San Carlos, Calif. – October 12, 2026 -- Noah Medical has created a Chief Pulmonary Advisor role and filled it with Krish Bhadra, MD, an interventional pulmonologist at Stanford Medicine who has performed more than 2,300 robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedures.

Bhadra to steer clinical education, evidence strategy and product development

In the newly created position, Bhadra will guide Noah Medical's clinical education, evidence strategy and product development. The medical robotics company said the aim is to expand access to advanced robotic bronchoscopy for the millions of patients at risk for lung cancer.

Noah Medical CEO Jian Zhang said the company is scaling the impact of its Galaxy System and called Bhadra "exactly the partner we need" for that effort.

San Jose – October 12, 2026 -- Noah Medical has commercially launched Galaxy II software for its robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (RAB) platform, adding Dual-Mode Imaging that lets physicians switch between High-Definition Digital Tomosynthesis (HD-DT) and Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) at any point in a procedure. The company says the update requires no added capital, complexity, or radiation.

Dual-Mode Imaging gives physicians a choice between HD-DT and CBCT mid-procedure

HD-DT covers the vast majority of cases, and CBCT is available within the same platform when a case demands it. Based on published literature, HD-DT provides effective imaging for most cases at up to 10 times lower radiation dose than CBCT. Physicians can reserve CBCT for cases that need it, which limits radiation exposure for patients and staff.

San Carlos – October 12, 2026 -- Noah Medical has completed its first commercial procedure in Asia with the Galaxy System at Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, moving the robotic bronchoscopy platform from clinical study to routine hospital use in the region.

Hong Kong hospital moves Galaxy from clinical study to commercial use

The hospital performed the first clinical use of the platform in Asia in December 2023. The new procedure marks the transition from clinical investigation to commercial integration, according to the company.

Thoracic surgeon Dr. Calvin S. H. Ng, a Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Prince of Wales Hospital, performed the procedure. Dr. Ng took part in early development of the Galaxy System, and the company says his input shaped its design.

Tokyo -- NTT DOCOMO began commercial operation on September 9, 2026 of Nokia's latest O-RAN ALLIANCE-compliant base station equipment, becoming the world's first operator to run it in a multi-vendor configuration, according to DOCOMO's own research as of that date.

Levante and Ponente cards connect to radio units from multiple vendors

The equipment uses Nokia's Levante baseband card for data processing and Ponente card for control processing. It connects to O-RAN-compliant radio units from different suppliers. DOCOMO says this lets it match radio units to each area's traffic demand: high-power units for wide coverage, and compact units for dense urban sites with limited installation space and for event venues.

Tokyo – October 12, 2026 -- NTT, Inc. has cut the maximum relative error of sensor-based CO2 absorption monitoring in microalgae cultures from approximately 3,300% to approximately 8%, measured against the conventional titration method.

The technology calculates dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations from CO2 and other sensor readings. It does not require sampling the culture fluid for each measurement. The results were published in the journal Algal Research on August 12, 2026.

Titration is accurate but cannot deliver continuous data

Evaluating microalgal CO2 absorption means tracking DIC, which exists in culture fluid as dissolved CO2, bicarbonate ions and carbonate ions. Titration measures DIC accurately, but every reading requires a fluid sample and takes time and effort, so it does not suit continuous data acquisition.

Tokyo – October 12, 2026 -- KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile signed a memorandum of understanding on September 11, 2026, to jointly study how 5G millimeter-wave base stations can serve customers across operator boundaries. The four carriers announced the agreement on September 16.

Four carriers will test technical feasibility of cross-operator mmWave use

The study will assess whether the usage coverage of 5G millimeter-wave base stations can be expanded among mobile network operators. The companies will also evaluate efficient operational frameworks for implementing such an arrangement.

The work will focus on technologies and approaches related to 5G millimeter-wave base stations, repeaters and other related assets. The operators plan concrete studies on how to make effective use of facilities that have already been deployed.

France -- NTT, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding on September 17, 2026, with France-based photonics company Cailabs to explore direct optical links between satellite networks and terrestrial data infrastructure.

NTT would integrate coherent and network control technology into Cailabs ground stations

The companies will examine adding NTT's digital coherent technology and network control technology to Cailabs' optical ground stations (OGS). They will also study connecting selected stations to nearby NTT data centers over NTT's All-Photonics Network (APN).

The network control technology automatically bypasses ground stations rendered inoperable by weather and coordinates multiple stations with the APN to keep communication reliable.

Tokyo – October 12, 2026 -- NTT DATA has been named a Leader in two ISG Provider Lens® reports, Insurance ITO Services and Insurance Strategic Advisory and Enablement Services, following the launch of its NTT DATA AI for Insurance solution.

The reports assess how providers of insurance consulting and technology outsourcing help global insurers handle AI-led modernization, regulatory complexity and operating model reinvention. NTT DATA also holds a Leader ranking in the ISG Provider Lens® 2025 Insurance GenAI and Agentic AI Services study, supported by its agentic capabilities and its proprietary GIDP and LifeSysTM platforms.

Tokyo – October 12, 2026 -- NTT DOCOMO, INC. has developed an AI model that delivers accurate predictions from the first day of a new service, and it will test the technology in field trials with digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising businesses in Japan and overseas by March 2027.

The Dual-view Adaptive Retrieval-augmented Tweedie model targets the "cold-start problem." This occurs when AI cannot make reliable predictions or recommendations because historical data is insufficient, for example after a service launch or an expansion into a new field or region. A paper on the model has been accepted for presentation at the 20th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (ACM RecSys 2026).

Tokyo – -- NTT DATA will send a dozen employees to Antarctica from November 25 to December 2, 2026, as the first chapter of "Intact, intelligent action.", a global sustainability initiative meant to turn corporate commitments into practical steps for fragile places.

The program combines awareness, technology and stewardship. It grows out of the company's "Planet. Prosperity. People." framework, which guides its operations, innovation, sustainability solutions and client engagement.

Twelve NTT DATA employees join 60 other leaders on Robert Swan's final-led Antarctic expedition

The NTT DATA team will travel aboard the Magellan Explorer with polar explorer Robert Swan, OBE, and his 2041 Leadership on the Edge expedition. More than 60 other business and community leaders will take part. The agenda covers leadership under pressure, climate policy, sustainability and innovation.