• Nokia to take Vodafone network APIs to market
• Ooredoo to spin off international networks business
• Ofcom gives green light to VMO2’s D2D service

In today’s industry news roundup: Nokia is adding Vodafone’s anti-fraud and authentication network APIs to its Network as Code platform; Middle East operator is creating a new business to let its international networks business flourish; UK regulator has approved a variation to VMO2’s spectrum licence that enables it to offer direct-to-device services in partnership with Starlink; and more!

Nokia is expanding its security portfolio after announcing it will include Vodafone Group’s network APIs within its anti-fraud and authentication products from April onward, the companies have announced. The tools will be made available to app developers serving Nokia’s business, government and consumer customers through the Finnish vendor’s Network as Code (NaC) platform: It follows a similar deal with Bharti Airtel announced last year. Vodafone’s APIs are built on open-source CAMARA standards and include customisable anti-fraud functions such as age checks, information verification, and active phone number confirmation. Johanna Wood, Vodafone’s director of network APIs, said: “Working together with Nokia, we will give developers worldwide the resources they need to help businesses combat fraud and provide enhanced digital experiences for their customers.”

Middle East operator Ooredoo Group has revealed plans to spin off its international connectivity and subsea business into an independent unit named Ooredoo Fibre Networks (OFN), which will be headed up by Khalid Hassan Al-Hamadi, who most recently led the Qatari telco’s Maldives unit. The separation is expected to be complete at some point in 2027, with OFN tasked to invest in and grow Ooredoo’s submarine cables and high-capacity terrestrial fibre networks, such as the ongoing Fibre-in-Gulf system that is currently one of the largest cable projects region, linking seven countries in the Middle East. Announcing the move, Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo identified subsea cables and terrestrial fibre as “among the most strategic digital assets in the world” adding that the creation of OFN – which follows a similar move to spinoff its regional data centre business last year into Syntys – would give the firm a “focused platform to scale our investments” and capitalise on growth opportunities such as AI and cloud.

UK regulator Ofcom has given the green light to Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) to launch direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services later this year: The UK telco announced a partnership with Starlink last year, VMO2 had applied for a variation to its telecom licence to allow it to offer satellite services, which Ofcom has now granted under new regulations that were announced last year and are due to come in force on 26 February. It is the first licence variation confirmed by Ofcom under the new rules, and paves the way for VMO2 to launch O2 Satellite, which will initially offer messaging and data services, with further services set to follow.

The government of Vietnam has granted a licence to SpaceX to launch its Starlink satellite services in the country following a trial last year. Local reports suggest Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology has granted licences covering fixed and mobile satellite networks to the Elon Musk-owned firm’s local unit, Starlink Services Vietnam. The approvals allow Starlink to build transmission and reception infrastructure in Vietnam on a permanent basis and offer internet access to up to 600,000 terminals initially, while making Vietnam the sixth country in South East Asia where Starlink services are available.

– The staff, TelecomTV