News 

The UK Space Agency has pledged up to £160 million to drive innovation in the satellite mega-constellation market 

The investment, which is part of the UK Space Agency’s Connectivity in Low Earth Orbit (C-LEO) programme, will support technological advancements over the next four years to bolster the UK’s position in the global space industry. 

As part of this broader commitment, £16 million has already been allocated to two key projects aimed at advancing satellite communications. This targeted funding will support cutting-edge developments to strengthen the UK’s role in satellite technology.  

Satellite constellations are expanding internet access to remote and underserved regions, helping to bridge the digital divide. These networks are also set to improve communication in maritime and aviation sectors, supporting connectivity in isolated locations. 

“The UK has all the cutting edge expertise and technology to spearhead the latest advancements in satellite communications and become a leader in this high-tech industry,” said Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant in a press release. 

“These Government backed projects will not only provide significant advancements in mobile communication, but help to bridge the digital divide, connecting communities in the most hard-to-reach areas,” he continued. 

The UK is positioning itself as a strong competitor in the rapidly advancing space industry. In 2023, over 2,900 satellites were deployed, mostly as part of commercial constellations. Projections indicate that between 2021 and 2031 approximately 18,000 satellites will be launched, three-quarters of which will belong to mega-constellations. These are groups of many satellites that work together deliver broadband Internet access. 

The UK is a key member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and hosts the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) at the Harwell Space Cluster. The C-LEO programme provides funding via UK Space Agency grants, with further contracts expected from ESA in the near future. 

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

Indus Towers, regularly in the news in recent months, has now hit the headlines with a major tower purchase in India.

Indus Towers will be acquiring a total of 16,100 telecom towers from national operator Bharti Airtel and regional service provider Bharti Hexacom for INR33.087 billion (about US$378 million) in a cash deal.

Bharti Airtel will sell 12,700 towers while Bharti Hexacom will sell 3,400 towers. Incorporated in 1995, Bharti Hexacom provides consumer mobile services, fixed-line telephone and broadband services in the Rajasthan and Northeastern regions of India.

Indus Towers said the proposed acquisition aligns with its core business line and it will increase the company’s market share and support its growth plans.

While the growth of towercos, and the increasing number of operators’ selling infrastructure to them, is nothing new, this deal is unusual in that it is a related party transaction; Bharti Airtel is the promoter, and the holding company of Indus Towers and Bharti Hexacom is a fellow subsidiary of Bharti Airtel.

India’s Economic Times news service quotes a regulatory filing from Indus Towers, which says: “The transaction is being done at arm’s length, based on an independent valuation report.” 

Indus has a pan-India presence with 234,643 towers and 386,819 co-locations at the end of last year. Indus has been reported as saying: “In line with the company’s strategic priority of increasing its market share, the said acquisition will help the company add more towers to its portfolio, hence improving its market share.”

The deal is expected to be completed by March 31 this year. 

Indus made headlines last year in a completely different context when multinational telecommunications company Vodafone Group sold off parts of its share in the company over 2024. This process culminated in the sale, in December of that year of its remaining 3% stake in Indus Towers for US$300 million to help reduce its debt pile.

Ecobank Group, a private pan-African financial services group, and Chinese company XTransfer, a cross-border trade payment platform, have signed what they call a landmark memorandum of understanding of cooperation (MoU) to roll out comprehensive cross-border financial services to Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in foreign trade.

The partners suggest that this collaboration will further facilitate trade between China and African countries, pointing out that in 2023, bilateral trade reached a record US$282 billion. From January to November 2024, China’s exports to Africa totalled US$160 billion, a 1.4% increase from the previous year, while imports from Africa reached US$107 billion, marking a substantial rise of 6.6%.

However, they add, despite this growth, African SMEs engaged in foreign trade face numerous challenges related to cross-border payments and fund collections. These challenges include difficulties in opening accounts with traditional banks, a high risk of funds being frozen, difficulties in foreign exchange and related losses, lengthy remittance times and high remittance costs.

Hence the partnership between XTransfer and Ecobank Group, which, they say, will foster collaboration between both parties to provide comprehensive cross-border payment solutions for African SMEs’ foreign trade.

In particular, the partnership will facilitate trade between SMEs in China and African countries and also streamline foreign trade transactions between African companies and their global partners. XTransfer will leverage Ecobank’s extensive network across Africa, enabling its Chinese clients to collect funds in local African currencies while assisting African SMEs in making payments in their local currencies to negate foreign exchange issues.

Jeremy Awori, CEO Ecobank Group, explains: “This partnership builds on our established strategy, which includes a representative office in China and a dedicated China desk. By integrating XTransfer’s cutting-edge solutions with our pan-African payment platform, we simplify payments, reduce transaction costs, and enable African businesses to thrive in global trade.”

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News

The service will allow businesses to display short messages to customers to explain the nature of their call.

Back in 2024, AT&T struck a partnership with TransUnion to launch the latter’s Branded Call Display service. This service allows opted-in businesses to have their brand name and logo displayed on customer handsets when receiving calls, thereby helping customers to identify scam callers posing as legitimate businesses.

Now, the service is going one step further, with the latest feature allowing businesses to include the reason for their call on the on-screen notification. Businesses must seemingly choose their reason for calling from a wide range of preset options, including “Appointment Reminder,” “Customer Inquiry,” “Customer Service,” “Refill Reminder,” “Delivery Service,” “Patient Callback,” and “Upcoming Visit”.

The service is available on “most Android devices” and does not require an app to use, being part of the industry standard STIR/SHAKEN call authentication.

“We’re excited to announce the ability for businesses to add the reason for their call to the mobile display,” said Erin Scarborough, AT&T senior vice president, Mass Markets Product Management. “Research shows consumers still prefer calling for communicating with businesses – especially for urgent, personal, or high-value issues. Now they can safely answer verified branded calls, knowing who’s calling and why.”

Spam calls remain a major issue for the telecoms sector. According to spam protection company Truecaller, US customers experience roughly 3.3 billion spam or unwanted calls every month. As such, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been taking increasingly strict measures to prevent spam calls in recent years, with mixed results.

Are telcos doing enough to protect their customers from spam and fraudulent calls? Join the discussion at Connected America, live in Dallas, Texas

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

Here is a series of news bytes covering regional infrastructure expansion projects from this week: … [visit site to read more]

Interesting news items from Europe, southeast Asia, and the Middle East from the past several days: … [visit site to read more]

Podcasts

Ben Elkins, the CEO of AireBeam and Utah Broadband, joined the ‘Beyond the Cable’ podcast to discuss strategy and AireBeam’s explosive growth in Arizona

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Since taking the helm as the CEO of an Arizona City-based AireBeam, Ben Elkins has overseen a 375 percent growth in fiber subscribers for the ISP.

Now, Elkins is attempting to repeat success at another subsidiary of the Boston Omaha Corporation: Utah Broadband.

Named as the Utah Broadband’s CEO in May, Elkins now wears both hats, one as the CEO of AireBeam, another as the CEO of Utah Broadband. He reflected on some of AireBeam’s growth, and how he was able to achieve such stunning success in Arizona’s Pinal County.

“It’s very rural, but it’s growing,” Elkins said of Pinal County. “It’s the fastest growing county in the state of Arizona.”

Wedged between Phoenix and Tuscon, Elkins said it came to his attention after research that many of the county’s mobile home parks were severely underserved.

“So, I went out and got nationwide deals with a lot of the mobile home park developers,” he said. “And provided fiber to the parks that really fit or demographics and fit our profile.”

Elkins said he was able to lock in 20-year agreements with some developers.

According to Elkins, many mobile home parks are ignored by larger service providers because residents are often temporary.

“It’s been a huge hit for us,” he said, adding that AireBeam also “fibered up” the entire community of Arizona City and Florence.

While Elkins said the explosive-type growth that AireBeam saw was likely unique due to demographics in the area, he also predicts growth ahead for Utah Broadband.

Listen to Elkins on Spotify

Click here to listen to the full interview with Elkins on Spotify, and why he believes Utah still contains “huge opportunity” for Utah Broadband.

Listen to Elkins on Apple Podcasts

To hear the episode featuring Elkins on Apple Podcasts, click here.

Learn more about Broadband Communities Summit 2025 in Houston.

Also, click here to subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter. 

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There has been some consolidation activity in the fiber last mile this week. Gateway Fiber and WANRack have announced plans to merge into a national FTTX platform touching 25 states. … [visit site to read more]