SoleCrypt, a provider of sustainable digital infrastructure, has announced plans for the SoleCrypt AI Campus in Bizerte, Tunisia, a 40 MW campus, beginning with a 7 MW first phase designed around the Nvidia HGX Rubin NVL8 platform.

This campus, Solecrypt says, represents a significant step towards developing sovereign AI infrastructure in North Africa.

As North Africa’s first purpose-built AI factory, the campus will support advanced AI workloads, including model training and inference. Phase One is designed to deploy 1,728 Nvidia Rubin GPUs, supported by high-density liquid cooling and resilient power infrastructure

Located approximately 3.6 kilometres by routed fibre path from the Medusa subsea cable landing, the campus will benefit from strategic connectivity to European and international networks.

SoleCrypt says sustainability is central to its approach. The development is supported by a dedicated 60 MW solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Tozeur, designed to contribute new renewable electricity to Tunisia’s national grid while supporting the growth of AI infrastructure.

The campus brings together expertise across technology, engineering and infrastructure delivery, including partner companies such as Hosted.AI, bringing GPU capacity to market by translating high-density AI infrastructure into accessible cloud services for enterprises, startups and research organisations.

Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management, automation and digitalisation, is key technology advisor, providing AI data centre reference architectures co-developed with multinational technology company Nvidia, alongside electrification, secure power, liquid cooling and intelligent infrastructure management solutions.

Planning, engineering and project management company Meinhardt provides independent technical review and assurance, Sterling & Wilson Data Centre (SWDC) is an international data centre EPC specialist, and Maerifa Solutions is an Nvidia Partner Network (NPN) Solution Provider Partner specialising in AI infrastructure solutions, leading the AI factory infrastructure architecture and bringing expertise in GPU cluster design, high-density computing and infrastructure scalability.

Also involved is Supermicro, a longstanding Nvidia partner specialising in GPU-optimised systems and direct liquid cooling AI infrastructure.

Expected to be operational in early 2028, the project aims to establish sovereign AI computing infrastructure in the region, enabling access to advanced computing capacity for businesses, startups and research organisations across North Africa and the wider MENA region.

A significant chunk of modern metro fiber is changing hands in the New York/New Jersey metro area. Today Pilot Fiber and Boldyn Networks have agreed to a transaction that will see Pilot take over Boldyn’s enterprise fiber footprint across the region. … [visit site to read more]

AI could help emerging market operators improve field workforce productivity and build new enterprise services, but simply adding it to existing operations will not reduce costs, says Markus Persson, Global Telecommunications Industry Director at IFS.

Persson (pictured, below), a telecoms veteran whose career includes experience with Ericsson, said AI could help emerging-market operators improve field workforce productivity and develop new enterprise services. But simply adding AI to existing operations will not reduce costs. “AI by itself would not save them any money,” said Persson, IFS’s Global Telecommunications Industry Director.

The savings depend on what operators change as a result. That could mean retiring software licences, reducing reliance on subcontractors, or using existing staff to handle more work before expanding the organisation. Persson described downsizing the operator’s own workforce as a last resort.

“If you are to save money, you have to cut expenses somewhere,” he said. “If you just take AI and put it in and work like you always have, you just become a little bit more efficient. You will be able to do more, but it will cost you more.”

For operators in markets where margins are tight and extending coverage is expensive, the distinction matters. Persson said AI is currently more of a cost-cutting opportunity, although he expects it to become more of a revenue-generating one over time.

That shift could come through enterprise connectivity. Persson said operators could use IFS applications to monitor service level agreements for connectivity sold to factories and other businesses. He argued that operators have yet to realise the full promise of 5G for business-to-business services, in part because they may struggle to connect with prospective customers in other industries or speak their language.

IFS works with customers in manufacturing, mining, construction and engineering, among other sectors. Persson said that experience could help operators identify and serve enterprise customers. AI could also free up staff to pursue new business, he said, since developing an offer and winning initial customers may take a dedicated team months or even years. Once a service is established and repeatable, expansion should become easier.

Persson pointed to Singtel as an example of an operator that has grown its business-to-business sales and customer base across the region. He said few operators had achieved that kind of scale with 5G, while noting Singtel’s ownership of operators in other markets, including Optus in Australia and Bharti in India.

The opportunity may be particularly relevant in emerging markets, where mobile services play a larger role in daily life and the economy, Persson said. He noted that mobile money is more widely used in parts of Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia than in Europe and North America, and cited MTN’s mobile money business as an example. Operators can be among the most reliable companies in some markets, he added.

Persson argued that operators in these markets could be quicker than their counterparts in Europe and North America to turn AI into revenue because they are accustomed to working with fewer resources. He compared the adoption of mobile money in African markets with its later arrival in Sweden.

Productivity depends on the workday

Field operations offer another potential source of efficiency, but Persson cautioned that software cannot create savings simply by reducing the time needed for individual jobs.

He said IFS had seen field workforce efficiency improve by 70 to 75 per cent when workers followed the jobs assigned to them. He also referred to improvements of more than 80 per cent in the United States. These figures describe efficiency gains, however, not necessarily equivalent reductions in costs.

If a technician saves five minutes on each job but uses that time for a longer break, the operator has not completed more work or reduced its spending. Savings emerge when the time saved is enough to fit an additional job into the working day. Persson described the effect as a “hockey stick”: productivity may rise without a corresponding financial gain until the team can complete another job.

The result also depends on conditions outside the software, including whether workers travel by car or bicycle and the state of local roads, he said. Operational gains shown in a presentation still need to be tested against practical conditions.

On infrastructure, Persson said operators moving to newer network equipment may encounter AI whether or not they choose to deploy it themselves. Equipment from vendors including Nokia, Huawei and Ericsson already incorporates AI for tasks such as self-configuration and adjusting parameters to suit network conditions.

He distinguished that embedded network functionality from AI used to change how operations and maintenance teams work. It is in those working practices, he said, that operators have more choice and where decisions about staffing, processes and spending will determine whether AI produces savings.

Security requires controls and human oversight

Persson said IFS had restricted the capabilities of its AI products in favour of security. He described earlier versions of IFS’s Intelligence product as having too much dependence on OpenAI, making it harder for IFS to control where data came from, where it went and how it was stored or used.

The company built additional controls around its products and data, he said. Intelligence does not store information unless a user instructs it to update something in IFS Cloud. The product also follows the user’s login permissions, so it can access only the data that person could access through the application.

Persson said IFS had held back some functionality to avoid breaching security requirements. He also said the company was working with its AI partners to determine how their respective tools could go to market in a way that provides value to the customer and gives each partner a fair return.

For operators considering where to introduce AI, Persson said he would be more cautious about using it in continuous integration and continuous development pipelines. Traditional workflows follow a set sequence, while goal-oriented agents can take different paths to reach an outcome. Some paths could be more damaging than others, he said. IFS is routing its agents through the same security controls used by Intelligence.

Persson’s central safeguard is that AI should not take consequential action without human approval. “As soon as it changes something, it never changes without the one who initiated it approving,” he said.

He rejected the idea that responsibility can be passed to an AI agent. “AI doesn’t start by itself. It’s always initiated by someone,” he said. The person who starts an agent remains responsible for its actions, in the same way a supervisor is accountable for an employee’s work.

Technical safeguards are only part of the picture, Persson added. Operators also need governance and a culture that encourages responsible use. “You can implement all the security you want in software, but if you have the door open, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Resilience, channel, and subsea: … [visit site to read more]

Continuing efforts by countries across the Middle East to develop domestic space ecosystems encompassing satellite infrastructure have been underlined by recent announcements from Oman and Iraq relating to ground stations.

Durri Space and Cailabs have signed a contract for the deployment of three optical ground stations across Oman, targeted to be operational by 2028. The network will be owned by Durri Space and powered by Cailabs technology.

Durri Space is an Omani space communications company and part of Enjaaz Group, a company delivering satellite-powered insights to governments and enterprises across the Gulf and beyond. Cailabs says it builds ground systems that make laser communications deployable.

The project is described as a significant step in Durri Space’s ambition to develop a long-term optical communications capability in the Sultanate. The network will support Oman’s national space ambitions, while opening the infrastructure to international satellite operators with growing data downlink requirements.

Durri Space selected Cailabs to provide the optical ground station technology for the network. Cailabs’ TILBA-OGS L10 has already been deployed internationally and used to establish bidirectional space-to-ground optical links.

The system combines proprietary atmospheric turbulence mitigation with automated operation. Built on a common technical platform, the three stations will form a distributed optical network across Oman. The TILBA-OGS L10 supports high-capacity communications with low-Earth-orbit satellites and interoperability with optical terminals using widely adopted Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) and US Space Development Agency standards.

Beyond deploying the initial infrastructure, Durri Space and Cailabs intend to support the development of Omani talent and local expertise in optical communications. Together, they say, the three stations will give Oman the infrastructure to receive high-capacity satellite data, serve international operators, and strengthen its position in the emerging optical communications ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Iraq has launched a national satellite ground station designed to provide secure communications for government agencies, aviation services and remote areas, while allowing more data to be routed and stored inside the country rather than through infrastructure abroad.

The station is the first satellite teleport ground station established in Iraq since 2003. The facility is operated entirely by Ministry of Communications personnel and will support a range of civilian and security applications.

These will include satellite internet, television broadcasting, communications for security and military agencies, air-navigation services and VSAT-based connectivity for provinces and remote areas where terrestrial infrastructure may be limited.

The station has also been connected to the ministry’s fibre optic network, allowing satellite and terrestrial communications to operate as an integrated system.

According to the Kurdistan24 news service, primary and backup fibre routes have been established, allowing alternative connections if the main route is interrupted.

Indonesia’s PRT BRIN, and Indian companies Signaltron and Signalchip Innovations have signed a letter of intent for collaboration and co-development in the field of electronics, telecommunications, networking and drone technologies.

Under this arrangement, government agency BRIN, connectivity products company Signaltron and fabless semiconductor company Signalchip aim to collaborate to create secure, high-performance, and customised connectivity solutions in supporting the goal of connecting the unconnected in Indonesia, particularly in remote, under-served and island regions. 

Research Centre for Telecommunication (PRT) under the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), is a sovereign research arm which works in the fields of advanced communication technologies including next-generation antennas, 6G and sub-Terahertz communication, among others, focusing on solutions for connectivity in Indonesia.

India’s Economic Times news service points out that Signaltron has developed advanced communication technologies ranging from small cells for local area deployment to micro and macro-level base stations like 4G and 5G using chips developed by Signalchip.

The areas of cooperation that the parties intend to work on include network customisation and the development of connectivity topologies suited to Indonesia’s archipelagic conditions, inter-island and intra-island solutions to provide last-mile connectivity to the underserved regions and pilot deployments of 4G/5G connectivity solutions, and future-generation solutions (including 6G), in both urban and rural settings. 

Signaltron, Signalchip and BRIN also intend to pursue joint research and co- development of advanced solutions for tropical and maritime environments in telecommunications, networking, positioning, optical networks, high-speed data and drone/unmanned aircraft system (UAS) integration.

A partnership expansion, some intercity momentum, and a bit of M&A: … [visit site to read more]

Ericsson will merge its North East Asia and South East Asia, Oceania and India operations into a single Asia-Pacific unit from 2027, as part of a broader effort to streamline its structure and improve efficiency.

Patrick Johansson, currently head of Market Area Europe, Middle East and Africa, will lead the new Market Area Asia-Pacific, and remain on Ericsson’s Executive Team. The company said it will begin recruiting a successor to Johansson in EMEA.

Chafic Nassif, who leads North East Asia, and Andres Vicente, head of South East Asia, Oceania and India, will support the transition before handing over their responsibilities on 31 December 2026.

New Ericsson CEO Per Narvinger said the consolidation is intended to help it operate more effectively across Asia-Pacific while maintaining a focus on customers and individual countries. It forms part of a broader simplification of the company’s operating structure, which Ericsson says is designed to strengthen customer focus, make greater use of its research and development capabilities, improve accountability and drive efficiencies.

The announcement came alongside Ericsson’s third-quarter results. The figures offer context for the company’s focus on efficiency, although Ericsson did not say that the APAC changes were a direct response to financial performance or to results in the region.

For the quarter, reported sales rose 6% year over year to SEK 59.5 billion (US$6 billion), while organic sales increased 7%, primarily on higher Networks sales. Organic sales grew in three of Ericsson’s four market areas. Adjusted EBITA was SEK 10.1 billion, down from SEK 15.8 billion a year earlier, but the comparison included a SEK 7.6 billion capital gain in the prior-year period. Adjusted EBITA margin was 17.0%, compared with 28.1% a year ago.

Narvinger described the quarter as strong, while pointing to a flat radio access network market, elevated geopolitical uncertainty and higher component costs as challenges ahead. The company said it is pursuing portfolio optimisation, pricing and efficiency measures to offset cost pressures and strengthen competitiveness.

The APAC consolidation is one element of a wider organisational reshuffle. Ericsson is also moving the portfolio of its Business Area Enterprise Wireless Solutions into other parts of the company, saying this will help create research and development synergies and provide scale for product innovation. Neutral Host and Ericsson Private 5G will move into Business Area Networks, while Wireless WAN will remain a standalone business reporting to the head of Market Area Americas.

Taken together, the announcements indicate a push to streamline management and bring related activities closer together as Ericsson seeks to improve execution and respond to market pressures. The company’s stated rationale for the new APAC unit, however, centres on operating more effectively across the region and serving customers – not on a specific regional financial shortfall.

Millicom, the digital telecommunications and media company operating primarily under the Tigo brand in Latin America, has announced an investment of approximately US$2.665 billion in Colombia over the next four years.

This follows its acquisition of Movistar Colombia, which we reported in February. The investment in Colombia, which will be added to the US$1.411 billion invested in acquisitions in the country, will be used to strengthen the capacity of the mobile network, expand coverage and increase the capacity of the fibre optic network.

According to the BNamericas website, the company has plans to cover 80% of the main cities with 5G and invest in more than 1,200 sites to cover approximately two million Colombians who do not have mobile service or may not have access to a second provider.

In Ecuador, where it has bought Telefonica Ecuador, Tigo plans to invest around US$460 million over the next three to four years, again on upgrades, including modernisation and expansion of the network, digital infrastructure, and improving the customer experience.

Investments of some US$440 million are also planned in the operations of the former Telefónica Uruguay and in the company’s existing operations in Honduras, where US$1 billion will be spent over the next five years.

According to BNamericas, the projected investments in Colombia added to those announced in Ecuador and Uruguay, bring planned investment to a total of US$3.725 billion over the next three to four years. The company has not yet announced investment figures for its operation in Chile.

Almost 30 suspected scammers have been arrested and 3.7 million online profiles and accounts removed as part of a multi-agency crackdown – also involving private sector companies – against fraud perpetrated from across Africa.

The arrests, which took place in recent weeks, primarily in Ghana and Nigeria, happened as more than 100 people from overseas law enforcement agencies and tech companies gathered in London to participate in an operational intensification targeting crime groups operating across Africa and the infrastructure that they use to target victims in the UK and beyond.

Officers from such organisations as the FBI, Nigeria Police Force and Ghanaian Cyber Security Authority were joined by industry representatives from 15 companies including Meta, Microsoft and Google.

According to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which hosted the event between 6 and 9 October, operational activity took place both during that week and in the run-up to the event. The operations included focus on fraudsters based in West African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, where social media profiles are used to target victims of a number of fraud types, including investment and impersonation fraud.

Report Fraud, a UK service that enables people to tell the police about cybercrime and fraud, worked with tech giant Meta to provide data to identify fraud enablers. The NCA and other law enforcement agencies worked closely with industry to help locate the suspects behind the scams leading to their arrests. Meta also played a key role in coordinating the event and encouraging broad private sector participation to maximise scam compound disruption.

Over 1,110 West African Facebook and Instagram accounts that were associated with the data provided by Report Fraud were disabled, as were over 490 Facebook accounts and over 490 ad accounts identified by the UK’s OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) Data Enforcement. OCC Data Domain Enforcement identified and disabled over 380 scam domains that were assessed to potentially be associated with the scam domains provided by the OCC.

Arrests and seizure of associated electronic devices took place in the Sasaabi, Accra region of Ghana and the Delta State in Nigeria. This was a multi-agency operation led by the Ghana Cyber Security Authority, supported by the NCA, Ghana Police Service, FBI, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria.

The crackdown also saw 3.7 million online profiles and accounts removed by Meta and a total of $11 million dollars in potential freezable funds were identified by the private sector partners.

Will it be enough? As Ecofin notes, in its cyberthreat assessment published in June 2025, Interpol reported that more than 30% of crimes reported in West and East Africa were linked to cybercrime, based on data provided by the countries surveyed. However, in its African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, Interpol recommends strengthening digital investigation capabilities, cross-border cooperation and partnerships between law enforcement agencies and private companies, so this initiative seems to be a timely one.