Vietnam’s 5G network now reaches approximately 59 percent of the population, slightly over one year after commercial services launched in October 2024.
Government data presented at Internet Day 2025 show that Vietnam ranks 10th globally for fixed broadband speed and 15th for mobile broadband, reflecting rapid improvements in national connectivity.
Officials described the Internet as a second living space for citizens, with nearly 80 million users spending an average of seven hours online each day for work, education and social interaction.
Authorities highlighted that expanded 5G coverage supports the development of a digital economy, e-government services and a more connected digital society.
Alongside infrastructure growth, policymakers stressed the need for stronger digital trust.
Vietnam is shifting towards clearer legal frameworks instead of reliance on voluntary self-regulation, while prioritising cybersecurity, data governance and protection against online fraud, deepfakes and AI-driven deception to sustain long-term digital transformation.
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AI is entering a new phase, with 2026 expected to mark a shift from experimentation to real-world collaboration. Microsoft executives describe AI as an emerging partner that amplifies human expertise rather than replacing it.
Microsoft says the impact is becoming visible across healthcare, software development, and scientific research. AI tools embedded in Microsoft products are supporting diagnosis, coding, and research workflows.
With the expansion of AI agents across all platforms, organisations are strengthening safeguards to manage new risks. Security leaders argue agents will require clear identities, restricted access, and continuous monitoring.
Microsoft also points to changes in the infrastructure powering AI. The company says future systems will prioritise efficiency and intelligence output, supported by distributed and hybrid cloud architectures.
Looking further ahead, the convergence of AI, supercomputing, and quantum technologies stands out as the main highlight. Hybrid approaches, the company says, are bringing practical quantum advantage closer for applications in materials science, medicine, and research.
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Africa cannot realistically compete with the massive capital and computing resources driving frontier AI research in the United States and China, and it does not need to do so.
Instead, Nicholas Okumu contends, the continent’s AI strategy should pivot toward building efficient, practical systems tailored to local needs, from healthcare triage tools in referral hospitals to agriculture, education and public finance solutions grounded in African contexts.
Large, resource-intensive models require infrastructure and ecosystems that most African nations cannot marshal, but smaller, efficient models can perform high-value, domain-specific tasks on ordinary hardware.
Drawing on events from innovation forums and real-world examples, the columnist argues that Africa’s historical experience of innovation under constraint positions it well to lead in relevant, efficient AI applications rather than replicating the ambitions of frontier labs.
The article outlines a three-phase pathway: first, building foundational datasets governed by national or regional frameworks; second, deploying AI where it can deliver transformative value; and third, scaling successful tools to regions with similar development constraints.
If this strategy is followed, the piece argues, African-designed AI systems, particularly those that work well in low-resource environments, could become globally valuable.
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The UN will hold a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on 16–17 December 2025 to conclude the WSIS+20 review, marking 20 years since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outlined a global vision for an inclusive and people-centred information society. The review assesses the progress made by countries and stakeholders in implementing the WSIS outcomes agreed upon in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005.
The WSIS+20 process examines the progress made over the past two decades while also identifying remaining challenges, including persistent digital divides, gaps in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the need to harness digital tools more effectively for sustainable development. The high-level meeting will feature four plenary sessions with statements from UN member states, observers, and other stakeholders, in line with a recent General Assembly resolution.
A key outcome of the meeting will be the adoption of a final WSIS+20 outcome document, which will reflect on achievements so far and outline priorities for future action. Alongside the main sessions, a series of in-person, virtual, and off-site side events starting on 15 December 2025 will showcase innovations, share experiences, highlight emerging digital issues, and announce voluntary commitments aimed at strengthening an inclusive and development-oriented information society.
Diplo and the Geneva Internet Platform will provide just-in-time reporting from the high-level meeting. Bookmark this page; more details will be available soon.
Google has released a new AI playbook aimed at helping organisations streamline and improve sustainability reporting, sharing lessons learned from integrating AI into its own environmental disclosure processes.
In a blog post published on The Keyword, Google states that corporate sustainability reporting is often hindered by fragmented data and labour-intensive workflows. After two years of using AI internally, the company is now open-sourcing its approach to help others reduce reporting burdens.
The AI Playbook for Sustainability Reporting is presented as a practical, implementation-focused toolkit. It includes a structured framework for auditing reporting processes, along with ready-made prompt templates for common sustainability reporting tasks.
Google also highlights real-world examples that demonstrate how tools such as Gemini and NotebookLM can be used to validate sustainability claims, respond to information requests, and support internal review, moving AI use beyond experimentation.
The company says the playbook is intended to support transparency and strategic decision-making, and has invited organisations and practitioners to explore the resource and provide feedback.
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The US tech company, Oracle, has expanded Oracle Database@Google Cloud to India, making the service available through Google Cloud’s Mumbai region.
Enterprises can access Oracle Exadata, Autonomous AI Database and AI Lakehouse services while keeping data in the region to meet sovereignty and regulatory requirements.
The multicloud offering allows organisations to combine Oracle enterprise data with Google Cloud analytics and AI tools, including BigQuery, Vertex AI and Gemini models.
Customers can modernise applications and migrate mission-critical workloads without sacrificing performance, security or low-latency access.
Oracle Database@Google Cloud is available through the Google Cloud Marketplace, enabling customers to procure services via trusted partners instead of navigating complex contracting models.
Oracle and Google Cloud partners can also integrate the service into broader multicloud solutions.
The launch reflects growing demand for flexible multicloud architectures in India, supporting AI-driven innovation, advanced analytics and accelerated IT modernisation across regulated and data-intensive industries.
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The third UK-EU Cyber Dialogue was held in Brussels on 9 and 10 December 2025, bringing together senior officials under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement to strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity and digital resilience.
The meeting was co-chaired by Andrew Whittaker from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Irfan Hemani from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, alongside EU representatives from the European External Action Service and the European Commission.
Officials from Europol and ENISA also participated, reinforcing operational and regulatory coordination rather than fragmented policy approaches.
Discussions covered cyber legislation, deterrence strategies, countering cybercrime, incident response and cyber capacity development, with an emphasis on maintaining strong security standards while reducing unnecessary compliance burdens on industry.
Both sides confirmed that the next UK-EU Cyber Dialogue will take place in London in 2026.
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US credit reporting company 700Credit has confirmed a data breach affecting more than 5.6 million individuals after attackers exploited a compromised third-party API used to exchange consumer data with external integration partners.
An incident that originated from a supply chain failure after one partner was breached earlier in 2025 and failed to notify 700Credit.
The attackers launched a sustained, high-volume data extraction campaign starting on October 25, 2025, which operated for more than two weeks before access was shut down.
Around 20 percent of consumer records were accessed, exposing names, home addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, while internal systems, payment platforms and login credentials were not compromised.
Despite the absence of financial system access, the exposed personal data significantly increases the risk of identity theft and sophisticated phishing attacks impersonating credit reporting services.
The breach has been reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI, with regulators coordinating responses through industry bodies representing affected dealerships.
Individuals impacted by the incident are currently being notified and offered two years of free credit monitoring, complimentary credit reports and access to a dedicated support line.
Authorities have urged recipients to act promptly by monitoring their credit activity and taking protective measures to minimise the risk of fraud.
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Local councillors have approved Google’s plans to build a large data centre campus at North Weald Airfield near Harlow, marking a major expansion of the company’s UK digital infrastructure.
The development is expected to create up to 780 local jobs, including approximately 200 direct roles, and contribute an estimated £79 million annually to the local economy and £319 million nationally.
The project involves demolishing existing buildings at the former RAF airfield and constructing two data centre facilities alongside offices, roads and parking.
While UK councillors largely welcomed the investment, the council acknowledged potential downsides, including a reduction in stalls at the long-running North Weald Market and pending Section 106 contributions to mitigate infrastructure impacts, such as upgrades to nearby transport links.
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The UK government has announced plans to bring cryptoassets firmly within the regulatory perimeter, aiming to support innovation while strengthening consumer protection and attracting long-term investment into the sector.
From 2027, cryptoasset firms will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under rules similar to those governing traditional financial products, such as stocks and shares. The move is intended to provide legal clarity and increase confidence among consumers and businesses.
Ministers say that proportionate regulation will support innovation, ensure competitive markets, and strengthen the UK’s position as a global hub for digital assets. Enhanced oversight will boost transparency, aid sanctions enforcement, and help detect and tackle illicit activity.
The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to shape global crypto standards, including ongoing cooperation with the United States through the Transatlantic Taskforce, as the UK seeks to secure its role in the future of digital finance.
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