News

The submarines are thought to be mapping the UK’s undersea communications networks.

The UK’s defence secretary John Healey has today revealed to reporters that a trio of Russian submarines have been monitored in UK waters, likely monitoring the country’s subsea cables and pipelines.

British armed forces, including a naval ship and a Royal Air Force plane, were quickly deployed to track and deter the submarines, which subsequently left the area.

There are no reports of submarine infrastructure having been damaged.

“To Putin, I say this: we see you, we see your activity over our underwater infrastructure. You should know that any attempt to damage it will not be tolerated and would have serious consequences,” said Healy.

The incident involved three submarines, a Russian Akula-class attack submarine and two spy submarines belonging to Russia’s Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Research (GUGI). These GUGI submarines are designed to monitor and map submarine cable infrastructure and could be used to sabotage these underwater systems.

“These aren’t standard submarines, they’re specialist vessels designed for deep sea operations,” Charlotte Wilson, Head of Enterprise at Check Point Cybersecurity, told the BBC. “So, this isn’t random movement, it suggests a deliberate effort to understand where critical infrastructure sits and how it behaves. Not only mapping locations but also assessing how resilient those systems are.”

GUGI has often been linked to covert submarine cable surveillance in UK waters, most recently in 2025 when its ‘spy ship’, Yantar, was accused of entering British waters to map subsea infrastructure.

A notable incident occurred in January 2025, when a UK submarine surfaced beside the Yantar in a show of strength, with Healy subsequently saying, “we know what you’re doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country”.

Over a year later, however, and Russia is seemingly undeterred. Healy notes “increased Russian activity” in the Atlantic north of the UK, with a 30% increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters.

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

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News

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted new procedures to streamline transitions from aging copper cables in the US.

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

A set of new policies and procedures adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will streamline the process for retirement of legacy copper networks, according to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.

Last month, Carr said the FCC has now cleared some of the “regulatory underbrush” that has slowed down the phasing out of copper networks.

Some of the changes adopted include a clarification enabling providers to use streamlined procedures more often, a waiver allowing retirement of copper networks where bundled services are offered (while keeping pro-consumer protections in place), and a new waiver for notification requirements that the Wireline Competition Bureau considered excessive.

“This initial set of actions gets things moving in the right direction and creates the right incentives for providers to invest and build new networks in communities across the country,” Carr said. “As we take these actions, we are also ensuring that consumers remain protected during the transition.”

Another change announced is a new waiver for requirements regarding services determined to be grandfathered by providers, the FCC announced.

Meanwhile, Carr said the FCC will continue on its current path.

“Outdated FCC rules have left Americans sitting in the slow lane for far too long,” he said. “Those FCC rules have forced providers to pour resources into maintaining aging and expensive copper line networks instead of investing in the modern, high-speed infrastructure that Americans want and deserve.”

He said the FCC’s goal with the aforementioned actions is to free up billions of dollars for new networks that could have otherwise been diverted into copper lines.

Additionally, he said the FCC is not finished with the topic of copper networks.

“There is much more work ahead for the FCC,” he said.

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MANILA, March 31, 2026 – ePLDT Group, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) subsidiary of PLDT, has chosen CSG^® (NASDAQ: CSGS) to support the next phase of its business growth. Together with CSG, ePLDT and its data center subsidiary, VITRO Inc., continue to build on their robust digital backbone to bring enterprise customers a faster activation process, more tailored tech offerings, and simpler billing experiences.  

“As we continue to advance our digital transformation capabilities, our focus is to deliver tangible value for our customers by simplifying engagements and enabling faster outcomes,” said Victor S. Genuino, President and CEO of ePLDT & VITRO Inc. “With its deep domain expertise and longstanding relationship with PLDT, CSG plays an important role in helping us deliver more responsive, efficient, and customer‑centric experiences for Philippine enterprises.” 

With CSG Quote & Order and CSG Encompass, ePLDT Group further expands its ability to simplify complex enterprise requirements, drive sustained revenue and customer lifetime value, and reinforce its digital foundation across its portfolio of multi‑cloud, data and AI, managed services, cybersecurity offerings, and data center solutions. In turn, these capabilities enable enterprises to reduce complexity, accelerate decision‑making, and stay competitive by accessing ICT services that are easier to understand, procure, and deploy. 

“In our digital economy, demand for data center, cloud, and cybersecurity services has skyrocketed,” said Ian Watterson, Senior Vice President, Go-to-Market, CSG. “As a trusted digital transformation enabler, ePLDT Group serves as the backbone to many of the most important modernization initiatives in Asia-Pacific. We are humbled to build on CSG and PLDT’s 20+ year relationship as we help ePLDT scale its business and power the next wave of enterprise transformation in the region.” 

Learn more about how CSG Quote & Order accelerates time to value and unlocks stronger B2B experiences for global industry innovators, from Telenor Denmark to One NZ. 

About CSG

CSG empowers companies to build unforgettable experiences, making it easier for people and businesses to connect with, use and pay for the services they value most. Our customer experience, billing and payments solutions help companies of any size make money and make a difference. With our SaaS solutions, company leaders can take control of their future and tap into guidance along the way from our fiercely committed and forward-thinking CSGers around the world.

Want to be future-ready and a change-maker like the global brands that trust CSG? Visit csgi.com to learn more.

Contacts:  

Julia Dakhlia

External Communications, +1 (402) 431-7376, julia.dakhlia@csgi.com

John Rea

Investor Relations, +1 (210) 687-4409, john.rea@csgi.com

Interview

Despite decades of technological change, from early mobile devices to eSIM, the core telco retail experience has remained largely static. For Christopher Krywulak, CEO and founder of iQmetrix, the industry now faces the harsh reality of a long-delayed transformation, with raising customer expectations and rapid AI advances pushing operators towards a more holistic retail model.

Speaking to Total Telecom, Krywulak shed light on the broken customer retail experience, organisational inertia, and why operators must embrace AI and hybrid retail models.

Fragmented and frustrating

The mobile industry has long suffered from a persistent failure to connect digital and physical channels into a seamless journey. Despite operators investing heavily in apps and online tools, the in-store experience often remains disconnected from the online experience.

“The retail experience fundamentally still hasn’t changed significantly since the first introduction of mobile phones,” said Krywulak. “It was very transactional and, from a carrier perspective, we have not yet really shifted. There’s no real appetite from telcos to take the lead and bridge their systems.”

This fragmentation is most visible when customers move between channels. Journeys that begin online frequently collapse in-store, resulting in a frustrating customer experience.

“Telcos have always been so focused on their networks that the channel is something of an afterthought. In their minds, it’s just the part at the end of the transaction, where it really needs to be part of the whole flow,” said Krywulak. “Our best-in-class retailers create a continuous experience that moves from online to in-store seamlessly. That’s a great experience and it generates loyalty.”

A ‘phygital’ future

Of course, addressing this challenge is no small feat. The telco industry has long discussed the challenges and benefits of creating a seamless digital–physical retail experience, but few have truly embraced the approach.

“There is awareness that this customer experience really matters, but it has not really been solved at scale yet for telcos,” said Krywulak. “There’s been much talk of multi-channel, omnichannel, but I like the term ‘phygital’ – it literally blends the digital and physical together.”

In practice, this means ensuring that the same systems and data underpin both environments. Key customer interactions, such as checking upgrade eligibility, trade-in value, or product availability, should be consistent regardless of channel.

“A lot of the plumbing that we do at iQmetrix is ensuring that the physical orchestration level is the same as the digital,” Krywulak explained. “We need to be able to hand off from one service platform to the other while retaining the customers’ identity to deliver a unified experience.”

Culture, not technology, is the primary barrier

While legacy systems and siloed data are often cited as the main obstacles to delivering a ‘phygital’ channel experience, Krywulak argues that organisational structure and mindset are equally significant barriers. Operators are used to their various departments operating largely independent, each with its own priorities and little motivation to work across teams. This, Krywulak says, makes it inherently challenging to deliver a consistent customer experience.

“They have their sales team, their marketing team, and their IT team, but no one’s really working on the shared strategy,” he said, describing a lack of ownership over the end-to-end customer experience.

This fragmentation is further entrenched by telcos’ tendency to approach change incrementally, aiming to solve problems in isolation rather than redesigning journeys holistically.

“There’s been a bottom-up reductionist approach to retail,” explained Krywulak. “They do a piece at a time, rather than thinking about how the system works as a whole.”

For Krywulak, this is a fundamental error, arguing that operators’ strategies should begin by defining the desired customer experience and expanding from there.

“What kind of experience do you want your customer to have? What problems do they have and how can you solve it for them? These are the key questions to ask, rather than leading with technology,” said Krywulak.

This lack of a top-down, experience-led strategy contrasts sharply with best-in-class retailers, like Apple, who design their retail strategy around the user journey from the outset

Apple, frequently cited as a benchmark, exemplifies a model where digital and physical interactions are tightly integrated and designed around the user journey from the outset.

“Apple is really the ‘North Star’ for where telco should be headed,” said Krywulak. “The company really understands that the digital and physical should be considered a single, unique final experience for customers. They are creating brand theatre in their stores. When customers come to your store regularly because they trust you to solve problems, not just sell products, then there’s so much commercial opportunity.”

Agentic commerce will demand change

The next phase of retail disruption is rapidly approaching in the form of agentic AI, where digital agents can act on behalf of customers to navigate purchasing decisions.

In this model, the customer journey increasingly begins outside traditional telco channels, with AI tools aggregating options and guiding decisions. This presents both an opportunity and a threat for the telcos. Those that adapt quickly can capitalise on a new route to customer acquisition, while those that fail to expose their offerings via APIs risk being excluded from these new buying pathways.

At the same time, these AI agents will play a growing role within retail operations, supporting both customer journeys and employee workflows.

“Shopping is not far from beginning at the AI agent level […] Agents will orchestrate the entire retail journey, from answering customer questions to building personalised packages,” said Krywulak.

This will inevitably reshape the role of physical stores. While Krywulak admits that there will “likely be fewer physical stores” in the future, he sees stores evolving to focus less on transactions and more on solving complex customer needs, from repairs to upgrades and advice. At the same time, they may double as logistics points, enabling faster fulfilment for online orders.

“I see telcos having large flagship stores that are full service, offering not only basic retail and device support but unique hybrid experiences,” he predicts. “Telecoms’ complexity makes it ideal for the mixture of the physical and digital in retail. That’s not going to change.”

Learn more about how iQmetrix is helping telcos bridge digital and physical retail at https://www.iqmetrix.com/.

Christopher Krywulak is CEO and founder of iQmetrix

iQmetrix is a global provider of Interconnected Commerce software solutions for telecom retail. Interconnected Commerce is an AI-native telecom commerce platform that acts as a system of intelligence. It replaces fragmented legacy stacks with a modern, modular operating layer, connecting telcos, retailers, and OEMs into one flow across channels and markets. The result is less complexity, lower cost, and the speed to move ahead.

For 26 years, we’ve been passionate about helping the leading brands in telecom to grow by providing best-in-class software, services, and expertise that enables them to adapt and thrive. Our solutions power $17BN in sales annually, handling nearly 53 million invoices and more than 28 million activations, and are used by more than 370,000 telecom retail professionals across almost 1,000 clients. iQmetrix is a privately held software-as-a-service (SaaS) company with employees in Canada, the U.S., India, and Europe.

For more information, please visit www.iqmetrix.com.

Dubai, April 2, 2026: Freedom Telecom International (FTI), a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC), and global technology group e& have entered into an agreement establishing a structured framework to capture business opportunities worldwide. The arrangement creates a platform for the two organizations to engage a wider circle of telecom operators and contribute to their growth, while maintaining full operational independence.

e& brings diverse telecom expertise gathered throughout its operating footprint, such as advanced capabilities in commercial optimization, digital transformation and large-scale operational execution. FTI, through its parent Freedom Holding Corp., commands expertise on the creation, development and operation of a diversified digital ecosystem encompassing financial technology platforms, digital banking and investment services, as well as loyalty and customer-experience solutions.

Khaled Hegazy, Chief Operations Officer, e& international, commented:
“At e& international, we look for partnerships that create practical routes to growth for operators seeking to strengthen performance and expand their digital service capabilities. This agreement with Freedom Telecom International gives us a clear framework to explore those opportunities together, combining our experience in commercial optimization, digital transformation and operational execution with Freedom’s ecosystem expertise. It also provides a structured basis for engagement across markets while preserving the independence of both organizations.”

The agreement comes at a time when telecom operators and digital financial ecosystems are seeking new ways to collaborate through clearly delineated models. The framework is designed to spark dialogues with operators that are looking to advance their telecom and digital services capabilities or aspire to advance their fintech- and digital services infrastructure.

Timur Turlov, Founder & CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., said:
“Building the Freedom ecosystem in Kazakhstan has given us deep experience across multiple areas of digital transformation, and through this journey we have seen growing interest from global organizations to leverage the technologies we have developed. We believe this new structure with e& provides an additional channel through which such conversations can take place, as opportunities arise in various markets.”

Johannes Hummer, CEO of Freedom Telecom International, added:
“In the past year we have encountered the telecom-fintech convergence topic frequently in various global forums. Many international organizations I speak to are keen to learn about digital infrastructure and ecosystem models – like the one we have been developing in Kazakhstan. With a clear engagement structure in place between FTI and e&, we hope to broaden the circle of interested organizations and the projects we realize will be key to our growth.”

About the Signing Parties
About e&
e& (ADX: EAND) is a global technology group committed to advancing the digital future across 38 countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Founded in Abu Dhabi in 1976, e& leverages its five decades legacy in advanced connectivity to deliver powerful digital solutions that unlock value and drive progress.

For enterprises and governments, e& provides mission-critical infrastructure, including sovereign cloud platforms, data centres, and AI-powered solutions to solve complex challenges and accelerate growth. For millions of customers, the Group brings world-leading connectivity together with digital services across entertainment, fintech, and superapp experiences that enrich daily life.

Driven by innovation and strengthened by global partnerships, e& delivers secure, high-performance technology that strengthens economies and expands opportunity globally.

To learn more about e&, visit eand.com

Freedom Telecom International supports global partners in deploying and integrating Freedom Holding Corp’s portfolio of digital financial and lifestyle services. FTI also evaluates and executes investment opportunities in the telecom and fintech sectors, promoting financial and digital inclusion in emerging and frontier markets.

Freedom Holding Corp. is a leading international provider of investment and brokerage services across the markets of Central Asia, Americas, and Europe and Middle East, with more than 16 years of experience in global financial markets. The Holding’s shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker FRHC with current market capitalization at USD 7.3 billion, and total assets amounting to USD 10.3 billion. The total number of clients in its digital ecosystem exceeds 11 million.

Freedom Holding Corp. employs over 11,000 professionals who are based in 231 offices in 22 countries, including Kazakhstan, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. The company’s principal executive office is located in New York City.

To learn more about Freedom Telecom International, visit: freedomtelecominternational.com freedomtelecominternational.com
To learn more about Freedom Holding Corp., visit: freedomholdingcorp.com

Media Contacts
Freedom Telecom International: contact@freedomtelecominternational.com
e&: mediaoffice@eand.com

News

T-Mobile and private equity firm TPG are considering a bid to carve up Uniti Group, with T-Mobile targeting the consumer last-mile fibre business and TPG interested in the wholesale and enterprise fibre assets, according to reports.

Uniti has spent the past year repositioning itself around fibre following the recombination with Windstream, accelerating buildouts and shifting customers from legacy copper services to modern fibre networks. Uniti’s Q4 results for 2025 saw the company add 28,000 net Kinetic fibre subscribers and pass an additional 80,000 premises with fibre, bringing total premises passed close to 1.9 million.

Management has emphasised a balanced strategy across retail, wholesale and enterprise lines, with Kinetic focused on smaller metro and suburban footprints while the enterprise and carrier transport business supplies long-haul routes and wholesale capacity. Investor materials highlight a presence across some 18 states, with more than half of households located in the Southeast and a significant concentration in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets where competition is lighter.

The company has yet to begin a formal sale process, but has said it is open to reviewing interests from several parties.

For T-Mobile, acquiring a built fibre last-mile could fast-track its fixed broadband ambitions and provide a ready retail brand and subscriber base to pair with its wireless services. However, it would also bring substantial legacy copper liabilities and migration challenge, with Uniti currently transitioning some of its customers to its fibre networks.

TPG’s interest, on the other hand, would be consistent with its recent activity in communications infrastructure, having pursued large-scale fibre and tower opportunities in recent years.

No financial details of the potential offers have been revealed.

Nonetheless, the rumour has triggered a sharp uptick in Uniti’s share price, jumping roughly 14% on the news.

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

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Rome, 2 April 2026

Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, announces a new collaboration with EdgeNext, a global Content Delivery Network (CDN) and Intelligent Edge Cloud Platform, for the provision of International IP Transit services in Europe. Through this agreement, Sparkle enables EdgeNext to expand its network presence beyond Asia, providing its European clients with faster, more reliable connectivity.

EdgeNext is a leading provider of edge cloud services, offering networking, security, and computing solutions to enterprise clients. The company operates over 1,500 edge nodes across more than 290 cities worldwide, supporting its goal of delivering reliable, high-performance digital access globally, with a focus on Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, with plans to expand further internationally.

Under the agreement, Sparkle will provide IP Transit via its Tier 1 global IP backbone, Seabone, offering reliable, low-latency IP transit services in Europe with throughput in the range of Terabits per second. Both companies aim to replicate this success in Africa and South America, expanding global digital access and enabling the next generation of cloud services.

“We are pleased to partner with EdgeNext in their expansion to Europe,” said Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle. “Through our Seabone network, we are able to provide reliable, high-performance connectivity to support their cloud and CDN services, helping them deliver optimal experiences to their clients.”

“Partnering with Sparkle allows us to rely on a Tier 1 global operator, extending our network capabilities beyond Asia,” said Terence Wang, CEO of EdgeNext. “Through this collaboration, we can offer faster and more reliable services to our European clients, marking an important step in our international expansion.”

With 89 PoPs in Europe and a comprehensive suite of IP solutions, including DDoS Protection and Virtual NAP, Sparkle positions itself as a partner of choice for cloud providers and network operators worldwide, delivering ultra-fast, low-latency, high-performance connectivity across Europe and beyond.

About Sparkle

Sparkle is TIM Group’s global operator, first international service provider in Italy and among the top worldwide, offering a full range of infrastructure and global connectivity services – capacity, IP, SD-WAN, colocation, IoT connectivity, roaming and voice – to national and international Carriers, OTTs, ISPs, Media/Content Providers, and multinational enterprises. As a leading player in the submarine cable industry, Sparkle owns and manages a network of more than 600,000 km of fiber stretching across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia. Sparkle’s sales team has a global presence, with representatives in 32 countries.

Find out more about Sparkle following its X and LinkedIn profiles or visiting the website tisparkle.com

About EdgeNext

EdgeNext is a prominent leader in the global edge cloud services industry, with a robust infrastructure of over 1,500 edge nodes spanning more than 290 cities worldwide. The company has established strong interconnection partnerships with over 100 key operators worldwide, enabling it to deliver comprehensive edge cloud services, including networking, security, and computing, to meet the diverse needs of its enterprise clients. As part of its ongoing commitment to expanding its presence and capabilities, EdgeNext has been actively growing its infrastructure throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This expansion allows EdgeNext to provide tailored, high-performance solutions for major Internet Service Providers (ISPs), local businesses, international organizations, and strategic partners, ensuring their specific needs are met with precision and efficiency.

Sparkle Media Contacts:

sparkle.communication@tisparkle.com

X: @TISparkle

EdgeNext Media Contacts:
marketing@edgenext.com

News

The transaction is designed to accelerate Nxtra’s buildout of large-scale and edge facilities to serve enterprises, hyperscalers, and government customers across India.

Bharti Airtel has secured a $1 billion equity infusion for its data centre arm Nxtra Data from a consortium led by Alpha Wave Global, with participation from The Carlyle Group, Anchorage Capital and Airtel itself, the company said.

Under the terms disclosed, Alpha Wave Global will contribute $435 million, Carlyle $240 million, Anchorage Capital $35 million, with Airtel investing the remainder. Final investor stakes will be subject to post-closing adjustments and customary approvals.

According to reporting, the deal will see Nxtra valued at roughly $3.1 billion, with Airtel remaining the controlling shareholder.

The capital will be applied primarily to capacity expansion, with Nxtra planning to grow from about 300 MW today to a targeted 1 GW, aiming t control roughly a quarter of India’s data centre market.

Headquartered in New Delhi, Nxtra already operates 14 major data centres and more than 120 edge facilities across India, with recent openings in Pune and active development of AI-ready campuses in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

As always, the deal is subject to typical regulatory approvals.

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

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News

TIM follows its rival Fastweb+Vodafone in refusing to renew its contact with Italy’s largest tower company

On Monday, Italy’s largest mobile operator Telecom Italia (TIM) announced that it will not renew its Master Service Agreement (MSA) with tower giant Infrastructure Wireless Italiane (INWIT) in 2030, based on a change-of-control clause exercised by INWIT in 2022.

The move follows news last week that TIM’s local rival Fastweb+Vodafone is also seeking to terminate its agreement with INWIT. In this case, the operator says that INWIT did not exercise its change-of-control clause, which would allow it to terminate the agreement in March 2028. If this claim is found to be true, TIM has clarified that it will also terminate the agreement at this earlier date.

INWIT, currently Italy’s largest tower operator, was founded in 2015 via the spinning-off of TIM’s passive mobile infrastructure. The company subsequently merged with Vodafone Italia’s tower unit and continued to grow, with its infrastructure footprint today spanning around 26,000 towers across the country.

In recent years, both TIM and Fastweb+Vodafone have complained that INWIT’s fees are too high, driving them to seek alternative options.

As such, TIM and Fastweb+Vodafone recently announced their commitment to launch a new infrastructure joint venture, which aims to deploy up to 6,000 towers across Italy. This business, the companies claim, will allow the operators to improve operational efficiency and align costs with the European average.

INWIT, however, contests the legality of the MSA terminations and arguing that its fees are in line with international benchmarks.

“This action is unlawful and lacks industrial rationale,” INWIT said. “The contract remains valid and effective until 2038; it is in line with market conditions and creates value for all parties involved.”

“Any attempt to terminate the contract early must be considered instrumental and aimed at exerting undue pressure on Inwit to renegotiate the terms of the MSA,” the company added in response the Fastweb+Vodafone announcement, saying it “has instructed its lawyers to take action in all appropriate venues, including seeking injunctive relief, to fully protect its interests and those of all stakeholders.”

INWIT also argues that the decision to shift to a new tower provider will cause unnecessary overbuild and be bad for the nation’s digital development.

“Infrastructure duplication has no industrial, economic or environment logic, requires biblical implementation time and would slow down much-needed development of 5G,” said INWIT in a statement.

If the cancellations do progress, both operators say will seek to negotiate a migration plan with INWIT to ensure that customers will be unaffected by the decision.

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

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