News reports from China indicate that a Chinese state-owned enterprise has this week launched the first batch of satellites in a major new constellation.

Reuters say the launch marks an important step in Beijing’s strategic goal of creating its own version of Starlink, the commercial broadband constellation that has launched close to 6,000 satellites via spacecraft manufacturer, launch service provider and satellite communications company SpaceX.

SpaceX started launching satellites for its constellation and internet service Starlink in 2019. The Starlink service is available in over 100 countries with a target user base of consumers, companies and government agencies, mainly in remote areas.

The Chinese launch, led by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), took place at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, one of China’s main satellite and missile launch centres, located in the northern province of Shanxi, according to the China Securities Journal.

The eventual plan is to deploy more than 15,000 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It’s a big number but many more of these are required than the higher-altitude geostationary (GEO) satellites to guarantee comprehensive coverage.

However, as Starlink has already demonstrated, they can be mass produced and, as they operate at altitudes of 300 kilometres to 2,000 kilometres, they have fewer issues with latency and offer higher throughput than GEO satellites.

However, China’s project is not just a commercial venture. The country is apparently worried about the use of Starlink in military contexts (such as its deployment in the war in Ukraine). As Reuters notes, the competition to occupy Earth’s lower orbits has military implications, with the potential to affect the balance of power between warring countries.

It says SSST’s plan is to launch 108 satellites this year, 648 satellites by the end of 2025, provide a « global network coverage » by 2027, and reach 15,000 satellites deployed before 2030.

It’s no secret that AI is driving more than a few infrastructure decisions here and there in the industry right now. Most of what we hear about is in the data center arena as companies build more high density colo in which to put all the necessary racks and servers to scale AI. But now we are starting too see the same AI demand drive new behavior in the fiber sector in order to properly connect it all. … [visit site to read more]

One M&A move plus three other bits of infrastructure ecosystem teamwork of note from the end of last week: … [visit site to read more]

UPDATE: Bangladesh’s Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has confirmed that he has assumed power following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has now fled the country. At the time of writing, data from NetBlocks indicates that internet connectivity has been restored and remains available in Bangladesh.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Bangladesh government ordered mobile operators to shut down 4G services again on Sunday – just days after services were switched back on – amid a fresh wave of deadly violence as protesters demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

According to various media reports, mobile operators said they received orders from the government to shut off their 4G services. Netblocks confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it detected a drop in internet connectivity in Bangladesh on Sunday that was mainly impacting mobile networks. By mid-day Monday, fixed broadband services were down as well. 

Of the over 131 million internet users in Bangladesh at the end of 2023, the vast majority – 118.49 million – are mobile internet users.

Meanwhile, access to social media sites has also been blocked for all internet users by order of the government, after being briefly restored last Wednesday.

It’s the second time in less than a month that mobile internet services in Bangladesh have been shut down by the government. Bangladesh’s mobile internet went dark on July 17, followed by a complete internet blackout on July 18. Fixed broadband connectivity was fully restored on July 24, while mobile internet services came back online on July 28.

State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak has maintained that last month’s internet blackout was not ordered by the government, but the result of “planned sabotage” by protesters. However, the government has provided little evidence for this, and telecoms experts have questioned whether the damage described by Palak could result in a complete blackout.

The initial internet shutdown occurred after violence broke out amid student protests against a new government jobs quota system that allegedly favored the ruling Awami League party led by Hasina. At least 150 people were reportedly killed in clashes between students, pro-Awami League groups and police.

The latest shutdown comes amid more protests over the weekend in which tens of thousands of protesters demanded Hasina’s resignation, which led to more violent clashes between the same groups. According to media reports, at least 100 people were killed on Sunday.

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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.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Robert Bianco, Chief Commercial Officer of HYLAN

The data center construction landscape is shifting at an unprecedented pace, driven by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and its profound implications. AI integration is fundamentally reshaping the industry; necessitating expanded infrastructure and advanced design specifications to meet growing computational needs. … [visit site to read more]

Indian authorities have hit leading IT outsourcer Infosys with a US$3.9 billion tax demand – and some news reports suggest the pursuit of alleged unpaid taxes will soon target other big names.

According to the UK’s Financial Times the demand came as the Indian IT industry was showing early signs of recovery following a worldwide tech spending slowdown. Indeed, Infosys and other relevant players, like Tata Consultancy Services, posted buoyant quarterly earnings earlier in July. 

Infosys has apparently been issued notices for payment of goods and services tax (GST) by agencies in its home state of Karnataka and from the national Directorate General of GST Intelligence for the period of July 2017 to March 2022.

The tax demand relates to “expenses incurred by overseas branch offices”, says Infosys, whose headquarters, like those of a number of IT companies, are in the Karnataka capital Bengaluru. It does not agree that GST applies on these expenses.

Reuters, however, suggests Indian authorities may soon issue notices to more major IT services firms in an investigation of alleged tax evasion related to work done by their overseas offices. Reuters says these overseas offices carry out projects for Indian IT firms and provide services to international clients, among other functions.

This isn’t just about IT, however. In the last year, India’s GST department has sent more than 1,000 notices to companies, including Life Insurance Corporation of India, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Ultratech Cement.

Tax authorities have also issued notices to online gaming companies demanding a total of about 1 trillion rupees (about US$12 billion) in taxes that they have allegedly evaded. Many companies have challenged these demands in tribunals and courts.

This isn’t the first backdated tax claim from Indian officials, as Vodafone, a company that has successfully fought retrospective taxes, might point out.

As we reported at the end of the 14-year dispute, the Indian government decided to nullify its own tax demands against Vodafone, apparently to improve perceptions of its stance on taxation in order to encourage foreign investment into the market. But could the recent drive to pursue alleged unpaid taxes undermine this effort?

Three global expansion projects and one domestic FTTx buildout: … [visit site to read more]