We take a weekly look at mobile and tech stories from around the world. Headlines include… Meta just beat Google and Apple in the race to put powerful AI on phones, Strong iPhone Demand Propels T-Mobile’s Q3 Earnings to $20.16 Billion, Exceeding Projections, Telia Raises Growth Forecasts as Profits Beat Expectations in Competitive Market and more… Alternatively listen On MEF Radio.
Meta just beat Google and Apple in the race to put powerful AI on phones
VentureBeat
Meta Platforms has introduced compact versions of its Llama AI models, designed to run efficiently on smartphones and tablets. These new Llama 3.2 1B and 3B models are up to four times faster and consume less than half the memory of their predecessors, yet maintain nearly the same performance. Meta achieved this by using a quantization compression technique that simplifies the model’s calculations, specifically using Quantization-Aware Training with LoRA adapters (QLoRA) for accuracy and SpinQuant for improved portability. This innovation addresses a significant challenge, enabling advanced AI capabilities on mobile devices without relying on large data centers and specialized computing hardware.
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Strong iPhone Demand Propels T-Mobile’s Q3 Earnings to $20.16 Billion, Exceeding Projections
Tmobile
Big telcos earnings reports, during the week… T-Mobile US exceeded expectations in the third quarter, adding 865,000 mobile subscribers and boosting revenue by 4.7% to $20.16 billion. Strong iPhone demand and low customer churn helped drive growth. T-Mobile also added 415,000 broadband subscribers, surpassing forecasts, and now has 6 million high-speed internet customers. The company raised its full-year customer addition target to up to 5.8 million and increased earnings guidance.
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Telia Raises Growth Forecasts as Profits Beat Expectations in Competitive Market
Telia
Telia has raised its growth expectations after reporting increased profits, signaling stronger momentum in the competitive telecom market. The Swedish operator now anticipates mid-single-digit growth in adjusted EBITDA, up from low-to-mid single digits, and expects capital expenditures to fall below 14 billion Swedish Kronor ($1.32 billion). In the latest quarter, net profit attributable to shareholders surpassed last year’s, beating consensus estimates. Adjusted EBITDA rose slightly above expectations. Despite a revenue decline, service revenue improved 1.2% on a like-for-like basis, reflecting the ongoing challenges and opportunities in the evolving telecom landscape.
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Telecom glory days are over – bad news for Nokia, worse for Ericsson
Light Reading
Ericsson, Nokia, and other network vendors are facing challenges as mobile data traffic for Finland’s Elisa has declined for three consecutive quarters—the first drop in over seven years—according to Tefficient. Even after correcting initial data errors, the trend raises concerns amid predictions of slowing global mobile data growth. This decline could reduce pressure on telecom operators to invest in costly upgrades, potentially allowing them to redirect funds elsewhere. However, it also weakens efforts to charge Big Tech for high data usage and complicates the transition to consumption-based pricing models. For Ericsson and Nokia, the slowdown undermines their previous assertions that rising traffic would necessitate increased telecom spending.
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Big Data, IoT Drive China Telecoms to 1.17 Trillion Yuan Revenue Milestone
Xinhua.net
China’s telecommunications sector reported steady growth in the first eight months of 2024, with total service revenues reaching 1.17 trillion yuan (approximately $167.6 billion), a 2.7% year-on-year increase. Emerging sectors, including big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, significantly contributed to this growth, with revenue from these areas rising 10.5% to 289.7 billion yuan. The performance of China’s major telecom companies—China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom—boosted the overall revenue growth of the sector by 2.4 percentage points.
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Digital Divide Persists: Nearly Half the World Without Mobile Internet Access
GSMA
About 43% of the world’s population, equivalent to 3.45 billion people, still do not have access to mobile internet, according to a GSMA research. Despite continued growth in mobile internet adoption, the pace has slowed, with 160 million new users coming online last year, a figure that matches 2022 but falls short of the over 200 million annual increases seen in earlier years.
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Elon Musk Rides Tesla Rally to New Wealth Milestone, $61B Ahead of Bezos
Bloomberg
Elon Musk’s net worth increased by $33.5 billion on Thursday as Tesla shares rose 22%, their largest gain in over a decade. The boost followed the announcement of Tesla’s largest quarterly profit since summer 2023 and forecasts of up to 30% growth in vehicle sales next year. According to Bloomberg, Musk’s fortune now stands at $270.3 billion, $61 billion ahead of Jeff Bezos, with Tesla shares making up about three-quarters of his wealth, alongside stakes in SpaceX, social media platform X, and AI firm xAI. Tesla predicted 20-30% delivery growth next year and unveiled plans for a robotaxi, dubbed Cybercab, with volume production by 2026. Q3 profit beat forecasts with adjusted earnings of 72 cents per share. The company cited rising vehicle deliveries, stable pricing, and growth in its energy business as key contributors.
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Meta’s New AI Tool Fights ‘Celeb-Bait’ Scams with Facial Recognition
AboutFB
Meta Platforms will use facial recognition technology to combat scams that utilize celebrity images in “celeb-bait ads” aimed at stealing personal information or money. The company will compare images in ads with those on celebrities’ Facebook or Instagram accounts and block confirmed scams. With nearly 3.3 billion daily active users, Meta uses AI for content moderation, although this has sometimes resulted in the accidental suspension of legitimate accounts. Additionally, Meta will allow users locked out of their accounts to submit a video selfie for verification, promising to delete any facial data afterward. The company has faced legal challenges over its use of facial recognition, including a $1.4 billion order to Texas and a $650 million settlement in Illinois. The video selfie feature will not be available in Illinois or Texas.
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Microsoft introduces ‘AI employees’ that can handle client queries
Guardian
Microsoft is launching autonomous AI agents, or virtual employees, that can perform tasks like handling client queries and identifying sales leads. These agents, available through Copilot Studio, allow customers to build their own or use pre-made bots for tasks such as supply chain management and customer service. Early adopters include McKinsey, Clifford Chance, and Pets at Home. CEO Satya Nadella highlighted that these AI tools will increase productivity by eliminating mundane tasks and freeing time for more valuable work. Powered by Microsoft’s and OpenAI’s AI models, the agents don’t require coding skills to build. Microsoft is also working on an AI agent capable of independently completing transactions, with plans to release it soon. Despite concerns about AI’s impact on jobs, Microsoft executives argue the technology will enhance roles by removing monotonous tasks, empowering workers instead of replacing them.
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