Welcome to a week’s roundup of the most significant developments in telecom and wireless, as reported by Fierce Network.
Google Cloud Next 2025 highlights
- Google Aims for Fully Autonomous Fiber Network: Muninder Sambi, Google Cloud’s VP and GM for Network and Security, revealed plans to upgrade Google’s 2-million-mile fiber network to achieve Level 5 automation.
- Nvidia and Google Cloud Collaborate on AI Solutions: The two tech giants are teaming up to deliver agentic AI for enterprise workloads, enhancing AI capabilities for businesses.
- Telcos Struggle with Full Network Autonomy: An analysis of the hurdles telecom operators encounter as they strive for fully autonomous networks, with insights into current technological and operational challenges.
- Key Announcements from Google Cloud Next: Fierce Network provides a concise overview of the top four news nuggets from the event, highlighting significant product launches and partnerships.
Industry insights and op-eds
- Ericsson Joins $250M Initiative to Modernize Utility Networks: Ericsson is collaborating with partners in a substantial effort to upgrade and modernize utility communication networks across the U.S.
- Op-Ed: America Has Already Lost the 6G Race: Dan Jones, known to many as "The Man in the Hat" delivers a thought-provoking opinion piece discusses the challenges and setbacks the U.S. faces in the global 6G development arena.
- Nokia's going back to the Moon: Nokia Bell Labs' Moon missions will help the Nordic telecom infrastructure giant tackle some of its most tricky cellular private network projects, Thierry Klein, president of Nokia Bell Labs research, told us during a 100-year celebration of the research facility in New Jersey on Wednesday.
- Op-Ed: 5G's potential - Analysts are missing mark on industrial digitalization: The U.S. is losing its competitive edge in global technology due to the lack of a unified Industry 4.0 strategy.
Market trends
- Telecom Capex Projected to Decline at 2% CAGR Through 2027: Dell’Oro Group reports a forecasted decline in telecom capital expenditures, indicating a shift in industry investment strategies.
- Hyperscale Capex Climbs as Digital Services Drive $2.65 Trillion Revenue Surge: The surge in AI, cloud, and SaaS services has led to significant revenue growth for hyperscale operators, pushing capex-to-revenue ratios above 12%.
Tariff impacts
- Despite tariff uncertainty, enterprises see powerful AI ROI: Verizon, Walmart, Papa Johns and Intuit told the press in Vegas that they remain committed to AI in the face of potentially increasing costs.
- Tariffs are sure to hurt more for smaller RAN vendors: President Trump’s tariffs look like nearly a death sentence for smaller vendors trying to make it in open RAN.
- How will the Trump tariffs impact US cellular operators?: A trio of analysts stepped up to answer Fierce's questions on this vexed topic, the operators, however, all remained silent on the issue.
- Tariffs spell more bad news for Nokia, Ericsson: Analysts told Fierce that the crucial Western telecom vendors will be hit both directly and indirectly by tariffs.
Wireless and wireline
- From Radio Shack to Verizon prepaid: one exec’s journey: Radio Shack taught David Kim how to sell cell phones – and now he’s the chief revenue officer on Verizon’s “rock star” prepaid crew.
- Wireline is now the most vulnerable to cyber attacks: Netscout: As concerns mount around telecom network security, Netscout found wireline operators felt the brunt of DDoS attacks in the second half of 2024.
- The future of cable growth still looks bleak, for now: Cable net adds may not return to growth for another four years due to an immigration slowdown, says New Street Research
And don't forget: Our market watch
- Tariff Watch: Live stock charts for the biggest telecom companies: Keep an eye on the biggest companies in the telecom industry with Fierce Network's Stock Watch.
See you all next week!
— Elizabeth Coyne, Diana Goovaerts, Monica Alleven, Dan Jones and Masha Abarinova