Telecoms.com Weekly #128
Telecoms.com
Providing news & analysis on Digital Transformation, 4G/LTE, 5G, AI, IoT, Virtualization, Security, Broadband and more.
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GPT-5 Faces Backlash: OpenAI's Latest Model Underwhelms Users Despite Lofty Promises
OpenAI's much-anticipated GPT-5 rollout has sparked significant user dissatisfaction, with many claiming the new model feels like a downgrade from its predecessor. Despite CEO Sam Altman's bold claims that GPT-5 works like "a legitimate PhD-level expert in any area you need on demand," users are reporting numerous issues including sluggish responses, hallucinations, and surprising errors in basic tasks.
O2 and Freshwave Boost Coastal Connectivity: Small Cell Deployment Transforms Cornwall's Digital Landscape
Virgin Media O2 has partnered with infrastructure provider Freshwave to significantly enhance mobile connectivity in Cornwall's popular coastal towns through an innovative small cell deployment. The initiative has already delivered five small cells in St Ives and three in Newquay, with five additional sites scheduled to go live in the coming weeks.
AST SpaceMobile Secures $64.5M S-Band Spectrum Deal as Telco-Satellite Partnerships Accelerate
AST SpaceMobile has announced a strategic $64.5 million acquisition of global S-Band spectrum priority rights, significantly expanding its capabilities as telco-satellite collaborations reach new heights across the industry. The agreement, finalized on August 5, 2025, provides the company with ITU priority rights to Mobile Satellite Services frequencies in the 1980-2010 MHz and 2170-2200 MHz ranges for low Earth orbit operations.
Trump Administration Secures Additional Apple Manufacturing Investment Commitment for US
Apple has announced plans to significantly increase its manufacturing presence in the United States following renewed pressure from the Trump administration. The tech giant has committed to expanding its US-based production capabilities beyond its current $100 billion investment in American suppliers and manufacturers.
Orange Leads Telecom Industry in Adopting OpenAI's New Open-Weight LLMs
Orange has positioned itself at the forefront of AI innovation by becoming one of the first companies globally to deploy OpenAI's newly released open-weight reasoning models. The operator announced it will implement both the gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b models across its infrastructure, marking a significant advancement in its AI strategy, particularly for its African operations.
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Connectivity is nothing without security. Small cells and coastal deployments open up new opportunities — but also new attack surfaces. BlackGrid is already working to ensure UK telecoms can roll out innovation like this without exposing networks to fraud, insider abuse, or AI-powered threats. Always watching. Always learning. Never sleeping. #Telecommunications #CyberSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalInfrastructure #FraudPrevention