Southeast European media and telecoms operator United Group has completed the sale of Serbian cable TV and broadband provider SBB to e& PPF Telecom for €825 million.

In a statement, United Group described the divestment as “a significant milestone” in its strategy to streamline operations and sharpen its focus on EU markets.

The company also confirmed the sale of sports broadcasting rights for the Western Balkans—covering Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia—to Telekom Serbia.

Both deals, signed on 11 February following regulatory approval, have a combined enterprise value of €1.5 billion.

United Group will retain ownership of its key media outlets in Serbia and is currently negotiating deals for Telemach Sarajevo and Telemach Podgorica. The company stated that it has no plans for further asset sales in the near future.

United Group CEO Victoriya Boklag said previously the divestments enhances efficiency and ensures long-term success for the group. 

Viettel’s Myanmar operator Mytel said on Thursday that it has restored International and mobile connectivity following last week’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake, although questions remain over how much ordinary users can access it in the midst of reported internet shutdowns by the ruling military junta. 

Recovery and rescue efforts are ongoing since the quake struck on March 28 near Mandalay, with the death toll reaching 3,145 as of Thursday, according to the Associated Press. State television broadcaster MRTV reported that 4,589 people were injured and 221 others were missing. 

In a press statement, Mytel said that more than 2,100 base stations were damaged by the quake around Mandalay and Naypyitaw, which are reported to be the hardest hit areas. By April 1, over 90% of its mobile network was up and running again, and international connectivity was fully restored, the statement said.

Mytel also said it has been coordinating with international rescue teams to provide critical communications. The telco said it has supplied nearly 1,000 SIM cards to responders, along with 20,000 additional SIMs and 100 Wi-Fi hot spots to streamline coordination. Mytel said it deployed five extra base stations and optimised 46 existing sites to boost connectivity for field hospitals and search and rescue operations in Mandalay and Naypyitaw.

The operator also said it has provided over 4 million customers free access to 1GB of data, 300 call minutes and 300 SMS messages to reconnect with loved ones and access vital updates. With power outages still widespread, Mytel also said it set up over 500 mobile charging stations across affected regions. 

It’s unclear the extent to which residents can make use of the offer. On March 31, the Myanmar Internet Project (MIP) – an advocacy group documenting internet shutdowns in the country following the 2021 military coup – issued a joint statement with local and international rights groups accusing the military junta of imposing communications blackouts, including internet shutdowns, which were preventing people from coordinating with each other and calling for help. 

The junta has a history of frequently imposing internet shutdowns during its ongoing civil war with rebel pro-democracy forces and ethnic militias. In the province of Sagaing, where the earthquake’s epicentre is located, the junta ordered 94 shutdowns in 2024 alone, according to MIP.

The March 31 statement from MIP demanded that the junta restore all internet and communications services to ensure full access, and called for the military to be “held accountable for all loss of life and suffering caused by these various internet restrictions.”

A statement from MIP on Thursday reported that telcos in Myanmar are providing free services for phone calls and text messages between operators, but that “while telecommunications services are available in one area, it has been difficult to use them in other areas.”

The group urged telecoms operators to provide free assistance by enabling phone calls between any operators.

Amazon’s Project Kuiper has announced it will finally launch its first batch of LEO satellites next week, almost one year behind schedule, with more launches already booked and commercial services expected to kick off later this year.

According to a blog post from Amazon on Wednesday, United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch the first 27 Kuiper satellites on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida on April 9. The satellites, launched under the mission name “KA-01” (Kuiper Atlas 1), will be placed in orbit around 450 kilometres above the Earth.

The initial Kuiper constellation will comprise over 3,200 LEO satellites. Amazon said it has secured more than 80 launches to deploy the remaining satellites over the next few years, including seven more Atlas V launches and 38 Vulcan Centaur launches with ULA, plus an additional 30+ launches with Arianespace, Amazon-owned Blue Origin and SpaceX.

Amazon has been testing its LEO broadband service on two prototype satellites launched in October 2023. The company said the satellites being launched this Wednesday have been upgraded “to improve the performance of every system and sub-system on board, including phased array antennas, processors, solar arrays, propulsion systems, and optical inter-satellite links.”

Amazon added that the satellites are also coated in a dielectric mirror film that scatters reflected sunlight to help make them less visible to ground-based astronomers.

“We’ve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time we’ve flown our final satellite design and the first time we’ve deployed so many satellites at once,” said Project Kuiper VP Rajeev Badyal in the blog post. “No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years.”

Project Kuiper was originally scheduled to start launching satellites in the first half of 2024. In July that year, the launch date was pushed back to October 2024, and then again to early 2025 after ULA bumped the Amazon launch to prioritise two missions for the US Space Force.

According to Space News, Amazon has little room for further delays, as its FCC licence requires it to deploy half the constellation by July 2026, and the full constellation by July 2029.

Meanwhile, Amazon said it has already begun shipping and processing satellites for the KA-02 mission, which will also use a ULA Atlas V rocket and launch from Cape Canaveral, although no launch date has been given.

A dispute over a real estate loan that left operator MTN Cameroon unable to get its hands on over US$20 million worth of assets may finally be over.

After a wait of nearly two and a half years, and following an appeal, a Cameroon appeals court has ordered the release of MTN’s bank accounts in the country. These were seized in 2022, apparently over a loan dispute with a Cameroonian businessman.

A court order froze MTN Group’s Cameroon accounts containing 14 billion CFA francs (about US$23.20 million) in September 2022.

The dispute is said to be over a real estate loan. It involves Cameroonian business mogul Ahmadou Baba Danpullo, the owner of Bestinver Group companies, and lender South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB).

After FNB liquidated a number of properties belonging to Danpullo in South Africa, the businessman was somehow able to convince a Cameroonian court to freeze the accounts of a number of South African companies. These included MTN, whose network in Cameroon has around 15 million users. The other major players in the country are Orange Cameroon, Nexttel Cameroon (a venture between Viettel Group and Danpullo’s Bestinver Cameroon) and Camtel.

Reuters explains that in 2023 MTN Cameroon said its funds were to be transferred into an escrow account managed by the court registrar as part of a third party debt, or « garnishee », order related to the dispute.

After an MTN appeal a court ruled on 24 February that the Bestinver Group companies were not entitled to impose these seizures.

That said, one of Danpullo’s lawyers has said he plans to make a new attempt to seize the assets and is following legal procedures to obtain an enforcement order.

Press Release  

Manchester, UK – Connected North, the North’s leading digital economy event, returns to Central on April 23-24, 2025, and introduces the co-located Data Centre Summit. 

Hosted by telecoms media and events specialist Total Telecom, Connected North is the region’s premier digital economy event.  

Bringing together the telecoms industry, government, and public sector bodies, the event offers a unique forum to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the North on its digital journey. 

This year, the event will grow to record numbers, with over 200 expert speakers, 200 exhibitors, and more than 2,500 attendees.  

Major topics to be discussed include the rollout of next generation digital infrastructure like fibre and 5G, the rise of AI, regulatory bottlenecks, and how to shrink the digital divide. 

The event features unprecedented access to some of the country’s most innovative and inspirational speakers, including:  

• Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority  

• Ash Evans, EMEA Lead for Data Centre Strategy at Google  

• Georgia Grimes, Director of Fibre Build, Openreach   

• Rob Hamlin, Chief Strategy Officer, CityFibre   

• Katherine Fairclough, Chief Executive, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority   

• Katie Gallagher OBE, Managing Director, Manchester Digital  

• Claire Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Sheffield City Council  

• Richard Tang, CEO & Founder, Zen Internet 

“The North has enormous potential to become a key driver of the UK’s digital economy, but we still have a long way to go,” said Dominic Beresford-Webb, Connected North’s lead Conference Producer. “Our mission with Connected North is to help companies and communities collaborate on their digital journey and deliver meaningful change.”

Data Centre Summit 

This year, Connected North 2025 will be hosting its inaugural Data Centre Summit on April 22nd at Manchester Central.   

Launched in partnership with the Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region Combined Authorities, the event will bring together policymakers, local mayors, and top industry experts to address the growing importance of data centres in the UK’s technological and economic landscape. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore critical issues such as sustainability, policy planning, and next-generation technologies such as quantum computing and AI. 

“We’re very excited to be launching the region’s first Data Centre Summit in partnership with the Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region Combined Authorities,” said Beresford-Webb. “Data centres are the foundation of our digital world, and the rapid growth of AI means they will only become more integral. We believe this is another area of huge opportunity for the North and we’re working with local authorities and the data centre industry to help them seize it with both hands.”   

Space is limited and by invitation only. You can register your interest subject to approval from the organisers.  

Connected North is a must-attend for businesses, innovators, and policymakers keen to accelerate growth in digital infrastructure and connectivity. For more information or to register, visit Connected North 2025. 

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

About Total Telecom
Since 1997, Total Telecom has provided the connection between the buyers and sellers in the global telecom market. We do this through high quality editorial content and events to facilitate discussion on industry issues, and recognise innovation and excellence by companies and individuals.   

Our community of 120,000+ telecom professionals rely on Total Telecom for daily news and regular in-depth insight, delivered through a number of channels including online, video, social media, and at our series of events.  

Our award-winning event portfolio includes, Broadband Communities Summit, the World Communication Awards, Connected North, Connected Germany, and the UK’s largest connectivity event Connected Britain.   

For more information, contact Dominic Beresford-Webb at dominic.beresford-webb@totaltele.com

An iconic brand has been reborn in the world of subsea cable operators. Global Cloud Xchange has announced that it is rebranding, and will now be known as FLAG. … [visit site to read more]

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (India) has announced plans open a new artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data centre campus in New Town, Kolkata, the primary financial and commercial centre of eastern and northeastern India, in the second quarter of 2025. The planned investment is said to be INR4.5 billion (aboutUS$52.7 million).

Spanning 5.59 acres, the campus is engineered to support the growing demands of AI computing with high-density rack configurations, advanced cooling systems, and a scalable, modular design, according to STT GDC.

It adds that the campus also provides a significant boost to digital infrastructure creation in the eastern part of the country, with a scalable capacity of up to 25MW in terms of overall IT load.

Bimal Khandelwal, chief executive officer (CEO) of STT GDC India, explains: “Our Kolkata campus is specifically designed to support the burgeoning AI ecosystem, from startups developing local language AI models to enterprises deploying large language models.”

The Economic Times news service points out that the Kolkata facility expands STT GDC India’s nationwide footprint to 30 data centres across ten cities with a total IT load capacity of 390 MW.

It adds that its strategic location in New Town’s Silicon Valley positions it as a crucial hub for AI development, serving enterprises, hyperscale cloud service providers, and government organisations.

Lightpath has announced its entry into a new metro fiber market. Backed by a major hyperscaler partner, the infrastructure provider will be building 102 route miles of fiber and conduit in Columbus OH. … [visit site to read more]

News 

T-Mobile and EQT have finalised their joint venture to acquire US fibre provider Lumos, as the operator looks to expand its fixed broadband offering 

The deal, which was announced last April, will see many Lumos customers transition to T-Mobile Fibre, with the mobile operator assuming responsibility for customer experience, service delivery, and marketing.  

Post acquisition, the business will transition to a wholesale model. T-Mobile will take over customer relationships and use its brand to attract new subscribers.  The joint venture will focus on identifying markets, engineering and designing networks, network deployment, and customer installation. 

As part of the acquisition, T-Mobile will invest $950 million in the JV to fuel the expansion of Lumos’s fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network. 

Lumos currently operates a 7,500-mile fibre network serving around 475,000 homes in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US.

T-Mobile is expected to invest an additional $500 million by 2028, which the joint venture will use to expand its fibre rollout to 3.5 million homes by the end of 2028. Lumos customers will keep their current fibre service, but will gain access to T-Mobile’s support infrastructure, including its retail presence and bundled offerings. 

“T-Mobile is already the fastest-growing broadband provider in America, and expanding into fibre helps us take the next big step in delivering what customers truly want – faster, more reliable internet that simply works,” said Mike Katz, T-Mobile President of Marketing, Strategy and Products in a press release. 

“People deserve better when it comes to their home internet: fewer disruptions, more value, and support that actually feels supportive. We’re excited to welcome Lumos customers to the T-Mobile family and bring them the Un-carrier experience – built around their needs, fuelled by innovation, and focused on making life easier,” he continued. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
Private equity backers could cash in on MasOrange with IPO
Telefónica Tech helps Vecttor do away with physical car keys
Ciena survey reveals AI’s strain on data centre connectivity 

Alcatel is planning to restart mobile phone sales in India – or, more accurately perhaps, French technology brand Alcatel, operated independently by China-headquartered TCL Communications under a license from Nokia, is making a comeback in the Indian market.

The brand plans to bring a range of premium smartphones to India, beginning with a model that includes a stylus. It plans to target the mass market.

Importantly this launch seems to be designed to support the aims of the government’s Made in India policy. The smartphones will be made locally, though it’s not clear where the facilities will be sited. There are also plans to establish a pan-India service network to ensure after-sales support.

According to the Economic Times news service, Ansh Rathi, chief operating officer of Alcatel India, says: « By producing our devices within the country, we aim to enhance supply chain efficiency, ensure superior quality, and contribute to India’s growing technology ecosystem.”

India is the world’s second largest smartphone market though not, apparently a fast-growing one. Nevertheless over 150 million shipments every year is a significant number, and one that has already attracted a number of Chinese smartphone brands. India is also receiving a more focused effort from Apple, not yet among the top players, which is now said to be aggressively expanding in India to enter the top five.

The Alcatel announcement follows Acer’s decision last year to sell smartphones through Indkal Technologies. Alcatel started selling mobile phones in India in late 1996, but due to ownership changes was not a part of the smartphone era. It was acquired by Nokia in 2016.