A week of endings and arguments. AOL announced it will shut down its dial-up internet service on September 30 after more than three decades, closing the era that introduced America to the online world. On August 12 NTIA released two MITRE-commissioned reports arguing that smarter receivers, not just more spectrum, are key to squeezing more capacity out of crowded airwaves. And AST SpaceMobile's S-band spectrum acquisition drew analyst fire, with one prominent assessment calling the ITU priority rights largely worthless and igniting a debate over what orbital spectrum positions are really worth.
Space, supply chains, and steady growth defined the week. On August 5 AST SpaceMobile agreed to acquire global S-band spectrum priority rights held under the International Telecommunication Union, deepening its direct-to-device arsenal. On August 6 Apple announced an additional 100 billion dollars in US manufacturing investment, bringing its domestic commitment to 600 billion over four years as tariff pressure reshapes device supply chains. And on August 7 Deutsche Telekom raised its full-year guidance again on the strength of T-Mobile US, underscoring how thoroughly the American market drives the German group's results.