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Today, an IT malfunction of unprecedented scale has sent shockwaves across the world, affecting critical services and impacting millions of people.
Elon Musk, tweeting this morning, has labeled the event as the “biggest IT fail ever.”
Biggest IT fail ever
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 19, 2024
The cause of the huge outage lies in a software update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The company uses a cloud-based system that offers companies security over the internet, rather than local installations. It provides companies with real-time insights into security threats.
A defect in the company’s latest update triggered a chain reaction, impacting Windows operating systems globally, meaning that many systems, including Teams and Outlook, went down.
CrowdStrike president George Kurtz said that the issue has been caused by “a single content update for Windows hosts”.
“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers,” he wrote on X.
Despite this, the residual impact and full recovery is expected to take several days, with many companies around the world being forced to restart their machines in safe mode.
The company was quick to stress that the event was not malicious in nature. Despite acting like a cyberattack in many ways, the fault did not compromise the integrity of any users’ data.
The ripple effects of this glitch have been far-reaching and are still arising. Nearly 1,400 flights have been canceled due to system failures, banks are struggling with transaction processing issues, as well as the broadcasting, retail and healthcare industries, amongst others.
Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter
Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services
In December last year, Ofcom proposed the introduction of stricter rules surrounding mid-contract price hikes for mobile, pay-TV, and broadband customers, after an investigation found that many customers were confused
The issue primarily related to inflation-based price increases, where pricing would be linked to indexes like the consumer price index (CPI) or retail price index (RPI) – indices not well understood by consumers, leading to unexpected increases in their bills.
Now, following a consultation, Ofcom has announced that new rules will indeed be introduced, requiring telecoms operators to express mid-contract price rises “prominently and transparently” in pounds and pence.
Providers will also be required to clearly explain when price increases will occur,
“Providers must draw this information to the customer’s attention prominently before they are bound by the contract, in a clear and comprehensible manner (including during a sales call or other verbal sale such as an in-store sale) to enable them to make an informed choice. Providers must also set out when any changes to the monthly price will occur,” said Ofcom in a statement.
“With household budgets squeezed, people need to have certainty about their monthly outgoings. But that’s impossible if you’re tied into a contract where the price could change based on something as hard to predict as future inflation,” said Cristina Luna-Esteban, Ofcom’s Telecoms Policy Director. “We’re stepping in on behalf of phone, broadband and pay TV customers to stamp out this practice, so people can be certain of the price they will pay, compare deals more easily and take advantage of the competitive market we have in the UK.”
The new rules will officially come into effect from 17 January 2025.
Many of the UK’s providers had already made the required changes pre-emptively over the past six months, with BT notably having already announced its revised price increases for 2025.
The UK’s largest digital economy event is just around the corner! Join the telecoms community in discussion on key issues at this year’s Connected Britain conference
Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services
This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Igor Cernjava, Product Manager at Quectel Wireless Solutions
The advent of 5G technology has revolutionized the telecommunications landscape, promising higher speeds, lower latency, higher network flexibility, higher security and increased connectivity. … [visit site to read more]
Nairobi-based IXAfrica Data Centres and Schneider Electric have launched what they say is the first AI-ready hyperscale data centre in Kenya, and the largest such data centre in all of East Africa.
According to media reports, Schneider Electric said in a statement that the new facility, labelled ‘NBOX1’, is a Tier 3+ carrier-neutral data centre capable of supporting advanced AI applications. The statement said that NBOX1 is “the largest and most technologically advanced digital habitat for cloud, colocation, and connectivity in East Africa”.
A LinkedIn post from IXAfrica Data Centres says NBOX, located at its 4.3-acre IXAfrica Nairobi Campus, sports 4.5MW of IT power. The data centre features 780 racks in three data halls, with 4,000 square metres of teleport space.
The facility is supported by Schneider Electric’s ‘EcoStruxure for Data Centres’ architecture and solutions, which Schneider says provides NBOX1 with “resilience, uptime and cost efficiency, enhanced security, and the ability to meet IXAfrica’s sustainability objectives.”
Schneider also said the power train for the facility is based around its MV and LV switchgear to offer “stable and reliable cloud services renewably powered by Kenya’s grid.”
“The solutions provided by Schneider Electric are engineered to support N+1 redundancy with four independent power trains, meeting IXAfrica’s immediate and long-term objectives, including design 1.25 PUE across the campus, as well as a 99.999% uptime guarantee,” said Ifeanyi Odoh, Schneider Electric’s country president in East Africa, in a statement.
IXAfrica CEO Snehar Shah noted that the Nairobi campus site “is built on land formerly part of Schneider’s complex, and the power engineering for the site was designed by Schneider’s local partners.”
IXAfrica Nairobi Campus One has been in the works since early 2021, backed by a US$50 million capital investment from investment firm Helios. In August last year, IXAfrica said it signed a deal with real estate developer Tilisi Developments to purchase 11 acres of prime land to build a second data centre campus in Nairobi.
Shah also touted Kenya’s role as a digital technology epicentre for East Africa, serving a regional population of over 300 million people and supporting an innovation ecosystem that includes a skilled workforce, cloud and content providers, and colocation and connectivity services.
“Kenya is a hypercloud-ready region with advanced cloud adoption propensities, a digitally savvy environment, access to diverse internet fibre connectivity, high availability, and low-carbon power sources,” Shah said. “All of this takes place in a country with a stable regulatory and political climate, as well as a strong economy expected to grow by 5.2% in 2024.”
In May this year, Microsoft and AI-focused UAE-based technology group G42 announced a comprehensive package of digital investments in Kenya as part of an initiative with the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy. With an initial investment of US$1 billion from G42, the package includes a green data centre built by G42 and its partners in Olkaria that will run on and provide access to Microsoft Azure through a new East Africa Cloud Region.
Telecom Fiji announced on Wednesday it has signed an agreement to become an authorised reseller for LEO satellite operator Starlink, and is already pitching it as a connectivity solution for businesses in underserved areas.
Telecom Fiji said that the Starlink reseller deal will help expand its broadband service footprint and target a wider range of customers, including rural communities, schools, health centres, and government departments.
Of those, the business sector seems to be the initial primary target, as Telecom Fiji said it is already putting together “comprehensive connectivity packages” for businesses to access cloud-driven ICT solutions using Starlink as a backhaul connection.
“We will be announcing our attractive and flexible product offerings shortly for small to large businesses, and customers will be able to order conveniently through our online portal,” said Telecom Fiji CEO Charles Goundar in a statement. “In addition to the Starlink kit, customers will be able to choose from various other service options such as managed firewall for cybersecurity, cloud applications, backup and storage at Telecom’s data centre, amongst other services.”
Goundar added that business customers will benefit from uninterrupted operations with mission-critical backup links, seamless integration with cloud-based applications and services, and efficient communications and productivity. “This collaboration allows us to bring advanced satellite technology to the most remote parts of Fiji, ensuring that every business and community can thrive in the digital age.”
Starlink officially went live across the more than 300 islands in the Republic of Fiji in May, six months after receiving a telecoms licence from the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji and a spectrum licence from the Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs and Communications in November 2023.
Telecom Fiji is the second company to become a Starlink reseller in Fiji, following managed services provider Lightspeed Pacific, which sealed a deal with Starlink last week.
Lightspeed Pacific executive chair Richard Broadbridge told news portal Islands Business that he’s already seeing “big demand” from local shipping and tourism operators for Starlink receiver kits. He also said that around 600 Starlink kits will arrive in Fiji within four to six weeks, 30% of which have already been pre-ordered by customers.
Avanti Communications a global multi-orbit provider of fully integrated connectivity services and solutions, says it has undertaken a satellite connectivity test with BankservAfrica, Africa’s largest automated clearing house, and with Capitec Bank, one of South Africa’s top retail banks.
The successful completion of this connectivity test heralds a movement towards greater transactional security, Avanti says, explaining that the satellite connection exhibited durability with consistent stability, a crucial factor in ensuring financial transactions are carried out without interruption on Avanti’s GEO Ka HTS satellite.
In addition, financial traffic was routed purely on an Avanti satellite link, demonstrating that Avanti’s link is capable of handling mission-critical applications during the loss of terrestrial links or unstable connectivity caused by fibre cuts or power issues.
High transaction volumes were efficiently managed during intensive production testing, showcasing the robustness of the satellite link.
As for why this is relevant to Africa, Gamze Aydin, Senior Vice President of Sales and South Africa Country Manager at Avanti, explains: “With South Africa’s financial institutions facing the threats of power grid instabilities and undersea cable malfunctions, this test is a forerunner of strengthened operational resilience. By enabling direct satellite connection to European traffic hubs, Avanti’s solution reduces reliance on local infrastructure, which is prone to disruption.”
Avanti adds that the initiative is a major step towards reinforcing the resilience of financial services across Africa. It describes the successful completion of the test as ‘an important milestone’, demonstrating the viability of satellite communication in maintaining stable and reliable transaction environments.
Chinese giant Huawei has completed the construction of its new research and development (R&D) centre in Shanghai, China.
Officially named the Lianqiu Lake R&D Center, the campus includes offices, R&D, incubation and production services. It is the “largest and most heavily invested R&D base globally,” the company said. In the future, the site will designed to become a core node in Huawei’s global R&D network.
According to South China Morning Post, approximately 30,000 employees are expected to move into the campus upon completion, with the first number expected in September. Operations are expected to begin later this year, although the company have yet to commented on the project’s completion. A state media report in January confirmed that the site will ‘carry out innovative research and development in the fields of Huawei terminal chips, wireless networks and the Internet of Things’.
There are currently around 19,000 staff at its research centre in the city’s Pudong district.
The campus is reportedly comprised of eight blocks and 104 buildings, connected via a railway system. Other amenities, such as the 100 on site cafes, have been included to attract foreign employees.
“[We aim to] create an atmosphere suitable for foreign scientists to work and live in,” said Huewei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei in an internal meeting in 2021, which was later made public.
Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter
Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services
A data center upgrade, some FTTH funding, a new edge data center deployment, and a core network upgrade over in Spain. … [visit site to read more]
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
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