Beijing pushes major Chinese telcos to raise dividends

Beijing pushes China Telecom, China Mobile to raise dividends

Three major Chinese telcos are dramatically changing their financial strategies and shifting from reducing capital costs to offering higher dividend yields.

As reported by Nikkei Asia, this shift is linked to the increasing interest from the Chinese government in the performance of the stock market and its directive to accord more importance to shareholder returns within state-owned enterprises.

China Telecom followed this logic but took it a step further, as interim...

22 August 2024 | 5G

Social security numbers exposed in National Public Data breach

Social security numbers exposed in National Public Data breach

National Public Data, a background check service, has fallen victim to hackers. The company's database was sold on the internet, making the crucial data available for anyone.

According to BleepingComputer, the compromised database includes extensive personal data, featuring millions of people's social security numbers, as well as their cell and home phone numbers, among other details.

The company disclosed that the potentially breached information includes names, email...

21 August 2024 | Networks

Huawei eyes Asia-Pacific growth with AI cloud services

Huawei eyes Asia-Pacific growth with AI cloud services

Huawei is eyeing the Asia-Pacific as a prime market for its AI offerings, buoyed by the 20-fold expansion of its public cloud service in the region over the past four years despite US-led sanctions.

Jacqueline Shi, President of Global Marketing and Services at Huawei Cloud, announced at a Bangkok media briefing on August 15th: "For our next step in the region, we will continue to provide comprehensive AI solutions." These include the Ascend Cloud Service, the ModelArts AI...

20 August 2024 | Networks

SK Telecom and Nokia introduce fibre environment sensing

SK Telecom and Nokia are joining forces to implement fibre sensing technology, an innovative approach to detecting environmental changes that could affect optical cables in fixed networks.

This collaboration aims to enhance network safety and prevent potential damage by monitoring earthquakes, climate changes, and construction-related issues near fixed networks.

This partnership will utilise machine learning tools to process and analyse data generated by commercial...

19 August 2024 | Broadband

T-Mobile and KKR to broaden US fibre network with Metronet acquisition

T-Mobile and KKR announce strategic acquisition of Metronet to broaden U.S. fibre network

T-Mobile has entered into a joint venture (JV) with KKR to acquire Metronet in a move that will significantly expand T-Mobile's fibre footprint. Metronet, it's worth noting, is currently the fastest-growing pure-play fibre company in the US.

"This is a unique opportunity and a smart, capital-efficient deal that enables T-Mobile to profitably build on our success in broadband and provide fast, affordable, and reliable connectivity options to millions more customers nationwide as a...

25 July 2024 | Broadband

Singtel and SK Telecom forge partnership to pioneer 6G development

Singtel and SK Telecom forge strategic partnership to pioneer 6G development

Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) and SK Telecom (SKT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to a two-year collaboration focused on developing next-generation networks, with a particular emphasis on 6G technology.

This strategic partnership aims to significantly enhance network performance and security, elevate customer experience, and drive innovation across the telecommunications industry.

The head of ICT infrastructure at SK Telecom, as...

22 July 2024 | 6G

AT&T data breach affects 109 million US customers

Data breach at AT&T affects 109 million U.S. customer accounts

AT&T has disclosed a significant cybersecurity incident that has sent ripples through the security and tech communities.

The breach, which occurred in April, resulted in the unauthorised access and download of data from approximately 109 million customer accounts, primarily consisting of call and text records from 2022.

Scope and nature of the breach

According to Reuters, the scale of this breach is particularly alarming, affecting nearly all of AT&T's...

16 July 2024 | AT&T

Apple issues spyware warnings to iPhone users across 98 countries

Apple issues new spyware warnings to iPhone users across 98 countries

So far, Apple has issued a new round of threat notifications to iPhone users in 98 countries, informing them that mercenary Pegasus spyware may be used on their phones.

This is the second such notification campaign from the tech giant this year, following a similar effort in April that reached users in 92 countries.

As per a support document on Apple's website, the company has been regularly issuing these notifications since 2021, and they have resonated with users in...

15 July 2024 | Security

The 5G journey in Malaysia: Progress and future prospects

The 5G journey for Malaysia: Progress and future prospects

Significant progress has been made on the ground in Malaysia, where populated areas reported coverage of 81.7%—an impressive figure considering that Korea and Singapore had barely reached those levels by September and October.

Malaysia achieved 80 per cent coverage in populated areas (CoPA) by late 2023, building on historic progress.

Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching recently informed the Dewan Rakyat that a total of 7,114 sites have been deployed across...

9 July 2024 | 5G

Nokia to acquire Infinera and sell submarine network business for €350M

Nokia to acquire Infinera to boost optical networks and sell submarine network business for € 350 million

Nokia has announced an agreement to acquire Infinera, a global supplier of innovative open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors.

The transaction values Infinera at $6.65 per share, equating to an enterprise value of US$2.3 billion, as shared by the company. This represents a 28% premium to Infinera's closing share price on June 26, 2024, and a 37% premium to the trailing 180-day volume-weighted average price.

The acquisition structure allows...

28 June 2024 | Networks