Deutsche Telekom has connected its networks directly to Cloudflare's, a move the German operator says will let it offer businesses more secure cloud-based networking while giving Cloudflare a bigger footprint in Europe.

The tie-up puts Deutsche Telekom's enterprise arm, T-Systems, at the center of the commercial logic. T-Systems will strengthen its portfolio of enterprise offerings on the back of the direct interconnection, while Cloudflare gains a channel into European business customers through one of the region's largest operators. As part of the agreement, Deutsche Telekom will train and certify its employees on the Cloudflare platform — a signal that the partnership is meant to produce billable services rather than remain a peering arrangement.

For Cloudflare, the deal arrives with some reputational baggage. Last November, a fault at the company knocked thousands of users of heavyweight websites, including X and ChatGPT, offline. Deutsche Telekom will be betting that the resilience question does not overshadow the security and performance benefits of direct connection. The operator has reasons for confidence in its enterprise operations: it recently reported a turnaround at T-Systems in 2024.

Nokia pushes new open RAN interface

Nokia is backing a new open RAN interface in an effort to sharpen its competitive position in 5G against Ericsson and Samsung, which has not embraced the approach. The Finnish vendor clearly hopes that openness on interfaces will make its offer look more attractive to operators weighing the big three RAN suppliers.

Vodafone and Nokia trial multi-PON

Vodafone and Nokia have jointly tested running multiple PON technologies on the same network at Vodafone's Newbury laboratory in the UK. The trial demonstrated that current and future fiber technologies can operate simultaneously on an existing fixed network. Specifically, the two companies showed that a "future-ready" 50G passive optical network architecture can run alongside the more widely deployed GPON and XGS-PON technologies.

The project also validated advanced synchronization for mobile backhaul, ensuring basestations transmit customer traffic "in step" to minimize delays and signal jitter over 25GS-PON and 50G PON. The result matters for operators planning fiber upgrades: it suggests they can add next-generation capacity without ripping out installed PON gear.

In two separate developments, Vodafone announced an 8Gbit/s broadband service in the UK, Pro 4 Broadband, running over CityFibre's network, and a partnership with First Orion on branded calling for business customers in Ireland.

KPN launches Mobile AI

Dutch operator KPN has launched "Mobile AI," a service for small and midsized businesses that processes phone calls into summaries of key points and converts voicemails into text. KPN developed the service itself and uses technology from ElevenLabs for the AI component. It is available as an add-on to a mobile subscription for €7.50 (US$8.51) per month. The pitch is straightforward: entrepreneurs get better customer interactions even when they cannot answer calls.

DNA joins the AI translation race

Finland's DNA has followed Vodafone and Ericsson, which moved earlier this month, by introducing an AI-assisted, real-time translation service for business calls. The DNA AI Tulkki service can be added to an ongoing call, "listening" to the conversation and translating speech in real time in both directions.

Sateliot launches five satellites

Spain-based Sateliot will launch five new satellites with SpaceX this Thursday to increase the capacity of its 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) for IoT. Each satellite measures 20 x 10 x 35 centimeters, weighs 10 kilograms and has an operational life expectancy of five years. The mission brings the total number of satellites launched since Sateliot's founding to 11 — a deliberately incremental build-out for its narrowband IoT constellation.

Channel 4 open to iPlayer collaboration

The head of UK public broadcaster Channel 4, Priya Dogra, has indicated she is open to sharing content on the BBC's iPlayer streaming service. "The idea of having a platform that's British owned, that showcases public service broadcasting content, particularly content that's made without the profit motive, I think is important … so I'm open to collaboration," Dogra said, according to a Reuters report.

Synamedia wins Telekom Slovenije

Telekom Slovenije has tapped Synamedia for advertising regionalization technology. The new service, built on Synamedia's Iris software, enables advertising airtime on international TV channels to be sold locally, potentially opening new ways for brands to reach audiences in Slovenia.

The Deutsche Telekom–Cloudflare partnership, meanwhile, gives both companies concrete next steps: employee training and certification come first, with T-Systems expected to fold the interconnection into its enterprise portfolio as the rollout proceeds.