Integrated Telecommunication Services

Verizon Communications has entered into a joint venture with AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile US, Inc. to expand wireless coverage and reduce mobile dead zones across the United States using satellite connectivity. The venture will complement Verizon's existing network with direct-to-device services, letting compatible devices connect to satellite networks and providing backup connectivity during natural disasters or other network disruptions. The partnership is expected to reduce coverage gaps, improve reliability and provide more satellite service options, while helping Verizon adopt common technical standards that improve compatibility among devices, operating systems and satellite networks. Existing carrier-satellite agreements will remain in place, allowing Verizon to continue its independent connectivity initiatives alongside the new venture. Verizon shares have gained 10.8% over the past year compared with the industry's growth of 119.6%, and the stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.77 versus the industry average of 37.6. Earnings estimates for 2026 have remained static at $5.03 per share, while estimates for 2027 have increased 0.2% to $5.30 over the past 60 days.

TELUS and AST SpaceMobile have successfully completed their first integration test between TELUS' wireless network and AST SpaceMobile's space-based network, a milestone toward delivering broadband data, voice calls and text messages directly between smartphones and satellites. The service is expected to be available to TELUS customers within the next year, letting eligible smartphones connect beyond the reach of traditional cell towers. AST SpaceMobile's constellation features the largest communication arrays ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit. Nazim Benhadid, Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at TELUS, called the milestone a major step forward in extending cellular coverage to places where service isn't available today, while AST SpaceMobile Chief Commercial Officer Chris Ivory said the test reflects the strength and maturity of the company's technology. The partnership builds on TELUS' ongoing investments in its wireless network, including faster 5G+ and LTE speeds and expanded coverage across Canada.

PROEN Corp, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion card from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting an exemption from corporate income tax on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam disclosed that this BOI privilege extends the company's digital infrastructure business and opens the opportunity to generate increased revenue from Cloud services in the future. The promotion card requires the project to have an investment of no less than 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and to commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion card is issued. The project scope covers Cloud Service offerings including Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS, and Platform as a Service, or PaaS, along with conditions regarding the Data Center, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. The company also plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Service continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date the promotion card is received. The Cloud business is expected to help create a new revenue base and support the recovery of operating results in the period ahead.

True Corporation has released True Data Insight findings from an analysis of usage on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during the severe flooding in the final week of September 2026, showing that voice calls made a clear comeback, rising 600% overall compared with normal conditions. By area, Ramkhamhaeng housing saw voice traffic rise 222% and Klong Chan housing 169%. During the peak usage window between 09:00 and 10:00 on 26 September, voice traffic in Ramkhamhaeng housing soared 632%, while Klong Chan housing rose 311% compared with the same period the previous week. On mobile data, uploads grew faster than downloads: Ramkhamhaeng housing saw uploads rise 61% against downloads of 4%, and Klong Chan housing saw uploads rise 44% against downloads of 6%. Among communication apps, LINE saw the largest traffic increase at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. For home internet from True Online, the eastern region saw average usage rise 8%, the highest of any region overall, with Trat province up 21%, while Bangkok and its vicinity rose an average of 5% and the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi up the most at 6%. True said it will use these insights to help plan and manage its network so it can more effectively meet the public's communication needs in emergency situations.

True Corporation has released True Data Insight findings from usage on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during the severe flooding in the final week of September 2026, showing a clear shift in the communication behaviour of Thais, with voice calls coming back into heavy use the moment a crisis hit. Data from 26 September 2026 compared with the previous week showed voice traffic rising in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, with Pathum Thani up 60%, Bangkok up 58%, Samut Prakan up 58%, Nonthaburi up 51% and Chonburi up 29%. In the flood-hit areas, voice traffic at Keha Rom Klao rose 222% and at Keha Khlong Chan rose 169%. During the peak usage period between 09:00 and 10:00 on 26 September, voice traffic at Keha Rom Klao surged 632%, while Keha Khlong Chan rose 311% compared with the same period the previous week. On mobile data, uploads rose clearly faster than downloads: averaged over 25-26 September 2026, Keha Rom Klao saw uploads up 61% against a download increase of 4%, while Keha Khlong Chan saw uploads up 44% against a download increase of 6%. For mobile app traffic, LINE posted the largest gain at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. On home internet from True Online in the main affected areas, the eastern region recorded an average usage increase of 8%, the highest of any region overall, with Trat province up as much as 21%, while Bangkok and its surrounding provinces rose an average of 5% and the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi posting the largest gain at 6%. True said it will use this dataset on communication behaviour during emergencies to help plan and manage its network in line with the public's communication needs in unforeseen situations going forward.

True Corporation Public Company Limited, or TRUE, has released the findings of its True Data Insight analysis of usage data on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during the heavy rain and flooding in the final week of September 2026, showing a clear shift in users' communication behaviour, with voice calls rising significantly again in affected areas. Voice Traffic data for 26 September 2026 compared with the previous week showed Pathum Thani up 60%, Bangkok and Samut Prakan both up 58%, Nonthaburi up 51% and Chonburi up 29%. Looking specifically at the hardest-hit areas, the Rom Klao housing estate saw Voice Traffic rise 222% and the Khlong Chan housing estate 169%. During the 09:00-10:00 hour on 26 September, Voice Traffic usage at the Rom Klao housing estate surged as much as 632%, while the Khlong Chan housing estate rose 311% compared with the same period the previous week. On Mobile Data usage over the TRUE 5G network, Upload Traffic rose at a clearly higher rate than Download: on average for 25-26 September, the Rom Klao housing estate saw Upload rise 61% against a Download increase of 4%, and the Khlong Chan housing estate saw Upload rise 44% against a Download increase of 6%. Among mobile applications, LINE saw the highest traffic increase at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. For True Online home internet, usage rose clearly in areas affected by the flooding, with the eastern region up an average of 8%, the highest of any region overall, and Trat province up as much as 21%, while Bangkok and its vicinity rose an average of 5% and the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi up the most at 6%, compared with regions not primarily affected, which grew at a lower rate. TRUE will use the True Data Insight data to help plan and manage its network to accommodate changing usage patterns in emergency situations going forward.

Deutsche Telekom said it expects to save billions of dollars by 2030 and generate additional revenue as it rolls out artificial intelligence across the entire company. The partially state-owned German telecommunications giant expects AI and automation to generate gross savings of about €1.1B, or $1.2B, outside the U.S. for 2027 compared to 2023, with around €2.5B, roughly $2.8B, in indirect cost savings by 2030. Deutsche Telekom, which owns a majority stake in T-Mobile US, expects AI-related savings of €100M to €150M between 2023 and 2027, and says additional savings in 2027 will be partially reinvested in expanding Germany's fiber-optic network. On the revenue side, the company expects to generate around €250M in AI-related revenue from businesses outside the U.S. by 2026, aiming to increase that to about €800M by 2030. CEO Tim Höttges said AI is fundamentally transforming Deutsche Telekom, making its networks better and smarter, its service more personalized, and opening up new business models from AI assistants during phone calls to a sovereign infrastructure for European industry. The company's AI chatbot Frag Magenta handled about 2.6M customer service calls in H1 2026, and U.S. customer service calls have dropped 55%, with AI agents now handling 40% of customer contacts. Deutsche Telekom is also developing a platform for small and medium-sized businesses to help them automate recurring tasks.

PROEN Corp Public Company Limited, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion certificate from the Board of Investment (BOI) for its Cloud Service business for up to 8 years, as disclosed by Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam. The company has been granted a corporate income tax exemption on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment capital, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. The promotion certificate requires the project to have an investment of no less than 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and operations must commence within 36 months from the date the promotion certificate is issued. The project scope covers the provision of Cloud Services including both Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS), along with conditions regarding the Data Center, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. Kittiphun said that this BOI privilege did not come solely from the investment, but required passing conditions and standards on many fronts, including the quality of the Cloud and Data Center infrastructure, the efficiency of systems and energy usage, high-speed connectivity systems, as well as standards for security and service provision, which reflect the readiness of the infrastructure the company has developed. In addition, PROEN plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Services continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date of receiving the promotion certificate, in order to upgrade the Cloud technology skills of its personnel. The company expects this investment to open opportunities for PROEN to build a new revenue base from providing Cloud infrastructure and platform services if it can increase the number of customers and system utilization rates according to plan, while the 8-year tax exemption will help profits from businesses that meet BOI conditions have a greater chance of flowing through to net profit.

PROEN Corp Public Company Limited, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion certificate from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting a corporate income tax exemption of up to 8 years, under a total tax exemption ceiling of not more than 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam disclosed that the project requires a minimum investment of 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and must commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion certificate is issued. The project scope covers the provision of Cloud Services in both Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) formats, and must comply with BOI criteria regarding data centers, connectivity systems, and security and service quality standards. The company expects this investment to open opportunities to build a new revenue base from Cloud infrastructure and platform services if it can increase the number of customers and system utilization according to plan. The machinery import duty exemption will help reduce part of the investment cost, while the corporate income tax exemption of up to 8 years will allow profits from the BOI-eligible business to flow through more fully to the company's net profit. Kittiphun added in closing that if operations proceed according to plan, the Cloud business will help increase both revenue and profit for PROEN in the future and may serve as another supporting factor for the recovery of its operating results in the period ahead.

PROEN Corp Public Company Limited, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion certificate from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting a corporate income tax exemption on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under the specified conditions as detailed in the promotion certificate. The project requires a minimum investment of 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and must commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion certificate is issued. The project scope covers the provision of Cloud Service, including both Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS, and Platform as a Service, or PaaS, along with conditions regarding data centers, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. Kittiphun Sribua-iam, Chief Executive Officer of PROEN, said that receiving this promotion reflects the readiness of the infrastructure the company has developed, and that the cloud business is expected to create a new revenue base and support after-tax profits in the future. Meanwhile, the company plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Service continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date the promotion certificate is received.

True Corporation has released True Data Insight data from an analysis of usage on the TRUE 5G and True Online networks during severe flooding in the final week of September 2026, finding that voice calls clearly rose again. On 26 September 2026 compared with the previous week, Pathum Thani rose 60%, Bangkok 58%, Samut Prakan 58%, Nonthaburi 51% and Chonburi 29%. In the affected areas, Keha Romklao saw voice traffic rise 222% and Keha Khlong Chan rise 169%. During the peak usage period of 09:00–10:00 on the same day, Keha Romklao surged 632% and Keha Khlong Chan rose 311%. As for average mobile data on 25–26 September 2026, Keha Romklao saw uploads rise 61% against a 4% increase in downloads, while Keha Khlong Chan saw uploads rise 44% against a 6% rise in downloads. The messaging app LINE posted the highest increase at 22%, followed by Messenger at 13%, Facebook at 10%, Netflix at 9% and FaceTime at 8%. Home internet usage in the affected areas of the eastern region rose an average of 8%, the highest overall among the regions, with Trat up as much as 21%. Bangkok and its vicinity rose an average of 5%, while the central and western regions rose an average of 3%, with Ratchaburi posting the highest increase at 6%. True said it will use these insights to help plan and manage its network so it can meet communications demand in every situation.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to carry out the project to tidy communication cables on power poles for the year 2026. The project is divided into two parts: work in the central region worth 148,774,493.70 baht, and work in the southern region worth 117,830,798.25 baht, for a total value of 266,605,291.95 baht. Dr. Nattanai Anantarumporn, Chief Executive Officer of ITEL, said the company is pleased to have earned PEA's trust and is committed to completing the work efficiently and on target. The two projects, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, will help strengthen the company's telecommunications infrastructure revenue base, with revenue recognition proceeding in line with the operating plan and contract conditions after signing.

The Thai stock market index on October 2, 2026 closed at 1,571.62 points, up 7.71 points or 0.49%, with trading value of 71.09 billion baht. Foreign investment flowed out toward U.S. government bonds, which offer lower risk and yields above 5%, while Thai stocks still await third-quarter 2026 earnings. PTT Oil and Retail Business, or OR, sent positive signals as it prepares for a tourism recovery that is driving growth in jet fuel sales. It has also pinned its flag in Phuket and is pressing ahead with budget hotels, gradually opening them in 2027-2028, with a target of 50 locations by 2031. The first phase will pilot six model hotels in high-potential locations: Phuket, Kanchanaburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Songkhla (Hat Yai), Chonburi and Bangkok, to extend the business and turn PTT Station service stations into safe, standardized overnight stops nationwide. Meanwhile, ITEL won a big project from the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to organize communications cables across two regions, the central and southern regions, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, reflecting confidence in its potential and experience in managing communications infrastructure, and positioning it to pursue future telecommunications infrastructure projects. WP completed its share buyback plan as scheduled, repurchasing the full 15,000,000 shares, or 2.94%, for an investment value of 57.08 million baht. CEO Chomkamol Poompanmoung is confident the move will build investor confidence and lift return on equity and earnings per share, while the company proceeds with this year's business plan, targeting LPG sales of 770,000 tons and focusing on expanding the domestic market alongside its rooftop solar business. BA, Bangkok Airways, is passing on something special to thank passengers on the occasion of winning the World's Best Regional Airline and Best Regional Airline in Asia awards from the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards for the 10th consecutive year, with the Lucky TEN campaign, building on the Thank You for 10 Amazing Years campaign launched last September. It invites passengers to join a draw for the right to buy tickets at a special 90% discount, or pay only 10% of the Web Promo (P-Q Class) fare, on five domestic routes, limited to just 200 entitlements, from October 5-9, 2026 only.

UOB Kay Hian Thailand has issued an analyst report forecasting the third-quarter 2026 results of ADVANC and TRUE, maintaining a buy rating on both stocks. The research team expects ADVANC to post a net profit of 13,340 million baht in the third quarter of 2026, up 11% year on year but down 3% quarter on quarter, with core service revenue from key segments at 45,830 million baht, up 5.1% year on year and up 1% quarter on quarter. The gross profit margin is expected to hold steady at 44.4%, and the quarter-on-quarter decline in profit stems from higher IT-related expenses. The team maintains its buy rating on ADVANC with a target price of 415 baht. For TRUE, the research team expects a net profit of 6,970 million baht in the third quarter of 2026, up 343% year on year and up 6% quarter on quarter. The year-on-year growth comes off a low base in the same period last year due to a single network outage incident, while the quarter-on-quarter profit growth is supported by the continued strength of most business operations. Core service revenue in the third quarter of 2026 is expected at 41,800 million baht, growing 1.3% year on year and up 1.0% quarter on quarter, driven by strong performance in the mobile, broadband, and television businesses. The team views the third quarter of 2026 as a low season, particularly for handset sales, since iPhone sales are likely to make a significant contribution in the fourth quarter of 2026. The research team maintains its buy rating on TRUE and raises its target price to 16.50 baht from 15.70 baht.

Elisa Oyj has signed a new agreement to deliver AI-powered IT services and Device-as-a-Service to Kempower. The deal puts the telecom and IT provider's enterprise digital capabilities in sharper focus for investors. Elisa Oyj's shares have returned 1.67% over one day and 3.63% over 90 days, while the 1-year total shareholder return has declined 12.78%. Against the last close of €36.56, the most followed narrative for Elisa Oyj points to a fair value of €39.65, framing the stock as 8% undervalued. The company continues fiber and 5G network investments within a disciplined 12% CapEx to sales range, though it faces pressure from tougher Finnish mobile competition and possible delays in higher margin international software projects.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to carry out the 2026 project to organise communication cables on power poles. The project is divided into two parts: work in the central region valued at 148.77 million baht, and work in the southern region valued at 117.83 million baht, for a total value of 266.61 million baht. Dr. Nattanai Anantaramporn, Chief Executive Officer of ITEL, said the company is ready to complete the work efficiently and in line with its targets. Both projects will strengthen the company's telecommunications infrastructure revenue base, with revenue recognition following the operating plan and contract conditions after signing.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to carry out the 2026 project to organize communication cables on power poles. The project is divided into two parts: work in the central region valued at 148,774,493.70 baht, and work in the southern region valued at 117,830,798.25 baht, for a total value of 266,605,291.95 baht, or more than 266 million baht. Dr. Nattanai Anantarumporn, Chief Executive Officer of ITEL, said the company will complete the work efficiently in line with its targets, in order to improve the landscape and the safety of communication infrastructure systems in these areas. The two projects will also strengthen the company's revenue base from telecommunications infrastructure work, with revenue recognition to follow the operating plan and contract conditions after signing. The company aims to build on this work to increase opportunities to take part in future telecommunications infrastructure projects.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) to carry out the 2026 project to organise communication cables on power poles. The project is divided into two parts: work in the central region valued at 148,774,493.70 baht, and work in the southern region valued at 117,830,798.25 baht, for a total value of 266,605,291.95 baht. Nattanai Anantaramporn, Chief Executive Officer of ITEL, said the two projects, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, will strengthen the company's telecommunications infrastructure revenue base, with revenue recognition proceeding in line with the operating plan and contract conditions after signing. The company aims to bring its expertise and available resources to manage the projects and control costs efficiently, while building on this work to increase opportunities to take part in future telecommunications infrastructure projects.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) to carry out the communications cable reorganisation project on power poles for the year 2026, according to Dr. Nattanai Anantaramporn, the company's Chief Executive Officer. The project is divided into two parts: cable reorganisation on power poles in the central region, valued at 148,774,493.70 baht, and in the southern region, valued at 117,830,798.25 baht, for a total value of 266,605,291.95 baht. Dr. Nattanai said the company is pleased to have earned PEA's trust and will complete the work efficiently in line with its targets. The two projects, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, will strengthen the company's telecommunications infrastructure revenue base, with revenue recognition scheduled in line with the operating plan and contract terms after signing.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, has been selected by the Provincial Electricity Authority, or PEA, to carry out its 2026 project to reorganise communication cables on power poles. The project is divided into two parts: cable reorganisation on power poles in the central region, valued at 148,774,493.70 baht, and in the southern region, valued at 117,830,798.25 baht, for a total value of 266,605,291.95 baht. Dr. Nattanai Anantaramporn, Chief Executive Officer of ITEL, said the company is pleased to have won PEA's trust and will complete the work efficiently in line with its targets. The two projects, with a combined value of more than 266 million baht, will strengthen the company's telecommunications infrastructure revenue base, with revenue recognition proceeding according to the work plan and contract conditions after signing.

True Corporation Public Company Limited, or TRUE, together with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, or NBTC, has introduced relief measures for True and dtac customers in flood-hit areas, covering both prepaid and monthly subscribers. Emergency calls to 191, 1669 and 199 are free, and customers receive 5GB of free internet for three days. Prepaid customers will get a seven-day extension of their validity period and an extension of the "Jai Dee Hai Yum" credit service until 5 October 2026. Monthly customers will receive 5GB of free internet for three days along with a seven-day extension of their bill payment deadline. TrueOnline and TrueVisions customers will also have their payment deadlines extended by seven days. Sharad Mehrotra, Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Business Group at True Corporation Public Company Limited, said communication is essential during emergencies, and the company has assigned engineering and network teams to monitor the True and dtac mobile networks and TrueOnline's fibre network around the clock. The company is also providing drinking water and relief bags to flood victims and has customer service teams available 24 hours a day. Those affected can call the customer service centres at 1242 or 1678 for more details.

Lleida.net sent more than one million certified notifications during September 2026, combining messages sent through its certified email and its Openum service. Certified email turns any email into a reliable electronic notification with full legal validity and can be sent from Gmail, Outlook or any other email client, while Openum sends documents by email, SMS or WhatsApp and certifies their delivery, opening, content and integrity through electronic evidence, a timestamp and a legally valid evidentiary document. Both services are built on Lleida.net's own technology, protected by its patents, and certified email is the service used to prove the attempt at prior negotiation required by Spain's Organic Law 1/2025, in force since April 3, 2025. The company closed June with 12,545 active customers, the highest figure in its history. "Companies, law firms and public administrations now take it for granted that an important communication must be provable," said Sisco Sapena, CEO of Lleida.net. Founded in 1995, Lleida.net holds more than 300 patents in over 60 countries and is listed on BME Growth in Madrid and Euronext Growth in Paris, as well as in Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Interlink Telecom Public Company Limited, or ITEL, is preparing to join the bidding for smart grid power network projects after Thailand's Power Development Plan, or PDP 2026, opened the way for increased investment in the power grid. Dr. Nattanai Anantaramporn, the company's Chief Executive Officer, said the company already has expertise in communications network systems and expects business direction in the third quarter of 2026 to hold steady near the level of the second quarter of 2026, with its current backlog at 3.9 billion baht. It is maintaining its full-year 2026 revenue target of 3.6 billion baht and plans to bid for new work from government agencies and other sources continuously through the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, estimates that investment in grid and power systems to support renewable energy, energy storage, electricity, electric vehicles and data centers could total around 500 billion baht within five years. Krungsri Securities Public Company Limited expects profit in 2027 to grow outstandingly from 2026, at around 65 million baht, driven by recognition of revenue from SI projects through its 80 percent stake in a joint venture with THCOM and TKC. It therefore sets a target price for ITEL shares at around 2.00 baht and gives a buy recommendation.

AT&T is positioned to potentially beat earnings estimates again in its next quarterly report, according to Zacks Investment Research. The telecommunications company has topped estimates by 6.90% on average over the last two quarters, including a 10.17% surprise last quarter when it reported earnings of $0.65 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.59 per share, and a 3.64% surprise the quarter before with earnings of $0.57 per share against an expected $0.55 per share. AT&T currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.28% combined with a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), a combination that Zacks research shows produces a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on October 21, 2026.

Airtel Africa's mobile payments business Airtel Money is heading for a stock market valuation of around £5.3 billion when it floats this month in what would be one of the biggest London listings in recent years. The group has set the offer price at £1.96 per share for its Airtel Money business, with plans to make its stock market debut on October 14. Airtel Africa, which is already listed on London's FTSE 100 index, is looking to raise around 800 million US dollars, or £601 million, from the initial public offering, and wants Airtel Money to be listed separately on the London Stock Exchange. Existing shareholders in Airtel Money are expected to sell a total of 270 million shares worth around £529 million, while up to an extra 27 million shares could be sold if an over-allotment option is used, and majority shareholder Airtel Africa is not expected to sell shares except under that option. International Finance Corp has agreed to buy up to £67.2 million of shares from existing shareholders at the offer price as part of a cornerstone investment agreement. Airtel Money is used by around 53 million people across Africa and generated revenues of around 1.4 billion US dollars, or £1.1 billion, in the last financial year, and it is thought to be the first large African fintech to list on a global stock exchange.

Three consortiums led by SK Telecom, KT and Kakao plan to launch artificial intelligence services developed under the South Korean government's project in closed beta within October. Under the AI for All project, launched last July, the initiative aims to reduce reliance on foreign AI models and requires developers to use domestically developed AI models for at least 50% of the services they offer, while receiving government funding and GPU support. Initial developers are targeting 5 million monthly users, while Kakao aims to grow that to 10 million by 2027 and 30 million by 2030. The government also plans to inject an additional 250 billion won in budget starting next year, part of which will be used to procure around 2,000 GPUs. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT said that about 23 million South Koreans have used generative AI models, with roughly 21 million using free basic-tier models.

China Telecom Artificial Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd. announced that TeleOCR, its self-developed document parsing model, has set a new state-of-the-art result on OmniDocBench v1.6 with an overall score of 96.87 out of 100. The model, open-sourced by China Telecom's Xingchen AGI Lab with roughly 1.2 billion parameters, also ranked first on two other benchmarks and took first place in the ICDAR 2026 Sci-ImageMiner Challenge for scientific figure understanding. On Wild-OmniDocBench v1.5 it scored 88.53 on camera-captured documents, about one point ahead of the runner-up, while on PureDocBench it averaged 78.41 across three tracks, including a four-point lead on the most challenging real degradation track. TeleOCR outperformed larger specialized models including MinerU 2.5-Pro and PaddleOCR-VL-1.6 as well as general-purpose models such as Gemini 3 Pro and GPT-5.2, with its code and weights open-sourced on GitHub and Hugging Face and a production-ready API available on China Telecom's Tianyi AI Open Platform. The research team said the next phase will focus on integration into enterprise scenarios including financial document processing, medical record digitization, academic research workflows and government archives.

Analysts at two securities firms expect True Corporation, or TRUE, to post strong net profit growth in the third quarter of 2026. Krungsri Securities forecasts net profit of about 6.996 billion baht, up 334% from a year earlier and 7% from the previous quarter, a record high, driven by higher revenue from mobile phone and broadband businesses, cost control after the merger, and lower interest burdens. Maybank Securities Thailand expects core profit in the third quarter of 2026 of about 6.9 billion baht, up 55% from a year earlier and 4% from the previous quarter. Krungsri Securities expects core profit in 2026 to grow about 40% and maintains a buy rating with a target price of 19 baht. Maybank has raised its dividend payout assumption for 2026 to 2028 to 75% to 80% from 70% to 72%, and expects dividend yields of about 4.6%, 5.0%, and 5.3% respectively, while maintaining a buy rating with a target price of 16.60 baht.

KDDI, au Coincheck Digital Assets, and HashPort announced on September 30 that they will begin offering the crypto asset wallet "αU wallet" as a mini app within the au PAY app. It will be available to users who have completed identity verification with au PAY, and it will be a non-custodial type in which users manage their own private keys. Ponta points can be exchanged for wrapped Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the Japanese yen stablecoin JPYC, with no crypto asset account required and an exchange limit of 300 Ponta points per month. Purchases in Japanese yen are also possible, moving through Coincheck's Coincheck OnRamp into the Coincheck app to buy WBTC and ETH. There is no purchase limit on this service itself, but restrictions may apply under Coincheck's terms of use and other rules, and a separate Coincheck account registration will be required. Held WBTC, ETH, and JPYC can be charged to an au PAY balance and used at au PAY merchants nationwide, and the balance after charging becomes au PAY Money Light, a third-party prepaid payment instrument under the Funds Settlement Act. Planning and operation will be handled by au Coincheck Digital Assets, a joint venture established in May 2026 by KDDI, au Financial Holdings, and Coincheck, and users of au PAY point investment reportedly exceed 7 million in total. The αU wallet app, which KDDI has offered since March 2023, will end on October 30.

Several brokerages have assessed the third-quarter 2026 results of ADVANC and TRUE, expecting ADVANC to post a core profit of 13.4 billion baht, up 11% year-on-year but down 2% quarter-on-quarter, weighed by a 9% rise in SG&A expenses and a recognized share of losses of 206 million baht from CLICX Bank, in which ADVANC holds a 39% stake. Revenue from the mobile and home internet businesses continued to grow. Brokerages set the highest target price for ADVANC at 430 baht. For TRUE, profit is expected at around 6.9 billion baht, up 342% year-on-year and 6% quarter-on-quarter, driven by revenue growth and cost reductions. Brokerages set the highest target price for TRUE at 18.60 baht and expect a third-quarter dividend of about 0.15 to 0.16 baht per share.