Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, has announced a partnership with Malaysian fintech and digital bank Boost to support the fintech’s digital transformation and innovation initiatives across Malaysia and Indonesia.

Under the agreement, Tencent Cloud and Boost have entered into a partnership spanning AI innovation, cloud infrastructure modernisation and super app development.

Tencent explains that as fintech companies across Southeast Asia scale their operations and expand service offerings, organisations are increasingly seeking strategic cloud partners that can provide integrated solutions spanning infrastructure, AI and platform technologies.

To support its next phase of growth, Boost has selected Tencent Cloud as a strategic technology partner to consolidate infrastructure, accelerate AI adoption, and drive innovation across its digital ecosystem.

The collaboration encompasses three key pillars. First, Tencent Cloud will provide its scalable infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) capabilities to Boost across Malaysia and Indonesia. This will enable Boost to streamline infrastructure management, improve operational agility, and support future business expansion with scalable cloud resources.

Second, Boost will leverage Tencent Cloud Super App as a Service (TCSAS) to augment existing customer experiences, drawing on Tencent Cloud’s expertise in building large-scale super app ecosystems. The platform will integrate multiple financial services into a unified user experience, enabling consumers and businesses to access a wider range of digital financial solutions through a single application.

Additionally, Boost will partner with Tencent Cloud on its AI development roadmap to co-create products and leverage the existing off-the-shelf products offered by Tencent Cloud.

News

The decision follows Orange taking full control of the business earlier this year

Orange has wasted no time in dropping the MásOrange brand after taking full control of the business earlier this year.

The unit will now be known as Orange España, bringing the brand in line with Orange’s international portfolio of network operator businesses.

The companies’ commercial brands – Orange, Yoigo, Jazztel, MásMóvil, Pepephone, Simyo, Euskaltel, R, and Telecable – remain unaffected by the move.

“Orange España is one of the most recognised brands in our country and explains in a clear and simple way the company that we are today: the leading operator of the Spanish market by number of customers and by satisfaction with a clear vocation of investment, innovation and commitment to the digital development of our country,” said Meinrad Spenger, CEO of Orange España.

MasOrange was formed by the €22 billion merger of Orange and MasMovil’s Spanish units in 2024. It created the country’s largest telco, with around 1 million mobile and 7 million fixed-broadband subscribers. By the end of 2025, Orange had agreed to acquire full control of the business, buying out its joint venture partner Lorca for €4.25 billion.

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Pakistan data network provider Zong has partnered with local company ISP Environmental Solutions (ISPES) to launch PecoDrop, described as first-of-their-kind smart waste management stations.

The smart recycling stations will be deployed across Zong facilities to enable source-level segregation and recovery of recyclable plastic, paper and metal. By bringing segregation to the point of disposal, PecoDrop explains, it introduces a technology-enabled approach to improving recycling practices, reducing recyclable waste from entering landfills and encouraging more responsible consumption and disposal behaviours.

At the heart of the initiative is a digitally enabled waste management system that captures data on material deposits, volumes and collections, creating a traceable data chain from disposal to recovery.

The initiative reflects Zong’s broader ambition to apply technology beyond connectivity, to address environmental and social challenges and create measurable impact.

Through an integrated rewards mechanism, Zong employees will also earn credits for depositing recyclable materials, digitally track their contributions and redeem accumulated rewards. By connecting responsible action with tangible recognition, the initiative aims to make recycling simpler, more engaging and measurable, while fostering a stronger culture of environmental responsibility across the workplace.

Zong’s Head of Strategy and Company Spokesperson, Nabila Yazdani explains: “PecoDrop demonstrates how technology, data and employee participation, can come together to create a smarter and more measurable approach to waste management.”

The CEO of ISPES, Dr Zillay Maryam, speaking on the partnership, adds: “This partnership goes far beyond collection points. It’s about engineering the first mile of a true circular economy. By deploying smart, tech-integrated segregation systems, we ensure that waste separation begins at the precise point of disposal, enabling the complete recovery and recycling of sorted materials.”

This partnership, in conjunction with World Cleanup Day, which takes place annually on 20 September as an official United Nations observance dedicated to combating the global solid waste crisis, represents Zong’s commitment to turning sustainability from an occasional activity into an everyday, measurable workplace practice. 

ISP Environmental Solutions works on what it calls the integrated solid waste management (ISWM) strategy. Its effective ISWM system works to prevent, recycle, and manage solid waste in ways that most effectively protect human health and the environment.

Press Release

Vodafone and Ericsson have successfully demonstrated two AI-powered voice services, real-time noise cancellation and language translation, running directly within the mobile network.

Vodafone Group and Ericsson have successfully trialed two pioneering, network-native AI-powered voice services that will transform the experience of a standard mobile phone call. The trial demonstrated real-time noise cancellation for crystal-clear audio, and in-call language translation to break down communication barriers, all without requiring specialized apps or new phone hardware.

The achievement is a key milestone from the companies’ joint “Core Network of the Future” program, an initiative designed to explore how advanced AI capabilities can be embedded directly into a communications service provider’s network, turning it into an intelligent platform for innovation. Delivering these services from within the network, rather than through individual apps or devices, means they can reach any customer on any handset by default, giving Vodafone a scalable route to introduce new capabilities to consumer and enterprise customers over time.

The technical breakthrough was made possible by integrating Vodafone-developed application server and AI engines with Ericsson’s IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), using APIs to seamlessly bridge telecom and AI domains. This architecture allows the network to apply AI-driven intelligence to voice calls as they are processed. The two use cases demonstrated were:

• AI-based noise cancellation: This service intelligently identifies and removes background noise in real time, ensuring call clarity for users in loud environments like busy streets, public transport, or construction sites.
• AI-based real-time language translation: This service translates a conversation between two different languages live during the call, enabling seamless communication between people who do not share a common language.

Marco Zangani, Director of Network Strategy and Architecture, Vodafone, said: “AI is giving the mobile network back its voice. More than 50 years after the first mobile call, innovation is accelerating and shifting back into the network. Over the past few years, we have built the infrastructure, data capabilities and safeguards needed to unlock AI for our customers to converse more clearly.”

Nadine Allen, Head of UK and responsible for Vodafone Group at Ericsson, said: “This successful trial with Vodafone is a critical demonstration of how network-native AI can redefine the mobile experience. By integrating Vodafone’s powerful AI capabilities with Ericsson’s core network and media processing technologies, we are proving that sophisticated services like real-time translation and noise cancellation can be delivered seamlessly. This is a crucial step toward creating more intelligent, programmable networks that unlock new value for customers.”

This successful trial reflects a wider industry shift already underway, as operators increasingly explore how to deliver AI-powered services natively through their networks. By moving intelligence from the device to the network, operators can accelerate innovation, ensure quality of service, and deliver new value to both consumers and enterprises.

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For many years now SUBCO has been busy building out infrastructure connecting Australia to itself and to the rest of the world. So today’s announcement that they plan to build not one, not two, but three new ‘hypercables’ is a surprise only in quantity. The new systems aim to meet the next wave of bandwidth demand from AI-driven growth. … [visit site to read more]

With the Pará and Maranhão branching units now on the seabed, both States are one step closer to a major enhancement of their digital infrastructure as future submarine cable branches are developed.

Dublin, Ireland, 16^th September 2026 – EllaLink, the first high-capacity fibre-optic submarine cable directly connecting Latin America to Europe, announces the two branching units dedicated to the Brazilian states of Pará and Maranhão have been successfully laid on the seabed as part of the Lum@link marine installation campaign.

The two units are now in place and ready to receive the future submarine branches to Salinópolis, in the State of Pará, and São Luís, in the State of Maranhão. They were laid at water depths of 3,920 metres and 3,690 metres respectively. Manufactured and installed by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the units form part of the Lum@link system, which connects Cayenne, French Guiana, to the main EllaLink system.

A branching unit is a subsea device that enables a new cable branch to be added to an existing submarine system without disrupting the main route. By installing these units during the Lum@link campaign, EllaLink is ensuring that the future Brazilian branches can be deployed and activated without requiring additional deep-water intervention on the main system.  Planned years in advance, this strategic decision transforms a single route into a scalable network.

The branching units were funded by the governments of Pará and Maranhão, with grant support from the European Union as part of a broader Amazon connectivity programme co-financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group.

EllaLink has also completed the Cable Route Study (CRS) for both branches, covering offshore and landing routes, as well as preliminary permitting, environmental assessments and engineering activities.

Bringing the Amazon Basin onto the global submarine network

The branch to São Luís is being developed in partnership with ATI (Agência Estadual de Tecnologia da Informação do Maranhão) on behalf of the State of Maranhão.

The branch to Salinópolis is being developed in partnership with PRODEPA (Empresa de Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação do Estado do Pará) on behalf of the State of Pará.

For two states that have historically relied on long terrestrial backhaul routes to reach Brazil’s international communication gateways, the impact will be transformative. Each branch will provide a dedicated submarine landing point and a high-capacity, resilient connection to Fortaleza, Cayenne, and the wider international network. This represents a significant improvement in both network capacity and reliability.

Together, the two states will benefit from an initial combined capacity of 17 Tbps, with substantial room for future expansion. Beyond increasing bandwidth, the programme aims to extend broadband connectivity to isolated communities and strengthen the resilience of public digital services in healthcare, education, business development  and e-government.

The programme also includes the deployment of SMART sensors capable of collecting environmental and seismic data to support climate and scientific monitoring initiatives, with the support of the European Union.

As with its other dedicated branches, EllaLink acts as an infrastructure operator. The company designs, builds, operates and transfers the ownership of the branch to its customer. The capacity carried on each branch is owned and commercialised directly and fully under the control of the states.

The two branches form the Brazilian component of the “Mais Conectado” project, for the Amazon region,  to be co-financed by the IDB Group and the AFD Group.  This project was showcased during the 2nd EU-Brazil Investment Forum in June 2026. The project is being delivered under the EU Global Gateway strategy and the EU-LAC Digital Alliance with the support of Team Europe.

Lum@link on track for service by the end of 2026

The branching units were installed as part of the Lum@link  marine campaign that began in mid-July 2026, when the cable ship CS Île d’Yeu departed from the ASN manufacturing facility in Calais (France), bound for Cayenne (French Guiana).

Lum@link  is a submarine cable extension of approximately 2,100 km that connects the new cable landing station in Cayenne to the existing EllaLink trunk system off Fortaleza.  The system will provide a direct optical connection between Cayenne, Fortaleza, and Sines (Portugal) and is expected to enter in service by the end of 2026.

Lum@link is being developed by SPLANG, the public company responsible for the digital development in French Guiana. The European Commission is supporting the project with a €29.9 million grant from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme, managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The system is also supported by investment from the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG – local Government for French Guiana), and financial support from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Carlos Brandão, Governor of the State of Maranhão, commented : “Maranhão is preparing today to take a leading role in the digital economy of the future. We are investing in high-speed connectivity, fibre optic infrastructure, cybersecurity, data centres and digital inclusion. This is a project that modernises the State, strengthens our economy and creates the conditions to attract investment and generate new opportunities. We want a Maranhão that is more connected, more competitive and, above all, one where technology helps reduce inequality and improve the lives of our people.”

Philippe Dumont, CEO at EllaLink Group, added: “Laying these two branching units is one of those milestones that is invisible from the shore but decisive for everything that follows. They are the physical foundation of the future connections to Salinópolis and São Luís, and they are now in place, on the seabed. The design of the branches is well advanced as well: cable route study is finalised, so marine survey can start as soon as Pará and Maranhão states have finalised their funding. Since its inception, the EllaLink system has been designed to welcome new markets step by step, and this is what that design was for.”

Mozambique’s communications regulatory authority INCM says it is responding to concerns expressed by consumers on social media and elsewhere regarding the rapid exhaustion of mobile data packages.

INCM informs says it is developing what it calls a Tariff Management System, whose start-up is scheduled for November of this year.

This platform will strengthen the monitoring of tariffs and packages offered by operators, compare tariffs, identify the effective price of the service, including conditions and validity, verify the conditions applied to consumers and ensure greater transparency and accountability in the provision of telecommunications services.

In the field of data services in particular, INCM says it intends to ensure that the announced validity of the packages is effective for the consumer and that the depletion of the data volume does not result in an abrupt interruption of service before the scheduled date.

INCM is also conducting a process of restructuring telecommunications packages with a view to adopting fairer and more predictable solutions.

The regulator says it is encouraging operators to provide clear, accessible and verifiable information on consumption, balances and the conditions applicable to each package, explaining the factors that determine the level of mobile data consumption.

INCM says it will continue to monitor the concerns presented and work with operators to ensure greater transparency, better quality of services and more effective consumer protection. Whenever there are indications of irregularities in the accounting of data, the necessary technical checks will be carried out, and the applicable regulatory measures will be adopted.

Consumers are being advised to continue using appropriate complaints channels supplied by operators. If they are not satisfied, they are invited to use INCM channels through its website.

Some IX news, some FTTH, some VoIP, and some cybersecurity: … [visit site to read more]