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What's up with... 6G forecasts, Telecom Italia, Vodafone. Sep 28, 2026 * GSMA Intelligence predicts 50 million 6G connections by the end of 2030 * Poste Italiane takes TIM stake to almost 86% * Vodafone teams with Digital Virgo to push payment APIs In today's industry news roundup: the GSMA's research arm forecasts there will be more than 50 million 6G connections by the end of 2030 and more than 740 million by the end of 2032; Poste Italian's takeover of TIM sees its stake bumped up to 85.82%; Vodafone strikes an API partnership with Digital Virgo to support payment providers in Europe and Africa; and much more! While some pre-standards deployments are expected in markets such as China and the US over the next couple of years, we're still years away from the mass global rollout of 6G cellular services, with initial commercial launches expected in some key markets in 2030. But the excitement about 6G's potential is ramping up, especially in relation to integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) capabilities, and industry analysts are already peering into their crystal balls. The team at GSMA Intelligence (GSMAi), the research arm of industry body GSMA, has just issued its 6G customer uptake forecast: It expects about 50 million 6G connections by the end of 2030, "representing only around 0.5% of the mobile connections base," followed by steady uptake that will result in 275 million 6G connections at the end of 2031 and nearly 740 million in 2032. "During 2033, 6G crosses the 1 billion mark, ending the year at approximately 1.3 billion connections, before reaching 1.9 billion in 2034 and 2.4 billion in 2035," notes the GSMAi team, adding: "The 2.4 billion connections forecast for 2035 should not be interpreted as representing a mature 6G market. More than three-quarters of the world's mobile connections will still be using an earlier technology, leaving considerable scope for migration beyond the end of the forecast period." For more on 6G developments and how some major mobile operators, including the likes of Verizon, SK Telecom, SoftBank Corp and BT are thinking about the next generation of mobile technology and services, see TelecomTV's recent free-to-download editorial report, The AI-Native Path to 6G. Poste Italiane's perseverance (and improved takeover offer) has paid off, as it now owns 85.82% of Telecom Italia (TIM) shares following an extended acquisition process. The state-owned provider of mail, financial and communications services had achieved majority ownership (66.62%) earlier in September, but its decision to extend its offer to buy stock from other shareholders has bumped its holding to almost 86%. Poste Italiane first announced its intention to acquire the national Italian telco in March. Vodafone has partnered with mobile payments firm Digital Virgo in an effort to drive adoption of standardised Open Gateway Network APIs across mobile payment providers in Europe and Africa. The partnership will see Digital Virgo integrate Vodafone network APIs into its monetisation offering, which is already used by more than 300 merchants and over 150 operators, while also working to make the new capabilities available to other companies in the payments space. Together they will integrate operator-grade identity, authentication and fraud prevention capabilities into carrier billing and mobile payment systems in order to make smartphone payments more trusted and reduce friction. Initially, the partnership covers five markets, including Germany, Greece, Spain, South Africa and the UK, with plans to extend it to more countries. Vodafone and Digital Virgo will focus on two key areas: Replacing SMS one-time password with Number Verify; and combining Open Gateway APIs to boost onboarding, account protection and fraud controls for merchants and digital service providers. SK Telecom has partnered with Samsung to build South Korea's first private 5G smart office at Hana Financial Group's new headquarters in Incheon. The connected office spans 16 floors and will support thousands of employees with connectivity for 5G-enabled laptops, tablets and mobile devices. For the project, Samsung provided its full-stack network of network solutions, including radios, baseband and cloud-native core to build a private 5G network on the dedicated 4.7GHz spectrum band. Samsung's standalone core solution enables network slicing, which will be used to provide Hana Financial Group and its subsidiaries access to separate network slices, allowing them to build dedicated environments tailored to their individual needs and security policies. Due to the high compliance requirements placed on financial institutions, Samsung and SKT also focused on security, with the private network encompassing enhanced encryption, a firewall, DDoS protection and a USIM-based authentication system which grants network access exclusively to authorised devices. "For AI and data to be used widely in day-to-day work, employees need a network that gives them secure, reliable access to internal systems and data from anywhere," said Kim Goo-Young, head of the Enterprise Business Office at SK Telecom. "Built on Samsung's core and radio solutions, that secure foundation is now in place - making this smart office a leading example of how we innovate the way the financial sector works." Helios Towers has announced a multi-year partnership with UNICEF that aims to expand internet connectivity and digital learning access for young people across Africa. The independent towerco, which operates in nine markets across Africa and Oman, will support the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in two of its flagship digital inclusion initiatives: Giga, which aims to connect every school in the world to the internet by 2030; and Learning Passport, which gives young people access to learning online and offline. The partnership will initially focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Tanzania, with additional support planned for a yet-to-be-named country in West Africa. Helios will provide its expertise in telecom infrastructure and work alongside UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to expand connectivity for schools and young people in underserved communities. UNICEF already works with a number of telco partners on its projects, including IHS Towers, which signed up to Giga in 2022. - The staff, TelecomTV Coming up on 29 September! Join experts from Dell Technologies, Intel and SUSE for a panel discussion on building the AI factory for telecom, exploring how CSPs can build the foundations for more intelligent, automated, sovereign and AI-ready networks. Register to watch live. AI-Native Telco Index: Our new report evaluates the AI-native progress of 56 telcos and identifies nine 'AI Vanguard' operators. Access the executive summary and find out how to access the full 276-page report.

Digital Virgo supports YouScribe's first Eastern european launch in partnership with Orange in Romania. * August 19, 2026 * Central Europe, Content Distribution Digital Virgo supports YouScribe's first Eastern european launch in partnership with Orange in Romania Digital Virgo supports YouScribe's first Eastern european launch in partnership with Orange in Romania. Romanian readers can now enjoy unlimited access to a vast digital library through YouScribe, powered by Digital Virgo's monetization, payment and distribution expertise in close partnership with Orange. This new launch marks YouScribe's first deployment in Eastern Europe while reinforcing Digital Virgo's long-term growth strategy in one of the region's most dynamic digital markets. Opening a new chapter for digital reading in Eastern Europe. Romania becomes the first country in Eastern Europe to welcome YouScribe, bringing Orange customers unlimited access to ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, comics, podcasts and educational resources to Orange customers across the country. This launch reflects a shared ambition between YouScribe, Orange and Digital Virgo: making digital reading and knowledge more accessible by combining premium content, frictionless mobile access and localized distribution. As YouScribe's long-standing global partner, Digital Virgo powers the end-to-end deployment of the service in partnership with Orange. By leveraging mobile-first distribution and localized monetization strategies, the Group enables YouScribe to rapidly expand its footprint into a new high-potential region. Building on a strong digital ecosystem in Romania. The launch of YouScribe marks another milestone in Digital Virgo's long-term development strategy in Romania, where the Group has been operating for more than a year and a half, supporting the development of premium digital services in close partnership with Orange. Building on the successful deployment of premium gaming, language learning, cognitive training and sports services, the launch of YouScribe further illustrates Digital Virgo's ambition to strengthen its presence in one of Central and Eastern Europe's fastest-growing digital markets. Romania is emerging as a high-potential market for digital services, driven by rapid advancements in connectivity and a growing appetite for digital experiences. According to the latest Data Reportal figures for 2026 insights, the country now counts 25.5 million mobile connections and 17.7 million internet users, representing an impressive 135% mobile penetration and 94% internet penetration, while broadband access now reaches virtually 100% of the population. According to Romania's National Authority for Communications (ANCOM), 5G connections have now surpassed 5 million, following a 45% year-over-year increase in 2025, creating an increasingly favorable environment for mobile-first experiences and digital content consumption. This digital momentum is also reshaping the country's e-learning landscape. According to Statista, Romania's online learning platforms market is projected to generate more than US$162 million in revenue in 2026, with steady growth expected through 2031 and projected CAGR of 3.22% between 2026 and 2031, illustrating the increasing adoption of accessible digital learning solutions and reinforcing the country's strong potential for subscription-based educational services such as YouScribe. A growing digital library where international bestsellers meet local Romanian content. Orange customers in Romania can now benefit from access to YouScribe's global catalogue of more than one million digital titles, including ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, comics, podcasts and educational resources. Covering literature, education, business, personal development and entertainment, the platform combines a broad international selection with a growing catalogue of Romanian-language books developed through local partnerships. To support this launch, YouScribe is collaborating with key Romanian publishers and authors to integrate local and culturally relevant content and publications, promoting national literature while offering readers an increasingly diverse digital library. With unlimited online and offline access across mobile and desktop devices, personalized recommendations and new content added continuously, YouScribe delivers a comprehensive reading experience designed to meet the evolving expectations of Romanian readers. Powering international growth through Digital Virgo's distribution ecosystem. Beyond enabling payments, Digital Virgo delivers the entire ecosystem required to successfully launch and scale digital services internationally. Leveraging its 360° full-stack suite of solutions - from Direct Carrier Billing and secure payment infrastructure to distribution, user acquisition, customer care and real-time performance analytics - the Group connects global content providers with local audiences through scalable, localized and high-performance digital experiences. For long-standing partners such as YouScribe, Digital Virgo provides a proven international expansion model. Through a single API connection, partners can deploy once and distribute globally, benefiting from direct telecom operator connectivity, local payment solutions and performance-driven distribution strategies to accelerate international growth. Combining global technology with deep local expertise, Digital Virgo delivers end-to-end monetization and distribution strategies tailored to each market, helping partners maximize audience reach, accelerate market expansion and unlock sustainable growth across more than 60 markets.