Globe Telecom stated that it will be the first operator in Southeast Asia to offer direct-to-cell satellite connectivity, becoming the second Asian carrier to collaborate with SpaceX on satellite data communications, following Japan's KDDI.

Inventory pressures across Taiwan's networking equipment supply chain are beginning to ease, offering early signs of a cyclical recovery. Several major manufacturers, including Accton Technology, WNC Corporation, Sercomm, and Arcadyan, have reported January 2026 revenue figures, with Accton and WNC both posting record highs for the month.

Taiwanese display driver IC (DDI) giant Novatek recently held an investor briefing, where Vice Chairman and General Manager Steve Wang said that memory supply and costs will be the most critical factors affecting various electronic products, especially smartphones and PCs, in 2026. Aside from traditional DDI products, Novatek has recently made progress in new areas such as system-on-chip (SoC), application-specific ICs (ASICs), imaging, and edge AI. The company plans to continue launching new products and expand into diverse applications.

Nokia has inaugurated a new research and development (R&D) facility for fixed networks in Tamil Nadu, marking the Finnish telecom equipment maker's largest such center globally and reinforcing its long-term commitment to India as a technology and engineering hub.

Facing challenges from soaring memory prices, inflation, and geopolitical risks, the global smartphone demand is widely expected to decline by 2-3% in 2026. However, Samsung Electronics, as one of the world's largest memory suppliers, holds an advantage this year in securing mobile memory supply and controlling costs compared to competitors.

Telecom broadband equipment maker Sercomm Corporation said on February 6, 2026, that its revenue for January 2026 reached NT$5.18 billion (US$164 million), up 32.9% from NT$3.9 billion in the same period in January 2024.

MediaTek said smartphone-related revenue is expected to fall sharply in the first quarter of 2026. The company's smartphone segment recorded a quarterly revenue high in the fourth quarter of 2025, with full-year revenue exceeding US$10 billion, up 8% year-on-year and setting a new record. Flagship chips accounted for US$3 billion of that total. Based on end-market demand, MediaTek's smartphone chip shipments are estimated to be split roughly 30% for high-end models and 70% for mid- and low-tier devices.

Texas Instruments (TI) recently announced that it will acquire IoT wireless connectivity specialist Silicon Labs for US$7.5 billion, with the deal expected to be completed in the first half of 2027. The announcement surprised the market, as it marks TI's largest acquisition since its purchase of National Semiconductor in 2011.

The smartphone sector is entering a new hardware upgrade cycle driven by AI. Yet the impact is proving far more disruptive than positive. Rapidly rising memory prices are reshaping cost structures and market dynamics, squeezing handset makers' margins to the limit and pushing low-end smartphones close to a financial breaking point.

Qualcomm and MediaTek struck a similar cautionary tone on the smartphone market outlook during their latest earnings calls, pointing to mounting pressure from memory shortages and rising component costs. Pressure is already being felt across the supply chain, with these factors expected to place substantial strain on smartphone brand customers, particularly Chinese brands.

Qualcomm delivered record results in its fiscal first quarter, but executives warned that a worsening memory supply imbalance is now constraining the global smartphone market, even as underlying consumer demand remains strong.