Yazılar

Comcast loses more broadband customers as competition intensifies

/in /tarafından

U.S. cable and media group Comcast reported a steeper-than-expected decline in broadband subscribers in the fourth quarter, highlighting mounting pressure on its core connectivity business. The company said it lost 181,000 broadband customers, exceeding market expectations, as rivals attracted users with aggressive pricing and alternative internet options.

Competition in the U.S. broadband market has intensified with the expansion of high-speed fiber networks and the growing availability of lower-cost fixed-wireless access services. These offerings have challenged long-established cable providers, forcing Comcast to adjust its strategy. The company said it will hold prices steady this year while revamping service bundles and offering free mobile lines to retain customers.

Despite these efforts, analysts do not expect meaningful broadband customer growth until 2027. Comcast said it aims to convert a significant portion of free mobile-line users into paying customers later this year.

Overall revenue for the quarter reached $32.31 billion, broadly in line with expectations. Results were supported by strong performance at the company’s theme parks division, which posted its best quarter on record, driven by Epic Universe in Orlando. The Peacock streaming service also added subscribers, though higher sports-related costs widened losses.

Ukraine’s Kyivstar Boosts Backup Power as Russian Strikes Threaten Energy Grid

/in /tarafından

Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar is stepping up efforts to keep its telecommunications network running as renewed Russian attacks on energy infrastructure put mounting strain on the country’s fragile power grid, CEO Oleksandr Komarov told Reuters on Monday.

“Right now, we have more than 3,500 stationary generators connected to the network in real time,” Komarov said. “But the pressure on the energy infrastructure is also growing… The only answer we have is to increase the number of generators connected to the network.”

Russia’s latest barrage of drones and missiles on Saturday targeted nuclear substations and other critical energy sites, killing seven people. State-owned energy firm Tsentrenergo described it as the largest attack on its facilities since the war began in 2022.

Since the start of the invasion, Kyivstar has worked to harden its network against power outages. Core systems now have backup power for up to three days, while more than 90,000 connection boxes in apartment buildings are equipped with solutions that allow them to function for 10–12 hours during blackouts.

The upgrades are part of Kyivstar’s broader resilience plan to ensure continuity of service across Ukraine despite recurring infrastructure damage.

Meanwhile, Kyivstar — which became the first Ukrainian company listed on a U.S. stock exchange in August — continues to navigate geopolitical and market volatility.

Komarov said U.S. institutional investors see the company as “significantly undervalued” given the wartime context, while Veon, Kyivstar’s parent company, is working with Ukrainian authorities to enable local investors to buy shares.

Earlier Monday, Kyivstar reported a 20% increase in third-quarter revenue to $297 million, supported by steady macroeconomic conditions and international support that have helped stabilize Ukraine’s currency.

Singtel Apologizes After Deadly Optus Outage in Australia

/in /tarafından

Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel), the parent company of Australia’s second-largest telecom operator Optus, issued an apology on Wednesday after a major network outage disrupted emergency calls and has been linked to four deaths.

Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon said the company is working with the Optus board to investigate last week’s 13-hour outage and to ensure such failures do not happen again. “We are deeply sorry to learn about the network incident at our Optus subsidiary that has impacted triple-0 calls, and to hear that customers could not connect to emergency services when they most needed them,” he said in a statement.

Optus revealed that the disruption stemmed from a network firewall upgrade gone wrong, leaving about 600 customers—some in remote areas—unable to make phone calls, including emergency calls.

Public anger over the outage has intensified, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling the incident “completely unacceptable.”

Optus CEO Stephen Rue admitted that procedures were not followed during the incident and said preliminary checks suggested human error may have been a factor.

Kerry Schott, a non-executive director at AGL Energy, will lead an independent review into the failure. Rue said the review will focus on the technical causes, internal processes, and how triple-0 calls were managed during the outage.

The review is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with results first reported to the Optus board and then made public.