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Aug 3
South Korea accelerates LEO satellite ambitions, targets sovereign communications network by 2035
As Starlink's subscriber base has surpassed 12 million and rivals such as OneWeb and Amazon's Project Kuiper continue expanding their constellations, South Korea only officially launched its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications initiative in July 2026.

As generative AI moves from personal productivity tools into enterprise operations, most companies are discovering that scaling AI agents is less about ambition than reliability. Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories estimates that only about 5% of enterprises are using AI agents at scale, while roughly 80% remain stuck at the stage of making AI systems accurate, dependable, and controllable enough for production deployment.

RichWave Technology said at a recent earnings call that Wi-Fi 7 adoption continues to rise rapidly, with strong demand from telecom operators and retailers. The radio frequency (RF) front-end supplier said that the second half of 2026 should be slightly better than the first half of the year overall, but warned that tight supply of memory and passive components could affect shipment timing.

Memory costs have moved ahead of smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) costs, and Counterpoint Research said the shift was already reshaping handset pricing and demand. The research firm expects global smartphone SoC shipments to fall 14% in 2026, with the entry-level segment taking the biggest hit and declining by more than 30%.

Taiwan networking equipment maker Arcadyan Technology is accelerating its expansion beyond the residential broadband market.

Qualcomm and MediaTek are preparing to unveil their latest 2nm flagship smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) platforms in September 2026, with both brands expected to launch standard and upgraded chips at the same time to meet different customer needs. Supply chain sources say the two chipmakers will no longer rely on a single product for flagship phones in 2026, but instead offer two separate specifications.

The US government has launched a multinational initiative to coordinate 6G development, signaling a new phase in the global race to shape next-generation wireless technology and international standards.

While record memory earnings powered Samsung Electronics to an all-time-high quarter — consolidated revenue of KRW171.5 trillion (US$118.4 billion) and operating profit of KRW89.5 trillion (US$61.8 billion) — the company's set businesses paid the price of the same supercycle, with the Device eXperience (DX) division swinging to an operating loss of KRW0.8 trillion (US$550 million) in 2Q26.

Rising prices for memory and other key components are weighing on smartphone demand in Taiwan, but the overall market value is still expected to grow in 2026, according to Samsung Electronics Taiwan.
Taiwan's smartphone market slipped into its usual June sales lull, pushing monthly shipments back below 400,000 units. A handset distribution source said total shipments reached 395,000 units in June, down nearly 8% from 429,000 in May as inflation and higher component costs continued to pressure pricing.
Samsung Electronics is considering using low-cost Chinese mobile DRAM in smartphones sold in China as it looks to cut manufacturing costs and expand its presence in the country's budget handset market, according to Asia Time.

Major smartphone system-on-chip vendors are set to report earnings this week and share outlooks for the traditional second-half peak season, giving investors a fresh read on 2026 consumer demand. The results come as chip inflation remains elevated, supply stays tight, and brands weigh whether higher component costs will weaken buying power or limit inventory builds.