Four bits of news from the last mile of the fiber business around the US: … [visit site to read more]

The Southeast Asian smartphone market rebounded in 2024 as vendors shipped 96.7 million units, an annual growth rate of 11%, snapping two years of decline.

For the first time, Chinese smartphone vendor Oppo led the Southeast Asian market, shipping 16.9 million units – a 14% annual increase – and capturing 18% market share. Samsung ranked second, with shipments declining by 9% to 16.6 million units, securing a 17% market share. Transsion and Xiaomi shared third place, each accounting for 16% of the market with 15.5 million units shipped. Notably, Transsion saw a 41% surge in annual shipments, while Xiaomi grew by 21%. Vivo placed fifth with a 13% market share, shipping 12.3 million units – an annual growth rate of 14%.

Canalys Analyst Le Xuan Chiew highlighted that Southeast Asia’s rebound outpaced the global average of 7%. However, despite this growth, the average selling price (ASP) declined due to price-conscious consumers. Samsung’s shipments dropped 9% year-on-year, yet it bucked the trend of falling ASPs, recording a 14% increase in this metric.

“The high-end smartphone market in Southeast Asia has gained momentum, driven by vendors expanding their distribution through new channels. Brands that invested in their channels during the 2023 slowdown are now capitalising on those efforts, ramping up marketing to attract a growing base of upgraders,” added Chiew.

The analyst noted that a vendor’s ranking by volume is “no longer a reliable measure of a brand’s market position” due to short product lifecycles, shipment lead times, and the frequent launch of new models each quarter. Instead, he pointed to value share, operational efficiency, and profitability as better indicators of market standing.

News

Four sites have been identified by the utility company, with two more targeted by 2026

France’s state-owned utility company Electricite de France (EDF) says it has identified four locations on its land that could be ideal for data centre deployment.

The energy giant says each site could host a data centre campus with 2GW of capacity, with the benefit of already being connected to the electricity grid.

“For digital companies who wish to do so, EDF will also offer personalized support for the end-to-end completion of the necessary steps to develop their project,” said EDF in an announcement.

The company added that the broad availability of nuclear power in France makes it a highly competitive environment when it comes to reliable, clean energy.

France currently has 57 active nuclear power plants, by far the most on the continent, with only Russia and Ukraine also passing double digits among its European neighbours.

EDF has been quick to capitalise on the AI-fuelled data centre investment boom, with reports last year suggesting the company has already entered into discussions with three companies to provide power infrastructure to three corresponding 1 GW data centre projects in France.

The identification of yet more possible data centre sites came alongside a slew of French infrastructure investment news this week, capitalising on the AI summit being hosted by the French government in Paris. The meeting saw meetings between major political and business leaders from around the world, seeking to align themselves on the technology’s future direction.

Before the summit kicked off, French AI unicorn Mistral announced that it is preparing to invest ‘several billions of euros’ to build its own data centre in the country. At the same time, Swedish startup Evroc has also announced plans to build a French hyperscale data centre.

Both of these announcements follow a major deal last week that will see the UAE announced that it is investing ‘up to €50 billion’ to build a 1GW AI data centre in France.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
Why network infrastructure needs a rethink in the age of AI and Edge computing
Iliad once again eying Italian consolidation with TIM
Eutelsat connects one million Sub-Saharan Africans to satellite 

Might there be a day soon where the last major landmass on the Earth gets connected via subsea cable? Well, a project that would connect Chile with Antarctica is at least getting a feasibility study according to a release yesterday. … [visit site to read more]

Aramco, the giant Saudi Arabian integrated energy and chemical company, has been in the telecoms news recently after announcements of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with AMD and plans for handset innovation with Qualcomm.

High-performance and adaptive computing specialist AMD has signed an MoU with Aramco relating to the evaluation and use of AMD’s products and technology to, among other things, accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) for specific industrial workloads.

Key areas of focus include leveraging high-performance AMD graphics processing unit (GPU) and central processor unit (CPU) capabilities, exploring industrial edge AI deployment, cloud strategy, AI/machine learning, predictive analytics, and data centre modernisation. Additional areas for potential collaboration include training on AMD ROCm (a software stack for graphics processing unit programming) as well as evaluating AMD AI capabilities for operational optimisation and digital twin technologies in the energy sector.

Aramco embarked on a digital transformation program in 2017, aiming to drive greater efficiency, accelerate innovation, build a digital-savvy workforce, and create new employment opportunities. The potential collaboration with AMD reflects Aramco’s aim to continue exploring technologies such as AI, big data, and predictive analytics to help make its operations more productive, efficient, and sustainable.

Meanwhile at the ongoing tech show LEAP 2025 in Saudi Arabia, Qualcomm and Aramco Digital, the digital and technology subsidiary of Aramco, have announced a collaboration to develop the world’s first AI-enabled industrial 5G smartphones with native support for the 450MHz spectrum.

As the partners explain, support for 450MHz spectrum allows 5G IoT devices, edge computing and end users to connect to a new generation of AI-enabled industrial applications. The initial focus will be on advanced industrial solutions for Aramco Digital’s parent company Aramco.

The new industrial smartphones will be powered by the Qualcomm QCM8550 and QCM6490 processors, which provide native support for 5G in 450MHz. These processors are designed to provide ubiquitous connectivity to intelligent edge devices, enabling superior communication and data transfer in industrial settings.

New York – February 4, 2025 – Lightpath, an all-fiber, infrastructure-based connectivity provider revolutionizing how organizations connect to their digital destinations, announced the company has closed the transaction to acquire substantially all of the assets of United Fiber and Data (UFD). The company also introduced LightCube Edge Data Centers that will be first deployed along its NYC-Ashburn strategic network route. 

The asset additions elevate Lightpath’s position in the digital infrastructure industry and expand its reach in the New York Metro and Ashburn markets. Lightpath adds the geographically diverse, 323-mile NYC-Ashburn route, as the company continues to amass new and unique route options between these markets. Lightpath also adds 79-miles of metro fiber in New Jersey and New York City, and approximately 250 new commercial service locations in Manhattan. Lightpath now offers over 1,500 enterprise and data center service locations in Manhattan alone, a 5x increase over the last 3 years. 

Click here to View Maps of the Lightpath and UFD Networks

NYC-Ashburn Route: Geographically Diverse and Lowest Latency

Lightpath’s New York City to Ashburn network route is geographically diverse from typical network routes along the I-95 corridor and offers the industry’s lowest latency between the largest population center in the country and the largest data center and cloud ecosystem in the world. Service options on this route include dark fiber and wavelengths up to 800 Gbps. 

“This route represents a unique opportunity for customers to connect these critical markets with diversity, latency management, and soon the addition of edge compute facilities,” explained Tim Haverkate, EVP of Major Infrastructure Solutions, Lightpath. “Lightpath has seen surging demand on this route, with nearly 25% of the cable under contract, a 3.5x increase since the transaction was initially announced. Further, we are engaged in active conversations with 20 customers resulting in an opportunity pipeline that would oversubscribe the route as it exists today.”

Lightpath customers can connect to almost any data center in the Ashburn region and in total can connect to over 140 data centers across its footprint. Lightpath can route customers from any on-net data centers in New York Metro or Boston Metro to Ashburn utilizing this route. Lightpath can also deliver routing options along the I-95 corridor to support services on the NYC-Ashburn route. 

LightCube: Connected Edge Data Centers for AI Services and Edge Compute

Lightpath also introduced LightCube edge data centers – modular, secure, and customizable facilities that fully support the capacity for 864-count fiber cables and the corresponding space and power for edge compute workloads. Lightpath will be upgrading four existing ILAs on the NYC-Ashburn route with new LightCubes in response to customer demand.  

Learn More about LightCube Edge Data Centers here.

“This route represents a strategic addition to the Lightpath network extending our reach from the Northeast into the ever-expanding data center ecosystem in Ashburn,” stated Chris Morley, CEO, Lightpath. “We will continue to aggressively pursue organic and inorganic opportunities to meet both the metro and the long-haul requirements on behalf of our hyperscaler, carrier, and enterprise customers.” 

# # #

About Lightpath

Lightpath is revolutionizing how customers connect to their digital destinations by combining our next-generation network with our next-generation customer service. Lightpath’s advanced fiber-optic network offers a comprehensive portfolio of custom-engineered connectivity solutions with unparalleled performance, reliability, and security. Our consultative customer service means we work with you to design, deliver, and support the solution for your unique needs, faster and more easily than ever before. For over 30 years, thousands of enterprises, governments, and educators have trusted Lightpath to power their organization’s innovation. Lightpath is jointly owned by Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners.

To learn how Lightpath can connect you to your digital destinations, visit lightpathfiber.com

For media inquiries:

JSA for Lightpath

1-866-695-3629 ext. 13

jsa_lightpath@jsa.net

Four bits of infrastructure and related news from three continents: … [visit site to read more]

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News

The French telecoms group has informed the Italian government that it is once again exploring a potential tie-up, according to reports

Iliad Italia is once again looking for potential tie-ups with Italy’s incumbent operator TIM, according to reports by local Italian news agencies Corriere della Sera and La Stampa.

The reports say that Iliad has this week informed the Italian government of its intentions to pursue dealmaking with TIM. The Italian government has likely been informed due to its 10% stake in TIM as well as its so-called ‘golden powers’ that allows the state to veto any deal involving critical infrastructure – such as the country’s largest telecoms operator TIM – being taken over by a foreign company.

Reports suggest that the deal would take the form of a merger, with a Reuters report confirming that Iliad does not intend to see TIM’s business units carved up.

The Italian mobile market has been crying out for consolidation for years. Iliad entered the already competitive market in 2018 and rapidly initiated a brutal price war that has seen the operators’ profit margins slashed. Since then, all four of the country’s mobile operators (Vodafone, TIM, Iliad, and WindTre) have been involved in various merger discussions.

In fact, Iliad itself had initially sought a merger with the seemingly more vulnerable Vodafone Italia back in 2023. Ultimately, however Vodafone Italia instead struck a deal to be acquired by Swisscom for €8 billion, with Swisscom merging the business with its local fixed broadband unit Fastweb.

But despite a market-wide consensus on the need for consolidation, a direct merger between TIM and Iliad would likely draw some critical regulatory attention. The deal would create a dominant market leader, commanding around 41% of the mobile market and 40% of the fixed broadband market.

Interestingly – and entirely separate to this interest from Iliad – reports are also noting that investment firm CVC Capital Partners has also informed the government of its intention to approach TIM.

CVC has shown interest in the Italian incumbent for a number of years now, having first made a non-binding offer for a minority stake in the company’s enterprise unit back in 2022.

Now, CVC is reportedly showing interest in buying the 24% stake in TIM held by French investment company Vivendi.

Vivendi has been notably critical of TIM’s sale of its fixed network infrastructure to KKR last year, saying that the assets were severely undervalued. The company has attempted to undo the deal through various legal means over the past year, none of which have yet borne fruit.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
Vodafone reports strong Q3 growth amid Germany challenges
CEO of AireBeam discusses ‘secret sauce’ behind ISP’s growth
BT scraps managerial DEI targets

News 

The company’s Konnect Wi-Fi hotspot solution is playing a major role in shrinking the digital divide in Africa 

Eutelsat has announced that it has successfully delivered on its Partner2Connect Digital Coalition commitment to provide one million people in Sub-Saharan Africa with affordable, high-speed internet via satellite, two years ahead of schedule. 

The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition aims to accelerate global digital inclusion, particularly in regions where traditional broadband infrastructure is unavailable. 

At the centre of the achievement is Eutelsat’s Konnect geostationary satellite, a high-capacity Ka-band satellite that powers Konnect Wi-Fi hotspots. This satellite, which became operational in late 2020, can provide these hotspots with Wi-Fi speeds ranging from 5 Mbps to 100 Mbps at affordable prices, bringing internet access to individuals, schools, businesses, and healthcare centres.  

“Reaching this milestone means 1 million people now have access to vital information, education, and communication resources through our Konnect solution. With both Eutelsat’s GEO satellite fleet and OneWeb’s LEO constellation, we are expanding our reach and ensuring that connectivity drives meaningful economic and social progress, empowering communities to thrive in the digital era,” said Eva Berneke, CEO of Eutelsat in a press release. 

In regions where terrestrial networks are still inaccessible, satellite technology has recently become a scalable and cost-effective alternative to bring education, e-commerce, telemedicine, and economic development to as many as possible. It is now a key solution for bridging the digital divide, bringing millions of people online without the need for expensive ground infrastructure.  

Beyond bringing connectivity to remote areas, satellite connectivity has also been in the news recently for the key role it can play in supporting customers during emergencies. Following the recent California wildfires, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX’s Starlink would provide free terminals to fire-affected areas in Los Angeles, after it emerged that news crews were relying on the service to broadcast live updates. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom newsletter 

Also in the news:
Vodafone reports strong Q3 growth amid Germany challenges
CEO of AireBeam discusses ‘secret sauce’ behind ISP’s growth
BT scraps managerial DEI targets