone watching UK politics right now – indeed, anyone watching world politics – knows this very well. Without wishing to get into it, except that it is topical: populism holds sway (shame), by exploiting division in hard times, and amplifying it in (social) media. Etc etc. But it will be found out unless, firstly, there is credible policy behind it, and, secondly, there is lived experience that it delivers results. UK politics has none of that: no story, and no one to deliver it anyway. Which is a half-assed rant, and a smart-assed way into a discussion about telecoms.

Anyone watching US telecoms right now – indeed, anyone watching global telecoms – knows very well that T-Mobile looks like it has this narrative logic sussed: a carrier with clear brand personality, backed by technical substance, tied to a coherent vision about where the industry is headed. It is not just talking about the future of networks; it is plotting a course, one announcement at a time, to bring that future into the present. In the end, it is telling a good story – arguably better than any other operator right now. Although Verizon has told a version of it for some time, and AT&T has done the same more recently. But T-Mobile’s plot twists are better.

To the point that its old ‘uncarrier’ shtick, as the disruptive agitator among the establishment brands, sounds a little screwy – because T-Mobile is starting to look like the one to catch in US telecoms. To wit: it has just issued two very different press releases, which present it as a premium consumer brand, tied to one of the world’s quintessential elite establishment sports (golf), and as a live testbed go-to for aristocratic vendor firms to put their R&D through its paces. There is some symmetry, too: its sponsorship of the PGA Championship goes with its tech support for America’s favourite every-man sporting pastime, Major League Baseball.

Meanwhile, its industry-first collaboration with Ericsson to move the Swedish firm’s link adaptation tech into the way of commercial 5G traffic is a consequence of the fact it retains a lead with its 5G Advanced rollout. Which is not about making this a kiss-assed editorial, either – T-Mobile has a way to go to catch these others for wireless revenues and subscribers, and even further to convince enterprises to churn away; plus it has none of the all-important fiber footprint, most immediately valuable to the AI ecosystem. But it has the best 5G network and the best 5G growth, and these things are big twists, which are well-connected in its marketing.

Read the story, linked below.

James Blackman
Executive Editor
RCR Wireless News

RCR Top Stories

T-Mobile plot twist: T-Mobile’s latest moves in AI-native RAN and private 5G for sports suggest a carrier evolving beyond its disruptive roots into something more formidable – the operator with the clearest story about where it’s all headed.

US 4GHz sharing: The US must share the 4GHz band instead of clearing federal users. Flexible licensing could support 5G/6G innovation, protect government operations, reduce costs, and enable local AI networks – says Dean Bubley.

Killer edge case: A Connect (X) panel with Intel, Ericsson, and Qualcomm made the case that AI inferencing is the demand the edge has been waiting for – and that power, real estate, and labor are the next bottlenecks.

Neocloud supplies: Indosat’s CEO told RCR it expects its neocloud revenue to reach about $170 million over three years as the Indonesian operator expands AI infra, cloud services, and ecosystem development beyond major urban centers.

KT’s AI changes: KT is to deepen its AI change strategy across consumer and enterprise markets, expanding sector-specific AI services, agentic AI platforms, and AI-driven customer operations.

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Beyond the Headlines

Microgrid woes: Facing years-long utility delays, data center developers are turning to microgrids for faster power access. Enchanted Rock’s Allan Schurr discusses the deployment hurdles they must take note of as BYOP becomes reality.

DC optics coalition: A number of companies have signed a cooperation deal to build open interoperable specs for expanded beam optics (EBO) connectors. So far, the group involves 17 companies, including 3M, Oracle, Meta, and AMD.

Vodafone on AI: Vodafone has outlined how AI will reshape telco networks and operations, while also reporting stronger revenues, improved profits, robust African growth, and broadband momentum in the UK with a new FWA offer.

Verizon on edge: Verizon is ramping up its infra investments, increasing network build activity by 20% year-on-year. The carrier is positioning itself for a future defined by real-time edge computing and API-driven network capabilities.

EU 5G shortfall: The GSMA is lobbying the EU for sweeping regulatory reform in as telcos face a €475 billion investment gap to catch up with rivals in other regions – and to deliver the sovereign infrastructure for Europe to compete in AI.

What We’re Reading

EchoStar spectrum: The FCC has approved EchoStar’s $40bn spectrum sales to AT&T and SpaceX, aiming to expand 5G, accelerate D2C, boost rural connectivity, and strengthen US leadership in next-generation wireless.

Siemens orders rise: Siemens has reported an 11% rise in Q1 orders, boosted by demand from data centers, utilities, and defense firms – despite weaker sales and profits and mounting geopolitical uncertainty linked to Iran.

Nordic tech alliance: Nokia and Ericsson have joined over 25 Nordic firms to launch a regional alliance focused on capital markets, deep tech, defense, and energy – to strengthen Nordic competitiveness, resilience, and industrial work.

Fiber quotes in mins: GTT has upgraded its EnvisionDX platform with real-time pricing and automated quoting for secure fiber services across 11 million global business locations, aiming to simplify and accelerate sales cycles.

Telenet private cloud: Telenet Business is modernizing its private cloud with Red Hat to consolidate VMs and containers across Belgian data centers – with an aim to improve sovereignty, automation, resiliency, and flexibility.

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