US moves closer to banning some foreign-made phones


News

The FCC is moving closer to banning the recognition of device testing labs and certification bodies in foreign nations without reciprocity agreements.

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

New rules being considered by the Federal Communications Commission could have big impacts on the future of electronic devices in the United States.

Under one of the rules, the FCC is considering banning the recognition of device testing labs in nations without a reciprocal trade agreement, an announcement from the agency said last month.

Labs not in compliance with the proposed rules would be phased out within two years if the rules are eventually adopted, the FCC said.

Conversely, the FCC also adopted rules that streamline the approval process for devices testing in U.S. labs or in nations with signed mutual trade agreements.

“The order would also adopt a range of other measures to promote the integrity of the equipment authorization system: require the disclosure of the location and number of employees engaged in FCC-recognized testing, improve the FCC’s post-market surveillance procedures, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and establish confidential reporting channels for industry participants to raise concerns about violations or national security threats,” the FCC said.

The moves build upon the FCC’s efforts in March, when the agency placed foreign made routers on the FCC’s list of products deemed to pose unacceptable security risks.

Since adopting that rule, the FCC has since taken action to withdraw or deny recognition to, twenty-three facilities deemed “bad labs” by the agency, according to the FCC’s April 30 release.

At the time, the move was billed as in line with President Donald Trump’s strategy for national security, announced in 2025.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is due to visit China this week, with published reports saying he is set to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday.

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Billionaire Xavier Niel offloads Proximus stake

News

Niel has reduced his holding in the company to less than 0.1%

French billionaire Xavier Niel, owner of Iliad Group, has sold his roughly 6% stake in Belgian telco Proximus, according to a recent filing.

Assuming Proximus’s recent share price of €6.56, the deal would have netted Niel around €135 million.

Niel acquired his roughly 6% stake in the business in late 2023 via his Irish holding company Carraun, praising the operator’s networks and competitive positioning.

By 2025, reports suggested that Niel had proposed a shared ownership model with the Belgian government – Proximus’s largest stakeholder with around 53% ownership. According to those reports, this deal would have seen the government retain the chairmanship of the board, with Niel appointed CEO and given the possibility of increasing his stake in future.

The deal was ultimately rejected by the state, which was likely viewed the deal as something of a soft takeover.

For years, Niel had previously made no secrets of his ambitions to launch his challenger brand Free in the Belgium market, one of the most expensive telecoms markets in Europe. Responding to a 2024 post on X bemoaning the country’s high prices, Niel said he was all for it, saying “it’s your government that doesn’t want it” (translated).

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”fr” dir=”ltr”>Moi je suis chaud, c’est votre gouvernement qui veut pas <a href=”https://t.co/iwJ2QbXuhR

&mdash » rel= »nofollow »>https://t.co/iwJ2QbXuhR”>https://t.co/iwJ2QbXuhR</a></p>&mdash; Xavier Niel (@Xavier75) <a href=”October » rel= »nofollow »>https://twitter.com/Xavier75/status/1979549525816594492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>October 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&#8221; charset=”utf-8″></script>

Now, with the Belgian government’s attitude seemingly unchanged, Niel has decided to turn his attention elsewhere. One such location is surely Chile, where Niel’s NJJ Holding teamed up with Millicom to purchase Telefónica’s local unit earlier in the year.

With Brussels unwilling to loosen its grip on the former incumbent, Niel appears to have concluded that Belgium’s telecom market remains easier to complain about than to crack.

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SoftBank to build its own batteries for AI data centres

News

The new unit will support SoftBank’s expansive AI data centre ambitions

In a press release issued today, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has announced the creation of a new battery storage business operating under its mobile network operator unit, SoftBank Corp.

The standalone unit will work on both the technical development of battery technologies, as well as their manufacture.

To do this, the new unit has partnered with a pair of South Korean businesses – Cosmos Lab and DeltaX Co. – with whom they will collaborate on the technology.

Cosmos Lab specialises in battery cell technology, most notably zinc-halogen batteries that use pure water as their electrolyte, removing the flammability risk associated with lithium-ion batteries.

DeltaX Co. is an energy storage system manufacturer that builds ‘next-generation’ battery cells

The battery business unit will be focussed alongside SoftBank’s AI Data Center that is in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. Here, SoftBank is planning to set up two new sites: the AX Factory, focussed on AI data centre operations and AI infrastructure hardware manufacturing, and the GX Factory, a manufacturing hub for next-generation batteries, solar panels, and related products.

The company is aiming to deploy a plant with battery capacity of one gigawatt-hour per year, which could expand to multiple gigawatt-hours per year in future.

Even at just one gigawatt-hour per year, the deployment would already be one of the largest battery plants in Japan.

Initial production is expected to begin in March 2028, with mass production targeted for 2029.

Initially, the batteries produced will be used to support SoftBanks own AI data centres, but in future will expand to offering the batteries to commercial customers. These could include “grid applications in Japan, as well as for factories and other industrial uses, as well as for residential use, with a view to expanding into global markets over the medium term”, according to the company.

In total, SoftBank is aiming for the business to generate around ¥100 billion (US$637 million) in annual revenues by the end of the decade.

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Ooredoo and du to land FIG cable in the UAE

Press Release

Ooredoo Group today announced a partnership with du, the leading telecom and digital services provider, to land the Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system in the UAE, marking further progress in the development of a high-capacity international connectivity platform designed to support the region’s growing data and digital infrastructure requirements.

FIG is the largest subsea cable system ever built in the GCC, designed to deliver an unprecedented capacity of up to 720Tbps across 24 fibre pairs. The system is being developed to meet sustained demand from hyperscalers, cloud providers, AI platforms and data centre operators, enabling efficient, low-latency data flows across Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman.

The project is led by Ooredoo Fibre Networks (OFN), a recently established independent entity created to manage and scale Ooredoo Group’s international connectivity and subsea infrastructure investments, under the leadership of its CEO, Khalid Al Hamadi.

The UAE landing at du’s cable station adds further depth to the system’s architecture, supporting more diversified data routing and strengthening the overall efficiency of regional and intercontinental connectivity between the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: “FIG reflects our continued focus on building high-capacity, resilient connectivity infrastructure aligned with how demand is evolving. This partnership with du marks another step in the execution of the project. Combined with the progress already made across other landing points, it reinforces the role of international connectivity in supporting the region’s long-term digital growth.”

FIG introduces greater route diversity and redundancy, providing alternative data pathways that strengthen connectivity resilience and support uninterrupted international data flows.

Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO, du said: “Landing the FIG subsea cable in the UAE strengthens our international connectivity capabilities and reinfources the UAE’s position as a leading global hub for data, cloud and AI. Our partnership with Ooredoo enables the scale, resillience and performance required to support hyperscalers, enterprises and digital ecosystems as demand for advanced connectivity continues to grow. This initiative aligns with the UAE’s digital transformation and economic agenda, supporting the nation’s vision to build a globally competitive, knowledge-based digital economy.”

FIG will support the next phase of digital infrastructure development across the region, providing scalable, high-capacity routes for cross-border data exchange and enabling continued growth in cloud, AI and digital services.

The submarine cable industry is evolving rapidly. Join the discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s most important subsea cable event

The Netherlands: Strengthening Europe’s digital gateway through subsea connectivity


Contributed Article

by Aldert de Jongste, strategic advisor at ECP

The Netherlands is seeing renewed subsea cable activity. Since January, IOEMA B.V. has established itself in the Netherlands, bringing a new submarine cable company into the Dutch digital infrastructure ecosystem. Its planned 1,600-kilometre fibre-optic system is designed to connect five Northern European markets and is expected to come ashore at both Eemshaven and near Scheveningen/The Hague, with Greenhouse Datacenters selected as an additional Dutch landing partner alongside Eurofiber. This reflects renewed interest in the Netherlands as a location for next-generation digital infrastructure.

For the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition*, developments like these underline exactly why international collaboration and practical support for new cable landings matter. Regular visitors to Submarine Networks EMEA may have come across the coalition, either at our stand or in conversations throughout the event. The coalition brings together companies, public organisations and knowledge institutions in the Netherlands with a shared goal: strengthening the country’s position as a digital hub by supporting and attracting new subsea cable landings. In this article, we highlight several recent developments in the Netherlands that are relevant to the international subsea cable community. More information about the coalition and how we work can be found at the end of the article.

Maintaining a leading digital hub

For many years, the Netherlands has been recognized as one of the world’s leading digital infrastructure hubs. Its early investment in connectivity, internet exchanges and data centres helped create a dense, hyperconnected, and internationally competitive digital ecosystem.

But this success also brought new challenges. Due to the Netherlands’ early development as a digital infrastructure hub and its high density of data centers, the country was among the first to face constraints related to power availability and physical space for new digital infrastructure. Members of our coalition still recall a TeleGeography presentation in 2019 in which the Netherlands was described as “closed for business” for new digital infrastructure. It was a sharp characterization of the growing pressure around power availability, space and permitting at the time.

Today, these issues are no longer unique to the Netherlands: power availability, grid congestion and spatial constraints have become defining challenges for digital infrastructure markets around the world. In the Netherlands, they have also contributed to renewed political focus on digital infrastructure. Following the innovation and investment agenda developed under the
leadership of former ASML CEO Peter Wennink, digital infrastructure has now been explicitly recognized as a political priority.

The Netherlands also continues to show strong fundamentals. In TeleGeography’s connectivity ranking, the country scores strongly on the metric of “power”, outperforming several other leading digital hubs. The large-scale development of offshore wind in the North Sea further underlines the country’s long-term ambition. While these investments will not solve today’s power constraints overnight, they do strengthen the longer-term outlook for a cleaner and more resilient energy base for digital infrastructure.

Together, these elements – a strong existing ecosystem, renewed political attention and long-term investment in energy infrastructure – are becoming visible in concrete developments across the Dutch digital infrastructure landscape.

Growing demand and new cable initiatives

One example is the continued demand for large-scale digital infrastructure, reflected in recently granted permits for seven hyperscale data centers and the awarding of funding for an AI Factory in the northern part of the Netherlands. This AI Factory, centered around an AI supercomputer and connected to the EuroHPC ecosystem, will provide access for both the private sector and academia to experiment with, train and develop AI applications. Its open-access approach is expected to further strengthen the Dutch digital ecosystem.

IOEMA and new routes through the North Sea

As mentioned earlier, IOEMA is one example of renewed subsea cable activity in the Netherlands. The planned system would add a new North Sea route connecting the Netherlands with Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Norway, strengthening route diversity in Northern Europe. Its planned Dutch landings at Eemshaven and near Scheveningen/The Hague are both close to major internet exchange ecosystems, with NL-IX and AMS-IX both listed among the world’s ten largest internet exchanges.

IOEMA Holding also includes PACS Southern Route, an entity involved in the Pan-Arctic Cable System, which aims to connect Europe and Asia via a northern route rather than through the Middle East. Both initiatives align with areas identified by the European Commission in its Submarine Cable Security Toolkit and Cable Projects of European Interest framework. This fits within a broader European context in which subsea cable security, route diversity and resilience have moved higher on the policy agenda.

Making Dutch cable landing easier to navigate

In parallel, the coalition is working to make cable landings on the Dutch coast easier to navigate by identifying preferred landing locations. For these locations, we are gathering survey data, information on available power infrastructure and backhaul partners, and possible seabed routes. This is done in consultation with relevant government organizations, taking into account the many competing uses of the busy North Sea.

Taken together, these developments underline the Netherlands’ continued relevance to Europe’s digital infrastructure. With a strong ecosystem, renewed political attention, growing demand for AI and cloud infrastructure, preferred landing locations and initiatives such as IOEMA, the country is well positioned to support the next generation of subsea cable systems. At Submarine Networks EMEA, the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition looks forward to discussing these opportunities with partners across the international subsea community.

Meet the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition at Submarine Networks EMEA 2026
Representatives of the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, including ambassador Martin Prins and coalition strategist Aldert de Jongste, will be present at Submarine Networks EMEA in London this May. Together with other coalition members, they look forward to connecting with the international subsea cable community and discussing the opportunities the Netherlands can offer for future cable landings.

Visit us at stand 13 to learn more about recent Dutch developments, preferred landing locations and the practical support available for parties exploring new routes to the Netherlands.


Aldert de Jongste is a political scientist, goldsmith, and strategic advisor at ECP, a Netherlands-based foundation that brings together public and private stakeholders around the responsible development of the digital society. At ECP, he works on issues at the intersection of digitalisation, infrastructure, the economy and societal values. Through the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, Aldert is committed to strengthening the Netherlands’ position as a digital hub and to positioning subsea cables as critical infrastructure for the economy, innovation, security and digital autonomy.

 

The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition: One central point of contact
The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition is a public-private partnership that brings together companies, infrastructure providers, data centre operators, wholesale end users, knowledge institutions and different levels of government. Its shared goal is to strengthen the Netherlands’ position as a digital hub by supporting and attracting new subsea cable landings.

The coalition acts as a central point of contact for international cable developers and investors exploring opportunities in the Netherlands. It supports new cable initiatives by sharing knowledge about the Dutch digital ecosystem, connecting landing parties with relevant stakeholders and helping them navigate the regulatory and licensing landscape.

By combining public and private expertise, the coalition aims to make the Dutch landscape more accessible for parties looking to land a subsea cable on the Dutch coast: from first orientation to a successful landing.

Stay informed: Webinar on 29 October
The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition will host its annual webinar on 29 October, providing an update on subsea cable landings and related developments in the Netherlands. The session will highlight the opportunities the Netherlands offers for new cable initiatives, as well as the support available through the coalition. The full program will follow soon. You can register here.

*The Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition is a collaboration of: AMS-IX, Digital Realty, Dutch Datacenter Association (DDA), Equinix, Eurofiber, Fiber Carrier Association (FCA), KPN, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, i3D.net,, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), NL-IX, Relined, Rijkswaterstaat, Stichting DiNL, SURF and WorldStream.

Telenor to launch Norwegian sovereign cloud business

Press Release

Telenor is establishing a new Norwegian sovereign cloud company designed for organisations with the most stringent requirements for security, resilience and regulatory compliance

The company will be named Telenor Sovereign Cloud and was announced in connection with a visit from Norway’s Minister of Digitalisation, Karianne Tung.

“Norwegian organisations need modern, scalable cloud services that at the same time provide full national control. We see a clear and growing need in both the private and public sectors. With Telenor Sovereign Cloud, we aim to deliver a solution that combines scalable cloud technology with Norwegian governance, operations and security”, says Jannicke Hilland, Executive Vice President and Head of Telenor Infrastructure.

“In a more uncertain world, control over one’s own data and digital infrastructure is critical. Initiatives like this help strengthen Norway’s digital sovereignty and resilience, and are fully aligned with the government’s plan for Norway”, says Minister of Digitalisation Karianne Tung.

Building a sovereign cloud platform in Norway
The platform will be operated from nationally controlled data centres in Norway and developed to be isolated from commercial, global cloud solutions. All data will be stored, processed and managed under Norwegian jurisdiction. The service is being developed to meet strict requirements for security legislation, operational independence and the handling of highly sensitive data.

The initiative is part of Telenor’s Nordic ambition within secure and resilient digital infrastructure. In the initial phase, the solution will be established in Norway, partly due to national regulatory requirements and the need for local control, with the possibility of further development across the Nordics over time.

The solution will be built in collaboration with selected technology partners, while Telenor will retain control over architecture, operations and security. The company will also test and use the services internally, alongside work with external customers.

“We are now building a dedicated professional environment with specialist expertise in security, cloud and infrastructure. Recruitment is already under way, and over time the initiative is expected to involve around 50 people. We are starting small and will grow in line with demand and the development of the service”, says Hilland.

In the initial phase, the initiative will target public sector actors and larger enterprises with critical societal functions, with particular focus on the energy and healthcare sectors. Telenor will work with selected customers to test the concept, with the aim of deciding on a commercial launch based on experience from the pilot phase. Telenor Sovereign Cloud will be established as a standalone company under the Telenor Infrastructure business area.

“The pilot phase will provide valuable insight into how the solution performs in practice – from technology and security requirements to regulatory aspects and commercial potential. These experiences will form the basis for further scaling and commercial launch”, says Hilland.

The initiative will be developed in stages, where market demand will determine the pace and scale of future investment.

With this establishment, Telenor strengthens its position as a provider of critical societal infrastructure. With local presence, strong security expertise and a modern cloud platform, the company will be a strategic partner for organisations with stringent requirements for data protection, digital sovereignty and operational resilience.

“This initiative marks an important step in strengthening Norway’s digital sovereignty”, concludes Hilland.

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Cornerstone and StonesThro tap Neos Networks to support the ‘micro-edge’

News

Neos’ fibre network will be used to connect StonesThro’s distributed compute infrastructure

This week, Neos Networks has announced a new partnership with Cornerstone to connect StonesThro’s edge computing infrastructure.

The deal will see Neos Network’s fibre network connect StonesThro’s microscale, distributed cloud and AI compute units, some of which are being co-located with Cornerstone’s existing telecoms infrastructure deployments.

These edge computing facilities will bring data processing capabilities closer to the end user, resulting in lower latency, which is crucial for latency sensitive use cases like autonomous driving, drones, and factory robots.

The partners also suggest the initiative will support the UK’s goals of greater data sovereignty by supporting Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) customers and reducing the country’s reliance on major international cloud providers.

Neos Networks in the UK’s largest B2B connectivity provider, with a fibre network spanning roughly 34,000km across the UK. It is also deploying fibre infrastructure to support the UK’s rail network as part of Project Reach, in partnership with Network Rail, .

“Our national footprint is the ideal backbone for Cornerstone and StonesThro’s edge AI cloud,” said Lee Myall, CEO at Neos Networks. “Through our high-capacity connectivity, we are providing the UK-wide sovereign coverage, optionality and technical resilience required for high-security projects. We are proud to power the infrastructure that will enable the next generation of real-time applications and critical national services.”

“Working with Neos Networks and Cornerstone allows us to develop and scale sovereign edge AI infrastructure with national reach,” added Andy Bates, CISO at StonesThro. “Their position as the UK’s largest B2B connectivity provider, alongside their access to the rail network through Project Reach, makes them the ideal collaborator to help us deliver a local solution for local people.”

The deal builds on the partnership between Cornerstone and StonesThro announced earlier this year, which aims to “explore how micro-edge cloud computing can strengthen the UK’s digital resilience by bringing compute capacity closer to where it’s actually needed”.

Pilot deployments of StonesThro’s edge cloud technology are already being deployed at some of Cornerstone’s 16,000 sites across the UK.

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Vodafone to take control of VodafoneThree in £4.3bn buyout

News

Vodafone said the deal came at the “right time”, noting that the “significant progress” had already been made in integrating the two businesses

Vodafone has announced it will purchase CK Hutchison’s 49% stake in VodafoneThree for £4.3 billion, giving the UK-based mobile giant full control of the joint venture.

The deal, which values VodafoneThree at £13.85 billion including debt, will be facilitated by a cancellation of shares.

Max Taylor will remain a CEO of the company and Vodafone will retain the use of the Three brand.

CK Hutchison said the deal provided an “attractive” valuation, while Vodafone said deal will allow for continued simplification of operations, with the company aiming to achieve around £700 million in annual capex by the 2030 financial year.

VodafoneThree was formed by the merger of Vodafone UK and CK Hutchison’s Three UK in 2025, following around two years of regulatory scrutiny. The move immediately created the largest mobile operator in the UK, with around 27 million subscribers.

VodafoneThree has pledged to invest £11 billion in upgrading the company’s mobile network over the coming decade, ultimately aiming to reach 99.95% coverage with standalone 5G by 2034.

“A year on from the merger, the team has made remarkable progress, as we maximise the full potential of VodafoneThree and capture the significant synergies. I’m delighted that we will now have full ownership of VodafoneThree as we roll out one of Europe’s most advanced 5G networks, provide the UK’s best customer experience and drive long-term value for our shareholders,” said Margherita Della Valle, Chief Executive of Vodafone Group.

The move itself should not come as a surprise – the terms of the joint venture aways gave Vodafone the option of buying out CK Hutchison after three years, and analysts had regularly speculated that full ownership would be sought after the initial integration had proved successful. However, the speed at which the deal has materialised is notable.

“This deal was always on the cards but comes sooner than expected, with the joint venture still in its first year,” said CCS Insight analyst Kester Mann in a LinkedIn post.

“It also reinforces a wide-held industry view that the Vodafone brands will eventually prevail over the Three brands,” he added.

The deal is subject to regulatory approvals, including those in relation to the UK National Security and Investment Act.

It is expected to close in the second half of this year.

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TELUS and L-SPARK give Canadian startups access to AI supercomputer

Press Release

Inaugural cohort gains exclusive access to Canada’s fastest supercomputer and hands-on commercial expertise to build advanced AI solutions
TELUS and L-SPARK have announced a first-of-its-kind program designed to enable high-potential Canadian startups and scaleups to build, train and deploy advanced AI solutions on
Canada’s fastest and most powerful sovereign AI supercomputer. The TELUS Sovereign AI Accelerator will usher in a new wave of Canadian innovation by accelerating the go-to-market strategies and investment readiness of select businesses.


The inaugural cohort includes ambitious Canadian companies developing breakthrough AI solutions across retail, healthcare, robotics, enterprise software and industrial automation:

  • Airy3D:  Airy3D’s DepthIQ™ IP delivers simultaneous 2D images and 3D depth maps from a single passive image sensor – providing a compact, power-efficient, and cost-effective solution for use in robotics, automotive, industrial automation and consumer devices.
  • Codalio is an AI-driven product and application development platform that empowers startups and companies to launch MVPs and build scalable, enterprise-grade applications faster and more affordably.
  • Edge Signal helps retail and telco retail use physical AI to increase revenue and profitability, improve customer experience and optimize daily operations across every location.
  • PataBid offers AI enterprise-grade construction bidding software designed for complex specialty trades, delivering standardization and risk reduction for commercial, industrial, and institutional projects across teams and regions.
  • TopoLift transforms generic AI into a bespoke intelligence layer that learns the structure of the customer’s business and grows smarter with their data – delivering clearer reasoning, fewer errors and highly accurate, context-aware decisions.

Participants gain immediate access to the TELUS Sovereign AI Factory, paired with tailored business advisory support from L-SPARK, Canada’s leading corporate accelerator and innovation partner. This powerful combination of high-performance computing and hands-on commercial expertise equips these startups to transform ambitious AI roadmaps into scalable, market-ready offerings that strengthen Canada’s position in the global AI economy.

“Canada has no shortage of talented AI visionaries and founders, but too often they lack the coordinated support needed to scale from promising ideas to globally-competitive businesses,” said Hesham Fahmy, Chief Information Officer, TELUS. “The TELUS Sovereign AI Accelerator demolishes those barriers. By arming founders with the same high-performance AI infrastructure available to tech giants – combined with hands-on advisory support – we’re enabling them to accelerate development, strengthen their market position and build AI companies that dominate the world stage, right here in Canada.”

“Great AI companies aren’t built on technology alone – they’re built on execution, focus and access to the right expertise at the right time,” said Leo Lax, Executive Managing Director, L-SPARK. “Through the TELUS Sovereign AI Accelerator, we’re working hand-in-hand with each company to refine their product and position them for sustainable growth. This cohort represents the future of Canadian innovation, and our mission is to ensure they have everything they need to translate that potential into accelerated traction.”

Participating companies will receive compute credits from the TELUS AI Factory – powered by 99% renewable energy and NVIDIA platform – alongside one-on-one guidance from seasoned L-SPARK executive advisors. The six-month engagement is designed to fast-track product development, unlock new customer relationships and build the investor networks critical to long-term success, all while maintaining complete control over data and intellectual property.

The initiative underscores TELUS and L-SPARK’s shared commitment to strengthen Canada’s AI ecosystem by enabling founders to build and scale transformative technologies – securely, responsibly and domestically.