Looking to boost the adoption of physical artificial intelligence (AI) across several key applications areas for industrial automation, which the company believes will become the new norm, XCOM RAN by Globalstar has announced the launch of an end-to-end private 5G solution.

The company believes that its mission is to provide the next generation of private 5G infrastructure, which is designed to support “tomorrow’s mission-critical industrial automation requirements”. XCOM RAN claims that it is delivering “unprecedented” performance by taking a new approach to private 5G, increasing capacity by more than four times over current private 5G offerings for “flawless” connectivity in the densest automation environments.

XCOM RAN runs on private 5G shared spectrum allocated around the world, and it can use Globalstar’s licensed Band n53 as a dedicated band for “worry-free” private 5G deployments. Its Supercell architecture is designed to reduce the need for site surveys and RF network design, leading to a private 5G solution that “deploys quickly, is easy to manage, and provides full capacity and coverage” in industrial environments.

The company predicted that the amount and types of physical AI optimisations that can be applied will increase exponentially. It noted that its customers are asking for an underlying wireless network architecture that is comprehensive, can adapt and grow with their automation strategies, and can address the needs of customers and for partners.

The launch introduces an orchestration layer for managing private 5G environments, which the company said speaks to the operational complexity enterprises are running into as deployments scale in the AI era.

The company’s offerings include XCOM RAN’s Supercell architecture, based on O-RAN standards, with XCOM Radio Series with indoor and outdoor options; XCOM Core, which is now offered in addition to private 5G cores from partners; and the XCOM Orchestrator, a multi-tenant management and orchestration system designed to streamline operations and minimise the learning curve for enterprise teams new to private 5G.

XCOM RAN is designed to offer spectrum flexibility with support for Band n48 shared spectrum in the US and Band n78 allocated for private 5G and industrial use in Europe and parts of Asia, while it uses Globalstar Band n53 for licensed, dedicated use. The solution includes the XCOM Industrial Router, an Industry 4.0 CPE device that supports all three spectrum bands, enabling customers to integrate XCOM RAN private 5G into their AI-driven industrial automation environments.

XCOM RAN also works with a set of industry partners to offer a private 5G solution and services that are described as “thoroughly tested, integrated and ready for deployment”. The expanding network of partners is said to be intended to ensure customers benefit from “proven technology, seamless integration” and an end-to-end solution built to scale with their business.

A number of these partners have declared support for the new tech, such as ruggedised industrial solutions provider Zebra Technologies.

“We are at the forefront of adding new technology and spectrum options to our devices to support our customers as they rapidly move toward AI-driven intelligent operations,” said James Poulton, senior vice-president and general manager of enterprise mobile computing at Zebra Technologies.

“We have recently added support for Globalstar Band n53 to our ET 401 Enterprise tablets, giving our customers the opportunity to securely run their most sensitive applications over private, dedicated spectrum on these devices.”

Michiel Lotter, CEO of smart signal booster manufacturer Nextivity, added: “One of the latest trends in enterprise wireless deployments is combining modern DAS systems with private 5G to deliver pervasive indoor and outdoor capacity and coverage.

“These solutions are on the cutting edge of development, and we’re grateful to have a partner like the XCOM RAN team who is working with us to address our customers’ requirements.”

Research from Cisco has found that as many as two-thirds of industrial organisations have moved to active artificial intelligence (AI) deployments in live operational environments, yet while adoption momentum is strong, infrastructure and organisational alignment – especially networking and security – will dictate who achieves real transformation.

The latest version of the State of industrial AI report 2026 looked to provide a data‑driven view into how industrial organisations are adopting AI, the challenges they face as AI moves into live operations, and the opportunities created as AI becomes embedded in physical systems, infrastructure and workflows. 

The study is based on data from a global survey of more than 1,000 operational technology decision‑makers, conducted by Cisco in association with Sapio Research. Respondents were from 19 countries and across 21 industry sectors, representing a range of industries including manufacturing, transportation, logistics, energy and utilities, and more. The study aggregated findings from decision-makers at companies with annual revenues of more than $100m.

Among the top findings were that AI organisations are harnessing AI to drive progress and overcome industry challenges, and that it is now delivering measurable operational benefits, in particular in use cases such as process automation, automated quality inspection, predictive maintenance, logistics and energy forecasting. Strong expected benefits from AI included productivity (59%), cost reduction (42%) and sustainability.

Industrial AI was seen to have moved from a future consideration to active deployment, with 61% of organisations now using AI in live industrial operations where performance, reliability and security have direct physical consequences, and 20% reporting scaled, mature deployments. Across manufacturing, transportation and utilities, AI was found to be powering machine vision, mobility, robotics and safety‑critical operations.

Most organisations indicated that they planned to increase AI spending (83%), and nearly nine in 10 expect meaningful outcomes in the next two years (87%). Yet just as adoption was accelerating, many firms were struggling to sustain and expand deployments, with readiness across network infrastructure, security and skills increasingly determining whether AI can scale consistently across core physical environments. 

Indeed, network readiness and security posture were cited as the primary factors shaping how quickly and safely organisations scale AI across connected assets, machines and sites. The report observed that as AI becomes embedded in machines, sensors, vision systems and autonomous operations, organisations face rising demands for reliable connectivity, wireless mobility, predictable latency, edge compute and power, which were making network readiness a gating factor for physical AI deployments.

Just over half of firms (51%) expect significant increases in connectivity and reliability requirements in their industrial networks, and almost all firms (96%) noted that reliable wireless networks are vital for AI. In addition, 97% expected AI workloads to impact their industrial network requirements.

Yet while legacy infrastructure and skills gaps remain secondary challenges, Cisco also cautioned that the study also revealed many organisations were increasingly constrained by readiness gaps in networking infrastructure, cyber security and IT/OT operating models as AI shifts into real‑time, production‑grade use in physical environments.

Another key discovery was that organisations with closer collaboration between IT and operational teams report greater confidence in expanding AI, more stable networks supporting physical operations, and a stronger emphasis on cyber security as a baseline requirement, underscoring the need to build the skills required for scalable AI adoption.

Nearly two in three firms (57%) reported some level of IT/OT collaboration, while 43% reported limited or no collaboration. Just under half (47%) of organisations with limited IT/OT collaboration cited network instability as a top operational challenge to scale AI.

Cyber security was highlighted as shaping both the pace and confidence of AI adoption. Cisco also found that as AI expands connectivity and data flows across industrial environments, security remained the top barrier to scale. At the same time, organisations increasingly view AI as part of the solution, with a majority expecting AI to strengthen monitoring, detection and operational resilience. 

“Industrial AI is moving from experimentation into production, where AI systems sense, reason and act in the real world,” said Vikas Butaney, senior vice-president and general manager of secure routing and industrial internet of things at Cisco. “At this stage, success is no longer determined by models alone, but by whether networks, security and teams are ready to support AI at the edge, in motion, and at scale. The research shows that organisations confident in scaling AI are those treating infrastructure, cyber security and IT/OT collaboration as foundational, not optional.”

The iPhone is the least fixable phone on the market, according to repairability experts. Phones from Samsung and Google are not far behind.

The latest repairability ratings are from an annual report called “Failing the Fix” put out today by the consumer advocacy group US PIRG. A 2021 French law required products to be labeled with repairability scores, and US PIRG says this is the first report since then that really shows which companies are—or are not—making progress. The answer is that repairability is progressing much more quickly in some places than others.

The results were good for phones made by Motorola, which got a B+. Google’s phones got a C–. The verdict was worse for Samsung phones, which got a D. Last on the list was Apple with a D–. Apple and Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Scores were better for laptops than smartphones, with Asus at the top with a B+ and Apple on the bottom with its MacBooks at a C–.

The authors of the report are hoping that publishing these low scores will encourage manufacturers to do better.

“Putting these right incentives in place could push these companies to make innovations that are actually beneficial,” says Nathan Proctor, senior director of the US PIRG campaign for the right to repair. “Instead of coming up with new ways to jam AI down our throats, you can make stuff that lasts and that we can fix.”

Despite many right-to-repair concessions companies have made—like making their tools, parts, and repair instructions publicly available—those rankings are lower than in years past, largely because of the new information that has been gleaned from European laws requiring repair scores to be printed on product packaging.

The French law grades products based on how easily they can be disassembled, whether documentation and tools are provided, and the availability and price of spare parts. In 2023, the European Union passed a law establishing the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, a process that grades devices on key repairability factors like whether products have easy access and disassembly, battery endurance, ingress protection like waterproofing, and the durability to handle repeated falls. The rankings go from A to F.

To arrive at its own ratings, US PIRG collates the EPREL and France’s repair indexes with other US-specific factors, like whether companies are actively lobbying against the right to repair or are members of trade associations that do so.

“If you’re buying your equipment from a company that’s spending their money to lobby against your right to repair that thing, that doesn’t speak well for their support, for your ability to fix that,” Proctor says. “So we also dock points for some of those legislative activities.”

Apple’s phones are getting better scores than in years past, like when iPhones were assigned an F rating in 2022. (iPhones got a C– in 2025.) The low rating for Apple’s phones comes down to software support, and how the EU laws track the information about what companies enable in their products. Based on the EU laws, companies have to self-report how their devices meet repair requirements. And those rankings tend to score pretty low.

“When we’ve been grading on a curve, Apple has not been a standout in the bad column,” Proctor says. “But why are we grading on a curve? We should just have longer-lasting products.”

The ultimate goal of these rankings, Proctor says, is to bring attention to the importance of repairability, accessibility, and waste reduction.

“This is an emerging, vitally important issue that we need better leadership on from companies and from other public policy officials,” Proctor says. “We should not be trashing all of our internet-connected stuff every couple of years because it’s impossible to use it with the software. It’s totally unsustainable. It’s crazy. Let’s not build that world. That world is a dystopia.”

“I’m actually pretty confident that some of that stuff’s going to get addressed,” Proctor adds. “Apple engineers are good at making stuff. They’re good at solving problems.”