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Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Telecom & Telco news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Vietnam Shuts Down 2G Network as Viettel Migrates Millions to 4G

    Vietnam Shuts Down 2G Network as Viettel Migrates Millions to 4G

    Vietnam completed its nationwide 2G network shutdown on September 15, 2026, ending legacy service for an initial base of 18.2 million older connections. The migration clears radio spectrum across the country for faster data services.

    State operator Viettel handled the bulk of the transition, moving nearly 8.6 million subscribers onto 4G and 5G voice services between January and September 2026. The carrier reduced its remaining unmigrated voice cohort from 9.3 million users at the close of 2025 to 750,000 by the deadline, bringing 99 per cent of its customer base onto modern data and voice protocols.

    Hardware Subsidies and Village Outreaches

    Getting users off legacy networks required cheap replacement handsets. Low-income subscribers in rural provinces faced steep replacement costs for smartphones, prompting Viettel to market basic 4G feature phones starting at 200,000 VND with handset trade-in options.

    State funds filled the remaining equipment deficit. The carrier worked with the Vietnam Public-Utility Telecommunications Service Fund to distribute 400,000 4G handsets directly to low-income families and welfare beneficiaries. Viettel deployed field teams into remote communes alongside municipal digital task forces, swapping SIM cards manually and training older users on the new devices.

    The Regional Playbook on Spectrum Retirement

    Phasing out 2G has stalled across emerging markets where low-cost hardware remains scarce. In India, Reliance Jio urged regulators in early 2024 to establish a concrete switch-off timetable, yet roughly 250 million Indian users remained bound to 2G feature phones without a mandatory national deadline. South Africa delayed its initial June 2024 termination target to late 2027 after retail point-of-sale card terminals, security alarms and fleet tracking hardware failed to switch in time. Even Britain extended its decommissioning window through 2033 to protect 12 million legacy utility smart meters.

    Vietnam bypassed these extended delays by enforcing a split transition. Regulators barred network access for 2G-only mobile phones in October 2024 while allowing machine-to-machine hardware and devices lacking voice-over-LTE capabilities to operate temporarily on secondary bands. That phased policy gave enterprise fleet managers and utility operators a two-year buffer to retool automated hardware without blocking consumer spectrum reclamation.

    Infrastructure Buildout Across Rural Communes

    Carriers had to expand rural coverage before switching off old transmitters. Viettel added more than 6,000 4G base stations across interior provinces, raising its 4G population coverage to 99.7 per cent and connecting four million people in isolated settlements.

    Network operators secured vital transmission capacity through government spectrum auctions. Viettel secured rights to the 900MHz spectrum band, using the low-frequency band to project wide-area 4G and 5G coverage across mountainous terrain where higher frequencies fail to penetrate.

    Network Expansion and the 5G Target

    The transition resolves a prolonged upgrade cycle that started when Vietnam surpassed 100 per cent mobile penetration in 2009. The country counted 110.5 million mobile internet subscriptions as the switch-off concluded, though infrastructure imbalances persisted across isolated districts. The Ministry of Science and Technology has separately targeted 273 rural villages that still lack dependable reception to eliminate regional coverage holes.

    Carrier investments now turn entirely to high-band cellular deployment. Viettel is installing 20,000 additional 5G base stations using freed transmission spectrum, aiming to reach 50,000 total 5G sites and 97 per cent national population coverage by the end of 2026.

  • Singtel Launches AI Token-as-a-Service for Singapore Enterprises

    Singtel Launches AI Token-as-a-Service for Singapore Enterprises

    Singtel has launched its AI Token-as-a-Service (TaaS) platform this week, offering Singapore enterprises access to multiple artificial intelligence models through a managed token-based consumption model.

    Operated by RE:AI, the sovereign AI cloud business of Singtel Digital InfraCo led by CEO Bill Chang, the service combines model access, scalable infrastructure, orchestration, and governance for enterprise applications.

    How Token Billing Works

    The platform provides access to 5 open-weight models from Qwen, Mistral, GLM, Kimi, and MiniMax, alongside selected frontier models and custom enterprise workloads.

    Customers can run open-weight models from developers including Qwen, Mistral, GLM, Kimi and MiniMax alongside selected proprietary frontier models. Companies can also import proprietary algorithms into the environment for private internal tasks.

    An automated routing engine distributes incoming workloads across different models depending on task complexity. Simpler coding and document search queries run on cheaper open-source models, reserving expensive frontier computing for demanding jobs.

    Sovereignty and Local Data Rules

    Data residency forms the core commercial pitch. Workloads processed through the sovereign environment remain entirely inside Singapore’s borders, matching local regulatory standards for financial institutions, healthcare providers and public agencies.

    Enterprises running low-risk applications can choose non-sovereign routes to reduce processing costs. The platform links directly into Singtel’s Paragon orchestration engine, its local data centre footprint and its regional subsea cable network.

    The AI opportunity is about scale. Enterprises are seeking a simpler, more integrated way to deploy AI across their organizations rather than procuring, integrating, and managing separate AI models.

    The Regional Pivot from Pipes to Compute

    Billing by token represents a fundamental shift in how Asian telecommunications groups monetize their networks. Traditional voice minutes and data traffic yield shrinking margins. Regional carriers are now converting spare network capacity into enterprise computing hubs.

    Singtel follows Chinese state operators including China Telecom, which previously introduced token subscription packages for business clients. Chinese carriers rely on vast domestic volume. Singtel is targeting multinational headquarters in Southeast Asia that require strict compliance guarantees.

    Commercial risk sits in capacity pricing. If inference costs fall faster than corporate consumption expands, operators face margin compression on server hardware installed across their facilities.

    Building Out the Infrastructure Division

    Singtel established Digital InfraCo to carve out data centres, satellite networks and subsea cables into an independent growth driver. The division launched a GPU-as-a-Service product earlier to rent raw server clusters before introducing higher-margin software services.

    Enterprise adoption of autonomous agentic systems will serve as the immediate operational test for the unit. Corporate token consumption across Southeast Asia will dictate whether carrier-led AI infrastructure delivers durable returns.

  • India Average Monthly Mobile Data Usage Passes 31 GB per User

    India Average Monthly Mobile Data Usage Passes 31 GB per User

    Indian mobile broadband subscribers consumed an average of over 31 GB of data per month in 2025, lifted by faster 5G network rollouts and cheaper handsets.

    The figure represents an 18 percent compound annual growth rate over the last five years, according to Nokia’s 13th annual Mobile Broadband Index.

    Total mobile data traffic nationwide crossed 27 exabytes per month in 2025. Fifth-generation network traffic expanded 70 percent year-on-year to hit 12.9 exabytes, generating nearly 47 percent of the total volume carried across Indian carrier networks. Demand centered heavily on video streaming in 4K resolution, cloud gaming platforms, and emerging artificial intelligence applications that require higher bandwidth.

    Metros Lead Fifth-Generation Shift

    Metro telecom circles generated the heaviest concentration of new demand. Fifth-generation networks accounted for 58 percent of all mobile data traffic in metro areas during 2025, up from the prior year. Traffic volume expanded in Category A, Category B, and Category C telecom circles as operators built out base stations beyond tier-one cities.

    Handset adoption accelerated alongside the infrastructure buildout. Active 4G devices in India reached 892 million units in 2025, with more than 383 million of those units supporting 5G connectivity. Over 90 percent of all smartphones shipped across India during 2025 arrived 5G-capable from the factory floor, allowing carriers to shift traffic from legacy bands without subsidizing hardware directly.

    Network Upgrades for Artificial Intelligence

    Carriers are now reconfiguring network backbones to handle heavier uplink loads and lower latency requirements created by distributed computing tasks. Artificial intelligence features integrated directly into consumer applications require faster two-way data transfer than traditional video consumption, which relies primarily on download capacity.

    Nokia country manager-designate for India Vibha Mehra pointed to shifting network requirements as artificial intelligence adoption spreads among mobile users.

    India’s mobile broadband landscape is entering a new phase of evolution, driven by rapid 5G adoption and the growing influence of AI-led applications. As networks transform to support new usage patterns and intelligent services, Nokia remains committed to partnering with telcos to build scalable, high-performance and future-ready connectivity infrastructure.

    Enterprise Pressure on Carrier Returns

    Surging data consumption does not translate automatically into proportional revenue growth for Indian telecom operators. Carriers spent heavily on 5G spectrum auctions and nationwide cell site upgrades over the past three years, yet average revenue per user remains among the lowest of any major global economy. Operators must monetize higher data usage tiers and enterprise services to recoup infrastructure investments.

    Content delivery networks and cloud software vendors face parallel capacity pressures. Retail platforms, mobile payments systems, and digital entertainment services operating in India must optimize delivery infrastructure to serve millions of simultaneous high-bandwidth sessions without degradation during peak evening hours.

    Path to One Billion Connections

    India currently ranks as the world’s second-largest market for total 5G subscribers and total 5G data traffic volume, trailing only mainland China in absolute throughput. The rapid uptake follows aggressive network deployments started in late 2022 by major domestic operators, who rolled out coverage to thousands of towns within twenty-four months.

    Nokia projects India will pass 1 billion active 5G subscriptions by 2031 as older 4G feature phones and legacy smartphones phase out through regular upgrade cycles.

  • DCPH Upgrades Philippine Data Centers to Support Executive Order 119

    DCPH Upgrades Philippine Data Centers to Support Executive Order 119

    In September 2026, member operators in the Data Center Operators of the Philippines alliance began accelerating infrastructure upgrades to support domestic digital resilience.

    Local facilities are moving from single-digit kilowatt densities toward higher-density, AI-ready configurations to support mobile banking, telecommunications, e-commerce platforms, and government services.

    Colocation Model vs Massive Training Campuses

    Domestic operators in the Data Center Operators of the Philippines are investing in enterprise colocation instead of multigigawatt training hubs. Their sites serve commercial banks, retail platforms, telecommunications routing, and public sector administrative portals. These clients require local compute capacity rather than hyperscale training estates.

    The buildout focuses on multitenant sites in business hubs and industrial zones. Active operators include AFlow, Digital Halo, Digital Edge, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, VITRO, and YCO Cloud.

    Upgraded Power and Cooling Infrastructure

    Server racks now pull more power per square meter, changing engineering requirements inside local halls. Operators are installing closed-loop chilled water cooling systems. These systems recirculate water internally to curb intake and ease municipal utility pressure.

    Power delivery bypasses residential distribution lines entirely. Commercial facilities buy electricity through Retail Electricity Suppliers under national retail competition rules. They connect directly to subtransmission voltage lines to keep heavy industrial loads off household networks.

    Sovereignty Mandates Drive Local Compute

    State policy is accelerating colocation adoption across Manila and adjacent provinces. Executive Order No. 119 mandates that restricted-access government records remain within national borders. Public agencies and affiliated vendors must now contract local data halls.

    Keeping workloads onshore cuts transit latency, prevents foreign exchange exposure, and satisfies financial regulatory standards. Colocation providers offering high power density in existing footprints will secure the largest share of this sovereign traffic.

    Expansion Along Luzon Industrial Corridors

    Data center construction previously concentrated in central business districts like Makati and Taguig. Grid congestion and tight real estate markets have since pushed new projects into Laguna, Cavite, and Batangas.

    Moving outward places compute capacity closer to regional logistics hubs and manufacturing plants. It also gives operators larger plots with direct subtransmission access.

    Attention now turns to delivery schedules for multi-tenant builds breaking ground across Greater Manila, alongside upcoming state compliance audits under Executive Order 119.

  • Mobily to Add 140 Tbps Red Sea Cable Between Saudi Arabia and Egypt

    Mobily to Add 140 Tbps Red Sea Cable Between Saudi Arabia and Egypt

    At Submarine Networks World 2026, Mobily Chief Wholesale Officer Adel Alaskah detailed plans for the Mobily Red Sea Cable, which will add 140 Tbps of capacity between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

    The wholly Saudi-owned cable will connect Duba with Sharm El Sheikh, opening an east-west route toward Europe for hyperscalers, OTT platforms, and network operators.

    Building Route Diversity on the Red Sea Corridor

    Mobily operates four subsea gateways across two coasts to handle transit between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. In Jeddah, the carrier ties into Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1) alongside the TGN-EA and SEACOM systems. At Al Khobar on the eastern coast, it routes regional traffic through TGN-Gulf.

    Northern landings handle heavier long-haul transit. Mobily serves as the domestic landing party and consortium member for the SEA-ME-WE 6 cable at Yanbu. Its Duba station hosts the Africa-1 system, which landed in 2025.

    Wholesale Capacity for Hyperscalers and Asian Carriers

    Asian telecom operators and cloud providers face chronic bottlenecks along traditional Red Sea transit points. Duba to Sharm El Sheikh gives international carriers a bypass path. The route runs independently of existing lines through Jeddah.

    This build shifts wholesale dynamics across the Gulf. Mobily is pairing subsea landings with local data centers and domestic backhaul fiber. The goal is keeping regional computational workloads inside the Kingdom instead of losing hosting revenue to hubs in Europe or East Asia.

    Sovereign Infrastructure and Regional Digital Hubs

    National infrastructure targets drive the project under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic program. The framework prioritizes digital sovereignty alongside non-oil commercial growth. Hyperscalers, over-the-top content platforms, and regional internet service providers need low-latency transit backed by neutral terrestrial interconnection.

    Mobily pitches its four-station network as a unified gateway rather than standalone landing contracts. The strategy mirrors competing investments from Gulf operators trying to capture data flows between Singapore, Mumbai, and European financial centers.

    Expanding Physical Landings Beyond Yanbu

    Landing rights secured on major international consortium cables over the past decade laid the groundwork for the network. Integrating Africa-1 at Duba in 2025 provided the northern anchor point now paired with the Egyptian link.

    Future capital deployments will target local data center builds, domestic fiber expansion, and sovereign artificial intelligence hosting clusters. Delivery timelines for optical activation on the 140 Tbps Red Sea span will dictate when wholesale carriers can switch active commercial loads onto the corridor.

  • NBTC Board Resolves to Clear Backlog in 30 Days

    NBTC Board Resolves to Clear Backlog in 30 Days

    Six commissioners of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission met without chairman Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck on Friday. They pledged to clear an accumulated regulatory backlog within 30 days.

    It was the board’s first formal gathering since July. Twelve previous attempts had collapsed without a quorum because commissioners boycotted proceedings over the chairman’s disputed legal standing.

    Twice-weekly schedule to tackle stalled files

    Five commissioners attended the Friday session in person, while one joined by videoconference. Rather than voting on specific policy measures, the group established an operating schedule to process pending industry cases. Members agreed to meet twice a week throughout October. They targeted Wednesdays and Thursdays to work through accumulated files.

    Board members appointed Suphat Suphachalasai to preside over Friday’s meeting. For future sessions, they plan to select a presiding officer meeting by meeting. The members scheduled their next two gatherings for Oct. 6 and Oct. 8.

    Legal dispute surrounding the board chairmanship

    Dr Sarana, a cardiologist, has contested his removal since July. That was when an NBTC selection panel determined he lacked the qualifications to serve. An investigation concluded he continued to receive compensation for external medical work after joining the regulatory agency. That violated statutory prohibitions against commissioners holding outside paid employment or engaging in conflicting commercial activities. The commission’s chairmanship pays 450,000 baht a month in salary and official allowances.

    Citing a Central Administrative Court ruling, the selection panel ordered Dr Sarana to cease performing official functions within seven days of receipt. The panel transmitted that directive to the regulator’s offices on Sept. 30.

    Enforcement risks for commercial operators

    Sarana rejected the validity of separate board sittings. He argued that regulatory meetings must strictly adhere to administrative rules so subsequent rulings remain legally enforceable. An NBTC official speaking on condition of anonymity warned that resolutions approved without the official chairman could face challenges in administrative courts, given that Dr Sarana still claims statutory authority to convene formal meetings.

    For mobile network operators, broadband providers and digital media groups in Thailand, split leadership at the regulator prolongs uncertainty over licensing approvals, spectrum allocation and merger compliance monitoring. Corporate compliance officers must now balance the risk of implementing decisions that opposing factions may challenge in court.

    Administrative pressure on internal staff

    Commissioner Pirongrong Ramasoota defended the board’s independent action, stating that the regulator operates on collegial authority where royal appointment grants all six members equal legal weight. Meeting minutes from Friday’s session will head directly to the NBTC administrative office for execution.

    Pirongrong said: Everyone has equal rights under the law. She added that agency personnel who refuse or fail to carry out administrative instructions under the governing statute could face disciplinary or legal penalties.

    Agency staff must now decide whether to execute the resolutions submitted from the Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 sessions while Dr Sarana’s seven-day response window under the Sept. 30 panel directive elapses.

  • Banglalink and Robi Split over 8.4 MHz E-GSM Spectrum Auction Timeline

    Banglalink and Robi Split over 8.4 MHz E-GSM Spectrum Auction Timeline

    Bangladesh’s telecom regulator will proceed with an auction of 8.4 MHz in the E-GSM band this year. It is pushing ahead despite conflicting demands from rivals Banglalink and Robi Axiata.

    At issue are frequencies running from 880 MHz to 888.4 MHz. Carriers need this low-band slice to deepen indoor 4G coverage and expand rural reach across Dhaka and regional districts.

    Banglalink petitioned the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on September 21 to freeze all major spectrum decisions. Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer Taimur Rahman represented the operator. He argued that releasing frequencies before the government finishes its new Telecommunications Policy risks creating structural inefficiencies. That draft policy is expected to allow active infrastructure and spectrum sharing among carriers. Such rules could alter how much raw spectrum each operator needs to hold.

    Robi Axiata took the opposite stance in a September 24 letter. Chief Executive Officer Ziad Shatara urged the regulator to assign the E-GSM airwaves immediately to relieve network congestion. Pricing disputes can wait for the November 2026 spectrum renewal round, he argued. Robi also told the commission that any assigned spectrum must be contiguous to justify fresh capital expenditure.

    Balance Sheets and Spectrum Scarcity

    This clash between Bangladesh’s second and third largest mobile operators reflects differing network assets. Per-operator spectrum allocations in the country remain among the lowest in South Asia. Dhaka’s mobile carriers operate on thin margins and low average revenue per user. Every administrative pricing decision strains their capital allocation.

    An operator with adequate sub-1 GHz capacity has an economic incentive to stall auctions until sharing rules become clear. By contrast, a carrier facing immediate cell-site bottlenecks must secure low-band megahertz regardless of policy ambiguity. For suppliers, tower companies, and corporate investors, regulatory timing in Bangladesh directly dictates infrastructure spending cycles.

    Regulator Holds the Line

    BTRC Chairman Major General Md Emdad-Ul-Bari (Retd) confirmed that the commission will stick to its timetable. The agency has already secured ministry approval to set reserve pricing.

    “This has nothing to do with the policy. The government has given permission to set the pricing for the auction, noting that it is within BTRC’s jurisdiction.”

    Moving ahead without industry consensus brings execution risks for the state. If only one private operator bids alongside state-owned Teletalk and market leader Grameenphone, auction revenue could fall short of government fiscal targets.

    Precedents in South Asian Spectrum Sales

    Administrative floor prices have repeatedly complicated spectrum auctions in Dhaka. In previous allocation exercises, Bangladeshi carriers fought government valuation benchmarks. They argued state fee structures failed to reflect real commercial returns on mobile data.

    The current E-GSM plan dates to April. That month, the BTRC resolved to auction the 880 MHz to 888.4 MHz band to support rising data traffic and prepare networks for broader rollouts. That decision revived a debate over whether sub-900 MHz capacity should be awarded piecemeal or bundled into a broader reassignment across the telecom sector.

    The November 2026 Renewal Window

    Next comes the BTRC’s formal publication of the E-GSM auction guidelines and reserve prices ahead of the bidding rounds later this year.

    Carriers will weigh those auction terms against the wider spectrum license renewals due in November 2026. Those upcoming renewals will determine how much capital mobile operators can commit to expanding their networks.

  • NTT DOCOMO and Nokia Launch Multi-Vendor O-RAN Base Station Platform

    NTT DOCOMO and Nokia Launch Multi-Vendor O-RAN Base Station Platform

    NTT DOCOMO began commercial operations on September 9 for a multi-vendor base station platform built on open radio access network standards in Japan.

    The deployment allows DOCOMO to combine Nokia base station equipment with O-RAN-compliant radio units supplied by different vendors across LTE and 5G networks.

    DOCOMO deployed Nokia AirScale equipment incorporating Levante data-processing and Ponente control-processing technologies to handle more radio units while reducing power consumption.

    Hardware Details and Power Savings

    This updated equipment handles more radio units per site than DOCOMO’s previous Nokia gear while drawing less power. Lower electricity demand directly reduces operating costs across dense urban grids where base station density is highest.

    Under open interface specifications, engineers can pair the central processing base with high-power transmitters for suburban coverage or compact transceivers for city spaces. DOCOMO uses this modular mix to adjust capacity without replacing full base station stacks.

    Multi-Vendor Flexibility in the Field

    Japanese mobile operators have adopted open architecture faster than carriers in North America or Europe. By ending single-supplier reliance on base stations and antennas, DOCOMO forces vendors to compete on unit price, form factor, and power efficiency.

    Field maintenance and troubleshooting carry the main technical risks. Coordinating software upgrades and diagnosing network faults across hardware from different vendors creates operational friction that proprietary setups avoid.

    High-Density Event Deployments

    On September 12, the carrier brought the multi-vendor setup into field service at the 59th Joso Kinugawa Fireworks Festival. DOCOMO mounted the platform inside a mobile cellular vehicle, pairing it with Nokia Dual Boost Massive MIMO hardware to handle surges in data uploads and voice traffic.

    Engineers plan to expand the base station architecture nationwide. Initial site conversions will focus on metropolitan sectors, stadiums, exhibition centers, and outdoor entertainment venues where mobile traffic spikes.

    Roadmap to Autonomous Networks

    Work on the rollout stems from a technical memorandum of understanding DOCOMO and Nokia signed on August 12. That agreement established joint trials for virtualized radio access networks, cloud infrastructure, and AI-directed network management systems.

    Joint testing now focuses on running Self-Organizing Networks and RAN Intelligent Controller automation tools across mixed-vendor hardware fleets as DOCOMO prepares its transmission grid for 5G-Advanced and early 6G standards.

  • StarHub Outlines 3 Priorities for Network Transformation

    StarHub Outlines 3 Priorities for Network Transformation

    StarHub has outlined three key priorities driving its network transformation, focusing on network experience, operational efficiency, and API-driven enterprise connectivity.

    Speaking at FutureNet Asia 2026, StarHub Chief Technology Officer Volkan Sevindik detailed the operator’s roadmap to enhance resilience and support emerging AI workloads across Singapore.

    SIM-based security for autonomous agents

    The telco aims to resolve authorization risks as businesses deploy AI software to negotiate contracts and trigger automated transactions. Because carriers control the underlying connectivity infrastructure, they can authenticate machine-to-machine traffic before data hits enterprise systems.

    Internal network automation follows a vetted deployment model rather than running millions of unmanaged bots. The carrier maintains a small pool of compliant AI agents bound by regulatory guardrails, protecting core routing systems from compromised code.

    Network operations rely on an observability layer that feeds into closed-loop automation. The system detects transport faults early. It then resolves packet drops before subscribers experience service degradation.

    Enterprise APIs and fraud controls

    Commercial application programming interfaces form the operational foundation of this enterprise push. Banks use the carrier’s location APIs to verify that a customer’s registered handset is physically near an ATM during cash withdrawals.

    Identity verification interfaces also flag recent SIM swaps to counter digital banking account takeovers. Healthcare networks use the same pipes to confirm patient contact records in real time.

    Cloud-native software and hybrid cloud environments process these queries alongside the carrier’s AI infrastructure. This setup cuts processing overhead across domestic enterprise workloads.

    Granular network slicing on 5G Standalone

    StarHub is expanding its 5G+ deployment by using machine learning models to slice its 5G Standalone core down to individual applications. Conventional network slicing assigns broad performance tiers to millions of consumer handsets at once.

    The updated architecture provisions isolated bandwidth and latency parameters for dedicated corporate tasks. In-country data centers host inference engines to keep enterprise compute traffic inside Singapore borders.

    Direct subsea cable routes connect these domestic facilities to regional hubs and the United States. This routing provides cross-border failover protection against core transport disruptions.

    Long-term modernization track

    Listed on the Singapore Exchange mainboard since 2004, the telco has steadily overhauled its legacy routing and data layers. It implemented data virtualization through Denodo in September 2020, consolidating siloed databases and eliminating shadow IT systems across consumer and corporate divisions.

    This shift toward API-driven enterprise security mirrors regional competition among operators seeking to monetize 5G Standalone investments beyond basic data bundles.

    Over the next three years, the operator will expand application-specific cybersecurity tiers, tailoring encryption and threat isolation to corporate risk profiles.

  • NTT and Cailabs Sign MoU to Link Space Optics with Terrestrial Data Centers

    NTT and Cailabs Sign MoU to Link Space Optics with Terrestrial Data Centers

    NTT and French photonics company Cailabs signed a Memorandum of Understanding this month to explore optical connectivity between satellite networks, ground stations, and terrestrial data infrastructure.

    The partnership will examine how NTT’s All-Photonics Network technologies can integrate with Cailabs optical ground stations to connect directly into data centers under the NTT C89 space business.

    Routing Lasers from Orbit to Data Centers

    Engineers from the 2 companies will combine NTT’s digital coherent transmission and network control software with Cailabs ground station hardware. The project connects selected ground sites to nearby NTT data centers across Japan and international hubs, allowing optical signals from orbit to pass directly into terrestrial networks without converting them into standard electrical data streams first.

    Satellite operations have traditionally depended on radio-frequency bands, which face bandwidth congestion and regulatory spectrum caps. Optical laser links carry substantially higher data volumes across orbital paths, but transmitting them through Earth’s atmosphere requires specialized ground receivers capable of correcting beam distortion.

    Technical Hurdles in Laser Communications

    For network operators and data center landlords across the Asia-Pacific region, orbital laser links offer a way to bypass terrestrial backhaul bottlenecks and connect remote facilities directly to core processing hubs. Direct fiber-to-space links reduce latency for high-throughput cloud workloads and artificial intelligence processing clusters that require massive, uninterrupted data feeds.

    Operational risk remains concentrated in atmospheric weather conditions such as heavy cloud cover, rain, and turbulence, which scatter laser signals. NTT plans to manage this vulnerability by orchestrating a distributed grid of optical ground stations, routing orbital data to alternative terrestrial reception nodes when local weather degrades line-of-sight laser performance.

    Expanding the Space Communications Portfolio

    This initiative builds on earlier steps by the Japanese carrier to secure optical hardware for orbital networks. In June 2026, NTT established a joint venture with Irish photonics manufacturer Mbryonics to develop space-grade optical transceivers, establishing proprietary hardware pipelines across Europe and Asia.

    Connecting optical ground stations directly to terrestrial optical networks is a critical step toward making satellite optical communications operational at scale. Our shared objective is to help turn high-capacity optical communications into scalable infrastructure for future satellite services.

    Minako Tsumenaga, Senior Vice President and Head of the Alliance Division at NTT’s Research and Development Marketing Headquarters, confirmed the project aims to establish standardized operational infrastructure across both orbital and terrestrial segments.

    Next Steps for Commercial Space Links

    The immediate operational phase focuses on testing orchestration protocols between Cailabs ground terminals and NTT core optical switches. Once integration trials finish, NTT plans to roll out commercial space-data transport services under its NTT C89 space enterprise division.

  • Over 1,500 Telecom Leaders Gather in Bangkok for Telecoms World Asia 2026

    Over 1,500 Telecom Leaders Gather in Bangkok for Telecoms World Asia 2026

    More than 1,500 telecommunications executives gathered in Bangkok on 27 October 2026 for Telecoms World Asia 2026 to address how operators can turn network scale into profit.

    The two-day conference, held at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Center at CentralWorld, brings together mobile network operators, MVNOs, wholesalers, regulators, and technology companies from across Asia and international markets.

    Terrapinn Managing Director (Asia) Paul Clark noted that the region’s industry has reached a critical inflection point, with more than 130 leaders speaking across five tracks and over 120 exhibitors showing network platforms and infrastructure solutions.

    Monetising Generative AI and Advanced Networks

    Day One opened with an executive panel assessing whether generative artificial intelligence can generate direct commercial returns for carriers rather than inflating software costs. Speakers included Telekom Malaysia Group Chief Executive Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, XLSMART President Director and Chief Executive Rajeev Sethi, Circles.Life Chief Revenue Officer Sanjay Kaul, and Jazz Chief AI Officer Hamza Khokhar. EQator Director Jayanth Nagarajan moderated the session.

    Network evolution remains a major operational challenge across Southeast Asia. Average revenue per user remains compressed across the region, even with heavy capital outlays on spectrum and fiber backhaul. Vodafone Business International President Bhupinder Singh delivered an address examining execution gaps on the path from standalone 5G to 5G-Advanced deployments.

    APAC’s telco industry is at a critical inflection point. The operators, regulators, and technology leaders gathering in Bangkok this week know it better than anyone, and Telecoms World Asia 2026 is where the most senior voices in Asian telco come to move beyond the conversation and into action.

    Autonomous Networks and Executive Reorganisation

    Sessions on Day Two address structural operating changes required to integrate automated tools into network management. Telkom Indonesia President Director and Chief Executive Dian Siswarini, True Corporation Head of Corporate Strategy Tarit Nimmanwudipong, Axiata Group Head of Cyber Security Suresh Srinivasan, and Deutsche Telekom Managing Director Asia George Aprane join a keynote panel on executive restructuring models. APTelecom Co-Founder Sean Bergin moderates.

    China Telecom Chief Engineer Xinhua Shao presents technical frameworks for self-evolving autonomous networks. These architectures handle dynamic traffic routing and automated maintenance at scale. Title sponsor China Telecom leads regional carrier participation alongside Gold sponsors CommScope, China Mobile International, Equinix, NTT DATA, Plume, Tejas Networks, and Yango Tech, with lanyard sponsorship from China Unicom Global.

    Read-Across for Asian Carriers and Enterprise Tech

    Regional operators face a structural margin squeeze. Consumer mobile broadband yields are flattening, while enterprise cloud migration demands ongoing infrastructure spending. Thai host operator True Corporation and regional groups Axiata and Telkom Indonesia are reallocating capital away from pure base-station density. They are pivoting toward enterprise software integrations and wholesale managed services.

    This shift alters the commercial balance for enterprise technology suppliers and data center operators across Southeast Asia. Carriers demand clear payback periods on AI compute integration before committing to large-scale vendor licenses. That forces enterprise suppliers to structure contracts around verifiable operational cost cuts rather than speculative consumer revenue growth.

    Shifting Capital Deployment Strategies

    Debates in Bangkok follow two years of regional operator consolidation. Major carrier mergers in Thailand and Indonesia aimed to curb destructive price competition. Those balance-sheet combinations provided short-term cash-flow relief. However, carriers now face the reality that consolidated market share alone cannot offset the high capital costs of next-generation infrastructure.

    Mobile operators from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand are reviewing commercial terms for shared wholesale infrastructure and enterprise private networks. The key metric to watch across participating carriers through the next reporting cycle will be non-mobile enterprise revenue as a share of total corporate earnings.

  • SUBCO Unveils 24,000-Kilometre Indo-Pacific Subsea Cable Network for AI Traffic

    SUBCO Unveils 24,000-Kilometre Indo-Pacific Subsea Cable Network for AI Traffic

    Australian digital infrastructure operator SUBCO will build three subsea cable systems spanning 24,000 kilometres across the Indo-Pacific by 2029. The network will carry surging artificial intelligence data traffic.

    Each of the three links will feature 24 fiber pairs connecting Australia, Japan, Guam, the United States, Singapore, and Indonesia.

    Three routes across 24,000 kilometres

    The build program divides into three lines named APX North, APX East-2, and APX West. Together, they create a multi-point transit web across Asian commercial centres and trans-Pacific landing points.

    APX North runs 9,500 kilometres from Sydney to Japan by way of Guam. It is the first hypercable connecting Australia directly to the Guam interconnection hub. It also provides the first direct commercial line between Australia and Japan.

    Connecting Guam and Los Angeles, APX East-2 spans 10,000 kilometres. SUBCO designed the link to carry trans-Pacific traffic between Asian markets and the United States, while routing data into Australia and Japan via APX North.

    Across Southeast Asia, APX West covers 4,600 kilometres between Perth and Singapore. The system includes dedicated branches into Jakarta and Batam in Indonesia.

    Direct links bypass traditional hubs

    On APX North, switched branching units sit along the deep-sea route. This equipment allows operators to direct selected fiber pairs straight between Australia and Japan without landing traffic on Guam. That cuts transit latency for direct users.

    Similar switching architecture runs across APX West in Southeast Asia. Customers can route traffic in and out of Batam and Jakarta to tap local compute clusters, or bypass them entirely when routing directly into Singapore data centres.

    “People have been slow to understand that AI factories are dead without massive subsea connectivity to carry tokens from factory to customers. Hundreds and hundreds of terabits per second,” Slattery said.

    Bandwidth race shifts to artificial intelligence

    Hyperscale cloud operators and Asian enterprise tech groups are realigning their balance sheets toward dedicated AI processing clusters. Those computational facilities require continuous, high-volume data pipes to exchange training datasets and model outputs across regions.

    Retail networks, regional logistics platforms, and financial institutions across Southeast Asia rely on cloud-hosted algorithmic models for daily inventory, pricing, and fraud detection. Any bottleneck in trans-Pacific or Southeast Asian trunk capacity directly caps how fast those platforms process transactions.

    Adding 24-fiber-pair capacity along routes that previously relied on older cables reduces reliance on congested transit corridors through the South China Sea and Luzon Strait. The primary operating risk sits in naval installation logistics. Specialized cable-laying vessels face tight global scheduling constraints.

    Vessel deals and contract milestones

    The three cables form the core of SUBCO’s broader target to lay more than 40,000 kilometres of subsea fiber across the Indo-Pacific in just over three years. The company previously built the 9,800-kilometre Oman Australia Cable, establishing direct connectivity between Perth and Muscat.

    Management is finalizing cable manufacturing contracts and vessel charter agreements. SUBCO targets Contract in Force status for APX North, APX East-2, and APX West by early 2027 ahead of the planned 2029 operational launch.

  • Uzbektelecom Launches 2 Data Centers in Bukhara and Kokand

    Uzbektelecom Launches 2 Data Centers in Bukhara and Kokand

    Uzbektelecom has launched two Tier III-certified data centers in Bukhara and Kokand, expanding its national cloud network to support enterprise artificial intelligence workloads and remote computing services.

    Both facilities sit more than 300 kilometres from Tashkent, providing disaster recovery connected to Uztelecom’s backbone network and the TAS-IX national internet exchange ahead of a fifth site due in the third quarter of 2026.

    Regional Expansion and GPU Deployment

    The state-owned operator built the facilities to run under its UzCloud platform, offering infrastructure-as-a-service, platform tools, software hosting, S3 object storage, and automated backups. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies confirmed the sites feature dedicated graphics processing unit servers designed for training neural networks, running machine learning jobs, video analytics, and rendering digital twins.

    Distributing compute power across regional commercial hubs reduces latency for businesses operating outside the capital. Local retail operations, logistics firms, and financial institutions gain access to high-density compute without building proprietary server rooms or relying exclusively on overseas cloud providers.

    Decentralised Infrastructure for Enterprise Users

    Placing critical hardware in Bukhara and Kokand alters how domestic enterprises handle data sovereignty and operational redundancy. Central Asian businesses face rising compliance pressures to store user records within national borders, creating captive demand for domestic compute capacity.

    For enterprise users, leasing GPU hours locally avoids foreign currency outlays tied to global hyperscalers. The primary operational risk shifts to power stability in secondary cities, where grid reliability must match Tier III continuous uptime standards through redundant generation systems.

    Uzbekistan’s digital economy is growing rapidly, and with it, the demand for reliable, world-class sovereign infrastructure is increasing. The launch of the new data centers continues the development of the national digital infrastructure.

    Integration with National Cloud Services

    Uztelecom structured the roll-out as an extension of its sovereign cloud strategy, centralising public sector digital transformation under the UzCloud architecture. Umar Izbasarov, director of Uztelecom’s advanced development and investment projects department, noted that the infrastructure allows commercial tech firms to deploy software products without capital expenditures on hardware.

    Connecting the nodes to Uztelecom’s primary optical backbone ensures throughput across the Fergana Valley and central agricultural provinces. The architecture allows regional industrial operations and logistics networks to process sensor telemetry and inventory feeds locally before syncing with central administrative systems.

    Next Steps for Tashkent and Advanced Networks

    The dual opening marks the company’s third and fourth operational facilities under the program. Earlier phases focused on centralising government databases in the capital district before network planners pushed server farms out to secondary economic zones.

    Construction is underway on a fifth Tier III-certified facility in the Zangiata district of the Tashkent region, scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2026. That upcoming hub will host an all-photonic network pilot based on Japan’s Innovative Optical and Wireless Network architecture, developed alongside Toyota Tsusho, NTT Docomo Business, and NEC.

  • Jio Uses 524 Million Subscribers to Expand into Homes and Enterprise

    Jio Uses 524 Million Subscribers to Expand into Homes and Enterprise

    Jio Platforms expanded its push into home connectivity, entertainment, and enterprise services across India ahead of its upcoming quarterly subscriber reporting.

    The goal is to generate higher average revenue from its 524 million mobile subscribers, building on its top market position in nationwide mobile connections and fixed broadband.

    Controlling the Layers Beyond Connectivity

    Management wants control over the technology stack between network infrastructure and end consumers. Instead of operating purely as a carrier, the group deploys proprietary operating systems, budget hardware, and entertainment software. These tools drive subscriptions across households and workplaces.

    Hardware plays a central role in capturing entry-level users. The JioBharat handset runs the company’s proprietary JioOS operating system. That setup gives the operator direct access to millions of users on older 2G networks, turning voice-only subscribers into data consumers.

    Capturing Household and Business Spends

    Home broadband expansion builds on that base by bundling fixed wireless access, digital television, and streaming media. Jio cross-sells connected home packages to existing mobile accounts across its telecom footprint. This cuts customer acquisition costs compared to pure-play broadband rivals.

    For corporate clients, the company packages connectivity with enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and productivity tools. The shift turns commodity data pipe contracts into integrated business deals with higher annual recurring value.

    Market Read-Across for Indian Tech and Retail

    Controlling device software and network access creates a closed ecosystem that rivals struggle to match. Competitors like Bharti Airtel invest heavily in premium 5G accounts and corporate partnerships. Even so, Jio’s base-level scale creates a captive audience for content and retail transactions.

    Across South Asia, this bundled distribution raises barriers for retail and digital operators. Outside app developers and media platforms must negotiate distribution terms with gatekeepers who control both the network pipeline and the device operating system.

    The Trajectory of Network Monetisation

    Years of heavy capital spending on nationwide 4G and 5G networks made Jio the country’s largest carrier by subscribers. The group initially used free voice calling and aggressive data pricing to grab share. It then pivoted toward digital payments, streaming content, and enterprise cloud hosting.

    Attention now shifts to conversion rates among JioBharat feature phone users when the operator reports its upcoming quarterly subscriber figures, revealing how many transition to higher-tier broadband and digital content plans.

  • Singapore Data Center Operator DayOne Targets $5 Billion US Listing in November

    Singapore Data Center Operator DayOne Targets $5 Billion US Listing in November

    Singapore data center operator DayOne plans to raise up to $5 billion in a US initial public offering as soon as November. The transaction could value the company at approximately $20 billion when public filings reach the US Securities and Exchange Commission in mid-October.

    DayOne builds and manages facilities designed for cloud computing and artificial intelligence workloads across both Asia-Pacific and Europe. The planned listing follows a $4.5 billion Series C funding round completed in June with backing from institutional investors Coatue and Hillhouse.

    Contracted power and regional footprint

    Securing grid capacity has become the defining operational challenge for digital infrastructure operators across Asia. DayOne holds roughly 2.1 gigawatts of capacity bookings across its markets, which include Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Finland and Spain.

    The company distinguishes its balance sheet by running live, energised facilities rather than relying exclusively on pipeline projects awaiting grid approval. Operating assets in hubs like Johor and Tokyo give developers immediate cash flows that speculative land plots cannot match.

    Regional enterprise demand for compute has pushed facility builders to lock down long-term power purchase agreements before breaking ground. Having energized substations already wired into active server racks protects operators from escalating utility connection backlogs in major Asian metropolitan corridors.

    Tighter scrutiny on infrastructure balance sheets

    Public equity markets have grown more demanding toward capital-heavy infrastructure platforms facing sustained borrowing costs. Institutional buyers now look past headline capacity promises, drilling down into take-or-pay commitments and customer credit ratings before committing funds.

    The dividing line is whether demand is contracted and already energised, or only planned.

    Ke Yan, head of research at Singapore-based Shenton Research, pointed out that investors want clear visibility on revenue rather than uncommitted pipeline projections. That discipline penalises developers carrying debt without matching tenant agreements.

    Capital expenditures for the six largest US technology companies are projected to approach $1 trillion by 2027 to feed cloud and processing demand. That spending scale forces hyperscalers to demand rapid deployment from colocation partners while remaining disciplined on lease pricing.

    Financing costs reshape expansion plans

    Higher interest rates make long payback horizons expensive for debt-financed developments across the region. Colocation providers must service substantial debt packages while building out specialized cooling systems, heavy backup power arrays and high-voltage grid connections.

    Contracted revenue from creditworthy enterprise and cloud tenants provides the steady cash flow required to keep use manageable during multi-year buildouts. Without locked-in contracts, developers absorb heavy carrying costs if occupancy ramps up slower than planned.

    For regional operators across Southeast Asia, self-funding ongoing expansions through equity proceeds has become an attractive alternative to expensive mezzanine debt. Securing public liquidity allows well-capitalised platforms to acquire land parcels and power permits from smaller developers struggling to fund construction.

    Rival listings and public market hurdles

    Public market conditions have already forced competitors to rethink their timetables. SoftBank-backed SB Energy postponed marketing its public offering following regulatory queries from the SEC and investor pushback on valuation and customer concentration.

    Project disputes have also caused friction elsewhere in the sector, including delays tied to data center developments in North America. These stumbles have raised the bar for operators preparing IPOs, giving investors reasons to examine supply chain commitments and contractor guarantees with greater care.

    A line of peers continues to prepare public market debuts despite the stricter climate. US operator Switch has submitted confidential filings and is expected to launch its offering after DayOne, while operators Vantage Data Centers and CyrusOne evaluate their own public listings.

    DayOne is scheduled to launch its formal roadshow following the public SEC filing in mid-October, with pricing targeted for November.