MEF Mobile News

Samsung Bets Big on Trifold Future

Samsung is unveiling its first trifold smartphone at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea later this month, a move aimed at reinforcing its position in the foldable segment.

The device features two hinges, letting it function as a standard smartphone or a larger tablet when fully opened, showcasing innovation in mobile form factors.

The APEC summit offers a global stage, though attendees will likely only see it under glass ahead of a wider commercial launch later this year.

Samsung pioneered foldables in 2019, and competition is heating up with Huawei already offering trifolds and Apple preparing its first folding iPhone. The trifold could reshape how apps and content are consumed across the mobile ecosystem. Foldable tech, bigger screens, new experiences.

Turkey’s 5G Auction Smashes Expectations

Turkey’s 5G spectrum auction has raised nearly $3 billion, surpassing government expectations and setting the stage for nationwide services next April.

Turkcell led spending with over $1.2 billion, followed closely by Turk Telekom and Vodafone, acquiring blocks in both 700MHz and 3.5GHz bands.

Eleven frequency packages totaling 400MHz were sold, including extended rights for existing next-gen bands through 2042.

Analysts say the auction not only accelerates Turkey’s mobile ecosystem and 5G rollout but also signals robust telecom investment in the region, with widespread impact on mobile services, IoT, and enterprise connectivity. A major boost for Turkey’s digital future.

France’s Altice Blocks €17B Telecom Deal

Altice France has rejected a €17 billion takeover bid from a consortium of Bouygues, Iliad, and Orange for its telecom unit SFR, blocking a move that would have broken up the operator and reshaped France’s mobile market.

The offer falls short of Altice owner Patrick Drahi’s €30 billion valuation, and regulators remain cautious about further market consolidation.

The deal would have allocated SFR’s enterprise and consumer assets among the three bidders, with shared infrastructure, raising competition concerns for subscribers.

Shares of Bouygues and Orange jumped on the news, while Altice’s bonds strengthened.

The standoff highlights the tension between debt-laden operators and the need for scale to invest in next-generation mobile networks.

Samsung Powers Vodafone’s Open Network Push

Samsung said it will serve as Vodafone’s primary vendor in Germany under a major five-year open RAN deal, with deployments already live in Hannover and Wismar planned for early 2026.

The South Korean company will roll out thousands of 2G, 4G, and 5G sites across Germany and other European markets, using O-RAN-compliant radios and massive MIMO technology.

Vodafone’s chief network officer Alberto Ripepi described open RAN as a key step in the operator’s network evolution.

The agreement follows rival Ericsson’s claims to remain a major vendor in Germany, Romania, and Egypt, highlighting competition over Vodafone’s European rollout.

Open networks, bigger coverage.

AI Gets Adult Mode

OpenAI plans to allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content, as part of a new “treat adult users like adults” policy.

The update, coming in December, will also let users customize their AI assistant’s personality, from more human-like responses to friend-like behavior. OpenAI will age-gate the feature, though details on verification and safeguards are not yet clear.

For under-18 users, a separate ChatGPT experience blocks graphic and sexual content. CEO Sam Altman said stricter safety controls had previously limited ChatGPT’s usefulness for many adults.

The move follows concerns over AI’s effects on children and regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. FTC. Adult access is expanding cautiously.

ChatGPT 5 Faces Safety Backlash

Meanwhile, new research has found OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT model is giving more harmful answers than its previous version.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate tested 120 prompts about suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders — and found GPT‑5 gave harmful responses 63 times, compared with 52 for GPT‑4o. In one test, GPT‑5 wrote a fictional suicide note that the older model refused to produce.

The group said the findings show AI firms are “trading safety for engagement.” OpenAI has promised stronger guardrails for minors after a U.S. teen’s death was linked to advice from ChatGPT.

UK regulator Ofcom says AI’s rapid evolution may soon require updates to the Online Safety Act.

North America’s Mobile Economy Soars

North America’s mobile economy is on track to top $3.7 trillion by 2030, more than double its current size, according to a new GSMA report.

The sector already contributed $1.6 trillion last year — about five percent of GDP — and supported 2.6 million jobs.

Fueled by 5G, AI, private networks, and IoT, connections are expected to surge, with U.S. 5G Fixed Wireless Access topping 25 million by decade’s end.

Operators plan $348 billion in capital expenditure to build next-generation networks, while innovations in open RAN, AI-driven systems, and satellite connectivity will power growth.

Mobile technologies will increasingly drive productivity across industries, not just consumer markets.