FLAG has launched a new subsea route between Chennai and Singapore, adding capacity and route diversity along one of Asia’s busiest connectivity corridors.

The privately-owned subsea cable operator said the route forms part of its Vision 2030 strategy to strengthen global network resilience and expand coverage in key digital markets.

The Chennai-Singapore route follows FLAG’s Mumbai-Singapore investment announced in 2025 and provides a second, geographically distinct connection between India and Singapore. The company said the new path will improve network resilience and offer additional routing options for customers across South and Southeast Asia.

When combined with FLAG’s ECHO subsea cable system linking Singapore and the US, the route also creates new connectivity options between India and the United States, reducing reliance on traditional westbound routes through the Middle East and Europe.

FLAG said the infrastructure is designed to support cloud providers, content delivery networks, enterprises and international carriers seeking greater network redundancy and lower latency.

Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer Paul Abfalter said growing demand for digital services means operators can no longer rely on a limited number of international routes. He added that the new link strengthens FLAG’s ability to manage and reroute traffic across a more resilient network architecture.

Vice President of Product Nadya Melic described India as a key market for FLAG, adding that Chennai is an increasingly important connectivity hub for linking the country into global digital networks.

The launch forms part of FLAG’s broader investment strategy in India, where the company is expanding both its network footprint and local operations.

Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) fined Orange Liberia LRD4 million (US$20,000) after finding the operator liable for the unauthorised issuance of a customer’s SIM card to a third party, resulting in a privacy and communications breach.

According to the regulator, the case involved customer Zelah Johnson, whose mobile number stopped working in February 2024 after the SIM card was allegedly reassigned without her consent. The third party later gained access to accounts linked to the SIM card, permanently locking her out.

The LTA said its investigation found Orange Liberia improperly issued the SIM card in violation of company procedures and licence conditions.

The regulator ruled that the operator failed to adequately protect customer information and breached provisions of Liberia’s Telecommunications Act of 2007 relating to customer confidentiality, data protection and unauthorised access to telecoms systems.

As part of the ruling, the LTA ordered Orange Liberia to disclose the identities of both the employee involved and the individual who obtained the SIM card.

The authority said the case highlights the importance of protecting consumer privacy and warned that operators would be held accountable for actions that compromise customer security.

Vietnamese operator Viettel has reportedly approved plans to launch telecoms operations in the Dominican Republic, a move that would make it the country’s fourth mobile operator.

According to Viet Nam News, Viettel’s board approved a $560 million investment on April 17 to build and operate telecoms and digital infrastructure across the Caribbean nation.

The expansion will lead to the creation of a new unit, Viettel Dominicana, although the company’s final corporate structure and local partnerships have yet to be confirmed.

The operator is expected to focus initially on mobile services, fixed broadband and mobile money during its first two years of operation. It then plans to expand further into areas including data centres, cloud computing, cybersecurity, IT services and digital logistics.

The Dominican Republic telecoms market is currently dominated by América Móvil-owned Claro, Altice and local operator Viva.

Claro reported 8.1 million mobile subscribers across its Caribbean operations, including the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, in the fourth quarter of 2025. Altice had around 1.5 million consumer mobile subscribers in the same period, while regulator Indotel reported Viva had approximately 450,000 subscribers.

The Dominican Republic has a population of around 11.5 million people and the largest economy in the Caribbean, with GDP reaching $124 billion in 2024, according to World Bank data.

EdgeConneX Chief Transformation Officer Jenny Zhan explains the organizational transformation required to deliver data center capacity at ever-rising scale and ever-accelerating pace.

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PLDT Group’s data centre arm Vitro said on Thursday it has partnered with BBIX Philippines to establish a direct peering connection between BBIX and its Vitro Internet Exchange (VIX) in a play they say will strengthen the country’s digital ecosystem.

To that end, Vitro has deployed an initial 100G network-to-network interconnection at its Makati 2 data centre to start. Vitro expects to expand that capacity over time in line with traffic growth and evolving demand.

Vitro said the partnership with BBIX aims to enable more efficient traffic exchange through direct peering, allowing enterprises connected to both BBIX and VIX to benefit from improved routing, reduced latency, and enhanced access to content and digital services.

VIX’s local ecosystem includes access to over 98 million internet users in the Philippines, alongside a growing base of enterprises, carriers, and hyperscalers hosted within Vitro’s carrier-neutral data centres.

BBIX said it brings its global peering expertise to the table, as well as a rich and massive ecosystem of content from cloud service providers, content platforms, content delivery networks and other technology solution providers.

Direct peering between BBIX and VIX will reduce connectivity gaps and optimise traffic routes, enabling efficient traffic flow, reduced latency, and improved access to both regional and international content, said Vitro’s chief commercial officer Gary F. Ignacio.

“By strengthening how traffic is exchanged between networks, we are improving access to content, enhancing performance, and enabling businesses and communities to better participate in the digital economy,” he said in a statement.

“Through our direct peering with VIX, we are able to deliver more efficient and reliable connectivity that supports the growing demand for digital services in the country,” added Toya Oba, GM of BBIX.

Press Release

When we watch videos on our phones, we expect them to load instantly and play smoothly – even in the busiest places or at peak times. But as demand for video continues to grow, mobile networks can sometimes come under pressure, leading to buffering or drops in quality.

Keeping videos smooth on the UK’s best mobile network 

That’s why we’ve introduced a range of tools across our industry-leading EE network to ensure seamless performance for customers – from capacity-boosting small cell mini-masts to our world-first implementation of Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC) technology. This helps improve everyday experiences like streaming video, scrolling social media and watching live content on the go. As part of BT, EE benefits from the scale, investment and innovation that enable us to keep the UK at the forefront of connectivity. 

Working together with Meta  

But it’s also important that we work with content providers to tackle this shared challenge, and so we’re delighted to announce the success of a recent pilot with Meta which makes watching videos on Facebook and Instagram more reliable for EE mobile customers, even during periods of high network demand.  

The pilot saw the two teams test a smarter approach to video delivery using new congestion awareness technology that adapts automatically during busy periods, easing potential pressure on the network while maintaining a highquality experience for customers. In simple terms, it helps reduce those frustrating moments where videos buffer or stall when networks are busy. 

The ambition is simple: to help more people enjoy a smooth viewing experience, while at the same time reducing impact on the network.

Smarter video delivery during busy moments 

Rather than delivering video in the same way regardless of conditions, Meta’s congestion awareness technology intelligently responds when parts of the network are under pressure. By making small, real–time adjustments when detecting high cell load during peak moments, it reduces the amount of data needed without noticeably affecting video quality. This helps ease potential congestion so more people can keep watching without interruptions, while making better use of available network capacity. It also supports a more consistent experience when using video apps in busy areas like city centres, transport hubs or large events. 

Proven results for EE customers 

The pilot delivered strong results, including a 6–8% bitrate reduction when congestion was identified and around a 4% reduction in traffic to congested cells – all while maintaining a high–quality experience for EE customers using Facebook and Instagram. That means fewer slowdowns and a more reliable video streaming experience on mobile data. With this success, the congestion awareness technology has now been rolled out across the EE network, and Meta will expand the solution to other markets and partners throughout 2026. 

This latest work builds on BT and Meta’s earlier collaboration to improve video performance for EE customers, further demonstrating how closer coordination between networks and platforms can support growing demand. As video continues to play a central role in everyday life, initiatives like this show how incremental innovation behind the scenes can deliver meaningful benefits for customers – while helping networks remain efficient into the future. 

Global digital operator Veon announced on Wednesday that Ukrainian ride-hailing platform Uklon – which is owned by Veon’s Kyivstar – has started testing autonomous vehicle technology for a planned robotaxi service in Ukraine.

The pilot project – which is being conducted in partnership with Boryspil International Airport – leverages core autonomous vehicle technologies and operational components, including onboard sensors, LiDAR, real-time connectivity, vehicle telemetry and remote operations infrastructure. Remote human operators will serve as a control layer during the pilot.

Veon said the test is part of Uklon’s strategy to position itself as the operating partner for Ukraine’s future autonomous mobility and robotaxi ecosystem as it works with regulators and Boryspil Airport.

Veon Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu said the autonomous vehicle pilot illustrates how Veon’s US$1.3 billion investment in Ukraine’s digital infrastructure between 2023 and 2026 is now generating homegrown next-gen services.

“Today’s launch puts Uklon at the center of Ukraine’s future robotaxi ecosystem and shows that VEON’s US$1.3 billion investment in rebuilding the country’s connectivity and digital infrastructure is generating exactly the kind of next-generation services we said it would,” Terzioglu said in a statement.

The pilot comes a little over a year after Kyivstar bought Uklon in a deal valued at US$155.2 million to expand its digital consumer services portfolio.

“As part of the Veon group digital operator strategy, we are developing a digital ecosystem where communication technologies become the basis for new services.” said Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov. “This project confirms that the synergy of the telecom and IT sectors within the Kyivstar group of companies, which includes Uklon, creates unique solutions and opens new opportunities for the country.”

The Uklon pilot also marks Veon’s first autonomous mobility initiative across its operating footprint.