With 90% of the world’s semiconductor manufacturing capacity in Taiwan, mobile carriers need a plan of action if China invades the island nation, Strand Consult said in a Tuesday report. “China is not the same country it was 10 years ago, and Taiwan … has geopolitical significance,” Strand said: “Just as Russia exploits Europe’s dependence on gas, China will exploit the world’s dependence on its information technology industry. Just as Russia threatens to turn off the gas, China can also turn the screws with its IT products and services.”

President Joe Biden on his 140-minute call Thursday with President Xi Jinping explained to the Chinese leader the administration’s “core concerns with China’s unfair economic practices, which harm American workers and harm American families,” a senior administration official told reporters Thursday in a background briefing. But Biden on the call “did not discuss any potential steps he might take” to remove or reduce the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, said the official. “It would be wrong to believe that somehow a decision on any next steps was somehow waiting for this conversation.” On Taiwan, Biden “underscored” to Xi that the U.S. opposes “unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and commitment to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said the official. The two leaders discussed that the U.S. and China “have differences when it comes to Taiwan, but that they have managed those for over 40 years and that keeping an open line of communication on this issue is essential to doing so,” said the official.

Ericsson landed regulatory approval of its $6.2 billion Vonage buy from the Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S., said Ericsson Friday. “This represents the final requisite approval to complete the deal,” it said. Ericsson and Vonage now expect the transaction to close no later than Thursday, “as provided for” in their November purchase agreement (see 2111220034), under which Vonage will operate as an Ericsson subsidiary under its existing brand, said Ericsson.

U.K. telco EE will block pirate music sites and apps on its mobile network, the British Phonographic Industry said Tuesday. High Court rulings over the past decade against the country's main fixed broadband providers, the BT Group (of which EE is a part), Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, led to the blocking of over 70 illegal sites and apps. EE's move extends that to mobile networks and is a "significant development," said BPI, which estimates online piracy costs the recording industry 200 million pounds ($237 million) a year.

A maintenance update to Rogers’ core network caused network failures Friday, Tony Staffieri, CEO of the Canadian mobile and wireline provider, told customers Saturday. The update “caused some of our routers to malfunction early Friday morning,” he said: “We disconnected the specific equipment and redirected traffic, which allowed our network and services to come back online over time as we managed traffic volumes returning to normal levels.” Rogers is “particularly troubled that some customers could not reach emergency services and we are addressing the issue as an urgent priority,” Staffieri said.

Nokia and AT&T Mexico said Monday they’re working together on a potential 5G deployment in Mexico. Nokia will provide gear from its 5G AirScale radio access network portfolio plus “connectivity for 3G and 4G LTE services using the same hardware while offering a seamless upgrade path to 5G,” Nokia said. “As we move forward with the deployment of our 5G network, we need the latest technology and the most reliable support services,” said Nicole Rodriguez, AT&T Mexico chief technology officer.

The Asia-Pacific region faces a wireless usage gap, said a Thursday GSMA report. Mobile broadband networks cover about 96% of POPs in the region, “a testament to operators’ investment in 3G, 4G and, increasingly, 5G infrastructure,” but just 44% are using mobile internet services, GSMA said. “This means that more than half of the population live in areas covered by a mobile broadband network but do not yet subscribe to a mobile internet service,” the report said: “The main reasons for the usage gap include the lack of digital skills (especially among older populations), lack of affordability among low-income households and online safety concerns among minority and vulnerable population groups.”

Nokia won a five-year deal with Norwegian carrier Ice to upgrade and expand its 5G network, Nokia said Tuesday. Nokia said deployment has started and will run through 2026. Ice has more than 700,000 customers and its network covers 95% of the population in Norway.

New rules for internet platforms cleared the European Parliament Tuesday, with lawmakers overwhelmingly approving the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the DSA, digital services providers such as social media or marketplaces will have to act to prevent the spread of illegal content, disinformation and other risks, Parliament said. These include new requirements to react quickly to illegal content, stronger checks on online traders to ensure services and products are safe, requiring platforms to be more transparent about their algorithms for recommending content and bans on practices such as advertisements that target children or use sensitive data. Platforms and search engines with 45 million users or more monthly will be subject to stricter rules, including making their algorithms accessible by authorities and vetted researchers. Under the DMA, very large platforms acting as "gatekeepers" will have to allow third parties to interoperate with their services and let business users access the data they generate, Parliament said. They won't be allowed to rank their own offerings more favorably or process users' personal data for targeted advertising without express consent. Noncompliance could result in fines of up to 10% of a company's total worldwide revenue in the preceding fiscal year or up to 20% in cases of repeated failure to comply. The measures need formal approval from EU governments, expected this month and in September. "The European Parliament has adopted a global first: Strong ambitious regulation of online platforms," said European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager. The DSA and DMA are "turning the page on 'too big to care' platforms," said Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton. The European Telecommunications Network Operators Association and GSM Association praised EU efforts to balance preventing the spread of illegal content online while respecting fundamental rights "by recognising that intermediaries should bear responsibilities proportionate to their role in disseminating such material." Consumers and digital rights groups warned the laws must be closely monitored. The DMA is a "gamechanger" for users but the EC must allocate the necessary resources to enforce it, emailed European Consumer Organization Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl. The DSA "is only a first step in ensuring people's rights online are protected," said European Digital Rights.

Chinese equipment maker Dahua told the FCC it has been unable to determine how much of its gear sold in the U.S. is “used for public safety, government facilities, critical infrastructure, and national security purposes,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-232. Dahua said the FCC asked for this information in a meeting last month. Dahua USA sells gear only through 20 authorized distributors and 5,000 dealers, the company said. “Dahua USA has no control whatsoever over a Dahua Dealer’s final decision on what kind of products they choose to purchase, and this is because each system integrator or installer works with multiple manufacturers, and the decision on whose products to use depends on a range of factors such as budget, product compatibility, the specific requirement(s) of the end-user, among other things,” the company said. The FCC is looking at whether Dahua should be deemed to pose a security risk and its products barred from use in the U.S. (see 2205020036).