Press Release

VodafoneThree is trialling a new process to help the banking sector block scams

VodafoneThree has helped develop a proof of concept to help banks tackle fraud and protect their customers.

Created with Barclays, and in partnership with Mobile Ecosystem Forum* and Cyber Defence Alliance, the proof of concept has since expanded to include The Co-operative Bank, now part of the Coventry Building Society, and TSB.

Since August 2025, more than 2 million fraudulent messages have been blocked from reaching participating banks’ customers. This marks an estimated 25% increase in blocked scam messages on VodafoneThree’s network.^[1]As UK banks lose £1.17 billion a year due to fraud^[2], this process helps stop fraudulent SMS messages before they reach banking customers, while ensuring legitimate messages still get through.

Building on the success of VodafoneThree’s existing scam prevention tools, which blocked 139+ million fraudulent SMS in 2025 alone, the process sees VodafoneThree working closely with banks to build bespoke rules to the existing SMS firewall. This intelligence can differentiate between fraudulent SMS content and legitimate communications from banks to their customers.

Recent malicious SMS messages focus on impersonating banks and asking customers to share their personal or financial information urgently via scam phone numbers or phishing links included in the messages.

Rachel Andrews, Director of Corporate Security and Fraud, VodafoneThree, said: “Preventing fraud on our network and protecting trust in the UK’s digital economy is a huge priority. With fraud now accounting for 44% of all crime^[3], no single organisation can tackle it alone. We’re working closely with banks, government, law enforcement, and industry partners to stay ahead, evolving our capabilities as quickly as fraudsters change their tactics. What’s clear is that we need to innovate as well, scaling new solutions like this is crucial in making the UK one of the toughest places in the world for fraudsters to operate.”

Nick Gliddon, Business Director, VodafoneThree, said: “Banks sit at the frontline of the UK’s fight against fraud, and their role has never been more critical. Together, we’re leading the way by stepping up our work with banks to strengthen protections and accelerate new solutions. And we’re challenging partners across the sector to match that ambition by working with us to raise the bar and better protect customers at scale.”

Paul Davis, Head of Economic Crime, Barclays, said: “Protecting our customers’ money and data is our highest priority. With reports of APP scams originating via SMS increasing by around 40% in 2025 compared with 2024, it is essential that we continue to work together to stay ahead of new threats. By sharing intelligence across banks, telecoms providers and industry bodies, we can help stop suspicious messages before they reach customers, while ensuring our customers still receive genuine messages from us. VodafoneThree’s work is a strong example of how collective action can help tackle fraud at source and better protect consumers.”

Garry Lilburn, Operations Director, Cyber Defence Alliance, said: “At the CDA, we seek to bring our banking members, Telecommunication, Law Enforcement and Tech partners together to problem solve on cross-sector problems. This project, initiated at such a cross-sector meeting, with MEF, Vodafone Three and Barclays bank, is an excellent example of cross-sector collaboration. Working with MEF, collectively, we will scale this project and its success to protect a wider number of banking and telecom customers.”

Dario Betti, CEO, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, said: “For many years, MEF has been at the forefront of the fight against smishing, continuously evolving our strategy to keep pace with the changing tactics used by fraudsters. We are very pleased to have supported VodafoneThree in this successful initiative, which shows what can be achieved when industry partners work together in a practical and targeted way to tackle fraud. The results are significant, and we look forward to seeing this approach adopted more broadly across the industry.”

Chris Gray, CISO, The Co-operative Bank, said: “Our customers’ safety is our top priority. Alongside our Cyber Fraud Fusion Cell – where we bring together expertise to spot and stop scams fast – this initiative helps tackle fraud at source. By partnering across sectors to block fraudulent messages before they reach customers, together, we’re strengthening everyday banking security and keeping people’s money safe.”

George Hulland, Fraud Prevention Manager, TSB, said: “For too long, UK households have lost life-changing sums to cruel fraudsters posing as their bank, so this much-needed intervention with Vodafone should help cut scams off at source. Fraud can only be tackled with different businesses coming together, and this is a great example of cross-sector collaboration to protect consumers. Banks will never ask you for personal information, or to transfer money to them – so if you’re ever asked, hang up, it’s fraud.”

VodafoneThree urges customers and members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious messages or voice calls to our dedicated 7726 SPAM reporting link, either by clicking on the SPAM icon or forwarding to 7726 at no extra cost. This valuable intelligence is then shared with other mobile network providers and anti-scam organisations, helping to protect customers.

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News

The South Korean giant is betting heavily on both chip production and data centre growth

South Korean conglomerate SK Group has announced a massive 2,100 trillion won ($1.36 trillion) investment roadmap targeted at domestic semiconductor manufacturing and AI data centre deployments.

The strategic push focuses heavily on securing upstream supply chain dominance and scaling computing infrastructure to reposition South Korea on the global AI stage.

“We should not simply export AI products. We need to export intelligence itself while building a domestic market for AI-driven intelligence,” said SK Group’s chairman Chey Tae-won, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.. “To achieve that, we will rapidly build AI factories in the form of large-scale AI data centers.”

SK Hynix plots memory chip production expansion

The group’s semiconductor division, SK Hynix, is spearheading the hardware allocation by committing 1,100 trillion won ($706 billion) to scale production capacity for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and next-generation DRAM and NAND flash components critical for AI workloads.

Key capital projects within the chip investment include:

• Cheongju: 100 trillion won ($65 billion) allocated for site expansion.
• Southwest Cluster: 400 trillion won ($261 billion) earmarked to construct an entirely new semiconductor production hub.
• Yongin Mega-Cluster: 600 trillion won ($392 billion USD) dedicated to fast-tracking the deployment of its primary semiconductor hub. The group has pulled forward the completion timeline for this project to 2033, moving it 12 years ahead of its original 2045 deadline.

The broader long-term vision outlines a sustained capital expenditure of approximately 100 trillion won ($65.3 billion) annually in South Korea over the next decade, according to Chairman Chey.

SK Telecom pivots to GPUaaS and regional infrastructure

In tandem, telecom unit SK Telecom will deploy 1,000 trillion won ($642 billion) to build out physical AI data centres. The operator intends to establish 15 GW of AI data centre capacity across South Korea by 2035, with an interim target of 5 GW operational by 2029.

The initial phase involves a 140 trillion won ($91.5 billion) investment targeting the southeastern Yeongnam region to create a localised AI hub. This rollout begins with a 100MW hyperscale AI data centre in Ulsan, scheduled to begin operations in Q4 2027. SKT plans to expand this site by an additional 900MW, alongside another 1GW deployment elsewhere in the region.

“The massive AI data centers could transform the region into a hub for the verification and expansion of manufacturing AI, when combined with the manufacturing capabilities in the region,” SK Telecom’s CEO Jung Jai-hun announced during a public briefing with South Korean president Lee Jae Myung last week.

SK Group’s multi-year investment plans arrive amid unprecedented infrastructure spend across the global technology landscape; US hyperscalers, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle, are forecast to spend a combined $600 billion to $750 billion USD in 2026 alone. While SK Group’s investments pale in comparison to these true giants, it nonetheless places the organisation firmly as a regional competitor.

For a telco, on the other hand, the scale of these AI investments is broadly unrivalled. SK Telecom has long signalled its intent to shake off its role as a traditional telco and embracing a new persona as an ‘AI factory’. Backed by architectural alignment with NVIDIA, the operator aims to leverage this massive footprint to position itself as a major GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) provider in the Asia-Pacific region.

SK Group has interntional AI ambitions too.  Last month, SK Telecom said it would invest 738 billion won ($480 million) into the newly formed ‘AI Co.’, a US-based subsidiary of memory giant SK Hynix created in January by repurposing its US flash memory firm Solidigm. The business, which is intended to operate as a strategic investment and ecosystem vehicle, is backd $10 billion from SK Hynix and a further $250 million and $380 million from SK Inc. and SK Innovation, respectively. 

By unifying upstream chip manufacturing via SK Hynix with mega-scale data center infrastructure from SK Telecom, SK Group is establishing a strong foundation for global AI development. This multi-trillion-won capital strategy effectively shifts the conglomerate from a regional component supplier into a high-margin, full-stack intelligence powerhouse capable of reshaping the Asia-Pacific tech landscape.

Keep up to date with the latest news with the Total Telecom newsletter

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Papua New Guinea saw movement on the 5G front on Friday after Digicel PNG announced its mobile network is now officially 5G-ready, while the country’s regulator released two draft plans for 5G spectrum bands.

Digicel PNG announced it has completed end-to-end 5G readiness testing on its network, with the results validating its network’s capability to deliver 5G connectivity.

Digicel PNG said its network achieved peak download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps during the trials.

Digicel PNG’s interim CEO Brett Goschen said the test results demonstrate that its network will be able to deliver 5G benefits to customers, including HD and ultra-HD streaming, enhanced mobile gaming and real-time experiences via lower latency, and more reliable connectivity for businesses, whilst also paving the way for future digital services and innovation across industries.

“The successful completion of our 5G readiness testing marks a significant milestone for Digicel PNG and for the country’s digital evolution,” Goschen said in a statement. “It confirms that our network is fully prepared to support the next generation of mobile technology, delivering faster speeds, improved responsiveness, and greater reliability for our customers.”

That said, Goschen added that while the network is ready to launch 5G, commercial availability is still some time away, saying only that details of a commercial launch “will be shared at a later stage.”

Papua New Guinea’s National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) has yet to issue definite plans to assign 5G spectrum and allocate new licences, having been focused on expanding the reach of 4G and enabling Starlink services in unserved areas.

However, also on Friday, NICTA issued a public consultation notice on two draft papers proposing to use the 2300-MHz and 3500-MHz spectrum bands for 4G and 5G services.

Under the proposals, telcos would need to acquire a spectrum licence, which will be good for between five and 15 years, and an apparatus licence for the base stations, which would be valid for five years.

Comments are due on July 15, but no timeline has been given on when NICTA plans to award licences for either band.

Chile telecoms regulator Subtel has this week announced plans to expand competition in satellite services in Chile and to incorporate new bands to improve connectivity.

Subtel – the country’s Undersecretariat of Telecommunications – has published a modification to the technical standard that regulates the fixed satellite service, incorporating new frequency bands for its operation in the country.

This means that as well as established bands such as Ku and Ka for satellite service, the ruling has expanded to incorporate new frequency ranges that include the W band (ranging from 75 to 110GHz). In the coming days Subtel says it will publish plans to incorporate the V band (40 to 75GHz).

In practice, this will permit an expansion of the capacity of satellite networks, improve data transmission and strengthen satellite connectivity, especially in remote and rural areas or areas with less access to terrestrial infrastructure such as fibre optics or 5G.

Subtel says this change is also part of its agenda aimed at facilitating the deployment of infrastructure and accelerating the adoption of new technologies, particularly in rural and remote areas, with the aim of promoting investments that improve the quality of networks, and thus the quality of life of people.

The measure applies in general to all operators and satellite internet service companies that already operate in Chile – including Starlink and HughesNet – as well as to new companies that may join the market in the future. The hope is that the updated ruling will attract more investment and strengthen the regulatory framework by making it more modern and competitive.

The Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Romina Garrido, explains that with more radio spectrum “satellite services can operate more efficiently, support a greater volume of traffic and offer better services to people”. This will show itself, he says, “in more stable connections, higher speed and shorter network response time, in addition to more resilient connectivity against emergencies or interruptions, complementing the telecommunications infrastructure that already exists in Chile, especially for isolated and rural areas”.

Contributed Article

By Ferris Adi, Chief Information Security Officer, Trans Americas Fiber System

Subsea cables have long been viewed as physical infrastructure, fiber on the ocean floor, landing stations, and cable ships. That view is no longer sufficient. Today’s subsea systems are defined less by steel and fiber, and more by the digital operating ecosystem that surrounds them. As these environments become more automated, remotely managed, and vendor-integrated, they are quietly transforming into critical cyber systems, and expanding the attack surface in ways many organizations have yet to fully recognize.

The risk has shifted, but the narrative hasn’t

Public discussion still focuses on physical risks: anchor dragging, fishing activity, and geopolitical disruption. These threats remain real and visible.

But the more immediate risk is less visible, and more scalable: What happens if the systems used to operate, monitor, or restore subsea infrastructure are compromised? In modern environments, the cable itself is no longer the most vulnerable point. The management plane is.

From passive asset to digital ecosystem

A subsea system is no longer a single asset. It is an interconnected service model that includes:

• Network operations platforms and control systems
• Vendor access and remote support pathways
• Identity, privileged access, and monitoring infrastructure
• Cloud-connected services and customer platforms
• Restoration, assurance, and operational workflows

This ecosystem drives performance, but it also defines the attack surface. A compromise in any one of these layers can escalate quickly from a technical issue into an operational, regulatory, or customer-impacting event.

The hidden critical layer: The management plane

The most important systems in subsea cybersecurity are often the least visible to executives. The management plane governs how infrastructure is configured, accessed, monitored, and restored. If compromised, it provides attackers not just with disruption capability, but with the ability to operate the network itself.

This risk is amplified in environments with:

• Heavy reliance on vendor support
• Weak identity controls or shared credentials
• Limited segmentation between IT, OT, and operational systems
• Unmonitored or poorly governed remote access

If the management plane is not secured, resilience is largely theoretical.

Why geographic diversity is not enough

The subsea industry has historically defined resilience through route and bare metal servers in a 1+1 config for the NMS, multiple paths, landings, and restoration options. That assumption no longer holds in a cyber context. Cyber threats are not constrained by geography. A globally distributed network can still fail in a correlated way if it shares:

• Identity vulnerabilities
• Common vendor access models
• Centralized management dependencies
• Untested recovery processes

Geographic diversity reduces physical risk. It does not address systemic cyber risk. True resilience requires design diversity, access control, and operational discipline.

The greenfield advantage, and responsibility

New subsea programs have a rare opportunity: the ability to build security before operations begin. This is the point where decisions are most impactful—and least expensive to implement. Organizations that succeed treat cybersecurity as a core design function, embedding it into:

• Architecture: Segmentation, controlled access pathways, separation of operational and corporate environments
• Supplier models: Clearly defined access controls, accountability, and oversight
• Operational readiness: Logging, monitoring, and validated recovery capabilities
• Emergency access: Structured, time-bound, and auditable “break-glass” processes

If these controls are not built early, they become significantly harder, and often incomplete, once operations are underway.

Supplier risk is now an operational risk

Subsea infrastructure depends on specialized suppliers. That dependency is unavoidable. What must change is how it is governed. Supplier assurance can no longer sit within procurement processes alone. It must be operationalized daily, through:

• Controlled and monitored remote access
• Session visibility and auditability
• Defined roles in incident response and recovery
• Clear ownership and accountability

If a supplier is critical to restoring service, they must be part of the resilience model before an incident, not during it.

Resilience is defined under pressure

The true test of subsea cybersecurity is not policy; it is behavior during disruption.

Marine repair events illustrate this clearly. Under pressure:

• Access controls are often relaxed
• External actors are introduced
• Decisions are accelerated
• Standard processes are bypassed

These conditions increase cyber risk at precisely the moment when operational dependency is highest.

Leading operators recognize that repair windows are also cyber events, and plan accordingly, with predefined access controls, approval mechanisms, and validation processes.  Resilience is not theoretical. It is controlled execution under stress.

From compliance to operational readiness

Cybersecurity frameworks provide structure but they do not guarantee resilience.

Resilient organizations are defined by their ability to:

• Detect meaningful anomalies across identity, access, and management systems
• Make informed decisions quickly under pressure
• Coordinate effectively across internal teams and suppliers
• Restore services with confidence, and evidence

The shift required is from control presence to operational confidence.

The board-level question that matters

Executives do not need detailed technical expertise, but they do need clarity. The most important question is not whether controls exist, but whether they work when needed.

“If a critical management system or supplier access path were compromised today, how quickly would we know, and how confidently could we restore service?”

This question forces alignment across governance, technology, operations, and supplier management. It also exposes the difference between compliance and resilience.

The next decade will raise the stakes

Subsea infrastructure is becoming increasingly strategic and increasingly contested.

It underpins:

• Cloud and hyperscale platforms
• Financial and digital economies
• Government communications and national security
• AI-driven workloads and global data exchange

At the same time, advances in AI, automation, and supply chain complexity will accelerate both attacker capability and operational dependency.

Technology alone will not determine the outcome. The differentiator will be governance and operational discipline.

Redefining the asset

The future of subsea cybersecurity will not be secured by protecting the cable alone. It will be secured by protecting the operating model around it, identity, access, vendors, monitoring systems, and recovery processes. Subsea infrastructure has always connected continents. But in a digital-first world, the real challenge is no longer connectivity.

It is trust. And trust, in this context, is built on one thing: Proven resilience before it is needed.

The submarine cable industry is evolving rapidly. Join the industry in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA 2027

Meta’s introduction of usernames for WhatsApp has hit a snag in India, as the government seeks to crack down on anonymous messaging as part of a wider campaign against fraud on global technology platforms.

India is Meta’s largest WhatsApp market and the company began rolling out usernames globally last week, allowing users to create a unique username instead of sharing their phone number. The feature also allows users to adopt their Instagram username, making it easier to connect across Meta’s platforms.

However, Reuters reported the Indian government has ordered WhatsApp to justify the feature and halt its rollout in the country while officials assess its impact. In a letter seen by Reuters, authorities gave the company three days to respond and argued that usernames could make it easier for fraudsters to carry out phishing attacks and impersonate users without revealing their phone numbers.

The move follows India’s temporary ban on Telegram last month over similar concerns that anonymous messaging was facilitating cybercrime. Telegram ultimately lost a legal challenge against the suspension.

The government’s letter warned that WhatsApp could lose legal protections under India’s IT laws if it failed to comply with due diligence requirements. Officials argued the username feature could materially increase online fraud by making it harder to identify malicious users.

WhatsApp said the feature is not yet live and will be introduced gradually later this year. The company stressed users will still need a phone number to register an account, while people will only be able to message others if they know their exact username. It added that safeguards against scams include limits on how many new users an account can contact and protections against repeated attempts to guess usernames.

The dispute marks the latest clash between India and major technology platforms as the government tightens oversight of online services. It also comes just a week after Meta appointed CRED founder Kunal Shah as WhatsApp’s global head, highlighting India’s strategic importance to the platform.

Press Release

Government, industry and education unite to inspire the next generation of professionals who will build, maintain and protect critical digital & energy infrastructure  

While recent headlines have focused on the importance of protecting submarine cables, government and industry leaders gathered at London’s BT Tower this week to highlight another vital part of the story: the people who build, install, maintain, repair and protect the infrastructure that keeps the world connected. 

The UK’s Minister for Digital Economy, Baroness Lloyd, joined representatives from government, industry and academia to discuss how the UK can attract and develop the skilled workforce needed to support one of the world’s most important yet least visible industries. 

Subsea telecommunications cables carry more than 99% of intercontinental digital communications, enabling everything from financial transactions and cloud computing to international communications and global trade. Behind this infrastructure is a highly skilled workforce working both offshore and onshore, requiring a diverse skillset including mariners, engineers, technicians, environmental specialists, manufacturers, and project managers. 

Hosted by BT and delivered in partnership with the European Subsea Cables Association (ESCA), the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) and the SubOptic Foundation, the Subsea Cables Summer Reception brought together government, industry and education to explore how awareness of these careers can be increased and how the skills pipeline can be strengthened for the future.   

Opening the event, Baroness Lloyd, Minister for Digital Economy, and Gus Jaspert, Managing Director – Marine at The Crown Estate, highlighted the importance of developing the workforce that will support the UK’s future digital infrastructure. The Minister also met engineers, cable specialists and offshore professionals responsible for laying, repairing and protecting submarine cables, alongside members of ESCA’s NextGen Subgroup—a network of around 120 students and early-career professionals committed to encouraging the next generation into the sector.   

The event showcased the wide variety of careers available across the industry, demonstrating that there is no single route into the sector. Alongside graduate opportunities, speakers highlighted the importance of apprenticeships, vocational training and technical education in developing the workforce needed to support future digital connectivity.   

Baroness Lloyd, Minister for Digital Economy said: 

“Subsea cables are the hidden backbone of our economy and everyday lives, carrying the data that keeps people, businesses and public services connected. Building a resilient future for this critical infrastructure means investing not just in technology, but in the skilled people who install, maintain and protect it - and events like this are vital to inspiring the next generation to take up those opportunities.”

Gus Jaspert, Managing Director – Marine at The Crown Estate said:

“Subsea cables are a critical part of our national life and complex marine ecosystem. However, the infrastructure itself is only part of the story. Our resilience as a nation depends just as much on the people who operate, maintain, and restore these systems – sometimes in very difficult conditions. It is great to come together with partners from across this vital sector to champion their work, and underline the importance of encouraging young people to consider careers that will underpin our resilience and security for future generations.”

John Wrottesley, Executive Director of the European Subsea Cables Association, said:

“Subsea cables often make the headlines, but far less attention is given to the people who build, maintain, repair and protect them. If we want resilient digital infrastructure in the future, we need to invest in the workforce that makes it possible. That starts by inspiring more people to see this as an exciting, rewarding and globally important career.”

As demand for digital connectivity continues to grow, organisations across the subsea cable sector are working together with governments and education providers to raise awareness of the industry and encourage more people to pursue careers that will help underpin the resilience of the global digital economy.

The submarine cable industry is evolving rapidly. Join the industry in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA 2027

There was some interesting fiber M&A in one of the biggest infrastructure markets in the world the other day. SummitIG has announced the acquisition of Dark Fiber & Infrastructure. SummitIG is majority owned by SDC Capital Partners, while DF&I was part of the portfolio at Blue Owl Capital, and the two both have substantial assets in northern Virginia. … [visit site to read more]

News

The regulator is exploring whether the £2 billion merger between the fibre network players will harm competition

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced it will move directly to the more in-depth Phase 2 of its competition review into the of nexfibre–Netomnia merger.

The decision follows requests from both nexfibre and Netomnia, both of whom are keen to see the process progress as quickly as possible.

“We requested a fast-track to Phase 2 to get to the right answer faster; ensuring due process, while recognising urgency. We look forward to continuing our constructive engagement with the CMA,” said Rajiv Datta, CEO of nexfibre. “This deal would create the scaled, sustainable alternative to the BT Openreach monopoly, something the UK market still lacks. Every day of delay reinforces the incumbent’s advantage and slows the progress of genuine competition.”

The £2 billion merger, announced in February, would see InfraVia, Liberty Global, and Telefónica – owners of Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) – acquire Substantial Group, the owners of fibre wholesaler Netomnia and ISP brand You Fibre.

Netomnia would be merged with the parties’ existing joint venture, nexfibre, bringing together two fibre networks planned to span a combined 8 million premises by the end of 2027.

This new entity – when considered alongside VMO2’s roughly 5.7 million premises passed with fibre and 10.5 million with legacy hybrid fibre coaxial technology – would create a ‘scaled, financially secure challenger’ to BT (Openreach) and unlock £3.5 billion of investment in the UK market, the companies claim.

The tie up immediately triggered a review from the CMA, with preliminary stages inviting the industry to comment on the deal beginning in April. This was expected to be followed by a Phase 1 review, a process typically taking around 40 days and designed to identify any obvious risks to competition.

Given that the tie-up in question combines two of the biggest players in the market, it seems highly unlikely that the deal would have passed this stage, hence it makes sense for the network operators to ask for an acceleration to the more detailed Phase 2.

The largest point of criticism of the deal comes from the not-insignificant overlap of Netomnia’s fibre footprint and that of nexfibre. According to a report from PointTopic, around 832,000 premises could overlap, leading to “reduced infrastructure-level competition, less aggressive pricing or promotional activity over time, lower pressure for network upgrades and service innovation, and reduced long-term competitive tension between independent fibre builders.”

CityFibre, which had been attempting to acquire Netomnia itself, has argued that the deal will “significantly reduce competition and the choice available to consumers, as well as force hundreds of thousands of Netomnia customers back to VMO2”.

These concerns are unlikely to sink the deal entirely but could prompt remedies from the CMA, including stronger wholesale pricing requirements that will ensure prices are controlled for customers.

“A timely resolution is likely to be important given risks of finance deals dissipating, and even sellers’ heads being turned by alternative offers from CityFibre, although securing the finance to beat the nexfibre offer won’t be an easy feat,” Karen Egan of Enders Analysis noted in a LinkedIn post.

The deadline for the Phase 2 review is mid-December, though discussions about potential remedies could prolong the process.

How is the UK telecoms landscape evolving in 2026? Join the discussion at Connected Britain 2026

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Less than a year after its commercial launch, the BoGuan multimodal large language model (LLM) designed for cultural tourism in China has entered broad application in Xi’an, and is generating real revenues and value for the tourism industry.

As one of the oldest cities in China with a rich cultural heritage, Xi’an is one of the most popular international tourist destinations in China. The city has increasingly turned to digital technologies to enable visitors and scholars to access cultural relics and better engage with the region’s rich history whilst also preserving its history.

Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group (SCG) has been working with partners like Huawei, China Telecom Shaanxi, and China West Airport Group (CWAG) to promote digital and intelligent cultural tourism by leveraging advanced technologies like AI and 5G-A to create numerous new services for visitors.

On the AI side of that initiative, SCG and Huawei unveiled the BoGuan LLM in September 2025, billing it as the world’s first commercial multimodal LLM for cultural tourism, as well as China’s first model dedicated specifically to preserve cultural heritage.

Inside BoGuan

The BoGuan LLM is built on intelligent computing infrastructure and a high-quality dataset that includes over 1.2 PB of data – including 31 million images, 4.4 million minutes of video footage, 2.18 million minutes of audio recordings, 510 3D models, and 960 million pieces of structured text.

With that dataset, BoGuan can generate highly-accurate multimodal content, such as museum-quality content about cultural relics. This capability enables it to support creation of new digital relic presentations, digitalization and preservation of traditional craftsmanship, and creation of digital IP for intangible cultural heritage.

BoGuan has also been used to develop a range of cultural tourism apps that unlock the business value of quality cultural tourism data.

For example, BoGuan powers an AI travel companion agent that had been made available to over 4 million users as of March 2026. Visitors can directly talk with this agent on the GO-SHAANXI app to create and adjust their travel itineraries in Xi’an, and get real-time recommendations for performances at various attractions.

Another app created using BoGuan is the Zhiying Camera mini programme – an AI-powered photography service that instantly integrates user photos with AI-generated scenes from history, allowing visitors to « time travel” to ancient times.

The BoGuan LLM has also been used to create digital IP such as the popular cartoon character Tang Biaobiao, which was designed by integrating local cultural heritage elements with the stone carvings of the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum. As a testament of Tang Biaobiao’s popularity, sales of related digital collectibles and creative products have exceeded CNY2 million (almost US$295,000).

Meanwhile, SCG is also using BoGuan to integrate short drama production with cultural tourism and improve production efficiency and quality in Xi’an, which is also arenowned short drama hub.

“Artificial intelligence is not simply a stack of technologies,” said Edric Chu, General Manager of Huawei’s Shaanxi Rep Office. “It has become a key enabler that can activate thousands of years of cultural heritage, reshape travel experiences, and inject new momentum into the industry.”

Powered by 5G-A

All of these BoGuan-powered digital tourism apps for Xi’an are backed by a 5G-A network deployed by China Telecom Shaanxi and Huawei – particularly in Xi’an’s Grand Tang Mall, a ang-style pedestrian street located at the foot of the iconic Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and one of the most popular tourist attractions in China.

The 5G-A network is based on three component carrier (3CC) aggregation technology, delivering peak uplink and downlink rates of 600 Mbps and 3.5 Gbps, respectively – about 10 times faster than regular 5G networks.

As an example of the network’s performance capabilities, during the 2026 May Day “golden week” holiday, the network in the Grand Tang Mall supported concurrent access for 23,000 users, guaranteeing smooth video watching and social media experiences.

This is especially important given that HD live streaming at the Grand Tang Mall has become an important way for the attraction to bring in new visitors, which 5G-A is more than capable of supporting. According to public data, the average user dwell time of these live streams has nearly doubled, while the average transaction value has increased by 62%.

Edric Chu added, “Moving forward, Huawei will continue working with our partners to enhance cultural heritage preservation with digital and intelligent technologies, and stimulate development within the cultural tourism industry.”