Vivendi said it believes it does not exercise “any de facto control over Telecom Italia” under Italian law, in response to a request by the country’s market regulator Consob to clarify its position.

Bangladesh’s mobile operators received welcome news from the country’s telecoms regulator which recommended reducing 4G licensing fees by a third ahead of a planned auction in September.

Japan-based SoftBank reported a sharp drop in net income for its fiscal Q1, covering the three months to end-June, with significant derivative losses offsetting strong profit gains at US-based Sprint and other new investments.

Apple reportedly plans to release a version of its smartwatch capable of connecting directly to mobile networks, and is currently holding talks with operators in the US and Europe about the move.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (pictured) said the company’s Vision Fund investments would help lay the foundation for the organisation’s future, while also confirming interest in securing a stake in Uber or ride-hailing rival Lyft.