Retail News CRM

Category: Telecom

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.

  • XLSmart Begins Work on 8,000-Kilometer Subsea Cable Linking Southeast Asia to Japan

    XLSmart Begins Work on 8,000-Kilometer Subsea Cable Linking Southeast Asia to Japan

    Indonesian operator XLSmart has started construction on Candle, an 8,000-kilometer subsea fiber network. The route links Indonesia to Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan. Commercial operations will begin across all six markets in 2028.

    Consortium partners backing the system include Meta, SoftBank, Telekom Malaysia through its TM Technology Services unit, the Philippines’ Globe Telecom, and Japan’s IPS Inc. NEC Corporation will supply the marine transmission equipment. It will deploy 24 fiber pairs along the seabed.

    The Route Through Batam

    Candle lands in Indonesia at Tanjung Bemban on Batam island. That puts the cable directly opposite Singapore’s main data exchanges. Batam serves as a spillover hub for data centers and cross-border transit links while Singapore limits domestic power allocations.

    Crews have finished initial marine work and landing preparations at the site. The route gives carriers a fresh corridor for cloud, enterprise, and artificial intelligence traffic between Southeast Asian cities and East Asia.

    PT XLSMART Telecom Sejahtera Tbk is handling local operations and Indonesian regulatory filings. This is one of the operator’s major capital programs following the merger of PT XL Axiata Tbk and PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk.

    Wholesale Capacity and Route Diversity

    For regional enterprises and cloud platforms, Candle adds physical diversity away from congested legacy routes. Extra subsea lines protect against cable cuts and geopolitical friction across the South China Sea and Luzon Strait.

    Wholesale buyers gain dedicated capacity instead of leasing space on older multi-party systems. The link also expands Meta and SoftBank’s owned transmission assets between Southeast Asian hubs and Japanese internet exchanges.

    Enterprise demand across Jakarta, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur continues to drive direct subsea investment into domestic carriers. XLSmart Director and Chief Enterprise Business Officer Andrijanto Muljono said: “Candle represents a strategic investment to prepare for Indonesia’s long-term connectivity needs.”

    Consortium Lineup and Build Steps

    Planning for Candle began in late 2025 with founding members Meta, SoftBank, IPS, Telekom Malaysia, XLSmart, and NEC. Globe Telecom joined the group in April 2026 as an equity investor and the landing partner for the Philippines.

    Each landing partner oversees shore-end work, territorial water permits, and domestic terminal stations. Teams have moved from desktop studies to physical landing milestones, while NEC manufactures the cable.

    With 24 fiber pairs, Candle ranks among the highest-capacity regional systems in Asian waters. Most older subsea infrastructure in the corridor operates on 8 to 16 fiber pairs.

    Regulatory Hurdles and Timelines

    Permit applications are advancing across all six landing jurisdictions. Marine surveys, cable-laying contracts, and deep-water work must clear national maritime agencies before installation vessels lay the main trunk lines.

    On Batam, the landing station must connect directly with domestic terrestrial backbones across Java and Sumatra to carry traffic inland. Consortium engineers will run dry testing and wet plant commissioning through late 2027 before opening the system to commercial traffic in 2028.

  • Digicel PNG and Vodafone PNG Sign Tower-Sharing Agreement

    Digicel PNG and Vodafone PNG Sign Tower-Sharing Agreement

    Digicel PNG and Vodafone PNG have signed a tower-sharing agreement to co-locate equipment on suitable tower sites across Papua New Guinea.

    The deal follows Vodafone PNG’s infrastructure-sharing pact with state-owned operator Telikom PNG announced in August, establishing a framework for co-location while allowing both companies to maintain independent network operations.

    Under the agreement, each operator can install equipment on towers owned by the other subject to technical, operational, safety, and commercial requirements as both prepare for 5G deployment.

    Cutting Capital Costs Across Rugged Geography

    Papua New Guinea presents some of the most expensive operating conditions for telecoms in the Pacific. Mountainous terrain, dense rainforests, and isolated population centres drive up the cost of diesel supply, security, and civil works at remote transmission sites.

    Sharing passive infrastructure lets both operators extend rural footprints without pouring duplicate concrete foundations or running separate backhaul links. Digicel PNG Interim Chief Executive Officer Brett Goschen said the arrangement addresses high delivery costs by cutting duplication and speeding network expansion.

    By sharing existing tower infrastructure where appropriate, we can expand network reach faster, reduce duplication and costs, and maximize the value of investments already made across the country.

    Consolidation Across the Pacific Carrier Market

    This bilateral deal mirrors a broader shift across the Asia-Pacific toward asset-light carrier models. Network operators in developing island markets increasingly treat physical towers as shared utilities rather than proprietary competitive moats.

    Faster site sharing cuts rural dead zones for enterprise users, logistics providers, and mobile money operators. The challenge now shifts to operational execution. Teams must coordinate shared site maintenance, resolve generator disputes during grid outages, and allocate mast space when both carriers demand additional antenna positions.

    Building on State Infrastructure Deals

    Vodafone PNG entered the market in 2022 to challenge Digicel’s long-standing footprint and has pushed for shared infrastructure to catch up on nationwide coverage. In August, Vodafone PNG struck an infrastructure-sharing and co-location pact with state-owned operator Telikom PNG to open access to public telecommunications assets.

    That arrangement established the groundwork for wider industry cooperation. Combining access to state-owned masts with Digicel’s extensive private footprint allows Vodafone PNG to expand its coverage map while curtailing capital expenditures.

    Preparing for Commercial 5G Spectrum

    Papua New Guinea’s National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) has finalized its regulatory framework for issuing 5G spectrum licences in the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands. Operators are now positioning their shared physical infrastructure to install mid-band 5G antennas as soon as NICTA initiates the formal licence grant process.

  • Japan Offers 50 per Cent Subsidy to Rebuild Subsea Cable Fleet

    Japan Offers 50 per Cent Subsidy to Rebuild Subsea Cable Fleet

    Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry will subsidize half the construction cost of new subsea cable-laying ships. The vessels secure routes carrying 99 percent of international data traffic.

    Funding is part of a broader JPY 2.4 trillion public and private investment plan running through fiscal 2040. The plan will expand undersea networks and replace an aging domestic fleet. Japanese operators currently maintain just five cable-laying vessels weighing more than 5,000 tons. Three belong to NTT Group. Two belong to a KDDI subsidiary.

    Aging tonnage and foreign charter risks

    Specialized cable ships deploy remotely operated seabed vehicles and maintain transoceanic lines. They carry thousands of kilometers of coiled fiber in onboard tanks. These hulls carry an operational life expectancy of roughly 40 years. Several Japanese ships have passed 30 years in service. That age creates rising maintenance costs and reliability concerns.

    Carriers in the United States and Europe operate larger, newer fleets. These allow faster deployment schedules. Japanese telecommunications groups face tighter construction windows and strict order requirements when contracting repairs or new routes. Regional data links are left exposed during outages.

    The 2.4 trillion yen rollout

    Tokyo designated information and telecommunications as one of 17 strategic national sectors alongside artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and defense. Financial backing follows the revised Economic Security Promotion Law passed in June. Under the policy, the ministry can fund up to 50 percent of shipyard build costs for qualifying private operators.

    Subsea lines carry data traffic generated by cloud platforms and generative artificial intelligence clusters across East Asia. The Japanese government wants domestic carriers to control physical installation assets. This avoids dependence on international charter pools during geopolitical or supply chain disruptions.

    Imbalance across the supply chain

    A domestic fleet deficit contrasts with Japan’s manufacturing strength. NEC Corporation controls approximately 20 percent of the global undersea cable manufacturing market. The company owns zero cable-laying vessels. It relies entirely on leased foreign ships to install hardware.

    This divide between cable manufacturing and maritime installation creates cost volatility. Leased vessels command high charter rates and rigid booking calendars. NTT, KDDI, and NEC are evaluating whether to order newly built hulls or execute extensive refits on existing hulls to qualify for state funding.

    What comes next for shipyards and carriers

    June’s revised Economic Security Promotion Law established the legal framework. In July, the cabinet’s growth strategy committed the JPY 2.4 trillion target through 2040. Those steps cleared the path for the ministry’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year.

    Shipbuilding allocations and vessel specifications depend on final budget approval in parliament. Japanese carriers must then secure shipyard slots in domestic yards already contending with tight commercial delivery schedules.

  • Indonesia and India Sign Five-Year Telecom Pact Spanning 5G and 6G Research

    Indonesia and India Sign Five-Year Telecom Pact Spanning 5G and 6G Research

    Indonesia and India signed a five-year telecommunications cooperation pact in Jakarta. The deal covers 5G development, exploratory 6G networks, and quantum technology.

    It binds Southeast Asia’s largest digital economy with South Asia’s biggest mobile market. Both sides agreed to shared technical standards and commercial joint ventures through 2031.

    Communication ministers Meutya Hafid of Indonesia and Jyotiraditya M. Scindia of India signed the memorandum of understanding. The text formalizes bilateral commitments made by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Joint Research in Advanced Networks

    Under the framework, both governments will direct resources into collaborative research for existing and next-generation networks. Dedicated teams will target 4G optimization, 5G enterprise tools, and early architecture for 6G cellular systems.

    Work also extends to quantum technology and advanced wireless communications. Academic institutions and industrial labs in both nations will run shared programs. The goal is to build regional intellectual property and reduce dependence on Western or Chinese equipment vendors.

    Public-private partnerships form the core of the deal. Both ministries will coordinate projects linking Indian software and engineering suppliers with Indonesian operators expanding island coverage.

    Disaster Resilience and Emergency Systems

    Network continuity during natural catastrophes is a dedicated pillar of the accord. Both countries manage vast island and coastal territories exposed to seismic and climate risks. Infrastructure survivability remains an operational priority.

    Engineers from both administrations will design emergency communication frameworks and risk-reduction protocols. These systems must keep voice, messaging, and data running when cables or base stations suffer regional failures.

    Technical training will support the infrastructure upgrades. The agreement sets up upskilling and reskilling programs for engineers, public officials, and emergency telecom staff.

    Commercial Joint Ventures and the Annual Dialogue

    Enterprise suppliers gain a direct conduit for business-to-business partnerships. Indian system integrators and Indonesian infrastructure providers can now pitch joint projects with ministerial backing.

    Governance will run through the new Indonesian-Indian Telco Dialogue. This bilateral panel will meet annually, alternating between Jakarta and New Delhi. Members will track milestones, clear operational hurdles, and establish upcoming technical priorities.

    Indonesia aims to ensure that digital transformation empowers its people to master, develop, and create future technologies. Cooperation with India serves as a strategic avenue to strengthen these capabilities.

    Market Implications for Regional Carriers

    Indonesian carriers gain an alternative technology pipeline as they weigh 5G rollout expenses against tight average revenue per user. India built an indigenous 4G and 5G technology stack over the past four years. Indian vendors now want to export those network components across Southeast Asia.

    By securing Indian technical support, Jakarta hedges its supplier exposure and speeds up rural connectivity targets. The key test will be whether state-backed research yields commercial hardware deployments across Indonesia’s dispersed telecom footprint.

    The initial term runs for five years, with renewal contingent on written consent from both ministries ahead of the 2031 expiration date.

  • Sparkle Upgrades Seabone Backbone to 400 Gbps Across 126 Hubs

    Sparkle Upgrades Seabone Backbone to 400 Gbps Across 126 Hubs

    Three decades after its 1996 launch, Sparkle has expanded capacity on its Seabone Tier-1 IP backbone to 400 Gbps across 126 international locations. The network provides high-speed connectivity across Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia to support cloud platforms and content providers.

    Its proprietary fiber infrastructure spans more than 600,000 kilometers globally. That network serves over 600 wholesale customers, including fixed and mobile operators, internet service providers, hyperscalers and content providers.

    Capacity Upgrades for Cross-Border Traffic

    Under the upgrade, backbone edge nodes support port speeds up to 400 Gbps to handle traffic from streaming, gaming, cloud computing and artificial intelligence applications. Sparkle also introduced Fast Delivery across all major hubs, enabling activation within 24 hours for expanding clients such as Asia-based edge cloud provider EdgeNext.

    A centralized 24-hour network operations center monitors performance, isolates faults and optimizes routes across redundant fiber paths. Complementary services include automated denial-of-service mitigation. In addition, Virtual NAP access lets carriers link to major internet exchange points without installing physical routing hardware at each facility.

    Asian Cloud Providers Connect Westward

    Demand for transit from Asia to Europe continues to climb as regional platforms scale abroad. Asian edge cloud and content delivery network provider EdgeNext contracted Seabone transit to route international traffic into European hubs with reduced latency.

    Securing Tier-1 transit with fast provisioning cuts the capital expenditure Asian tech firms need for overseas hubs. Direct access to remote internet exchange points via virtual routing also lets regional distributors bypass intermediary brokers. This cuts delivery costs while preserving latency standards for gaming and live broadcast clients.

    Network Economics and Wholesale Competition

    Dedicated enterprise and CDN traffic now outpaces traditional voice and basic transit volume across international telecom routes. Wholesale carriers face steady price compression per megabit. As a result, operators must monetize value-added security layers and rapid activation rather than raw capacity alone.

    Rival carriers on Asian routes have launched similar edge upgrades to stop clients from defecting to private hyperscaler cables. Sparkle must maintain uptime across complex subsea and terrestrial paths. At the same time, the company faces pressure to defend wholesale transit margins against cloud giants building their own subsea consortiums.

    Three Decades of Backbone Infrastructure

    Seabone launched in 1996 with 45 Mbps connections linking Milan, Palermo, Miami and Montreal during the early commercial rollout of the public internet. Over three decades, the network scaled from dial-up megabit pipes to multi-hundred-gigabit optical channels across four continents.

    To accelerate customer onboarding, Sparkle will offer introductory transit packages for new enterprise and carrier accounts across its 126 connected hubs through the end of the year.

  • Tencent Cloud and U Mobile Partner on Enterprise 5G and AI in Malaysia

    Tencent Cloud and U Mobile Partner on Enterprise 5G and AI in Malaysia

    Tencent Cloud signed a preliminary pact with Malaysian carrier U Mobile on September 15 to build enterprise artificial intelligence tools on the carrier’s 5G network. It is Tencent Cloud’s first direct AI partnership with a telecom operator in Malaysia.

    Under the memorandum of understanding, the companies will run joint development projects through U Mobile’s Enterprise Innovation Platform. The facility links Tencent Cloud’s AI processing infrastructure with U Mobile’s ULTRA5G mobile network. Both groups plan to test software tools for corporate clients and small to medium-sized enterprises. Commercial rollout across Southeast Asia will follow.

    How the platform pipeline operates

    The joint programme runs across three stages: build, test, and demonstrate. Technical teams from both companies will hold engineering workshops and conduct pilot shows. They will also open testing environments to software developers, academic researchers, and startups.

    Engineers will focus on system integration, automated workflows, network security, and data handling. U Mobile plans to use the trials to identify enterprise use cases. These can convert into paying commercial contracts once network validation wraps up.

    At U Mobile, we are focused on using our next-gen 5G network to enable innovation that delivers real value to businesses. Our partnership with Tencent Cloud strengthens this by bringing together 5G, AI and cloud technologies to explore new applications across industries.

    Carriers compete for enterprise AI workloads

    Southeast Asian telecom operators face flat consumer mobile revenue and rising capital spending on network rollouts. Partnering with Chinese hyperscalers gives local carriers ready-made enterprise software suites without funding research from scratch. For Tencent Cloud, tying algorithms directly to local carrier data pipes secures access to corporate clients. Rivals Alibaba Cloud and Huawei Cloud are already pursuing those accounts in Kuala Lumpur.

    This structure shifts the capital burden. U Mobile provides the radio access network and corporate client relationships. Tencent Cloud supplies model architectures and compute tools. The setup reduces upfront overhead for the carrier, though long-term margins will depend on how the partners split software licensing fees.

    SME adoption presents commercial hurdle

    Small and medium-sized enterprises make up the bulk of Malaysia’s business sector, but smaller firms frequently delay advanced tech spending. High transition costs and complex integration cycles often stall digital transformation plans before software reaches production.

    Both partners target this friction by building pre-tested tools for specific operational bottlenecks. If pilot programs fail to show measurable efficiency gains or clear cost cuts within six months, enterprise uptake will lag. Network capacity would then sit underutilised.

    Deployment pathway and next steps

    Earlier carrier partnerships in the market centered strictly on data connectivity and basic cloud hosting rather than integrated AI tooling. The current project follows U Mobile’s rollout of its commercial ULTRA5G network infrastructure across high-density Malaysian business districts.

    Joint technical workshops with selected enterprise partners begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. The initial batch of commercial pilot deployments across retail, logistics, and manufacturing sectors will head for review by mid-2027.

  • Blackstone-Backed AirTrunk Seeks S$2 Billion Loan for Singapore Reit IPO

    Blackstone-Backed AirTrunk Seeks S$2 Billion Loan for Singapore Reit IPO

    Blackstone-backed data centre operator AirTrunk is in talks with commercial banks in September 2026 to raise approximately S$2 billion in debt to fund the Singapore listing of an asset-backed real estate investment trust.

    The package spans multiple debt tranches ranging from three to seven years, structured in Singapore dollars and Japanese yen to match the underlying portfolio.

    Refinancing Assets and Securing Liquidity

    Proceeds from the loan will go directly to the planned real estate investment trust. The vehicle will use the funds to purchase operational hyperscale assets from AirTrunk and refinance existing credit facilities across its regional footprint. Pricing and final terms remain under negotiation with participating lenders.

    Regional lenders have extended nearly US$29 billion in data centre debt across Asia since the beginning of 2025. As balance sheet limits tighten at major regional institutions, banks have grown stricter on underwriting criteria, favoring sponsors with institutional backing over smaller regional competitors.

    Asset-Backed Structures and Bank Limits

    Carving operational facilities into a publicly traded trust lets AirTrunk release balance sheet capacity while retaining operational control. The transaction also offers regional banks a route to distribute their credit exposure rather than holding long-term project loans to maturity on their books.

    Sponsors across Asia face higher power costs and tighter underwriting requirements for server real estate. Moving cash-generating properties into a yield-focused vehicle provides an alternative pool of public capital, insulating the development pipeline from tightening private credit markets.

    Building Out the Listing Roadmap

    The borrowing plan follows an aggressive regional expansion by the operator. AirTrunk recently completed a US$2.3 billion green loan to fund its hyperscale campus development in Johor, Malaysia, expanding its footprint across Southeast Asia.

    Preparations for the public offering have advanced over recent months, with the company preparing confidential filings for the trust. The planned Singapore listing aims to raise roughly US$1.5 billion in equity once terms and regulatory approvals are settled.

  • India Backs Data Centers with Billions of Rupees Amid Job Concerns

    India Backs Data Centers with Billions of Rupees Amid Job Concerns

    India is pouring billions of rupees in incentives into data centers for the likes of Google and Amazon, even as the drive is not expected to directly create much employment.

    Industry reports show the country generates about 20 per cent of the world’s data but accounts for only 4 per cent of global data center capacity.

    State Subsidies and Tech Builders

    Key developments include a Google-Adani data center construction site in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, seen on Aug. 3, alongside a Hewlett Packard Enterprise data center in Bengaluru pictured in May.

    These facilities require heavy capital expenditure for land acquisition, high-voltage electrical grid hookups, advanced cooling units, and high-end server racks. Yet once construction finishes, the facilities run on automated management software and minimal human supervision. A multi-megawatt campus that costs hundreds of millions of dollars to erect often requires fewer than 100 permanent technicians, security personnel, and facility managers.

    The Automation Reality in Digital Infrastructure

    For industrial real estate developers and infrastructure funds across Asia, the asset class offers reliable long-term yields backed by top-tier credit tenants. Power and land availability dictate project viability rather than access to deep labor pools. The economic return flows to landlords, power utilities, and equipment vendors rather than local payrolls.

    Retailers and enterprise software platforms across the region gain faster cloud compute speeds and lower network latency from local server farms. However, government planners expecting large-scale white-collar employment from data centers face a structural mismatch. The sector builds digital backbone capacity, not mass employment.

    Shifting Focus to Component Supply Chains

    Earlier policy frameworks treated digital infrastructure investments as equivalent to traditional technology services campuses that once absorbed thousands of engineering graduates. Experience across major Asian hubs from Singapore to Johor shows that high-density computing clusters generate indirect jobs primarily during site preparation and electrical civil works.

    State authorities are now monitoring whether downstream server assembly and electrical manufacturing can capture additional domestic value. The gap between India’s 20 per cent data generation share and its 4 per cent physical capacity ensures building will continue, with power procurement contracts serving as the next major performance metric.

  • Taiwan Telecoms Sell Out Initial iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable Duo Preorders in Minutes

    Taiwan Telecoms Sell Out Initial iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable Duo Preorders in Minutes

    Taiwan telecom carriers sold out initial preorder allocations for Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro series and foldable iPhone Duo within two minutes of opening online reservations on Thursday.

    Preorder volume for the flagship series surged nearly 200 percent compared to last year’s iPhone 17 Pro cycle, Taiwan Mobile reported. Far EasTone Telecommunications saw customer registrations more than double.

    Rising prices did not dampen demand. Next-generation silicon drove cost increases across the lineup. Apple’s base 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro starts at NT$44,900 ($1,419), up from NT$39,900 for the previous-generation device. The 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max entered the market at NT$49,900, up from NT$44,900. Pricing for the foldable iPhone Duo ranges from NT$74,900 for the 256GB version to NT$118,900 for the top-tier 2TB configuration.

    Premium Configurations Drive Carrier Allocations

    Buyer demand tilted heavily toward top-specification models during the opening reservation window. Chunghwa Telecom stated that 70 percent of surveyed subscribers targeted either the iPhone 18 Pro or the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Within that group, 45 percent chose the 512GB storage option. Taiwan Mobile reported that the iPhone 18 Pro Max alone accounted for roughly 50 percent of all new iPhone preorders placed through its myfone online retail channel.

    Shoppers also favored newly introduced finishes. Chunghwa Telecom noted that 46 percent of surveyed buyers selected Glacier, while 26 percent chose Burgundy. Burgundy emerged as the most requested colorway for Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone, followed by Glacier. For the foldable iPhone Duo, Chunghwa Telecom recorded 60 percent demand for Star White, with the remaining 40 percent opting for Night Sky.

    Hardware Pricing Tests Regional Carrier Subsidies

    The sharp price jump tests consumer willingness to absorb higher upfront equipment costs on multi-year 5G service contracts. Taiwan serves as a key testing ground for East Asian smartphone demand, where carrier subsidies cushion high entry prices. Quick clearance of early allotments shows premium buyers remain price-inelastic. They purchased immediately, even as standard models pushed well past traditional retail thresholds.

    Component costs are also squeezing supply chain margins. Vendors passed advanced semiconductor and hinge engineering expenses directly onto retail price tags. Carriers must now manage device inventory financing without eroding retail margins. Replenishment speed poses the immediate risk. If early device allocations stay constrained, subscriber upgrade conversions could taper before the fourth-quarter holiday sales push.

    Launch Timelines Across Taiwan Outlets

    Apple formally unveiled the lineup earlier in the week. Far EasTone opened its official preorder channel at 8 p.m. On Saturday following several days of interest registration. Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile activated bookings immediately after the product announcement.

    Physical deliveries will roll out in two separate phases across the island. Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, and Far EasTone outlets will start retail sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series at 8 a.m. On Sept. 18. Store inventory for the foldable iPhone Duo arrives on retail shelves on Oct. 23.

  • SoftBank Completes Japan Airborne Base Station Trial for 2027 Rollout

    SoftBank Completes Japan Airborne Base Station Trial for 2027 Rollout

    SoftBank Corp. Completed Japan’s first stratospheric mobile base trial over Kochi Prefecture. The platform transmitted voice, video and drone control signals from an altitude of 20 kilometres.

    The uncrewed, airship-like craft can hover for up to six months. It acts as an airborne cell tower when earthquakes or typhoons knock out ground networks.

    Stratospheric Flight Over Kochi

    Crews launched the High Altitude Platform Station craft from New Mexico. They ran communication tests above western Japan’s Muroto region on August 23 and August 24. Engineers confirmed stable two-way voice, video and emergency channels during the two-day window.

    Flight trials also maintained continuous control links with inspection drones. SoftBank plans to deploy those links during natural disasters to check damaged roads and assess collapsed buildings without risking ground survey crews.

    Rival Operators Test Disaster Links

    Japan’s three dominant carriers are competing to secure non-terrestrial coverage across an archipelago exposed to frequent seismic activity. SoftBank, NTT DOCOMO and KDDI Corp. Already sell direct-to-satellite messaging for smartphones. Satellite bandwidth, however, struggles to support video feeds and autonomous drone flights during emergencies.

    High-altitude stations solve that bottleneck by operating closer to Earth than low-orbit satellites. NTT DOCOMO is preparing trials in Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto peninsula using a balloon-shaped craft. That project targets damage assessments and labor monitoring for forestry and agriculture.

    Commercial Service Targets 2027

    Demand for stratospheric networks intensified after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto region on January 1, 2024. The disaster cut road access and severed terrestrial fiber links across dozens of coastal communities.

    SoftBank plans to widen flight zones and extend mission durations ahead of a commercial rollout in 2027. That service will target enterprise clients and municipal governments seeking backup connectivity during regular operations.

  • NFD Korea Starts Work on 300MW AI Data Campus in Dangjin

    NFD Korea Starts Work on 300MW AI Data Campus in Dangjin

    NFD Korea has started development on a 300-megawatt artificial intelligence data center campus in Dangjin, roughly 90 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

    Building permits for an initial 200-megawatt phase came through in September 2026. General contractor DL E&C broke ground in early November.

    A second agreement signed on September 9 with Chungcheongnam-do Province, Dangjin City, and EFD Co. Added a 100-megawatt parcel (Building C) valued at 1.24 trillion won ($920 million). Permitting for that final block wraps up in December 2026. The completed 300-megawatt facility will use liquid cooling engineered for rack densities up to 160 kilowatts to handle AI model training and inference workloads.

    Securing power outside the capital

    Grid bottlenecks in greater Seoul have pushed data center developers into industrial belts further south. Securing high-voltage power allocations near the capital now takes years. Operators also face regulatory delays and local residential pushback.

    Placing the campus inside the Songsan 2 General Industrial Complex avoids urban zoning disputes and secures grid access. Korea Electric Power Corporation has committed a full 300-megawatt supply. LS Electric will deliver step-up transformers in stages across 2027 and 2028.

    Between low community-opposition risk inside the industrial complex, proximity to the Seoul metro, and strong local government backing, Dangjin is positioned to deliver AI data center capacity quickly.

    The race for high-density capacity

    High-density space remains scarce for cloud providers and hyperscalers entering South Korea. Standard enterprise facilities cannot handle the heat generated by modern graphics processing units. Most of these processors require dedicated liquid cooling.

    Institutional real estate investors across Asia are shifting capital away from speculative logistics and into purpose-built computing hubs backed by long-term leases. NFD Korea is currently negotiating terms with international cloud service providers and AI firms to anchor the Dangjin site before commercial rollout.

    Building out a national pipeline

    Dangjin’s buildout follows an initial memorandum of understanding signed in 2023 for the first 200 megawatts across Buildings A and B. Founder and chief executive Choi Jae-woo, a former infrastructure lead at Amazon Web Services and Brookfield-backed DCI Data Centers, launched NFD Korea to develop a gigawatt-scale pipeline across the country.

    In Yongin City, the developer broke ground on an 80-megawatt hyperscale facility in September 2025. That site will also go live in 2028.

    Commercial service for Dangjin’s Phase 1, consisting of Building A, begins in the first quarter of 2028. Phases 2 and 3 are scheduled to come online before the end of that year.

  • Papua New Guinea Ready to Issue 5G Licences in 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz Bands

    Papua New Guinea Ready to Issue 5G Licences in 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz Bands

    Papua New Guinea’s National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) is ready to issue 5G spectrum licences in the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands to qualified mobile operators.

    The regulator established the framework after completing legal, technical, and market assessments, clearing both frequency bands for concurrent 4G and 5G service rollouts across the country.

    Universal Access and Coverage Obligations

    Licence conditions require operators including Vodafone PNG and Digicel PNG, which completed readiness testing in July, to extend 4G coverage to 20 new sites under the Universal Access and Service Program.

    Under the mandate, carriers cannot confine capital expenditure solely to high-yield cities. Operators must absorb the cost of widening base connectivity across remote provinces while commercialising premium data speeds.

    Carrier Timelines and Network Commitments

    Vodafone PNG pledged to activate 5G services in the National Capital District and at least one additional city within 18 months of licensing. It committed to covering 20 per cent of the national population within 36 months. That expands to 30 per cent within 60 months.

    Digicel PNG confirmed technical preparedness ahead of the awards, completing end-to-end 5G network trials on its existing architecture. Competition between the two operators now shifts toward high-capacity broadband links and enterprise digital connectivity rather than basic voice and mobile data pricing.

    Wider Spectrum and Satellite Reforms

    Planning reviews and technical alignment with international telecommunication standards preceded the release. Digicel established its local network readiness during testing in July. Hardware installation can begin as soon as authorities formally execute the frequency grants.

    Regulators will monitor rollout milestones and enforcement across both assigned bands. Next, the authority will draft allocation policies for additional high-demand spectrum, satellite-delivered non-terrestrial network services, and unlicensed frequency bands for public Wi-Fi infrastructure.

  • TPG Telecom Ordered to Pay A$1 Million After Sydney Store Attack

    TPG Telecom Ordered to Pay A$1 Million After Sydney Store Attack

    New South Wales District Court ordered TPG Telecom to pay A$1,006,996.29 in damages after an assailant attacked a store worker with a makeshift blowtorch in Sydney.

    The ruling establishes direct corporate liability for failing to deploy physical security guards at a shop recording five times the national network average for customer aggression.

    The Incident at Macarthur Square

    Proceedings stem from a November 22, 2019 assault on Vodafone store employee Damir Lepan at Campbelltown Macarthur Square. Lepan dealt with an aggressive customer who left the shop. The man returned several hours later carrying an aerosol deodorant can and a cigarette lighter.

    The assailant ignited the spray into Lepan’s face, burning his head and arm. Debilitating psychiatric trauma prevented him from returning to work. Lepan sued TPG Telecom under the Workers Compensation Act 1997 for past and future economic losses, arguing the company breached its duty of care through inadequate physical security.

    Flaws in Remote Monitoring Systems

    TPG Telecom relied on an under-counter duress alarm connected to a remote monitoring centre. Offsite operators reviewed CCTV feeds before contacting emergency services or dispatching guards.

    District Court Judge Paul Fitzsimmons rejected remote monitoring for high-risk retail sites. Evidence showed a 2017 incident at the store, where a customer threatened to slit an employee’s throat, took offsite security up to 15 minutes to respond. TPG Telecom national security manager Michael Jackson conceded during testimony that a uniformed guard deters attackers better than offsite cameras.

    Legal Fallout for Store Operators

    Court findings showed the Macarthur Square outlet was a clear statistical outlier across Vodafone’s national network, making violent encounters foreseeable. Fitzsimmons ruled that store workers were ill-equipped to manage hostile shoppers without dedicated onsite personnel.

    Retail chains relying on remote electronic monitoring to cut costs face direct legal exposure. Landlords and retail operators across Australia risk liability if they fail to staff known problem locations with physical guards, regardless of existing alarm systems.

    TPG Telecom introduced part-time guard coverage for four days across a two-week period following the 2019 attack. The A$1,006,996.29 award covers Lepan’s lost earnings, superannuation entitlements, and compensation tax liabilities.

  • Eastern Communications Targets Regional Enterprise Deals at BATIC 2026

    Eastern Communications Targets Regional Enterprise Deals at BATIC 2026

    Eastern Communications pitched its enterprise connectivity portfolio to regional partners at the Bali Annual Telkom International Conference in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, seeking cross-border deals across Southeast Asia. The four-day summit brought together regional operators and digital infrastructure providers to negotiate wholesale bandwidth, enterprise links, and cloud interconnects.

    The push comes as Philippine telecommunications operators prepare more than USD 2.2 billion in capital expenditures for 2026 network upgrades. Eastern Communications, which is approaching its 150th year of operations, wants to capture more corporate traffic flowing between Manila and regional hubs like Singapore and Jakarta.

    Enterprise Focus in Bali

    Company co-coordinators Atty. Aileen Regio and Jaeson Evangelista led discussions at the Bali International Convention Center from August 25 to 28. Management focused talks on international enterprise clients that require dedicated bandwidth and cross-border connectivity across the Philippine archipelago.

    “Technology may connect the world, but it is people who make those connections meaningful,” Regio said, pitching the company’s customer support and service model to international carriers looking for local landing partners.

    Regional Wholesale Traffic

    Competition for regional enterprise traffic has intensified across Southeast Asia as businesses digitize supply chains and shift workloads to distributed data centres. Philippine carriers are actively securing bilateral agreements with regional telcos to defend enterprise margins against domestic rivals and international network providers.

    Eastern Communications plans to roll out additional enterprise data products and international partner links before the end of the year.

  • Southeast Asia Targets USD 11 Billion Subsea Cable Expansion for Route Redundancy

    Southeast Asia Targets USD 11 Billion Subsea Cable Expansion for Route Redundancy

    Telecommunications operators and infrastructure investors are committing USD 11 billion between 2026 and 2035 to build new subsea cable systems across Southeast Asia. The spending will expand the number of active intra-Asian cable lines from 14 in 2025 to 19 by 2035, securing international data bandwidth for regional digital economies and hyperscale cloud providers.

    Submarine cables handle more than 99 per cent of international communications traffic in hubs such as Singapore. Under the city-state’s Digital Connectivity Blueprint, authorities plan to double the volume of subsea cable landings over the next decade, backed by an estimated SGD 10 billion (USD 7.4 billion) in predominantly private sector capital.

    Rerouting Around Maritime Chokepoints

    Engineering plans for newly announced trans-Pacific and regional cables increasingly avoid traditional, direct passages through the South China Sea. Systems including Apricot, Echo, and Bifrost run alternative paths through Indonesian and Philippine territorial waters to connect Southeast Asia directly with North America, Japan, and South Korea. Taking longer perimeter paths increases capital costs and latency, but operators accept the trade-off to shield data links from geopolitical exposure and congested straits.

    For enterprise users and cloud operators across Asia-Pacific, these southern corridors remove single-point failure risks that have historically disrupted regional supply chains. Financial platforms, retail marketplaces, and cloud providers gain lower downtime risks during localized outages, while secondary telecom operators in Jakarta and Manila secure direct wholesale access without routing entirely through Singapore.

    Equipment Supply and Infrastructure Competition

    The supply chain for physical infrastructure remains divided among a handful of global manufacturers. Japan’s NEC and France’s ASN maintain strong market positions in island networks across Indonesia and the wider archipelago, while Chinese suppliers have expanded cable contracts in Cambodia and selected Indonesian domestic systems.

    This supplier spread gives regional governments room to balance national security requirements against procurement costs. At the same time, physical reliability remains a constant operational bottleneck. International Telecommunication Union data indicates that human activity, mainly commercial fishing and vessel anchoring, causes 86 per cent of all subsea cable faults, requiring more than 200 offshore repair operations worldwide each year.

    Coordinated Regional Master Plans

    The push for network redundancy builds on policy commitments laid out in the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2030, which directs member countries to coordinate subsea repair approvals and landing permits. Previous repair timelines often stretched for months due to overlapping maritime jurisdictions and strict cabotage restrictions in archipelagic waters.

    Attention now turns to the planned commissioning of major multi-terabit links, including the Apricot and Bifrost systems, which are scheduled to land initial capacity phases before 2027.