Satellite operator SES has added two more satellites to its next-gen O3b mPOWER constellation that are also the first two satellites with new designs to address power issues in the first six satellites.

SES had put four mPOWER satellites in orbit before discovering in August 2023 that a design glitch was causing power modules to switch off, which shortens their operational life. Two more satellites with the same glitch were launched in April this year so that the mPOWER constellation could commence commercial service, which was already behind schedule.

SES says it has put mitigations in place to compensate for the power glitch in the first six satellites, to include adding two more satellites to the mPOWER constellation, which will now comprise 13 satellites instead of 11.

The two new O3b mPOWER satellites – which were launched on Tuesday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida – feature redesigned payload power modules. The remaining five satellites based on that design are currently being manufactured and are scheduled for launch over the next 18 months, SES said.

SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said the commercial launch of mPOWER service is already paying off for its customers, particularly in developing markets banking on LEO and MEO high-throughput satellites to connect underserved and unserved areas, as well as supply mobile backhaul capacity.

“Ever since the start of service of O3b mPOWER earlier this year, we have seen how it has become an integral part of the connectivity experience of our customers,” he said. “We have also learned a lot and have put all of those insights to work as we progress in our innovation journey to scale up our services and meet even the most sophisticated requirements of our customers.”

SES has signed mPOWER deals with operators in Ecuador, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, the Cook Islands, Senegal and other countries in Africa, among others. India’s Reliance Jio Infocomm plans to use O3b mPOWER satellites for its satellite broadband service JioSpaceFiber.

Ufone 4G, the mobile unit of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), said on Thursday it has partnered with local assistive technology startup ConnectHear for a GSMA-funded project that will use AI to improve disaster-response communications for deaf people.

Under the project – which is backed by funding from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Humanitarian Challenges – the two companies will enhance ConnectHear’s virtual interpretation services to function in low-bandwidth environments and develop an AI-powered system that automatically generates early warning messages in sign language.

Ufone said this will allow deaf individuals to receive critical, real-time updates during emergencies, bridging a critical gap in disaster communication. Ufone will also zero-rate the ConnectHear app on its network, so that even users with no data package or mobile balance can use it.

Syed Atif Raza, group chief commercial officer for PTCL and Ufone 4G, said the partnership will break down financial and technical barriers for the over 10 million people in Pakistan who are deaf or hard of hearing, who are frequently excluded from early warning systems due to communication barriers.

“By enabling AI-driven sign language alerts and providing zero-rated access to the ConnectHear app, we are removing barriers that often isolate vulnerable communities during critical times,” he said in a statement.

“By optimizing our services for low-bandwidth environments and generating automated sign language alerts, we are ensuring that deaf communities receive the life-saving information they need in real time,” said Arhum Ishtiaq, co-founder and CTO of ConnectHear.

Pakistan is becoming increasingly prone to weather-related natural disasters, according to recent reports that list Pakistan among the ten most affected countries by climate-related disasters.

This year alone, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the monsoon season from July to September has resulted in flooding that has displaced over 600,000 people. Two years ago, over 30 million people in Pakistan were impacted by severe floods in 2022 .

Phillipe Bellordre, head of GSMA Innovation Fund, GSMA, said successful implementation of the project will serve as a model for other countries and humanitarian organizations looking to improve disaster preparedness for vulnerable populations.

SAN FRANCISCO, 12th of December 2024 – Gigs, the operating system for mobile services, today announced that it has raised a $73M Series B led by Ribbit Capital. All existing investors, including Google’s Gradient, YC and Speedinvest participated in the round. Gigs will use the funding to expand its geographical footprint and invest in an expanded suite of products and services for tech companies. This will enable more tech brands to meaningfully innovate in telecom, provide more value to their customers, and tap into a new recurring revenue stream.

The Walled Garden Of Telecom

Before Gigs, high barriers to entry kept the telecom industry closed-off to innovators. New entrants faced years of tough commercial negotiations with carriers and had to pour tens of thousands of engineering hours into navigating the messy patchwork of single-purpose vendors with archaic, fragmented operating systems. Engineering teams had to wrestle with clunky, unstable and inconsistent APIs from multiple carriers—like building tech from the early 2000s—all just to enter one market. 

On top of that, businesses were forced to commit more than $100 million upfront in order to achieve competitive rates from networks and get priority network access, all before selling a single subscription. These operational and capital expenses were hard to recoup and tied businesses to network-specific investments, ultimately hampering scalability and eroding margins. 

Even businesses capable of managing these burdens still faced the slow and bureaucratic processes of carriers, which hindered their ability to optimize in the long-run. Moreover, any plans to expand internationally required repeating the entire effort with each network operator—an untenable challenge for technology platforms that don’t consider telecom their core business. 

As a result, the internet economy lacks the infrastructure and tools to connect to the global telecom grid, something tech companies take for granted in areas like hosting and payments.

Democratizing Access To The Mobile Service Market

Gigs is radically democratizing access to the mobile service industry. The company’s mission is to reduce the cost of setting up a mobile service in one or multiple markets, as well as lowering operational and service costs to near zero. Without Gigs, it would take new entrants to the mobile service market years to develop and refine their service.

The company’s operating system empowers tech players to launch their own mobile service on premium networks globally within weeks, all through a single integration—eliminating the need to hire large teams of telecom engineers, navigate compliance hurdles, or manage multiple vendors and platforms. By providing everything you need to launch your own mobile service in one platform—including premium wholesale connectivity, a best-in-class connectivity API, a hosted checkout, a multi-currency payments suite, a tax engine, a subscription and analytics platform, and AI-powered customer service—Gigs removes the complexity, time-to-market, and costs for tech brands wanting to embed their own mobile services into their digital products and services.

To ensure customers maintain a competitive edge and operate state-of-the-art services with the highest customer satisfaction and lowest cost to serve globally, Gigs continuously productizes every aspect of its business and automates every customer support ticket. For the first time, this makes telecommunications accessible to tech companies that expect to work with modern tools and high-performance platforms.

Hermann Frank, co-founder and CEO at Gigs: “We believe that getting a phone plan should be as easy as ordering an Uber, not as complicated as leasing a car at a  dealership. The truth, however, is that phone plans are stuck in the past: analog, uniform, and, frankly, unloved. Extremely high barriers to entry have kept innovation out of the industry for too long. Now, the world’s leading product companies can bring this innovation to their users. Gigs breaks down these hurdles by empowering any tech company to distribute phone plans directly through their apps, transforming connectivity from a standalone commodity into a core, customizable feature of every digital product experience. Ribbit has a proven track record of upending markets burdened by incumbent lethargy. We were impressed by the team’s vision so when the offer came to lead our Series B, it felt very natural to lean in.”

Dennis Bauer, co-founder and President at Gigs: “Since our launch in 2020, Gigs has significantly increased its annual recurring revenue, cementing its position as one of the fastest-growing B2B companies globally. Leading tech brands with large, highly engaged audiences—ranging from high-growth neobanks like Nubank and Wealthsimple to major HR platforms, travel companies and phone manufacturers—are leveraging Gigs’ connectivity platform to integrate phone plans into their core services, delivering unique and seamless product experiences. With exciting new product launches and lighthouse customer announcements in 2025, Gigs is set to inspire even more innovative tech companies to launch their own mobile services.”

Jordan Angelos, General Partner at Ribbit Capital: “Mobile connectivity, like banking, is one of the most widely used consumer services globally. Yet, it consistently ranks among the lowest in customer satisfaction. Gigs is seizing a once-in-a-decade opportunity to revolutionize the $1T+ annual mobile subscription market, empowering innovators and trusted brands to digitize and enhance customer experiences, with phone plans serving as the ultimate superglue. We are impressed by the team’s vision, execution, and global momentum, and we’re excited to partner with them on this journey.”

About Gigs

Gigs, the operating system for mobile services, empowers tech companies to seamlessly embed connectivity into their offerings in weeks. By bundling phone plans and travel data with their core services, Gigs’ customers can increase stickiness and unlock a new recurring revenue stream with digital mobile experiences that meaningfully create value to consumers. Gigs’ end-to-end platform provides everything brands need to launch and operate their own multi-market mobile service: premium wholesale connectivity, a hosted checkout, billing, subscription management, analytics, and AI-powered customer service. Backed by Ribbit Capital, Google, Y Combinator, Speedinvest and BoxGroup, Gigs was founded by Hermann Frank and Dennis Bauer in 2020 and now employs over 90 people across the US and Europe. For more information, visit gigs.com. 

About Ribbit

The mission of Ribbit Capital is to transform the world of finance by backing visionary entrepreneurs. For over a decade, Ribbit has partnered with founders challenging the status quo to make money more transparent and accessible around the world. Ribbit has invested in exceptional teams across six continents, including at Brex, Bridge, Chainalysis, Coinbase, Coalition, Credit Karma, Fireblocks, Groww, Imprint, NEXT Insurance, Nubank, ONE, Parafin, Razorpay, Revolut, Robinhood, and others.

PRESS RELEASE

Independent Power Transmission Operator and Serverfarm Join Forces to Spearhead Hyperscale Data Center Development and Operations in Greece   

Athens, 16^th December 2024

The Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) of Greece and Serverfarm, a global data center developer and operator, announced today the signing of a Heads of Agreement regarding the formation of Gemini, a Joint Venture with the objective of developing and operating state-of-the-art, hyperscale-ready data center facilities in Athens and elsewhere in Greece, on sites owned by IPTO.

This strategic alliance marks a significant milestone in advancing Greece’s digital infrastructure and fostering sustainable growth in the data-driven economy.

Gemini will combine the collective expertise and resources of two leading entities in their respective fields. IPTO, as a crucial pillar of the Greek energy sector, plays a pivotal role in managing the country’s electricity grid, ensuring stability, and embracing renewable energy solutions.

Leveraging its extensive experience, IPTO will be providing reliable and sustainable power supply, essential for supporting data center operations along with strategically located sites with access to power and optical fiber networks, as well as other operational resources. Serverfarm, as an expert in data center development and operations globally, with a strong track record in commercial real estate ventures, will be bringing unparalleled industry experience and advanced design and operational know-how, ensuring that the Joint Venture will become a point-of-reference for data center services in Greece.

Gemini plans to construct and operate hyperscale-ready data center facilities in the Greater Athens Area, leading initially with a campus with committed power of 130MW, creating the foundations for establishing a robust digital ecosystem to meet the escalating demands of cloud service providers, content delivery networks and enterprises.

The data centers will be designed with a focus on energy efficiency, utilizing state-of-the-art cooling technologies and renewable energy sources to minimize their environmental impact, creating an unparalleled platform for hyperscale computing in Greece. The Joint Venture envisions Athens as a prominent digital hub, offering secure, reliable, and low-latency data center facilities to national and international clients, bolstering Greece’s position in the global data economy.

The Founder and CEO of Serverfarm, Avner Papouchado, said:

“As leading tech and hyperscale organizations continue to expand into Greece, we see a great opportunity to leverage our expertise in this region. Our strategic partnership with IPTO, underscores our mission to invest in transformative projects that create long-term value. The Greek data center market is still one of the most under-served in Europe, but at the same time, its geographical location makes it ideal to serve as a data gateway between continents. Our collaboration with IPTO in creating Gemini and our shared commitment to excellence and sustainability, will enable us to leverage this immense potential to offer high quality, data center services in Greece. Our goal is to cater to the growing needs of hyperscale customers in the area and elevate Athens as a major hub for the industry, shaping the digital landscape in the broader region.

The Chairman and CEO of IPTO, Manos Manousakis, said:

“IPTO is building critical infrastructure for tomorrow’s electricity and telecommunications backbone networks throughout Greece and beyond, interconnecting the future. We are delighted to partner with Serverfarm, through Gemini, to deliver world-class data center facilities in Greece. Serverfarm’s vast experience in developing state-of-the-art data centers, coupled with IPTO’s robust energy infrastructure and its strategic location at the crossroads of continents, will create an unparalleled platform for hyperscale computing in Greece, catering to the escalating demand for digital services in the region. This alliance symbolizes a significant milestone for Greece’s digital transformation, which is poised to build the foundation for a flourishing data-driven economy in Greece. In this way, we fully exploit synergies and create win-win business opportunities, transforming Greece into a critical energy and data hub of high geopolitical value, at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia.”

– End –

About IPTO:

  The Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) is responsible for the operation, monitoring, maintenance, and development of the “Hellenic Electricity Transmission System”, aiming to ensure safe and undisrupted power supply across the country. IPTO’s “Ten Year Network Development Plan” provides for the electrical interconnection of major Greek islands in the High Voltage System by 2029, the strengthening and modernization of the continental power grid as well as the facilitation of Greece’s transition towards a cleaner energy mix. IPTO’s investment program, includes the Crete-Attica power link, supplemented with dual optical fiber cables, the completion of Cyclades as well as the interconnections of the Dodecanese and the NE Aegean islands. IPTO is developing new international interconnections to Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia and Turkey, and supports new subsea electricity interconnectors to Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, with Greece as the main hub. IPTO is the project promoter of the “Great Sea Interconnector” between Greece, Cyprus and Israel and is currently maturing the “Green Aegean Interconnector”, a new electrical corridor between Greece and southern Germany, for the transmission of clean energy originating from Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean region to the large consumption centers of Central Europe.

For more information, contact:

Email: pressoffice@admie.gr

About Serverfarm:

Serverfarm is an established multi-regional data center platform that provides data center solutions to key hyperscale, webscale, technology & network customers. These data center solutions include Colocation, Data Center Design, and IT Infrastructure Management, through Serverfarm’s proprietary InCommand DMaaS technology. For more information, visit serverfarmllc.com.

For more information, contact:

Email: media@sfrdc.com  

All the benefits of next generation technologies that are becoming available from the cloud won’t benefit anyone unless they are integrated into operations successfully.  From automation to AI, there are always resistance to change and fear of the unknown to overcome.  How does a large organization make the transition successfully? And what happens if they don’t?  With us today to talk about it is Farès Sakka, Director of Smart Industries, Americas for Orange Business. … [visit site to read more]

Pan-African service provider MTN Group has announced some key leadership changes among its operating companies and at its digital infrastructure business, most notably at MTN Group’s wholesale fibre optic subsidiary Bayobab.

Mitwa Ng’ambi, CEO of MTN Cameroon since September 2022, will move to the same position at MTN Côte d’Ivoire, effective 1 March 2025, as Djibril Ouattara takes early retirement. Wanda Matandela, chief commercial operations officer at MTN South Africa, has been appointed as the new CEO for MTN Cameroon, effective 1 March 2025.

Most significant perhaps is the announcement that, effective 1 January 2025, Mazen Mroue, MTN group chief technology and information officer (GCTIO), will assume additional responsibilities as CEO of Digital Infrastructure (Infraco). This dual role will incorporate the mobility and fibre businesses of Bayobab, along with executing MTN’s data centre strategy as the MTN Group positions itself for growth and profitability in the development of AI across Africa.

Since joining MTN in 1998, Mazen has held various senior positions within the Group’s regional operations in Africa and the Middle East and served as a board member of various companies within the MTN Group. 

What this means is that Frédéric Schepens, current CEO of Bayobab, will be leaving the group effective immediately. This is described by news resource ITWeb Africa as “a surprise move” – and indeed this departure has been the main headline for a number of African news outlets reporting these changes. 

ITWeb Africa mentions a number of setbacks this year – and certainly the conflict in Sudan the depreciation of the naira, and disruptions caused by multiple subsea cable cuts have been challenging. However, another news source, TechFinancials, reporting on Bayobab’s financial results in August, said: “In this challenging environment, Bayobab achieved a resilient financial performance”, and added that in the first half of the year it had secured a number of new fixed connectivity infrastructure deals

MTN Group, however, simply notes that the changes are “aimed at addressing succession, operational execution, and advancing the Ambition 2025 strategy”.

News

The satellites will be built at Airbus’ facility in Toulouse, with production set to begin in 2026

Airbus Defence and Space has been awarded a contract by Eutelsat to expand its OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The contract will see Airbus build the first 100 satellites of the extension, with deliveries expected to begin at the end of 2026.

Airbus has previously manufactured the current OneWeb fleet, and the company is now set to continue its role in supporting Eutelsat’s efforts to enhance and expand its satellite services. Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, commented: “We are committed to the successful continuation of the OneWeb constellation and to keep serving the business of Eutelsat as we have done over the past decades.”

The new satellites will offer several key technology upgrades, including integration with 5G networks and improved compatibility with Europe’s planned IRIS2 multi-orbit constellation, which is expected to become operational in 2030. This expansion aligns with Eutelsat’s strategy to grow its LEO capacity in response to increasing demand for global connectivity.

“We are relying on our long-standing partner, Airbus, to begin building the first batches of the Next Generation of our OneWeb LEO constellation, which will ensure we deliver continuity of service of the existing constellation with enhanced service features, as we move towards an architecture in line with the European IRIS2 constellation in 2030. Our in-market experience shows us that the appetite for low Earth orbit capacity is growing rapidly, and we are excited to embark on the next stage of our journey to satisfy that demand,” added Eva Berneke, CEO of Eutelsat in a press release.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news direct to your inbox from Total Telecom

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One equipment trial and three data center development project items to catch up with: … [visit site to read more]

UAE-based satellite operator Space42 announced on Tuesday it has signed a new AED18.7 billion (US$5.1 billion) contract with the UAE government to provide satellite services until 2043, which will also help fund construction of two new satellites in the pipeline.

Space42 currently has two agreements with the government – a capacity services agreement and a managed services mandate – that are in effect until November and December 2026, respectively. The new contract extends that arrangement by another 17 years to 2043, and also combines related operations, maintenance, and technology management services of ground segment satellite systems and terminals currently provided under a separate agreement.

Under the contract, Space42 will provide satellite capacity and related managed services with the existing Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites in orbit. The contract also covers capacity from Space42’s upcoming Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites, which will provide secure governmental communications across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

In fact, as part of the deal, Space42 said that it will receive AED3.7 billion in advanced payments from the government to construct Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5, which are expected to launched by SpaceX in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

That advance payment would cover most of the AED 3.9 billion Space42 has budgeted to develop Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5, including the spacecraft, ground segment infrastructure, launch, and insurance. The satellites are based on the Airbus Eurostar Neo platform, which can deploy flexible multi-band payloads in orbit.

“The Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites will offer new capabilities to advance our technology and service offerings, enabling us to continue providing our innovative SpaceTech solutions that meet the UAE Government’s evolving requirements more efficiently, securely and reliably,” said Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Space Services at Space42, in a statement.

Space42 is the product of the merger between Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite operator, and AI-powered geospatial solutions provider Bayanat earlier this year.

In related news, Space42 said that another planned geostationary satellite, Thuraya 4, arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week, where it will be launched into orbit by SpaceX before the end of this month.

In the pipeline since 2020, Thuraya 4 sports a 12 meter L-band antenna and a payload with on-board processing. Space42 said this will provide advanced routing flexibility of up to 3,200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

News

The cash injection follows a $50 billion investment in 2016

SoftBank Group, led by CEO Masayoshi Son, has announced plans to invest $100 billion in the US over the next four years, a move that will focus on advancing AI and its related infrastructure. This investment aims to create 100,000 new jobs.

Son made the announcement alongside President-elect Donald Trump, who praised the deal as a strong sign of confidence in the future of the US economy. Trump said that the investment shows “monumental confidence in America’s future.”

Trump welcomed the new investment as part of his broader strategy to boost the US economy and tackle inflation in his second term. “It will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and other industries tomorrow are built, created and grown right here in the USA,” he continued.

The new pledge echoes a similar commitment made in December 2016, when Son promised a $50 billion investment and 50,000 jobs. While that money was deployed, the impact on job creation was unclear.

Although the $100 billion is set to be deployed over the next four years, the funding sources remain uncertain. SoftBank reported $27 billion in cash reserves as of September 30, and the company’s Vision Fund 2 still has $3 billion left to invest. It’s also possible that SoftBank could use funds from its recent acquisition of chipmaker Arm Holdings to help support this ambitious pledge.

This year, SoftBank also invested $960 million in Japanese AIto upgrade its computing infrastructure to deliver a Generative AI  platform in the Japanese language. Over the next two years, SoftBank will purchase GPUs (graphics processing units) from US based chip company Nvidia, using them to train and power its own large language models (LLMs), and then loan access to them to other firms.

Join us at next year’s Connected America, 11-12 March in Dallas. Get discounted tickets here!

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