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The deal is expected to boost the lifespan of the company’s aging submarine cables around Svalbard 

Space Norway has announced a new deal with Ciena to modernise the Svalbard Undersea Cable System and its upcoming Arctic Way cable system with the latest optical technolgy.

The deal will see Space Norway’s existing infrastructure upgraded with Ciena’s latest optical technology, including the Ciena 6500 Optical Platform, WaveLogic 6 Extreme, Spectrum Sharing, and the Navigator Network Control Suite.

The same technology will also be used in the upcoming Arctic Way Cable System.

This, the company said, will ‘expand the operational lifespan’ of the Svalbard Undersea Cable System and expanding secure, high-resilience connectivity across the Acrtic region.

“Reliable connectivity is essential in the Arctic, where our infrastructure supports critical activities and demanding operational requirements,” said Pia Birgitte Bruhn, acting Vice President of Cable Systems at Space Norway. “By working with Ciena, we are extending the operational life of our existing Svalbard cable systems while preparing Arctic Way for service. This investment will strengthen the resilience and capacity of our subsea network and support the region’s long-term connectivity needs.”

Space Norway is a satellite company owned by the Norwegian state that operates hybrid infrastructure, comprising satellites, teleports, fibre networks, and subsea cables. The company provides mission-critical communications relied upon by research, scientific, and national security organisations.

The company operates the Svalbard Undersea Cable System, which began service in 2004 and spans roughly 2,714 km from Breivika in northern Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s largest town.

Currently, Svalbard only has one other submarine cable: the Longyearbyen–Ny-Ålesund route on the west of the archipelago operated by Sikt, the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research.

However, this will change in the coming years through the deployment of Space Norway’s upcoming Arctic Way system. Announced in 2025, will connect Bodø, Norway, to Longyearbyen, with separate branch to the remote island of Jan Mayen, home to Beerenberg, the most northern active volcano in the world.

While Svalbard and Jan Mayen have few or no permanent residents, they remain of high strategic importance for Norway. Svalbard, for example, notably hosts SvalSat, a crucial satellite ground station that monitors the Arctic region for which reliable backhaul is crucial.

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Global smartphone shipments fell 20% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026 as rising memory chip costs pushed up device prices and weakened consumer demand, according to Counterpoint Research.

The decline marked the weakest third-quarter performance in 14 years, although it was in line with the research firm’s forecast. Average selling prices (ASPs) have risen 20% so far this year as manufacturers pass on increases in DRAM and NAND memory costs to consumers.

Counterpoint Research senior analyst Shilpi Jain said the market was only beginning to feel the full impact of the memory crisis, with the third quarter representing the second consecutive quarter in which manufacturers faced its effects.

Consumers are responding by delaying upgrades and considering refurbished devices, while the premium segment has proved comparatively resilient.

Samsung regained the top position in the market with a 23% share, despite a 3% year-on-year decline in shipments. The South Korean manufacturer focused on premium models, including foldable devices, which saw strong initial demand.

Apple followed with a 22% share, up from 18% a year earlier, despite a decline in shipments. Counterpoint attributed the fall in volumes partly to the absence of a base iPhone 18 variant and rising prices.

Xiaomi suffered the sharpest decline among the leading vendors, with shipments falling 30% year-on-year and its market share dropping from 14% to 10%. The Chinese manufacturer, known for its affordable devices and thin margins, has tightened shipment plans to avoid selling devices at uneconomical margins amid rising component costs.

Oppo and Vivo also recorded shipment declines of more than 20%, with market shares falling to 9% and 8%, respectively.

Counterpoint expects market conditions to remain challenging for the rest of 2026 as manufacturers prioritise profitability over shipment volumes. Rising component costs are putting pressure on both vendors’ margins and consumers’ purchasing power.
Manufacturers are expected to continue cutting production, reducing the size of their product portfolios and placing greater emphasis on premium devices as memory supplies remain constrained.

A recovery in shipment volumes is unlikely until component costs ease. Counterpoint has previously forecast that this improvement may not begin until late 2027.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has questioned the influence of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani as Starlink continues to await approval to launch its satellite internet service in India.

Musk said on social media that Starlink had spent five years complying with Indian government requirements but was still unable to begin operations. He questioned whether Ambani was the country’s “real boss”, a day after accusing unnamed oligarchs of maintaining a monopolistic grip on the Indian market.

Reliance Jio, controlled by Ambani, is India’s largest telecoms operator. Together with rival Bharti Airtel, it accounts for around 80% of the country’s telecoms market.
Musk’s comments drew a response from Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s opposition Congress party, who suggested he would encounter another powerful businessman, Gautam Adani. Musk responded that the situation was troubling.

Starlink’s entry into India has faced delays despite agreements signed with Jio and Airtel in March 2025 to explore opportunities to distribute its satellite internet services.

Starlink received an operating licence in July 2025 but has yet to launch commercially.
Bloomberg reported in June 2026 that the Indian government had frozen approvals amid security concerns over the use of Starlink terminals before the service was authorised to operate.

Meanwhile, Jio is developing its own low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications plans. Local media reports say the company has proposed a network of around 1,600 satellites and 23 ground stations to expand connectivity across India.

Jio Platforms managing director Akash Ambani said this week that India needs its own indigenous technology stack, according to local media. The company’s satellite plans could place it in competition with Starlink, which operates a constellation of thousands of satellites and provides services in more than 170 countries and territories.

The dispute comes as Musk’s other major business, Tesla, also struggles to gain traction in India. Reports indicate that the electric vehicle maker has sold just over 1,000 cars in the country since launching there in 2025.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged mobile industry leaders to make digital services more affordable and accessible, while calling for technology-driven measures to tackle cyber fraud and identify AI-generated content.

Modi made the remarks during a meeting with members of the GSMA Board in New Delhi on October 7, ahead of the India Mobile Congress 2026. The meeting was attended by Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani.

Modi said technology should support inclusive and sustainable development, with particular attention to affordability and access in developing countries. He also highlighted the role of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in helping countries across the Global South expand access to digital services.

On cyber fraud, Modi called for technology-based solutions and sustained public awareness campaigns to warn users about fraudulent calls.

He also highlighted the risks posed by deepfakes and AI-generated content, suggesting that mechanisms be explored to help users identify the origin of digital material. He called for common global standards and rules for emerging technologies.

GSMA Board members welcomed India’s expansion of 4G and 5G connectivity, digital public infrastructure and telecoms manufacturing. They also highlighted opportunities for international cooperation in 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital inclusion and satellite connectivity.

The meeting comes ahead of the 10th India Mobile Congress, which brings together telecoms operators, technology companies and policymakers. India has increasingly sought to position itself as a contributor to international discussions on next-generation connectivity, digital infrastructure and technology standards.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Daria Batrakova, Director, Telecom Solutions, FNT Software  and Mark Gibson, Head of Product, Inmanta

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Vodacom South Africa and SmartOps Fleet say they have assembled an ecosystem of partners from the technology, financial services, automotive and e-hailing sectors in a bid to broaden South Africa’s growing e-hailing economy.

Under the programme – unveiled on Wednesday – Vodacom will serve as its enabling technology and connectivity partner, provides the connectivity and fintech capabilities that support the ecosystem, while SmartOps will provide fleet management vehicles, drivers, maintenance, insurance, tracking and day-to-day e-hailing operations.

Fidelity Services Group will provide vehicle tracking and dashcam solutions, while the Thiba Ingozi safety app will promote safer, more secure and connected operations.

The wider ecosystem includes Nedbank MFC, Motus, Tiger Wheel & Tyre, Tyres & More, vehicle manufacturers Renault and Dongfeng, which together will create a support network that enables programme-supported vehicles to operate on e-hailing platforms such as Uber and Bolt.

Vodacom said the programme aims to create a pathway for qualifying individuals to participate in the e-hailing economy through vehicle ownership, which presents numerous operational challenges, from from sourcing and managing drivers to maintaining vehicles, arranging insurance, and overseeing daily operations.

The programme is designed to reduce this complexity by helping qualified individual investors finance an approved vehicle through Nedbank MFC and lease the vehicle to SmartOps Fleet for managed e-hailing operations. Investor onboarding and finance applications are completed on the SmartOps Fleet platform.

“South Africa’s mobility economy presents an opportunity to connect more people to economic participation through technology-enabled partnerships,” said Vodacom South Africa CEO Sitho Mdlalose in a statement. “By bringing together capabilities across technology and financial services, we are helping to create an ecosystem that supports broader participation for both vehicle owners and drivers.”

To qualify for the programme, individual investors should already be earning a minimum gross income of R15,300 per month, and will be required to pay the first instalment on the vehicle, with all subsequent instalments paid by SmartOps Fleet.

Investors enter into a lease agreement with SmartOps Fleet that mirrors the approved financing term. SmartOps takes responsibility for the operational management of the vehicle, including driver management, insurance, vehicle instalments, maintenance, tracking, and commission to investors. Commission earned by investors is calculated based on the vehicle instalment.

The investor will earn up to 40% commission every month, retain ownership of the vehicle and remain responsible for the underlying vehicle-finance agreement and the first instalment of the vehicle.

« What makes this model different is the ecosystem behind it,” said SmartOps CEO Mahene Benzane. “By bringing together expertise across finance, technology, fleet management, automotive and e-hailing services, we can support the management of a vehicle throughout its e-hailing journey while creating opportunities for both vehicle owners and drivers.”

The programme aims to introduce up to 55,000 vehicles over the next nine to 12 months, which could support up to 110,000 driver opportunities (assuming two drivers per vehicle). The initiative also targets a fleet mix of 66% electric vehicles in that time period.

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Claro Dominicana has added Amazon Web Services (AWS) to its cloud infrastructure portfolio, expanding the cloud services it offers to business customers in the Dominican Republic.

The operator said the addition will allow companies to access AWS cloud services through Claro, alongside its existing Claro Cloud Enterprise and Microsoft Azure offerings.

AWS provides cloud infrastructure and services including storage, databases, networking, security, artificial intelligence and data analytics. Its pay-as-you-go model allows businesses to scale resources according to demand without investing in their own physical infrastructure.

Claro Dominicana will provide support across the cloud adoption process, including solution design, implementation, management and ongoing optimisation.

The operator said the AWS addition will support businesses migrating workloads to the cloud, modernising applications and scaling technology resources as demand changes.

Marcelo Garcia, director of Cloud Solutions Management and Development and Managed Services at Claro Dominicana, said the partnership expands the company’s cloud portfolio and gives customers access to AWS alongside its existing services.
Claro Dominicana said the move forms part of its wider strategy to combine connectivity, infrastructure, cloud and managed services for enterprise customers.

Boon Chee Loo (pictured) joined Bridge Alliance in 2020, just as the Covid-19 pandemic reached Asia. He became CEO in April 2026, after helping the alliance broaden its work from roaming coordination into regional platforms for IoT, communications services and network APIs.

In this interview, Loo discusses how Bridge Alliance helps operators serve multinational businesses, the rapid growth in connected vehicle data, and the practical challenges of making services work across different markets. Sean Gowran, Aeris’ APAC sales VP, also joined the conversation, as Loo explains the alliance’s approach to APIs, security and AI – and why he sees roaming continuing to complement local connectivity.

Developing Telecoms: You joined Bridge Alliance in 2020, just as Covid-19 hit Asia. What attracted you to the organisation?

Boon Chee Loo: I had spent close to 30 years in telecoms, working across consumer, enterprise and digital businesses. I was excited by the opportunity to apply that experience to help operators at a regional level.

Bridge Alliance was originally focused on roaming and the frameworks that help operators work together. Under the previous CEO, Geok Chwee Ong, the organisation began to pivot towards becoming a regional product house: building platforms that help member operators compete more effectively in their markets. The organisation needed someone familiar with productisation and developing regional products, and that was a good fit with my background.

The IoT journey had already begun, and I helped establish the CPaaS platform and, more recently, the Telco API Exchange.

Developing Telecoms: What are the alliance’s main areas of activity today?

Loo: Roaming is where Bridge Alliance started. We created frameworks to help operators work together, deliver a good experience to consumers and develop effective cost structures.

As the alliance grew, we also saw an opportunity in group sourcing. For items that are not highly differentiated from one market to another – such as fibre cable, IPX bandwidth and testing tools – members can negotiate collectively and seek savings.

Over the past decade, we have also built platforms to help operators compete in the enterprise market. That includes IoT, CPaaS and APIs. Those are the five pillars we have today.

AI is now a major topic, although we are still working out what the alliance can do collectively. We can look at AI capabilities that sit on top of our existing services, and at whether members have common needs that could benefit from group sourcing.

Developing Telecoms: Where can cooperation between operators make the biggest practical difference for businesses?

Loo: IoT is a good example. Historically, many IoT solutions were deployed within one country. Each operator had its own platforms, systems and processes. But manufacturers increasingly want to offer products regionally.

Consider a car manufacturer that wants connectivity embedded in vehicles before they are delivered to Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand. The connectivity may support telemetry or software updates, and the customer wants to arrange it at the point of manufacture. As vehicles become more connected – and potentially more autonomous – the demand for connectivity and bandwidth will grow.

The commercial model has to be simple: the customer should be able to subscribe and get connectivity. The technical implementation must also be straightforward. If a customer has to deal separately with every operator’s systems, platforms and processes, it becomes daunting. We need to provide a single point of coordination and an orchestration layer that hides much of that complexity.

Regulation differs between countries, too. Local operators bring knowledge of their own markets, helping customers navigate requirements that may not always be easy to understand from outside.

Developing Telecoms: How do you measure whether this regional coordination is working?

Loo: One indicator is the number of regional deals we enable. We also look at the connections and bandwidth usage associated with those deals, including year-on-year growth in SIM connections.

For the period from August 2025 to August 2026, we reported 40% year-on-year growth in regional IoT SIM connections.

Sean Gowran: Data usage alsogrew by 65% over the same period.

Developing Telecoms: What is driving that growth?

Gowran: Automotive is a major driver, particularly the growth in electric vehicles. An internal-combustion car might use around 100 megabytes of data a month, while an electric vehicle can use around two gigabytes. Some models reach seven or eight gigabytes a month.

Loo: The way vehicles use connectivity is changing. At first, it was mainly for telemetry and software updates. There is now interest in using connectivity for in-car entertainment, which could increase data consumption further. Autonomous vehicles would require still more.

Developing Telecoms: Are networks across Asia Pacific ready for autonomous vehicles?

Loo: Autonomous vehicles are still at an early stage, so there is time for networks to develop. They will require low latency so that a vehicle can get a response quickly when it encounters a problem. Not every country is ready, but networks are progressing, including through the deployment of 5G standalone.

There is also a commercial question: how to support high data usage per SIM when the traditional business model may have been designed for much lower usage.

Developing Telecoms: What have you learned about managing the growth in connected vehicles?

Loo: One lesson is that software updates need coordination. A car manufacturer might decide to update 100,000 vehicles at once. But if that happens during peak network hours, it could affect the update and other customers using the network.

We have learned to coordinate updates and, where appropriate, stagger them so they happen outside peak periods. Sean mentioned that the software can often be downloaded over a longer period without affecting when it is installed. Throttling the update traffic can help prevent sudden spikes in network demand.

Developing Telecoms: Turning to network APIs, what can enterprises do through the Bridge Alliance API Exchange?

Loo: Our approach to APIs has changed as we have learned what customers need. Traditionally, we have aimed to have one leading operator in each market as a member, so that it can compete and differentiate locally.

But that is not always enough for APIs. An enterprise changing its app or workflow wants broad market coverage. A bank is unlikely to make a major change if the service only reaches 30% of its customers.

So, for APIs, we have shifted to working with all operators in each country we target. We currently have operators in Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia on the API Exchange. We have made Number Verify and SIM Swap APIs available because these are capabilities many operators can provide in a standard form, using specifications defined by CAMARA.

The enterprise can integrate once and use the API across the markets covered. We plan to add more markets, including Singapore, India, Japan, Vietnam and Australia. If everything goes well, our aim is to cover at least 10 Asian markets by April.

Developing Telecoms: What needs to happen for network APIs to become a meaningful source of revenue for operators?

Loo: First, operators need to be organised and harmonised. If the service is not consistent, enterprises will not use it at scale. We need enough markets and operators participating. That is a major focus for the first two years.

Second, customers need to know the APIs are available and understand how they can help their businesses – for example, by improving productivity or customer experience.

There is also a commercial challenge with Number Verify. It is often compared with SMS one-time passwords, which businesses already pay for. If they switch to an API, they may expect the price to be similar, so there can be price pressure.

Other APIs may create more value. In developing markets, for example, financial institutions may want additional signals when assessing people who have little or no traditional credit history. Telco data could potentially provide useful indicators, such as patterns of bill payment or account balance. That could give a financial institution a different kind of information to consider when assessing a loan.

Developing Telecoms: Beyond the technology, how does Bridge Alliance organise operators to support multinational IoT deals?

Loo: We have a framework for handling regional requirements, including a “lead operator” and “supporting operator” model. If a member comes across a deal that needs coverage in several countries, there are already agreed rules, capabilities and platforms to support it.

The alliance pieces these elements together for operators and ecosystem partners. Customers get a more consistent way to access services, with much of the complexity handled behind the scenes.

Developing Telecoms: Automotive is a major IoT driver. Which other industries could contribute to growth?

Loo: We believe more and more objects will be connected. China is an important source of manufacturing, so we are speaking with chipset and module makers. If connectivity is embedded in a module, it can be built into many different products.

That could mean more connected appliances, cameras and home devices. We are also seeing more autonomous objects, from vehicles to robots. Anything autonomous will require connectivity, so we want to work with the companies making those products.

Developing Telecoms: Does this shift towards local connectivity mean roaming will become less important?

Loo: Roaming and local connectivity complement each other. Local connectivity is our preference where it is available, because it can provide good coverage, experience and service. But not every market can immediately support a local arrangement. Roaming can serve those markets and remains an important capability.

Developing Telecoms: What role can an alliance play in closing the connectivity gap in emerging markets?

Loo: We leave infrastructure investment to individual operators. Our members are leading operators in their markets, and they are responsible for maintaining and developing their networks.

Bridge Alliance focuses on the orchestration layer: making it easier for enterprise customers to consume connectivity across markets. We also work with partners to ensure our platforms keep pace with the technical capabilities available in each market, including 5G standalone and, in future, 6G.

Developing Telecoms: How are you approaching cybersecurity and fraud prevention?

Loo: Operators have their own cybersecurity programmes. For IoT, our partner Aeris has launched IoT Watchtower, which adds security capabilities to the IoT connectivity we provide.

Developing Telecoms: What opportunities do you see for AI, and where can Bridge Alliance contribute?

Loo: Our members are individually exploring AI for areas such as autonomous networks, workflow optimisation and personalisation. Network autonomy is still developing; I do not think networks are fully autonomous at this stage.

For the alliance, there are a few possible areas. We can help make AI capabilities available alongside our existing pillars. For example, AI voice bots or chatbots could be integrated with our CPaaS platform for operators to offer to enterprise customers. AI applications that use the APIs available through the exchange could also be supported.

A further possibility is a kind of token exchange that could bring together different large language models and find an appropriate route and cost for an AI application. That work is still in progress; we have not yet determined exactly what it should look like.

Developing Telecoms: Does the potential risk of AI make operators cautious about deploying it?

Loo: It makes members more careful about selecting and governing AI tools. Operators are licensed businesses, so a deployment that causes disruption could put their licences at stake.

When we consider adding AI applications to CPaaS, for example, there are processes and checklists to follow. The aim is to enable implementation while making sure there is a clear process to govern it.