Speaking at FutureNet World back in April, Miguel Alvarez, AI chief at Orange Business, discussed his firm’s dual-mode AI platform strategy in the context of its own transformation, its sovereignty pitch to enterprises, and the broader sector’s efforts to establish …
James Blackman
James Blackman
James Blackman has been writing about the technology and telecoms sectors for over a decade. He has edited and contributed to a number of European news outlets and trade titles. He has also worked at telecoms company Huawei, leading media activity for its devices business in Western Europe. He is based in London.
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Per Narvinger replaces Börje Ekholm as chief executive at Ericsson, signalling strategic continuity in the Swedish vendor’s focus on 5G execution and operator-led growth – thrown into relief as old rival Nokia continues to pursue a more aggressive AI infrastructure …
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Christophe Fouquet’s criticism of the EU’s evolving Chips Act is less an attack on industrial policy than a challenge to where sovereignty can realistically be exercised in a global AI economy. As the UK and France shift towards sovereign compute, …
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European telcos are rebuilding scale in their fixed networks through acquisitions, joint ventures, and wholesale models to reduce fiber overlap, improve economics, and prep the AI-edge. In sum – what to know: Telenor – is acquiring Norwegian fiber operator Enivest …
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The UK government’s £1.1bn AI hardware plan anchors a new national compute strategy, including a £750m supercomputer in Edinburgh and targeted support for UK chip startups, alongside major private commitments from AMD and Nebius worth nearly £4bn, and a growing …
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Major telcos in France have agreed a deal to split SFR, the country’s second-biggest operator, between Bouygues Telecom, Orange, and Iliad. The transaction boosts their commercial scale, investment capacity, and sovereignty ambitions, but it has to get past regulatory approval …
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Orange Business is advancing its enterprise strategy through sovereign and secure data management and services. A new French hospital deployment shows the model in use – but everything from the French firm, lately, is pinned to the same message, including …
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The LoRa Alliance’s new roadmap tackles IoT’s toughest challenges: interoperability, integration and deployment simplicity. By prioritising ecosystem maturity over radio innovation, LoRaWAN is betting that usability, not connectivity, will determine its next phase of growth. In sum – what to …
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A reciprocal infrastructure deal between Telstra and Google, a new India-Singapore route from FLAG, and a record-breaking fiber transmission test from Japan’s NICT all point to the same thing – that the subsea market is entering a new phase, and …
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Softbank’s €75bn plan to build 5GW of AI data center capacity in France is being hailed in Paris as a breakthrough for European digital sovereignty. But the scale of foreign capital – despite the absence of US hyperscalers – raises …
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Europe is reshaping its digital economy around sovereignty, from satellite spectrum (new post-2027 auction rules for the 2GHz MSS band) and sovereign cloud (Google Cloud picks Telefónica to serve-up hybrid sovereignty on a US stack) citizen identity systems (the Dutch …
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Germany’s sovereign cloud push is advancing with Deutsche Telekom and SAP winning a BMDS AI platform tender built on the “Deutschland-Stack”, while Thales expands its Google Cloud-powered sovereign model in Germany alongside its French PREMI3NS infrastructure. STL Partners has a …
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SpaceX’s IPO filing reads like a techno-futurist manifesto – but then that’s its business: a vertically integrated empire of rockets, satellites, and AI infrastructure to scale intelligence globally – and make humans a multi-planetary species. The numbers are enormous, the …
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Telcos will never achieve full network autonomy or business change by layering AI agents onto monolithic legacy systems, says TM Forum in the second half of its discussion with RCR. Telcos are not special cases, it says. They must rebuild …
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An interview with TM Forum, in two parts, about where telcos are up to with network autonomy, and the work to scale point solutions into vendor-agnostic deployments across entire network operations. In sum – what to know: Manual to partial …
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Vodafone and other major European operators are advancing a federated telco edge-cloud designed to support sovereign AI and IoT workloads, positioning it as a home-grown alternative to hyperscaler platforms. The initiative promises “seamless” cross-border services, but remains in early-stage validation. …
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Telefónica opened 2026 with steady growth, stronger profitability, and lower debt, driven largely by a surge in Brazil and discipline in Germany and Spain. Execs moved to calm expectations about its capital exposure in Europe’s new AI gigafactory push. Quarterly …
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T-Mobile’s latest moves in AI-native RAN and private 5G for elite sports suggest a carrier evolving beyond its disruptive roots into something more formidable: the operator with the clearest story about where telecoms, AI, and customer experience converge. In sum …
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Vodafone used its FY26 earnings call to outline how AI will reshape telecom networks and operations, while reporting stronger revenues, improved profits, robust African growth, and broadband momentum in the UK with a new FWA offer. In sum – what …
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The GSMA has issued a lobbying report to argue for sweeping regulatory reform in the EU as telcos face a €475 billion investment gap to catch up with rivals in other regions – and to deliver the sovereign infrastructure for …
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Vodafone’s sovereign-cloud deal with AWS in Germany and BT’s brand refresh and UEFA deal in the UK, plus lots else, shows how European telcos are repositioning as trusted intermediaries for AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure. In sum – what …
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Nvidia has agreed a multi-year supply deal with Corning that could grow into a $3.2bn equity position, alongside a major expansion of US optical fibre manufacturing capacity aimed at meeting surging AI infrastructure demand. In sum – what to know: …
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Vodafone Group will buy out CK Hutchison’s stake in VodafoneThree for £4.3bn, ending the joint-venture structure and taking full ownership of the UK’s largest mobile operator in a move expected to accelerate integration, sharpen decision-making, and intensify UK telecom consolidation. …
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Lumen Technologies is acquiring cloud networking platform Alkira for $475 million to strengthen its ‘east-west’ DCI strategy, and bolster its programmable NaaS roadmap to cover all the compass points – from the enterprise to cloud, and the US to everywhere. …
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Cut-price FWA sale shows Nokia’s shift to AI infrastructure, sets the tone for further disposals, and gives Inseego an instant double-your-business boost – which poses questions for the San Diego firm, as well. In sum – what to know: Knockdown …