Digital identities

Ucom completes nationwide 5G rollout in Armenia

Ucom has completed nationwide 5G deployment across Armenia, reaching 48 cities and hundreds of communities. The operator states that more than 94% of the population now has access to high-speed mobile internet.

The rollout began in November 2024 and was completed within one year, covering all major settlements. Coverage also includes Myler Mountain Resort, the Yerevan-Dilijan highway and border crossings at Bagratashen, Bavra and Agarak.

General director Ralph Yirikian says expanding 5G is central to delivering modern, stable connectivity nationwide. Earlier work with Nokia to modernise the mobile network laid the foundations for the nationwide upgrade.

Armenian subscribers can now benefit from faster speeds, low latency and more reliable, internationally compliant connections. 5G enables higher quality video calls, real-time data transfers and innovative services, although Dastakert still lacks coverage.

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AI revives Molière play for modern stage

Centuries after Molière’s sudden death on stage, a France-based team of researchers, artists and AI specialists has revived the playwright’s creative spirit through a newly generated comedy. The project asked what he might have written had he lived beyond the age of 51.

Experts trained an AI model to study his themes, language and narrative patterns, before combining its output with scholarly review. The resulting play, titled ‘L’Astrologue ou les Faux Presages’, will premiere at the Palace of Versailles next year.

Researchers identified astrology as a theme Molière frequently hinted at, shaping a plot in which a naive bourgeois falls victim to a deceptive astrologer. Academics refined the AI text to ensure historical accuracy, offering fresh insight into Molière’s methods and reaffirming his lasting influence on French theatre.

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UAE and China deepen ties with mBridge launch

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed has overseen a digital currency payment between the UAE and China. The transfer used the ‘mBridge’ central bank digital currency platform to settle funds directly. Officials say the move marks the formal launch of ‘mBridge’ for cross-border payments.

Ceremonies in Abu Dhabi also launched the first ‘Jaywan-UnionPay’ multi-scheme prepaid card. The product links Jaywan’s domestic network with UnionPay’s global acceptance in more than 180 countries.

Transactions inside the UAE are processed locally, while overseas spending routes through UnionPay’s international infrastructure. Officials say the projects highlight partnerships between the UAE and China and strengthen the Emirates’ role in digital finance.

Sheikh Mansour and Pan Gongsheng also signed a memorandum on future cross-border payment cooperation. Further expansion of the ‘mBridge‘ network and domestic Digital Dirham pilots is planned from 2026.

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EU simplifies digital rules to save billions for companies

The European Commission has unveiled a digital package designed to simplify rules and reduce administrative burdens, allowing businesses to focus on innovation rather than compliance.

An initiative that combines the Digital Omnibus, Data Union Strategy, and European Business Wallet to strengthen competitiveness across the EU while maintaining high standards of fundamental rights, data protection, and safety.

The Digital Omnibus streamlines rules on AI, cybersecurity, and data. Amendments will create innovation-friendly AI regulations, simplify reporting for cybersecurity incidents, harmonise aspects of the GDPR, and modernise cookie rules.

Improved access to data and regulatory guidance will support businesses, particularly SMEs, allowing them to develop AI solutions and scale operations across member states more efficiently.

The Data Union Strategy aims to unlock high-quality data for AI, strengthen Europe’s data sovereignty, and support businesses with legal guidance and strategic measures to ensure fair treatment of the EU data abroad.

Meanwhile, the European Business Wallet will provide a unified digital identity for companies, enabling secure signing, storage, and exchange of documents and communication with public authorities across 27 member states.

By easing administrative procedures, the package could save up to €5 billion by 2029, with the Business Wallet alone offering up to €150 billion in annual savings.

The Commission has launched a public consultation, the Digital Fitness Check, to assess the impact of these rules and guide future steps, ensuring that businesses can grow and innovate instead of being held back by complex regulations.

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EU introduces plan to strengthen consumer protection

The European Commission has unveiled the 2030 Consumer Agenda, a strategic plan to reinforce protection, trust, and competitiveness across the EU.

With 450 million consumers contributing over half of the Union’s GDP, the agenda aims to simplify administrative processes for businesses, rather than adding new burdens, while ensuring fair treatment for shoppers.

The agenda sets four priorities to adapt to rising living costs, evolving online markets, and the surge in e-commerce. Completing the Single Market will remove cross-border barriers, enhance travel and financial services, and evaluate the effectiveness of the Geo-Blocking Regulation.

A planned Digital Fairness Act will address harmful online practices, focusing on protecting children and strengthening consumer rights.

Sustainable consumption takes a central focus, with efforts to combat greenwashing, expand access to sustainable goods, and support circular initiatives such as second-hand markets and repairable products.

The Commission will also enhance enforcement to tackle unsafe or non-compliant products, particularly from third countries, ensuring that compliant businesses are shielded from unfair competition.

Implementation will be overseen through the Annual Consumer Summit and regular Ministerial Forums, which will provide political guidance and monitor progress.

The 2030 Consumer Agenda builds on prior achievements and EU consultations, aiming to modernise consumer protection instead of leaving gaps in a rapidly changing market.

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Northamptonshire Police launches live facial recognition trial

Northamptonshire Police will roll out live facial recognition cameras in three town centres. Deployments are scheduled in Northampton on 28 November and 5 December, in Kettering on 29 November, and in Wellingborough on 6 December.

The initiative uses a van loaned from Bedfordshire Police and the watch-lists include high-risk sex offenders or persons wanted for arrest. Facial and biometric data for non-alerts are deleted immediately; alerts are held only up to 24 hours.

Police emphasise the AI based technology is ‘very much in its infancy’ but expect future acquisition of dedicated kit. A coordinator post is being created to manage the LFR programme in-house.

British campaigners express concern the biometric tool may erode privacy or resemble mass surveillance. Police assert that appropriate signage and open policy documents will be in place to maintain public confidence.

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Roblox brings in global age checks for chat

Children will no longer be able to chat with adult strangers on Roblox after new global age checks are introduced. The platform will begin mandatory facial estimation in selected countries in December before expanding worldwide in January.

Roblox players will be placed into strict age groups and prevented from messaging older users unless they are verified as trusted contacts. Under-13s will remain barred from private messages unless parents actively approve access within account controls.

The company faces rising scrutiny following lawsuits in several US states, where officials argue Roblox failed to protect young users from harmful contact. Safety groups welcome the tighter rules but warn that monitoring must match the platform’s rapid growth.

Roblox says the technology is accurate and helps deliver safer digital spaces for younger players. Campaigners continue to call for broader protections as millions of children interact across games, chats and AI-enhanced features each day.

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EU proposal sparks alarm over weakened privacy rules

The Digital Omnibus has been released by the European Commission, prompting strong criticism from privacy advocates. Campaigners argue the reforms would weaken long-standing data protection standards and introduce sweeping changes without proper consultation.

Noyb founder Max Schrems claims the plan favours large technology firms by creating loopholes around personal data and lowering user safeguards. Critics say the proposals emerge despite limited political support from EU governments, civil society groups and several parliamentary factions.

The Omnibus is welcomed by industry which have called for simplification and changes to be made for quite a number of years. These changes should make carrying out business activities simpler for entities which do process vast amounts of data.

The Commission is also accused of rushing (errors can be found in the draft, including references to the GDPR) the process under political pressure, abandoning impact assessments and shifting priorities away from widely supported protections. View our analysis on the matter for a deep dive on the matter.

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Web services recover after Cloudflare restores its network systems

Cloudflare has resolved a technical issue that briefly disrupted access to major platforms, including X, ChatGPT, and Letterboxd. Users had earlier reported internal server error messages linked to Cloudflare’s network, indicating that pages could not be displayed.

The disruption began around midday UK time, with some sites loading intermittently as the problem spread across the company’s infrastructure. Cloudflare confirmed it was investigating an incident affecting multiple customers and issued rolling updates as engineers worked to identify the fault.

Outage tracker Down Detector also experienced difficulties during the incident, later showing a sharp rise in reports once it came back online. The pattern pointed to a broad network-level failure rather than isolated platform issues.

Users saw repeated internal server error warnings asking them to try again, though services began recovering as Cloudflare isolated the cause. The company has not yet released full technical details, but said the fault has been fixed and that systems are stabilising.

Cloudflare provides routing, security, and reliability tools for a wide range of online services, making a single malfunction capable of cascading globally. The company said it would share further information on the incident and steps taken to prevent similar failures.

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Growing internet connections mask deep inequalities, says ITU report

According to a recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, the number of internet connections continues to grow, but important inequalities persist across quality, affordability and usage.

The ITU’s Facts and Figures 2025 report estimates that nearly 6 billion people (around three-quarters of the world’s population) are online in 2025, up from 5.8 billion in 2024. Despite the increase, 2.2 billion remain offline, the majority in low- and middle-income countries.

The divide is especially stark in quality of connection. While 5G now reaches 55 per cent of the global population, coverage is heavily skewed: just 4 per cent of people in low-income countries have 5G access, compared to 84 per cent in high-income economies.

Users in wealthier countries also generate much more data, a typical user in a high-income country now sends or receives nearly eight times more mobile data than someone in a low-income country.

Affordability remains a major hurdle: even with falling median prices for mobile broadband, access is still unaffordable for about 60 per cent of the population in many low- and middle-income countries. Meanwhile, digital skills, especially advanced skills like online safety, problem-solving and content-creation, lag behind basic usage, limiting how effectively people can benefit from connectivity.

ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin emphasised that achieving universal and meaningful connectivity isn’t just about getting people online, it also requires prioritising speed, reliability, cost and skills.

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