Plenty of infrastructure news from around the industry this week to catch up with: … [visit site to read more]

Indian billionaire and Bharti Enterprises chairperson Sunil Mittal (pictured) has sold US$976 million worth of Bharti Airtel shares as he looks to secure funds for other ventures.

According to Bloomberg, Mittal’s company, Indian Continental Investment – a founding entity of Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator – sold 51 million shares (0.84%) for INR 84.85 billion (US$976 million).

Around a quarter of these shares were sold to holding company Bharti Telecom, while the remainder went to GQG Partners LLC, Fidelity Investments, Lazard Inc., SBI Life Insurance Co., and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co., sources told Bloomberg.

The share sale disclosure follows Bharti Airtel’s strong financial performance, including a 460.9% year-on-year surge in net profit, driven by growth in its Indian mobile business and investments in African markets.

Mittal is also invested in UK-based satellite company OneWeb, after Bharti Enterprises acquired a 24.5% stake from BT Group last year.

Three vendor wins, an IX, and a new data center project: … [visit site to read more]

Intracom Telecom, a global technology systems and solutions provider, is once again participating in Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, taking place on March 3-6, 2025.

At the company’s stand #7B44 in Hall 7, Intracom Telecom will feature its cutting-edge technologies designed to drive growth across diversified customers and industries.

More specifically, Intracom Telecom will unveil its Smart Carrier-Grade wireless transport & FWA portfolio. On display there will be the latest innovations for mmWave FWA connecting subscribers with speeds up to 2Gbps and at ranges exceeding 8km. The company will also showcase its Long-Range E-Band Solutions, demonstrating its unique technology with symmetrical speed up to 38 Gbps perfectly suited for the demands of the 5G/5G+ era. The portfolio will also feature advanced technologies for 5G Backhaul, offering Multi-Gigabit MW Transmission. Furthermore, Intracom Telecom’s Network Lifecycle Automation solutions will be showcased, demonstrating how they streamline deployment, management, and optimization across diverse network environments.

Additionally, the Group will unveil its high-performance antennas with Intelligent Beam Tracking technology, ensuring optimal network efficiency and superior connectivity, even in challenging weather conditions.

In the software domain, Intracom Telecom will highlight AI-driven solutions focused on sustainability, quality of experience (QoE), and customer experience (CX). Specifically, the company will present new platform features designed to optimize the efficiency of telco networks, data centers, and OpenRAN-based radio access networks. Using AI and real-time monitoring, these features enhance performance through accurate KPI prediction and digital twin profiling of RAN infrastructure. Another key attraction will be the latest release of its Unified Data and AI platform, that empowers its customers to easily develop and deploy Generative AI applications based on commercial and open-source language models, enabling use of AI Agents to take over complex and labor-intensive tasks, allowing them to achieve unprecedented cost efficiencies and decreased time to market.

Alexandros Tarnaris, Corporate Communications Director at Intracom Telecom Group, stated: “MWC 2025 provides an excellent platform for us to demonstrate how our innovative solutions are empowering operators and ISPs to meet the evolving demands of modern networks. We’ve been participating in this show since 2007, and every year our R&D team develops new technologies to showcase. This year, the technologies on display are designed to drive efficiency, sustainability, and superior customer experiences across AI, FWA, 5G, and beyond.”

To book a meeting with the Intracom Telecom team at MWC 2025, visit our dedicated webpage at: https://www.intracom-telecom.com/misc/mwc25/

Space42, the UAE-based AI-powered spacetech company, has announced a strategic collaboration with FADA, an entity that is part of UAE’s EDGE, a technology company established to develop the UAE’s sovereign geospatial analytics capabilities, to significantly advance the UAE’s Earth observation (EO) downstream capabilities.

The contract, valued at AED378 million (about US$103 million), aims to provide comprehensive solutions across various sectors.

The collaboration will leverage data from Space42’s Foresight Constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, first launched in August 2024 and expanded in January 2025. Space42 and FADA say they will collaborate with multiple government end users to continuously develop the platform capabilities over the next few years.

The collaboration, says Space42, will elevate the capabilities of its Earth observation technologies and contribute significantly to the UAE’s strategic objectives in data-driven decision-making by leveraging advanced analytics and multi-source geospatial data.

Launched in September last year, FADA’s mission is to develop sovereign space capabilities and homegrown technologies in the UAE. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for space.

Waleid Al Mesmari, President – Space & Cyber Technologies, EDGE, explains: « With the launch of FADA, EDGE’s new space company, we are reinforcing our commitment to pioneering advanced technologies and strengthening national capabilities. FADA’s mission to develop sovereign space solutions and drive innovation in satellite systems aligns with this collaboration. « 

As we reported at the time, Space42 was established in 2024 following the successful merger between Bayanat, an AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite operator. It has two business units. The Yahsat Space Services unit focuses on upstream satellite operations for both fixed and mobility satellite solutions. The Bayanat Smart Solutions unit integrates geospatial data acquisition and processing with AI to inform decision-making, enhance situational awareness, and improve operational efficiency.

Two regional fiber items and three international upgrades: … [visit site to read more]

UAE-based telco du said on Monday it has signed a partnership deal with PEACE Cable International Network Co Limited to extend the PEACE subsea cable system into the UAE and Gulf region.

The open-access PEACE cable – which went live at the end of August 2024 – spans 21,500 km between Singapore and France, with landing points in Pakistan, Kenya, Somalia, Tunisia, Maldives, Seychelles, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malta and Cyprus. The system sports 16 Tbps per fibre pair with a maximum design capacity of 192 Tbps.

While the main cable itself is privately owned by PEACE – a subsidiary of China-based Hengtong Group – the branching units are owned by telco partners. For example, Zain owns the branch connecting Jeddah and Marseille, while Ooredoo Tunisia owns the Tunisian branch, Cyta owns the branch to Cyprus, and GO owns the branch to Malta.

Similarly, du will construct a new branch, the PEACE Gulf Extension, which will extend the system’s reach to the UAE.

Karim Benkirane, chief commercial officer at du, said the partnership deal with PEACE will boost the telco’s capabilities to provide better network performance and managed services across the region, and enhance digital transformation and connectivity for its wholesale and enterprise customers.

“This collaboration will bring about significant economic and digital advancements, ensuring our customers enjoy unparalleled reliability and value,” he said in a statement.

The PEACE Gulf Extension branch is projected to be ready for service by the second half of 2026.

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When it comes to subsea cables, there are short ones, long ones, really long ones, and now there is Project Waterworth. Over the weekend, Meta announced its latest subsea cable infrastructure project that would span 50,000km and connect the east coast of the US with the west coast of the US, via, well, everywhere. … [visit site to read more]