The GSMA board outlined the industry’s connectivity priorities, calling for action on smartphone affordability, online scams and network investment while backing closer international cooperation on future 6G standards.

Following a board meeting in New Delhi, India, the industry association stated that although 97% of the global population live within mobile broadband coverage, 3.4 billion people remain unconnected to mobile internet. The cost of devices remains a significant barrier, with an entry-level internet-enabled handset equivalent to 44% of average monthly income for the poorest 20% of people in low- and middle-income countries.

The GSMA highlighted potential measures to improve affordability including financing schemes, targeted tax cuts and closer cooperation between device makers and memory suppliers.

It also identified scams and fraud as a growing threat, warning that although the mobile industry continues to strengthen network detection and cyber defence tools, “no single sector can tackle the threat alone”. The GSMA noted AI-generated content and deepfakes further add to risks for consumers, public trust and government objectives, calling on the industry to “join forces to counter scams with practical solutions”.

Sustained investment
The GSMA also highlighted the need for network investment and supportive policy to accelerate connectivity growth. It found mobile technologies and services generated $6 trillion in economic value in 2025, equivalent to 6.4% of global GDP. This figure is forecast to reach $11.3 trillion by 2030.

In addition, operators are projected to invest $1.2 trillion in capital expenditure between 2025 and 2030 to expand and upgrade networks, with 57% of mobile connections expected to use 5G by the end of the decade.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath said the sector’s next priority must be to translate 5G expansion into “meaningful value”, ensuring more people can participate in the digital economy. “This will require sustained investment, enabling policy and collaboration across the wider ecosystem,” he stressed.

Looking ahead, the industry association reiterated its support for global standards and harmonised spectrum as 6G development continues. It highlighted countries representing more than 80% of the world’s population support mobile use of the upper 6GHz band, which could provide the 200MHz to 400MHz channel bandwidths expected to be needed for 6G.

GSMA chair Gopal Vittal said that “by working through global standards and collaborating across markets, we can accelerate innovation, strengthen trust and resilience” as the industry develops the next generation of connectivity.

The post GSMA puts 6G, AI threats, digital inclusion in focus appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) reportedly claimed the company had reached the “frontier” of AI, as it unveiled two new models designed to handle complex personal and professional tasks.

Following hefty investments in computing infrastructure and research, the technology giant said Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI mark “our most capable models to date”.

The models can handle tasks ranging from coding and document analysis to interpreting legal information, personal finance and health data.

Among key features is Active Memory, enabling the retention of relevant user information across conversations. The agents are also equipped with Active Focus to help them continue pursuing longer tasks, adapt to new information, recover from errors and ask users for clarification before taking important actions.

Meta claimed its evaluations showed strong results across benchmarks covering agent performance, memory and coding, adding the advanced Muse Wonder Full version performs better on unfamiliar tasks.

Built responsibly
Unlike its earlier open-source strategy, Meta is offering Muse Wonder through its own developer and subscription channels in a direct challenge to AI chatbots from rivals including OpenAI and Anthropic. According to the Financial Times (FT), Meta said it would charge companies from between 20 cents per million tokens for basic access to as much as $200 a month for the more powerful Muse Wonder Full. 

Speaking to the publication on the launch in which he made the comment about frontier AI, Zuckerberg added the new models would enable “much more sophisticated behaviours that are at the frontier of what is being done in the AI field”.

Meta claims Muse Wonder surpasses Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 and Fable 5.1 and OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra on certain technical measures.

Zuckerberg added that reaching this point required “a large amount of compute and investment” alongside sustained research. He told the FT that further model development and spending was under way, stating the company was “already working on the next step up”.

The chief also played down mounting concerns about increasingly capable AI systems escaping human control, declaring: “I’m much closer to the belief that AI is a technology that can be engineered with normal guardrails and built responsibly.”

Meta said its new models were trained to prevent unauthorised disclosure of private information and reject requests to facilitate harmful actions, while retaining agentic capabilities for defensive cybersecurity work.

The post Meta boss takes AI fight to rivals with Muse launches appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Elon Musk pledged to make Starlink affordable in India as he renewed his attack on billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s (pictured) telecoms dominance, days before Jio Platforms launches a record-breaking IPO.

In a series of posts on social media platform X, the SpaceX chief argued that competition from Starlink would benefit Indian consumers by expanding connectivity options. “The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving them more choices, as it always does,” he explained, adding, “Ambani’s profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business”.

Musk also dismissed claims that Starlink would struggle to compete with Jio’s low-cost data plans while also posing a threat to the incumbent operator. “This is absurd hypocrisy and hyperbole,” he said.

His comments come as Jio Platforms targets a valuation of around $106 billion, according to Reuters, in a planned IPO that could become India’s largest-ever listing. The business includes telecoms operation Reliance Jio, which reported 524.4 million subscribers at the end of March, including 268.5 million 5G customers.

“Prime Minister Ambani“
Musk has escalated his criticism of India’s regulatory process in recent days, accusing authorities and “certain oligarchs” of delaying Starlink’s entry into the country to maintain a “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”.

In a separate post on Friday (9 October), he sarcastically addressed the Jio Platforms-owner as “Prime Minister Ambani” and asked whether he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete”.

He argued satellite connectivity could bring internet access to underserved communities, improve educational opportunities and enable small businesses to reach international markets.

“Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India,” he wrote, adding “Starlink would change their lives for the better”.

India’s Ministry of Communications has rejected allegations of discriminatory treatment, stating that Starlink and incumbents Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio were at broadly the same stage of the regulatory process. All three have secured initial approvals but remain subject to outstanding security clearances before they can obtain spectrum access.

The post Musk takes fresh swipe at Ambani as Jio IPO looms appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Nvidia is reportedly in talks to either acquire or increase its investment in open-source start-up Reflection AI, as it seeks to strengthen its position in open-weight AI models and challenge lower cost Chinese rivals.

Sources told the Financial Times (FT) discussions remain at an early stage and could lead to a full acquisition, further equity investment or a deal covering chips and computing capacity. An acqui-hire, under which Nvidia would recruit staff and license technology, is another option.

A deal could apparently be reached in the coming weeks, though the terms under discussion remain unclear.

According to the report, Nvidia has already invested $800 million in Reflection AI, which was valued at $25 billion in a March funding round. Founded in 2024 by former Google DeepMind researchers, the start-up develops AI models and tools for software development.

Reflection launched its first open-weight model, Beam, last week, targeting coding and agentic tasks as it looks to compete with Chinese models such as DeepSeek and Kimi.

Open-weight models allow businesses and developers to customise AI systems and run them on their own infrastructure, potentially cutting costs compared with closed services such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

Although Nvidia has its own Nemotron family of open-weight models, FT said it lacks a frontier-scale model of its own. In an essay published in July, CEO Jensen Huang called for a domestic open-weight “ecosystem” across the US, arguing it was essential for “creating opportunities for innovation and prosperity across the country”. “In fact, openness may be one of the most important paths to AI safety and security,” he argued, adding “relying solely on closed models is not inherently safe” as “they can be breached, misused, or fail in ways that outsiders cannot detect”.

Reflection AI has also secured substantial computing capacity from SpaceX. The deal, struck in June, gives the start-up access to Nvidia’s GB300 chips at SpaceX’s Colossus 2 facility in Memphis, Tennessee, for $150 million per month through 2029.

The post Nvidia weighs Reflection AI acquisition appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Indian authorities rejected Elon Musk’s allegations about Starlink’s regulatory roadblocks, BT rescued TalkTalk in a £400 million deal and Deutsche Telekom (DT) looked to capitalise on sovereign AI demand.

India hits back at Musk over Starlink oligarch claims

What happened: India’s Ministry of Communications rebuked Elon Musk’s accusation that Indian oligarchs were blocking Starlink’s launch in the country and seeking to preserve a “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”, stressing its satellite communications framework is “fair and non-discriminatory”.

Why it matters: The watchdog explained Starlink, along with Indian telecom incumbents Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, are all at the same stage of the regulatory process. Each operator must complete security assessments before they can seek spectrum, with final clearances pending. Musk has previously clashed with Reliance Jio owner Mukesh Ambani over satellite spectrum access in the country. Starlink’s protracted approval process in India has lasted four years, with security requirements and spectrum access among key issues. Its presence in the country has also been complicated by reports that Starlink equipment was recovered across parts of the country, claims Musk said do not indicate an illegal active service in India.

Manas Mody, founder of business consultancy FX & Float, said the regulatory debate was “broader than a contest between Musk and operators” because “there could be legitimate regulatory and security considerations behind the resistance”, adding India “has done considerable work to secure its critical digital infrastructure”. “While Musk’s concerns may have some merit, I believe there’s likely more to this than just a conspiracy involving oligarchs,” he argued, adding Starlink is “unlikely to make a significant dent in India’s consumer telecom market” at its planned pricing as its “real opportunity lies in improving connectivity in underserved regions and remote hubs”.

India hits back at Musk over Starlink oligarch claims

BT strikes £400M deal for TalkTalk

What happened: BT Group agreed a £400 million deal to acquire TalkTalk’s consumer and wholesale businesses out of administration, bringing 2.5 million customers and around 900 employees under its ownership.

Why it matters: The acquisition prevents the UK broadband provider from folding and potentially disrupting services for millions of customers. TalkTalk reported £1.2 billion in revenue in the past 12 months but was loss-making following a prolonged, unsuccessful sales process. BT CEO Allison Kirkby called the situation “genuinely unprecedented”, warning millions of citizens, businesses and public services were at risk if TalkTalk collapsed. She said the acquisition was “the only viable option to keep millions of customers connected and supported”, with the BT adding the business can become value accretive if it is stabilised.

Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at FDM CCS Insight, said the deal “will inevitably also evoke scrutiny from regulators keen to ensure a fair and competitive playing field”, given BT’s “strong position in the broadband market”. He added that this was particularly relevant after competition authorities raised concerns over Nexfibre’s planned acquisition of fellow broadband player Netomnia.

For TalkTalk, Mann said the deal “cements a painful decline” as the company “failed to respond sufficiently to a fast-changing and increasingly competitive market”. Its demise, he warned, should be “a stark warning to any value-focused telecom provider”.

BT strikes £400M deal for TalkTalk

DT eyes sovereign AI revenue bump

What happened: DT set out plans to turn rising demand for sovereign AI into a new revenue stream, targeting around €250 million in non-US AI-related revenue this year and approximately €800 million by 2030.

Why it matters: The German operator noted European businesses and public institutions seeking AI capabilities while retaining control of data and operations presented a key opportunity, describing sovereign AI as a “growth business”.To that end, DT said it is developing an automation platform for SMEs and expanding AI customer service offerings. CEO Timotheus Hoettges stressed it is crucial AI “delivers measurable value” across the business.

Jamie Escott, account director at Vodafone Business Security Enhanced, said DT’s projected €2.5 billion reduction in indirect costs by 2030 highlights “the growing importance of AI moving beyond experimentation and into large-scale operational deployment”. He added organisations are increasingly focusing on “measurable outcomes such as productivity, efficiency and service quality”. Meanwhile, Jean-Philippe Romieu, executive director for cloud and AI professional services at Microsoft Germany, described DT’s strategy as a “telco blueprint”, pointing to use cases included network integrated AI, autonomous infrastructure and AI-assisted operations. However, he flagged issues including volatile compute costs and market adoption, warning DT’s success “relies heavily on European enterprises prioritising data localisation over hyperscaler pricing and performance”.

DT eyes sovereign AI revenue bump

The post The Friday File: Starlink; TalkTalk; DT appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Indian authorities pushed back against Elon Musk’s claims that unnamed oligarchs were blocking Starlink from launching in the country, stating all three prospective operators remain broadly at the same stage of the regulatory process.

In a post on X, Musk accused “certain oligarchs” of trying to maintain a “monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people”, adding “you can guess who they are…” without naming the parties involved. “This is a crime against the people of India!” he wrote.

In a statement, India’s Ministry of Communications rejected the allegation, explaining its satellite communications framework is “fair and non-discriminatory”. It said assessments are currently underway for all licensed operators in India, with each required to meet security conditions before it can seek spectrum.

“At present, all the three entities are at broadly the same regulatory stage,” the ministry said, calling claims of discriminatory treatment “baseless and misconceived”.

The country’s telecoms sector is dominated by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel. Both operators, alongside Musk’s Starlink, have secured initial approvals for satellite services but are awaiting spectrum assignment and final clearances.

Starlink’s approval process has stretched over four years, with security requirements and spectrum access among the key issues under scrutiny. Musk has previously clashed with Ambani over India’s satellite spectrum allocation, although both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel later struck agreements with the tech mogul to distribute Starlink services in the country.

The US satellite venture’s regulatory wait has also been marred by security concerns. Local media reports stated authorities recovered illegal Starlink equipment in two separate operations in late 2024, including a drug seizure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and an army search in the northeastern state of Manipur.

This week, Musk also disputed any suggestion the equipment was connected to an active Starlink service in India, posting on X that its satellite beams were “turned off over India” and “never on in the first place”.

The post India hits back at Musk over Starlink oligarch claims appeared first on Mobile World Live.

US non-profit Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute declared OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk” and called for the company to halt access for users aged under 18-years until safeguards are independently tested and improved.

The institute tested more than 4,000 prompts across ChatGPT accounts registered to users aged 13 to 17 years-old before and after the teen-focused service launched in August.

Although some safeguards including the chatbot’s refusal to engage in explicit sexual roleplay functioned as expected, several other protections failed to operate.

“We call on OpenAI to pause marketing the product and to keep teens off of ChatGPT until it can offer a safe, developmentally appropriate experience,” the institute stated.

The biggest concern were parental notifications. In dedicated tests, parent-linked accounts generated no alerts during conversations involving high-risk topics including suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, including sessions lasting up to an hour. Broader testing triggered four notifications which only appeared on older accounts with weeks of sensitive history, with some arriving hours or days after crisis-level disclosures.

In addition, ChatGPT for Teens did not reliably refer high-risk accounts to a crisis hotline or professional help. The AI chatbot missed more than one-in-four situations where a crisis referral was warranted, falling below its 95% threshold in three-of-five severe harm categories.

The institute further claimed OpenAI’s age estimation technology repeatedly failed to shift adult-registered test accounts into the teen experience. It also found ChatGPT continued to use language which “simulates preferences and feelings, validates and engages, and continues engagement”, despite the AI company’s updated guidelines for those aged under 18-years.

Mental health
The AI player introduced parental controls and safety notifications to ChatGPT in 2025, stating its systems could identify potential signs of self-harm and alert parents in cases of acute distress.

ChatGPT For Teens emphasised learning, age-appropriate safeguards and parental controls designed to limit exposure to sensitive content.

OpenAI has been hit with a number of lawsuits from parents across the US alleging its chatbot encouraged at-risk teenagers to engage in self-harm, suicide or violent crimes.

In 2025, the US Federal Trade Commission reportedly launched an investigation into OpenAI, Meta Platforms and Character.AI over concerns chatbots were affecting children’s mental health.

The post ChatGPT for Teens deemed to pose unacceptable risk appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Elon Musk (pictured) ruled out Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) taking an operational role in Terafab, the billionaire’s advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the US state of Texas.

The tech mogul explained TSMC’s only potential involvement under discussion is leasing part of the planned site. “Maybe TSMC subleases part of the Terafab if they want, but nothing more than that,” he said in a post on X. He added: “No, we will build and run the fab. Let there be zero doubt about that.”

The comments clarify Musk’s earlier remarks on X that he was in discussions with TSMC and that “something may come of it”, which fuelled speculation that the Taiwanese chipmaker could become involved in operating the facility being developed by SpaceX and Tesla.

Meanwhile, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan told Bloomberg the company will continue working with Musk on Terafab, following questions over Intel’s role in the project after Musk disclosed discussions with TSMC. The chipmaker signed up as a development partner in April, working with SpaceX, Tesla and xAI on silicon fab technology for the project.

SpaceX and Tesla announced the Terafab project in August, stating it would combine chip manufacturing, advanced packaging and testing for logic and memory devices at a site projected to exceed 100 million square feet. The facility will produce chips for Musk’s companies, including processors for Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robots and self-driving Cybercabs, alongside high-power chips for SpaceX’s ambitious orbital AI data centres.

The post Musk plays down TSMC presence at AI fab facility appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Amazon committed more than $1 billion over the next five years to support communities hosting its data centres in a bid to address mounting opposition to AI infrastructure.

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman announced the investment in an essay defending data centre development, arguing the buildout is needed for the US to remain competitive in the global AI race.

“Data centres bring considerable tax revenue, positive economic impact, large numbers of good jobs, education programs and other benefits to the communities where they’re built,” he wrote.

The new programme will fund education, workforce training, local hiring, energy upgrades, water and energy preservation projects and grants for local initiatives. Amazon added local communities will help determine how the funding is used.

The company said it expects to connect more than 300,000 students to free degree programmes in data centre communities over five years. It also plans to expand its network of training centres, alongside grants for energy efficiency upgrades targeting more than 300 schools and community buildings and over 30,000 homes.

Amazon also pledged to stop using nondisclosure agreements with government agencies involved in its data centre projects, explaining it would publish annual information on energy consumption, water use and efficiency.

Losing ticket
Data centre expansion has been facing growing backlash across the world over power demand, water consumption, land disruption, noise and environmental impact. In July, New York became the first US state to introduce a one-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale facilities requiring 50 megawatts of power or more, citing environmental concerns, pressure on the energy grid and costs for residents.

Garman warned data centre moratoriums could leave the country behind in the global AI race. “If these measures are enacted, the US could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations,” he said.

He also pushed back against concerns over water consumption, electricity prices and emissions from backup generators, describing several commonly cited claims as “myths”, “misinformation and outright lies”. He explained direct data centre water consumption accounts for about 0.5% of total US industrial water use and that backup generators remain idle 99.9% of the time.

The post Amazon pledges $1B to ease data centre backlash appeared first on Mobile World Live.