7
Déc, 2022

STC GDC builds data centre in Indonesia and assesses LNG power supply in Thailand

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STC GDC), a leading data centre provider, has announced the structural completion of its first data centre facility in Indonesia – STT Jakarta 1.

The new facility is the first building in a data centre campus developed under a joint venture with leading Indonesian conglomerate Triputra Group and global investment company Temasek. Once completed, the data centre campus will support up to 72 megawatts of critical IT capacity, with STT Jakarta 1 supporting up to 19.5 megawatts when fully operational in Q2 2023.

STT Jakarta 1 is strategically located in Bekasi Regency, close to Jakarta’s eastern border and has a gross floor area (GFA) of 18,000 square metres. Catering to hyperscalers alongside Indonesian and multi-national businesses across the banking & finance, content, gaming and e-commerce industries, the facility will help to provide the digital infrastructure needed to meet the ever-increasing demand for digital and cloud services. As part of its ongoing expansion plans, PT STT GDC Indonesia has inked a land contract to build a second data centre facility at the campus. 

PT STT GDC Indonesia has also signed an MoU with PT Mora Telematika Indonesia (Moratelindo), one of Indonesia’s largest telecommunications infrastructure and network providers. As part of this MoU, Moratelindo will set up a point of presence (PoP) in STT Jakarta 1 to serve the domestic, regional and international connectivity needs of customers in the data centre campus.

STT Jakarta 1’s data centre operations will be carbon-neutral from day one, a reminder of the importance of energy management in modern data centres. In fact STT GDC recently announced that it was investigating the use of cold energy from liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation – energy that might otherwise be wasted – to cool a data centre in Thailand.

STT GDC has signed an agreement with PTT Digital Solutions, the IT services arm of Thailand’s state-owned oil and gas company PTT, to carry out a feasibility study on harnessing the cold energy released from the regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to produce electricity and chilled water for cooling a data centre.

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dtac, Telenor, and Google Cloud team up for Thai SME digitalisation platform


Press Release

Total Access Communication PLC (dtac) has entered into a strategic partnership with Telenor and Google Cloud to help Thai businesses accelerate digital transformation. Together, the organizations have developed and launched dtac B-LAB – a one-stop solutions platform – to help businesses connect, learn, and grow. dtac B-LAB is designed to empower local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to fully digitalize their businesses and achieve profitable growth, by providing access to a knowledge hub and tailored software as a service (SaaS) and mobile connectivity solutions.

How B-LAB began

B-LAB is the brainchild of dtac, Telenor, and Google Cloud, as a part of their shared commitment toward holistically addressing businesses’ dynamic needs in today’s digital-first landscape. What started as a joint internal transformation project quickly evolved into a new vision for better serving and supporting Thai SMEs. The combined expertise of Google Cloud teams across Europe and Asia, Telenor teams in Norway and Poland, and the full dtac business team in Thailand was required to bring this project to life.

Research by dtac revealed that one of the biggest barriers holding back businesses’ digital adoption is the shortage of relevant competencies and skills. The three organizations have therefore built a rich community ecosystem on dtac B-LAB that offers educational content, certification courses, and seminars focusing on digital skills, emerging business trends, and future readiness. To further enable digital transformation powered by best-in-class cloud and connectivity technologies, a wide range of tailored solutions have also been made available on the platform’s digital marketplace.

Mr. Sadat Ibne Zaman, Chief Business Officer, Total Access Communication PLC, said: “dtac Business’ vision is to go beyond mobile connectivity, by working with world-class technology providers to curate the right products and services for businesses to thrive in today’s digital era. A deep understanding of our customers’ pain points has helped us develop solutions that are easily accessible, user friendly, and customer-centric. For instance, what we’re hearing from startups is they need new options to reduce costs, improve team collaboration and data storage security, and insights to help them stay ahead of current and future market trends.

B-LAB can be leveraged by single proprietorships like online retailers, freelancers, content creators, lawyers, accountants, or consultants. It’s great for businesses that work in teams, such as media agencies, health clinics, or car dealerships with several branches. It meets the needs of businesses large or small in any industry, regardless of whether you are a manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer.”

Ms. April Srivikorn, Country Manager, Thailand, Google Cloud, said: “Efforts that support the growth of small and medium businesses will be an essential driver of Thailand’s future economic development. SME owners have also been seeking three things that are essential for growth: tools to establish or reinforce their online presence, capabilities to deliver personalized engagement to digital-first users, and the right skills to put these tools and capabilities to effective use. This is why we have been collaborating very closely with dtac and Telenor to build and bring to market B-LAB, an all-in-one platform that provides the necessary data-powered capabilities, employee communication and collaboration tools, and digital skills for SMEs in metro and non-metro areas to become tomorrow’s established enterprises – at a scale only made possible by combining market-leading cloud and connectivity technologies.”

B-LAB’s Three Key Pillars:

  1. Connect SME owners and enable them to share their experiences and best practices for operating a business more efficiently and successfully.
  2. Learn from resources that deliver knowledge and insights into digital skills, business trends, and future readiness.
  3. Grow using best-in-class SaaS, cloud, and mobile connectivity solutions, including Google Workspace and the full dtac product suite.

Built on Google Cloud’s industry-leading cloud-native communication and collaboration platform, Google Workspace brings together the applications people know and love – like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Chat, Meet, and more – into a single, integrated workspace, with built-in enterprise-grade access management, device management, data protection, and data encryption, to establish a secure remote working environment from anywhere, on any device.

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

6
Déc, 2022

Further debt payment difficulties for Vodafone Idea

It looks like Indian operator Vodafone Idea’s plans to pay at least some of its outstanding debts may have run into trouble.

As we reported last month, Vodafone Idea (aka Vi) seemed to have found a way to solve at least one of its debt issues after announcing plans to issue debentures worth 16 billion rupees (about US$195.6 million) to American Tower Corporation (ATC).

However, Vodafone Idea has now said that the planned preferential bonds issue could not be concluded. That’s because a key condition was government conversion of the 161.3 billion rupees (about US$1.96 billion) accrued interest on the operator’s deferred AGR-related dues into equity.

Vodafone Idea says it has not received any communication from the government on such a conversion, so according to an exchange filing, “the issuance of OCDs (optionally convertible debentures) to ATC has not been completed within the validity period of the shareholders’ resolution (i.e. 15 days from the date of passing of the resolution).”

Vodafone Idea is now in discussions with ATC for an extension of the agreement, which may require a new shareholders’ approval.

This follows recent news that the operator had been in talks with State Bank of India (SBI) for a 150-160 billion rupee loan ($1.94 billion), though here too, the need for clarity on the government’s potential shareholding in Vodafone Idea, as well as the operator’s business scale-up plans could be issues.

However, ironically, the government itself also seems to be waiting for a clear fund-raising plan, which puts Vodafone Idea in a very difficult position.

Vodafone Idea needs external funding to clear its over 120 billion rupees (US$1.45 billion) of dues to large vendors such as Indus Towers, ATC, Nokia and Ericsson, besides funding its pending 5G services rollout and bolstering its 4G coverage.

Vodafone Idea still apparently plans to raise Rs 200 billion rupees (US$2.43 billion) via a mix of debt and equity, but without clear signals from the government, that could be difficult.

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6
Déc, 2022

DDoS attacks may no longer be new, but they’re still an evolving threat

DDoS attacks may no longer be new, but they’re still an evolving threat

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Erik Nordquist, Global Managed Security Product Director at GTT

As ransomware and data breaches have been grabbing headlines for the past few years, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks have stopped being top of mind for many CIOs, but they’re still more dangerous than ever and companies cannot neglect the necessary steps for prevention and securing internal traffic. In fact, Google Cloud recently recorded the largest DDoS attack ever of 46 million requests per second in an offensive that lasted 69 minutes. … [visit site to read more]

5
Déc, 2022

Airtel and UNICEF join forces for Nigerian digital learning initiative

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5
Déc, 2022

Industry Spotlight: QTS’ Tag Greason on the Emergence of Operational Maturity as a Key Selection Criteria for Post Pandemic Data Centers

One of the biggest byproducts of the global pandemic is its impact on accelerating the digital transformation process. In just a few years, data digitization, often referred to as digital transformation, has profoundly changed the shape of digital business in every industry and for consumers globally. Increased usage of digital applications in video calling, telehealth, e-commerce and e-learning and entertainment has significantly increased the need for data capacities.  Unrelenting data growth, combined with the continuing migration of enterprises offsite into multitenant colocation data centers, is having a significant impact on the industry.  With us today to talk about their experiences over the last few years is Tag Greason, Chief Hyperscale Officer, at QTS Data Centers. … [visit site to read more]

Australia’s NBN teams up with Ericsson for FWA


Press Release

Australia’s National Broadband Network Co’s (NBN Co) fixed wireless access (FWA) footprint is set to grow by up to 50 percent nationally by the end of 2024 under an exclusive ten-year partnership extension with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to deploy 4G and next- generation 5G connectivity.

NBN Co (nbn) is a publicly owned corporation of the Australian Government, tasked to design, build and operate Australia’s digital backbone as a wholesale broadband access network provider.

The deployment is a significant move in addressing the geographical challenge of bringing improved service to communities and businesses across Australia – one of the largest countries in the world with huge variations in population density.

FWA currently covers more than 650,000 premises across Australia. Under the new partnership, Ericsson will supply the next-generation technology critical to 5G-enable many existing towers across the nbn Fixed Wireless network.

The additional capacity and reach of the upgraded network will provide up to 120,000 homes and businesses in nbn’s satellite footprint access to fixed wireless for the first time.

Jason Ashton, NBN Executive General Manager for Fixed Wireless and Satellite, says: “Our network is the digital backbone of Australia, and it is constantly evolving as we help keep communities, businesses and all areas of society connected, and our nation productive. Investing in 5G mmWave is a part of our commitment to evolve the nbn Fixed Wireless network for future needs and continually enhance customer experience. We’re committed to maximizing the performance of both our fixed wireless and satellite networks, and our work with Ericsson will help us push the boundaries of its capabilities to the benefit of the more than one million homes and businesses covered by these networks across Australia.”

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “NBN Co’s Fixed Wireless and Satellite Upgrade Program is an important part of Australia’s digital evolution. After working with nbn for more than a decade, I’m pleased that Ericsson’s technology continues to play a pivotal role in supporting the program to deliver better broadband services to people in regional Australia. With the extended range innovation showcased in Ericsson’s industry-leading radio access and microwave transport solutions, more Australians will have access to faster fixed wireless broadband in more places around the country.”

THE TECH

The partnership sees Ericsson become the sole supplier of 4G and 5G radio access and microwave transport solutions. Deployed solutions will include Ericsson’s 4G and 5G antenna-integrated radios across nbn’s current and future spectrum bands, and the latest Massive MIMO solutions providing best-in-class performance and energy efficiency in a lightweight small footprint form factor.

Also being deployed are Ericsson’s latest high-powered 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) solutions, the latest RAN Processor for 4G and 5G, and MINI-LINK microwave transport solutions such as dual carrier solutions in traditional frequency bands, all outdoor E-band, and long-haul.

Ericsson’s extended-range innovation will enable NBN Co to expand its Fixed Wireless network cell range from 14 km to 29 km.

By utilizing the latest 4G and 5G solutions, including 5G in nbn’s mmWave spectrum band, the upgrade program aims to support higher speeds in the fixed wireless network and deliver improved customer experiences. Importantly, the new infrastructure will also support a future upgrade from 4G to 5G for nbn’s existing spectrum bands.

US–Cuba subsea cable link in jeopardy over national security fears


News

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has recommended to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that they deny a permit for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) to connect to Cuba

This week, the US DoJ’s special purpose committee known as ‘Team Telecom’ has urged the FCC to reject an application that would see a submarine cable route link the USA directly with Cuba for the first time.

The ARCOS-1 spans roughly 8,400km in a ring across the Caribbean Sea, connecting 15 countries in the region, but notably not Cuba.

The system has been in service since 2001 and it is only in the last few years that an extension linking to Cuba has been considered.

Following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the US government banned its citizens from doing business with Cuba. Since then, these restrictions have been gradually reduced, with the FCC removing the last barrier to a US–Cuba cable in 2016.

As a result, the ARCOS-1 consortium proposed adding a Cuban branch to the system in 2018, officially filing for specific permission from the FCC last year.

While this link to ARCOS-1 would be the first commercial subsea link between the two countries, it is worth noting that there is already a non-commercial subsea cable system that connects the USA to Cuba: the GTMO-1 cable, linking Florida to the infamous US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The GTMO-PR system also links the base directly to Puerto Rico.

However, these two cables are fully owned and operated by the US, which circumvents Team Telecom’s main misgivings about the new ARCOS-1 link.

The issue stems from the fact that Cuba’s state-run operator Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (Etecsa) would manage the cable’s Cuban landing station, therefore potentially giving the Cuban government access to sensitive US data.

“As long as the Government of Cuba continues to be a counterintelligence threat to the United States and is allied with others who are the same, the risks to our infrastructure are simply too great,” said Deputy Homeland Security Attorney Matthew G. Olsen in a statement.

The FCC’s decision on the matter is expected next year.

Want to learn of the latest news from the submarine cable industry? Join the key players in discussion around the hottest topics at the upcoming Submarine Networks EMEA event

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion