The GSMA lined up the board which will guide the organisation through key decisions around 6G, satellite connectivity and spectrum, with six new companies represented and fresh faces at some existing members.

Its overall board remains at 26 members, though the company representation is shifted with Axiata Group; Millicom; NTT Docomo; Ooredoo Group; stc; and Telstra joining the ranks.

By contrast, Ethio Telecom; KDDI; KT; Telenor; TIM; and Veon are not among the names of the next board.

Companies remaining on board but with different representatives comprise AT&T; China Telecom; China Unicom; China Mobile; Deutsche Telekom; e&; Globe Telecom; and Telefonica.

America Movil; Bharti Airtel; BT Group, Liberty Global; MTN Group; Orange; Reliance Jio; Personal (previously Telecom Argentina); Turkcell; Verizon; and Vodafone Group continue with the same representatives.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath rounds the board out.

The technical developments scheduled for the next board’s tenure include setting initial 6G standards, establishing regulatory frameworks for satellite and NTN communications, and spectrum allocations. The ITU’s WRC-27 is scheduled to take place in October and November 2027.

A key focus for the GSMA’s next board is the impact of AI on the mobile sector. Current chair Gopal Vittal said the technology and “open digital platforms” are opportunities to “create significant economic and societal value”, which the organisation would work to unlock.

Vittal is keen to see a continued focus on “digital safety and trust”, along with tackling connectivity and usage gaps.

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Deutsche Telekom detailed moves to capitalise on growing demand for sovereign AI services in Europe, setting revenue goals in the millions of euros range as part of broader ambitions involving businesses and public institutions.

The German-headquartered operator believes the European sovereign sector to be a leading opportunity for it outside the US market.

It noted companies and public bodies are keen to reap the automation benefits of AI “while retaining control over data and operations”. Deutsche Telekom stated the sector is “becoming a growth business” and it would continue striking relevant partnerships to tap the rise.

The operator highlighted work to produce an automation platform for small- and medium-sized businesses covering recurring jobs as another AI-related move.

All told, it hopes to book annual revenue of around €250 million from non-US AI activities this year and about €800 million by 2030.

Deutsche Telekom believes the AI opportunities go beyond the obvious, predicting phone calls are set to benefit from the technology in several ways.

It offers a real-time translation service for mobile phone calls, part of an assistant which can also field questions and provide content summaries. Deutsche Telekom believes there is “an opportunity for additional services” and tariffs.

Deutsche Telekom board members are gearing up to explain to investors how its current and future work with AI is creating revenue.

CEO Timotheus Hoettges said the technology presents opportunities around service personalisation, network management and security.

He said it is important the “technology delivers measurable value” across the organisation.

More than 100,000 staff have been trained in using AI for predictive maintenance tasks, while around 2.6 million customers used its chatbot for service queries in H1.

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BT Group stepped in to acquire TalkTalk’s consumer and wholesale businesses out of administration, effectively preventing a collapse of one of the UK’s major broadband providers.

The deal will result in a total cash impact of £400 million in BT’s current financial year, which runs to 31 March 2027, involving the purchase price and other costs.

BT stated TalkTalk had embarked on a prolonged but ultimately unsuccessful sales process for its operations and it took action after recognising the risk to the country, especially vulnerable customers and key public services “should the company collapse”.

The deal will bring BT 1.5 million retail customers and 1 million wholesale customers across the UK.

BT stated TalkTalk reported revenue of £1.2 billion and “was loss-making” in the last 12 months, but it is confident the company would become value accretive as the business is stabilised and synergies realised.

CEO Allison Kirkby described the situation as “genuinely unprecedented”, saying millions of citizens and businesses were at risk if TalkTalk had collapsed.

She said the acquisition was “the only viable option to keep millions of customers connected and supported”.

The deal faces an antitrust review given BT owns UK broadband company Openreach, which is a major TalkTalk rival.

However, the government has issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice due to the impact a collapse of TalkTalk could have on vital phone and broadband services.

The Competition and Markets Authority is to report its findings to the government by 19 October.

Stark warning
Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at FDM CCS Insight, said the BT deal cements “a painful decline” of one of the UK’s most established broadband providers and its demise should serve “as a stark warning to any value-focused telecom provider”.

“With a clear value-for-money proposition, it should have been thriving amid continued concerns over the cost of living. But it failed to respond sufficiently to a fast-changing and increasingly competitive market, became burdened with debt following a buy-out in 2021 and regularly suffered with poor perception over service.”

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Ghana awarded 5G spectrum licences to Telecel Group and MTN’s local unit, ending the exclusive wholesale-network model previously used for the country’s 5G rollout, Bloomberg reported.

The exclusivity previously belonged to Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a joint venture (JV) combining Reliance Industries’ Radisys unit, Tech Mahindra, Nokia, and the Ghanaian government, alongside local partners Telecel and AT Ghana.

The JV aimed to reproduce India’s low-cost mobile data model by allowing operators to share infrastructure, but rollout delays prevented it from meeting its targets. Ghana’s government cancelled NGIC’s concession years before its scheduled expiry in 2034 and moved to direct competitive bidding.

Under the new arrangement, Telecel and MTN will build out their own independent networks.

“We plan to launch the service in December this year on our own network,” Telecel CEO Moh Damush told Bloomberg.

Ghana had 49 operational 5G sites earlier this year, compared with a target of 1,200 by 2027. The new licensing model allows established operators to use their existing network footprints to expand coverage. A filing on the Accra bourse showed MTN secured two lots of 700MHz spectrum and three in the 3GHz band, with each 15-year licence priced at about $100 million.

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BT Business rolled out a new AI suite in the UK to help businesses adopt the technology while overcoming complexity and security concerns which may be holding them back.

The operator stated AI from BT was introduced following research it conducted which revealed 66% of small businesses recognise the potential benefits of AI, but more than half are not yet realising its full-value.

It highlighted AI Receptionist as a standout feature. BT stated it can help businesses manage customer enquiries “around the clock” and never miss a call.

BT stated small businesses in the UK can lose £3.7 billion per year through missed calls, with 67% missing at least one potentially valuable call on an average day.

It stated AI Receptionist can simplify management of appointments, and provide a more efficient system for follow-ups and a tailored customer experience, with customisable voice and accent options.

The company stated it would be particularly useful across trades and field-based businesses, for estate agents, legal and financial services, the hospitality sector and retailers.

Other tools include an AI Adoption Hub offering practical guides, prompt packs, expert insights and real-world examples of businesses using the technology.

BT Business CEO Jon James said AI has the potential to drive growth in the UK “but many businesses are struggling to know how to begin and how adopt simply and securely”.

“AI Receptionist is the first step in the journey, helping businesses capture every opportunity, reduce admin and deliver responsive, personalised service around the clock, while keeping their customer data protected.”

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Verizon took its board to 10 members with the appointment of private equity guru Charles Phillips (pictured), a move framed as being about his financial leadership at a time when some shareholders are concerned about the operator’s management structure.

Phillips is co-founder and managing partner of technology company-focused private equity outfit Recognise Partners. Among past experiences are top-line roles with enterprise resource planning company Infor, Oracle and Morgan Stanley.

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman lauded Phillips’ “distinctive experience in technology, financial and regulatory environments”, comments hinting at why the operator was keen to have him on board.

The boss hopes Phillips will help Verizon to “innovate faster” by focusing on customer service.

Schulman also said he hopes the latest board member would help the operator “drive sustainable, long-term value for our shareholders”, something foremost in the minds of some shareholders which are keen for policies to be set governing Verizon’s management structure.

Pressure
The US National Legal and Policy Centre (NLPC) used Verizon’s AGM earlier this year to call for a current separation in the roles of CEO and chair to be formalised, with the latter post to be held by an independent director.

It expressed concern over Schulman’s competence, asserting he “presided over catastrophic value destruction” and politicised business decisions while CEO of PayPal.

The NLPC argued Verizon stock performed below par under previous CEO Hans Vestberg, who was concurrently chair “for most of his tenure”.

Verizon is keeping the posts separate for now, with Mark Bertolini chairing.

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AT&T agreed a multi-year fibre and cable deal valued at more than $3 billion with glass-specialist Corning to advance its converged strategy of mobile and broadband services.

AT&T CEO John Stankey has long been a proponent of fibre as the basis for the company reaching 60 million consumer and business locations by 2030.

The mobile operator achieved its goal of passing more than 30 million locations in June 2026, six months ahead of schedule.

In its most recent Q2 results, AT&T recorded 646,000 total consumer and business internet net adds, comprised of 367,000 fibre and 279,000 fixed wireless access connections, which marked a record quarter for combined fibre and fixed wireless additions.

The two companies signed a multi-year fibre agreement two years ago worth $1 billion. AT&T was also a core investor with Corning in 2022 on a new cable manufacturing facility in the state of Arizona.

Based on Ookla Speedtest data from almost 1,700 fixed internet providers in the US in the first half of 2026, lead industry analyst Mike Dano estimated AT&T and Verizon made up about 60% of the fibre Speedtest samples to lead the fibre charge.

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