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Malaysia’s mobile data service company U Mobile has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation Berhad (SDEC), the implementing agency driving Sarawak digital economy initiatives for the East Malaysian state that is home to an estimated 2.5 million people.
The aim of the MoU is to establish a strategic partnership aimed at realising the ambitions of the Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030, which envisions a robust digital economy as well as an inclusive digital society for the state by 2030.
To achieve this, says U Mobile, it will work with SDEC on initiatives that accelerate digital transformation for SMEs in Sarawak, as well as initiatives that narrow the digital divide for those in underserved areas.
Through this partnership, U Mobile and SDEC will collaborate to drive the adoption of 5G technologies and solutions in Sarawak’s SMEs. This includes providing 5G network connectivity, educational programmes, devices and innovative use case solutions to empower local businesses and enhance their competitiveness in the digital economy.
Additionally, following the success of a small cell proof of concept (POC) in providing coverage to a longhouse (a large communal village house) in Long Lawen, Sarawak, U Mobile and SDEC will collaborate to further narrow the digital divide by exploring similar solutions to provide connectivity to rural and underserved areas.
Beyond this MoU, both parties say they are also currently collaborating on the Sarawak Multimedia Authority Rural Telecommunication 600 (SMART600) project, where U Mobile’s 4G coverage will be made available to serve rural communities in Sarawak through multi-operator core network (MOCN) technology.
We reported on Wednesday that U Mobile announced had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CIMB Bank to extend financing support for its upcoming 5G network rollout.
In a rare display of unity, today the CEOs of telecoms tech rivals Nokia and Ericsson both took to the stage at the New Industrial Ambition for Europe summit in Brussels, arguing that Europe needed major reform to ensure competitiveness on the global stage.
The event saw Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO of Nokia, and Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, argue that European authorities need to make sweeping changes to regulations and align more closely on strategy to create a more digital single market.
“European competitiveness already has one foot in the morgue,” said Lundmark. “Our real GDP is 30% less than the U.S.’s, the EU’s share of the Fortune Global 500 is still falling and our digital future looks less certain than ever. The good news is that we can still turn this tanker around. Europe must create an environment in which businesses want to invest, especially on technologies such as AI, cloud and advanced connectivity. This cannot be a decade-long endeavour. Europe must act right now on issues like the 5G Toolbox and telco mergers. If Europe gets this right, it’s a massive opportunity. Draghi and Letta already provided the framework. So, let’s act.”
The crux of the group’s message was clear: Europe needs to increase its innovation and R&D spend to be more competitive – something the continent’s technology sector cannot do effectively with an oppressive regulatory regime.
The group called for a rethink and increase in scale of public spending around European “disruptive innovation”, a softer regulatory approach to market consolidation, and a greater focus on developing the digital infrastructure (i.e., networks) needed to support the tech sector.
The summit built upon the contents of the Draghi economic report published in September last year. The report, penned by ex-prime minister of Italy and previous president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, paints a picture of Europe severely lagging behind its global rival in terms of technology and economic growth.
A major problem, the report points out, is the sheer scale of the US tech giants, whose R&D budgets dwarf their Europea would-be rivals. According to a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, European companies trail in R&D and capital formation by an €450 billion in tech alone, with US companies investing around 60% more than their European counterparts in R&D.
It is worth noting here that Europe has not created a company with a market capitalisation over €100 billion in the past fifty years. This can be partially explained by the fact that successful European tech companies are typically acquired or otherwise relocated to the US, where they can scale more rapidly. According to the report, between 2008 and 2021, around 30% of the European startup unicorns (i.e., start-ups that went on the be valued at over $1 billion), relocated their headquarters abroad.
In this sense, both the Draghi and the CEOs of Nokia and Ericsson all agree that Europe must do more to make itself a welcoming – and permanent – home for tech innovation.
“Companies like Ericsson already invest disproportionally more in R&D in Europe. If other regions continue to race ahead this model cannot survive,” said Ekholm. “Those regions are embracing opportunity through investment, policy, and regulatory support. Europe is not. Yet the solution is well known. The EU must implement the Draghi and Letta Report recommendations to enable the technology sector to play our part in delivering future European prosperity.”
The summit was notably attended by a number of high-profile European stakeholders, including Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty; Dariusz Standerski, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs for Poland; and former Italian Prime Minister, Enrico Letta.
Virkkunen was appointed Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy in December last year as part of the cohort of European Commissioners.
Also in the news:
Adani Group’s ‘foray into industrial 5G’ is a complete failure
Sparkle signs deal to recycle 22,000km of submarine cable
Nokia bags deal to connect new offshore wind farms
This has been a big week for data center builders in the financial markets. Four data center development companies separately tapped into big money for expansion: … [visit site to read more]
16 JANUARY 2025 – High-speed broadband provider LightSpeed has joined forces with Neos Networks, one of the UK’s foremost business connectivity providers, to expand its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and wholesale services. This collaboration highlights LightSpeed’s commitment to delivering Gigabit broadband to underserved communities while bolstering its network infrastructure.
LightSpeed sets high standards for Ethernet performance with its existing 10Gbps XGS-PON technology, ensuring high bandwidth and capacity services are available across its network. Greater availability of these services is now being developed utilising Neos Networks’ extensive UK-wide network, providing its wholesale customers greater access and choice when purchasing connectivity.
The LightSpeed Group operates through two entities: LightSpeed Networks, which builds and manages the infrastructure for its retail and growing wholesale services, and LightSpeed Broadband, which provides Gigabit-speed connectivity directly to homes and businesses across the Midlands and East of England.
Neos Networks is providing LightSpeed with high-performance connectivity solutions, including dark fibre, 100Gbps and 10Gbps optical links, and backhaul services. This partnership enables LightSpeed Networks to expand into new regions like North Staffordshire and connect to critical data centres in London, Manchester, and Birmingham. As a result, LightSpeed can offer bespoke wholesale services and managed solutions to other service providers, delivering alternatives to incumbent providers.
Additionally, Neos Networks supports LightSpeed Broadband’s ability to deliver FTTH services to a broader customer base. By quickly and efficiently extending connectivity into new areas, LightSpeed Broadband can bolster pre-sales, street cabinet deployments, and customer sign-ups, accelerating its rollout of high-speed broadband.
This partnership represents an important step in both LightSpeed and Neos Networks’ missions to bridge the digital divide, offering gigabit broadband to communities in need and cementing their positions as key players in the UK’s connectivity markets.
“Partnering with Neos Networks allows us to bring faster, more reliable connectivity to homes and businesses in the East Midlands and beyond,” said Chris Tagg, Chief Technology and Information Officer at The LightSpeed Group. “This collaboration equips us with the flexibility and scalability to expand rapidly into new markets while staying true to our commitment to exceptional service delivery – especially in areas where traditional options like Openreach are unavailable.”
“Our collaboration with LightSpeed is a prime example of how advanced network infrastructure can support providers in reaching underserved areas,” said Lee Myall, CEO at Neos Networks. “By delivering tailored connectivity solutions, we’re enabling LightSpeed to expand their footprint and bring high-quality broadband to more communities and businesses.”
ENDS
About Neos Networks
Neos Networks has the UK’s largest business-dedicated network. With over 600 points of presence and 90 data centres nationwide, Neos provides high capacity critical connectivity for businesses, from telecoms and energy to banking and emergency services.
Agile and customer-focused with almost limitless scale, Neos enables emerging technologies like AI, 5G and IoT, making connectivity work for Britain.
For more information please visit: https://neosnetworks.com
About LightSpeed
LightSpeed is an independent, full fibre broadband network that offers industry-leading speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps. As the East and West Midlands’ leading and most trusted broadband provider, it’s bringing the power of Gigabit to parts of the UK that other providers have overlooked, with plans to connect 150,000 new premises in these regions and a target of 400,000 total homes & businesses by 2027.
Backed by investment partner Kompass Kapital, the brand is focused on building a portfolio of value-added services powered by its ultra-fast broadband, designed to enhance customers’ in-home experiences, from security to smart home technologies.
For more information please visit: www.lightspeed.co.uk
UAE-based satellite firm Space42 said on Wednesday it has successfully deployed the second of its Foresight earth observation LEO satellites in partnership with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation operator ICEYE.
The Foresight-2 satellite, supplied by ICEYE, was launched on Tuesday aboard the Transporter-12 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. The satellite has established communication, and early routine operations are underway, Space42 said. The launch also included four satellites for ICEYE’s own constellation.
The Foresight-2 satellite joins Foresight-1, which was launched in August 2024 by Bayanat and Yahsat prior to the finalisation of their merger as Space42. With Foresight-2 now in orbit, Space42 said the second phase of the SAR constellation will boost its geospatial insights and capabilities with increased speed and precision.
The Foresight satellites use an SAR active sensing system to produce high-fidelity images of the Earth’s surface around the clock, regardless of weather conditions or solar illumination, at the highest resolution in the industry for small satellites. According to Space42, this allows smaller objects and minute surface changes to be tracked from space, which can address critical challenges such as disaster mitigation, maritime surveillance, and urban mobility.
Space42 MD Karim Michel Sabbagh added that Foresight constellation will support the UAE’s Earth Observation (EO) Space Program, which was created in 2023 to build up the country’s satellite remote sensing and EO capabilities.
“With cutting-edge technology, this spacecraft enhances our capacity to deliver precise, real-time geospatial insights, advancing the UAE’s earth observation capabilities,” he said in a statement.
The launch of Foresight-2 comes a month after ICEYE and Space42 announced a JV to manufacture SAR satellites in the UAE.
Space42 plans to complete the Foresight SAR constellation by 2027.
Three items of subsea infrastructure going on this week, two within EMEA and one on the other side of the globe. … [visit site to read more]
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Reports this week suggest that Adani Group is considering surrendering it 5G mmWave spectrum after failing to turn its dream of deploying private 5G networks into reality.
According to the reports, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sent multiple requests to the company asking how it intends to use the currently idle spectrum, as well as penalising it for failing to meet minimum rollout targets.
Adani Group purchased the spectrum for $27 million at India’s first 5G auction back in 2022. At the time, Adani said it would use the 400MHz of 26GH (also known as mmWave) spectrum to deploy private 5G networks for its own digital subsidiaries, as well as offering it to enterprise and industrial customers.
As part of the deal, Adani was obligated to begin offering commercial services using the spectrum within a year.
“The Adani Group’s foray into the industrial 5G space will allow our portfolio companies to offer a set of new add on services that capitalises on all the other digital segments we are building,” said Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, after acquiring the spectrum.
Adani Group’s participation in the spectrum auction initially caused concern in some corners of the Indian telecoms sector, with onlookers speculating that success with private networks could lead to Adani’s entry into the consumer mobile space.
The reality, however, appears to have been quite different, with Adani Group having failed to make a single deployment using the mmWave 5G spectrum.
Adani has reportedly told the DoT that the spectrum’s deployment across its own industrial operations – including ports, airports, power stations, and logistics – had proven commercially unviable.
If the company continues to fail to meet rollout obligations, the company will be forced to pay fines to the DoT. As such, Adani is considering returning the spectrum licences to the DoT.
It is also worth noting that Adani did not participate in India’s latest 5G spectrum auction, which took place in summer last year and generated a lukewarm response from the country’s mobile network operators. The acquisition of additional spectrum could have made the company’s private 5G network offering more attractive and would likely have allowed them to also offer 5G fixed wireless access services, for which mmWave spectrum is typically well suited.
Failures to meaningfully commercialise mmWave spectrum is nothing new for the mobile industry. While offering considerably lower latency and capacity than typical mid-band spectrum 5G services, mmWave’s shorter range limits often limits its viability and increases deployment costs.
Indeed, even in South Korea, typically viewed as one of the most advanced mobile markets in the world, the country’s mobile operators had failed to make mmWave commercially viable at scale. After four years of lacklustre deployments, all of the nation’s operators ultimately had their mmWave licences revoked by the government.
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Also in the news:
VEON and Starlink to launch Direct-to-Cell Satellite connectivity in Ukraine
Swisscom completes acquisition of Vodafone Italia
Equinix to buy BT’s Irish data centre business for €59m
Interesting items from the data center, interconnection, and quantum realms. … [visit site to read more]
