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SpaceX Files with FCC for 100k v3 Satellites with Plans for VLEO Orbits Around 325km

Simon Baker — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

On 6^th July SpaceX filed an FCC application for a massive number of new orbital shells at two orbital heights below current deployments. They add to the 15k total satellites Starlink already has permission from the FCC to deploy. The lower of the two claims is in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO); such orbits offer faster communications with the Earth and stronger signals, but they also imply shorter satellite lifespan and smaller coverage areas. China is also showing increasing interest in this area and in June formed a VLEO study group.

IDC Survey: How Energy Customers Are Managing Affordability Across Regulated and Competitive Markets — Insights from IDC’s 2026 Energy Consumer Affordability and Trust Survey

Gaia Gallotti — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey examines a portion of IDC’s 2026 Energy Consumer Affordability and Trust Survey. This landmark study, conducted in May 2026, is a B2C survey that covers energy customers worldwide.

The survey covered 1,507 energy customers from 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S.

This IDC Survey examines how energy affordability pressures differ across two segments: competitive markets (n = 691) and regulated markets (n = 816).

The analysis covers:

The scale and severity of energy cost changes over the past 12 months
Perceived drivers behind cost increases
Actions taken to manage rising energy costs
Duration and persistence of payment difficulty
Concern about future energy costs
Perceived affordability relative to household income
Self-assessed ability to absorb further cost increases

IDC Survey: Tariff Awareness and Time-of-Use Readiness by Generation and Market Structure — Insights from IDC’s 2026 Energy Consumer Affordability and Trust Survey

Gaia Gallotti — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The survey covered 1,507 energy customers from the following 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S.

This IDC Survey analyzes the tariffs and time-of-use preferences across four segments:

Gen Z plus millennials (n = 713)
Customers over 46 (n = 794)
Regulated markets (n = 816)
Competitive markets (n = 691)

The analysis covers:

Customer confidence in their current tariff or rate plans
Barriers preventing customers from switching to a better tariff
Interest in time-of-use pricing, where electricity prices vary by time of day

Market Forecast: Worldwide Mobile Phone Forecast Update, 2026–2030 — CY 2Q26

Ramon T. Llamas — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation analyzes the worldwide mobile phone market, including shipments, average selling prices, and revenue. In addition, it provides regional breakdowns as well as a comparison against the previous forecast published in March 2026.

“The worldwide mobile phone market has begun to see the effects of the memory shortage, with key vendors raising prices on new smartphones while adjusting their strategies to procure and pay for supply. We expect this to continue into 2027 before leveling off in 2028 when volume returns to growth and ASPs begin to stabilize.” — Ramon T. Llamas, research director, Mobile Devices and AR/VR, IDC

Market Forecast: Worldwide Smartphone Forecast Update, 2026–2030 — 2Q26

Ramon T. Llamas — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation analyzes the worldwide smartphone market, including shipments, average selling prices, and revenue from 2025 to 2030. In addition, it provides a regional breakdown of shipments as well as a comparison against the most recent forecast published in March 2026.

“The worldwide smartphone market is expected to contract 13.9% in terms of units shipments in 2026 and increase 11.9% in terms of average selling prices as the memory shortage takes hold. The decline will continue into 2027 before rebounding in 2028. That is the point that IDC expects a surge in replacements and a slight decline in ASPs.” — Ramon T. Llamas, research director, Mobile Devices and AR/VR, IDC

Enterprise Procurement and Partnership in the Age of AI and Outcome-Based Connectivity — Analysis by Region

Paul Hughes — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective is the first in a series of three documents that examine how businesses expect to procure connectivity services and related transformation projects in the era of AI and outcome-based connectivity. Drawing on IDC's 2025 Enterprise Connectivity Infrastructure and Services Survey and other related IDC data sources, this IDC Perspective identifies regional differences for connectivity provider preferences and procurement methods across North America, Europe, and APAC.

"Regional procurement patterns reveal that geography still shapes how enterprises source and evaluate connectivity," commented Paul Hughes, research director, Future Enterprise Connectivity Strategies at IDC. "This comes even as the underlying provider competition converges globally and as AI leadership from the supplier community differs in depth, perspective, and approach."

IBM Content Cortex: Turning Decades of Content Services Investment into an Agentic AI Asset

Amy Machado — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

On June 26, IBM launched IBM Content Cortex, a unified platform built for agentic content management. IBM Content Cortex is designed to help enterprises secure and activate content and documents at scale, signaling IBM's intent to reposition legacy enterprise content management for agentic content automation.

Market Forecast: Worldwide Telecommunications Capex Forecast, 2026–2030

Peter Chahal, Nikhil Batra, Bruno Teyton — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC presentation provides a worldwide forecast for telecommunications service provider capex covering the 2026–2030 period. The capex forecast is broken out between wireless and wireline networks, with data for each one of the three main geographic regions. Capex is defined as capital spending by telcos to acquire or upgrade tangible assets (plant, property, and equipment) and intangible assets, excluding telecommunications and spectrum licenses.

“Telecom service providers are entering a more disciplined investment phase, with global capex expected to decline at a 1.8% CAGR from 2026 to 2030 as markets mature and efficiencies improve,” said Peter Chahal, research director of Worldwide Telecommunications Services and Strategies at IDC. “This shift reflects a sharper focus on capital allocation, with operators prioritizing cost optimization and free cash flow while advancing monetization strategies and AI-driven automation, alongside targeted investments in satellite connectivity and preparation for 6G.”

5G RedCap and eRedCap: The Slow Burn, the Ecosystem, and the Physical AI Opportunity

John Gole — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

5G RedCap has moved from standard to early commercial deployment, but meaningful adoption has not yet followed. Outside China, volumes are negligible, LTE retains its economic and coverage advantages for the vast majority of IoT use cases, and no hard migration-forcing function exists in most markets. The long-term case for RedCap and eRedCap rests on two distinct dynamics: the gradual, economics-driven migration of the enormous LTE IoT installed base as networks evolve and costs converge, and the emerging demand from intelligent physical systems — autonomous, AI-driven, and video-intensive — that LTE cannot adequately support. Both dynamics are real. Neither is imminent.

“RedCap is a slow-burn technology — and that is not a criticism. Most of the IoT market will stay on LTE for years, and for most use cases, that is the right decision. What will change the equation is pressure from two directions: the gradual closing of LTE as a design option, which is already happening in the US, and the emergence of intelligent physical systems — autonomous, AI-driven, and video-intensive — that LTE cannot support well enough. RedCap is the right answer for that second category today. eRedCap is the answer for the first category, but not until costs fall into range. The organizations that understand the difference and plan accordingly will be ahead of the market when volumes start to move.” — John Gole, Research Director, IDC.

Challenges to Starlink After SpaceX's Blowout IPO

Simon Baker — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The SpaceX IPO propelled the company into the ranks of the world's most valuable companies. Expanding its core Starlink internet service will depend largely on operational issues. Declining ARPUs threaten profitability and increase the need to put Starship into service to launch larger satellites at lower cost.