Interview 

The telecom industry is at the forefront of digital transformation, but with growing concerns about energy consumption and environmental impact, operators and vendors are prioritising sustainability

In the WinWin Live Studio, Emanuel Kolta, Lead Analyst at GSMA Intelligence, sat down with Lim Yu Leong, Vice President, Group Strategy, Engineering and innovation at Singtel, and Singleton Zhou, President of Network Consulting and Integration services at Huawei GTS to discuss the Green Network Index (GNI), which is a figure developed by the GSMA to assess and compare the environmental sustainability of mobile networks. 

Singtel has recently implemented the Singtel Group Environmental Framework, which focuses on two key areas: 

1. Climate action: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, integrating renewable energy, and optimising network energy efficiency.
2. Product stewardship: Promoting responsible sourcing, sustainable packaging, and e-waste management to support a circular economy.

Singtel’s commitment to sustainability has earned it an A score on the CDP 2023 Climate Change assessment, up from A- in 2022, making it the first Southeast Asian telco to achieve this recognition.  

From the carrier’s perspective, Huawei has also helped the advancement of green telcos. Zhou emphasised that legacy telecom equipment consumes excessive energy and space. To address this, Huawei has:  

1. Modernised 100,000 sites and 4,000 equipment rooms in 2024, helping operators save 740 million kWh of electricity.
2. Reduced OPEX costs by optimising equipment usage and improving network migration.
3. Supported zero-outage transitions using its NetLIVE platform, which uses digital twin technology and AI-driven risk assessment to ensure seamless migrations. 

Another huge challenge in modernising telecom networks is maintaining reliability. According to ENISA statistics, network incidents have increased by 35% annually, making resilience an even bigger priority. 

To combat this, Huawei has deployed its security and resilience networks solution, enabling operators to proactively manage risks. Their NetLIVE platform has already prevented 30+ operational risks in network change projects and improved first-time success rates to 99.99%. 

“We have deployed network resilience solution in several projects. Carrier A’s core network fault can cause a 12-hour interruption, affecting more than 5 million users. After reconstruction, the interruption time was shortened to 1.5 hours, and only 1 million users were being affected,” said Zhou. 

“In addition, the network accident rate was reduced by 70% as well. China operator B adopted our network change resilience solution, which has intercepted more than 30 operation risks. For implementing ‘network change’ request, the ‘first-time success rate’ exceeded 99.99%, and no major accident has occurred,” he continued. 

The Green Network Index (GNI) provides telecom operators with a structured approach to measuring sustainability efforts. For Singtel, the GNI has been a valuable benchmarking tool, allowing it to: 

 – Assess its carbon footprint and energy efficiency.  

– Identify areas for improvement and enhance network sustainability.  

– Align with global best practices in green telecom operations. 

For Huawei, the GNI has helped standardise energy conservation efforts across more than 200 operators worldwide. Their NetLIVE platform, currently deployed in multiple regions, enables operators to track and optimise their environmental performance in real time. 

Looking forward, Singtel will continue refining its sustainability strategies and leveraging the GNI for continuous improvement. Huawei will expand its collaboration with global operators, focusing on low-carbon development and energy-efficient technologies. 

“We firmly believe that deep collaboration is key to accelerating green transformation in the ICT industry. Singtel’s strategy to systematically advance carbon reduction through the GNI aligns closely with Huawei’s philosophy of “More Bits, Less Watts”.,” said Zhou. 

India’s mobile landscape prior to 2022 was murky in the context of 5G. Operators, regulators, and stakeholders were embroiled in disputes over inadequate infrastructure and high spectrum pricing – leaving the country’s burgeoning population of over one billion trailing behind as other nations began rolling out 5G services.

Despite this, India already had a well-developed connectivity ecosystem, with widespread 4G coverage supported by two million base stations and a vast subscriber base. However, operators spent an entire year negotiating the government’s valuation of the initial 5G spectrum, which was reportedly priced at ten times what UK operators paid (£1.36 billion) for their first allocation. Eventually, Indian operators paid over INR 1.5 trillion (US$19 billion) for spectrum access.

A swift turnaround

Today, India’s 5G story is being heralded as a success. A large number of connections -boosted by the country’s huge population – have been achieved in a remarkably short period. This has been made possible through close collaboration between operators and the government, as well as initiatives to reduce handset costs and ensure affordability across all user segments.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), there were 1.15 billion wireless connections in India at the end of January 2025, up by nearly 629,000 from the end of 2024.

Looking ahead, India is already preparing for 5G Advanced, standalone deployments, and even 6G. Having learned lessons from more mature telecom markets, India is now positioned to become a leader that more developed nations, such as the UK and the US, may one day look to, according to Counterpoint Research analyst Siddhant Cally.

Cally described India’s 5G rollout as “one of a kind”, with an astonishing 470,000 base stations deployed since the commercial launch in 2022, according to recent TRAI data.  

He noted that the timing was fortuitous, as Indian operators had the financial means to invest heavily in network equipment from Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia. Both companies reported significant revenue boosts from India’s 5G rollout – and even warned investors not to expect similar growth in the next financial year.

The Jio effect

Cally credited disruptive challenger Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) with setting the pace by swiftly deploying an initial 300 5G Standalone (SA) base stations in metropolitan areas – and eventually establishing 100% coverage. At the time, only 25% of global 5G operators had deployed standalone networks, and none had done so nationwide. Jio’s aggressive rollout strategy compelled incumbents Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) to follow suit.

This fierce competition, particularly from Jio, drove connectivity prices down dramatically. At one point, incumbent operators were charging US$4 per gigabyte, while Jio disrupted the market by offering unlimited data plans for just US$5 per month. The resulting price war contributed to the closure of numerous mobile network operators -India once had 14, now reduced to just four.

Regulators also played a crucial role in enabling rapid deployment. Cally highlighted efforts to upgrade existing base stations with fibre optic cables to support 5G, a process that had previously been cost-prohibitive and slow. Government rule changes accelerated this transformation.

However, GlobalData Telecom Project Manager Hrushikesh Mahananda noted that deployment of fibre-optic infrastructure remains constrained by high costs and complex right-of-way permissions. According to GlobalData, only 33% of telecom towers in India are currently fibre-connected. Mahananda estimated that at least 75% will need to be upgraded by 2026 to maintain the commercial viability of 5G.

Affordable devices drive uptake

The rapid adoption of 5G has also been driven by the availability of affordable smartphones. Cally pointed out that 5G handsets are now available from around INR 10,000 (US$118), and Indian subscribers currently consume over 30GB of data per month on average – surpassing even users of China Mobile. He noted that the entry of brands like Vivo and Honor in 2016 brought affordable, feature-rich handsets with 5G connectivity, fast charging, and high-resolution displays to the market.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) has emerged as another key driver. TRAI recorded 5.71 million FWA broadband subscribers in January, with Jio accounting for 4.84 million (84.7%) and Bharti Airtel capturing 872,000 (15.3%). By comparison, there were just 41.1 million fixed-access broadband customers – demonstrating how little fixed infrastructure the nation has, despite the age of fibre and DSL technology.

There’s still considerable room for growth. Vodafone Idea has yet to fully ramp up its 5G deployment, and Cally noted the operator has around 200 million subscribers waiting to be transitioned. State-owned BSNL has around 300 million subscribers. Combined, that’s half a billion potential 5G connections still to come.

Is India’s 5G a success?

So, has India’s 5G journey been a success? “Absolutely,” said Cally, pointing to the rise in ARPU across operators.

“Success comes from the fact that Airtel and Jio have reported strong quarters recently. Success comes from the fact that Jio is now producing its own hardware and software stack in-house. Jio has its own core network and open-RAN compliant 5G hardware. These are the real markers of India’s 5G success.

“The growth in subscriber numbers is one thing, but the growth of the overall ecosystem is another – and that’s what we’re seeing.”

Despite the massive US$20 billion investment in spectrum, Indian operators are now reaping the rewards. Average revenue per user (ARPU) is on the rise. Airtel’s ARPU reached an “industry-high” of INR 209 in FY 2023–24, up INR 16. Vodafone Idea’s ARPU rose from INR 135 to INR 173 year-on-year in Q3 2025. Reliance Jio’s ARPU also increased, hitting INR 206 in Q4 2024, up from INR 181.7 a year earlier. Cally remarked that operators were willing to accept unfavourable policy terms because the potential market one billion connections – is so immense.

The road ahead

Mahananda, however, urged greater development of monetisable 5G use cases in sectors such as education and manufacturing. He also called for further reductions in smartphone prices and more regulatory support to simplify infrastructure rollout and attract investment.

“By addressing these critical areas, India can maximise the benefits of its 5G infrastructure – ultimately fostering economic growth and driving digital transformation,” said Mahananda.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation is up and running – at last. The first 27 satellites were finally launched into space from Florida on Monday after bad weather meant an initial launch attempt on 9 April was abandoned.

The satellites are the first of 3,236 that Amazon plans to send into low-Earth orbit for Project Kuiper, a US$10 billion satellite communications offering unveiled in 2019. It targets consumers, businesses and governments and takes on the already established Starlink service as well as global telecommunications providers like AT&T and T-Mobile. 

The mission to deploy the first Project Kuiper operational satellites has been delayed for more than a year. It is now expected to miss a deadline set by the US Federal Communications Commission to deploy half its constellation, 1,618 satellites, by mid-2026. Nevertheless, more launches are planned and, if all goes well, Reuters reports that the company has said it expects to begin delivering services to customers later this year.

It’s still a late start in a market dominated by Starlink and its launch services provider SpaceX. However, some reports suggest that Amazon executives feel that the company’s deep consumer product experience and its established cloud computing business (with which Kuiper is expected to connect) could give it a competitive edge over its rival.

Like Starlink, the company has positioned the service as a boost to connectivity in remote or rural areas – if end users can afford it. At the very least, a new player in the market might bring prices down.

As it is, Starlink boasts more than 5 million internet users across 125 countries, including a presence in more than 20 African countries, though, as we recently reported, not without courting some controversy.

Nevertheless, Reuters reports that Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos has voiced confidence that Kuiper can compete with Starlink. He apparently told the news agency in a January interview that « there’s insatiable demand » for the internet.

News

Delays to BEAD forced a Louisiana broadband construction firm to layoff 80% of subcontractors, according to the organisation’s co-owner

This article was originally published by Brad Randall, Editor of our sister publication, Broadband Communities

A broadband construction firm in rural Louisiana has been forced into layoffs due to BEAD delays, according to Josh Etheridge, the co-owner of EPC.

Etheridge, who founded EPC with his brother eight years ago, is the latest Louisiana business leader to sound the alarm on delays to BEAD, the nation’s massive $42.45 billion effort to deploy broadband to all Americans.

In a new letter, addressed to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Etheridge said EPC was ready to put boots on the ground to begin BEAD deployments on January 25.

Read Etheridge’s letter to Lutnick here

“But now? The market is frozen,” Etheridge wrote. “I’ve had to release 80% of our subcontractors. We’ve paused philanthropic giving, scaled back our chamber memberships, and sadly begun to make layoffs of our full-time employees.”

Since it was founded, EPC has grown to include more than 160 full time employees, Etheridge wrote. Additionally, he said the company had built a network of more than 150 subcontractors.

Now, Etheridge says even North Louisiana-based EPC’s at-risk capital builds are “pulling back.”

“We were poised for 300% growth,” he wrote. “We prepared accordingly. And now—we wait.”

Etheridge’s letter, given to Broadband Communities on Monday, calls on the administration not to let “bureaucracy unravel everything we’ve built.”

“If this continues, you will have effectively weaponized a great ambition—meant to lift up and transform rural America—against the very people who believe in this administration,” his letter continued. “We supported our newly elected leaders— with our money, our words, and our votes — believing you would support us in return.”

‘And now? We hear nothing’

Louisiana has been highly impacted by an ongoing review to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program called by Lutnick.

In 2024, Louisiana notably became the first to award BEAD funds through a state program called GUMBO 2.0 (Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities).

It was also the first state to gain approval for their initial BEAD proposal.

Now, Etheridge’s letter to Lutnick is the latest from a Louisiana executive that warns about dire impacts from Lutnick’s BEAD delay.

With the letter, Etheridge now joins the CEO of Louisiana-based SkyRider Communications and David Herring, the founder and CEO of ClearPath Fiber, as the latest company leaders sounding the alarm.

According to Etheridge, if the silence continues “it will say what no words ever could.”

“That we were never truly understood, that our sacrifice was never truly valued, and that our votes and voices mattered only when it was time to count them — not when it came time to honor them,” he wrote.

Like Herring’s letter last week, Etheridge stresses that Louisiana “did it right.”

He said his company “followed the rules and “ran a clean process.”

“No DEI mandates. Forty percent under budget. Tech-neutral. No labor strings,” he said.

Etheridge’s letter to Lutnick ends with the EPC co-founder telling Lutnick that “it’s not too late.”

He calls on Lutnick to “let Louisiana move forward.”

“Let EPC build. Let our people work,” he wrote. “Don’t let another generation lose faith in the promises we were raised to believe in. We are still ready. We are still willing.”

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Learn more about Broadband Communities Summit 2025 in Houston.

News 

Octopus Group, the investment group behind Octopus Energy, is preparing to make its move into the UK mobile market, The Telegraph reported over the weekend. 

According to the article, the company is exploring plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that could challenge the dominance of the UK’s current biggest four operators,  EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three. 

Octopus’s mobile service would operate by leasing capacity from an existing network, instead of investing in its own infrastructure. Sources speaking to The Telegraph indicated that discussions have taken place via Fern Trading, Octopus’s telecoms investment arm, with at least one major network operator. The project appears linked to Y Corporation, a mobile provider owned by Fern Trading, which currently has a wholesale agreement with Three. 

Y Corporation is reportedly considering an eSIM-only model targeting both enterprise and consumer markets. Adam Dunlop, former head of TalkTalk’s consumer division, was appointed to drive the mobile expansion earlier back in January. 

The mobile push follows Octopus Energy’s success in the utilities sector, where it now supplies over 13 million customers, and has overtaken British Gas to become the UK’s largest household energy supplier. 

A new mobile service under the Octopus brand would complement the group’s growing telecoms footprint, which includes broadband providers such as Cuckoo and AllPoints Fibre. Fern Trading recently announced plans to merge several of its altnets into a single entity to strengthen its market position ahead of expected industry consolidation. 

The move comes at a key time for the UK’s mobile sector, with Vodafone and Three’s £15 billion merger set to reshape the market landscape. Should Y Corporation continue its partnership with Three post-merger, it would gain access to the UK’s largest mobile network. 

Join us at Connected Britain, 24-25 September in London. Get tickets here! 

Also in the news:
Diversifying the UK’s data centre landscape: a path to economic growth
Connected North: Thoughts from the show floor
Connected America 2025: Is there a US–China 5G rollout race?

MTN has revealed that hackers gained access to some customers’ personal information, but emphasised that the core functions of its business remained unaffected and fully operational throughout the incident.

In a statement, the company confirmed there was no evidence that the breach compromised its core network, billing systems, or financial services, all of which continued to function normally during the attack.

MTN acknowledged that the hackers claimed to have accessed data linked to a portion of its systems. However, it stressed that there is no indication that subscriber accounts or mobile wallets were breached.

The operator stated that it had notified the relevant authorities in South Africa to assist in tracking down the perpetrators, and that affected customers have been informed.

MTN did not disclose how many subscribers were impacted by the breach.

“The privacy of information is our top priority, and MTN remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of our systems and the trust placed in us by our customers and other stakeholders,” the company said. “We will continue to contain and manage this matter carefully.”

EdgePoint Towers, part of EdgePoint Infrastructure, a leading ASEAN-based independent telecommunications infrastructure company, has announced the successful launch of its first solar hybrid site.

The company describes this launch as marking a key milestone in its renewable energy initiatives and a significant step toward advancing sustainable energy solutions in Malaysia’s telecommunications sector.

The new solution provides up to 100% of the energy required to operate telecommunications equipment, reducing dependence on diesel fuel. With a 5.9-kilowatt peak (kWp) capacity, the site operates autonomously using photovoltaic (solar) energy, complemented by battery storage.

This deployment is expected to reduce the site’s annual carbon emissions by approximately 78%, while also ensuring seamless connectivity for travellers along the highway.

As Muniff Kamaruddin, Chief Executive Officer of EdgePoint Towers, points out: “Solar energy has proven to be an ideal solution for Malaysia, given its equatorial climate and high levels of solar insolation [exposure to the sun’s rays]. By integrating solar power into telecommunications infrastructure, we are reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources, lowering operational costs, and significantly decreasing emissions.”

He adds: “Solar hybrid solutions are an adjacent focus area for us; it is a key part of our broader strategy of implementing innovative, sustainable solutions, driving an industry-wide transformation towards cleaner, more efficient operations, and we are optimistic about future collaborations with both mobile network operators and non-MNO clients to help them meet their green objectives.”

By the end of 2025, EdgePoint says it plans to complete more full solar or solar hybrid sites across the country, in which it has a significant presence. Indeed, 1,800 of it sites are in Malaysia, where it is the second-largest tower company. It is also the fastest-growing multi-country tower company in ASEAN, with 15,800 sites in its portfolio.

Global internet backbone and data services provider Arelion and Latin American network provider Gold Data have announced a strategic partnership to leverage dark fibre infrastructure.

The partners plan to connect Arelion’s point of presence (PoP) at technology solutions group KIO Networks’ MEX 5 data centre in Tultitlán in central México, with its PoP at KIO Networks’ QRO1 data centre in Querétaro in the north-central area of the country.

This collaboration, the partners say, underscores the two companies’ commitment to supporting Latin America’s economic growth through high-capacity, low-latency connectivity. The route is a completely underground fibre construction, allowing Arelion to provide high-availability, resilient connectivity services through Gold Data’s high-performance infrastructure.

Gold Data’s dark fibre route will be integrated into Arelion’s existing network, providing enhanced diversity for wholesale and enterprise customers operating between these key data centres. Arelion’s Querétaro PoPs also serve as centralised hubs supporting access to content and applications for customers in Guadalajara in the west, San Luis Potosí in eastern and central Mexico, and Mérida in the southeast.

Gold Data brings local expertise to this partnership through its extensive fibre-optic network across Latin America. Its collaboration with Arelion bolsters Mexico’s booming cloud, ICT and manufacturing sectors through reliable, high-speed connectivity services and digital transformation.

By strengthening diverse connectivity between KIO MEX 5 and KIO QRO1, Arelion and Gold Data say they are poised to meet Mexico’s demand for robust, scalable network solutions. This collaboration, they add, enhances service resilience in the region and advances the country’s position as a leading digital hub in Latin America. 

This partnership provides Arelion’s customers in the region with enhanced access to Arelion’s number one ranked global internet backbone, as well as Arelion’s portfolio of reliable, fully diverse connectivity services, including scalable IP Transit, Wavelengths, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Cloud Connect, Global 40G Ethernet Virtual Circuit (VC) and DDoS Mitigation services for service providers, content providers and enterprises.

Interviews

Connected North 2025 was an enormous success, bringing together key stakeholders from accross the North of the UK to discuss the digital economy and emerging technologies.

Total Telecom’s very own Kieran Murphy was prowling the exhibition hall throughout the event, speaking to innovators helping the region on its digital journey.

Check out his interviews below!

Gareth Cottrell from CoverUp Key 

Tiffany Shurr from Calix

Steve Morris from ACOME Group

Susan Wiseman from Hutchinson

Rosemary Kavanagh from NetworkUX – Inakalum

Steve Kingdom, CTO Fixed Networks at Xantaro

Paul Howard from TP-Link

Join the industry in discussion about all of the biggest topics at Connected Britain 2025 live in London, September 24-25

Interview

At Connected America this year, we caught up with Brooke Donilon, Vice President of Government relations at the NCTA – The Internet & Television Association to discuss unlicensed spectrum and how it can benefit consumers and businesses, spectrum policy in the US, competition with China and much more. Check out the full interview below!