The global optical fiber market is shifting from a traditional telecom cycle into a new phase of structural shortage, driven by rapid AI infrastructure expansion and dense cloud data center construction. Prices and capacity are rising together as demand for fiber, a core material for data transmission, keeps climbing.
Broadcom lost its appeal in South Korea on May 13, 2026, when the Seoul High Court upheld a KRW191 billion (approx. US$130 million) fine for allegedly coercing Samsung Electronics into an unfair three-year supply contract, according to Yonhap and Seoul Economic Daily. The court dismissed challenges brought by Broadcom's US headquarters and three South Korean affiliates against the Korea Fair Trade Commission's corrective order and penalty.
Tensions are escalating between OpenAI and Apple, threatening what was once seen as one of the most important alliances in the generative AI industry.
The global satellite industry is entering what many executives and analysts describe as a historic turning point, as telecommunications operators increasingly integrate satellite connectivity into mainstream communications infrastructure and commercial services.
The global mobile standards race has moved into the 6G prelude, with Ericsson saying the first fully implementable 6G specification is expected as early as March 2029. In an exclusive interview with DIGITIMES, Marie Hogan, who leads the 6G portfolio strategy for Ericsson's global networks business, said 3GPP is pushing ahead with 6G standardization as the industry weighs the technology's AI-native design, uplink demands, and migration path from 5G.
China's Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies has unveiled what it claims is the world's largest optical fiber preform, highlighting China's accelerating push to strengthen its position in AI-driven optical networking and high-speed data infrastructure.
Taiwan's major telecom operators delivered robust April results, supported by continued 5G migration, seasonal smartphone demand around Mother's Day, and sustained contributions from enterprise ICT projects. Chunghwa Telecom posted record April revenue and EBITDA, Taiwan Mobile outperformed in profitability and year-to-date EPS, while Far EasTone Telecommunications extended its monthly mobile service revenue growth streak to 62 consecutive months.
Nvidia is deepening its partnership with US fiber-optics maker Corning, with plans to replace copper cable connections with optical fiber in next-generation rack-scale AI systems. The move is drawing renewed attention to China's role in the global optical communications supply chain.
For many Taiwanese businesses, cybersecurity still means buying a router and moving on. That gap between perception and exposure has become expensive — and increasingly hard to ignore. Speaking at CYBERSEC 2026 in Taipei, executives from Zyxel Group subsidiaries Zyxel Networks and Zyell Solutions described an industry in transition: from one-time hardware purchases toward continuous managed protection, and from conventional encryption toward systems designed to withstand quantum-era threats.
FocalTech Systems said its business is expected to bottom out in the first quarter of 2026, with a recovery already underway and a return to growth in both revenue and profitability beginning in the second quarter, according to remarks made at an investor conference on May 8.
Gemtek Technology reported consolidated revenue of NT$3.112 billion (US$99.1 million) in the first quarter and a gross margin of 10.4%, but swung to a net loss as strategic restructuring and raw material pressure hit results, the firm announced. The networking equipment maker recorded an operating loss of NT$205 million, a net loss of NT$131 million, and earnings per share of NT$0.32, while April revenue declined 23.21% year on year to NT$1.149 billion.
More coverage