Press Release

Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of Priority Postpaid, a new service that leverages 5G slicing technology to deliver superior and more consistent experience to customers on postpaid. This service is specially built for busy customers who depend on uninterrupted connectivity for work, entertainment, or online collaboration.

For this service, Airtel has upgraded its 5G network with advanced capabilities of slicing technology. This makes the network more efficient, creates more capacity, and provides the capability to use this capacity in a targeted manner for delivery of a superior experience for Priority customers. By intelligently and dynamically segmenting network capacity, Airtel is offering a stable and dependable experience for postpaid customers, even when traffic demand is high.

Over the past year, slicing based 5G services have been launched in many countries like USA, Singapore, United Kingdom and Malaysia. Airtel’s launch is the first such launch in India, reflecting Airtel’s continued investment in building a smarter, more resilient, and future-ready digital network and reinforces its commitment to combining advanced technology with customer-centric innovation.

Commenting on the launch, Shashwat Sharma, MD & CEO – Airtel India, said, “Our focus at Airtel is on delivering meaningful innovations that enhance our customers’ experience. Priority Postpaid is our latest innovation powered by the 5G slicing technology. It provides a superior, more reliable, and dependable experience to our customers — whether they are attending a client call in traffic, or streaming at a packed concert, or booking a cab in a crowded market.”

Airtel Priority service is available for customers on all our postpaid plans. Existing customers will start enjoying the benefit automatically. Prepaid customers or customers wanting to switch to Airtel Priority postpaid can do so easily through the Airtel App or by visiting any Airtel Store.

Priority Postpaid Plans

Customers can enjoy our Priority service on any 5G SA‑enabled smartphone, with their latest software upgrades. Customers for whom an upgrade is pending, will see a pending action showing in the ‘Settings’ section of their phones. Customers can also check their phone readiness for Airtel Priority services by logging on to the Airtel App.

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News

The agreement spans various aspects of 6G research, including trips to both parties’ research centres

Telstra and Ericsson have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on 6G research.

The agreement will see the companies collaborate on the research, standards development, and real-world testing of 6G technology,

It also includes mutual site visitations, with Telstra engineers visiting Ericsson’s testbed in Sweden, and Ericsson staff travelling to Telstra’s Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast.

Further details on the partnership were sparse, but both partners emphasised the role AI had to play in making 6G networks more intelligent and more customisable for customers. This feature is, in fact, a key element of Telstra’s Connected Future 30 strategy, which aims to allow customers to purchase configurable connectivity services at individual prices.

“Mobile connectivity has been one of the most powerful economic engines of modern Australia. As the first G which is AI-native, 6G will be the most intelligent network yet – capable of advanced network connectivity, and new Network as a Product innovations such as the ability to sense the environment around the network. The latter opens the potential for new use cases for public safety, agriculture, weather detection and more,” said Shailin Sehgal, Telstra Group Executive of Global Networks & Technology.

“We are on a clear and exciting trajectory – from 5G Standalone today, to AI-powered 5G and autonomous networks, towards AI-native 6G that is meeting the evolving and future business needs,” added Erik Ekudden, Ericsson Chief Technology Officer. “6G will redefine what a network fundamentally is – not just an AI-native technology platform, but a platform that senses, adapts and orchestrates resources to deliver outcomes for enterprises and society at scale; simply an intelligent fabric.”

This type of partnership is largely to be expected, with Ericsson having been Telstra’s primary RAN partner for many years. The companies made similar agreements during the early days of the 5G era, though these were often based around delivering greater speeds.

Today, Ericsson and Telstra’s focus has increasingly shifted away from pure speeds and towards the benefits of AI integration and network optimisation. It seems likely that their initial joint research on 6G will follow that same path.

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Press Release

Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, announces the commercial availability of its Quantum Safe Interconnect (QSI) across 20 Equinix International Business Exchange® (IBX) data center locations in  Europe, the Americas and Asia where Equinix Managed Solutions are offered.

After successful validation through a Proof of Concept (PoC) conducted over a secure Internet Protocol (IPsec) tunnel between Frankfurt and Singapore, Sparkle’s QSI is now available to enterprises, carriers and hyperscalers seeking quantum-safe protection for their cross-site VPNs, hybrid infrastructures and distributed multi-cloud environments.

Unlike approaches based on dedicated transmission environments, specialized hardware chains or rigid point-to-point architectures, Quantum Safe Interconnect is a software-based overlay solution that can be deployed on existing network and security infrastructures. It integrates seamlessly with virtual firewalls, cloud environments and interconnection platforms, and can be delivered through a flexible Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model. This makes QSI particularly suited to modern infrastructures, where organizations must secure traffic across regions without redesigning their networks. It enables rapid adoption, scalable multi-site deployments over long distances, and a gradual transition to quantum-resilient connectivity.

“The commercial availability of Quantum Safe Interconnect across Equinix locations marks a major milestone in Sparkle’s strategy to extend QSI into leading interconnection environments worldwide”, said Antonella Sanguineti, Head of Networking, Cloud, Security & Identity Solutions at Sparkle. “QSI stands out for its ability to deliver quantum-safe protection in real operational contexts as a scalable software-based service. This achievement reflects a shared vision with Equinix to develop secure, interoperable and future-ready solutions across a global digital ecosystem.”

“Sparkle is innovating in the integration of next-generation security directly into the environments where dense ecosystems of customers build and scale their digital infrastructure at Equinix,” said Joe Crawford, Vice President, Equinix Managed Solutions. “They have demonstrated an approach that can be integrated into real world IPsec, data center and interconnection environments, helping customers strengthen cyber resilience across globally distributed infrastructures.”

Sparkle will continue to industrialize and expand the solution across the broader Equinix ecosystem, including Equinix Fabric^®, accelerating the adoption of quantum-resilient connectivity worldwide.

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

Media Contacts

sparkle.communication@tisparkle.com

X: @TISparkle

Contributed Article

by Marc Tachelet, Director of the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)

Since 2021, CEF-Digital has invested €615 million in 75 projects, spanning 18 EU countries and 10 overseas territories. These cables are strategic and critical assets, designed to:

• leverage private investment in European digital infrastructure;
• provide resilient high-speed coLnectivity to all EU citizens, including in the Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories; and
• ensure sovereignty of our backbone network, as well as the connections with key partner countries.

This year again, the CEF-Digital programme continues striving for these objectives, with two new calls for proposals open until 30 June 2026:

• A call (CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS) with a substantial budget of €180 million has been launched to support the deployment or replacement of backbone networks – in particular submarine cables but also terrestrial backbone fibre networks and ground stations for satellite communications – that address security risks, vulnerabilities, and resilience in the EU core digital infrastructure.
• Additionally, a €20 million call (CEF-DIG-2026-SMART-CABLES) is open, aiming to enhance existing submarine telecommunications infrastructure with SMART (Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications) capabilities. This initiative seeks to integrate sensors and other monitoring components measuring temperatures, detecting acoustic or other signals, and more, thereby collecting real-time ocean and seismic data as well as improving the monitoring functionalities of these critical communication networks.

Europe has a vision for the future which was exposed last year in the form of an EU Action Plan on Cable Security. One of its measures called on the European Commission to set up a group of experts from EU countries and the cybersecurity agency ENISA to identify the priority areas where the EU should focus to enhance our resilience, and where private investment alone may not be commercially viable. Last February, this work resulted in the publication of a list of Cable Projects of European Interest (CPEIs), together with the Cable Security Toolbox, which recommends a set of mitigation measures to address the identified risk scenarios based on threats, vulnerabilities, and dependencies. This is where we will focus our investment over the coming years.

Europe, like all other continents, needs to be agile and respond to the changing geopolitical situations. Some submarine cables connecting Europe have suffered multiple incidents in recent years, which has raised awareness regarding the criticality and vulnerability of submarine data cables.

With the mobilisation of all operators involved in this section, I am confident that, together, we can better coordinate our actions, address those threats, and ultimately enhance the resilience of all submarine cable infrastructures.

Marc Tachelet, the newly appointed Director of the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) is leading the EU’s ambitious investments in digital infrastructure through the CEF-Digital programme. Attending Submarine Networks EMEA for the first time, he will in his keynote address how Europe is determined to continue owning, securing, expanding and fixing its digital gateways.

You can find HaDEA at Stand 2 on the show floor at #SubNetsEMEA

Press Release

The two operators join forces to launch a novel low-latency terrestrial route linking Peru and Brazil via Bolivia

Sparkle, one of the world’s leading global operators, and Entel Bolivia, Bolivia’s largest telecommunications company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly commercialize the terrestrial route connecting the Pacific and Atlantic coasts through Bolivia. The agreement, signed today on the sidelines of the ITW 26 global telecommunications event, focuses on bringing to market a high-performance alternative to existing submarine routes, meeting growing demand for scalable and resilient connectivity across regional digital ecosystems.

Latin America’s digital entertainment sector continues to expand rapidly, with Brazil acting as a central hub for game development, content distribution, and hosting services. However, several areas in western South America still rely on long-distance submarine or indirect international routes to reach the Atlantic, resulting in suboptimal performance for cloud gaming, real-time streaming, financial services, IoT and AI-driven applications.

The Bio-Oceanic Digital Corridor leverages Bolivia’s geographic position to establish a direct terrestrial pathway spanning approximately 4,370 kilometers across Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. The route enables connectivity between Lima and São Paulo with latency reduced to below 60 milliseconds, compared to more than 120 ms on traditional submarine routes exceeding 12,000 kms. Rather than relying on fragmented routing architectures, the initiative introduces a unified terrestrial backbone designed to improve performance, route diversity and service resilience for regional and international traffic flows.

Under the MoU, Sparkle and Entel Bolivia will jointly commercialize the corridor, offering high-performance connectivity to gaming companies, ISPs, OTT platforms, digital service providers, and data centers across the region. A flexible commercial model will allow customers to access capacity through either partner, with revenue-sharing mechanisms to be defined in a subsequent agreement.

Entel Bolivia will contribute its terrestrial backbone infrastructure spanning national and cross-border segments, underpinned by a high-availability network comprising over 44,000 kilometers of fiber, advanced transmission technology, and a redundant architecture, connecting Lurín (Peru) with Puerto Quijarro (Bolivia) and multiple international interconnection points. Sparkle will manage the Brazilian segment from Puerto Quijarro to São Paulo. Together, the partners establish a high-capacity digital corridor designed to scale up to 60 Tbps, enabling diversified traffic flows between the continent’s two oceanic gateways.

The two companies will coordinate sales, operations, and maintenance activities, to ensure high levels of availability, security, quality of service, and route diversity at continental scale, thereby strengthening network resilience across South America.

“We are proud to collaborate with Entel Bolivia on this ambitious project, which reflects our shared vision to accelerate the region’s digital integration and support the growth of gaming, OTT services and cloud-based solution across Latin America” said Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle.

“This initiative consolidates Bolivia’s position as a digital corridor in South America, enabling the efficient interconnection of the Pacific and Atlantic digital ecosystems, and unlocking new opportunities for the development of high-capacity digital services across the region,” added Jorge del Solar, General Manager of Entel Bolivia.

How is the international carrier industry changing in 2026? Join the discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA

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Press Release

LONDON, UK – The subsea cable industry’s most influential regional gathering, Submarine Networks EMEA, returns to the Business Design Centre in London from 27–28 May 2026. With over 1,250 senior leaders and 150 speakers, the 2026 edition comes at a pivotal moment as the industry navigates the increasing demands of AI and a complex global security landscape. 

AI and the subsea backbone  

Headlining this year’s event is the keynote panel exploring “How is AI shaping the subsea industry’s future?” This session will explore how the global surge in AI is fundamental altering subsea cable route planning and investment strategies. Featured on the panel is Thomas Hardy, Deputy Director of the US Trade and Development Agency, who will provide a crucial public sector perspective on how the drive to remain competitive in the AI era is shaping national digital infrastructure strategies. Deputy Director Hardy will be joined by speakers from Zayo Europe, Assured Communications, EXA Infrastructure, Equinix and Pioneer Consulting. 

Deep Dive: Subsea Security Summit & Expo  

New for 2026, the Subsea Security Summit, co-located with the main event, offers a dedicated theme of content focused on strategies for protecting the world’s most critical infrastructure. Key sessions for 2026 include: 

• Choosing the right technology to secure, protect and monitor subsea infrastructure: An evaluation of the latest in fibre sensing, AIS tracking, and satellite monitoring to prevent cable strikes and sabotage. 

• Assessing the risks to subsea cables and understanding the consequences: A strategic panel focused on identifying cable vulnerabilities, differentiating between the risks, and understanding the impact of faults and damage. 

The latest news on global subsea activity 

Back by popular demand are the News in Brief sessions, a series of quick-fire updates offering attendees a comprehensive snapshot of global cable projects, new connectivity hubs, and regional market shifts in a condensed, “need-to-know” format. 

Shaping the industry’s future 

This year, we are introducing Subsea Foundations content, with sessions specifically designed to support those who are new to the industry. These sessions will provide a high-level overview of any key aspects of the subsea sector, including legal and commercial, engineering, maintenance and regulation.  

Additionally, we are partnering with the SubOptic Association and the ESCA NextGen Subgroup to bridge the talent gap and will be featuring a dedicated networking event for early careers professionals, uniquely designed to match those starting out in their subsea careers with senior executives for mentorship and career guidance. 

Finally, we’re delighted to announce the SubOptic Foundation as our 2026 Charity Partner and will be supporting them with raising funds to continue their work to advance education, inclusion, and collaboration across the industry.  

“From the impact of AI to the evolving geopolitical landscape and its impact on cable protection and resilience, the 2026 programme reflects the shifting priorities of the submarine cable industry,” said Kerry Merritt, Head of Content at Total Telecom. “We’re really looking forward to the event next week which will bring the global subsea industry together in London for these essential conversations.” 

Registration is now open at https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/submarine-networks-world-europe/index.stm. 

About Submarine Networks EMEA Produced by Total Telecom, Submarine Networks EMEA is the region’s leading subsea connectivity event. It provides a platform for operators, investors, and technology partners to collaborate on the infrastructure that powers the global internet. 

Media Contacts: 

Kerry Merritt. Email: Kerry.Merritt@totaltele.com 

Halle Dockerill. Email: Halle.Dockerill@totaltele.com 

News

The approval will provide EchoStar with a much needed windfall

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Space Bureau have granted approval to EchoStar to sell its spectrum to SpaceX and AT&T.

EchoStar agreed to sell 50MHz of spectrum in the 3.45GHz and 600MHz bands to AT&T for around $23 billion in August last year. This was followed in a month later by a $17 billion sale of 65MHz of AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licences to SpaceX.

AT&T, which is already using the spectrum in question to improve its network performance for mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA) customers under a licencing deal with EchoStar, will be required to accelerate its 600MHz network deployment.

SpaceX, on the other hand, has received FCC waivers that would allow it to use the spectrum for terrestrial, space-based, or hybrid services.

EchoStar’s spectrum saga, perhaps confusingly, has its origins in the 2020 merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.

As part of the deal’s regulatory conditions, EchoStar’s sister company Dish Mobile agreed to buy Sprint’s mobile virtual network operator Boost Mobile, pledging to become the fourth national mobile operator (MVNO). It soon became clear, however, that this was merely a pipe dream, with Dish failing to build the required network infrastructure and struggling under substantial debt.

Ultimately, this led to EchoStar merging with Dish in 2023, with the move largely seen as an attempt to balance the books for both companies. EchoStar was thus left with a large tranche of spectrum that it would struggle to use.

The spectrum sale, therefore, represents a significant financial lifeline for EchoStar. In September, EchoStar said it expects to hold around $24.1 billion in total cash after the deal, which it will use to repay debt.

Following the deal, EchoStar will still offer mobile services to customers via a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement with AT&T.

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

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Rome, 14^th of May 2026

Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NaiTel, the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub, and iLevant Ltd, to extend the GreenMed submarine cable system through the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, supporting the development of a new digital connectivity corridor linking Europe and Asia.

Under the agreement, the parties will work to integrate the GreenMed subsea with terrestrial fiber networks and regional interconnection platforms in Jordan, strengthening connectivity resilience across the Mediterranean and supporting the development of diversified digital infrastructure connecting Europe and Asia.

Jordan, through Aqaba Digital Hub, already serves as a landing point for the BlueMed and the Blue & Raman submarine cable systems, further reinforcing its role as a strategic terrestrial gateway on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

Eyad Abu Khorma, Founder and CEO of Aqaba Digital Hub, said: “Jordan is uniquely positioned at the intersection of major global connectivity routes linking Europe and Asia. The extension of GreenMed toward Jordan represents a natural next step in strengthening diversified and resilient digital infrastructure across the region. We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Sparkle, a leading global operator, on advancing a new digital corridor that integrates subsea and terrestrial networks, further reinforcing Jordan’s role as a strategic gateway connecting Europe, the Middle East and Asia.”

Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, commented: “This agreement marks a further milestone in the development of GreenMed and confirms the strength of our long-standing collaboration with NaiTel and iLevant. Expanding the system across Jordan enables the connection of strategic digital ecosystems and fosters new development opportunities across the Mediterranean region and beyond.”

GreenMed has received funding from the European Commission under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme.

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 NaiTel

NaiTel is the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub and a licensed telecom operator in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. NaiTel focuses on the development of telecommunications infrastructure and connectivity platforms, including fiber networks, peering services through AqabaIX, and international connectivity solutions, supporting regional digital ecosystems. Through its infrastructure and strategic initiatives, NaiTel enables carriers, digital platforms, and enterprises to access resilient connectivity across Jordan and the wider region.

Find out more about NaiTel by following its LinkedIn profile or visiting the website naitel.jo

About Aqaba Digital Hub
Aqaba Digital Hub is MENA’s leading digital infrastructure provider and the home of Jordan’s largest carrier-neutral, AI-ready data center. Its services include fiber internet, Jordan’s fastest-growing Internet exchange point (IXP), cloud platforms, VSAT, and subsea cable landing facilities, among others. ADH enables enterprises and technology providers to scale operations, accelerate digital services, and expand their regional impact.

Through its platform, ADH connects businesses to key partners and opportunities, ensuring competitive advantages in a dynamic digital landscape. Its commitment to innovation and sustainability drives forward-looking solutions, reinforcing Aqaba’s role as a premier connectivity hub. Find out more about ADH by following its LinkedIn profile, emailing us at info@adh.jo, or visiting our website at http://www.adh.jo.

About iLevant Limited

iLevant Limited is an international consultancy and advisory firm specializing in digital infrastructure, connectivity strategy, and technology-driven solutions. The company supports telecommunications operators, infrastructure providers, and investors in the planning, development, and implementation of large-scale connectivity and digital infrastructure projects across global markets.

Sparkle Media Contacts:

sparkle.communication@tisparkle.com

X: @TISparkle

Naitel Media Contacts:

info@adh.jo

Press Release

Investors including Canalink, GUILAB, International Mauritania Telecom, Orange Group, Orange Côte d’Ivoire, Sonatel, Silverlinks, announce the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate the Via Africa submarine cable project, confirming a shared ambition to develop international connectivity, to support traffic growth and to strengthen the resilience of networks across the African continent.

This brand-new system aims to connect Europe to South Africa — including landing points in the United Kingdom, France and Portugal — with destinations along the Atlantic coastline such as the Canary Islands, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria, with extensions further south supporting increased connectivity diversity and improved resilience for countries along the route.

A consortium-based subsea infrastructure

The Via Africa system is managed as a consortium, enabling participating partners seeking autonomy and sovereignty to co-invest in the infrastructure and take part in its governance. This robust and proven model allows investors to participate directly in the decisions regarding the design, deployment and exploitation of the system and contribute to decisions that best meet their needs. The initial telco and digital player partners are open to additional partners potentially joining the project in the future.

Enhancing resilience and connectivity diversity across Africa

The new open cable project is designed to contribute to greater diversity and resilience of international connectivity serving Africa, by providing a different subsea route than existing infrastructure and strengthening the robustness of regional connectivity.

Next steps for the project

As part of the initial phase of the project, consortium members will jointly finance a cable route study to identify the optimal cable route that balances resilience, technical feasibility and overall economic efficiency.

In parallel, the consortium is preparing the procurement process for selecting a cable supplier, marking the next step in the development of the system.

Press Release

New single voice communication layer reduces complexity and costs for multinational organisations as they evolve their AI-powered workplace collaboration strategies.