Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.

Four bits of data center news: one acquisition, two upgrades, and a collaboration in the AI space: … [visit site to read more]

Two new facilities, recently opened by Pixxel and Apple, underline the continuing attraction to technology companies of the Indian market in general and the city of Bengaluru in particular.

Pixxel, a specialist in hyperspectral earth-imaging technology inaugurated its first spacecraft manufacturing facility (called MegaPixxel) in Bengaluru this week.

The new facility, spanning more than 30,000 square feet, consolidates all satellite manufacturing services, providing a comprehensive spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) facility under one roof.

The facility, Pixxel says, will ensure a streamlined production process from concept to launch — providing a space for Pixxel’s satellites to be designed from scratch, manufactured, integrated and tested for launch conditions before being shipped to a launch site.

At full capacity, the facility is equipped to handle more than 20 satellites simultaneously that can be turned around within a timeframe of six months, making a total capacity of 40 large satellites per year possible.

The space is uniquely designed, with two modern clean rooms of ISO Class 7 and ISO Class 8 that safeguard against contaminants that could impair satellite functionality during the satellite assembly and integration process.

Additionally, it houses labs for advanced camera integration, electronics R&D, and electrical assembly, along with a mechanical workshop, a mission control room, and an office space that can accommodate more than 200 employees. 

Pixxel’s facility will also feature a wastewater treatment plant to help conserve water and reduce water dependency as well as smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to further enhance energy efficiency and minimise carbon footprint.

Meanwhile Apple has opened its latest Indian office in Bengaluru, underlining its commitment to the world’s second-largest smartphone market – and its divergence outside of China.

The new Apple office will house up to 1,200 employees and comprises 15 floors, dedicated lab space, and areas for collaboration and wellness.

This is the latest addition to Apple’s corporate office footprint across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gurugram. The company has nearly 3,000 employees in India.

Telecom Egypt and Zain Omantel International (ZOI) have announced plans to forge what they call a new digital corridor, bridging the Mediterranean and Arabian seas.

Telecom Egypt describes itself as Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region. Global wholesale services provider Zain Omantel International (ZOI) has access to more than 20 international subsea cables in the region (we reported on the launch of ZOI in May 2023). They are now joining forces to establish the corridor which, they say, will seamlessly connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian Sea and Arabian Gulf, creating an ‘unprecedented’ Eurasian data highway.

The infrastructure will extend from Oman’s Arabian Sea and Gulf shores to Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline, employing a high-fibre-count, cutting-edge blend of terrestrial and subsea segments.

The terrestrial segments, spanning Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, promise what is described as unparalleled reliability and protection, while the subsea section, directly linking Saudi Arabia and Egypt through the Red Sea, will feature a high-capacity repeaterless cable system.

Telecom Egypt and ZOI say this route design will provide their partners and customers with the best resiliency and reliability for their end-to-end solution. Furthermore, the infrastructure will be extended to Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan through ZOI’s network and collaboration with the licensed cable landing parties in each country.

This collaboration also offers an opportunity for subsea cable owners. By connecting to this open access system, they can significantly reduce their construction costs and greatly enhance latency, resilience and market response times.

Telecom Egypt will develop new infrastructure across Egypt from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and onwards to Europe, complemented by ZOI’s robust infrastructure across the Middle East. This new network route, say the project partners, will have the shortest, enhanced-latency profile, giving hyperscalers, subsea cable providers, carriers and telecom operators improved connectivity options from the Indian Ocean to Europe.

Two of the biggest network operators and the Middle East are teaming up to change the way data traverses the Middle East. Zain Omantel International and Telecom Egypt announced today that they will build a new open-access digital corridor between the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean. … [visit site to read more]

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.

NEC Corporation India (NEC India) has completed a flagship optical submarine cable system in Southern India connecting Kochi and the Lakshadweep Islands.

The Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Cable (KLI), developed under the Government of India’s ‘Digital India’ Mission, was inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The initiative was first announced by Modi during a speech commemorating India’s 74th Independence Day in 2020, during which the Prime Minister pledged that the route would be completed within 1000 days.

Funded by the Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications, the project was executed by state-owned operator BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), which awarded the contract to NEC India in September 2021.

Completed ahead of schedule in June 2023, the system spans approximately 1,870 kilometres and offers an initial capacity of 2×100 Gbps, expandable up to 1,600 Gbps per fibre pair. It connects the port city of Kochi on the mainland to 11 Lakshadweep islands: Agatti, Andrott, Amini, Bangaram, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kavaratti, Kiltan, Kelpeni, and Minicoy.

Providing ample bandwidth for voice and data connectivity, the cable supports e-Governance initiatives, facilitates new enterprises, and enables e-commerce facilities. Aligned with the Digital India Mission, it aids knowledge sharing in educational institutes and ensures electronic access to Government services for citizens.

“Following the successful completion of an optical submarine cable system connecting Chennai, India and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) in December 2020, NEC is honoured to yet again take part in this prestigious project which we hope will open a wide range of opportunities for the people on the Lakshadweep Islands,” said Atsushi Kuwahara, Managing Director, Submarine Network Division, NEC.