News  

TikTok has been fined €530 million by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) following an investigation into the company’s handling of European user data 

The inquiry found TikTok unlawfully transferred personal data from European Economic Area (EEA) users to China and failed to meet transparency obligations under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

Based in Dublin, TikTok falls under the Irish DPC’s oversight in the EU. Regulators found that it failed to ensure that data accessed by staff in China met EU-level privacy protections. The DPC also found TikTok failed to properly assess the risks posed by Chinese laws, which differ significantly from EU privacy standards.  

“The GDPR requires that the high level of protection provided within the European Union continues where personal data is transferred to other countries,” said DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle in a press release. 

“TikTok’s personal data transfers to China infringed the GDPR because TikTok failed to verify, guarantee and demonstrate that the personal data of EEA users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU,” he continued. 

TikTok has been given six months to bring its data processing up to standard. If it fails to do so, the company could face a suspension of all data transfers to China. 

The company admitted last month that a limited amount of EEA user data had been stored on servers in China, contradicting earlier claims made during the inquiry. The company says the data has since been deleted, but the DPC is considering whether further enforcement action is warranted. 

The ruling adds to growing international pressure on TikTok, which is facing potential bans or forced divestments in the US and restrictions on government devices in multiple countries due to concerns related to its Chinese ownership. 

The DPC will publish the full decision and related documents in the coming weeks. 

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Also in the news:
Diversifying the UK’s data centre landscape: a path to economic growth
UK government’s data centre strategy drives discussion at Connected North
Data centres in the news this week 

News 

Intelsat has partnered with AXESS Networks, a Hispasat subsidiary, to expand satellite service capabilities across the Americas 

The collaboration combines the satellite infrastructure and assets of both Intelsat and Hispasat to ensure reliable coverage throughout the Americas region. The two companies aim to offer quality, multi-satellite connectivity to enterprise and telecom customers. 

According to the companies, the agreement will improve the customer experience by delivering robust, scalable services for a wide range of communication needs. The partnership forms part of a broader renewal agreement with AXESS.  

The partnership comes amid a surge in demand for reliable and scalable connectivity solutions, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas and increasingly digitalised urban environments. 

“Our collaboration with Intelsat underscores our commitment to delivering world-class satellite solutions. We are proud to work together to enhance the customer experience and provide top-tier connectivity to our clients,” said General Manager AXESS EMEA¸ Guido Neumann in a press release. 

“Our quality of service speaks for itself in this expanded partnership with AXESS. This agreement reaffirms our commitment to delivering seamless, reliable solutions just as we do today and into the future,” echoed Rhys Morgan, RVP EMEA Sales at Intelsat. 

Hispasat acquired AXESS Networks back in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. The deal, Hispasat said, allows its “2020-25 Strategic Plan to be accelerated, aiming to transform the company into a satellite solutions and services provider.” 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter 

Also in the news:
Diversifying the UK’s data centre landscape: a path to economic growth
UK government’s data centre strategy drives discussion at Connected North
Data centres in the news this week 

1^st MAY 2025 – One of the UK’s foremost business connectivity providers, Neos Networks, has today announced research from 100 Senior Decision Makers at UK-based alternative network providers (Altnets). It reveals that almost all (96%) are considering M&A and partnerships with other service providers as they look for opportunities to survive and expand in the UK’s competitive broadband market.

A competitive landscape

The research, conducted by Censuswide this year, highlights some of the hurdles that many Altnets face. When asked about acquiring customers, 55% said their target customers are ‘locked into preexisting contacts’, a clear indicator of the growing competitive pressure from legacy providers. This was followed by a lack of awareness (47%), with many Altnets facing competition with up to four other providers in regions where they have networks.

Tough economic conditions are also affecting growth strategies with Altnets, with almost half (48%) of those surveyed saying that it has been difficult to access funding over the past year. High interest rates are exacerbating this challenge with 48% of Altnets citing them as the primary reason behind their struggle for funding. Regulatory constraints and strict lending criteria were also cited as significant barriers as Altnets looked to secure financing.

Altnets also face other regulatory challenges, including the knock-on impact of BT’s closure of its copper network as it transitions to full fibre. As part of this modernisation, most Altnets are now under pressure to remove equipment from BT’s exchanges, which are due to start closing in January 2027. They say it will cost them, on average, £1.4mn, according to our research.

The path forward

As Altnets look for a path forward, almost all (98%) said they expect to move beyond just offering traditional residential broadband to broaden their services and appeal. This was also cited as the number one long-term ambition for Altnets in the survey.

• 46% say they plan to launch smart home technology
• 43% say they will offer enterprise connectivity
• 42% say they will launch security solutions and packages
• 35% say will start offering multi-service solutions – i.e. TV and entertainment

55% of the Altnets we surveyed say that improving customer satisfaction is their primary goal for the next few years, beating out other, more revenue-critical operations such as increasing customer subscriptions and driving operational efficiencies.

When asked what technologies they were using to help them differentiate themselves from their competitors, the majority of respondents said they were deploying Software-Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualisation (53%). 5G Fixed Wireless Access (39%), and AI/ML enabled BSS/BSS automation also ranked highly.  

Lee Myall, CEO at Neos Networks said: “Altnets have played a pivotal role in reshaping the UK’s connectivity landscape, driving the expansion of full-fibre networks and challenging established incumbents. However, the industry now stands at a crucial crossroads. Heightened competition, financial pressures, and shifting regulatory frameworks mean that Altnets must evolve rapidly to secure their long-term future.

“Our research highlights that Altnets are exploring a variety of strategies – from mergers and acquisitions to strategic partnerships and service diversification – to strengthen their market position and pave the way for sustainable growth.”

ENDS

Methodology

Neos Networks commissioned Censuswide to survey 100 Senior Decision Makers at UK-based Altnets. The survey was commissioned in January 2025.

About Neos Networks

Neos Networks has the UK’s largest business-dedicated network. With over 600 points of presence and 90 data centres nationwide, Neos provides high-capacity critical connectivity for businesses, from telecoms and energy to banking and emergency services.

Agile and customer-focused with almost limitless scale, Neos enables emerging technologies like AI, 5G and IoT, making connectivity work for Britain. 

For more information please visit: https://neosnetworks.com

News 

This week, four men have been convicted in connection with a corruption and bribery scandal involving multimillion-pound telecoms contracts awarded to Scottish health boards 

The High Court in Glasgow found Adam Sharoudi and Gavin Brown, directors of Scottish telco Oricom, guilty of securing over £6 million in NHS contracts through fraud.  

The company, founded in Ayrshire in 2008, provided telecoms and video conferencing equipment to various Scottish NHS trusts between 2010 and 2017.   

An investigation by NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services revealed that commercially sensitive procurement information was leaked to Oricom by NHS insiders Alan Hush, a former telecoms manager, and Gavin Cox, head of IT infrastructure at NHS Lanarkshire. In exchange, Hush and Cox received cash and gifts worth totalling nearly  £90,000. 

The court heard that one contract awarded to Oricom without proper tendering was worth over £3.1 million.  

Prosecutors argued that Oricom was given an unfair commercial advantage, undermining procurement integrity and costing taxpayers millions. 

Lord Arthurson, presiding over the case, called the actions “a coldly calculated and criminal betrayal of the welfare state,” adding that the four men should expect significant prison sentences.  

All four men remain in custody before sentencing next month. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter 

Also in the news:
Diversifying the UK’s data centre landscape: a path to economic growth
UK government’s data centre strategy drives discussion at Connected North
Data centres in the news this week 

Feature Week 

For today’s Feature Week piece, here are all the top data centre related news stories this week

TikTok to build third European data centre 

TikTok is to build a €1 billion data centre in Finland, Reuters has reported. The data centre build is part of the company’s broader “Project Clover,” a €12 billion, decade-long strategy launched in 2023 to improve data privacy and security for European users. 

Both regulators and lawmakers have expressed concern over potential access to user data by the Chinese government, as TikTok ownership is owned by China-based company ByteDance. 

The facility is TikTok’s first data centre in Finland, adding to existing sites in Ireland and Norway. The site has been chosen in part because of Finland’s climate – the cold environment reduces the need for energy-intensive cooling systems.  

Microsoft to expand European data centres by 40% 

Microsoft has announced an expansion of its European cloud and AI infrastructure, committing to a 40% increase in data centre capacity across 16 countries over the next two years.  

The move is part of five new “Digital Commitments to Europe”, which aim to strengthen the continent’s digital resilience, data privacy, and economic competitiveness. 

By 2027, Microsoft’s European data centre network will more than double, reaching over 200 sites to support sectors like healthcare, education, and government. 

The company also introduced a legally binding “Digital Resilience Commitment,” ensuring that European governments can keep access to their data even during geopolitical challenges. To support this, Microsoft will have contingency plans and independent oversight in place.  

A new Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Europe will also be appointed to make sure Microsoft meets the EU’s strict cybersecurity rules. 

UK data centres turn to gas power as electricity grid delays threaten growth 

Data centre developers are looking to build onsite gas-fired power plants as long waits for electricity grid connections stall critical infrastructure projects, according to The Telegraph. 

According to Future Energy Networks, more than 30 enquiries have been made in the past six months by developers seeking gas access.  

The UK’s power grid is under significant strain due to soaring demand from data centres, EVs, and renewable energy projects. Ageing infrastructure and a backlog of connection requests have left parts of the network at full capacity. Developers say gas connections can be secured in months, compared to decade-long waits and multi-million-pound costs for electricity grid access. 

The government says it is working with Ofgem and network operators to accelerate grid upgrades and support low-carbon power for data centres. 

Microsoft data centre linked to £3m bribery scandal 

A UK investigation is underway into a suspected £3 million bribery case linked to the construction of a Microsoft data centre in the Netherlands.  

According to a press release this week from The Serious Fraud Office, the authority carried out searches across several UK locations and made three arrests. They believe that staff at construction firm Blu-3 paid £3 million in bribes to individuals connected to Mace Group, in exchange for favourable treatment on the project.  

The “action is a reminder that we will take rapid and robust action to tackle suspected bribery and corruption wherever it appears – at home and overseas,” said Nick Ephgrave QPM, Director of the Serious Fraud Office. 

Interview 

The telecom industry is at the forefront of digital transformation, but with growing concerns about energy consumption and environmental impact, operators and vendors are prioritising sustainability

In the WinWin Live Studio, Emanuel Kolta, Lead Analyst at GSMA Intelligence, sat down with Lim Yu Leong, Vice President, Group Strategy, Engineering and innovation at Singtel, and Singleton Zhou, President of Network Consulting and Integration services at Huawei GTS to discuss the Green Network Index (GNI), which is a figure developed by the GSMA to assess and compare the environmental sustainability of mobile networks. 

Singtel has recently implemented the Singtel Group Environmental Framework, which focuses on two key areas: 

1. Climate action: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, integrating renewable energy, and optimising network energy efficiency.
2. Product stewardship: Promoting responsible sourcing, sustainable packaging, and e-waste management to support a circular economy.

Singtel’s commitment to sustainability has earned it an A score on the CDP 2023 Climate Change assessment, up from A- in 2022, making it the first Southeast Asian telco to achieve this recognition.  

From the carrier’s perspective, Huawei has also helped the advancement of green telcos. Zhou emphasised that legacy telecom equipment consumes excessive energy and space. To address this, Huawei has:  

1. Modernised 100,000 sites and 4,000 equipment rooms in 2024, helping operators save 740 million kWh of electricity.
2. Reduced OPEX costs by optimising equipment usage and improving network migration.
3. Supported zero-outage transitions using its NetLIVE platform, which uses digital twin technology and AI-driven risk assessment to ensure seamless migrations. 

Another huge challenge in modernising telecom networks is maintaining reliability. According to ENISA statistics, network incidents have increased by 35% annually, making resilience an even bigger priority. 

To combat this, Huawei has deployed its security and resilience networks solution, enabling operators to proactively manage risks. Their NetLIVE platform has already prevented 30+ operational risks in network change projects and improved first-time success rates to 99.99%. 

“We have deployed network resilience solution in several projects. Carrier A’s core network fault can cause a 12-hour interruption, affecting more than 5 million users. After reconstruction, the interruption time was shortened to 1.5 hours, and only 1 million users were being affected,” said Zhou. 

“In addition, the network accident rate was reduced by 70% as well. China operator B adopted our network change resilience solution, which has intercepted more than 30 operation risks. For implementing ‘network change’ request, the ‘first-time success rate’ exceeded 99.99%, and no major accident has occurred,” he continued. 

The Green Network Index (GNI) provides telecom operators with a structured approach to measuring sustainability efforts. For Singtel, the GNI has been a valuable benchmarking tool, allowing it to: 

 – Assess its carbon footprint and energy efficiency.  

– Identify areas for improvement and enhance network sustainability.  

– Align with global best practices in green telecom operations. 

For Huawei, the GNI has helped standardise energy conservation efforts across more than 200 operators worldwide. Their NetLIVE platform, currently deployed in multiple regions, enables operators to track and optimise their environmental performance in real time. 

Looking forward, Singtel will continue refining its sustainability strategies and leveraging the GNI for continuous improvement. Huawei will expand its collaboration with global operators, focusing on low-carbon development and energy-efficient technologies. 

“We firmly believe that deep collaboration is key to accelerating green transformation in the ICT industry. Singtel’s strategy to systematically advance carbon reduction through the GNI aligns closely with Huawei’s philosophy of “More Bits, Less Watts”.,” said Zhou. 

News

Delays to BEAD forced a Louisiana broadband construction firm to layoff 80% of subcontractors, according to the organisation’s co-owner

This article was originally published by Brad Randall, Editor of our sister publication, Broadband Communities

A broadband construction firm in rural Louisiana has been forced into layoffs due to BEAD delays, according to Josh Etheridge, the co-owner of EPC.

Etheridge, who founded EPC with his brother eight years ago, is the latest Louisiana business leader to sound the alarm on delays to BEAD, the nation’s massive $42.45 billion effort to deploy broadband to all Americans.

In a new letter, addressed to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Etheridge said EPC was ready to put boots on the ground to begin BEAD deployments on January 25.

Read Etheridge’s letter to Lutnick here

“But now? The market is frozen,” Etheridge wrote. “I’ve had to release 80% of our subcontractors. We’ve paused philanthropic giving, scaled back our chamber memberships, and sadly begun to make layoffs of our full-time employees.”

Since it was founded, EPC has grown to include more than 160 full time employees, Etheridge wrote. Additionally, he said the company had built a network of more than 150 subcontractors.

Now, Etheridge says even North Louisiana-based EPC’s at-risk capital builds are “pulling back.”

“We were poised for 300% growth,” he wrote. “We prepared accordingly. And now—we wait.”

Etheridge’s letter, given to Broadband Communities on Monday, calls on the administration not to let “bureaucracy unravel everything we’ve built.”

“If this continues, you will have effectively weaponized a great ambition—meant to lift up and transform rural America—against the very people who believe in this administration,” his letter continued. “We supported our newly elected leaders— with our money, our words, and our votes — believing you would support us in return.”

‘And now? We hear nothing’

Louisiana has been highly impacted by an ongoing review to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program called by Lutnick.

In 2024, Louisiana notably became the first to award BEAD funds through a state program called GUMBO 2.0 (Granting Unserved Municipalities Broadband Opportunities).

It was also the first state to gain approval for their initial BEAD proposal.

Now, Etheridge’s letter to Lutnick is the latest from a Louisiana executive that warns about dire impacts from Lutnick’s BEAD delay.

With the letter, Etheridge now joins the CEO of Louisiana-based SkyRider Communications and David Herring, the founder and CEO of ClearPath Fiber, as the latest company leaders sounding the alarm.

According to Etheridge, if the silence continues “it will say what no words ever could.”

“That we were never truly understood, that our sacrifice was never truly valued, and that our votes and voices mattered only when it was time to count them — not when it came time to honor them,” he wrote.

Like Herring’s letter last week, Etheridge stresses that Louisiana “did it right.”

He said his company “followed the rules and “ran a clean process.”

“No DEI mandates. Forty percent under budget. Tech-neutral. No labor strings,” he said.

Etheridge’s letter to Lutnick ends with the EPC co-founder telling Lutnick that “it’s not too late.”

He calls on Lutnick to “let Louisiana move forward.”

“Let EPC build. Let our people work,” he wrote. “Don’t let another generation lose faith in the promises we were raised to believe in. We are still ready. We are still willing.”

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Learn more about Broadband Communities Summit 2025 in Houston.

News 

Octopus Group, the investment group behind Octopus Energy, is preparing to make its move into the UK mobile market, The Telegraph reported over the weekend. 

According to the article, the company is exploring plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that could challenge the dominance of the UK’s current biggest four operators,  EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three. 

Octopus’s mobile service would operate by leasing capacity from an existing network, instead of investing in its own infrastructure. Sources speaking to The Telegraph indicated that discussions have taken place via Fern Trading, Octopus’s telecoms investment arm, with at least one major network operator. The project appears linked to Y Corporation, a mobile provider owned by Fern Trading, which currently has a wholesale agreement with Three. 

Y Corporation is reportedly considering an eSIM-only model targeting both enterprise and consumer markets. Adam Dunlop, former head of TalkTalk’s consumer division, was appointed to drive the mobile expansion earlier back in January. 

The mobile push follows Octopus Energy’s success in the utilities sector, where it now supplies over 13 million customers, and has overtaken British Gas to become the UK’s largest household energy supplier. 

A new mobile service under the Octopus brand would complement the group’s growing telecoms footprint, which includes broadband providers such as Cuckoo and AllPoints Fibre. Fern Trading recently announced plans to merge several of its altnets into a single entity to strengthen its market position ahead of expected industry consolidation. 

The move comes at a key time for the UK’s mobile sector, with Vodafone and Three’s £15 billion merger set to reshape the market landscape. Should Y Corporation continue its partnership with Three post-merger, it would gain access to the UK’s largest mobile network. 

Join us at Connected Britain, 24-25 September in London. Get tickets here! 

Also in the news:
Diversifying the UK’s data centre landscape: a path to economic growth
Connected North: Thoughts from the show floor
Connected America 2025: Is there a US–China 5G rollout race?

Interviews

Connected North 2025 was an enormous success, bringing together key stakeholders from accross the North of the UK to discuss the digital economy and emerging technologies.

Total Telecom’s very own Kieran Murphy was prowling the exhibition hall throughout the event, speaking to innovators helping the region on its digital journey.

Check out his interviews below!

Gareth Cottrell from CoverUp Key 

Tiffany Shurr from Calix

Steve Morris from ACOME Group

Susan Wiseman from Hutchinson

Rosemary Kavanagh from NetworkUX – Inakalum

Steve Kingdom, CTO Fixed Networks at Xantaro

Paul Howard from TP-Link

Join the industry in discussion about all of the biggest topics at Connected Britain 2025 live in London, September 24-25

Interview

At Connected America this year, we caught up with Brooke Donilon, Vice President of Government relations at the NCTA – The Internet & Television Association to discuss unlicensed spectrum and how it can benefit consumers and businesses, spectrum policy in the US, competition with China and much more. Check out the full interview below!