• Deutsche Telekom joins Europe’s giant sovereign satellite project 
• More satellite sector news from SES, Intelsat, Orange and Eutelsat
• Ciena reports a near 24% hike in Q2 sales

In today’s industry news roundup: Deutsche Telekom has been signed up to provide terrestrial network and IT support for Europe’s next-generation satellite constellation, Iris2; SES is believed to be on the cusp of gaining EU support for its acquisition of Intelsat, while Orange has struck a new deal with Eutelsat/OneWeb; cloud service providers drive major sales growth at Ciena; and much more!

Deutsche Telekom says it is to “support” Europe’s Iris2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security via Satellite) project, which will provide secure services to European Union member states via 282 satellites – 264 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and 18 medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellites – and for which contracts worth €10.6bn over 12 years were struck late last year. Deutsche Telekom is to “design advanced IT and datacentre services, secure [wide area] networks and a 5G core network” to support the constellation, which “strengthens Europe’s technological sovereignty,” noted DT in this announcement. “Connectivity from space will enhance different domains in the future. These include, for example, surveillance, civil protection, crisis management, the protection of critical infrastructure and the issues of national security and resilience in Europe,” noted the telco, which added that it will also deliver broadband connectivity for business and individual users. Claudia Nemat, who is soon to be succeeded as DT’s board member for technology and innovation by Abdu Mudesir, stated: “Our continent needs connectivity that is both secure and modern. With Iris2, we achieve exactly that and strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty. Telekom is contributing to the cross-border digital infrastructure of tomorrow, always with the focus on people.” 

Still with DT… It has teamed up with Juniper Networks to develop Telekom SD-WAN, a move that, according to the telco, “brings enterprise-grade networking to mid-sized companies, previously accessible only to large corporations. The technology prioritises reliable performance for critical applications even under heavy loads, while artificial intelligence can detect and resolve issues proactively before issues impact the end user experience,” according to DT’s announcement. 

Back to the satellite sector now… Reuters reports that SES is set to receive unconditional approval from European Union competition regulators for its planned $3.1bn acquisition of Intelsat, which was first announced in April 2024. The deal, which at least one satellite industry expert has described as a “significant milestone” in the satellite communications sector (should it go ahead), has already been cleared by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The US Department of Justice and US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are still reviewing the deal. 

Meanwhile, Orange has struck a new multi-year agreement with French satellite network operator Eutelsat, which includes LEO satellite operator OneWeb as part of its portfolio. “Through this latest investment, Orange aims to strengthen its satellite solutions portfolio with LEO connectivity solutions providing high throughput, low latency, resilient and sovereign services to its enterprise and government customers wherever they are located and support mobile backhauling globally,” noted Orange in this announcement. “By combining OneWeb’s satellite coverage with its terrestrial networks, Orange will deliver seamless continuity of service and enhanced security as part of a digital inclusion approach for businesses allowing them to access critical services even in the most complex environments and underserved or remote areas of the globe,” it added.  

Giant optical equipment vendor Ciena reported a 23.6% rise in fiscal second-quarter revenues to almost $1.13bn for the three months that ended 3 May, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) (excluding one-time items) leaped by 36% to $116.7m. “Our strong fiscal second-quarter results demonstrate our continued global leadership in high-speed connectivity with growing momentum across all of our business segments,” stated long-time CEO Gary Smith. “With accelerating demand driven by cloud and AI, our performance is validating the durability of a positive network infrastructure spending environment. As a result, we have strong visibility and are very confident in both our continued growth and our ability to drive additional operating leverage over time," he added. Those are very encouraging numbers, but not good enough for Wall Street, as the vendor’s non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.42 was lower than financial analysts had anticipated and Ciena’s share price slipped by 1.8% to $82.41 in pre-market trading on Thursday. Despite that, the stock is still 70% up compared to a year ago, reflecting the solid demand for optical networking equipment to support datacentre interconnect services: In the second quarter, 38% of Ciena’s revenues came from cloud service providers (datacentre operators), up from 25% a year ago. Also worth noting is that the vendor’s Blue Planet division, which develops automation software for network operators, reported revenues of $28m for the quarter, a year-on-year increase of almost 100%. 

Vietnam’s MobiFone has turned to Rakuten Symphony for a 4G/5G Open RAN pilot project that will “position MobiFone… as one of the first mobile operators in South-east Asia to deploy Open RAN, showcase the technology as a viable and efficient solutions for mobile network expansion, and provide technical validation to support commercial operations of an Open RAN technology in Vietnam,” according to Rakuten Symphony. Vinh Tuan Bao, deputy general director at MobiFone, stated: “Our vision for 2030 is to become Vietnam’s leading technology corporation, taking the lead in building the nation’s digital infrastructure. On this journey, 5G is positioned as a key foundational pillar, playing an essential role not only as a technological breakthrough but also as a transformative platform that redefines societal operations and production methods. MobiFone has identified Open RAN as a strategic pathway to gradually establish technological autonomy in next-generation mobile networks. We firmly believe that with Rakuten Symphony’s proven expertise and MobiFone’s unwavering commitment, this collaboration will extend far beyond a mere proof of concept. It will pave the way for deeper, more comprehensive partnerships in the near future.”

– The staff, TelecomTV