Customers of UK ISP Sky Broadband’s phone (Sky Talk) and Sky Mobile service, including those with a phone service via NOW Broadband (NOW TV), have – due to the current conflict – been given the ability to make free calls and texts between the UK (inc. Ireland) and Lebanon until the end of 2024.

“From 4 October 2024 – 31 December 2024, we’ll be crediting Sky Mobile and Sky Talk customers who call and text people in Lebanon from the UK and Ireland. You won’t be charged for any calls and texts made during this time,” said Sky’s statement. “Your bill will show that you’ve made the calls and texts, however, we’ll apply a credit within 14 days, so you won’t be charged for them.”

Sky will apply credits for:

Sky Talk: Free calls and texts to Lebanon (covers UK/ROI and NOW Talk customers).

Sky Mobile: Free calls and texts to Lebanon from the UK and Ireland.

However, roaming in Lebanon, calls and texts from ‘Rest of the World’ destinations to Lebanon and picture messages (MMS) will still be chargeable. In addition, for Sky Mobile, calls and texts to Lebanon will still count towards your monthly spend cap.

The Oldham Council in Greater Manchester has ordered broadband operator IX Wireless (supported by UK ISP 6Gi / Opus Broadband) to “temporarily … stop work across the borough” due to “safety concerns“. The operator had been deploying large metal masts for their fibre-fed fixed wireless broadband network, which has recently attracted protests.

The company, which holds an aspiration to cover 250,000 UK premises with their new network (here), is currently building their hybrid fibre and wireless broadband network across several towns in the North West of England, such as Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Nelson, Accrington, Thornton-Cleveleys, Fleetwood and Blackpool. Last year also saw them expand into the Tameside and Oldham area (here).

However, the “up to” 15-metre-high metal poles (masts) that they build don’t always go down well with residents in the areas where they build (many people find them ugly and obtrusive), which has recently caused several “disturbances” within Oldham that involved “concerned residents, workers and the police” (here).

Infrastructure like this is typically built using Permitted Development (PD) rights, which means they don’t have to go through the usual planning process and can pop up quite quickly, often without residents getting much of a say (only minimal prior notice is required). Due to this, Oldham Council’s options are limited, but the installations do still require highways permits and complaints have recently been raised over issues of safety.

A council spokesperson said (Manchester Evening News):

“We have told IX Wireless to stop work across the borough following safety concerns. We are temporarily suspending issuing new highways permits to the firm until officers are satisfied safe working practices have been in place. Other councils have already taken this step.

The temporary suspension was put in place because over the last few weeks our highways team has received a number of complaints about work being carried out by IX Wireless.

Concerns were raised about the safety of pedestrians, motorists and the company’s own staff while work was being carried out on, or close, to our roads. Inspections have backed this up. This is not acceptable and we’d be failing in our duties if we allowed unsafe practices to carry on.”

A spokesperson for IX Wireless said:

“The safety of our staff and local residents is paramount and we are working to address any issues that have been highlighted. In this case, concerns were raised by the local authority following discrepancies between the traffic and pedestrian management information provided for the permit and live sites.

Upon investigation it became evident that one of our third-party traffic management companies had, on occasion, incorrectly chosen to downgrade the level of traffic management required during the dynamic risk assessment. This issue has been addressed and rectified going forward.”

However, this is only a temporary suspension until investigators are satisfied with the planned remedies, which means that IXW will soon be allowed to resume work and that could restart this month with a two-week trial. We should point out that the metal poles built by IXW are a fair bit bigger (taller and fatter) than the normal wooden ones (those are a common sight across much of the UK), but on the flip side, being a wireless solution means they don’t need to deploy as many of them in order to cover a wide area.

In the meantime, both the past and present UK Governments have pressured network operators to “end the deployment of unnecessary telegraph poles” (here) when rolling out new gigabit-capable broadband networks. The government has also encouraged operators to “share existing infrastructure when installing broadband cables as the default approach”, but this is largely irrelevant to the wireless tech being deployed by IXW.

The government are currently in the process of responding to related complaints by proposing to revise (inc. here) the Cabinet and Pole Siting Code of Practice, which seems likely to result in greater pre-build consultation with communities. The Minister for Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, has even warned that he would “not shy away from changing the law, should companies fail to listen to communities” (i.e. a reference to the possibility of hardening or removing PD rights on poles).

Network operators typically like poles because they’re quick and cost-effective to build, can be deployed in areas where there may be no space or access to safely put new underground cables (irrelevant to a wireless network like IXW), are less disruptive (avoiding the noise, access restrictions and damage to pavements of street works) and can be built under the aforementioned PD rights.

Naturally, we’d all prefer it if broadband, power and mobile infrastructure was totally invisible, but that’s not always economically feasible. The government have allowed the current level of flexibility in order to support their plans for achieving nationwide (c.99%) coverage of gigabit broadband by the end of 2030. The difficulty is in balancing that flexibility with localised objections to the new infrastructure and the need to meet those coverage targets. Network operators are already facing significant financial strain and so a fine balancing act is required.

The Shadow Technology Secretary, Andrew Griffith MP, has warned the new UK Government against a “shocking waste of taxpayers’ money” by potentially shifting public funding, which is currently earmarked for the rural-focused Project Gigabit broadband roll-out, and using it to help upgrade parts of major towns and cities (e.g. central London).

Just to recap. The £5bn Project Gigabit scheme aims to help extend 1Gbps (download) capable networks to reach at least 85% of UK premises by 2025 (we’re about to hit this target early), before aiming to achieve “nationwide” coverage (c. 99%) by 2030. Commercial investment has already delivered more than 80% of this, which leaves the government’s scheme to focus on tackling the final 10-20% (mostly rural and some sub-urban areas), where the private sector alone often fails.

The project primarily consists of several support schemes, including demand-led Gigabit Broadband Vouchers (GBVS) for specific premises (£210m), funding to extend Dark Fibre around the public sector (£110m) and general gap-funded network deployments with suppliers (rest of the funding) – known as the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy (GIS) programme.

Most of the project’s funding has already been committed, but around £2bn remains, and the new UK Government are known to be exploring how they could best utilise this in a second phase of the build programme. The first round of contracts and programmes are unlikely to deliver 99%+ gigabit coverage to every location, thus there’s still more work to be done on that side of things.

However, a new report in the Telegraph (via MSN) suggests that BDUK are exploring how at least some of the remaining public investment assigned to the project could be used to help tackle broadband slow-spots and “not-spots” in normally competitive urban areas, such as parts of central London. The article doesn’t specify how this would work, but it’s something the shadow (Conservative) technology secretary isn’t very happy about.

Andrew Griffith MP said:

“If confirmed, this would be a baffling decision by the Labour government that risks leaving people in the hardest to reach rural areas left in the slow lane without any credible path to fast, reliable broadband.

This programme was explicitly designed to build full-fibre to remote areas where the rollout is not economically viable for commercial providers.

To divert the funding to highly competitive areas such as central London would be a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money at a time the Government is snatching pensioners’ winter fuel allowances away.”

A government (DSIT) spokesperson said:

“We have been clear that addressing pockets of poor connectivity in all areas of the country is necessary to reach our goal of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030 and grow the economy.

Rural areas remain a priority for us, with over a million rural premises now covered by contracts under Project Gigabit – with many more rural properties set to benefit in future. We are committed to exploring all avenues to achieve this ambition. No decisions have been made yet.”

Naturally, there is a bit of a twist to this story, which the Telegraph hasn’t picked up on. This reflects the fact that it was actually the previous government that, in 2023, began the process of exploring how the issue of urban slow and notspots could be tackled (here).

In fact, a trial solution was proposed earlier this year (here), which was due to have extended the gigabit broadband voucher scheme to be used in certain urban, as well as rural, areas (they also did something similar with the original ‘Connection Voucher’ scheme some years ago). But this may have been put on pause by the General Election, pending a decision by the new government.

The reality here is that some urban patches, which are typically dotted about like small islands inside major cities and towns, have long become notorious for being left neglected by commercial operators. The problem can be caused by all sorts of challenges (e.g. high build costs, issues with securing wayleave / access and permits or road closures etc.), while state aid and competition law often make it difficult to use public funding in such areas (i.e. locations where private investment should be able to resolve without intervention).

The easiest solution to the complex legal and competition dilemmas this can raise has typically been to use vouchers, hence the above proposal to extend the existing scheme. But it’s worth remembering that solving such complex areas isn’t always just a matter of money, and vouchers alone may not be enough.

The GBVS currently offers grants worth up to £4,500 to rural homes and businesses to help them get a gigabit-capable broadband service installed, which is available to areas with speeds of “less than 100Mbps” – assuming there are also no future plans for a gigabit deployment (either via private investment or state-aid). Some Local Authorities (LA) have, in the past, also provided top-up funding to boost the voucher values.

Alternative operator Netomnia, which is currently merging with Brsk (here) and supported by broadband ISP YouFibre, has given an update to ISPreview on their plan to deploy ADTRAN’s cutting edge 50G PON kit across their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network. This should start to go live before the end of 2024 and package speeds of 40Gbps will be offered.

Just to recap. The combined networks of Netomnia and Brsk currently reach over 1.82 million UK premises as ‘Ready for Service‘ and this is home to a total customer base of 190,000 (30th Sept 2024). But the merged group also has a short-term target of growing this coverage to reach 3 million premises (coverage) by the end of 2025, cementing their position as one of the largest national networks.

Both operators are presently using XGS-PON technology to power their networks, which is capable of delivering symmetric speeds up to 10Gbps (YouFibre already has a 7-8Gbps package for £99.99 per month). But at the start of this year we reported that Netomnia were planning a major network upgrade, which would see them rolling out ADTRAN’s 50Gbps (50G-PON) capable kit (here) – the first UK provider to do so.

However, little was known about the actual roll-out plan for this bleeding edge technology, which is perhaps understandable given that the 50 Gigabit Passive Optical Network (PON) standard is still relatively recent (here). Similarly, at the time of the original announcement, ADTRAN’s related SDX 6400 Optical Line Terminals (OLT) didn’t even appear on their website and that remains true today.

Since then another alternative network, Ogi, has recently announced plans to deploy 50G PON technology into their own FTTP network using Nokia‘s kit in Wales (here), which is due to go live sometime in 2025. Suffice to say that we thought now would be a good time to check in on Netomnia and see how they’re progressing.

What’s new?

The plan is to start rolling out the live 50G-PON service from ADTRAN by the end of 2024 and it will then take around a year to fully deploy – initially based on demand (a difficult thing to quantify for this sort of speed). The new kit will be deployed alongside their existing XGS-PON platform, without disrupting existing customers.

The service will also be launching with some new products, including a full 10Gbps symmetric service (you can’t strictly do this via XGS-PON, due to network overheads and advertising rules etc.) and a 40Gbps package to follow – available for both homes and businesses (exact launch dates for these are not yet known). But naturally this will also require a new ONT (optical modem) and a monster router, the details of which are also not yet known.

Suffice to say that this is an entirely new realm of performance for the residential market, one that will put the provider into a different league. But it’s also likely to be very expensive on the domestic side, which suggests that the real prize may be in its marketing value and bragging rights. Particularly since neither end-users nor most of the internet are really able to fully harness 40Gbps today (even 1-10Gbps is still a huge challenge – Why Buying Gigabit Broadband Doesn’t Always Deliver). But technological evolution rarely waits for the slowest users and devices to catch-up.

Naturally, there will always be those who find reason to moan, even when a member of the industry does something as striking as this. But such developments are also the reason why Netomnia are one of the most exciting alternative networks in the UK, which is in no small part down to their willingness to push the boundaries of network technology – often while setting new benchmarks for consumer speeds and affordability.

On the other hand, such ambition does have its limits, which in this case might be tempered a bit by some of the supply-side issues that ADTRAN have recently been experiencing. Getting brand-new technologies to market and in a finished state is rarely a completely smooth process.

Internet video streaming provider Disney+ has followed the recent crackdown on password sharing (here) by hitting UK customers with a fresh round of annual price hikes, which are due to all be introduced from 17th October 2024 for new customers and 21st November 2024 for existing ones.

The only good news is that Disney+’s “Standard with Ads” plan will remain at £4.99 per month, while “Standard” increases from £7.99 to £8.99 (or £79.90 to £89.90 annually) and “Premium” surges from £10.99 to £12.99 (or £109.90 to £129.90 annually).

Suffice to say that the endless price hikes and ever-increasing fragmentation of streaming TV and Movie content continues to get worse, which increasingly risks driving many consumers back to more unlawful pursuits.

With over 200 entries across 23 categories, this year’s World Communication Awards is more competitive than ever.

After months of deliberation by the Award’s expert panel of over 100 judges, Total Telecom is delighted to announce the shortlisted entries below.

Congratulations to all of the entrants that have made it this far. We look forward to seeing you at the Awards Ceremony on 10 December at The Marriott, Grosvenor Square, London!

Book your ticket today!

AI Excellence Award

SK Telecom

Jio Platforms Limited

Netcracker Technology

Telkomsel

Tata Communications Transformation Services

Rakuten Symphony

Amdocs amAIz

 

Best Digital Transformation Programme

Verizon Business Group

Lebara

Türk Telekom with Red Hat

Netcracker Technology

TECH MAHINDRA GmbH

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison

 

Best Network Transformation Initiative

ODINE

Ericsson and Telstra

Vodafone & Celfocus

Orange Wholesale

Telecom Egypt

 

Best Operator in a Growth Market

BTS (Business Telecommunication Services)

Jazz

PLDT and Smart

TurkNet

 

Best Wholesale Operator

Arelion

BTS (Business Telecommunication Services)

EXA Infrastructure

Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier

Telecom Egypt

Bayobab Group

 

Connected Communities Award

imowi

Ericsson and Telstra joint submission

HFCL Ltd.

Bahrain Network (BNET)

DZS with Connect2First, Irby Utilities & City of Cabot

  

Crisis Response Award

KT

Telkomsel

VEON and Kyivstar

Orange Wholesale

WIOCC Group

 

Enterprise Service of the Year Award

Telstra

Bridge Alliance

Singapore Telecommunications Limited

ZTE Corporation

6D Technologies

Babel PR

 

People & Culture Award

Bayobab Group

Viettel Group

Telkomsel

FreeMove Alliance

TELEKOMUNIKASI INDONESIA INTERNATIONAL (TL).S.A.

  

The 5G Award

e&UAE

SK Telecom

Singtel

Jio Platforms Limited

KT

China Mobile International

  

The Access Innovation Award

ZTE Corporation

Ericsson and Telstra joint submission

Cohere Technologies & Vodafone

China Mobile International

HFCL Ltd.

 

The Beyond Connectivity Award

Huawei Technologies Co.,Ltd.

Singtel

Netcracker Technology

PLDT and Smart

Telkomsel

Lao Telecommunication Public Company

 

The Cloud Award

ODINE

Jio Platforms Limited

Rakuten Symphony

Wind River

China Mobile International

Console Connect

 

The Cyber Security Award

Liberty Global

RETN

Enea

Cradlepoint, part of Ericsson

BT Group

SK Telecom

  

The Future Award

e& UAE

LG Uplus

Viettel Group

SK Telecom, NTT, NTT DOCOMO, NOKIA

Telecom Egypt

Console Connect

  

The Platform Award

Vox Solutions

Netgem

Telkomsel

Telna

Singtel

 

The Satellite Telecoms Award

Singtel

TELEFÓNICA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

Mavenir

Netcracker Technology

 

The Social Contribution Award

Telia Norway

SK Telecom

Hormuud Telecom

Telecom Egypt (WE)

Moldcell S.A. / Moldcell Foundation

GSM Systems

PLDT and Smart

Digicel

 

The Sustainability Award

Orange Wholesale

SK Telecom, Intel and Nokia

Ericsson

KT

MTN

Telin

 

Total Experience Award

Arelion

Ericsson

TELEFÓNICA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

Globe Telecoms, Inc.

e& UAE

Subtonomy

 

Woman in Telecoms Award

Dr Sharlene, Thiagarajah, TM Research & Development

Carolina Bugaian, Moldcell

Elif Yenihan Kaya, TURKCELL

Magda Abdelkader, Telecom Egypt

Josephine Sarouk, Bayobab Group

Katia Gonzalez, BICS

 

CEO of the Year Award

Frédéric Schepens, Bayobab Group

Vikram Sinha, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison

Joost Farweck, Royal KPN (The Netherlands)

Ahmed Jaber Aldoseri, Bahrain Network (BNET)

Tim Höttges, Deutsche Telekom AG

Alexis Bartelds, Sam Media B.V

 

Startup of the Year Award

Shortlisted startups are invited to pitch their business case to a panel of WCA judges. Pitching competition dates to be announced shortly!

FlexiFone
Geonetworks

Cyber One

DC Smarter

JAPA

A5G Networks

OCX Cognition

Tripcel

Streetwave

SAHA

Book your ticket today!

 

Viewpoint Article

by Pat Coxen, CEO of Cornerstone

Connected Britain 2024 provided a vital platform for discussing the future of the UK’s digital connectivity. From policymakers to industry leaders, the event underscored a shared ambition to ensure that the UK remains competitive in the digital age while tackling the significant challenges that remain on the road to ubiquitous, high-quality connectivity.

Accelerating infrastructure deployment

A recurring theme throughout the event was the need to accelerate infrastructure deployment. Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, highlighted the importance of efficient regulation and swift decision-making to keep pace with the demands of a rapidly evolving digital economy.

To support the pace of digital innovation, planning rules and regulations must evolve. A more adaptable planning framework is essential to facilitate the development of digital infrastructure in line with technological advancements. Accelerating deployment is crucial not only for the expansion of 5G and full-fibre networks but also for unlocking the potential of emerging technologies such as IoT and smart cities.

One notable exhibit at Connected Britain was our installation of a Cornerstone mini tower, installed by our trusted build partners Swann Engineering. The tower was a practical reminder of the essential but often unseen infrastructure that underpins mobile connectivity. It serves as a clear example of the physical components necessary to support the digital services that society increasingly relies on.

A path to ubiquitous connectivity

Beyond infrastructure, achieving a more inclusive digital society was another key focus. The Minister’s remarks about digital poverty were particularly sobering—1.5 million people in the UK remain without reliable access to online services, and the uptake of social tariffs remains alarmingly low.

Addressing this divide is no longer just a matter of economic progress but of social responsibility. Whether in remote rural areas or underserved urban environments, expanding access to high-quality mobile connectivity is essential. Collaboration with local authorities and the use of innovative solutions like small cells and neutral hosting will be vital in reaching the areas that have been left behind.

Collaborative approaches for future-proofing the UK’s digital network

Future-proofing the UK’s digital network will require more than just the rollout of current technologies like 5G and fibre. The infrastructure must be adaptable to support new technologies and industries as they emerge. The integration of IoT, the development of smart cities, and the digital transformation of public services all depend on a robust, flexible network that can meet diverse and evolving needs.

Collaboration will be key to this transformation. Government, regulators, and industry need to work together to create frameworks that enable the development of a truly interconnected digital ecosystem. Multi-sector cooperation will ensure that the infrastructure is not only fit for purpose today but able to evolve as future requirements arise.

Bridging the gap between policy and practice

While Connected Britain was a hub of forward-thinking discussion, the challenge now lies in turning these ideas into action. Achieving the government’s digital ambitions will require greater alignment between policy and practical implementation. Streamlining planning approvals, prioritising sustainability, and fostering deeper collaboration across sectors will all be critical to making progress.

The Minister’s emphasis on evidence-based decision-making is a timely reminder that we need a more data-driven, pragmatic approach to infrastructure planning and deployment. By ensuring that regulations support innovation while addressing environmental and societal impacts, the UK can lead the way in creating a digital future that benefits everyone.

A vision for the future

As we reflect on the conversations at Connected Britain, it is clear that the road ahead will require not only technological advancements but also a collective commitment to action. Building a resilient and inclusive digital infrastructure that supports the UK’s long-term growth will depend on continued innovation, effective collaboration, and an ongoing dialogue between all stakeholders.

We caught up with Pat at Connected Britain to discuss the UK’s connectivity landscape. Check out our interview here!

About Cornerstone

As the UK’s leading mobile and digital infrastructure services provider, platinum sponsors Cornerstone played a pivotal role in Connected Britain 2024. With an impressive portfolio of approximately 15,700 sites across the UK, Cornerstone stands as a beacon of innovation and excellence in infrastructure deployment. Their commitment to advancing the UK’s digital economy aligns seamlessly with the theme of Connected Britain, which aims to explore and enhance the future of digital connectivity.

 

Interview

“We as an industry have got to do a lot better at articulating the benefits of digital infrastructure”

At this year’s Connected Britain conference, we caught up with Cornerstone CEO Pat Coxen to discuss the UK’s approach to digital infrastructure.

From the gradual rollout of 5G standalone to the impact of the new Labour government, Pat explains why clarity and collaboration in both the public and private sectors will be crucial to the UK’s connectivity success.

You can watch the full interview from the link below.

Want to hear more about Cornerstone’s approach to delivering ubiquitous connectivity across the UK? Check out more insights from Pat in this exclusive article!

Also in the news:
Hurricane Helene knocks out a fifth of mobile sites in US Southeast
Vodafone Germany leans into fibre infrastructure sharing to reach 11m
EE activates 25 Freshwave small cells in London

News 

The Italian government are said to be focusing investment on critical national infrastructure 

The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and Retelit, a subsidiary of the Spanish Asterion Infrastructure Fund, has made €700 offer for Sparkle, Telecom Italia’s subsea cable unit, the company has announced this week 

Negotiations are ongoing, and TIM is expected to carefully evaluate the offer in the context of its overall strategy. The involvement of MEF and Retelit in the bid indicates a potential national interest in securing Sparkle’s infrastructure, which plays a significant role in Italy’s connectivity to global markets. 

Further updates are anticipated as discussions progress. The offer is on the table until October 15, and will shortly be submitted to TIM’s board of directors. If accepted, the deal could significantly reduce TIM’s debt burden and provide the company with the financial flexibility to invest in its core operations and future growth. 

In a press release Telecom Italia (TIM) said the proposal “will be submitted for examination by TIM’s Board of Directors upon completion of preliminary activities preparatory to the evaluation of the offer.” 

The bid from Italy’s Treasury and Asterion reflects a growing interest in critical infrastructure assets. The Italian government has been keen on maintaining control over strategic assets, and this bid aligns with its broader strategy of safeguarding national interests.  

It also comes as part of TIM’s ongoing efforts to reduce its debt and streamline its business by selling off non-core assets. TIM has been considering the sale of Sparkle for some time, as part of its broader plan to raise capital and improve its financial position, with debt standing at around €21 billion in the second quarter of 2024. 

Earlier this year TIM finalised the sale of its domestic fixed line network (NetCo) to US fund KKR after a lengthy back and forth process. The Italian government gave the greenlight for the sale, worth €22 billion, following an agreement with KKR that will see the government take a stake of up to 20% in the business once the transaction is complete. 

“The completion of the transaction with KKR and the Italian Ministry of Finance is the result of two and a half years of intense work, during which we have improved the management of TIM and identified industrial and financial solutions that will enable us to meet future challenges,” said TIM chief executive Pietro Labriola, in a statement. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter  

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three defend merger amid CMA warnings
Verizon offloads mobile towers to Vertical Bridge for $3.3bn
Korea Telecom and Microsoft sign multibillion-dollar AI partnership

News 

This marks the company’s largest investment in the country so far 

Microsoft has announced plans to invest €4.3 billion over the next two years in Italy to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure.   

As part of the initiative, Microsoft will also train over 1 million Italians in digital skills by 2025, aiming to support economic growth and tackle demographic challenges. 

While what exact scale of thew new infrastructure to be built was not announced, Microsoft says its expansion will make Northern Italy one of Microsoft’s largest data hubs in Europe, supporting data privacy laws and acting as a key digital hub for the Mediterranean and North Africa. 

Microsoft says its improved AI capabilities will help to benefit numerous European industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and local public services. 

“By expanding access to our AI technology and expertise, we are giving Italy’s government, businesses, and workforce the tools to build an AI-powered economy that creates jobs and prosperity,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President in a press release. 

As part of the investment, Microsoft is also launching a national AI skills program to train over 1 million Italians by 2025. The program will cover AI fluency, technical skills, and safe AI use, targeting professionals, students, and people in disadvantaged areas. Partnering with universities, nonprofits, and industry groups, the initiative will help people prepare for the growing AI-driven economy. 

A study by Microsoft Italy found that nearly half of Italian companies using AI have already seen productivity rise by over 5%. To support further growth, Microsoft has helped 320 companies launch over 450 AI projects, with many already in use. 

The investment also highlights Microsoft’s commitment to sustainability. Its Italian data centers will use renewable energy and water-efficient cooling systems. The company is also working to lower carbon emissions through renewable energy contracts and biofuel-powered backup generators. 

News of AI investment from Microsoft has skyrocketed over the last year. Just last month, the company announced a five-year, multibillion-dollar AI partnership with Korea Telecom, aiming to co-develop AI models tailored specifically for the Korean market. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
Hurricane Helene knocks out a fifth of mobile sites in US Southeast
Vodafone Germany leans into fibre infrastructure sharing to reach 11m
EE activates 25 Freshwave small cells in London