Telecommunications operators such as SaskTel, Hrvatski Telekom, Aussie Broadband, and MTN Uganda are making significant investments in infrastructure and technology to enhance connectivity and operational efficiency. SaskTel is committing CAD 465.9 million for broadband and 5G expansion, while Hrvatski Telekom focuses on broadband development in rural Croatia. Continue reading for a detailed overview of these developments:
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1. SaskTel to Invest CAD 465.9 Million in Saskatchewan Infrastructure in 2025-26
Canadian operator SaskTel announced on April 15 that it will invest approximately CAD 465.9 million across the province of Saskatchewan in FY 2025/26 (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026) to deliver cutting-edge connectivity to residents and businesses.
SaskTel President and CEO said, "Over half the investments we’ll be making in 2025/26 will be used to expand our fibre optic broadband and 5G networks to residents living in smaller communities, as well as rural and Northern parts of the province."
5G Deployment
In 2025/26, SaskTel plans to construct 5 new cell sites and upgrade more than 170 existing cell sites serving rural, resort, and First Nations communities as well as major highway corridors and other rural areas to 5G technology.
Fibre-to-the-x (FTTx)
Under its Rural Fibre Initiative, SaskTel will expand its infiNET service to up to 60 additional communities while completing fibre builds in nine urban centres. The investment will target both residential and business connections through its Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and Fibre-to-the-Business (FTTB) programs.
Aurora Program
Aimed at addressing service gaps in northern Saskatchewan, the Aurora Program will bring wireless and fibre connectivity to over 30 Indigenous and northern communities. SaskTel will construct eight new cell sites and expects to launch infiNET (fibre broadband) in up to 23 communities in 2025-26. Full rollout is anticipated by March 2027, with support from up to CAD 139 million in funding from the federal Universal Broadband Fund.
Technology Infrastructure
Funds will support core network enhancements, improvements to SaskTel selectWI-FI, maxTV infrastructure maintenance, and upgrades to access networks.
Customer Experience and Operations
According to the operator, investments will target the modernisation of customer service platforms, including upgrades to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), and information systems infrastructure to improve service delivery and support operational efficiency.
2. Hrvatski Telekom Begins Process to Spinn Off Passive Mobile Infrastructure
The supervisory board of Croatia's Hrvatski Telekom (HT) has announced that its Supervisory Board has approved the initiation of a process to separate its passive mobile infrastructure assets into a newly formed subsidiary, which will remain 100 percent owned by HT.
This move aligns with a broader European trend where telecom operators are creating specialised infrastructure management companies to improve operational efficiency and unlock asset value. According to HT, internal analysis confirmed that this separation will support better management of infrastructure assets and streamline operations within the HT Group.
The completion of this process is contingent upon receiving all necessary corporate approvals. HT anticipates that the restructuring could be finalised by the third quarter of 2025, according to the company's statement on February 28, 2025.
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3. Hrvatski Telekom and Split-Dalmatia County Launch EUR 5.5M Broadband Project in Imotski Region
Hrvatski Telekom, in cooperation with the Split-Dalmatia County, has officially announced the launch of an infrastructure project aimed at building optical networks in the municipalities of Zmijavci, Lokvicici, Podbablje, Prolozac, Runovici, and the city of Imotski. The project, valued at EUR 5.5 million, will deliver ultra-fast broadband internet to nearly 7,500 households and is scheduled for completion by June 30, 2026.
According to the company, the project is part of a broader national effort under the Framework National Program for the Development of Broadband Infrastructure in areas with insufficient commercial investment interest. Of the total investment, Hrvatski Telekom will contribute EUR 1.2 million, while the remaining EUR 4.3 million will be co-financed by the European Union through grants from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The planned infrastructure will provide internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps, significantly improving digital connectivity in suburban and rural areas. The newly built Very High Capacity Networks (VHCN) will be open-access, allowing all electronic communication service providers to offer services through the infrastructure.
"Hrvatski Telekom is the largest private investor in the digitalisation of Croatia, and last year alone we invested more than 242 million euros, which confirms our commitment to accelerating the digitalisation of Croatia and building key infrastructure across the country," the COO and Board Member of Hrvatski Telekom said in a statement on April 17.
4. Aussie Broadband Builds Private Cloud with SUSE to Replace VMware
Aussie Broadband has replaced its VMware proprietary solutions in favour of German software company Suse's open-source platform to create a unified, scalable cloud hosting environment. With an upcoming VMware (by Broadcom) renewal, the team also saw an opportunity to move to open source and evaluated solutions from Red Hat, VMware and Canonical, before awarding the project to Suse.
Aussie Broadband is the fifth-largest retail internet provider in Australia, serving over 780,000 broadband connections and accounting for nearly 9 percent of all National Broadband Network (NBN) services in the country.
With its legacy infrastructure struggling to keep pace, Aussie Broadband launched a strategic initiative to modernise its IT operations, standardise core platforms, and reduce reliance on costly proprietary technologies such as VMware.
The deployment includes SUSE Rancher Prime, SUSE Virtualisation, SUSE Linux Micro, RKE2, and SUSE Security, with additional support from SUSE Consulting Services and Platinum eLearning.
The General Manager of Transformation and Cloud at Aussie Broadband said, "At the end of the day, SUSE has helped us achieve 20 to 30 percent efficiency on our day-to-day operations."
The company's new private cloud infrastructure, deployed across co-located data centers in Australia, mirrors hyperscaler functionality while avoiding the commercial and operational constraints of public cloud providers.
With this deployment, the company said it has improved customer experiences for its more than 650,000 residential broadband users by ensuring faster service performance.
Looking ahead, Aussie Broadband anticipates leveraging SUSE Telco Edge solutions to support edge deployments, enhancing critical ISP workloads, and is exploring AI capabilities with the SUSE AI platform to drive further innovation.
5. Vietnamese Operators Collaborate on Network APIs via GSMA Open Gateway
Vietnam's mobile network operators—Mobifone, Viettel, and VNPT—have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at combating online fraud, enhancing identity verification, and fostering a secure digital ecosystem. The initiative is part of the GSMA Open Gateway project, announced at the GSMA Digital Summit Hanoi.
Vietnamese mobile operators plan to jointly create a standardised platform designed to enhance interoperability and drive digital transformation, through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, using Camara APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), GSMA announced on April 15, 2025.
According to the official statement, by transforming the Vietnamese telecom networks into developer-ready platforms, the collaboration will support fintech, e-commerce, and digital services through innovative solutions.
The Vietnamese operators will work with the GSMA to focus on developing and implementing APIs that address critical functions such as authentication, fraud prevention, location services, device verification, and payments.
Viettel was the first operator in Vietnam to join the GSMA Open Gateway a year ago at MWC Barcelona 2024.
6. Airtel Uganda Launches AI-Powered Spam Alert Service
Airtel Uganda has launched what it calls Africa's first AI-powered Spam Alert Service to offer network-level protection against digital fraud affecting mobile users. This service, which offers automatic protection against fraudulent SMS messages, marks the company as the first telecom operator in East Africa to implement network-level fraud prevention.
It requires no additional cost, app downloads, or user opt-in and will automatically flag suspicious messages for all Airtel subscribers. According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), over 60 percent of mobile users receive scam messages weekly, with UGX 23 billion lost to mobile fraud in 2024 alone.
According to Airtel, its Spam Alert Service leverages advanced AI technology to scan over 250 parameters, automatically tagging suspicious messages with a "SPAM ALERT" label. Additionally, it identifies harmful links by referencing an ever-evolving blacklist of dangerous URLs.
"This groundbreaking initiative makes Uganda the first Airtel Africa market to deploy the service, with plans to expand across the continent" Airtel Uganda shared in a LinkedIn post.
7. MTN Uganda Begins Major Network Upgradation Activity
MTN Uganda has begun a four-month network upgrade project running from April 2025 to July 2025 aimed at improving connectivity and service delivery. The company promised that this would make voice calls clearer, data speeds faster, and mobile money transactions quicker.
"We're currently upgrading our network to give you a better experience with voice, data, and mobile money services. These improvements started this month and will continue until July 2025. To minimise disruptions, most of the work will happen during late-night hours," MTN Uganda said in a post on Social Platform X.
The upgrades are expected to significantly improve customer experience on voice, data and mobile money services, the notice to the customers said.
8. AIS and NBTC Confirm Readiness of Cell Broadcast Mobile Emergency Alert System
Thai operator AIS, in collaboration with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), has successfully tested the mobile emergency alert system "Cell Broadcast" on both Android and iOS smartphones. This test follows Apple's recent introduction of Cell Broadcast support in iOS 18 for iPhone users in Thailand, ensuring that emergency alerts can now be received across both major platforms.
AIS has advised iPhone users to update to iOS 18 to guarantee they can receive these critical alerts. The test was held on April 18, 2025, at the NBTC auditorium, according to AIS.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is in the process of developing the Cell Broadcast Entity (CBE), which will serve as the government's command and control system for distributing emergency alerts. In addition to the Cell Broadcast Service, the DDPM is also utilising SMS as a backup to ensure emergency messages reach all users, including those with incompatible devices.
The SMS system will be managed by DDPM, which will handle alert content, targeted locations, and distribution via SMS Sender Names such as "DDPM" and "TMD" (Thai Meteorological Department), according to AIS.
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9. A1 Serbia Shuts Down 3G Network, Enhances Mobile Experience
A1 Serbia has fully completed the shutdown of its 3G network across the country to enhance its mobile services and pave the way for improved 4G and future 5G expansion. This strategic move, following a phased approach that began in autumn 2024, enables the company to free up resources and expand capacity for faster, more stable, and more efficient next-generation networks, including the existing 4G network and future 5G services, the operator said on April 15.
With 2,682 base stations, we are the second-largest operator in the country, covering more than 96 percent of the population with 4G signal. With this move, which we can describe as leaving 3G in the telecommunications museum, we reaffirm our commitment to innovation and providing advanced services to our customers, said the Chief Technical Officer at A1 Srbija.
A1 Serbia reiterated that it was the first to launch 4G technology in 2015, with currently over 1.3 million users benefiting from VoLTE technology.
