News

The plastic waste removed is the equivalent weight of five double decker buses 

UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has announced that it has successfully removed 65 tonnes of single-use plastic from its operations and products since 2021. 

The effort is part of the company’s Better Connections Plan, which broadly commits to ensuring the business operates in a sustainable and ethical way. One of the plan’s primary aims to achieve zero waste operations and products by the end of 2025. 

In partnership with engineering company Technetix, VMO2 has removed almost 18 tonnes of single-use plastic from the equipment and tools used by engineers. This includes eliminating plastic bags, foam, blister packs, and plastic straps from packaging. The company has also replaced plastic ties with paper ties on cables. 

Collaborating with logistics firm GXO, the company has also reduced single-use plastic from packaging containing products sent to cable customer by 94%. 

Additionally, adopting plastic-free packaging for product delivery and returns has allowed the company to prevent approximately 22 tonnes of single-use plastic going to waste each year. 

“GXO and Virgin Media O2 are working together to create a supply chain that is as environmentally responsible as it is efficient and reliable,” said Meagan Fitzsimmons, GXO’s Chief Compliance and ESG Officer in a press release. 

“Companies have to reduce single use plastics from their supply chain to meet regulatory requirements and environmental goals. These results show what’s possible with a best-in-class partnership,” she continued. 

In related news, this week it was revealed that VMO2 was one of three operators (in addition to Three and Vodafone), who had their plea for a deadline extension of the first phase of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) denied by the UK government. 

Dean Creamer, the head of Building Digital UK (the government body overseeing the project) confirmed this week that the authority has denied a request by the three mobile operators to delay the first phase deadline by 18 months.  

The current deadline to remove all ‘partial not-spots’ is in June. Only EE, the UK’s largest operator, met this deadline so far, doing so in January. Last October, The Telegraph reported that Vodafone and Three in particular were operators were “miles behind” in the project, according to unnamed sources. 

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

Also in the news:
“We’ve out innovated China”: US Commerce Secretary slams Huawei chip tech
Uzbekistan’s Perfectum partners with Nokia for 5G
Meta shares tumble after Zuckerberg reveals AI spending increase    

News

The parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp is increasing spending to become a global AI leader 

This week, Meta released its Q1 earnings report, in which the company announced a heavy increase on AI spending, and confirmed its plan to turn the group into “the leading AI company in the world”. 

Revenue for the quarter totalled $36.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 27% and just above analyst expectations ($36.2 billion). Total expenses reached $22.6 billion, a 6% increase. 

“It’s been a good start to the year — both in terms of product momentum and business performance,” said CEO mark Zuckerberg in the earnings call. 

Two key factors of the report appear to have worried investors, causing shares to plunge 15% in after-hours trading. 

Firstly, a weaker-than-expected Q2 revenue. Meta’s second-quarter revenue guidance fell short of analysts’ forecasts. The company expects overall sales to be between $36.5 billion and $39 billion, with the mid-point missing the estimated $38.2 billion. This cautious outlook has raised concerns about Meta’s ability to sustain its impressive performance so far. 

Secondly, Meta have announced an increase in AI spending, including AI training and high-computing chips in its data centres. Its capital expenditures for full-year 2024 are now projected to range from $35 billion to $40 billion, up from the previous estimate of $30 billion to $37 billion. 

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said this was so Meta can “continue to accelerate our infrastructure investments to support our AI roadmap”. While not providing expenditure guidance beyond this year, Zuckerberg noted that it is expected to increase as the company is set to “invest aggressively” in AI R&D to compete with rivals such as OpenAI and Microsoft. 

Last week, Meta released the latest version of Meta AI, which is powered by its latest model, Llama 3. In the earnings call, Zuckerberg confirmed that the “goal with Meta AI is to build the world’s leading AI service both in quality and usage.” The company believes that Meta AI is the most intelligent free AI assistant. 

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

Also in the news:
South Korea to invest $7 billion in AI semiconductors
Swisscom expands 5G partnership with Ericsson
Daisy Group set to acquire 4Com for £215m

News

The investment follows the company spending JPY20 billion ($129.2 million) on computing infrastructure last year 

Japanese tech giant SoftBank has announced that it will invest JPY 150 billion $960 billion to upgrade its computing infrastructure to deliver a Generative AI (gen AI) platform in the Japanese language, according to a report from Nikkei, which cited anonymous sources. 

Over the next two years, SoftBank will reportedly purchase GPUs (graphics processing units) from US based chip company Nvidia, using them to train and power its own large language models (LLMs), and then loan access to them to other firms. 

The investment in computing infrastructure is set to be the largest of any Japanese company, although SoftBank has not yet commented on the report. 

Last August, SoftBank invested JPY 150 million ($969 million) launched a new company, named ‘SB Institutions’, to research and develop homegrown LLMs that are specialised for the Japanese language. The company will ‘provide the necessary data sets and tools for LLM learning and develop models for reinforcement learning on SoftBank’s computing platform,” the press release reads. 

“By developing LLM specialized for the Japanese language, SB Intuitions can develop generative AI services tailored to the unique needs of Japan-based customers,” it continued. 

SB institutions is currently working on its own LLM, which is set to be completed this year. 

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

Also in the news:
South Korea to invest $7 billion in AI semiconductors
Swisscom expands 5G partnership with Ericsson
Daisy Group set to acquire 4Com for £215m

Insight

Using her experience working in Venture Capital, Angel Investment and with startup businesses, Charlotte Scott, Senior Investor Relations Manager at Innovation SuperNetwork, works to improve the relationship between investors and businesses. 

Through her work in the Northern Investor Hub and on the Pathways to Funding North of Tyne and Tees Valley Securing Investment programmes, she builds bridges between businesses and investors, helping investors expand their portfolio, reach new opportunities, and connect with exciting businesses.  

Hear from Charlotte as she shares her key tips and advice on how to improve your business investor connectivity. 

Be Authentic. 

Transparency and authenticity are often missing when it comes to building long lasting investor business relationships. There’s a misconception that investors loom in the upper echelons of society. However, human stories will engage them, and authentic connections can be the basis of a very trusting and productive relationship.   

An investor will likely take a board seat in your business, so if you haven’t taken the time to build that trusting relationship where you can disclose key information, then they can’t help you make decisions and offer advice that could potentially save your company.  

Take the time to just get out there, network with investors and invest time nurturing those relationships. Treat them as humans and respect their time and opinions as you would anyone else. You’ve got to be able to have good communication and good interpersonal relationships. 

Expand and diversify your pool of connections. 

Working with start-ups in a variety of roles and regions has introduced me to a lot of underrepresented founders and communities that have – through no fault of their own – slipped through the access to funding net. And that was quite an eye opener. It was clear how much having access to business support could really transform their personal and professional situations.    

It’s generally acknowledged that we want to hang out with people who have similar interests. But if an investor is really committed to diversity and inclusion then they should be branching out, involving themselves with communities who are not from the same background, and welcome the diversity of opinion that comes with expanding our network beyond the familiar.   

Expanding your network allows you to come across such a range of people, ideas, and businesses. The nature of individuals operating businesses is that they’re ambitious and highly motivated – have a certain resilience and grit. It’s a wonderful thing to be surrounded by. 

Make sure your voice is heard. 

Get out there and start talking about yourself! If an investor needs to go to areas and break into communities who don’t look and sound like them, you’ve got to try and do the same.  

For example, put an event every week in your diary where you think investors might be and show up.  Don’t pitch in that informal environment but have a chat and start to build a positive relationship. That person will remember you as that interesting individual who they had a good chat with a couple of months ago, so they’ll be more receptive to start up a conversation and lend you a hand.   

Working with Innovation SuperNetwork. 

At Innovation SuperNetwork, we work with businesses access the finance they need, helping them to understand their options. 

We offer a programme of events, workshops, and one-to-one support to help you identify and apply for grants or loans. Our investor readiness programme steps in to make you pitch perfect and able to secure investment for growth.  

Through the Northern Investor Hub, we work closely with local and national partners, to bring experienced and budding investors together, identifying co-investment opportunities, and showcase the North’s most inspiring businesses. 

If you are an investor, find out more about the opportunities we can provide for you here.

Press Release

22 April 2024: This Earth Day, BT is announcing a new partnership with the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) that aims to help UK small & medium businesses (SMBs) halve CO2e emissions by 2030 and empower them to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It comes as research suggests UK SMBs would stop 280 million tonnes of CO2e emissions from reaching the atmosphere if they hit this near-term goal*.

There are 5.5 million SMBs in the UK, making up more than 99% of all businesses nationwide. Collectively they account for almost half (44%**) of non-household emissions, making their role in tackling the climate crisis critical to the UK’s chances of hitting net zero by 2050.

Nine in ten (90%) of SMEs would like to address climate change at their business, but find it challenging to get started and identify the right tools to mitigate their environmental impact.*** To help them map out a path to net zero, the UKBCH, a shared endeavour between industry and government, has welcomed BT as a key industry partner and member of its Advisory Board, and has developed ‘Seven Steps to Sustainability’ to empower SMBs to get started today.

The new partnership aims to bring together BT’s expertise in supporting more than one million small business customers with the UK Business Climate Hub’s free resources to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint and their energy bills. Businesses can take the first step today by checking out the available, free resources from the UKBCH on its website. They can also work towards the SME Climate Commitment, by making a pledge to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, achieve net zero emissions before 2050, and report progress on these goals annually.

Chris Sims, Managing Director, Small and Medium Business at BT, says: “BT set its first carbon reduction target more than 30 years ago, and we’ve had a strong track record of hitting our sustainability goals ever since. But we have size on our side – and from speaking to our small business customers we know that with limited resources, many of them struggle to find the time, the funding, or the guidance to help them prioritise sustainability. With the UK Business Climate Hub we are beginning our journey to reach more businesses with free tools and practical support to help them set the foundations for a greener future, and ultimately, reach Net Zero.”

Chris Taylor, Net Zero Programme Director at the Broadway Initiative – which manages the UK Business Climate Hub – adds: “We’re delighted to partner with BT and are energised about the impact we will make together. The UK Business Climate Hub works closely with the government and our industry partners to produce essential guides for SMBs across multiple sectors, with practical advice on how to reduce carbon emissions and save on energy bills. Whether it’s a tailored net zero plan for individual SMBs, free carbon footprint calculators or an online training course on cutting emissions, with our tools and support, SMBs can reduce both costs and emissions and transition to a greener economy – the ultimate win-win.”

Seven steps to Sustainability: Practical tips for all sectors

The UKBCH has charted a course for SMBs to build and achieve a greener future. The ‘Seven Steps to Sustainability’ break down key actions so that businesses can create an achievable plan. These include:

1.      Understand the basics: An overview of net zero and how to reduce your business’s carbon footprint and any legal requirements on reducing carbon emissions.

2.      Involve your team: Engage staff across the business to develop carbon reduction and energy saving initiatives. This could include an internal working group or hiring an external consultant.

3.      Make the SME Climate Commitment: Commit to halving business emissions by 2030, reach net zero by 2050, and report yearly on progress towards these goals.

4.      Make a plan: Measure current emissions from fuel consumption and electricity use. Taking stock of current business activities that contribute to overall carbon emissions will enable businesses to identify key focus areas.

5.      Take action: Deploy technologies and new approaches to save energy and reduce carbon. Businesses can get sector-specific information here, and learn about specific actions that can be taken here.

6.      Find finance and support: Businesses across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can identify specific programmes or initiatives to help them to finance their sustainability journey.

7.      Look beyond your business: Identify opportunities across the business’s entire value chain to reduce its impact, including creating a greener supply chain, using electric vehicles and transport, and get low carbon product labels and certifications.

SMBs can visit the UKBCH website to access an entire library of free resources, tools and advice to cut carbon, reduce energy use, and chart a course to net zero: https://businessclimatehub.uk/ 

News 

The deal will see over 60,000 Delta workflows transferred to T-Mobile  

This week, Delta Airlines has announced that it has chosen T-Mobile as its preferred mobility partner.  

The two companies have signed a long-term strategic partnership to bring 5G to Delta’s operations. 

The deal will see Delta move more than 60,000 workflows to T-Mobile, including devices used by flight attendants, customer agents, and ground crews on 5G-enabled smartphones, tablets, and other devices. According to Delta, this will allow for airport operations to be streamlined, from check-in to take-off. 

Delta will also deploy a T-Mobile 5G hybrid network at their headquarters in Atlanta, which will bring both indoor and outdoor 5G coverage to support the operations across the campus. 

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. 

“Connecting the world also means harnessing world-class connectivity,” said Ranjan Goswami, SVP of Customer Experience Design, Delta Air Lines in a press release. 

“Our collaboration with T-Mobile is unlocking how we serve customers at each step of their journey and ensuring our people have all the information they need at their fingertips to deliver the elevated and welcoming experiences Delta is known for,” he continued. 

Also this week, T-Mobile announced the completion of a 5G network investment in Louisiana, which totalled $290 million. The network’s development included the deployment of 300 new cell sites and over 1,870 upgrades to existing sites.  

The move comes after the company announced that it would add new capacity to the country’s leading 5G network by activating the 2.5 GHz spectrum purchased in a 2022 auction. 

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

Also in the news:
South Korea to invest $7 billion in AI semiconductors
Swisscom expands 5G partnership with Ericsson
Daisy Group set to acquire 4Com for £215m

Infinera GX Series Powers Paratus Superhighway Network Between Johannesburg and Europe

San Jose, Calif. – April 18, 2024 – Infinera (Nasdaq: INFN) announced today that Paratus Group, a leading network provider in Africa, deployed Infinera’s GX Series and FlexILS solutions to offer the lowest-latency express route between Johannesburg and Lisbon, delivering services with a latency of 123 milliseconds and supporting wavelengths up to 800G. Infinera’s solutions were deployed on the recently completed 1,890-km Paratus express fiber link between Johannesburg and Europe, via Botswana to Swakopmund, where it connects with the Equiano subsea cable from Namibia to Lisbon and on to London and the rest of Europe.

Paratus’ new superhighway offers network operators an unparalleled opportunity for capacity and redundancy where resilience and high-speed performance are required. This guarantees seamless data flow, efficient communications, and uninterrupted services. Paratus is the landing partner for the Equiano subsea cable, which offers diverse routing and geographically separated paths. Deploying Infinera’s solutions mitigates possible cable station faults and ensures the network remains intact and fully functional around the clock.

“As a steadfast partner on the ground in Africa, Paratus offers unrivalled wholesale capacity solutions for network operators, as exemplified by our advanced technology from Infinera, our infrastructure, and our commitment to offering redundancy,” said Martin Cox, Paratus Group Chief Commercial Officer.

“Our continual investment in creating Africa’s quality network is now extended with the live launch of this superhighway powered by Infinera’s industry-leading technology. This is an exciting time for network operators in South Africa because they can now enjoy the fastest and most robust connectivity from Africa to Europe,” said CEO of Paratus Group, Schalk Erasmus.

“Deploying Infinera’s GX networking solution enables Paratus to leverage the industry’s highest-capacity solution to offer its customers high-performance services while minimizing latency and maximizing reliability,” said Nick Walden, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Infinera. “We are pleased to work with Paratus to launch these new services to the region.”

Contacts:

About Infinera

Infinera is a global supplier of innovative open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors that enable carriers, cloud operators, governments, and enterprises to scale network bandwidth, accelerate service innovation, and automate network operations. Infinera solutions deliver industry-leading economics and performance in long-haul, submarine, data center interconnect, and metro transport applications. To learn more about Infinera, visit www.infinera.com, follow us on X and LinkedIn, and subscribe for updates.

Infinera and the Infinera logo are registered trademarks of Infinera Corporation.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the operational and performance benefits of Infinera’s GX Series and FlexILS solutions. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Actual results may vary materially from these expectations as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Information about these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that affect Infinera’s business, is contained in the risk factors section and other sections of Infinera’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Fiscal Quarter ended September 30, 2023 as filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024, as well as any subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports are available on Infinera’s website at http://www.infinera.com and the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies and can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would” or similar words. Infinera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements.

News 

This week, Ericsson has released its first quarter financial results for 2024, which showed profits had risen despite a decline in sales 

In spite of a 14% decline in sales, largely driven by a decrease in Networks sales (-19%), Ericsson achieved a gross margin improvement to 42.7%. 

The company attributed this lift to its product portfolio strength and ongoing cost-efficiency measures (which includes significant job cuts). 

“We maintained our leading market position, but as expected our customers continued to exercise caution with their investments,” said Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, noting this is mainly due to uncertain economic conditions and current high interest rates.  

It is the same reason the company expects the RAN market to decline further, at least until the end of the year. 

“Against this tough market backdrop, we delivered solid expansion in gross margins. This underscores the competitiveness of our solutions, our commercial discipline, and our actions on costs,” Ekholm continued.  

Share price rose by 6% in early trading on Tuesday morning. 

“For the rest of the year, we expect the mobile networks market to remain weak,” said Ekholm in the earnings call.  

“If current trends persist, we expect our sales to stabilize during the second half of the year,” citing “recent contract wins and the normalisation of customer inventory levels in North America”.  

In December, Ericsson beat its close rival Nokia into securing a $14 billion Open Ran deal with AT&T. The partnership will mean that Ericsson will carry 70% AT&T’s wireless traffic by the end of 2026.    

Nokia noted its “disappointment” in the deal’s outcome, but both companies are still grappling with cost-cutting. Nokia recently announced that it would cut 14,000 jobs to shrink costs by up to €1 billion by 2026, and Ericsson are set to cut 8,500 jobs this year. 

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news? Sign up for Total Telecom’s daily newsletter  

Also in the news:
South Korea to invest $7 billion in AI semiconductors
Swisscom expands 5G partnership with Ericsson
Daisy Group set to acquire 4Com for £215m

News

Internet providers are preparing their post-ACP game plans

The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is fast approaching and providers and consumers alike are preparing for their next steps.

In early 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched ACP to replace the Emergency Broadband Benefit. The program provided eligible households $30 per month towards internet service ($75/month for those on qualifying Tribal land). Some households could also receive a one-time discount on purchasing a laptop, desktop, or tablet.

Now, the end of the ACP is imminent, unless Congress allocates additional funds. The program has less than $1.8 billion remaining, meaning that April is the last month in which operators will be able to provide the full $30 per month benefit with the program’s funding. In May, operators can choose to discontinue the benefit, or to put in place their own subsidized plans.

In a statement released on April 9^th, 2024 the FCC indicated that the maximum benefit providers should expect to receive in May is $14 per ACP customer, or $35 per qualifying Tribal customer. The FCC stopped accepting new ACP enrollments in February.

Several providers have already outlined the strategies they will take to “keep consumers connected at this crucial time”, as urged by the FCC.

Verizon will offer home internet for as low as $20/month through “Verizon Forward”. New Verizon Forward customers will pay $0/month for the first 6 months they are enrolled.

AT&T will continue offering its “Access from AT&T” plan which provides 100 Megabit speeds for $30/month. With the ACP’s $30 discount, this plans was previously free for some customers.

With home internet from $9.95/month, Comcast’s “Internet Essentials” plan will continue to provide a low-cost connectivity option. Additionally, customers can transfer their ACP benefit to some plans.

Charter, who was “far and away” the largest provider in the ACP program, has not made specific announcements about ACP replacements or alternatives. However, some customers who were using the ACP benefit may be eligible for Spectrum’s Internet Assist Plan. This offers 50 megabit internet for $24.99/month.

Through August 2024, Fastwyre Broadband will continue to provide the $30 ACP benefit (and $75 benefit for those on Tribal lands) at its own expense. This applies to their existing ACP customers.

A number of other providers offer discounted plans for qualifying families, some from $10 per month. The Lifeline program will continue to provide a benefit, though it is smaller than that provided by the ACP. There are also a number of charitable organizations that can offer assistance with monthly internet costs or provide internet-enabled devices like laptops or tablets.

While there is bipartisan support for extending the ACP and there have been calls from ISPs, government bodies, and advocacy groups to provide additional funding, it seems increasingly unlikely that the program will continue.

Currently, more than 23 million households rely on the ACP to access the internet. The COVID-19 pandemic made it more clear than ever that a reliable, fast internet connection is crucial for participating fully in modern life. Without the extension of ACP or a comprehensive alternative, millions of Americans face being excluded from a host of opportunities.

Are network operators doing enough to shift the tackle the digital divide in America? Join the discussion live in Houston at this year’s Broadband Communities Summit

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Swisscom expands 5G partnership with Ericsson
Daisy Group set to acquire 4Com for £215m

News 

The investment cements Abu Dhabi and the wider United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s position as a global AI hub 

Microsoft and UAE-based AI company G42 have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate AI innovation in the UAE and neighbouring regions.  

The partnership involves a $1.5 billion investment in G42 from Microsoft, giving them an unspecified minority stake in the company.  

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, will also join G42’s board of directors.  

The focus of the partnership is to innovate and deliver advanced AI solutions supported by Microsoft Azure across various industries, including finance, healthcare, energy, government, and education. 

Specifically, Microsoft will give G42 permission to sell Microsoft services that use AI chips and in return, G42 will use Microsoft’s cloud platform to run its AI applications. 

“The commercial partnership is backed by assurances to the US and UAE governments through a first-of-its-kind binding agreement to apply world-class best practices to ensure the secure, trusted, and responsible development and deployment of AI,” read the press release. 

The partnership also includes initiatives to train AI talent through a $1 billion fund for developers, promoting skills development and fostering innovation in emerging markets. 

“Through Microsoft’s strategic investment, we are advancing our mission to deliver cutting-edge AI technologies at scale. This partnership significantly enhances our international market presence, combining G42’s unique AI capabilities with Microsoft’s robust global infrastructure,” said G42 CEO Peng Xiao in a press release. 

The ongoing US-China power struggle for the UAE 

‘This investment takes place against the backdrop of both the US and China attempting to grow their influence in the UAE’s flourishing technology industry’. The deal has been finalised in close collaboration with both the US and UAE governments to ensure that G42 is fully compliant with US regulations.  

President Biden’s government has been notably concerned over increasing closeness between The Gulf Cooperation Council and China, a relationship which would potentially limit companies in the Middle East from being trusted partners in the US.  

Back in January, Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, expressed concerns that G42 had links to Chinese firms blacklisted by the US government, including Huawei, which G42 denied.  

Then, in February, G42 announced its intention to divest in its Chinese businesses interests, a move G42 explained as an effort to reassure US partners, who include US private equity firm Silver Lake, of data sovereignty.  

The size of the divestments was not disclosed, but stakes included an estimated $100m in ByteDance, owner of TikTok.  

Speaking to the Financial Times, Xiao said “For better or for worse, as a commercial company, we are in a position where we have to make a choice. We cannot work with both sides.” 

The New York Times’ report adds that the deal today puts protections on the AI materials Microsoft may share with G42. These include an agreement for G42 to remove Chinese equipment from their operations, including Huawei equipment, which the US government fears “could provide a backdoor for Chinese intelligence agencies.” 

“In order for us to preserve our relationship – which we cherish – with our US partners, we simply cannot do much more with Chinese partners,”said Xiao. 

The US position on the matter remains painfully clear, as laid out by numerous government representatives.  

“When it comes to emerging technology, you cannot be both in China’s camp and our camp,” said Gina Raimondo, the Commerce Secretary, according to a report from the New York Times. 

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

Also in the news:
South Korea to invest $7 billion in AI semiconductors
Swisscom expands 5G partnership with Ericsson
Daisy Group set to acquire 4Com for £215m