Budget broadband ISP Plusnet has today finally launched a SOGEA powered Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) package, which is a standalone broadband connection that removes the accompanying phone service. Sadly, the provider still shows no sign of offering existing customers a digital (IP-based) phone solution. At the time of writing we still don’t have all the […]

News 

Telesat has awarded the contract to build 198 satellites its Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) programme to space technology company MDA 

The contract is the largest in MDA’s history, being valued at around CA$2.1 billion (USD $1.56 billion), and will include the design, manufacture, and testing of the satellites, which will take place at MDA’s plant in Montreal. 

The programme will begin immediately, with Telesat aiming to launch its first satellites into orbit by 2026 and offer commercial services by 2027. 

The total cost for Lightspeed constellation is approximately $3.5 billion, which takes into account costs for launches, ground systems, and user terminal technology. Telesat will contribute CA$1.6 billion (USD $1.19 billion) in equity, and CA$2 billion (USD $1.49 billion) will come from Canadian government financing. 

This funding will be enough for the company to launch the first 156 satellites of the constellation, allowing it to offer global coverage. The remaining 42 satellites needed to complete the constellation will be launched gradually using the revenues generated from the constellation. 

“MDA is a world class satellite prime contractor with an impressive track record and a number of recent high profile, strategic space programmes announced, and it is a privilege to be working side-by-side with them on the flagship, game-changing Telesat Lightspeed constellation. MDA’s deep expertise as a LEO prime contractor, as well our own leading expertise in satellite operations and systems engineering, gives us the highest level of confidence in meeting our objectives,” said Dan Goldberg, Telestat’s President and CEO. 

“We believe in Telesat’s mission and vision and are excited that our software-defined digital satellite product will be a key enabler in meeting their goals as we work together to usher in the next generation of space-based satellite communications,” said MDA’s CEO Mike Greenley. 

The company had previously contracted European satellite specialist Thales Alenia Space to manufacture 298 satellites at an estimated cost of $5 billion, but the project was halted due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. Now, Telesat says it has saved roughly CA$2 billion (USD $1.49 billion) by reducing the size of its satellites by 75% and switching suppliers. 

Telesat aims to achieve a 30% return on investment from Lightspeed, which targets the enterprise and government connectivity market, and will not compete with firms such as Starlink in the direct-to-consumer market. 

How is the emergence of LEO satellite constellations changing the telecoms ecosystem? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam 

Also in the news:
Australian govt launches Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation programme
Poland’s ‘largest ever’ broadband subsidy draws 300 applications
Italian government signs MoU to take minority stake in TIM’s NetCo  

News

Grants of up to A$5 million (USD $3.24 million) will be available to projects that help to boost network reliability in the face of natural disasters

This week, the Australian government has opened applications for the Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation (TDRI) programme, which will make up to A$50 million (USD $32.42 million) available to support telco networks remain functional during natural disasters.

The TDRI programme is split into two rounds: the Power Resilience Round and the Innovation Round.

The former, comprising A$30 million (USD $19.45 million) of the total funding, will focus on projects aiming to help telco networks’ power supplies become more reliable in the face of natural disasters.

The government notes that power outages are the leading cause of telecoms disruption during natural disasters in Australia.

The second funding pool, containing the remaining A$20 million (USD $12.97 million), is less specific, available for any projects seeking to improve the resiliency, redundancy, and availability of telecoms networks following natural disasters.

Applicants can include mobile network operators, mobile network infrastructure providers, and NBN Co (the state-run National Broadband Network), as well as Australian solution providers.

Each project can be awarded up to A$5 million (USD $3.24 million).

“Access to telecommunications coverage during a natural disaster can be the difference between life and death,” said Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland. “While no network is ever 100% disaster-proof, the Albanese government is determined to do what we can to boost the resilience of our telecommunications networks.

“The new Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation program will fund a wide range of innovative local projects across Australia to reduce the likelihood of telco outages during disasters.

The application process closes on 20 October 2023, with the TDRI itself set to run from 2023 to 2025.

The TDRI programme is part of the Australian government’s far larger Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia scheme, which includes a total of A$1.1 billion (USD $710 million) for rural connectivity projects.

Also in the news:
Cisco to buy-out Telenor from Working Group Two JV
Poland’s ‘largest ever’ broadband subsidy draws 300 applications
Italian government signs MoU to take minority stake in TIM’s NetCo 

News 

TalkTalk’s Business Direct unit serves around 80,000 corporate customers and could carry a price tag of around £150 million 

According to reports, Sky Business is the latest company to have expressed an interest in acquiring TalkTalk’s B2B arm, TT Business Direct Limited. 

Business Direct currently serves around 80,000 corporate customers, making them an attractive acquisition target for Sky Business, which has been pushing to grow its own enterprise customer base for some time now. 

The sale of TalkTalk’s B2B unit comes as a result of mounting debt pressures, with reports earlier this month hinting that TalkTalk is in an attempt to balance its books.  

The firm’s total debt currently stands at over £1.1 billon, with the deadlines on those debts fast approaching: £350 million matures next November and a further £685 million matures in February 2025. 

The B2B unit is likely to be the first on the chopping block, with the consumer and wholesale units likely to follow.  

TalkTalk executives said recently that the business would focus on disposals, noting that the “individual parts [of the business] are worth more than the whole”. 

Reports suggest TalkTalk has hired merger and acquisition experts Houlihan Lokey to handle the sale. 

Sky Business will join a growing number of interested parties in purchasing the B2B unit, most notably including British firm Daisy Group.  

Daisy Group had tried to purchase the unit for £175 million back in 2018 but talks ended without an agreement. 

More recently, TalkTalk was approached by Virgin Media O2 regarding a potential takeover for around £3 billion, but this was later scrapped due to market and regulatory uncertainties. 

How would the breakup of TalkTalk impact the UK telecoms market? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s live Connected Britain conference 

Also in the news:
Polish operators line up for 5G spectrum auction
Telefonica signs worldwide partnership deal with Starlink
Friday financial roundup 

News 

The investment is the second SK Telecom investment in the firm this year 

SK Telecom (SKT), South Korea’s largest telco, has announced that it will invest $100 million in US artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic to develop a multilingual large language model (LLM) customised for global telcos.  

“By combining our Korean language-based LLM with Anthropic’s strong AI capabilities, we expect to create synergy and gain leadership in the AI ecosystem together with our global telco partners,” said SKT CEO Ryu Young-sang. 

Anthropic is an AI startup founded in 2021 by former Open AI executives and is now one of the most well-funded AI firms, having already raised $450 from investors. SKT itself invested an initial undisclosed sum in Anthropic back in May.  

This week’s new investment will see greater customisation of AI platform, potentially including interactive consumer applications or industry specific sales and marketing. The LLM will be capable of supporting languages including Korean, German, English, Japanese, Spanish, and Arabic. 

Both the customisation and platform direction will be overseen by Anthropic co-founder and Chief Science Officer Jared Kaplan. 

The investment is the latest step in SKT’s drive to become a world leader in AI, with SKT’s Chief Financial Officer Kim Jin Won noting that the firm was “stepping up efforts on all fronts to transform itself into an AI company”. 

Last month, four major global telcos – SKT, e&, Deutsche Telecom, and Singtel – partnered to form a Global Telco AI Alliance, singing a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the use of AI. The four operators pledged to combine their respective technologies and expertise to create a telco-focussed AI platform that will provide customised AI services and apps to users in each market. This signing eliminates the need for each firm to develop their own AI platforms, which is both costly and time consuming. 

“SKT has incredible ambitions to use AI to transform the telco industry. We’re excited to combine our AI expertise with SKT’s industry knowledge to build a LLM that is customized for telcos,” said Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei.  

“We see industry specific LLMs as having high potential to create safer and more reliable deployments of AI technology.”   

How is the AI changing the telecoms world? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam 

Also in the news:
Cisco to buy-out Telenor from Working Group Two JV
Poland’s ‘largest ever’ broadband subsidy draws 300 applications
Italian government signs MoU to take minority stake in TIM’s NetCo 

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