Ericsson announced on Tuesday that Telekom Slovenije has switched on Slovenia’s first 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile service after completing an extensive modernization and expansion of its 5G network.

MagtiCom, the largest telecommunications provider in Georgia, has selected cloud-native software company Mavenir as its strategic small cell technology partner for a nationwide small cell deployment project.

Telekom Srbija has secured a $50 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) to support the expansion of its 5G network across Serbia.

International network services provider RETN announced on Thursday it has launched a new end-to-end backbone route through Romania that links the Balkans to Moldova and Ukraine.

Veon’s Ukrainian telco Kyivstar announced on Wednesday it has expanded its collaboration with LEO satellite player Starlink with a new agreement to resell Starlink's broadband services and hardware for businesses and public sector institutions.

Veon Group says it has fulfilled and exceeded its commitment to invest $1 billion in Ukraine, delivering $1.3 billion ahead of schedule.

Hungarian operator 4iG Group and Greece’s Grid Telecom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore joint development of cross-border telecommunications and digital infrastructure across the Balkans and Mediterranean.

Danish company GomSpace and Ukrainian company STETMAN have launch a satellite communication-related joint venture in Ukraine.

Poland’s railway infrastructure manager, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), is apparently close to completing the installation of a GSM-R-based system on the country’s Central Railway Line (CMK), with testing planned for later this year.

Russia has recently hardened its restrictions on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which are a popular way of getting round state censorship and accessing banned news sites, Western services, social media platforms and messengers.

Open RAN vendor Parallel Wireless says it has extended its collaboration with Mtel Banja Luka, Telekom Srbija’s Bosnia and Herzegovina unit, to test AI RAN technology.

This week has seen the reported launch of 16 broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit by Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440. News reports are calling this the country’s first operational step towards building a domestic satellite network.

LOT Polish Airlines, the flag carrier of Poland, says it has begun rolling out internet access on its long-haul fleet – with help from global communications company Viasat.

Telecommunications operator Orange has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with AST SpaceMobile and Satellite Connect Europe, related to collaboration on direct-to-device (D2D) technology in relevant Orange markets.

Cloud and carrier-neutral data centre platform Digital Realty has announced its entry into Bulgaria, establishing a new market presence in Sofia, which it describes as one of Southeast Europe’s most important emerging interconnection hubs.

Ukrainian telco Kyivstar announced on Thursday it has purchased regional ISP Shtorm to boost its presence in the fixed broadband space. No financial details were disclosed.

International network services provider RETN says it has launched a new fibre backbone route between Estonia and Latvia as part of its broader expansion plan to diversify connectivity between Northern and Central Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina market leader BH Telecom is upgrading its convergent charging and payments platform via an extension of its partnership with Qvantel.

Could the olive-growing industry be of benefit to data centre development? That’s a question that a new biomass-powered data centre planned in Croatia may be able to answer.

Sparkle revealed on Wednesday it has signed deals with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and Elettra to build its planned GreenMed subsea cable connecting the Middle East and the Balkans to Italy via the Adriatic Sea.

Kyivstar has completed the full acquisition of Ukrainian medical digital services platform Tabletki.ua for US$160 million, strengthening the operator’s expansion into healthcare.

Neterra is modernising its Bulgarian backbone network using solutions from Infinera, a part of Nokia.

United Group has selected Intracom Telecom to upgrade its network as it looks to capture growing enterprise connectivity demand across its southeastern European footprint.

Telekom Srbija Group and its subsidiary Mtel are upgrading fibre connectivity between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina using Ciena’s coherent optical technology, as the operator looks to boost cross-border capacity and prepare its network for rising data demand.

Veon-owned Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said on Thursday it has registered over 3 million users for Starlink’s Direct to Cell (D2C) LEO satellite service  since it commercially launched the service less than two months ago.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation announced on Monday it has kicked off a 5G pilot programme in Lviv in cooperation with the country’s three main telcos – Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and lifecell – although a full-scale launch will only come after the ongoing war with Russia finally ends.

A sixth subsea cable has been damaged in the Baltic Sea, keeping regional authorities on high alert amid growing scrutiny of Russian-linked maritime activity, the Financial Times reported. 

Investment firm Stonepeak has agreed to acquire TeleTower, the tower company carved out of Eastern European operator Bite, in a move aimed at tapping growth in the region’s telecoms infrastructure market.

Veon-owned digital telco Kyivstar says it has made first investment in renewable energy by buying solar power company Sunvin 11, which owns a 12.9-MW solar plant in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine.

Ukraine will develop a national large language model (LLM) based on Google’s Gemma, with operator Kyivstar acting as strategic partner and operational lead alongside the WINWIN AI Center of Excellence under the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said on Friday that it’s preparing to expand its testing of Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell (D2C) satellite service to all areas of Ukraine, apart from border zones, temporarily occupied territories and areas where fighting is happening amid the ongoing invasion by Russia.