Intracom Telecom Expands Strategic Collaboration with Nova to Enhance Enterprise Connectivity

Intracom Telecom, a global technology systems and solutions provider, and Greece’s largest network infrastructure manufacturer, announces the expansion of its collaboration with Nova, a member of United Group the leading telecommunications and media provider in Southeast Europe and a pioneering provider of mobile, internet, and video services. Nova will begin deploying Intracom Telecom’s WiBAS™ G5 Smart and WiBAS™ G5 GigaConnect FWA platforms to deliver reliable high-speed enterprise connectivity over Nova’s 5G mmWave spectrum at 26.5–27.5 GHz.

 

This deployment marks an important step in Nova’s ongoing investment in high-speed access infrastructure, aimed at supplying business customers with highly reliable broadband services. Operating in the 26.5–27.5 GHz band, the WiBAS™ G5 platform enables Nova to unlock substantial network capacity and deliver consistent performance, ensuring robust connectivity even in demanding enterprise environments.

 

Since 2021, Intracom Telecom and Nova have been engaged in a multi-year network modernization program utilizing Intracom Telecom’s field-proven WiBAS™ Point-to-Multipoint (PMP) technology. This nationwide initiative has focused on expanding coverage and capacity across Greece’s major metropolitan areas, connecting thousands of business customers with next-generation wireless access solutions. The ongoing expansion reinforces Nova’s strategy to deliver resilient, ultra-fast connectivity to enterprises of all sizes.

 

Our collaboration with Nova continues to grow stronger as we jointly build the foundation for a high-capacity enterprise connectivity network in Greece,” commented Ioannis Tenidis, Director for Wireless Product Line Management at Intracom Telecom. “The deployment of our WiBAS™ G5 platform will enable Nova to deliver unmatched performance and reliability to its business subscribers on valuable 5G mmWave spectrum.”

 

Thanos Theodoropoulos, Access & Transmission Senior Manager at Nova, added: “Intracom Telecom has been a trusted technology partner in our multi-year effort to modernize and expand our enterprise wireless services. The new WiBAS™ G5 solutions enable us to offer even higher speeds and resilient connectivity to our customers, supporting Greece’s digital transformation.”

NTT GDC to get data centre power from B.Grimm in Thailand

NTT Global Data Centres (NTT GDC), part of NTT Data, and the world’s third-largest data centre provider, has signed a 100MW power purchase agreement with Thai Energy company B.Grimm Power, through its Amata B.Grimm Power division, securing capacity for its upcoming Bangkok 4 Data Centre.

Energisation of the new data centre at NTT’s Chonburi campus, is planned for the second quarter of 2027.

NTT GDC says that Thailand remains a strategic hub for the company in APAC, and long-term power planning is central to how it delivers for its customers, adding that it looks forward to exploring new opportunities with Amata B.Grimm Power as the market evolves.

As the Data Centre Dynamics website points out, the deal builds on several previous agreements between the two companies, with B.Grimm powering NTT’s Bangkok 2 and 3 facilities, both located at the Amata City Chonburi industrial estate just outside Bangkok.

NTT’s Bangkok 2 facility, launched in 2015, offers 3.6MW across 3,800 square metres Its Bangkok 3 facility spans 4,000 square metres and has a capacity of 12MW.

The Bangkok metropolitan area is fast becoming a hotspot for data centre development.

B.Grimm Power, founded in 1993, describes itself as one of Thailand’s leading industrial energy producers. According to its website, the company currently has a total generating capacity of 4,178MW in 15 countries and aims to reach 10,000MW by 2030. It appears to be investing heavily to support its expansion into the data centre power market.

Indeed, in September last year we reported that pan-Asian data centre operator Digital Edge and B.Grimm Power had broken ground on their first joint data centre in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor, again in Chonburi.

Online safety-focused ISP Gigabit IQ seeking to crowdfund £270,000

News

According to a report from ISPreview, UK ISP Gigabit IQ has opened a crowdfunding round seeking £270,000 to accelerate its expansion.

The company carries a pre-money valuation of £5 million and is offering 5.12% equity to new investors, as seen on the campaign page.

At the time of writing, the company has aready seen £243,650 committed by 40 investors.

Gigabit IQ is a retail ISP combining full-fibre connectivity with safety and device-protection services, such as FamilyGuard+ and CyberGuard+.

The company says it has an addressable reach of 1.5 million homes via various wholesale partners, including Full Fibre and F&W Networks’ networks.

The company first announced it would seek to raise cash via crowdfunding in October last year, saying the strategy reflected their community-centre approach to broadband. At that time, the company was aiming to raise £500,000.

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Open Cosmos launches first satellites for new LEO constellation

Press Release

Open Cosmos, the company building satellites to understand and connect the world, has today launched the first satellites in its new proprietary low-Earth-orbit (LEO) telecom constellation, just one week after securing high-priority Ka-band spectrum.

The two satellites, launched by Rocket Lab from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand on its Electron rocket for the mission named ‘The Cosmos Will See You Now’, represent the first activation phase of Open Cosmos’ future-ready satellite network – a programme designed to deliver scalable, resilient and coordinated space-based services for Europe and the world.

Lift-off took place as scheduled at 10:52 (GMT) / 11:52 (CET) / 23.52 local time (NZDT) on 22 January, ushering Open Cosmos from constellation design and manufacturing into on-orbit validation – sitting at 1050km circular Earth orbit.

Beyond the technical achievement, the launch serves as a powerful proof point for Open Cosmos’ constellation readiness. It confirms that the system design, manufacturing processes and operational model are flight-ready – laying the groundwork for the phased roll-out of the wider network in the months ahead.

Commenting on the launch, Rafel Jordà Siquier, Founder and CEO of Open Cosmos, said:
“This launch is a major milestone for Open Cosmos and a critical step in our mission to provide secure, sovereign connectivity for Europe and the world. Moving from spectrum to satellites in-orbit demonstrates not only the maturity of our system, but our ability to turn strategic ambition into operational capability extremely fast.

“These first satellites lay the groundwork for a resilient network designed to support governments, institutions and commercial partners with dependable space infrastructure when it matters most.”

The first two satellites are the result of a truly pan-European effort, with teams across the UK, Spain, Portugal and Greece contributing to the programme. Together, they showcase Open Cosmos’ vertically integrated approach – from mission design and satellite production to operations. The satellites will operate under Spain’s regulatory framework for satellite registration and operational licensing.

Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said: “What a great way to start off the year, by welcoming a new customer and launching a mission tailored just for them. We’re proud to deliver their payload to orbit and with Rocket Lab’s proven track record of consistent quality and 100% mission success in recent years, I’m confident to say they made the right choice. Partnering with Open Cosmos is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to supporting our European partners in achieving their launch goals.”

From spectrum to space
The launch follows Open Cosmos’ recent (14th January) award of scarce High-Priority Ka-band spectrum filings from the Principality of Liechtenstein, a critical enabler for the company’s constellation ambitions. With the satellites now in orbit, Open Cosmos can begin testing and validating the system performance in real operational conditions.

In orbit, the satellites will be used to:

  • Test satellite operations and first testbed demonstrations
  • Validate system developments across the wider future network
  • Demonstrates proof-of-concept for Open Cosmos constellation readiness

Together, they form the foundation for a scalable, multi-satellite architecture designed to meet growing global demand for reliable space-based capabilities.

By combining in-house manufacturing, European engineering talent and access to strategically valuable spectrum, Open Cosmos is positioning itself as a new kind of constellation builder: agile, collaborative and focused on delivering practical, deployable space infrastructure providing secure connectivity and critical data.

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Telenor makes $3.9bn exit from Thailand

News

With the sale of its stake in True, Telenor is left with just two mobile businesses in Asia

This week, Norwegian telco giant Telenor has announced the sale of its 30.3% stake in Thailand’s True Corporation for NOK 39 billion ($3.9 billion).

The deal will see Telenor immediately offload a 24.95% stake to Arise Digital Technology, a holding company owned by Thai billionaire Khun Suphachai Chearavanont.

The remaining 5.35% stake is to be sold in two years’ time via a mutual put/call option, allowing Telenor to sell the shares at the original deal price or the prevailing market price, whichever is greater.

Telenor gained its stake in True via the merger of their local mobile operator DTAC (Total Access Communications) was merged with True Corporation in 2023.

Since then, Telenor has faced significant headwinds in key Asian markets, often leading to rapid divestments at considerable loss.

In 2022, the company wrote off its business in Myanmar following coup. One year later, rapid currency devaluation in Pakistan ravaged Telenor’s, leading to its sale.

Now, with the sale of their stake in True, Telenor has just two major telco businesses in Asia: Grameenphone, the largest company in Bangladesh, in which Telenor holds a majority stake (55.8%); and CelcomDigi in Malaysia, in which it holds a 33.1% stake.

Outside of Asia, Telenor operates major operators in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

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Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, Orange preparing new bid to carve up SFR

News

The move comes after a previous takeover bid was rejected in October 2025

According to reports, Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, Orange have confirmed that they are once again at the negotiating table with Altice France for the purchase of rival operator SFR.

In a statement, the trio said that they had been conducting due diligence since early January, but no formal deal has yet been reached.

“The legal and financial terms of the transaction have not yet been agreed upon,” said the companies in a joint statement.

Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, and Orange first made a joint bid of €17 billion to acquire SFR in October last year. Bouygues was expected to acquire about 43% of SFR’s assets, Iliad 30%, and Orange 27%.

The deal covered the majority of SFR’s assets, but notably excludes stakes in Intelcia, UltraEdge, XP Fibre, and Altice Technical Services. Altice’s businesses in French overseas departments and regions are also excluded.

However, the approach was quickly rejected by SFR’s billionaire owner Patrick Drahi, who said the company was seeking an offer over €20 billion.

Today’s announcement suggests that the consortium is willing to increase their bid significantly, but by exactly how much is unclear. A report from BFM, published prior to the official statement from the consortium, suggested that the companies may meet Drahi’s wishes of around €20 billion.

If agreed, the deal would spark considerable regulatory scrutiny for reducing the number of mobile operators in France from four to three. While operators have long argued that four players in the market are too many, leading to inefficient investment in national infrastructure, regulators have traditionally been wary of reducing market competition.

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iQmetrix challenges industry disconnect between telecom innovation and the store experience

BARCELONA, Spain – January 202026 – iQmetrix, the only global provider of Interconnected Commerce solutions for telecom retail, today announced its return to Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona with the first-ever Telecom Retail Summit.

The exclusive half-day summit designed to spark an overdue conversation: telecom sells the most advanced technology on earth, yet delivers one of the least inspiring retail experiences in modern commerce.

Bringing together telecom industry leaders, futurists, and retail innovators, the Telecom Retail Summit challenges the industry to rethink the role of the store and redefine how customer experience, technology, and operations come together in the Store of the Future.

From Transactions to Experiences

A true evolution in telecom retail requires more than new technology. It requires a shift in mindset.

As the industry enters what MWC has defined as the ​IQ Era,” a new age of intelligence shaped by human ideas and smarter connections, customer expectations are rising across every touchpoint. While network and digital channels continue to accelerate, physical retail remains of telecom’s most powerful brand moments. The opportunity now is to ensure the store evolves with the same intent and intelligence as the network behind it.

The store is no longer just where transactions happen. It is where the brand comes to life,” said Christopher Krywulak, Chief Executive Officer at iQmetrix. ​Customers expect the same level of intelligence and thoughtfulness in-store that they experience everywhere else. We are bringing the industry’s together in Barcelona to discuss how human ideas, enabled by the right technology, can create retail experiences that truly move the brand forward.”

The Agenda: Fixing the Retail Disconnect

The Telecom Retail Summit moves beyond high-level theory into the operational realities of retail transformation. The agenda challenges legacy assumptions with sessions including:

  • We Sell the Most Advanced Technology on Earth. So Why Does the Store Feel Stuck in 2009? A candid panel digging into why the telco in-store experience lags behind other sectors. We explore what leading retailers get right and what brands must do to close the gap in customer experience (CX).
  • Inside the Store of the Future: Why Apple Gets It and Most of Us Don’t Modern retail leaders aren’t asking for more tools. They are asking for better outcomes. This session examines how agentic AI and intelligent automation allow stores to adapt in real-time. We break down the principles top retail brands apply to create a vision where technology supports the experience rather than dominating it.
  • Your Network Is Intelligent. Your Store Is Not. That’s the Problem. Great retail experiences don’t happen on top of broken systems. This session exposes the ​spaghetti bowl” tech stack holding retailers back and focuses on how ensuring operational excellence behind the scenes creates a frictionless experience online, in-store, and the hybrid in between.

Experience the Store of the Future, Live

The summit concludes with a transition from vision to reality. Attendees are invited to a live Store of the Future demonstration. Here, they will witness how new flows, agentic AI, and smarter experiences come together to create a retail space where customers genuinely want to be.

Registration and Availability

Registration for the Telecom Retail Summit is by application only via the MWC Partner Programmes. We invite industry leaders to secure their place or schedule a private meeting with the iQmetrix executive team using the options below.

https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/agenda/sessions/6105-the-telecom-retail-summit

NCSC warns critical infrastructure is being pummelled by Russian DDoS attacks

News

Local authorities and critical infrastructure operators are being warned to update their cyber defences to fend off Russian hacktivists

This week, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is warning that Russian-state backed hackers are consistently targeting the UK public sector and critical infrastructure with dedicated denial of service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt and disable services.

DDoS attacks involve flooring target websites with illegitimate website traffic, rendering them unusable for genuine customers. While unsophisticated in cyberattack terms, these attacks can still cause enormous disruption to critical services, impacting thousands of people.

The NCSC is calling on at-risk organisations to review and improve their DDoS defences. This includes identifying potential vulnerabilities upstream and working more closely with ISPs to clarify when and how they can throttle traffic to limit impact to existing users.

The document provides advice on how to respond once an attack has taken place.

“We continue to see Russian-aligned hacktivist groups targeting UK organisations and although denial-of-service attacks may be technically simple, their impact can be significant. By overwhelming important websites and online systems, these attacks can prevent people from accessing the essential services they depend on every day,” said Jonathon Ellison, Director of National Resilience the NCSC. “All organisations, especially those identified in today’s alert, are urged to act now by reviewing and implementing the NCSC’s freely available guidance to protect against DoS attacks and other cyber threats.”

Pro-Russian hactivism is on the rise, not just against the UK but against the West at large. In December last year the NCSC joined numerous international cybersecurity agencies in releasing a new advisory on the scale of international cyber attacks, as well as providing security recommendations to reduce their likelihood and impact.

The piece names various pro-Russia hacktivist groups, including Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), Z-Pentest, NoName057(16), and Sector16 as key culprits.

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MaxCell unveils bold brand refresh to meet global demand for high density fiber infrastructure

Wadsworth, Ohio- MaxCell®, the global leader in flexible fabric innerduct solutions, today announced a comprehensive brand refresh designed to meet the escalating infrastructure demands of the digital age. Featuring a new visual identity, an optimised website, and the tagline “engineered for efficiency and built for flexibility” the update reinforces MaxCell’s position as the premier choice for maximising conduit capacity in Telecom, Data Center, and Utility markets.  

As global connectivity needs surge, network operators are increasingly hindered by the physical limitations of traditional rigid innerduct. MaxCell’s refreshed brand highlights its unique ability to solve these challenges by replacing bulky, wasted space with high-performance fabric solutions that conform to the shape of the cables.

 

Transforming Network ROI 

The rebranding marks a strategic shift toward performance-driven infrastructure. Compared to traditional rigid HDPE innerduct, MaxCell’s fabric solutions offer a transformative value proposition:

  • Place 300% more cable inside the conduit for growing connectivity demands
  • Installs 2x faster
  • Reduces material and labour costs by 50% or more
  • 81% greener* making it a more sustainable solution (*data collected by Bent Branch Strategies)
  • Seven (7) flexible solutions for any cable deployment scenario or challenge 

A portfolio built for next-gen networks

The refresh also streamlines MaxCell’s comprehensive product suite, making it easier for engineers and contractors to find tailored solutions for specific environments: 

MaxCell Edge: Optimised for the highest performance and lowest friction.

MaxCell Premise: Ideal for indoor (ISP) and data center applications.

MaxWrap: A specialised solution for protecting cables in high-congested areas.

MaxSpace: A breakthrough service for removing innerduct from around live cables without service interruption.

MaxCell delivers significant, unmatched value for network infrastructure projects – enhancing flexibility and scalability for future growth, making it a smart investment for long term success.

 

About MaxCell 

MaxCell is the world leader in flexible fabric innerduct, providing innovative pathway solutions for the Telecom, Data Center, Government, and Utility industries. Since its inception, MaxCell has helped network owners and contractors maximise conduit space, reduce installation costs, and build scalable networks that are engineered for long-term success.

Media Contact: Senior Marketing Specialist, Elyssa Wenkert, Elyssa.Wenkert@maxcell.us, www.maxcellsolutions.com [maxcellsolutions.com]

Introducing 7.6: Stepping Forth Into The Era Of AI

The field of business communication is seeing rapid advances and innovations. This pace threatens to leave a lot of people in the dust, but Bicom Systems is here to help pick everyone up and return their stride to them.

7.6 is the first, but most significant step toward pushing past old habits and stepping forth into a new and streamlined, AI-powered world.

Designed with the goal to make workflows more efficient and customizable, this release introduces a suite of AI features like OpenAI-powered voice transcription and voice greeting generation, as well as accompanying updates to existing capabilities, laying the groundwork for future AI feature integration.

It also sees the official launch of the gloCOM for Teams integration, helping businesses that want to bring the functionalities of PBXware over to Teams without complex setup or additional costs.

Additionally, we fully utilize our position as a WhatsApp Tech Provider with this release by empowering you with a more streamlined way of connecting your WhatsApp Business Accounts directly to PBXware.

All that and more is found within 7.6. Let’s take a look at some of its most impactful updates.

Arguably the most influential set of changes coming with 7.6 arrive with our AI integrations and supporting features that make the work done by AI more informed and accurate.

AI Voice Greeting Generation (TTS)

With AI-powered text-to-speech, quickly generate more approachable, human-like greetings with customizable voice and intonation for your IVRs, Voicemails, Ring Groups and more, all in consistent quality.

This is made possible with Bicom Systems’ introduction of the OpenAI TTS API into PBXware, eliminating the need for reliance on older TTS tools that sounded robotic or the need to manually record greetings of varying quality that took much longer to input.

OpenAI for Voicemail Transcription

The benefits of AI go beyond just generating voice greetings. They have an even greater impact in Voicemail Transcription.

Quickly receive accurate and reliable voicemail transcriptions, enabling more efficient workflows, message organization, and a scalable method of handling large volumes of incoming voicemail, all possible by utilizing OpenAI as a transcription service provider.

Stereo Call Recordings (BETA)

Enhance transcription quality and clarity with our new beta feature, Stereo Call Recordings, allowing each side of the call to be recorded as a separate audio channel.

This setup doesn’t just improve speech analytics, it also simplifies integration of the recordings into CRM tools and other analytics systems.

Additionally, it makes it easier for AI services to process the recording for more accurate transcriptions, ensuring that future integrations maintain the same level of quality as our existing features.

The Addition Of Audio Chunking

Improve transcription accuracy of longer calls and recordings with audio chunking, a tool that will automatically detect set call limits and separate calls exceeding them into several separate chunks, easing the load on the transcription service provider.

This is yet another feature that was introduced to improve general transcription quality, but also a technology that will help maintain the quality of AI transcriptions going forward.

While AI continues to be in the spotlight, we can’t forget about our own Inhouse solutions.

Following its beta release in 7.5, the gloCOM for Teams integration is now officially available in v7.6.

Now, you can access advanced VoIP and PBXware features in Microsoft Teams without complex setup or any additional costs, on both desktop and mobile (iOS & Android) platforms.

Connecting WhatsApp Business Accounts directly to PBXware is now possible through a simplified setup process.

Thanks to our status as an official WhatsApp Tech Provider, we offer almost any form of WhatsApp integration. With 7.6 this offering has been enhanced with full support for WhatsApp integration directly using Meta’s Cloud API.

Administrators take advantage of this with greater control over the integration process and no longer have to deal with third-party intermediaries.

Up until now, Google and Microsoft have been Bicom’s identity providers of choice.

With 7.6, you are no longer limited to just those two.

Admins can now configure and enable additional, custom means of identity authentication thanks to the addition of generic OIDC providers to our offering.

Create more presence-aware call forwarding that’s adaptive to specific business workflows by setting up to 10 custom call forwarding destinations per presence for default (Busy, Away & Do Not Disturb) and custom presence statuses, for both local and external calls, ensuring each call always reaches the most capable person at any given time.

Enjoy enhanced flexibility with the newly added Prioritize Call Forwarding Based On App Presence option, allowing you to seamlessly switch between standard and presence-based call forwarding and giving you full control over call routing.

Utilize consistent SMS footers for every SMS or MMS message across all gloCOM-supported platforms, allowing for an enhanced level of professionalism for all outbound messaging campaigns.

This update also ensures that companies stay compliant with 10DLC regulations, reducing risk of carrier blocks and improving message deliverability.

Empower Agents and Queue/ERG members with the ability to view and listen to the recordings they personally handled, directly from Online Self-Care, to facilitate better self-improvement and improve overall call quality.

This feature is fully configurable on a Queue/ERG level, giving admins full control over feature access.

These are only some of the more standout changes that have been introduced with the release of 7.6. Here are a few more notable inclusions:

  • VT Headset Integration into the existing gloCOM Desktop lineup of supported headset integration
  • Opt-Out/In and Help Keyword support extended from just bulk messaging to conversational SMS messaging as well.
  • New statistics page (Dialer reports and Direct out calls report migration). Transferred Dialer reports and Direct out calls report to a new Statistics page with enhanced performance due to Clickhouse usage, adjusted metrics that follow industry standards, and unified data across all channels.

As always, plenty of other bug fixes, quality of life changes and feature updates have also been implemented to ensure smoother workflows and less tedium during app interaction.

These changes should further enhance your experience with the Bicom product suite as a whole, as well as make your work easier going forward. We look forward to seeing your feedback on these new additions and hope that the changes in v7.6 have increased your overall enjoyment of our products. If you have any extra questions, feel free to Contact Us.