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GSMA Report Reveals Economic Benefits of Shared Spectrum License

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The GSMA yesterday issued a new report indicating that shared spectrum can complement but in no way replaces the need for exclusive-access spectrum in the provision of mobile broadband.

The report, “The Impacts of Licensed Shared Use of Spectrum”, developed by Deloitte, highlights how strict limitations associated with Licensed Shared Access (LSA) spectrum agreements – such as shorter terms, build obligations, lack of certainty and small allocations – can significantly reduce the likelihood of a mobile operator to invest.

This means that the potential economic benefits derived from spectrum sharing are ultimately lower than those achieved through exclusive-access spectrum.

“The GSMA commends efforts by regulators around the world to rapidly find a solution for the current spectrum crunch,” said Tom Phillips, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA.

“While sharing schemes could provide a complementary approach to ease rapidly growing demand for spectrum, exclusive access to spectrum for mobile use is the optimal regulatory approach, providing the necessary market certainty to stimulate investments in networks and services.”

The report is based on a model that assesses the prospective value of two potential Licensed Shared Access scenarios: the release of 50MHz in the European Union in the 2.3GHz band from 2020 and of 100MHz in the 3.5GHz band in the United States from 2016. The many variables involved and the additional risks, complexities and uncertainties involved wit

h spectrum sharing mean that each sharing opportunity should ideally be evaluated on a case by case basis, making a generalised approach impossible. Findings from the report include: European Union:

Exclusive licensed spectrum in the 2.3GHz band could add €86 billion (US $116 billion) to the EU’s economy in the period 2016-2030.

Shared licensing could sharply reduce economic benefits to €70 billion (US $95 billion) or as low as €5 billion (US $6.7 billion), due to a lack of common approach in spectrum allocation across the Member States, combined with significant geographic and timing exclusions as well as potential contracting limitations.

For the same time period, exclusive spectrum licensing in the 3.5GHz band would add US $260 billion (€192 billion) to the US economy.

In the case that sharing terms strictly limit the use of spectrum by mobile operators, this value would be sharply reduced to US $210 billion (€155 billion) or as little as US $7 billion (€5 billion).

The report is released amidst continued rapid growth in mobile traffic and consumer demand for smartphones, tablets and other devices that provide access to communications and information services.

The study further finds that the release of exclusive-access spectrum for mobile broadband offers wider socio-economic benefits for the United States and European Union over the period 2016-2030, including future job creation.

It is estimated that the deployment of mobile broadband would generate approximately 2.1 million jobs in the US and nearly 1.6 million jobs in the EU across this period. “Spectrum is the lifeblood of the mobile industry.

To attract investment and reap the full economic benefits of mobile broadband, regulators need to provide access to a critical mass of spectrum,” continued Phillips. “For the EU and US, this can be achieved through the harmonisation of bands, on similar contractual terms and conditions, as well as limited geographic and timing exclusions.

For these reasons, shared spectrum is not a substitute for exclusive-access spectrum, and governments and regulators should not fully rely on shared spectrum for the provision of mobile broadband in the future.”


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Truecaller Targets Global Market with Powerful New Business Chat Push

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Truecaller, the leading global communications platform, today announced the expansion of its Business Chat platform, making it accessible to global channel partners and enterprise solution providers. By “opening up” market access to its platform, Truecaller is empowering partners to transition their enterprise clients from legacy, low-trust SMS to a verified, smart, media-rich, and conversational communication experience.

Truecaller Targets Global Market with Powerful New Business Chat Push

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Through this partner-led expansion, Truecaller empowers businesses to reclaim customer attention and establish immediate trust and credibility.

“The definition of success for modern enterprises has fundamentally evolved. It’s no longer just about delivery – it’s about earning attention, establishing credibility, and driving meaningful conversion,” said Priyam Bose, Global Head, GTM at Truecaller.

“By opening up market access to our global partners, we’ve created a powerful gateway for brands to engage with over 500 million active users where they already interact daily through communication that is contextual, trusted, free from clutter, and designed to initiate actions. For existing customers, the outreach opportunity extends to an additional high-impact channel, strengthening the overall customer experience journey.”

Truecaller Business Chat enables a clutter-free, high-trust conversational experience between businesses and consumers. The Business Chat platform equips partners with actionable insights, including real-time data and rich engagement metrics. This facilitates a more sophisticated, data-driven communication strategy that adapts at every stage of the customer journey.

Partners, including Gupshup and OneXtel, are already live in India along with Globe Teleservices, Cloudcom, and Sling Africa in other global markets, rapidly scaling the product in their respective regions. Global partners can now leverage Truecaller’s massive footprint to offer their clients a trustworthy engagement channel in an increasingly crowded digital world.


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Apply Now: MTN Nigeria Opens 2026 Media Innovation Programme

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MTN Nigeria has opened applications for the fifth edition of its Media Innovation Programme (MIP), expanding the cohort to 25 fellows from 20 in previous years to mark the company’s 25th anniversary and bolster the media sector.

Apply Now: MTN Nigeria Opens 2026 Media Innovation Programme

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The initiative highlights MTN Nigeria’s 25-year milestone in connecting Nigerians, paralleling investment in storytellers who amplify these connections across society and foster a vibrant media industry amid digital evolution.

“The Media Innovation Programme reflects our commitment to supporting the growth and evolution of the media industry by providing access to knowledge, exposure, and meaningful engagement with the realities shaping it,” said Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Nigeria.

“The expansion to 25 fellows this year is a deliberate reflection of our 25-year milestone, and a reminder that as the media industry continues to evolve, there is a continued need to invest in the people and ideas that will shape its future.”

Applications close April 22, 2026; aspiring fellows can apply at mtnmip.smc.edu.ng.


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Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

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Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) unveiled Muse Spark Tuesday, its first large language model in a new Muse series, designed from scratch to deliver “personal superintelligence”—an AI assistant tailored to users’ real-world needs like complex reasoning in science, math and health.

Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

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A New Model: Muse Spark

Over the last nine months, Meta Superintelligence Labs rebuilt our AI stack from the ground up, moving faster than any development cycle we have run before. Muse Spark is the first model in our new Muse series — a deliberate and scientific approach to model scaling where each generation validates and builds on the last before we go bigger. This initial model is small and fast by design, yet capable enough to reason through complex questions in science, math, and health. It is a powerful foundation, and the next generation is already in development. Muse Spark now powers the Meta AI assistant in the Meta AI app and meta.ai, built to support complex reasoning and multimodal tasks.

What’s Changed with Meta AI

The Meta AI app and meta.ai are getting an upgrade today, along with a new look. Whether you need a quick answer or help with complex problems that need strong reasoning, Meta AI now handles both. You can switch between modes depending on the task, and Meta AI can launch multiple subagents in parallel to tackle your question. Like planning a family trip to Florida where one agent drafts the itinerary, another compares Orlando vs. the Keys, and a third finds kid-friendly activities — all at the same time, giving you a better answer, faster.

Ask Meta AI: It Understands

The real world moves fast, and most of it does not fit into a text box. That is why we built strong multimodal perception into Muse Spark, so Meta AI can see and understand what you are looking at, not just read what you type. Snap a photo of an airport snack shelf and Meta AI can identify and rank the snacks with the most protein — no label-squinting required. Scan a product and ask how it compares to alternatives. It is the difference between an AI that waits for you to explain the world and one that can simply look at the world with you. And when Meta AI powered by Muse Spark comes to our AI glasses, the assistant will be able to better see and understand the world around you.

Multimodal perception is especially valuable for health. With Muse Spark, Meta AI is now able to help you navigate health questions with more detailed responses, including some questions involving images and charts. Health is one of the top reasons people turn to AI, so we worked with a team of physicians to develop the model’s ability to provide helpful information on common health questions and concerns.

Muse Spark excels at visual coding, letting you create custom websites and mini-games straight from a prompt. Ask Meta AI to build a dashboard for planning a big surprise party, spin up a retro arcade game to chase a high score, or launch a whimsical flight simulator — and share any of them with friends.

Ask Meta AI: It’s Plugged Into What You Care About

Meta AI can now help you discover what to wear, how to style a room, or what to buy for someone you know. Shopping mode draws from the styling inspiration and brand storytelling already happening across our apps, surfacing ideas from the creators and communities people already follow.

And when you are looking up a place to go or a topic that is trending, Meta AI surfaces rich and relevant context right alongside the conversation. Tap into a location and see public posts from locals who know the area. Ask what people are buzzing about and get the full picture, pulled from content and community posts. It is context from your people, right where you need it.

Looking Ahead

The Meta AI app and meta.ai will have the upgraded experience with Instant and Thinking modes everywhere they are available today. The new Meta AI features are starting to roll out in the US on both. In the coming weeks, we will bring these new modes and capabilities to more countries and to the places where people use Meta AI, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and our AI glasses — where these perception capabilities become even more powerful. We are also opening access to the underlying technology. It will be available in private preview via API to select partners, and we hope to open-source future versions of the model.

This is only the start. As we expand these features, expect richer, more visual results, with Reels, photos, and posts woven directly into your answers, with credit back to the content creators. And as our models improve, we’ll continue to build safeguards for things like safety and privacy, starting with the strengthened risk framework and other protections we’re sharing today.

The future of Meta AI is rooted in the relationships and context already at the center of your life. We are building toward personal superintelligence — an AI that does not just answer your questions but truly understands your world because it is built on it.


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