A Singaporean technology group is expanded into the broader managed services sector beyond Singapore via a contract with a leading Malaysian operator.

TeleChoice International Limited, a regional diversified provider and enabler of innovative communications products and services, has won a fourth party logistics (4PL) managed services contract from one of Malaysia’s major operators, U Mobile. This will be carried out by TeleChoice’s wholly owned subsidiary, Planet Telecoms Managed Services.

The contract, estimated at S$500 million  (US$372.2 million) over three years, involves the provision of 4PL managed services, providing a comprehensive suite of solutions for supply chain management.

PTMS’s role includes device procurement, whereby PTMS will act as a buying house and manage the sourcing and inventory of new devices, aligning with market demand. PTMS will also oversee the warehousing, logistics and distribution of devices, including last-mile delivery, ensuring timely delivery across Malaysia. 

In the area of inventory management PTMS will implement real-time inventory systems to allow U Mobile to respond quickly to market needs. 

Finally, PTMS will take on comprehensive management of U Mobile’s extensive distribution network consisting of over 600 retail and channel touchpoints across Malaysia, aiming to provide a consistent and smooth experience for customers, from online ordering to in- store pickups. 

Wong Heang Tuck, CEO of U Mobile, says: “Through this partnership with TeleChoice and PTMS we will be able to enhance and expand the range of devices made available to our customers by leveraging on their expertise and experience as an end-to-end 4PL managed services provider. From initial touchpoints to final service delivery, the integration of technologies and streamlined processes will deliver efficiency and reliability within our supply chain, resulting in a seamless and positive experience for our customers.“

News

The breach was seemingly caused inadvertently by a fellow staff member

This week, US mobile giant Verizon has informed authorities that the personal data of 63,206 people – primarily the company’s own employees – have been compromised by a data breach. This represents the data of roughly half of the company’s 117,000 workers.

The breach occurred on September 21 last year and was only detected on December 12, almost three months later.

While the specifics surrounding what caused the breach were not revealed, Verizon said it believed “inadvertent disclosure” and “insider wrongdoing” were the cause of the breach.

According to the operator’s report, the data compromised during the attack included employees’ names, addresses, Social Security Number or other national identifier (if available), gender, union affiliation (if applicable), date of birth, and compensation information.

However, it appears none of this data has been shared with external sources.

“[On Sept. 21], a Verizon employee obtained a file containing certain employee personal information without authorization and in violation of company policy,” explained Verizon in a sample letter to victims filed with the Maine attorney general’s office. “Promptly after learning of the issue [on Dec. 12], we conducted a review. […] At this time, we have no evidence that this information has been misused or shared outside of Verizon as a result of this issue.”

Verizon says work is ongoing to better understand the cause of the breach and to improve internal security.

The company has also implemented a two-year identity theft protection and credit monitoring service, details of which have been sent to impacted employees.

This data breach is Verizon’s second major security scandal in the past year, with 7.5 million of the company’s wireless subscribers having their data leaked on the Dark Web.

Want to keep up to date with the latest telecoms news from the US market? Join the telcos in discussion at this year’s Connected America conference live in Dallas, Texas

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A couple of M&A moves, and some regional infrastructure contracts of note.  One each from the US and the UK. … [visit site to read more]

Malaysian operator Maxis has been reportedly hit by a cyberattack from an international hacking group that claims to have stolen internal data and posted it on the dark web.

On Monday, according to the Soya Cincau website, the R00TK1T ISC Cyber Team posted several screenshots purported to be a backend system belonging to Maxis. The group said it would start releasing Maxis customer data in the following few days.

Later on Monday, Maxis said in a statement that it was investigating the claim.

“While we did not identify anything related to our own systems, we identified a suspected incident involving unauthorised access to one of our third-party vendor systems that resides outside of Maxis’ internal network environment” the telco said. “We are working with them to investigate further and have also informed the relevant authorities.”

Maxis didn’t name the third-party vendor, or say whether the incident was related to the claims made by R00TK1T.

On Tuesday, according to Cyber Express, R00TK1T posted details of the alleged cyberattack on the dark web and on its Telegram channel. The group claimed to have exploited a compromised single sign-on user access to the FortiGate Firewall, which gave it access to sensitive Maxis employee data, including employee IDs, names, business emails, and work locations at Maxis retail stores.

R00TK1T also posted stolen Maxis data such as “MAC addresses, connection details on the Maxis Wi-Fi network, and administrative access to the Maxis Interactive Retail Assistant (MIRA) dashboard”, the Cyber Express report said.

R00TK1T said it would continue to release data until Maxis publicly admits that it was breached. Maxis had not responded to the latest claims as we went to post.

The Maxis cyberattack is part of a broader campaign by R00TK1T, which issued a statement on January 26 announcing its intention to attack Malaysia’s digital infrastructure. Since then, the group has claimed to have successfully hacked Malaysian network solutions and system integrator Aminia and online education website YouTutor.

On January 30, Malaysia’s Natonal Cyber Coordination and Command Centre (NC4) issued an alert warning all Malaysian organisations to implement essential preventive measures in order to safeguard against attacks.

NC4 also said it believes  R00TK1T is « part of a retaliation team against the cyber campaign stemming from the Middle East conflict. Historical data reveals that the threat actor has previously targeted various sectors in multiple countries, including education, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and ICT services, by exploiting known vulnerabilities and enlisting the assistance of insider threats and disgruntled employees. »

NC4 also advised the R00TK1T campaign could last for several weeks.

Press Release

Aqua Comms, a leading provider of global subsea connectivity services, today announced a long-term lease agreement for Trans-Atlantic subsea spectrum with Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) for 25% of a fibre pair between New York, Dublin and London. This agreement marks the first Trans-Atlantic spectrum acquisition by ESnet, the high-performance network built to support scientific research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science and managed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

ESnet serves as the DOE research community’s “data circulatory system,” providing services to tens of thousands of scientific researchers throughout the entire national laboratory system, its supercomputing facilities, and its major scientific instruments, as well as peering with more than 270 research and commercial networks worldwide. Secured for 15 years, this quarter-fibre-pair will provide a dedicated 5 Tbps data pipe that will be a foundational element of ESnet’s long-term trans-Atlantic strategy to accommodate rapid increases in data traffic from DOE science collaborations and facilities, including ramping up for the high luminosity upgrade of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.

“Scientific research has entered the exascale era, and researchers need to be able to rapidly, seamlessly, and reliably move vast quantities of data from instruments to high-performance computing facilities to their human collaborators all over the world — and back again,” said ESnet Executive Director Inder Monga. “ESnet is committed to continuing to build a robust, redundant network ready to serve the Department of Energy’s research ecosystem now and for the long-term future.”

Jim Fagan, CEO at Aqua Comms, said, “Subsea Spectrum offers the scalability and control of dark fibre at a fraction of the cost allowing customers to plan for their long-term network needs. By working with Aqua Comms, ESNet can be confident in our expertise and leading global subsea engineering services as we continue to demonstrate that we are at the forefront of the technology supporting the needs of our customers with high-bandwidth, efficient network services.”

The Aqua Comms network is leveraging Ciena’s (NYSE: CIEN) GeoMesh Extreme submarine network solution, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics and Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) advanced software capabilities, to support customers’ ever-growing connectivity and bandwidth needs. Additionally, Ciena Services is providing submarine-specific automation for installation, spectrum activation, and testing for time savings and improved optimization, as well as SLTE technical support to ensure optimal network reliability.

“When 400G wavelengths are not sufficient for growing demands, operators are turning to subsea spectrum to fulfill their scalable, continent-to-continent requirements,” commented Thomas Soerensen, Vice President, Global Submarine Solutions, Ciena.“With Ciena’s best-in-class GeoMesh Extreme solution, Aqua Comms’ network has the high bandwidth, intelligence, and cost efficiency to meet the unique connectivity needs of big science.”

Want to keep up with all the latest news from the submarine cable community? Join the discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s largest subsea communications event

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E& Carrier & Wholesale Services (C&WS) an internet, mobile and regional hub for international cable systems, is set to anchor the 2Africa subsea cable; this will be the most extensive subsea cable system landing in the UAE to date.

The chosen gateway for this development is Kalba, a city in the north-eastern part of the United Arab Emirates, a choice, e& says, that complements its existing Fujairah cable landing station, fortifying diversity and resilience in the UAE’s connectivity landscape

The 2Africa consortium of Bayobab, centre3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC is developing a  45,000 kilometre submarine cable system, the world’s largest subsea cable project, connecting Europe, Asia and Africa. Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for the manufacture and installation of the 2Africa cable.

As the designated landing partner for 2Africa in the UAE, e& will lead the development of the necessary infrastructure for the landing station and will be responsible for its maintenance in the coming decades.

Around 20 subsea cable systems land in the UAE and the majority of these are managed by e&, which says it boasts unique technical expertise, a robust operating structure, a neutral access data centre, diverse landing stations, and adherence to global standards.

E& Carrier & Wholesale says it is the largest internet, mobile and regional hub for international cable systems, with an ecosystem that links 160 international carriers with its international mobile network reaching more than 800 destinations.

Its range of solutions for mobile operators, carriers, ISPs, wholesalers, and OTTs includes mobile, data, voice and satellite services.

News

Yemeni telecoms operators say they fear Houthis may destroy submarine cable infrastructure as part of the ongoing conflict

Vague threats from Houthi rebels have Yemeni telecoms operators fearing that local submarine cable infrastructure could be in jeopardy.

Late last year, a Houthi-linked Telegram channel published a map showing submarine network infrastructure in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf alongside a message that appeared to imply these cables could become targets for future aggression.

“There are maps of international cables connecting all regions of the world through the sea. It seems that Yemen is in a strategic location, as internet lines that connect entire continents — not only countries—pass near it,” read the post.

The Red Sea is a vitally important thoroughfare for international data traffic, allowing data to travel from Asia and Africa into the Mediterranean Sea and on to Europe via the Suez Canal. The Red Sea’s floor plays host to 16 submarine cables that reportedly carry around 17% of the world’s internet traffic, including crucial military communications for the surrounding region.

Perhaps the most important of these cables is the Asia-Africa-Europe (AAE-1) cable, which spans over 25,000km and connects Southeast Asia to Europe. Damage to the AAE-1 or accompanying cables could have major ramifications not only for the local economies that rely on them for connectivity but also for the international data community.

In recent months, this fact has become more pertinent with Yemeni Houthi rebels conducting a drone-led attack campaign against commercial shipping in the region in retaliation for the ongoing war in Gaza. This has led to major bombing campaigns in Yemen by Western powers, with the conflict expanding to include around a dozen countries.

But could this conflict realistically come to also encompass submarine cable infrastructure? The realities of such an attack seem unlikely. While the general location of submarine infrastructure is published by the community in order for maritime traffic to avoid damaging the cable, locating the cable accurately enough to attack it from the surface would be very difficult without precision equipment. Similarly, getting close enough to attack these cables without submersibles – particularly in an area constantly patrolled by various naval vessels – would be a risky business.

On the other hand, the part of the seabed where the cables pass near the Yemeni coast is notably shallow, reaching depths of only about 100m. While this would be of little help to the Houthis when it comes to locating the cables themselves, it does make the prospect of damaging these cables more feasible using conventional means; for example, using submersible explosives similar to the sea mines that the Houthi’s have deployed in the Red Sea for numerous years.

If a cable were to be damaged, the repair process would likely be arduous. There is only a very limited number of cable ships available internationally to perform the repairs, many of which would have to travel for days or even weeks to reach the location of the break. Couple this with the added complexity and security requirements of working on a cable in troubled waters like the Red Sea and cables could take months to repair.

For now, the Houthis’ veiled threats to submarine cable infrastructure seem to be little more than hot air, but they do highlight a growing appreciation for the critical role that submarine cable infrastructure plays in global economy – and the far-reaching impact disrupting these systems could have for the international community.

How are global conflicts impacting international data traffic? Join the submarine networks community in discussion at this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA conference

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