News

Vodafone says the Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) has not followed key procedural rules in its investigation and has acted with bias

Vodafone has formally challenged the Bundeskartellamt over its investigation into the operator’s alleged anti-competitive behaviour towards rival 1&1. The conflict centres on Vodafone’s supposed obstruction of 1&1’s efforts to build its own 5G network, a move crucial for establishing the company as the country’s fourth major mobile network operator.

1&1 Drillisch won 5G mobile spectrum at auction back in 2019 with the intention of building out its own network and becoming Germany’s fourth national operator. By 2021, 1&1 had signed a deal with Vantage Towers (in which Vodafone holds a 50% stake) to access up to 5,000 of the towerco’s existing mobile sites, allowing them to more rapidly deploy their burgeoning 5G network.

The contract specified that 3,800 sites were to be made available by 2025.

By the end of 2022, however, it was becoming clear that access to this may sites by 2025 would be unlikely, with 1&1 saying it had been granted access to just five sites. In 2023, 1&1 formally complained to the Bundeskartellamt , who subsequently launched an investigation into the source of Vantage’s delays in providing the agreed upon infrastructure.

Now, Vodafone is claiming that the Bundeskartellamt is conducting proceedings in a biased and procedurally improper manner, exceeding its authority. Vodafone has sought interim legal relief at the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf, arguing that the accusations lack substantive merit and that 1&1 has unduly influenced the investigation.

“I’ve never encountered anything like this in my more than 25 years of professional experience,” said Vodafone’s lawyer, Walther Graf, who provided a 65-page letter to the Bundeskartellamt with the allegations.

The Bundeskar­tellamt, however, insists that it is conducting its investigations impartially. It noted that its president, Andreas Mundt, maintains regular contacts with all relevant industry leaders, including both 1&1’s CEO Ralph Dommermuth and Vodafone’s executives. The authority dismisses Vodafone’s claims of partiality and unusual procedural conduct as unfounded.

1&1 has also denied any improper coordination with the Bundeskartellamt.

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News

The Australian technology giant is considering “a range of potential funding alternatives” to support the project

Earlier this week, Macquarie Technology Group revealed to investors that it was exploring funding options for a new 150MW data centre campus project, aiming to meet the expected boom in demand for AI and cloud computing.

The new campus would require between $2.5 billion and $3 billion in capital, excluding land value.

Speaking to investors on Tuesday, CEO David Tudehope said that the company was currently exploring its options for financing the data centre build out at the optioned location. One possibility would be to recycle capital by selling off a stake in the company’s more mature data centre assets. Alternatively, Macquarie could also partner with a third-party to create a joint venture.

“Funding for the new campus […] will come from recycled capital from the existing data centres and/or a development partnership,” said Tudehope, as reported in the Financial Review. “Both of those ideas are quite common overseas but are less common in Australia.”

The tech company has already struck a deal for the required land in Sydney for $240 million earlier this year, to be funded through cash reserves and debt.

Macquarie has been investing in data centres since 2018, with its flagship project taking place at the Macquarie Park Data Centre Campus in Sydney. Phase 1 of the site’s development, known as Sydney IC3 East, was completed in 2020, providing over 12MW of capacity. Phase 2, will see the site scaled further with the construction of the IC3 Super West data centre, bringing total capacity to 65MW.

Construction on C3 Super West began last year and is expected to be complete by Q3 2026. Macquarie extended its loan facilities to $450 million last year to facilitate this expansion.

Combining these existing assets with the planned 150MW would make Macquarie one of the largest data centre providers in Australia.

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[RIGA, LATVIA / HELSINKI, FINLAND, November 26, 2025] Skyfora and LMT have demonstrated Europe’s first real-time, rapid-update, kilometer-resolution GNSS weather observation grid, built on LMT’s 5G network and other GNSS receivers in Latvia and showcased during NATO’s Digital Backbone Experimentation (DiBaX).

Instead of installing new weather stations, Skyfora’s technology turns existing GNSS receivers at 5G sites into high-precision weather sensors. This converts the telecom network into a dense atmospheric observation grid that delivers continuous updates at kilometer-scale resolution – in real time, across large areas.

“We are turning existing 5G towers into the world’s densest weather observation network – with a software update,” said Fredrik Borgström, CEO at Skyfora. “With dense, real-time observations of atmospheric humidity, AI weather models can finally reach the accuracy that defence, critical infrastructure, energy and other weather–affected industries have been waiting for.”

At DiBaX in Latvia, LMTs 5G sites powered with Skyfora’s Weather Engine, streamed continuous measurements of humidity derived from small delays in the GNSS signals as they pass through the atmosphere. This provides a detailed, real-time view of how storms, extreme rainfall, flood risks, and heat stress are emerging and evolving.

“For LMT, this project demonstrates how our network act as a sensor by transforming existing infrastructure into a source of real-time, high-resolution weather intelligence. Together with Skyfora, we’re turning cutting-edge innovation into practical, dual-use solutions that create new value for defence, energy, critical infrastructure, and other weather-sensitive sectors.” said Armands Meirāns, Head of R&D at LMT Defence.

New weather intelligence for defence and industry

The Latvian demonstration shows how telecom-powered GNSS meteorology can support:

• Defence and security – improved situational awareness for mission planning and operations.
• Civil protection and infrastructure – earlier, more precise alerts for storms, flash floods and heat stress on cities and critical assets.
• Energy trading and renewables – sharper short-term forecasts for wind, solar and electricity grids improve trading and asset protection.

Designed for rapid national scale-up

Skyfora’s solution for telecom operators is designed to scale quickly:

• No new hardware – uses GNSS receivers already existing in 5G infrastructure.
• Software-enabled – deployed as a software and data-processing layer on top of the existing network.
• AI-ready data feed – continuous, high-resolution weather observations in real-time that directly fuel advanced forecasting models.

By combining Skyfora’s GNSS meteorology with advanced 5G networks, operators can convert their telecom infrastructure into next-generation weather and climate intelligence, strengthening both national resilience and defence preparedness.

About Skyfora

Skyfora, a company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of meteorological innovation, transforms the future of meteorology with unique, high-resolution weather data. Skyfora´s patented solutions extract atmospheric data from GNSS receivers in existing infrastructures like telecom networks, unlocking previously untapped data sources to power state-of-the-art AI weather models. By delivering a continuous flow of high-resolution weather intelligence, Skyfora boost AI forecasts enhancing climate resilience and supporting critical decision-making across weather-sensitive industries – from renewable energy to critical infrastructure, transport & logistics and insurance. Skyfora is redefining what’s possible in weather forecasting on a global scale

Skyfora media contact:

Fredrik Borgström, CEO, fredrik.borgstrom@skyfora.com, https://www.skyfora.com/

About LMT Defence

LMT Defence specialises in the development and integration of cutting-edge technologies to strengthen and advance the defence sector. By harnessing big data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the latest communication innovations, LMT Defence consistently delivers mission-critical solutions that drive operational excellence.

News

The outage left around 14,000 customers unable to contact emergency services

Optus has suffered yet another network outage, this time impacting around 14,000 customers in southeast Melbourne.

The outage, which took place on Wednesday, was reportedly caused by an “aerial fibre break” caused by thieves stealing copper from from the local underground access chambers.

“We do have that photo evidence and it’s clear that there had been a cut made,” Optus spokesperson Jane McNamara told ABC Radio Melbourne. “We know copper has been removed from the pit and we have contacted police.”

The fibre cut left affected customers without mobile service, including to emergency services, for a number of hours.

“Customers will only be able to call emergency services if they are within coverage of another mobile network or are able to call via WiFi,” warned the company on its website.

Full services have since been restored, with emergency services confirming that they are unaware of any failed emergency calls during the outage

While this outage was not caused by Optus, it nonetheless comes at a sensitive time for the operator. The company has suffered multiple significant network outages this year, the most significant of which, in September, saw 631 people unable to connect to emergency services when needed. Four people are known to have died as a result.

The repeated network outages have saw some politicians calling for a review of Optus’s licence.

“There must be an urgent review of Optus’ licence. They are clearly not capable of providing this essential service and keeping Australians safe,” said Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens spokesperson for communications and Chair of the Senate Inquiry into the emergency services outage.

So far, the government has not moved to formally review Optus’s licence, but has announced plans to create an independent body, the ‘Triple Zero Custodian’ to oversee Australia’s emergency call services.

Steeper fines are also expected to be enforced.

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Press Release

Openreach plans to shut down 80% of its UK exchanges, saying it will only need 1,000 ‘super digital exchanges’ to serve the entirety of the UK

Openreach has exited the Deddington Exchange in Oxfordshire, making it the first of 4,600 exchanges across the UK to be fully de-commissioned as part of a nationwide shift from copper networks to digital full fibre infrastructure.

Deddington also becomes the first UK location to see the closure of BT’s copper based public switched telephone network (PSTN) – which uses copper wires to carry analogue voice signals, with end customers all upgraded to digital full fibre.

The rural exchange is the first of three pilot exchanges (the others being Ballyclare in Northern Ireland, and Kenton Rd in London) that are due to close by the end of November.^[1]

The three exchanges are part of Openreach’s long-term plan to exit 4,600 exchanges. These are currently used to support traditional copper-based phone and broadband voice services and will no longer be required once customers have migrated to fibre. In addition to the three pilot exchanges, Openreach plans to exit a further 105 ‘priority exchanges’ by December 2030.

New digital networks use fibre cables and software-based switches. They need far less physical space than traditional copper-based analogue systems, which require large exchanges to house bulky switches and miles of copper wiring.

The move to digital will mean that Openreach needs just 1,000 ‘super digital exchanges’ – also called Openreach Handover Points (OHPs) – to serve the whole of the UK. On average each OHP replaces 4-5 traditional exchanges. Some OHPs may replace ten or more exchanges – especially in urban areas with high full fibre penetration.

In Deddington, around 1,800 copper lines providing connectivity to local homes and businesses, have now been upgraded to full fibre, with those new digital lines now served and managed by nearby Banbury Exchange – one of Openreach’s new ‘super digital exchanges.’

Closing an exchange and migrating affected customers is a highly complex process, which typically takes around 4-7 years – depending on the size and complexity of each exchange. Openreach announced plans to exit Deddington in 2020, allowing Communication Providers (CPs) to assess legacy equipment and to start notifying customers.

The physical migration of all customer services out of the Deddington exchange took around 26 months, starting with the halting of the sale of traditional copper-based Wholesale Line Rental (WLR)^[2] products and services, in September 2023. Openreach worked closely with CPs to overcome the challenges of identifying lines serving Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) – helping to upgrade everything from traffic light control systems, payment terminals, lift emergency lines, as well as working to safely migrate vulnerable customers and ensuring telecare and telehealth devices work over new digital lines.

James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said: “Closing thousands of ‘legacy’ exchanges is a major undertaking, with several million services needing to be migrated. Deddington has served as a proof of concept, demonstrating our ability to decommission legacy exchanges safely, securely, and collaboratively.

“Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody. CPs will be able to serve their customers from fewer exchanges, helping to save costs through consolidation of equipment and reduced space and power requirements. And millions of end users will benefit from more reliable and faster fibre-based services – that will be scalable for decades without needing major upgrades.

“It’s not just about switching off old kit—it’s about building a future-proofed, simpler network for the UK.”

With the switching off of legacy services in Deddington now complete, Openreach will continue to work with CPs to remove physical equipment over the next few months to ultimately vacate the building. Teams will assess and re-purpose selected assets, either for use as critical spares across the network or for resale, contributing to sustainability and cost-efficiency.

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Brussels – 25 November 2025 – BICS, a Proximus Global company, and Starlink have entered into a strategic partnership, appointing BICS as the preferred IPX provider in Europe for Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellite connectivity services. The collaboration enables Starlink to leverage the IPX network to connect mobile network operators (MNOs) today, while also paving the way for Starlink’s next-generation network that will be capable of providing broadband service to smartphones.

Proximus Global’s IPX network, which functions similarly to a roaming exchange, acts as a bridge to connect Starlink to MNOs, which enables standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites in remote areas without terrestrial coverage. In the future, it will support the next iteration of network coverage to optimize smartphone performance in non-terrestrial networks.

Mike Nicolls, Starlink, VP of Engineering at Starlink said: “We’re excited to work with Proximus Global to ensure Starlink’s next-generation constellation can leverage harmonized spectrum to provide the most powerful satellite-to-mobile service across Europe to further our mission of ending mobile dead zones and providing connectivity when people need it most. This partnership is a critical step in preparation to not only advance seamless connectivity but also interconnect European operators with enhanced data security.”

The first European operator to benefit from this partnership will be Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest digital and mobile operator, serving nearly 22.5 million Ukrainians as of September 30, 2025. Proximus Global and Starlink’s work with Kyivstar demonstrates how critical this service can be, particularly in emergencies when network infrastructure is harmed, even where base stations and fibre lines destroyed. Satellite connectivity is playing a vital role in bridging these gaps, ensuring uninterrupted communication during a time when connectivity is more crucial than ever. 

Ben Vandermeulen, Chief Revenue Officer at Proximus Global, said: “While satellites are a game-changer for global connectivity, it’s not inherently disruptive to existing players in the industry – there’s room for everyone. With partnerships like this, our IPX acts as bridge to unlock new opportunities. Satellite providers gain access to broader consumer bases, mobile operators can seamlessly plug coverage gaps, and end-users benefit from more reliable and consistent connectivity. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

For Proximus Global, this partnership represents a significant milestone in its mission to unite satellite companies with terrestrial mobile operators through their extensive roaming network. Leveraging BICS’ leadership in IPX connectivity, built over more than 20 years, this collaboration underscores the importance of satellite connectivity as a crucial step towards achieving truly global, ubiquitous coverage—especially in underserved areas where traditional infrastructure is lacking.

About Proximus Global

Proximus Global, combining the strengths of Telesign, BICS, and Route Mobile, is transforming the future of communications and digital identity. Together, our solutions fuel innovation across the world’s largest companies and emerging brands. Our unrivaled global reach empowers businesses to create engaging experiences with built-in fraud protection across the entire customer lifecycle.  Our comprehensive suite of solutions – from our super network for voice, messaging, and data, to 5G and IoT; and from verification and intelligence to CPaaS for personalized omnichannel engagement – enables businesses and communities to thrive. Reaching over 5 billion subscribers, securing more than 180 billion transactions annually, and connecting 1,000+ destinations, we honor our commitment to connect, protect and engage everyone, everywhere.  

For more information visit https://www.proximus.com/proximus-global.html

About Starlink Direct to Cell
 
Starlink Direct to Cell is the world’s only and largest constellation with more than 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit that delivers data, voice, video and messaging to devices in mobile dead zones. Connecting more than 8M customers across five continents and counting, Direct to Cell satellites work with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. Acting like a cell phone tower in space with the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly across the Starlink network over lasers to any point in the globe, it enables network integration similar to a standard roaming partner. Starlink is the world’s largest 4G coverage provider and partners with Mobile Network Operators all over the world.

Learn more here and follow @Starlink on X

News

The mobile operator says the upgrades will help facilitate the rollout of electric vehicles across the country

Virgin Media O2 (O2) has announced 4G and 5G coverage improvements on more than 40 major UK motorways and A roads, spanning almost 600 miles. The improvements cover routes including the M1 (London to Leeds), M4 (London to Bristol), M6 (Coventry to Carlisle), and M8 (Glasgow to Edinburgh).

The improvements include the improvement of  4G at over 300 mobile sites and construction more than 330 new 5G sites along these key transport routes.

This initiative forms part of O2’s £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan, which broadly targets enhancing 5G and 4G network coverage across the UK, including dense urban centres, transport hubs, stadiums, and major roads. The operator plans to extend similar enhancements to other key routes such as the A14 (Rugby to Ipswich), M20 (London to Folkestone), and A75 (Gretna to Stranraer) in the future.

In tandem with these upgrades, O2 has expanded its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network to cover over 70% of the UK population, enabling faster speeds, lower latency, and broader outdoor network coverage in 500 towns and cities, a move designed to future-proof connectivity standards nationwide.

O2 is positioning the upgrades as a key enabler for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). National polling conducted by the operator revealed that 76% of EV drivers are concerned about losing mobile connectivity, which can hinder their ability to locate and pay for public charging points. This anxiety about signal reliability even surpasses ‘range anxiety’, the worry about depleting battery before reaching a charger, which affects 68% of EV drivers.

O2’s press release also notes that the EV charging company Believ – backed by O2’s owner Liberty Global – is concurrently deploying up to 30,000 new public charging points across the UK, including in areas where O2 has enhanced mobile coverage.

“Connectivity underpins a huge part of the driving experience today, but particularly for EVs. By optimising coverage on more than 40 motorways and A roads as part of our £700 million investment in our Mobile Transformation Plan, we’re helping make every journey safer and more reliable. Alongside Believ’s new charging points, this is about removing barriers so more people can make the switch to electric with confidence,” said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.

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News

In a statement to the House of Commons, Minister Al Carns declared that the United Kingdom is committed to defending “every inch” of its territory, including its critical undersea networks and coastal security.

The comments came after the Russian spy ship Yantar entered UK waters earlier this week and was accused of shining lasers at military pilots. The vessel is being closely monitored by the Royal Navy, having previously been accused of attempting to map the UK’s submarine cable infrastructure,

The incident follows growing concerns about foreign interference and potential sabotage to the UK’s undersea infrastructure, which forms the backbone for the nation’s energy supplies and communications.

The parliamentary exchange was prompted by warnings from MP Nick Timothy, who outlined the escalating threats posed by Russia and China targeting subsea cables. Timothy highlighted disquieting reports suggesting Russian devices had allegedly been placed on offshore infrastructure to monitor British submarines. He went on to press the government as to why responsibility for the security of this infrastructure remains fragmented across different ministries.

Minister Carns acknowledged these past shortcomings in coordination but insisted that recent reforms had begun addressing these gaps. According to Carns, a recent review has established “very clear lines of accountability” for the security of submarine infrastructure.

The ongoing Strategic Defence Review also notably includes expanded capabilities dedicated to offshore security.

“Be in no doubt. We will defend every inch of this country and our territorial waters,” said Carns.

The security of submarine cable infrastructure has been thrust into the limelight in recent years by rising geopolitical tensions between East and West. In late 2024, cuts to cables in the Baltic Sea demonstrated the vulnerability of this critical infrastructure, as well as highlighting the threat posed by so-called ‘shadow fleets’ – state-run ships, often masquerading as commercial vessels, that are being used to evade trade sanctions and conduct surveillance and covert operations.

A report by the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) examining 12 incidents between January 2021 and April 2025 found that most suspect vessels involved in undersea cable interference were linked to China or Russia.

Both Russia and China deny any involvement in state-sponsored subsea sabotage.

How is the submarine cable security landscape changing? Join our inaugural Subsea Security Summit in May 2026

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Contributed article

by Giles Rowbotham, General Counsel & CDO, nexfibre 

Our digital infrastructure has never been more critical to supporting our modern economy. Digital connectivity is our growth engine and bedrock: how students learn, companies scale, services are provided, and opportunities shared. In a competitive world, we need to be digital leaders, not laggards. 

In just a few years, a telecoms revolution has taken place in the UK, with millions more homes and businesses now able to access full fibre broadband. 

Since Ofcom’s last major review in 2021, the UK has come a long way. With full-fibre now available to over 80% of UK premises available, and gigabit connectivity to almost 89%,  the UK is on track to meet government targets of extending gigabit-capable broadband to 99% of premises by 2032. 

However, this progress cannot be taken for granted, as momentum can easily stall.  

The next phase of the UK’s fibre journey is not just about building that critical infrastructure; it’s about driving take-up and helping households and businesses benefit from a sustainable marketplace that offers them real choice, and with that, competitive prices. 

We’ve reached a fork in the road, and policymakers and regulators have a pivotal role to play in helping consumers access full-fibre broadband: build on the last decade’s momentum and secure a sustainable future for innovation, or a risk a return to a single-entity dominance? 

To ensure we get a better broadband network with investment, choice and innovation for the long-term, here are five steps policymakers need to take: 

Maintain regulation on BT Openreach, as the dominant operator: BT Openreach holds a dominant position in the fixed wholesale market, which means it must continue to be regulated to ensure other network providers have opportunity to compete and grow. Consistent regulation is essential to keep attracting the investment needed to continue rolling out full fibre broadband across the country. 

Keep a close eye on BT Openreach’s behaviour: Big players set the tone. Prices and the small print of their deals can quietly shut out challengers. Ofcom should scrutinise Openreach’s behaviour carefully. 

Make access to BT Openreach’s ducts and poles fair and transparent: Being able to use existing BT Openreach underground ducts and street poles keeps costs (and dig time) down. Rules should be long-term, fair and transparent. 

Progress the copper switch-off without creating disadvantage: The process for upgrading people from old copper lines to full fibre must be neutral and must not enable BT Openreach to recapture its dominance in copper into fibre. 

Be pragmatic about consolidation in the broadband market: There are currently too many fibre operators to be sustainable in the long-term. Ofcom, the CMA and other decision makers should support sensible consolidation to create a stronger and more stable broadband market. 

By addressing these five steps, the UK will get the broadband infrastructure it deserves. 

Whilst technical and regulatory frameworks can sometimes be complicated, the outcomes for households and businesses up and down the country are simple: long-term, sustainable competition equals better broadband at fairer prices. 

Full fibre infrastructure is the backbone of the UK’s digital ambitions, driving growth and innovation across every sector and region – and in turn an important enabler of a stronger, more inclusive economy. 

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News

Microsoft has unveiled Project Gecko, a research-driven initiative aimed at producing cheaper, localised generative AI systems for populations under‑represented in current models , starting with smallholder farmers in Kenya and India.

The project, led by Microsoft Research with contributions from Microsoft Research Africa in Nairobi, Microsoft Research India, the Microsoft Research Accelerator in the US and partners including agri‑tech NGO Digital Green, seeks to tackle the language, cultural and infrastructure barriers that limit AI uptake in low‑resource settings.

At the centre of the effort is the MultiModal Critical Thinking Agent (MMCTAgent), a multimodal system that ingests speech, images, and video to produce context‑rich, locally grounded answers. Microsoft says MMCTAgent can break complex queries into sub‑questions, verify its own outputs, and anchor responses in community‑generated practice captured in videos and transcripts.

The system is available on Azure AI Foundry Labs and its code has been published on GitHub.

Agriculture is Project Gecko’s first focus because of its economic weight in countries such as Kenya and India, where millions of smallholders work plots of under five acres. Microsoft and partners argue that existing AI tools often fail farmers because models are trained predominantly on English data, do not handle local dialects, and do not reflect region‑specific agronomic terms or practices. Farmers commonly rely on oral instruction and video demonstrations, both of which are channels that conventional text‑centric models struggle to exploit.

Project Gecko builds on Digital Green’s FarmerChat platform, which already serves millions of farmers and holds more than 10,000 agricultural videos in over 40 languages and dialects. Microsoft says Project Gecko enables a farmer in Nyeri County, for example, to ask a question verbally in Kikuyu and receive a text, audio, or video response, including a jump to the precise timestamp in a training clip. Field studies in Kenya and India reportedly show improved accuracy, usability and trust compared with generic AI systems.

A key technical strand of the work is creating speech infrastructure for under‑served languages. The team has collected roughly 3,000 hours of crowd‑sourced Kenyan speech and expanded support to Swahili, Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Dholuo, Maa, and Somali. To run on the low‑cost devices typical in rural areas, the project uses small language models (SLMs) and is preparing a public leaderboard to benchmark African language performance.

Microsoft plans to broaden Project Gecko beyond agriculture into healthcare, education, and retail, and will publish a multilingual playbook for developers.

While major challenges still remain for the project, including limited connectivity for the target consumers and sparse datasets for many languages, Project Gecko represents a significant attempt to bridge the rapidly growing digital divide.

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