Colt Technology Services and Rivada Space Networks collaborate to develop a next-generation connectivity network that leverages innovative satellite technology, specifically utilising a unique global data constellation of 600 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The partnership aims to enhance Colt’s digital infrastructure capabilities by delivering ultra-secure and low-latency connectivity, which combines the high speed of fibre optics with the expansive reach of satellite technology.
Notably, with the first satellite launch planned for 2025 and services expected to commence in 2026, the collaboration effectively addresses the pressing needs of enterprises that require rapid and secure data transfer. Furthermore, Rivada’s ‘Outernet’ allows data to remain in space from origin to destination, resulting in a satellite network with global pole-to-pole coverage and lower latency than traditional terrestrial fibre.
The physically separate network routing enhances security and provides organisations with greater protection when sharing sensitive information, particularly in industries such as banking and finance. In addition to these advancements, Colt Technology Services will join Rivada’s Customer Advisory Board and participate in a series of technical workshops.
These initiatives will facilitate knowledge exchange and strengthen collaboration around the Outernet’s capabilities. Through this strategic alliance, Colt and Rivada aim to revolutionise the connectivity landscape by providing robust, secure, and scalable solutions that meet customers’ evolving needs worldwide.
Nubank, the Brazilian digital lender, will soon enter the telecom sector by introducing mobile services for customers in Brazil. The company aims to launch these services in the coming months, marking a significant expansion beyond its traditional financial offerings.
With over 95 million customers in Brazil alone, Nubank is one of the world’s largest digital lenders. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the fintech is valued at over $70 billion. By the end of June, it had more than 104 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.
The new mobile service, branded as NuCel, will provide coverage to 93% of Brazilian territory. It will operate using Claro’s infrastructure, a Mexican telecom company under the America Movil group. Nubank plans to offer three subscription options, with monthly costs ranging from 45 to 75 reais, payable through its credit cards.
This telecom launch is positioned as a strategic move to enhance Nubank’s portfolio. The company said it aims to deliver a better customer experience and diversify beyond financial services through this new venture.
Morocco’s Panafsat and Thales Alenia Space have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a high-capacity satellite telecommunications system to advance digital connectivity across 26 African countries, including 23 French-speaking nations. Signed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco, the agreement underscores the deepening partnership between France and Morocco.
Once in orbit, the satellite will provide very high-throughput services (VHTS) to around 550 million people across a vast area of 12 million square kilometres, addressing connectivity needs in underserved and remote regions. This project supports the digital transformation goals in programs like Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) and Digital Morocco 2030, fostering economic growth and expanding access to essential services for governments, businesses, and communities across Africa.
Beyond meeting immediate connectivity needs, this initiative also positions Morocco as a digital leader in Africa as it prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Morocco is demonstrating a commitment to modernisation and readiness for future growth by enhancing its technological infrastructure and bridging the digital divide. The collaboration with Thales Alenia Space empowers Morocco’s digital economy and contributes to broader efforts to create an interconnected and technologically resilient continent.
AT&T has announced a $1 billion, multi-year agreement with Corning to procure fibre, cable, and connectivity solutions as it ramps up efforts to expand high-speed internet services. Facing a slowdown in the United States wireless market, AT&T and other telecom firms like Verizon are increasingly focusing on high-speed internet, traditionally dominated by broadband providers such as Comcast. The telecom giant aims to attract customers by bundling high-speed fibre with its wireless phone services at a discount.
The deal with Corning is expected to support AT&T’s network expansion by improving service performance and reducing deployment costs. AT&T reported that by the end of the third quarter, its fibre network was passing 28.3 million potential customer locations, with a target to exceed 30 million by 2025.
AT&T‘s fibre service added 226,000 new customers in the third quarter, short of forecasts due to a work stoppage affecting fibre installations in the southeast. Despite the challenges, the company remains focused on expanding fibre services to meet growing demand.
Ericsson has signed a 5G deal with Spain’s largest telecom operator, MasOrange, to enhance its network using Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) technologies. This marks Ericsson’s first such agreement in Europe following a significant $14 billion, five-year deal with AT&T in the United States last year. ORAN technology is designed to reduce costs by employing cloud-based software and equipment from multiple suppliers rather than relying on a single provider.
Jenny Lindqvist, Ericsson’s senior vice president, noted that this partnership aligns with industry trends and is crucial for scaling Open RAN technology. She emphasised that Europe is still in the early stages of 5G deployment compared to other regions. MasOrange, formed from the merger of the Spanish unit of France’s Orange and local competitor MasMovil, serves over 30 million mobile customers.
While Ericsson did not disclose the specifics of the deal with MasOrange, a source indicated it would involve around 10,000 sites. The agreement aims to meet the growing demand for 5G services across urban and rural areas, as well as large venues like stadiums.
China’s Ministry of State Security announced the discovery of foreign spying devices in its waters, including underwater ‘lighthouses’ that could potentially guide foreign submarines. The ministry revealed on its official WeChat account that it had retrieved several types of devices hidden on the ocean floor, gathering real-time data from within China’s claimed territorial waters.
This revelation comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines dispute territory, increasing the risk of a broader confrontation potentially involving the US. China’s recent military drills around Taiwan have also heightened concerns, as the US and Taiwan have condemned Beijing’s actions.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, overlapping areas claimed by other Southeast Asian nations, and has maintained it will not renounce using force over Taiwan. A new phase in the submarine arms race between China and the US and its allies is underway, with Beijing projected to field nuclear-armed submarines by the decade’s end. The ministry affirmed its commitment to defending China’s maritime sovereignty and addressing threats of foreign espionage in its waters.
Apple’s iPhone 16 will not be available for sale in Indonesia after the tech company failed to meet the country’s local content requirements. According to the Indonesian industry ministry, smartphones sold domestically must contain at least 40% locally made components, a threshold the iPhone 16 did not meet. Ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arief confirmed that while imports of the device for personal use are permitted if proper taxes are paid, Apple has not secured the necessary local content certification to market the phone widely in Indonesia.
Apple’s absence from the market could give a further edge to leading competitors OPPO and Samsung, who hold the top two positions in Indonesia’s smartphone market. The country’s large, tech-savvy population makes it a critical market for tech investment, and Indonesian officials have encouraged Apple to partner with domestic firms to meet local content requirements.
While Apple has no manufacturing plants in Indonesia, it has invested in app developer academies since 2018, amounting to around $101.8 million to support local talent and development.
The United States, Japan, and South Korea collaborate to strengthen digital infrastructure development in India through the recently announced Digital Infrastructure Growth Initiative for India Framework, known as the DiGi Framework. The significant partnership seeks to leverage the strengths of three influential nations, with key financial support from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank).
The primary objective of the DiGi Framework is to promote private sector investments in India’s digital infrastructure by addressing the strategic needs of various projects. Targeted sectors include multiple technologies and services, such as information and communications technologies (ICT), Open RAN, 5G telecommunications, submarine cables, optical fibre networks, telecom towers, data centres, smart cities, e-commerce, AI, and quantum technology.
Additionally, the initiative aims to foster meaningful dialogues between the Indian government and the private sector to promote funding for digital infrastructure projects. The collaborative effort builds upon an earlier agreement signed in August 2023, emphasising the importance of coordination and cooperation among like-minded countries to support private sector investment in infrastructure.
By enhancing collaboration and communication, the DiGi Framework aims to create an environment conducive to investment and innovation within India’s digital landscape. That initiative signifies a strong commitment to enhancing India’s digital infrastructure, positioning the country for sustainable growth and technological advancement in an increasingly digital world.
Why does it matter?
With the support of these three nations, the framework represents a strategic move to strengthen India’s technological capabilities and improve connectivity, ultimately benefiting its economic development and resilience in the face of future challenges.
Huawei Cloud has reported substantial growth in its South African market, with demand for cloud services rising from both government and private sectors. Since becoming the first international vendor to open a ‘hyperscale’ data centre in South Africa in 2019, the company’s client base has expanded to over 1,000 businesses across sectors such as financial services, telecoms, education, and government.
Over the past five years, Huawei Cloud‘s business in South Africa has increased more than 16 times, according to Jacqueline Shi, president of Huawei Cloud Global Marketing and Sales Service. Although the current revenue figures remain modest, the company is planning to launch more cloud solutions to gain a larger market share as cloud adoption grows across the country.
South Africa’s cloud market is anticipated to grow at an annual rate of 26% from 2023 to 2028, reaching a projected value of 113 billion rand ($6 billion). The adoption of AI is also expected to drive demand for cloud services, making cloud solutions increasingly essential for local businesses, said Steven Chen, Huawei Cloud South Africa’s CEO.
Huawei is competing with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google in the South African market, already operating three data centre locations in Johannesburg. The Chinese tech giant aims to capitalise on the region’s expanding cloud market and meet the increased demand for computing and AI solutions from local companies.
Ethiopia is set to transform its digital economy, with projections indicating a contribution of over ETB 1.3 trillion to the GDP by 2028. Significant telecommunications reforms and increased investments in mobile technology primarily drive this transformation.
As a result, this growth is expected to create over 1 million new jobs as the digital sector expands, with major players like Ethio Telecom and Safaricom Ethiopia enhancing connectivity and fostering competition. Moreover, by 2028, more than 50 million citizens are anticipated to be connected to mobile internet, significantly boosting productivity across vital sectors such as agriculture, which could add ETB 140 billion, and manufacturing, projected to contribute ETB 114 billion.
However, despite widespread coverage, Ethiopia is confronted with a notable digital divide, as 76% of the population still does not utilise mobile internet. That situation highlights the urgent need for targeted policy reforms to increase accessibility and bridge this gap. Furthermore, mobile money services are becoming increasingly vital for financial inclusion, with 90 million registered accounts and a 70% penetration rate facilitating access to financial resources for underserved communities.
In response to these challenges, Ethiopia is taking proactive steps to accelerate its digital transformation through key policy recommendations. These recommendations include prioritising service affordability by reducing sector-specific taxes, fast-tracking telecom reforms to enhance infrastructure development, and improving device affordability by lowering taxes on mobile devices.
Strengthening regulatory support for mobile money services and investing in digital skills and e-government initiatives will further empower citizens and facilitate broader participation in the digital economy. Ultimately, these efforts aim to drive sustainable growth and development across the country.
