Carrier restructuring, satellite execution risk, network performance and customer retention shaped the telecom industry during the week of July 13. Verizon announced plans to sell 274 company-owned retail locations and eliminate approximately 500 corporate positions — affecting about 3,000 employees when retail roles are included. AST SpaceMobile disclosed delays in its satellite deployment schedule and announced plans to raise $1 billion through convertible notes, now expecting 45 satellites in orbit in early 2027 rather than by the end of 2026. New RootMetrics data showed combined nationwide median download speeds reached approximately 334 Mbps during the first half of 2026, with 93% of tests conducted over 5G. T-Mobile faced customer backlash as it began moving subscribers from legacy plans to newer offerings, with some customers seeing increases of up to $6 per line. And FCC Chairman Brendan Carr proposed a comprehensive review of Universal Service Fund administration and the Commission's oversight of USAC.
The telecom industry continued moving beyond traditional voice and data service during the week of July 6. AT&T expanded its enterprise portfolio through a partnership with Everbridge and completed a low-latency mobility trial with Ericsson and MediaTek, while Verizon became the U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI's global platform. Telefónica selected Thales to strengthen its IoT eSIM capabilities, Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson deployed private 5G at the Port of Hamburg, and EchoStar's leadership change signaled a deeper strategic transition. The common thread: connectivity is increasingly packaged as part of a broader business solution rather than sold as a standalone service.
The final week of the first half of 2026 produced several developments that reflect where the telecom industry is heading. BT Group and Verizon agreed to combine their international enterprise operations into a 50-50 joint venture expected to serve more than 3,000 multinational customers across 180+ countries, representing roughly $4 billion in combined annual revenue. The FCC approved a spectrum exchange between T-Mobile and Grain Management involving 800 MHz and 600 MHz licenses plus $2.9 billion in cash, with deployment conditions supporting terrestrial and direct-to-device use. Vodafone Ireland and the Irish government tested satellite-to-smartphone connectivity for emergency responders, and Inseego expanded its enterprise-grade MiFi PRO M4 router to Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network.
The proposed acquisition of SFR by Bouygues Telecom, Iliad and Orange was the largest development of the week — a €20.35 billion transaction that would divide SFR's assets among its three primary competitors and reduce France's mobile market from four national operators to three. In the United States, Optimum announced its mobile business surpassed 700,000 lines through its MVNO arrangement with T-Mobile, and AT&T launched a $3 Unlimited Day Pass for eligible cellular-enabled iPads — available even when the customer's primary phone service is with another carrier. Additional developments included continued defaults under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and AXON Networks' acquisition of Greenwave Systems, adding software-defined mobile core and Network-as-a-Service capabilities to AXON's automation platform.
The most consequential development of the week came from the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the FCC in a dispute over the agency's process for imposing fines — rejecting a challenge from AT&T and Verizon connected to the handling and sale of customer location information. In satellite connectivity, the FCC granted Amazon Leo conditional relief from a requirement to have half of its planned constellation deployed by the end of July 2026, and the European Commission proposed a revised framework for mobile satellite services built before direct-to-device and large low-Earth-orbit constellations became realistic commercial models. Separately, the FCC released a proposal establishing clearer timelines and fee standards for state and local approval of wireline infrastructure, including a presumptive 120-day deadline for certain right-of-way applications. Together, the developments show regulators addressing how carriers are held accountable, how satellite networks reach scale, how spectrum is coordinated across borders, and how quickly terrestrial infrastructure can be built.
One of the most consequential weeks in recent US telecom history. On May 12 the FCC conditionally approved EchoStar's roughly $40 billion spectrum sales to AT&T and SpaceX. Just two days later, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon answered by announcing a joint venture to pool spectrum for satellite direct-to-device coverage, teaming up for the first time ever against the Starlink threat. Rounding out the week, the FCC's new equipment-security rules for testing labs and certification bodies hit the Federal Register, formalizing the national-security screen over the device supply chain.