Three interesting new regional fiber projects, one by a new name: … [visit site to read more]

Airtel Africa reduced diesel consumption by 9.1 million litres during its 2025/26 financial year as the operator accelerated efforts to lower emissions and improve the sustainability of its network operations.

The operator achieved the reduction by decreasing its reliance on diesel generators and converting 390 network sites to grid power, improving energy efficiency while cutting carbon emissions.

Speaking at a media briefing in the Zambian capital of Lusaka,  Airtel Africa CEO Sunil Taldar said responsible growth remains central to the company’s strategy, balancing network expansion with environmental stewardship, digital inclusion and socio-economic development.

As part of its wider sustainability programme, Airtel Africa also recycled 94% of the waste generated across its operations during the year as it continued promoting circular economy initiatives.

The operator’s network now covers 81.9% of the population across its 14 African markets, while its mobile money business continued to expand. Airtel Money ended the year with 54.1 million customers supported by 2.4 million agents, with women accounting for 44.1% of its customer base.

News

The fibre and fixed wireless access (FWA) specialist has struggled to attract customers to use its network at scale

Following a strategic review, alternative network provider Airband has begun a formal sale process.

Related documents were sent to prospective buyers this week, with the company seeking “the right long-term owner”.

It could also face debt restructuring, according to two anonymous sources speaking to the Financial Times.

“Following a strategic review of the business and its future ownership, Airband has commenced a formal sale process to identify the right long-term owner for the company,” a spokesperson told ISPreview. “Airband continues to operate and trade as normal throughout the process. Our network remains fully operational and there is no impact on customer services or day-to-day operations.”

Airband’s full fibre network currently covers around 175,000 premises and a further 265,000 are covered by FWA. Of this total footprint of around 440,000 premises, only around 30,000 premises are customers – far below the level the company would need to recoup the costs of its expensive network deployment in the short term.

Airband has been struggling to improve its position for years, with its first round of restructuring and job cuts taking place in 2024. More changes and redundancies were announced earlier this year, with the company claiming it was shifting its focus to “transitioning towards operational maturity, with a focus on long-term sustainability, enhanced customer experience and efficient delivery.”

Airband’s operating loss this year increased to £47.23 million, with total liabilities of over £224 million. Total assets were reported at £179.81 million.

Exactly who might purchase Airband remains unclear. The UK’s largest altnet, CityFibre, has long had ambitions of being the UK’s key fibre network consolidator, notably earmarking around £800 million of its £2.3 billion in fresh funding last year for M&A. However, the company has been facing its own financial challenges of late, largely related to its £3.7 billion in debt that was restructured in January.

Virgin Media O2 and its sister company nexfibre would be the next obvious choice, but these parties already have their hands full with the £2 billion acquisition of Netomnia.

At a time when altnets across the country are looking to make deals, finding a suitable partner could be a lengthy process.

How is the UK connectivity landscape changing in 2026? Join the industry in discussion at Connected Britain 2026

Also in the news
TELUS and L-SPARK give Canadian startups access to AI supercomputer
Belden to acquire RUCKUS Networks for $1.85bn
VMO2 taps Suffolk solar farm for 10 years of clean energy

Three metro expansion projects and one bit of M&A news: … [visit site to read more]

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata announced on Tuesday it has launched Dialog Pay, a unified payments and financial services ecosystem designed to boost adoption of digital payments.

Dialog Pay – which is an integrated platform within the MyDialog App, but also available as a standalone app – enables customers to make LankaQR payments, transfer funds, access their digital wallet, open savings accounts and fixed deposits, and apply for loans powered by Dialog Finance, without having to switch between multiple applications.

Customers can activate Dialog Pay with their eZ Cash accounts, or link their preferred bank account to the app.

Dialog Axiata said it is also rebranding its existing Genie digital wallet as Dialog Pay as part of the new launch.

Dialog Axiata group CEO Supun Weerasinghe said Dialog Pay supports the government’s recently launched Lanka QR Payment Promotion Programme to drive adoption of digital payments in Sri Lanka, and aims to make it easier for customers to manage payments and financial services.

“We are thankful to our partners for joining us in this national initiative and look forward to working alongside all stakeholders to accelerate digital payment adoption across the country,” he said in a statement.

News

The Thai telco is questioning the validity of a newly reported $1 billion stake in the business

The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is under scrutiny this week after individual investor, identified as Supaporn Pimphong, has reported a trade bringing her ownership of telco True Corporation to 7% – but the telco says it has doubts the trade really took place.

The discrepancy came to light when True asked the SEC to verify a filing showing Supaporn had acquired a roughly a 3.2% stake from UBS Group AG on June 15.

This acquisition would raise Supaporn’s position to around 7.1%, worth around 32.5 billion Baht ($1 billion), making her one of True’s largest stakeholders.

Further confusing matters, Supaporn’s filing claimed the purchase included both ordinary shares and a block of ‘preferred shares’. True Corp, however, says it has never issued preferred shares and have none outstanding in their capital structure.

The SEC has subsequently launched a probe into the matter.

An individual investment of this scale is always noteworthy, but the lack of information surrounding Supaporn’s identity makes the apparent mistakes in this filing particularly concerning.

Initial investigations into her identity by Thai media outlet Khao Hoon uncovered no information regarding her business background, investment track record, or preexisting wealth portfolio. What they did find, however, was that since 2018 Supaporn had filed massive ownership positions in major Thai blue-chip companies, including a 49% stake in GJS Steel and positions over 5% in Bangkok Bank, Kasikornbank, an Asia Aviation. Combined, these stakes would be worth around $1.5 billion, not including Supaporn’s supposed $1 billion stake in True.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) and the respective companies’ shareholder registries have since confirmed that none of these positions officially exist.

So, what exactly is going on here? It seems highly likely that Supaporn does not really exist, but what is the point of the deception?

One theory is that this is a form of stock market ‘pump and dump’, with the fake positions being filed to artificially inflate stock prices before the sale of the owner’s real shares.

Another theory, proposed by Kasikorn Securities, suggests that the transfer of shares may have indeed taken place, with the Supaporn filing used to conceal the identity of the real final owner and mask financial restructuring.

The report notes that the True transaction perfectly aligns with UBS AG London Branch acquiring shares from Charoen Pokphand Group, a billionaire conglomerate and True Corp’s largest shareholder.

Regardless of the whether the transaction in fact took place here, the finding severely undermines the viability of the SEC’s reporting mechanism. The filing of a Form 246-2 requires encrypted user registration, identity verification against a national database, and validation of the underlying assets being traded by a brokerage; if these guardrails are somehow compromised, the validity of all the SEC’s public financial disclosures could be at risk.

The SEC is currently working with the SET for an emergency overhaul of their combined data infrastructure to address any weaknesses, but it could be some time before the extent of these systemic issues are fully revealed.

Keep up to date with the latest news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
TELUS and L-SPARK give Canadian startups access to AI supercomputer
Belden to acquire RUCKUS Networks for $1.85bn
VMO2 taps Suffolk solar farm for 10 years of clean energy

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) will extend the tenure of President Director and Chief Executive Officer Vikram Sinha for another five years, subject to shareholder approval at the company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting.

The operator said the decision reflects the board’s confidence in Sinha’s leadership as IOH moves into the “next phase of its transformation”, with artificial intelligence becoming a key focus of its business strategy.

Sinha has been with Indosat Ooredoo since 2019 and oversaw the operator’s massive merger in 2022, in which Indosat joined up with Hutchison 3 Indonesia.

Looking ahead, the company plans to increase investment in AI across its network, enterprise offerings and digital services, while supporting the development of Indonesia’s domestic AI ecosystem.

The board also reaffirmed its support for IOH’s long-term financial target of doubling EBITDA, signalling confidence in the company’s growth strategy.

“Indosat has demonstrated the value of consistent execution and long-term strategic focus,” said President Commissioner Nezar Patria. “As the company enters its next stage of growth, the Board remains confident in Vikram Sinha’s leadership and the management team’s ability to deliver sustainable value for shareholders and contribute to Indonesia’s digital development.”

IOH claimed that AI is already being deployed across Indosat’s operations to improve network performance, automate internal processes, optimise capital investment and enhance customer engagement through more personalised digital services.

The operator is also expanding beyond connectivity by building capabilities in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and enterprise digital solutions. As part of this strategy, IOH  developed its sovereign AI initiatives, including open source LLM Sahabat-AI, NeoCloud and GPU cloud services, supported by partnerships with technology companies such as Nvidia.

Another priority is the development of a distributed AI computing infrastructure using Indosat’s nationwide network and data centre assets. The company says this will provide enterprises, developers and public sector organisations with greater access to AI computing resources across Indonesia.

Press Release

VodafoneThree is trialling a new process to help the banking sector block scams

VodafoneThree has helped develop a proof of concept to help banks tackle fraud and protect their customers.

Created with Barclays, and in partnership with Mobile Ecosystem Forum* and Cyber Defence Alliance, the proof of concept has since expanded to include The Co-operative Bank, now part of the Coventry Building Society, and TSB.

Since August 2025, more than 2 million fraudulent messages have been blocked from reaching participating banks’ customers. This marks an estimated 25% increase in blocked scam messages on VodafoneThree’s network.^[1]As UK banks lose £1.17 billion a year due to fraud^[2], this process helps stop fraudulent SMS messages before they reach banking customers, while ensuring legitimate messages still get through.

Building on the success of VodafoneThree’s existing scam prevention tools, which blocked 139+ million fraudulent SMS in 2025 alone, the process sees VodafoneThree working closely with banks to build bespoke rules to the existing SMS firewall. This intelligence can differentiate between fraudulent SMS content and legitimate communications from banks to their customers.

Recent malicious SMS messages focus on impersonating banks and asking customers to share their personal or financial information urgently via scam phone numbers or phishing links included in the messages.

Rachel Andrews, Director of Corporate Security and Fraud, VodafoneThree, said: “Preventing fraud on our network and protecting trust in the UK’s digital economy is a huge priority. With fraud now accounting for 44% of all crime^[3], no single organisation can tackle it alone. We’re working closely with banks, government, law enforcement, and industry partners to stay ahead, evolving our capabilities as quickly as fraudsters change their tactics. What’s clear is that we need to innovate as well, scaling new solutions like this is crucial in making the UK one of the toughest places in the world for fraudsters to operate.”

Nick Gliddon, Business Director, VodafoneThree, said: “Banks sit at the frontline of the UK’s fight against fraud, and their role has never been more critical. Together, we’re leading the way by stepping up our work with banks to strengthen protections and accelerate new solutions. And we’re challenging partners across the sector to match that ambition by working with us to raise the bar and better protect customers at scale.”

Paul Davis, Head of Economic Crime, Barclays, said: “Protecting our customers’ money and data is our highest priority. With reports of APP scams originating via SMS increasing by around 40% in 2025 compared with 2024, it is essential that we continue to work together to stay ahead of new threats. By sharing intelligence across banks, telecoms providers and industry bodies, we can help stop suspicious messages before they reach customers, while ensuring our customers still receive genuine messages from us. VodafoneThree’s work is a strong example of how collective action can help tackle fraud at source and better protect consumers.”

Garry Lilburn, Operations Director, Cyber Defence Alliance, said: “At the CDA, we seek to bring our banking members, Telecommunication, Law Enforcement and Tech partners together to problem solve on cross-sector problems. This project, initiated at such a cross-sector meeting, with MEF, Vodafone Three and Barclays bank, is an excellent example of cross-sector collaboration. Working with MEF, collectively, we will scale this project and its success to protect a wider number of banking and telecom customers.”

Dario Betti, CEO, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, said: “For many years, MEF has been at the forefront of the fight against smishing, continuously evolving our strategy to keep pace with the changing tactics used by fraudsters. We are very pleased to have supported VodafoneThree in this successful initiative, which shows what can be achieved when industry partners work together in a practical and targeted way to tackle fraud. The results are significant, and we look forward to seeing this approach adopted more broadly across the industry.”

Chris Gray, CISO, The Co-operative Bank, said: “Our customers’ safety is our top priority. Alongside our Cyber Fraud Fusion Cell – where we bring together expertise to spot and stop scams fast – this initiative helps tackle fraud at source. By partnering across sectors to block fraudulent messages before they reach customers, together, we’re strengthening everyday banking security and keeping people’s money safe.”

George Hulland, Fraud Prevention Manager, TSB, said: “For too long, UK households have lost life-changing sums to cruel fraudsters posing as their bank, so this much-needed intervention with Vodafone should help cut scams off at source. Fraud can only be tackled with different businesses coming together, and this is a great example of cross-sector collaboration to protect consumers. Banks will never ask you for personal information, or to transfer money to them – so if you’re ever asked, hang up, it’s fraud.”

VodafoneThree urges customers and members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious messages or voice calls to our dedicated 7726 SPAM reporting link, either by clicking on the SPAM icon or forwarding to 7726 at no extra cost. This valuable intelligence is then shared with other mobile network providers and anti-scam organisations, helping to protect customers.

Keep up to date with the latest news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
TELUS and L-SPARK give Canadian startups access to AI supercomputer
Belden to acquire RUCKUS Networks for $1.85bn
VMO2 taps Suffolk solar farm for 10 years of clean energy

News

The South Korean giant is betting heavily on both chip production and data centre growth

South Korean conglomerate SK Group has announced a massive 2,100 trillion won ($1.36 trillion) investment roadmap targeted at domestic semiconductor manufacturing and AI data centre deployments.

The strategic push focuses heavily on securing upstream supply chain dominance and scaling computing infrastructure to reposition South Korea on the global AI stage.

“We should not simply export AI products. We need to export intelligence itself while building a domestic market for AI-driven intelligence,” said SK Group’s chairman Chey Tae-won, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.. “To achieve that, we will rapidly build AI factories in the form of large-scale AI data centers.”

SK Hynix plots memory chip production expansion

The group’s semiconductor division, SK Hynix, is spearheading the hardware allocation by committing 1,100 trillion won ($706 billion) to scale production capacity for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and next-generation DRAM and NAND flash components critical for AI workloads.

Key capital projects within the chip investment include:

• Cheongju: 100 trillion won ($65 billion) allocated for site expansion.
• Southwest Cluster: 400 trillion won ($261 billion) earmarked to construct an entirely new semiconductor production hub.
• Yongin Mega-Cluster: 600 trillion won ($392 billion USD) dedicated to fast-tracking the deployment of its primary semiconductor hub. The group has pulled forward the completion timeline for this project to 2033, moving it 12 years ahead of its original 2045 deadline.

The broader long-term vision outlines a sustained capital expenditure of approximately 100 trillion won ($65.3 billion) annually in South Korea over the next decade, according to Chairman Chey.

SK Telecom pivots to GPUaaS and regional infrastructure

In tandem, telecom unit SK Telecom will deploy 1,000 trillion won ($642 billion) to build out physical AI data centres. The operator intends to establish 15 GW of AI data centre capacity across South Korea by 2035, with an interim target of 5 GW operational by 2029.

The initial phase involves a 140 trillion won ($91.5 billion) investment targeting the southeastern Yeongnam region to create a localised AI hub. This rollout begins with a 100MW hyperscale AI data centre in Ulsan, scheduled to begin operations in Q4 2027. SKT plans to expand this site by an additional 900MW, alongside another 1GW deployment elsewhere in the region.

“The massive AI data centers could transform the region into a hub for the verification and expansion of manufacturing AI, when combined with the manufacturing capabilities in the region,” SK Telecom’s CEO Jung Jai-hun announced during a public briefing with South Korean president Lee Jae Myung last week.

SK Group’s multi-year investment plans arrive amid unprecedented infrastructure spend across the global technology landscape; US hyperscalers, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle, are forecast to spend a combined $600 billion to $750 billion USD in 2026 alone. While SK Group’s investments pale in comparison to these true giants, it nonetheless places the organisation firmly as a regional competitor.

For a telco, on the other hand, the scale of these AI investments is broadly unrivalled. SK Telecom has long signalled its intent to shake off its role as a traditional telco and embracing a new persona as an ‘AI factory’. Backed by architectural alignment with NVIDIA, the operator aims to leverage this massive footprint to position itself as a major GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) provider in the Asia-Pacific region.

SK Group has interntional AI ambitions too.  Last month, SK Telecom said it would invest 738 billion won ($480 million) into the newly formed ‘AI Co.’, a US-based subsidiary of memory giant SK Hynix created in January by repurposing its US flash memory firm Solidigm. The business, which is intended to operate as a strategic investment and ecosystem vehicle, is backd $10 billion from SK Hynix and a further $250 million and $380 million from SK Inc. and SK Innovation, respectively. 

By unifying upstream chip manufacturing via SK Hynix with mega-scale data center infrastructure from SK Telecom, SK Group is establishing a strong foundation for global AI development. This multi-trillion-won capital strategy effectively shifts the conglomerate from a regional component supplier into a high-margin, full-stack intelligence powerhouse capable of reshaping the Asia-Pacific tech landscape.

Keep up to date with the latest news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
TELUS and L-SPARK give Canadian startups access to AI supercomputer
Belden to acquire RUCKUS Networks for $1.85bn
VMO2 taps Suffolk solar farm for 10 years of clean energy