Blackstone plans USD 30 bln investment in Japan AI data centres - report
JAPAN 06:56

Blackstone plans USD 30 bln investment in Japan AI data centres - report

Blackstone plans to invest USD 30 billion in AI data centres in Japan over the next three to five years, according to Nikkei, citing an exclusive interview. Jonathan Gray, president and COO of Blackstone, said that the investment firm sees a greater risk of insufficient computing capacity than an oversupply driven by AI-related investment. He said Blackstone has already developed more than 500 MW of data centre capacity in Japan and is currently in discussions regarding developments exceeding 1 GW of capaci

Maxis, Malaysian government to provide AI training for 32,000 students and teachers
MALAYSIA 06:56

Maxis, Malaysian government to provide AI training for 32,000 students and teachers

Malaysian operator Maxis, in partnership with the Educational Resources and Technology Division (BSTP), Ministry of Education (MoE), has launched the enhanced 2026 Program GenAI Maxis eKelas. This series of nationwide workshops is designed to equip over 32,000 pupils and teachers from 400 schools with future-ready AI skills.

Beeline Kyrgyzstan offers unlimited data for mapping service 2GIS when roaming
KYRGYZSTAN 06:55

Beeline Kyrgyzstan offers unlimited data for mapping service 2GIS when roaming

Beeline Kyrgyzstan has introduced unlimited data traffic for the Russian navigation and mapping service 2GIS when roaming. This option was available already for subscribers accessing Google Maps. The access to 2GIS has been included in the 1GB bundle (costs KGS 499), 5GB (KGS 1,999) and 10GB (KGS 2,999) roaming packages. The service is available at up to 128 kbps.

LG Uplus partners with Blumn AI to target SME AI contact centre adoption
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:54

LG Uplus partners with Blumn AI to target SME AI contact centre adoption

LG Uplus has signed a strategic partnership agreement with customer service and customer relationship management specialist Blumn AI to support the adoption of AI-powered contact centre services among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized businesses. Under the agreement, LG Uplus will combine its telecommunications infrastructure and AI Contact Centre (AICC) technologies with Blumn AI's customer service and customer management platforms. 

Uzbekistan, South Korea discuss digital cooperation
UZBEKISTAN 06:54

Uzbekistan, South Korea discuss digital cooperation

Uzbekistan and South Korea have agreed to deepen cooperation in digital technologies, e-government development and innovation, according to a statement by the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, following talks between Uzbek Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov and South Korean Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung during a visit to Tashkent. The South Korean delegation visited IT Park Uzbekistan, where officials were briefed on the country's ongoing digital transformatio

Koramco and DCI break ground on 40 MW AI data centre in Ansan
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:53

Koramco and DCI break ground on 40 MW AI data centre in Ansan

Koramco Asset Management and DCI Data Center have commenced construction of a 40 MW AI-focused data centre in Ansan, South Korea's Gyeonggi Province. The companies announced that construction has begun on the Ansan Sihwa AI Data Center (SEL02) within the Sihwa National Industrial Complex, following the announcement of a joint development plan last year. Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been appointed as the project's contractor.

PLDT, Smart launch 'EVE' agentic AI platform for employee disaster preparedness
PHILIPPINES 06:52

PLDT, Smart launch 'EVE' agentic AI platform for employee disaster preparedness

Philippines operator PLDT and its mobile unit Smart Communications have introduced 'EVE' (Emergency Vital Essentials), an agentic AI platform designed to provide employees with personalized emergency plans, tailored preparedness recommendations, and home safety assessments. The autonomous AI is designed to strengthen workforce resilience and disaster readiness before crises occur.

SB C&S to distribute Ericsson Private 5G solutions in Japan
JAPAN 06:51

SB C&S to distribute Ericsson Private 5G solutions in Japan

SB C&S has signed a distribution agreement with Ericsson to offer the vendor's enterprise wireless networking portfolio in the Japanese market, including private 5G and wireless WAN products. Under the agreement, SB C&S will distribute Ericsson Private 5G, Ericsson Wireless WAN solutions, the NetCloud Manager cloud management platform and related SD-WAN and security offerings through its network of approximately 15,000 sales partners across Japan.

Optima Mobile reactivates 150GB offer for under EUR 5
ITALY 06:49

Optima Mobile reactivates 150GB offer for under EUR 5

Italian MVNO Optima Mobile, operating on Vodafone's 4G and 5G network, has relaunched a plan first offered earlier this year with 150GB of data for under EUR 5 a month. The tariff, dubbed Super Mobile 150 Special Edition, comes with unlimited calls, 200 SMS and the 150GB data bundle at 4G speeds for EUR 4.95 a month.

ACMA consults on new licensing framework for 1800 MHz rail services
AUSTRALIA 06:49

ACMA consults on new licensing framework for 1800 MHz rail services

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched a consultation on proposed apparatus licensing arrangements for rail communications services operating in the 1800 MHz spectrum band after existing spectrum licences expire in June 2028. The regulator said its preferred approach is for rail services currently authorised under 1800 MHz spectrum licences held by state rail authorities to transition to apparatus licences rather than having those spectrum licences renewed.

AST SpaceMobile prepares next satellite launch for early August
GLOBAL 06:48

AST SpaceMobile prepares next satellite launch for early August

AST SpaceMobile announced it will launch its next three Bluebird satellites in the first half of August. This brings the company another step closer to the commercial launch of its direct-to-device mobile satellite services with mobile operators.

SKT completes cloud trial for virtualised AI workloads
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:47

SKT completes cloud trial for virtualised AI workloads

SK Telecom (SKT) has completed a proof-of-concept project with NetApp that demonstrated the ability to run high-performance AI workloads in virtualised cloud environments with performance levels comparable to dedicated hardware. The trial used SKT's Petasus AI Cloud platform and NetApp's AFX storage systems to evaluate the use of virtual machines for AI training and inference workloads. According to the companies, the project achieved more than 99 percent of the performance of bare-metal environments while

JAPAN 06:46

KDDI investigates potential data leak after unauthorised email access

KDDI has disclosed that unauthorised access to an email system it provides to internet service providers may have resulted in the exposure of customer email account information linked to up to 14.22 million mailboxes. The operator said it confirmed the security incident on 17 June 2026 and subsequently implemented system modifications and technical countermeasures to prevent further damage. An investigation found that the attack exploited a vulnerability in third-party software used within the platform.

SINGAPORE 06:43

StarHub names Matthew Williams as CEO successor

StarHub has appointed Matthew Williams as chief executive officer-designate and announced that current chief executive officer Nikhil Eapen will step down at the end of 2026. Williams will assume the role on 1 January 2027 following a transition period. He will continue in his current responsibilities while serving as CEO-designate. Williams joined StarHub in May 2025 as chief, consumer business group and was appointed deputy CEO in May 2026. The operator said he has more than 30 years of telecommunications

AUSTRALIA 06:42

Optus issues SGD 200 mln fixed rate notes due 2036

Singtel has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Optus, has priced SGD 200 million in fixed-rate notes due in 2036. The notes will be issued on 30 June 2026 by Optus Finance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Optus, and are guaranteed by Optus and certain of its subsidiaries. The 10-year notes will carry a fixed coupon of 2.84% per annum and will be issued under Optus Finance's EUR 3 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme. The notes are scheduled to mature on 30 June 2036.

GLOBAL 06:41

Connected aircraft fleet expected to surpass 70,000 by 2035 - Novaspace

The global fleet of connected aircraft is expected to exceed 70,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Novaspace, with adoption of in-flight connectivity (IFC) services continuing to grow across both commercial and business aviation. IFC penetration in commercial aviation will increase from 48 percent to 72 percent by 2035, while penetration in business aviation is expected to rise from 67 percent to 88 percent over the same period. Novaspace said that nearly 39,500 aircraft were connected worldwide by

EUROPE 06:40

Data4 to recruit more than 100 staff in European expansion

Data centre operator Data4 has launched a recruitment campaign across Europe and plans to hire more than 100 employees in the coming months as it expands its operations across the region. The company said the recruitment drive follows a 46 percent increase in its workforce during 2025 and is intended to support the development of new data centre campuses in France, Greece and Germany. As part of the expansion, Data4 is also decentralising specialist, management and executive roles across the countries in wh

UNITED STATES 06:40

US raises USD 3.5 billion in auction of 5G spectrum

The US has completed an auction of mobile spectrum in the 2 GHz range, raising USD 3.5 billion. Seventeen companies qualified for the bidding for the AWS-3 licences, and the auction was completed in 22 rounds after starting at the beginning of June. The FCC said the proceeds were more than expected, and most of the money will be used to subsidise the replacement of network gear from high-risk vendors.

AUSTRALIA 06:38

Members approve merger to form unified Australian telecom body

Members of the Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA) and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) have approved the merger of the two organisations, enabling the creation of a single industry body representing Australia's telecommunications sector. The merger was endorsed at general meetings of both organisations following unanimous support from their respective boards. The combined organisation will operate under the existing ATA structure, with the integration due to be completed

GLOBAL 06:36

SpaceX raises USD 25 bln in first public debt offering

SpaceX has raised another USD 25 billion from a debt offering, in its first bond issue since going public. The unsecured notes carry interest at up to 6.65 percent, and the proceeds of the offering will go to paying off a bridge facility and general corporate purposes.  

JAPAN 06:36

NTT adds AI training and inference capabilities to secure analytics platform

NTT Docomo Business has launched a new AI analytics option for its Sekihi MPC cloud service, enabling organisations to train and run AI models on encrypted data using secure multi-party computation technology. The new option, available from 24 June, extends the existing Sekihi MPC platform, which allows users to store and analyse data without revealing the underlying information. The service previously supported statistical analysis functions such as aggregation and regression analysis and now adds AI model

PHILIPPINES 23 JUN

PLDT data centre unit Vitro files for PHP 24 billion REIT IPO

PLDT has announced that its data centre subsidiary Vitro, has submitted a registration statement and Real Estate Investment Trust plan to the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission, alongside a listing application on the Main Board of the Philippine Stock Exchange. The initial public offering consists of a secondary offering sponsored by ePLDT, comprising up to 1.9 billion secondary common shares with an over-allotment option of up to 286,956,500 additional shares, priced at up to PHP 11 per share.

UKRAINE 23 JUN

Vodafone Ukraine installs solar panels at 100 base stations

Vodafone Ukraine announced it has installed solar panels at 100 of its base stations in 14 regions. Solar energy is expected to cover almost 30 percent of the power needs. The operator plans to continue the project, which is especially important in the face of attacks by Russian armed forces on Ukrainian power infrastructure.

BURKINA FASO 23 JUN

Burkina Faso inspects telecom infrastructure to boost security

Burkina Faso has launched a nationwide inspection of public telecommunications infrastructure to protect digital assets and improve internet access, Ecofin reported. The ICT ministry launched a 10-day inspection ending 24 June to evaluate fibre-optic networks, technical equipment, power systems, and other critical telecommunications facilities. The ministry outlined its goals to safeguard public investments, prevent service disruptions, improve infrastructure performance, and steadily enhance public connect

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Maxis, Malaysian government to provide AI training for 32,000 students and teachers

06:56

Blackstone plans USD 30 bln investment in Japan AI data centres - report

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Beeline Kyrgyzstan offers unlimited data for mapping service 2GIS when roaming

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LG Uplus partners with Blumn AI to target SME AI contact centre adoption

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