Two in three consumers are more likely to buy a new phone once 5G-compatible devices become available, according to a new Deloitte survey.

The study, Deloitte's Connectivity and Mobile Trends report, found that 16% of consumers who use smartphones said that 5G capabilities will be the most important factor when they choose their next phone. While 26% chose display quality as their top preference, 22% opted for brand. 

As first reported

Russia is reportedly seeking to replace Wikipedia with a state-run online encyclopedia as it accelerates plans for a "sovereign internet".

According to a Reuters report, Russia plans to spend around $30 million setting up the Wikipedia replacement and...

The Ministry of Science and ICT in South Korea reports the country is close to hitting the milestone of four million 5G subscribers.

While it's often debated whether South Korea or the US was first to launch a commercially available 5G network, both countries were among the first.

This leadership makes South Korea closely watched by industry observers for how their 5G rollout is progressing, including the pace of adoption.

5G adoption is happening fast in South Korea. As of October, the ministry reports...

A controversial law which forces new mobile subscribers in China to first provide scans of their face has now been implemented.

To sign up for a new plan, Chinese consumers will still need their national ID card but will now also be forced to supply facial scans. First announced in September, Beijing says it’s taking the step to “protect the legitimate rights and interest of citizens in cyberspace.”

The...

UK mobile operator EE has streamed a live gig to multiple locations using 5G and augmented reality technology.

Commuters passing through Birmingham's New Street Station were treated to the show by four-piece group Bastille, best known for their track Pompeii, in-person.

In a demonstration of how 5G is bringing live shows to consumers wherever they are, EE also streamed the show to people passing through Liverpool and Edinburgh city centres.

Nreal’s mixed reality glasses were used alongside the...

SK Telecom has announced that it has selected Ericsson’s Cloud Packet Core to power its 5G network. 

The Cloud Packet Core from Ericsson helps service providers to smoothly migrate to 5G Core stand-alone architecture. It also helps to create visibility, value and control of traffic and applications by determining the optimal quality of a service, then enforcing it through an appropriate policy. 

Jung Chang-kwan, VP and head of infra engineering group at SK Telecom, said: “By...

Following an internet shutdown, the Iranian government has sent a letter to state-run companies asking them what foreign websites they rely on.

The Iranian government cut off internet access for a week earlier this month amid protests against increasing fuel prices.

Experts believe the letter to state-run organisations suggests Tehran is planning to implement a whitelist of sites that citizens can access as part of a wider internet clampdown.

Amir Nazemi, head of Iran’s Information Technology Organisation, sent the...

The web is not in a healthy state and its creator is stepping in with a "contract” to help save it.

British pioneer Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote his proposal for what became the World Wide Web in 1989. In a list of 80 cultural moments that shaped the world, chosen by a panel of 25 eminent scientists, academics, writers, and world leaders, the invention of the World Wide Web was ranked number one.

The entry stated, "The fastest-growing communications medium of all time, the internet has changed...

Smart home is hard. I know because I have led a smart home platform company and we had our shares of wins and losses. I see most telcos struggle and I have some ideas why.

It has long been touted that communication service providers (CSPs) will be the second coming for the smart home. A.D. Little, one of the top global consulting firms, in its 2012 report Catching the Smart Home Opportunity, Room for Growth for...

Data from the ONS shows the telecoms sector is the fastest growing R&D spender as UK businesses "shrug off" Brexit concerns.

Telecoms companies in the UK increased their spending on research and development last year by £192 million to £947 million.

With a growth of 25.4 percent, R&D spending has reached a four-year high. However, analysis by R&D tax relief...

Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report makes some interesting predictions about the pace of 5G adoption globally.

The Swedish telecoms vendor expects global 5G subscriptions will exceed 2.6 billion within the next six years. By this time, Ericsson predicts 5G will cover 65 percent of the world.

Ericsson believes total mobile subscriptions, including to previous generation networks, will reach 8.9 billion from 8 billion over the next six years.

The current average monthly data-traffic-per-smartphone is...

AT&T has announced it will launch its 5G network in December, for real this time.

America's largest operator received a lot of criticism for launching "5G-E" earlier this year, which actually uses 4G technology.

The "E" stands for "Evolution" and AT&T reasons that it will be used for its proper 5G network so it's not inaccurate. Of course, average consumers don't necessarily know that.

Critics called 5G-E misleading, rivals

Data and analytics company GlobalData said that the increase in the demand for mobile Internet connectivity and growing unique subscriber base will drive the total mobile service revenue in China from $153 billion (£118.4bn) in 2019 to $165bn (£127.7bn) by the end of 2024. 

Total mobile subscribers in China are expected to grow at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.6% between 2019 and 2024, revealed...

Australian telco giant Telstra has warned that “foreign actors” are spreading misinformation about 5G health risks.

5G will unlock huge economic opportunities and countries leading in rollouts will reap the benefits of being first movers. There is, therefore, an incentive for some countries to slow the progress of others.

Though it’s not a new phenomenon, misinformation has become a hot topic in recent years due to allegations it’s been used to rig elections and sow disorder. Social...

Several figures and bodies have warned about the potential impact of Labour’s free state broadband pledge ahead of the UK general election.

For the world’s fifth-largest economy, Britain’s broadband is pitiful. Research conducted by Cable ranks the UK 34th globally with a mean download speed of 22.3Mbps. Even worse, around 10 percent of households are still unable to access fibre broadband.

With the UK’s general election looming,...

Research from Deloitte suggests consumers are currently struggling to become enthused about 5G networks.

Operators around the world are currently trying to drum up excitement for 5G, often in a bid to get customers to part with more cash each month.

Demos of ways that 5G can be used have been conducted as part of operators’ marketing blitzes. We’ve seen 8K VR streaming, people

A team of researchers have uncovered nearly a dozen 5G vulnerabilities, showing the latest generation may not provide the leap in security we hoped for.

The researchers, from the universities of Iowa and Purdue, were able to perform a range of concerning attacks.

Some examples of attacks the researchers conducted include location tracking, broadcasting fake emergency alerts, and cutting devices off from the 5G network.

With 5G networks expected to proliferate rapidly and be used for ever more critical...

SpaceX has successfully launched 60 improved Starlink satellites which pack a number of upgrades.

The main addition is increased spectrum capacity for end-users by making full use of the Ka- and Ku-bands. SpaceX's initial 60 satellites only supported Ku-band antennas.

Another change, aimed at quelling fears about space junk, is that more components of each satellite will burn up entirely in Earth's atmosphere at the end of their life.

With the original batch of satellites, SpaceX promised 95 percent...

BT has merged its “Halo” and “No Limits” mobile plans, which aims to combine the power of 5G mobile and fixed line home broadband (FTTC, FTTP, G.fast) networks. This will help the telecom provider’s subscribers enjoy the benefits offered by the convergence.

The existing 5G customers with BT Plus plans will be automatically upgraded to reap from Halo.

BT...

US officials have increased their criticism of allies who are “opening their arms” to 5G equipment from Chinese vendors.

On Thursday, US chief technology officer Micheal Kratsios spoke at a tech conference in Lisbon. Kratsios reiterated America’s stance that Chinese firms cannot be trusted as they’re compelled to cooperate with Beijing’s intelligence services.

Chinese telecoms vendor Huawei is one of the few suppliers used in global networks. The vendor has built a reputation for...