UK govt announces new schemes to help females enter tech industry
UNITED KINGDOM 16:19

UK govt announces new schemes to help females enter tech industry

The UK government has announced new measures to help more women and girls enter the tech industry. This includes a new programme to support 300 tech roles for females across the UK, through paid 6-month work placements with tech SMEs. This is backed by a new GBP 4 million TechFirst Women's Programme. The scheme will also provide women with coaching and interview preparation support.

Obit reports 29% rise in public Wi-Fi users during Moscow and St Petersburg mobile outages from 07-09 March
RUSSIAN FEDERATION 15:07

Obit reports 29% rise in public Wi-Fi users during Moscow and St Petersburg mobile outages from 07-09 March

Obit said the number of users of its public Wi-Fi networks rose by 29 percent in the period from 07 to 09 March in comparison with the relevant period in February, as widespread disconnections affected mobile networks in Moscow and St Petersburg. Obit operates hotspots at major sites in both cities. including airports, business and shopping centres, and cultural heritage sites. According to telecom operators, the restrictions and shutdowns are "external" and related to security measures under current legisl

UK govt launches new Online Crime Centre to tackle international criminals
UNITED KINGDOM 11 MRT

UK govt launches new Online Crime Centre to tackle international criminals

The UK government has announced the launch of a new online crime squad to tackle organised online crime gangs. The new Online Crime Centre, launching in April, will combine specialists from the police, government, mobile networks, banks, tech firms and intelligence agencies for co-ordinated action against fraud. It is part of the government's new GBP 250 million, 3-year fraud strategy (2026-2029).

Spain PM unveils 'Hodio' tool to track hate speech on social media
SPAIN 11 MRT

Spain PM unveils 'Hodio' tool to track hate speech on social media

Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez has announced the launch of Hodio, a new digital measurement mechanism aimed at tracking hate speech and disinformation across social media platforms. The tool, launched around a month after Sanchez pledged to ban minors aged under 16 from social networks, will allow Spain's Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia to "systematically measure the presence, evolution and reach of hate speech" on digital platforms used in Spain, said Sanchez in comments reported by El Pais.

Colombia unveils 2026–2029 plan to optimise spectrum management
COLOMBIA 11 MRT

Colombia unveils 2026–2029 plan to optimise spectrum management

Colombia's Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (Mintic) has launched a new Spectrum Management Policy for 2026-2029, laying out a roadmap for more efficient and innovative use of radio frequencies. Presented at the Andina Link 2026 conference in Cartagena, the policy aims to strengthen the country's digital connectivity and support the deployment of next-generation technologies such as 5G.

Victor6G aims to catalyse 6G-era virtualisation for industrial metaverse
GLOBAL 11 MRT

Victor6G aims to catalyse 6G-era virtualisation for industrial metaverse

An Ericsson-led 6G project backed by German state funding hopes to mature real-time network virtualisation with tightly integrated IT functionality, targeting 6G-powered industrial metaverse applications. The three-year Victor6G project started its activities in January 2026. The programme has a EUR 5.4 million budget, including EUR 4.3 million from Germany's Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space.

Brazil marks end of analogue TV, extends deadline for TV 3.0 project to end-2027
BRAZIL 11 MRT

Brazil marks end of analogue TV, extends deadline for TV 3.0 project to end-2027

Brazil has officially completed the switch-off of analogue free-to-air TV, the communications agency Anatel announced. The move to digital TV freed up the 700 MHz band for mobile services, significantly expanding 4G and 5G coverage in the country. 

Datagrid secures approvals for 280 MW AI data centre in Southland
NEW ZEALAND 11 MRT

Datagrid secures approvals for 280 MW AI data centre in Southland

Datagrid New Zealand has received resource consent to develop a 280 MW hyperscale AI data centre campus in Southland on New Zealand's South Island. The approvals were granted by Southland District Council, Environment Southland and Invercargill City Council, allowing construction to proceed at a site in Makarewa near Invercargill.

Macquarie Technology secures AUD 200 mln from govt to expand sovereign cloud
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

Macquarie Technology secures AUD 200 mln from govt to expand sovereign cloud

Macquarie Technology Group has secured an AUD 200 million investment from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) to expand sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity services and data centre capacity in Australia. The funding will support the growth of the company's Cloud Services and Government division, which provides cloud platforms, cybersecurity services and digital infrastructure to public sector and enterprise customers. The investment is intended to support new infrastructure designe

Korea's Namyangju signs deal for KRW 1 trillion AI data centre project
KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 11 MRT

Korea's Namyangju signs deal for KRW 1 trillion AI data centre project

South Korean city Namyangju has signed an investment agreement for the construction of a KRW 1 trillion "X-AI Smart Energy Data Center," according to Asia Business Daily, citing industry sources. The city signed the agreement with Namyangju Maseok IDC for a facility to be built in the Dapnae-ri area of Hwado-eup. The planned data centre will be developed on a site of around 45,000 square metres with a total floor area of approximately 37,000 square metres and a power capacity of about 60 MW.

Swiss vote against reducing public broadcaster funding
SWITZERLAND 10 MRT

Swiss vote against reducing public broadcaster funding

People in Switzerland have rejected the proposal put forward in a referendum to cut the the annual licence fee to the national broadcaster, Swiss broadcasting corporation SRG SSR, to CHF 200. The proposal, called "200 francs is enough!" was rejected with 61.9 percent voting against. The backers of the initiative demanded the exemption of all companies from the fees, and limiting the public broadcaster to providing an "essential public service".

Polish govt adopts cybersecurity strategy
POLAND 10 MRT

Polish govt adopts cybersecurity strategy

The Polish government has adopted the a national cybersecurity strategy. The document outlines the directions for the development of the country's digital security and strengthens the National Cybersecurity System (NCS). Its implementation is intended to increase Poland's resilience to cyber threats and improve the security of citizens, businesses, and public institutions.

SPAIN 10 MRT

Spain and Portugal to explore joint bid for AI gigafactory

Spain and Portugal are are exploring the possibility of submitting a joint bid to host one of the European Union's planned AI gigafactories, the two governments said after a bilateral summit in La Rábida, southern Spain. The initiative follows the European Commission's announcement of a programme to set up at least 15 AI factories across Europe, five of which will receive backing from the InvestAI facility.

SOMALIA 10 MRT

Somalia launches national cyber incident response centre

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has inaugurated the Somalia Computer Incident Response Team (SOMCIRT), marking the establishment of Somalia's first national centre dedicated to coordinating the prevention, detection and response to cybersecurity incidents. The facility was created to respond to cyber threats against the nation's critical telecommunications and digital systems.

FINLAND 10 MRT

Nato sets up communication and information system services module in Riihimaki

The Finnish Ministry of Defence (Puolustusministerio) announced that a Nato Deployable CIS Module (DMC) will be established in Riihimaki to provide communication and information system (CIS) services for Nato forces and commands in Finland and across the alliance if needed. Operations are due to start in early 2027. The DCM will have a workforce of around 60 employees, who will be Finnish.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 10 MRT

Naver and Kakao launch AI-based 'citizen secretary' public service pilots

South Korean internet giants Naver and Kakao have each launched pilot versions of an AI-based public service agent developed in cooperation with the ministry of the interior and safety. The service, known as the "AI citizen secretary", is designed to allow users to access government services through conversational AI within existing consumer platforms without installing a separate application. Both versions of the service allow users to issue electronic certificates and reserve public facilities through a c

JAPAN 10 MRT

NEC LLM selected for Japanese govt gen AI evaluation programme

NEC said its large language model (LLM) cotomi v3 has been selected for evaluation by the Digital Agency of Japan as part of a government initiative to test domestically developed AI models. The model was chosen through a public call for proposals for large language models developed by Japanese companies and research institutions. Selected systems will be assessed within the government's generative AI environment, known as the Gennai project.

MALAYSIA 9 MRT

CelcomDigi, Maxis buy out Malaysian government's stakes in DNB

CelcomDigi and Maxis have each completed the acquisition of shares in Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) from the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc). This transaction was initiated following a put notice issued by MoF in December 2025. Both operators paid a cash consideration of MYR 327.87 million to acquire these stakes, a step that effectively facilitates the government's exit from the 5G wholesale provider and transitions DNB into a privately-led entity.

POLAND 9 MRT

Polish operators agree national roaming during emergencies

Polish network operators Orange Poland, T-Mobile Poland, Polkomtel and Play agreed on the launch of a national roaming system in the country during emergency situations, reports Telko.in citing a speech by Przemyslaw Kuna, the chairman of the national telecommunications regulator UKE during the economic forum Time in Warsaw. According to report, a technical solution is expected to be in place by mid-2026.

PORTUGAL 9 MRT

Portugal extends telecom consumer protection in storm damage areas for 1 year

The Portuguese government has approved a decree-law of emergency measures following the storms that hit the country in February. Among the consumer protection measures, telecom providers are prohibited from disconnecting or restricting services for customers in one of the municipalities covered by the state of emergency for unpaid bills for one year. Customers in these areas also have the right to request a suspension of their services for up to three months, without penalties. 

UNITED STATES 9 MRT

FCC to consider D2D impact on GPS L1 band

The US Department of Commerce's assistant secretary for communications and information, Arielle Roth, is consulting with the Federal Communications Commission on proposals to limit GPS L1 band interference by direct-to-device (D2D) mobile satellite services operating in 1,610 - 1,660.5 MHz frequencies. Under the proposal, new rules would apply to any D2D device operating in the L-band frequencies whose band emissions amount to more than -100 dBW/MHz across a 2 millisecond transmission interval. The regulati

GLOBAL 9 MRT

SNS-JU sparks dialogue about European 6G, AI vision and sovereignty

The EU's Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS-JU) kicked off Mobile World Congress 2026 Barcelona with an opening session centred on Europe's vision for next-generation connectivity. Focusing on future 6G networks, AI and cloud-to-edge infrastructure, the session started with a talk by SNS-JU's executive director Erzsébet Fitori and Colin Willcock, chair of the governing board and the 6G Industry Association, who relayed SNS-JU's successes in fuelling Europe's 6G ambitions. The session left li

JAPAN 9 MRT

Japan to test Level 4 autonomous driving communications

Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications (MIC) has launched a public call for consortiums to conduct demonstrations of communications systems supporting Level 4 autonomous driving as part of its Regional Community DX Promotion Package project. The initiative aims to verify the reliability and operational requirements of communications infrastructure needed for safe and efficient Level 4 autonomous vehicle operations.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 9 MRT

KT to serve as first chair of Korean AI Network Alliance

Korea Telecom (KT) will serve as the first representative chair company of the South Korea's AI Network Alliance (AINA), according to Maeil Business, citing company sources. AINA, or the AI Network Alliance, has been established to support the development of high-performance AI network infrastructure and to promote an industry ecosystem around AI networking technologies.

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Background

6 MRT 16:00

The week in telecom: MWC brings 5G advances, AI and satellite integration, plus first robot phone

1 MRT 13:21

The week in telecoms: Paramount tops bidding for WBD, Samsung S26 kicks off MWC showcase

23 FEB 00:28

The week in telecoms: Liberty Global tackles cable vs fibre question, Orange promises dividends and MEA market goes wholesale

16 FEB 00:17

The week in telecoms: Cisco rides AI investment wave and European telcos invest in South America