Coherent is positioning itself as the optics supplier with no stake in the chip wars, two days after Marvell Technology agreed to acquire one of its closest rivals.

US chipmaker Qualcomm will present its latest developments in 6G and AI agent-powered devices at the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE), held from November 5 to 10 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. The exhibition will mark the first public display of what Qualcomm describes as the world's first 6G terminal prototype conforming to the latest 3GPP definition.

Qualcomm has secured a role in SpaceX's planned US terrestrial mobile network, turning Starlink Mobile's ambitions for integrated satellite and ground-based connectivity into a named infrastructure deployment. Announced November 4, the multi-year agreement calls for rollout to begin in 2027, with tens of thousands of sites planned over the life of the deal.

Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), a subsidiary of ASE, plans to launch Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) products in the first quarter of 2027, building on its experience developing and integrating Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 system-in-package (SiP) solutions to help customers capture new opportunities in wireless connectivity innovation.

Radio frequency (RF) IC design house RichWave Technology stated at its recent investor conference that memory supply constraints, rather than end demand, are curbing networking equipment shipments despite resilient overall market demand. The company expects Wi-Fi 7 to capture half of its Wi-Fi market share in 2027 as telecom operators and retail router customers accelerate upgrade cycles.

UK low-cost airline EasyJet has agreed with SpaceX to install Starlink satellite internet on its A320, A320neo, and A321neo fleets starting in the first half of 2027, with the rollout expected to be completed by early 2028. The service will allow passengers to stream video, work in the cloud, play online games, and access information during flights.

China's next-generation short-range wireless connectivity technology, NearLink, is actively pushing into markets beyond the Huawei ecosystem. Securing support from major chip vendors such as MediaTek, STMicroelectronics (ST), and NXP will be critical as the International SparkLink Alliance works to encourage wider adoption among non-Huawei smartphone brands, according to alliance secretary-general Guosong Zeng.

MediaTek reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of NT$168.06 billion (US$5.17 billion), up 10.4% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and 18.3% year-over-year, and projected fourth-quarter revenue growth of as much as 32% on accelerating shipments of AI accelerator application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The Taiwanese IC design company disclosed the results and outlook at an investor conference on October 30, citing stronger-than-expected customer demand, improved capacity availability, and new smart-device platforms entering mass production.

Huawei has extended its semiconductor-focused "Tau (τ) Law" framework to 5G base station design, using co-design across algorithms, chip architectures, and high-speed interconnects to boost baseband processing efficiency and enhance the wireless user experience. The company unveiled its OSCAR intelligent channel-processing solution, its next-generation UBBPi baseband series, and the VitaAAU active antenna unit for the U6GHz band, with the VitaAAU already entering commercial deployment in select overseas markets.

SpaceX has firmly established itself in direct-to-device connectivity through Starlink's expanding satellite constellation. But the space giant is now pushing beyond orbital coverage as it seeks an equally consequential position in terrestrial mobile infrastructure.

Jio Platforms' initial public offering, the largest in India's history, asks investors to back more than a mobile network. In its prospectus, the operator that built its business on cheap data pitches a home-grown 5G stack and an AI engine it plans to sell to operators abroad, even though telecom still generates almost 90% of its revenue, according to Reuters.

The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) said two 8U CubeSats developed by Tron Future Tech successfully reached orbit on October 20 aboard SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission, advancing Taiwan's low Earth orbit (LEO) communications technology program. T.MicroSat-3 and T.MicroSat-4 launched at 7:04 p.m. Taiwan time to a mid-inclination orbit and established initial contact with ground stations in Chile and Azerbaijan before 3 a.m. Taiwan time on October 21, with their systems operating normally and sufficient power available.

Samsung Electronics is transitioning its 4nm production capacity to HBM, with its next-generation mobile modem, the M2800, set to move to a 2nm process. The freed 4nm capacity will primarily support production of HBM base dies, which handle control functions at the bottom of HBM stacks.

What began as a satellite broadband service is increasingly becoming SpaceX's platform for connecting homes, aircraft, mobile devices, and government networks.

SpaceX announced on October 8, 2026, that it would acquire US 800MHz low-band spectrum licenses held by Grain Management, covering up to 14MHz of paired bandwidth. The transaction remains subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Genius Electronic Optical, a leading manufacturer of optical lenses and precision optical components, announced on October 15 that it had formed a strategic partnership with 3M, a global technology and innovation giant, to jointly advance the development, manufacturing, and capacity expansion of optical communications solutions.

RF antenna and communications technology company Auden Techno recently inaugurated its global headquarters and R&D center in Bade, Taoyuan. Chairman Chang Yu-Pin said the company's growth in 2026 will continue to be driven primarily by antenna modules and testing instruments for NB and bioelectromagnetic applications.

From constellation-scale satellite deployment to terrestrial network expansion, SpaceX is deepening Starlink's reach across the connectivity stack. The latest moves suggest the company is no longer positioning direct-to-device (D2D) merely as a way to fill cellular dead zones, but as a foundation for a broader hybrid mobile network capable of competing more directly with US carriers.

Taisic Materials, a Foxconn-backed company under Kenmec Group, operates 65 crystal-growth furnaces as it expands silicon carbide (SiC) ingot and substrate production for AI data centers, advanced packaging, and high-frequency communications. The Taiwan-based materials supplier said the investment is intended to improve crystal quality, production stability, and yield while supporting growing demand for high-efficiency power and advanced thermal architectures.

Taiwanese e-commerce operations provider HHGalaxy reported consolidated revenue of NT$621 million (US$19.5 million) for September 2026, up 31.74% from a year earlier, as brands prepared for the Single's Day shopping event. Revenue for the first nine months reached NT$4.925 billion, a 26.76% annual increase, while third-quarter revenue rose 34.43% to NT$1.774 billion, setting a third-quarter record.

Taiwan-based Universal Microwave Technology (UMT) reported September 2026 revenue of NT$292 million (US$9.15 million), up 52.49% year-over-year, extending its streak of monthly year-over-year revenue growth exceeding 50% to six consecutive months. The performance underscores sustained demand for millimeter-wave communications components as global low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operators accelerate constellation deployments and capacity expansion.

The European enterprise networking market has cleared its multi-year inventory digestion period. According to CONTEXT, sell-through via European distribution channels is growing in the low double digits entering 2026 across core infrastructure categories, including switches and enterprise wireless access points. That contrasts with the "heavy double-digit declines" the channel saw during COVID-19, said CONTEXT principal analyst Aaron Smith.

SpaceX launched its Starship super heavy-lift rocket on September 28, successfully reaching orbit for the first time and deploying 26 Starlink V3 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Each Starship mission can carry up to approximately 60 Starlink V3 satellites. Although neither stage was recovered, both splashed down at sea and the satellite deployment was successful.

As the global communications industry moves toward the 6G era around 2030, front-end modules supporting frequency ranges such as D-band at 130-150GHz and W-band at 77-95GHz have become major research priorities across academia and industry.

Qualcomm announced on September 24 that it has renewed its global patent licensing agreement with Apple, with the new contract set to take effect on April 1, 2027. The terms and value of the deal were not disclosed, but Apple's long-running move toward in-house modem chips continues to draw close attention.