Telecom
ITU Publishes ‘Whitelist’ of Mobile Phones compatible with Hands-free Terminals in Cars
ITU has published a ‘whitelist’ of mobile phones that are compatible with Bluetooth®-enabled hands-free telephone systems in vehicles.
The list will assist consumers and automakers in determining which mobile phones are optimized for high-quality voice conversations in the hands-free environment of vehicles.
The whitelist has been produced at the request of automakers to address the great variance observed in the behaviour of phones when operating within hands-free terminals (HFTs) installed in vehicles. This variance has resulted in automakers dedicating a significant amount of time and money to the testing of mobile phones, producing results that remain valid only until the new software for mobile phones or the next generation of mobile devices come to market.
The list aims to encourage mobile phone manufacturers to follow the requirements of relevant ITU-T standards and to participate in ITU testing events that analyse the behaviour of their products in conjunction with vehicle HFTs.
“The entrance of nomadic devices into vehicles must be managed in such a way that it does not compromise the comfort and safety of drivers,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.
“Central to this objective will be improving the compatibility of phones with hands-free terminals in vehicles, and ITU is working to achieve this by encouraging cooperation on this important topic between the automotive and ICT industries.”
Chaesub Lee, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, said: “The whitelist contains phones that fulfil the requirements of the ‘Chapter 12 tests’ of Recommendations ITU-T P.1100 and P.1110 standards for narrowband and wideband communications involving motor vehicles.”
The mobile phones currently listed were found to be in compliance with Recommendations ITU-T P.1100 and/or ITU-T P.1110 following an ITU test event held in May 2014, which adapted and applied the requirements of the Chapter 12 tests to real-world scenarios.
ITU Members have approved the adaptions made to the tests, clearing the way for the publication of the whitelist.
Of the phones tested during the 2014 test event, roughly 30 per cent passed the tests, with the remaining 70 per cent found to produce performance degradation that would be noticeable to drivers and conversational partners.
The worst performing phones showed some serious defects: some causing significantly distorted speech, others completely failing to acknowledge connection to a vehicle’s HFT.
Quality degradation of this extent has led to customer complaints to automakers, and experts assert that such performance could give rise to safety risks by encouraging drivers to handle their phones while driving. For more information, read the ITU press release reporting the test event’s results.
The whitelist will be updated in line with the results of a series of conformance testing events based on ITU-T P.1100 and P.1110. The next such event is scheduled to be held in September at ITU Headquarters in Geneva.
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
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