Telecommunications infrastructure

EXA to boost European connectivity with new fibre route and subsea cable

EXA Infrastructure has launched a strategic 1,200 km high-capacity fibre route connecting London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Brussels (FLAP cities), featuring the first new subsea cable in the North Sea corridor in 25 years.

The new deployment includes 1,085 km of low-loss terrestrial fibre and a 115 km subsea segment using ultra-low-loss G.654C cable, running between Margate (UK) and Ostend (Belgium).

The project also introduces two new landing stations, EXA’s 21st and 22nd globally, enhancing its infrastructure across the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands. These efforts complement EXA’s prior investments in the Channel Tunnel route, including upgrades to in-line amplifier (ILA) facilities and modern, high-fibre-count cables.

The new route is part of EXA’s broader push to improve Europe’s digital infrastructure with ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth, and scalable fibre paths between key hubs.

Over 65,000 km of its network is now 400G-enabled, supporting future scalability demands. EXA’s network spans 155,000 km across 37 countries, including six transatlantic cables. Among them is EXA Express, which offers the lowest latency link between Europe and North America.

The network serves a range of mission-critical functions, including hyperscale infrastructure for global enterprises, government networks, and specialised solutions for latency-sensitive industries like finance, gaming, and broadcasting.

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LatAm moves to speed up telecom infrastructure deployment

The LatAm region is actively implementing policies to streamline permitting and environmental licensing processes to facilitate the deployment of telecom infrastructure.

El Salvador recently approved a decree to accelerate permitting for passive infrastructure, including towers and low-income housing, requiring companies to submit applications through a single platform with unified fees.

Peru’s transport and communications ministry is drafting proposals to exempt more low-impact projects from submitting environmental technical reports, update criteria for environmental impact assessments to reduce approval times, simplify ecological regulations, and extend deadlines for adapting existing projects.

In Chile, a newly approved law aims to reduce processing times for telecom permits by 30 to 70 percent, simplify procedures based on associated risks, and introduce ‘positive administrative silence,’ meaning permits are automatically granted if authorities do not respond within a specified period.

The LatAm judicial landscape is evolving to support telecom infrastructure deployment. Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that only the federal government can tax permits for telecom installations, settling conflicts with municipalities.

In Argentina, courts have invalidated local rules and actions that block infrastructure projects, promoting smoother cross-jurisdictional telecom services.

LatAm governments have also encouraged infrastructure sharing to tackle network deployment challenges, especially in remote areas. Brazil introduced mandatory tower sharing in 2009 but abolished it in 2021.

Tower Group Abrintel opposes this repeal, citing risks to competition, consumer costs, and smaller providers. These legal and policy shifts highlight the region’s push to improve telecom connectivity.

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US House passes NTIA cyber leadership bill after Salt Typhoon hacks

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation that would officially designate the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as the federal lead for cybersecurity across communications networks.

The move follows last year’s Salt Typhoon hacking spree, described by some as the worst telecom breach in US history.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act, introduced by Representatives Jay Obernolte and Jennifer McClellan, cleared the House on Monday and now awaits Senate approval.

The bill would rebrand an NTIA office to focus on both policy and cybersecurity, while codifying the agency’s role in coordinating cybersecurity responses alongside other federal departments.

Lawmakers argue that recent telecom attacks exposed major gaps in coordination between government and industry.

The bill promotes public-private partnerships and stronger collaboration between agencies, software developers, telecom firms, and security researchers to improve resilience and speed up innovation across communications technologies.

With Americans’ daily lives increasingly dependent on digital services, supporters say the bill provides a crucial framework for protecting sensitive information from cybercriminals and foreign hacking groups instead of relying on fragmented and inconsistent measures.

Zuckerberg unveils Meta’s multi-gigawatt AI data clusters

Meta Platforms is building several of the world’s largest data centres to power its AI ambitions, with the first facility expected to go online in 2026.

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed on Threads that the site, called Prometheus, will be the first of multiple ‘titan clusters’ designed to support AI development instead of relying on existing infrastructure.

Frustrated by earlier AI efforts, Meta is investing heavily in talent and technology. The company has committed up to $72 billion towards AI and data centre expansion, while Zuckerberg has personally recruited high-profile figures from OpenAI, DeepMind, and Apple.

That includes appointing Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang as chief AI officer through a $14.3 billion stake deal and securing Ruoming Pang with a compensation package worth over $200 million.

The facilities under construction will have multi-gigawatt capacity, placing Meta ahead of rivals such as OpenAI and Oracle in the race for large-scale AI infrastructure.

One supercluster in Richland Parish, Louisiana, is said to cover an area nearly the size of Manhattan instead of smaller conventional data centre sites.

Zuckerberg confirmed that Meta is prepared to invest ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ into building superintelligence capabilities, using revenue from its core advertising business on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to fund these projects instead of seeking external financing.

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Children turn to AI chatbots instead of real friends

A new report warns that many children are replacing real friendships with conversations through AI chatbots instead of seeking human connection.

Research from Internet Matters found that 35% of children aged nine to seventeen feel that talking to AI ‘feels like talking to a friend’, while 12% said they had no one else to talk to.

The report highlights growing reliance on chatbots such as ChatGPT, Character.AI, and Snapchat’s MyAI among young people.

Researchers posing as vulnerable children discovered how easily chatbots engage in sensitive conversations, including around body image and mental health, instead of offering only neutral, factual responses.

In some cases, chatbots encouraged ongoing contact by sending follow-up messages, creating the illusion of friendship.

Experts from Internet Matters warn that such interactions risk confusing children, blurring the line between technology and reality. Children may believe they are speaking to a real person instead of recognising these systems as programmed tools.

With AI chatbots rapidly becoming part of childhood, Internet Matters urges better awareness and safety tools for parents, schools, and children. The organisation stresses that while AI may seem supportive, it cannot replace genuine human relationships and should not be treated as an emotional advisor.

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AI fake news surge tests EU Digital Services Act

Europe is facing a growing wave of AI-powered fake news and coordinated bot attacks that overwhelm media, fact-checkers, and online platforms instead of relying on older propaganda methods.

According to the European Policy Centre, networks using advanced AI now spread deepfakes, hoaxes, and fake articles faster than they can be debunked, raising concerns over whether EU rules are keeping up.

Since late 2024, the so-called ‘Overload’ operation has doubled its activity, sending an average of 2.6 fabricated proposals each day while also deploying thousands of bot accounts and fake videos.

These efforts aim to disrupt public debate through election intimidation, discrediting individuals, and creating panic instead of open discussion. Experts warn that without stricter enforcement, the EU’s Digital Services Act risks becoming ineffective.

To address the problem, analysts suggest that Europe must invest in real-time threat sharing between platforms, scalable AI detection systems, and narrative literacy campaigns to help citizens recognise manipulative content instead of depending only on fact-checkers.

Publicly naming and penalising non-compliant platforms would give the Digital Services Act more weight.

The European Parliament has already acknowledged widespread foreign-backed disinformation and cyberattacks targeting EU countries. Analysts say stronger action is required to protect the information space from systematic manipulation instead of allowing hostile narratives to spread unchecked.

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xAI issues apology over Grok’s offensive posts

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI has apologised after its chatbot Grok published offensive posts and made anti-Semitic claims. The company said the incident followed a software update designed to make Grok respond more like a human instead of relying strictly on neutral language.

After the Tuesday update, Grok posted content on X suggesting people with Jewish surnames were more likely to spread online hate, triggering public backlash. The posts remained live for several hours before X removed them, fuelling further criticism.

xAI acknowledged the problem on Saturday, stating it had adjusted Grok’s system to prevent similar incidents.

The company explained that programming the chatbot to ‘tell like it is’ and ‘not be afraid to offend’ made it vulnerable to users steering it towards extremist content instead of maintaining ethical boundaries.

Grok has faced controversy since its 2023 launch as an ‘edgy’ chatbot. In March, xAI acquired X to integrate its data resources, and in May, Grok was criticised again for spreading unverified right-wing claims. Musk introduced Grok 4 last Wednesday, unrelated to the problematic update on 7 July.

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Meta buys PlayAI to strengthen voice AI

Meta has acquired California-based startup PlayAI to strengthen its position in AI voice technology. PlayAI specialises in replicating human-like voices, offering Meta a route to enhance conversational AI features instead of relying solely on text-based systems.

According to reports, the PlayAI team will join Meta next week.

Although financial terms have not been disclosed, industry sources suggest the deal is worth tens of millions. Meta aims to use PlayAI’s expertise across its platforms, from social media apps to devices like Ray-Ban smart glasses.

The move is part of Meta’s push to keep pace with competitors like Google and OpenAI in the generative AI race.

Talent acquisition plays a key role in the strategy. By absorbing smaller, specialised teams like PlayAI’s, Meta focuses on integrating technology and expert staff instead of developing every capability in-house.

The PlayAI team will report directly to Meta’s AI leadership, underscoring the company’s focus on voice-driven interactions and metaverse experiences.

Bringing PlayAI’s voice replication tools into Meta’s ecosystem could lead to more realistic AI assistants and new creator tools for platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

However, the expansion of voice cloning raises ethical and privacy concerns that Meta must manage carefully, instead of risking user trust.

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Elon Musk’s xAI secures $2 billion from SpaceX

SpaceX has committed $2 billion to Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, as part of a $5 billion equity round.

The investment strengthens links between Musk’s businesses instead of keeping them separate, with xAI now competing directly against OpenAI.

After merging with social platform X, xAI’s valuation has reached $113 billion. Grok chatbot now supports customer service for Starlink, and there are plans for future integration into Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots instead of limiting its use to chat functions.

When asked whether Tesla could also back xAI financially, Musk replied on X that ‘it would be great, but subject to board and shareholder approval’. He did not directly confirm or deny SpaceX’s reported investment.

The move underlines how Musk positions his various ventures to collaborate more closely, combining AI, space technology, and robotics instead of running them as isolated businesses.

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Google Gemini flaw lets hackers trick email summaries

Security researchers have identified a serious flaw in Google Gemini for Workspace that allows cybercriminals to hide malicious commands inside email content.

The attack involves embedding hidden HTML and CSS instructions, which Gemini processes when summarising emails instead of showing the genuine content.

Attackers use invisible text styling such as white-on-white fonts or zero font size to embed fake warnings that appear to originate from Google.

When users click Gemini’s ‘Summarise this email’ feature, these hidden instructions trigger deceptive alerts urging users to call fake numbers or visit phishing sites, potentially stealing sensitive information.

Unlike traditional scams, there is no need for links, attachments, or scripts—only crafted HTML within the email body. The vulnerability extends beyond Gmail, affecting Docs, Slides, and Drive, raising fears of AI-powered phishing beacons and self-replicating ‘AI worms’ across Google Workspace services.

Experts advise businesses to implement inbound HTML checks, LLM firewalls, and user training to treat AI summaries as informational only. Google is urged to sanitise incoming HTML, improve context attribution, and add visibility for hidden prompts processed by Gemini.

Security teams are reminded that AI tools now form part of the attack surface and must be monitored accordingly.

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