• AT&T plots five-year $250bn spending spree 
• Networking sales drive HPE’s Q1 growth
• DE-CIX expands in Bulgaria

In today’s industry news roundup: AT&T has pledged to invest $250bn over the next five years to develop an infrastructure base that can cope with future demands; HPE’s fiscal first-quarter sales grew by 18%, driven by high demand for its networking products; German internet exchange DE-CIX takes control of Bulgarian facility; and more!

AT&T says it is “committing more than $250bn over five years to build the best and largest network” in the US, “with the capabilities and resilience required for the next era of innovation and economic growth.” The telco says its investments will “deliver unmatched coverage for more than 100 million customers on the nation’s largest fibre and wireless networks” and that it is “deploying networking infrastructure required to meet the ever-increasing demand for reliable, always-on connectivity across urban, suburban and rural America.” AT&T chairman and CEO John Stankey noted: “Current federal telecommunications policy is as strong as I’ve seen in my career, making our commitment to invest possible. We look forward to serving American communities and businesses for the next 150 years.” Vendors shouldn’t get too excited though – this doesn’t mean an average of $50bn in capex for the next five years as this number appears to cover all expenditure, including the cost of having a workforce of 110,000 staff. That said, AT&T is among the few operators aiming to spend more on capex this year – in late January it reported full year capital investments of just over $22bn in 2025, and planned capital investments in the range of $23bn to $24bn each year for the 2026-28 period. 

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), which last July completed its $14bn acquisition of Juniper Networks, has reported revenues of $9.3bn, up 18% year on year, for its fiscal first quarter that ended on 31 January. Its Networking division, which comprises Juniper Networks and HPE’s former Intelligent Edge operations, reported a 151.5% increase in sales to $2.7bn, with datacentre networking products generating $444m of those revenues, an increase of 382.6%. Antonio Neri, the vendor’s president and CEO, stated: “HPE delivered a strong first quarter, outperforming in our networking business and posting one of our most profitable quarters on record. Our Q1 results reflect our newly combined networking innovation, and effective operational discipline in a dynamic commodity supply environment. Demand for our products and solutions was strong, with orders increasing double digits year over year across all segments,” added Neri.

German internet exchange DE-CIX has acquired a majority stake in Bulgaria’s largest carrier-neutral internet exchange, BIX.BG. The investment expands on an existing relationship between the two IXs (internet exchanges) and will see new services introduced at the Sofia-based BIX, while its management will be “strengthened” and more international networks connected into its ecosystem. DE-CIX said the move will strengthen its presence in the Balkans by complementing existing exchanges in Istanbul and Athens. BIX connects more than 130 networks and is distributed across 10 points of presence in Sofia, handling more than 11 terabits of connected customer capacity, with peak traffic exceeding 1.3 Tbit/s. No financial information was disclosed for the deal, which sees BIX become a subsidiary of the DE-CIX Group.

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has partnered with infrastructure-as-a-service provider Ontix to deploy small cell solutions in the UK city of Bath. Working with Bath and North East Somerset Council, O2 and Ontix deployed small cells in some of the busiest locations inside the city, which is known for its Roman architecture and picturesque shopping areas. The upgrades are part of O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan in which the telco plans to invest £700m in its network, expanding 4G and 5G coverage across the UK. The first small cells are already live, with more to be deployed throughout 2025 and into 2026.

– The staff, TelecomTV