Briefing Desk
Latest Briefings
Concise reporting on the developments shaping internet governance and infrastructure. Browse each area for recent news, context and watchpoints.
Amazon doubles down on India with US$35 billion commitment
Amazon’s US$35bn India investment boosts AI adoption, expands e-commerce exports, and aims to create one million new jobs by 2030.
Intel pursued deals under CEO that boosted his own fortune
Intel’s AI strategy under Lip-Bu Tan has included talks on firms tied to his venture interests, fuelling governance concerns.
APAC Summit forecasts massive surge in AI infrastructure
APAC summit forecasts a US$1.4 trillion AI-driven digital-infrastructure surge, highlighting data-centre, power and connectivity demands.
DT deepens AI ambitions through OpenAI partnership
A major Telekom–OpenAI partnership will deliver an AI assistant and new enterprise tools as the operator expands its AI-focused strategy.
CAIGA risks reshaping African digital cooperation — but not in the way advocates claim
CAIGA’s launch raises fresh concerns over governance, transparency, and ICANN’s influence as Africa seeks a reset after AFRINIC’s collapse.
HKC: A Hong Kong ICT veteran balancing legacy and autonomy in a changing region
HKC, a Hong Kong ICT veteran founded in 1970, now offers IoT and automation across Asia — raising questions on infrastructure sovereignty and local control.
NextEra Energy and Google Cloud forge landmark deal to power AI era with gigawatt-scale data centres
A new AI-enabled offering is expected in the Google Cloud Marketplace by mid-2026, promising predictive maintenance and enhanced grid resiliency.
Vodafone and EE stress connectivity as vital public service
UK operators draw attention to digital inclusion as EE tops network tests and Vodafone campaigns access for all.
US clears Nvidia chip exports to China: A volatile turn in global AI supply
What happened: US lifts ban on Nvidia H200 AI chip sales to China On 8 December 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that exports of the advanced “H200” AI chips from Nvidia would be allowed to approved customers in China and other selected countries — a significant reversal from previous restr…
Europe’s 5G future hangs on smarter spectrum policy
High spectrum costs and rigid licences may stall Europe’s 5G ambitions — GSMA calls for licence reforms to unlock growth.
Acemob Media: Hong Kong marketing firm bridging global apps
What is Acemob Media Acemob Media, registered in Hong Kong under the name HONGKONG ACEMEDIA TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED, describes itself as “an international intelligent marketing service company” offering global marketing and promotion services, including performance marketing, brand building, and ver…
Cobham boosts satellite capabilities by acquiring Gatehouse
Cobham acquires Gatehouse to boost satellite-software capabilities as consolidation accelerates across Europe’s space-connectivity sector.
Pakistan regulator clears sale Of Telenor Pakistan to PTCL
PTA gives green light to PTCL takeover of Telenor Pakistan, accelerating the country’s telecom consolidation and 5G plans.
Huawei’s Xinghe SASE gains certification: What it really means for enterprise security
Huawei Xinghe SASE secures tolly certification with top-tier threat detection At the MWC Barcelona 2025 event, Huawei announced that its “Xinghe Intelligent Unified SASE Solution” had been certified by The Tolly Group — a respected independent testing and verification firm. According to the Tolly ev…
Nvidia warns US may lose AI race as China surges ahead in infrastructure buildout
What happened: Huang warns of widening infrastructure gap Speaking at a November session hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Huang issued a stark warning: while building a data centre and readying an AI supercomputer in the U.S. typically takes “about three years,” “…
Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise roll out hybrid network blueprints for industry sectors
What happened: Nokia and ALE unveil hybrid network blueprints for key industry sectors Global telecom vendor Nokia and ALE have announced a strategic partnership offering a set of “hybrid network solution blueprints” for specific industry verticals — from hospitality and building construction to ent…
Skandha Networks drives next-gen cloud innovation
Offering hybrid cloud, AI solutions and managed services, Skandha Networks helps organisations scale digital operations.
Understanding CAIGA’s proposed policy framework
Stakeholders fear CAIGA may deepen AFRINIC’s failures by replacing community governance with state control, backed by ICANN support.
Intel decides to retain networking and communications division
With new capital backing, Intel keeps networking division in-house to deliver tightly integrated AI and data-centre infrastructure.
Telkomsel emerges as the big winner at 2025 Glotel Awards
What happened: Telkomsel secures three prestigious awards at 2025 glotels in London At the 2025 Global Telecoms Awards — known as the Glotels — held in central London, Telkomsel distinguished itself by taking home three of the 24 honours on offer. Notably, Telkomsel won in the “Connecting the Unconn…
Tech firms urged to bear responsibility as Digital Poverty Alliance warns of growing digital exclusion
What happened：Digital Poverty Alliance renews call for tech firms to tackle digital exclusion In a recent interview with Capacity Media, the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) — a coalition of charities, industry groups and educational organisations — renewed its appeal for tech companies to take respon…
Vertiv completes $1 billion acquisition of PurgeRite — a bet on liquid-cooling for the AI era
What happened: Vertiv completes $1.0b acquisition of Purgerite to boost liquid-cooling thermal management On 4 December 2025, Vertiv announced it had completed the acquisition of PurgeRite Intermediate LLC, paying approximately US$1.0 billion in upfront cash consideration, with a possible additional…
Skali: Southeast Asia’s early cloud pioneer
As an ICT industry pioneer, Skali delivers cloud services and hosting solutions, helping businesses scale digital operations in ASEAN.
Africa faces unresolved governance challenges before any CAIGA model can take shape
What happened: Africa weighs CAIGA as AFRINIC’s collapse exposes deep governance failures With AFRINIC widely seen as a “failed registry” after years of governance breakdown, Africa is entering a turning point. The proposed Continental Africa Internet Governance Architecture (CAIGA) is now emerging …
Interview with Qori Qurrota Aini, CEO of Points of Presence: Building carrier-neutral connectivity in Southeast Asia
Providing neutral IXPs in a fragmented region “We provide carrier-agnostic, network-neutral IXPs in Southeast Asia,” Aini said, describing PoP’s core mission. In a region where telecom infrastructure is often fragmented and vertically controlled, neutrality is not just a technical feature — it is a …
Fire Eater interview: Data-centres should rethink environmental cost of fire suppression
Fire Eater warns of rising environmental risks in data-centre fire protection Speaking during an interview at ITW Asia, Gavin Young, Global Business Development Manager at the Denmark-based fire-suppression manufacturer Fire Eater, highlighted growing concerns around the environmental footprint of t…
Switzerland’s railways shift to VoLTE as 3G shutdown looms
What happened: Switzerland’s national railway operator SBB, in collaboration with Ericsson, has deployed a landmark upgrade Switzerland’s national railway operator SBB, in collaboration with Ericsson, has deployed a landmark upgrade: interworking the legacy railway communication standard GSM-R with …
CAIGA initiative stirs debate, businesses must weigh internet governance changes in Africa
A new architecture for Africa’s internet— and what it means for business The CAIGA initiative, quietly gaining traction after a Memorandum of Understanding between Smart Africa and ICANN in November 2024, is pitched as a way to boost Africa’s capacity in internet governance, coordinate digital-polic…
BTW Media joins ITW Asia 2025 as the region’s digital infrastructure spotlight intensifies
What happened: BTW Media arrives on the ground The two-day conference ITW Asia 2025 began on 3 December at the Shangri‑La Singapore hotel in Singapore, drawing more than 1,700 senior executives from across carriers, hyperscalers, data-centre providers, satellite operators, cloud firms, investors and…
Most smartphone users would pay extra for satellite services
What happened: Viasat-GSMA intelligence survey reveals strong consumer demand for direct-to-device satellite mobile services A new report from Viasat, Inc. and GSMA Intelligence, canvassing 12,390 mobile-phone users across 12 countries, has captured widespread interest in direct-to-device (D2D) sate…
Ericsson takes minority stake in LotusFlare to turbo-charge network-API monetisation
What happened: Ericsson Partners with LotusFlare and Takes Minority Stake to Boost CSP API Network Capabilities The telecom industry has increasingly eyed network APIs as a way to turn network capabilities — such as quality-of-service controls, identity or location services, SIM-swap detection — int…
vHive unveils real-time “On-Site Validation” tool to reduce telecom installation errors
What happened: vHive Launches AR-Powered On-Site Validation Solution to Streamline MNO Network Installation Accuracy vHive, a company specialising in infrastructure digitisation, announced on 2 December 2025 the release of On-Site Validation, a real-time field-verification solution intended for use …
Could Smart Africa’s CAIGA lead to centralised internet control in Africa?
Critics warn CAIGA could turn technical governance into a political instrument — a “paid‑access” model that undermines regional autonomy and sets a dangerous precedent.
Poste Italiane set to acquire Vivendi’s remaining TIM stake for €200m
What happened: Poste Italiane to buy Vivendi’s remaining TIM shares for €200 million Poste Italiane is reportedly preparing to acquire the French media group Vivendi’s remaining 2.51% stake in Italy’s incumbent telecom operator TIM, in a deal valued at around €200 million, according to reports from …
Nokia and Tampnet team up to enhance 5G offshore connectivity in the Gulf of Mexico
What happened: Expanding 5G connectivity across offshore energy Nokia has partnered with Tampnet, a provider of offshore communications, to modernise and expand 5G connectivity for offshore energy operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The project involves deploying Nokia’s 5G technology across T…
CAIGA does not reduce internet fragmentation in Africa, it centralises power
CAIGA claims to reduce fragmentation, but critics warn Smart Africa and ICANN may deepen divisions by centralising political control.
Alibaba enters AI wearables race with new Quark glasses
Alibaba has launched its first AI‑powered eyewear in China — Quark AI Glasses — marking a major push into wearables.
ZTE awarded top global honour for Malaysian 5G network revamp
What happened: ZTE’s Malaysian 5G network overhaul At a ceremony in London on 17 November 2025, ZTE was awarded the “Best Mobile/5G Service Innovation” by the Global Connectivity Awards, marking its first win in this category. The award recognises ZTE’s role in the ambitious dual‑network convergence…
Key questions Africa needs to answer before implementing CAIGA
Stakeholders warn CAIGA may shift power from communities to governments, with ICANN’s support deepening concerns over Africa’s digital future.
UK cyber security bill to extend rules to critical suppliers
New UK law will force critical-infrastructure suppliers to comply with cyber-security standards and fast incident reporting.
Google drops EU complaint as cloud probe expands
Google withdraws its antitrust complaint against Microsoft as the EU launches a sector-wide cloud market investigation under DMA.
AFRINIC
AFRINIC's election crisis tests whether African number-resource governance can return to transparent, member-verifiable control.
Why CAIGA cannot improve Africa’s internet security
As Smart Africa pushes CAIGA and ICANN backs its blueprint, fears rise that Africa’s internet will face more risks, not protection.
Why CAIGA is a hot topic in the AFRINIC community
CAIGA sparks debate as Africa’s IP governance faces collapse, highlighting external influence and urgent need for reform.
US telecom giants at risk as Federal Communications Commission scraps key cyber-security ruling
What happened: FCC votes 2–1 to repeal 2025 telecom cybersecurity ruling Earlier this month, the FCC voted 2–1 to overturn a declaratory ruling issued in January 2025 which had required U.S. telecommunications carriers to secure their networks from unauthorised access or interception. Under that rul…
Mobily joins Global Leaders Forum board
Mobily joins Global Leaders Forum board, expanding global influence and shaping connectivity, sustainable telecom standards.
CloudExtel bags ₹200 crore debt funding to build AI-ready network backbone
What happened: CloudExtel Secures ₹200 Crore to Launch AI-Focused DCI Network CloudExtel, a Mumbai-based full-stack Network-as-a-Service provider, announced on 27 November 2025 that it has secured ₹200 crore in debt funding from a private bank to support its next growth phase. Alongside the debt rai…
UK telcos face government pressure over mid-contract price rises
Ofcom ordered to review telecom price-rise rules by 2026 after government criticises recent hikes by major UK operators.
SKT joins AWS to offer sector-ready AI cloud services
SK Telecom signs strategic agreement with AWS to launch hybrid AI cloud solutions and cost-optimised enterprise services.
Altice sells outsourcing stake as debt cut-down continues
Altice continues debt-reduction with Intelcia sale, refocusing on broadband, mobile and cable infrastructure assets.