A subsea project, some AI network work, and some 5G xHaul interoperability: … [visit site to read more]

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“Never before have Nvidia and HPE integrated our technologies so deeply,” says Nvidia boss Jensen Huang 

Nvidia and HPE have announced a partnership to co-develop AI solutions and joint go-to-market integrations to help businesses accelerate their adoption of generative AI. The partnership is a deepening of a decades-long collaboration between the two companies. 

The announcement was made in Las Vegas at HPE’s Discover event by HPE’s President and CEO Antonio Neri, who was joined on stage by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang. One of the key offerings is HPE Private Cloud AI, which will integrate Nvidia’s software and computing technologies with HPE’s storage solutions, which will allow customers to run generative AI workloads efficiently and securely. The companies say that this is the first time the companies have integrated their solutions so fully. 

“Generative AI holds immense potential for enterprise transformation, but the complexities of fragmented AI technology contain too many risks and barriers that hamper large-scale enterprise adoption and can jeopardize a company’s most valuable asset – its proprietary data,” said Neri. 

“To unleash the immense potential of generative AI in the enterprise, HPE and NVIDIA co-developed a turnkey private cloud for AI that will enable enterprises to focus their resources on developing new AI use cases that can boost productivity and unlock new revenue streams,” he continued. 

According to the announcement’s press release, the HPE Private Cloud AI will offer: 

• Support for inference, fine-tuning and RAG AI workloads that utilise proprietary data.
• Enterprise control for data privacy, security, transparency, and governance requirements.
• Cloud experience with ITOps and AIOps capabilities to increase productivity.
• Fast path to consume flexibly to meet future AI opportunities and growth.

“Never before have NVIDIA and HPE integrated our technologies so deeply – combining the entire NVIDIA AI computing stack along with HPE’s private cloud technology – to equip enterprise clients and AI professionals with the most advanced computing infrastructure and services to expand the frontier of AI,” confirmed Huang. 

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Also in the news:
Nokia and Google Cloud expand partnership for telco APIs
Microsoft to invest $7.16 bn in Spanish data centres
Vietnam suffers three subsea cable outages

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The investment will be spread over the next ten years  

Microsoft is set to invest €6.7billion ($7.16 bn) in data centre development in Aragon, Northeastern Spain. 

According to a report from local Spanish newspaper El Heraldo, Microsoft has applied for a construction permit to build its data centres near Zaragoza, in the Northeast of the country.  

“Microsoft’s new data centre region will provide cutting-edge, sustainable, and secure AI solutions for Spain and the rest of Europe,” said Spanish Minister for Digital Transformation, José Luis Escrivá. 

“It is a great satisfaction that Microsoft is once again betting on Spain for the deployment of state-of-the-art infrastructure and services, thus contributing to the positioning of our country at the forefront of digital transformation,” he continued. 

The particular area of Spain has become a recent hotbed for data centre investment, in part due to the area’s renewable energy capacity to power their facilities with. Last month, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced plans to invest €15.7 billion in the region, two years after opening its AWS Europe (Spain) hub in three locations in the area. AWS has said that its recent investment in the region will support 17,500 full-time equivalent jobs in local businesses on an annual average basis, and will contribute an estimated €21.6 billion to Spain’s GDP until 2033. 

In a near region of Spain, Microsoft has opened its first cloud region of data centres in the Community de Madrid, which will provide AI, cloud services and solutions to European companies, offering them “reliability, security, privacy, and data residency,” says Microsoft. The deployment is part of the company’s commitment to invest $2.1 billion in Spain before the end of next year. 

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Also in the news:
Vietnam suffers three subsea cable outages
South Korea revokes Stage X’s mobile license  
Brsk and Netomnia merge as UK alnet consolidation continues 

Four projects of metro connectivity interest of note from this week: … [visit site to read more]

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Financial details of the merger have not been disclosed 

UK altnets Brsk and Netomnia have agreed to merge, the companies said over the weekend. 

The newly established unit will have a combined footprint of 1.5 million premises immediately post-merger, with a target of reaching 3 million premises by the end of next year, according to the press release. This will make it the second largest altnet behind CityFibre, who cover around 3.6 million premises. 

There have been rumours surrounding the merger for a while, as the two companies share an investor, asset manager Advencap. 

“By merging our network expertise and resources, we are creating a powerhouse to deliver an unparalleled internet experience for our customers, driving innovation and further consolidation among altnets. The additional capital from our investors and support from our lenders is a powerful endorsement of our vision and ability to execute at the highest level,” said Netomnia CEO Jeremy Chelot. 

“Together, we are set to deliver a fibre network that is not only fast and reliable but also futureproof, ensuring our customers benefit today and tomorrow. Our joint platform will be where the most powerful internet lives,” echoed Giorgio Iovino, CEO of Brsk. 

The deal is set to be finalised in the next few weeks, pending regulatory approval. The new entity will be led by Chelot as CEO. 

There has been much altnet consolidation in the UK broadband market recently. Currently, the UK has over 100 altnets rolling out fibre countrywide. The UK incumbent BT has long claimed that the current altnet landscape is too saturated and thus unsustainable. Back in March, CityFibre, the UK’s leading independent network operator, has announced the acquisition of full fibre altnet Lit Fibre from Newlight Partners. In December, altnets Freedom Fibre and VX Fibre also merged their businesses for an undisclosed amount. 

Join the UK altnets in conversation at this year’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get tickets here! 

Also in the news:
T-Mobile selected for decade-long $2.67 billion US Navy contract
BT pushes back against Vodafone–Three merger
IOH and Google Cloud renew AI Native TechCo alliance

Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC), in collaboration with China Mobile, recently unveiled the world’s first 800G hollow-core fibre transmission test network in Shenzhen-Dongguan, Guangdong.

The development is a significant milestone in the evolution of telecommunications infrastructure, pushing the boundaries of traditional fibre optic technology.

YOFC’s participation in the test network featured a comprehensive suite of solutions specifically designed for hollow-core fibre optics, encompassing the provision of cables, essential splicing services, and adapters for integration with single-mode fibres. The project successfully navigated several technical challenges common in complex installations. The challenges involved mitigating environmental risks and ensuring robust infrastructure during fibre laying and splicing operations—addressing pipe flooding, managing excessive humidity, and conducting precise splicing in outdoor environments. These efforts were crucial in enabling a detailed evaluation of the fibre’s performance under real operational conditions.

Key performance metrics achieved on a 20km test link—such as splice losses between hollow-core fibres, connections from hollow-core to solid-core fibres, and attenuation post-installation—were benchmarked against leading global standards. Moreover, the deployment featured an 800Gbps single-wavelength optical transmission setup, achieving a bidirectional long-distance transmission test with a throughput of 128Tb/s over hollow-core fibres. This not only demonstrated the practical application of such fibres in intricate and demanding network environments but also served as a critical proof-of-concept for the scalability and industrial applicability of hollow-core fibre technologies.

New technological heights are being achieved across the sector, driven by the ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence. Hollow-core fibre, utilizing an innovative air-guiding mechanism, surpasses the performance constraints associated with traditional solid-core fibres in both capacity and latency. The technology offers marked improvements in data transport infrastructures such as internet backbones and data centers, and is expected to continue meeting the growing demands for data transmission for the next 20 years and beyond.

YOFC plans to advance the development and manufacturing of next-generation hollow-core fibre technologies. Working with industry allies, YOFC seeks to foster innovation, fast-track the commercialization of new fibres, and boost optical network performance, establishing a solid foundation for the fibre infrastructure essential for a smarter world.

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Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and BNP Paribas have been hired to manage the sale in the Indian market 

Vodafone is seeking to sell its 21.5% stake of India’s Indus Towers, which is worth around $2.3 billion, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. 

The sources said that the final stake sale remains undecided, but could be lower than 21.5% if demand is insufficient. 

Indus Towers are one of the largest tower companies in the world, with 219,736 towers and 368,588 co-locations to its name as of March 2024. 

Vodafone first announced its intention to sell its stake in 2022 (which then was 28%), but has only sold off a small percentage so far. 

Staying with the Indian market, Indian operator Vodafone Idea has issued its network equipment vendors Nokia and Ericsson with preference shares instead of payment for product orders. If approved by investors, Nokia will receive nearly 1.03 billion shares and Ericsson 634 million, giving the companies a 1.48% and 0.91% stake in Vodafone Idea respectively. 

“VIL is all set to participate in the industry growth with right investments to expand its 4G coverage and offer 5G experience to its customers while remaining focused on its execution capabilities,” said Akshaya Moondra, CEO of Vodafone Idea in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. 

“As VIL embarks on its growth journey, support from key stakeholders is critical and the agreement with Nokia and Ericsson reaffirms these vendors as long-term partners of the Company, and sets the stage for the next phase of our growth,” he continued. 

The company has struggled with its cash flow for some time. Although the country’s third largest mobile operator by subscriber numbers, it struggles to compete with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. The Indian government became the company’s largest shareholder last year (33.1%), but due to its debt, remains as India’s only telco yet to launch 5G services. 

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Freshwave to deploy small cells in Manchester for VMO2
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