Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, has partnered with Elon Musk’s Starlink to introduce direct-to-cell satellite connectivity, marking a major technological advancement for the war-torn nation. Kyivstar’s parent company, VEON, announced that messaging services will be available by late 2025, with voice and data services to follow in later stages.
Direct-to-cell technology connects satellites to smartphones, functioning like space-based cell towers. Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, launched its first satellites equipped with this capability earlier this year and has struck similar deals in the US, Japan, and New Zealand. Ukraine will be one of the first countries to adopt this innovation and the first active conflict zone to benefit from it.
The deal highlights Starlink’s continued support for Ukraine, despite ongoing Russian attempts to jam signals between the satellites and ground terminals. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the move solidifies Starlink’s role in providing essential connectivity to Ukraine amid geopolitical tensions.
President-elect Donald Trump has called on the US Supreme Court to postpone implementing a law that would ban TikTok or force its sale, arguing for time to seek a political resolution after taking office. The court will hear arguments on the case on 10 January, ahead of a 19 January deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a US ban.
The move marks a stark shift for Trump, who previously sought to block TikTok in 2020 over national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership. Trump’s legal team emphasised that his request does not take a stance on the law’s merits but seeks to allow his incoming administration to explore alternatives. Trump has expressed a newfound appreciation for TikTok, citing its role in boosting his campaign visibility.
TikTok, with over 170 million US users, continues to challenge the legislation, asserting that its data and operations affecting US users are fully managed within the country. However, national security concerns persist, with the Justice Department and a coalition of attorneys general urging the Supreme Court to uphold the divest-or-ban mandate. The case highlights the growing debate between free speech advocates and national security interests in regulating digital platforms.
Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has unveiled DeepSeek V3, a groundbreaking open-source model designed for a range of text-based tasks. Released under a permissive licence, the model supports coding, translations, essay writing, and email drafting, offering developers the freedom to modify and deploy it commercially.
In internal benchmarks, DeepSeek V3 outperformed major competitors, including Meta’s Llama 3.1 and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, especially in coding contests and integration tests. The model boasts an impressive 671 billion parameters, significantly exceeding the size of many rivals, which often correlates with higher performance.
DeepSeek V3 was trained on a dataset of 14.8 trillion tokens and built using a data centre powered by Nvidia H800 GPUs. Remarkably, the model was developed in just two months for a reported $5.5 million—far less than comparable systems. However, its size and resource demands make it less practical without high-end hardware.
Regulatory limitations influence the model’s responses, particularly on politically sensitive topics. DeepSeek, backed by High-Flyer Capital Management, continues to push for advancements in AI, striving to compete with leading global firms despite restrictions on access to cutting-edge GPUs.
New research by The Guardian reveals that ChatGPT Search, OpenAI’s recently launched AI-powered search tool, can be misled into generating false or overly positive summaries. By embedding hidden text in web pages, researchers demonstrated that the AI could ignore negative reviews or even produce malicious code.
The feature, designed to streamline browsing by summarising content such as product reviews, is susceptible to hidden text attacks—a well-known vulnerability in large language models. While this issue has been studied before, this marks the first time such manipulation has been proven on a live AI search tool.
OpenAI did not comment on this specific case but stated it employs measures to block malicious websites and is working to improve its defences. Experts note that competitors like Google, with more experience in search technology, have developed stronger safeguards against similar threats.
AI startups specialising in sales development representatives (SDRs) are experiencing rapid growth as businesses embrace new technologies to streamline outreach. These startups, leveraging large language models (LLMs) and voice technology, automate tasks like crafting personalised emails and placing calls to potential customers. This sector has seen an unprecedented surge, with multiple companies achieving notable success in a short span, according to Shardul Shah of Index Ventures. However, investors remain cautious about whether this trend will yield lasting results or fade once the novelty wears off.
The appeal of AI SDRs is particularly strong among small and medium-sized businesses, which find it easier to experiment with these tools. Arjun Pillai, founder of Docket, attributes the popularity to declining reply rates for traditional cold emails, prompting businesses to explore AI-driven solutions. Startups like Regie.ai, AiSDR, and 11x.ai, as well as incumbents like ZoomInfo, are vying for market share, boasting impressive revenue growth. Yet, as Tomasz Tunguz of Theory Ventures noted, some businesses report that while AI SDRs generate substantial leads, they don’t necessarily translate into higher sales, highlighting a gap in effectively integrating AI into sales strategies.
Despite the enthusiasm, the rise of AI SDRs faces significant challenges. Industry leaders such as Salesforce and HubSpot, which control vast customer data, could introduce similar AI features, potentially outpacing smaller startups. Investors also point to cautionary tales like Jasper, a copywriting AI startup that stumbled after the launch of ChatGPT, emphasising the uncertainty surrounding the longevity of AI adoption in sales. For now, the potential of AI SDRs to revolutionise sales processes is undeniable, but their ability to sustain growth and deliver tangible results remains to be seen.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Sora, and developer API experienced a significant outage on Thursday, disrupting services for over four hours. The issue began around 11 a.m. PT, with partial recovery reported by 2:05 p.m. PT. By 3:16 p.m. PT, OpenAI stated that Sora was operational, though ChatGPT users might still encounter issues accessing their chat history.
According to OpenAI’s status page, the outage was caused by one of their upstream providers, but the company did not provide further details. This marks the second major outage for OpenAI’s services in December. Two weeks ago, a similar incident attributed to a telemetry service malfunction resulted in a six-hour disruption, a notably longer downtime than usual.
Interestingly, popular platforms utilising OpenAI’s API, such as Perplexity and Siri’s Apple Intelligence integration, appeared unaffected during the outage, as confirmed by their status pages and independent testing. OpenAI is actively working to ensure full restoration of its services while addressing the root causes behind these recurring disruptions.
U Mobile and Huawei Malaysia have entered into a strategic partnership to enhance U Mobile’s 5G networks and support its strategic roadmap. The collaboration builds on an earlier partnership focused on 5G innovation and adoption for businesses, with both companies committed to advancing Malaysia’s telecommunications infrastructure.
The partnership also aims to deploy advanced hardware and software to create a high-performance second 5G network in Malaysia, leveraging Huawei’s global expertise in Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies and future technological advancements. Additionally, both parties will intensify research and development efforts to enhance customer satisfaction and drive greater 5G adoption in both consumer and enterprise markets, focusing on enterprises that require ultra-low latency and high bandwidth.
The collaboration will also explore project financing opportunities, including vendor financing and deferred payment plans, to support the development of these technologies and unlock new business opportunities.
Through this partnership, U Mobile and Huawei Malaysia are positioning themselves to meet the growing demand for 5G services across various sectors. The goal is to ensure the infrastructure can support the evolving needs of businesses and consumers alike.
By combining their strengths and expertise, the two companies aim to fast-track the growth of Malaysia’s telecom services and contribute to its digital economy, ultimately supporting the nation’s transition into a more connected and digitally advanced future.
Viettel High Tech (VHT) and High Cloud Technologies (HCT) have formed a strategic partnership through a $1 million deal to supply 5G systems for the Middle Eastern market. That collaboration strengthens HCT’s position as the region’s leading telecom solutions provider and opens doors for future partnerships with other telecom operators.
Under the agreement, VHT will provide 4G and 5G base stations using Non-Standalone (NSA) technology and cloud-based core network infrastructure, showcasing its expertise in end-to-end telecom solutions. The goal is to implement these solutions, conduct 5G trials, and demonstrate the reliability and performance of VHT’s products with major telecom operators.
The following partnership is expected to enhance telecom coverage, especially in suburban and rural areas, contributing to improved education and living standards across the UAE and the broader Middle East. The collaboration also supports regional growth in sectors like education, healthcare, and business, which depend on robust digital infrastructure.
Why does it matter?
VHT’s entry into the Middle East marks a significant milestone in its technological journey, as it has been developing 4G technologies since 2017 and began 5G research in 2019.
A German court has ordered Signify, the world’s largest lighting maker, to recall and destroy certain products sold since 2017, citing patent infringement claims made by Seoul Semiconductor, a South Korean firm. The Düsseldorf court also ruled that Signify could face fines of up to €250,000 ($259,925) for each violation of the order, according to a statement from Seoul Semiconductor.
Signify, headquartered in the Netherlands and spun off from Philips in 2016, has not yet responded to requests for comment. The court ruling adds to the challenges faced by the company, which has a global reputation in the lighting industry.
Seoul Semiconductor, a leader in light-emitting diode (LED) technology, invests heavily in innovation, allocating about 10% of its revenue to research and development. The company boasts a portfolio of over 18,000 patents and has pursued legal action against multinational corporations to protect its intellectual property rights.
Japan Airlines (JAL) announced on Thursday that its systems have returned to normal following a cyberattack that disrupted domestic and international flights earlier in the day. The attack, which began at 7:24 a.m., caused malfunctions in internal and external systems, forcing the airline to suspend same-day ticket sales temporarily. The issue was resolved after shutting down a malfunctioning router.
JAL confirmed that no customer data was leaked and there was no damage from computer viruses. The company resumed ticket sales for flights departing on Thursday once the systems stabilised. Meanwhile, ANA Holdings, Japan’s other major airline, reported no signs of a similar attack on its operations.
The incident comes shortly after American Airlines briefly grounded all flights on Christmas Eve due to a network hardware glitch, highlighting ongoing challenges airlines face with system vulnerabilities during peak travel periods.
