• Microsoft issues Q-day warning
• Veon hooks up with Mastercard
• IOH helps form wholesale fibre operator

In today’s industry news roundup: Microsoft and ETSI both remind the industry that post-quantum cryptography may be needed in just a few years as Q-day deadlines get shorter; Veon is advancing its group mobile finance strategy with Mastercard; IOH spins its fibre assets into a new wholesale operator in Indonesia; and much more!

AI might be dominating strategic plans and conversations right now, but the telecom sector needs to make sure it doesn’t take its eye off the need for quantum-safe communications because it looks like ‘Q-day’ might come sooner than expected. Microsoft has warned that, due to multiple developments and factors, planning for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is no longer “distant” because “advances in quantum research and development have shifted the risk horizon. We believe cryptographically relevant quantum computers could arrive sooner than previously expected” and while the US and French governments have identified 2030 as the year in which quantum-safe cryptography should start to be adopted, Microsoft is “accelerating the Microsoft Quantum Safe Program (QSP) timeline and the goal is to transition products and services to PQC by 2029,” it notes in this blog.  

Microsoft published its blog shortly after ETSI noted that speakers and attendees at its recent Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference in Ottawa, Canada, had “emphasised the urgency of preparing for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and the need to start investing now, as migration takes time and the quantum transition is highly complex.” Importantly it added: “Post-quantum cryptography alone is not sufficient. Long-term resilience will require a broader strategy incorporating cryptographic agility, trust diversity, defence-in-depth and new approaches to trust establishment and key management… Speakers repeated that the quantum threat is real and pointed out the importance of international collaboration which is more important than ever… While the precise timeline for mature quantum technology remains uncertain, it is increasingly clear that organisations must prepare for a future in which cryptographic assumptions can no longer be taken for granted. Cryptographic resilience is becoming a prerequisite for trustworthy AI-enabled societies.” 

Back to Microsoft… It has announced the formation of Microsoft Frontier Company, which it describes as “a new operating business focused on delivering Frontier Transformation through AI for our customers around the world. It will provide a unique combination of skills inclusive of deep industry knowledge, change management and continuous improvement experience, and enterprise-grade AI engineering expertise. This goes beyond what has been labelled as forward-deployed engineering (FDE) and will be the largest, most capable, outcome-driven engineering organisation in the industry,” boasted the big tech giant in this announcement. The new business comes with a $2.5bn investment and plans to embed 6,000 staff with customers “to co-design, co-innovate, deploy and continuously improve AI systems at scale based on measurable business outcomes.” 

Veon has teamed up with Mastercard to “accelerate the development of inclusive, intelligent and accessible financial services across Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan,” the international operator noted in this announcement. The partners will combine their respective digital finance and financial services expertise and integrate Veon’s local digital platforms with Mastercard’s global payments network and supporting technology in an effort to develop a range of services, including “AI-powered credit scoring, embedded finance and digital wallets” (subject to applicable regulatory requirements). Such a collaboration is addressing a very real need: Veon, citing data from the GSMA, notes there are more than 2 billion registered mobile money accounts globally, “demonstrating the growing role of mobile-enabled financial services in expanding access to the digital economy, particularly across emerging markets.” Veon Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu noted: “At Veon, we believe access to financial services is a foundation for a better life. This means a farmer in Kazakhstan, a small-business owner in Kyiv or a family in Karachi could benefit from financial tools that were previously out of reach. Our local presence and sovereign platforms, combined with Mastercard’s global capabilities, help turn connectivity into greater economic opportunity for the people and communities we serve.”

Still with Veon… It has committed an initial $250m to an initiative – “Invest in Bangladesh NOW” – that aims to attract a total of $1bn in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Bangladesh, with a view to accelerating digital and financial inclusion in the country: Veon is the parent company of Banglalink, one of the country’s leading communications and digital service providers. The financial contribution is linked to Veon’s efforts to “establish a comprehensive digital finance ecosystem in Bangladesh. Leveraging its global fintech expertise, the company aims to provide accessible digital banking, microfinance and micro-insurance services to millions of underserved Bangladeshis, supporting digital and financial inclusion and helping individuals and small businesses build greater economic opportunity.”

Indonesian telco Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) has folded its fibre infrastructure assets and operations into a new independent wholesale unit called PT Infra Fibre Teknologi (IFT), which is majority owned (50.1%) by investment firm Arsari Group, IOH announced in this press release (in Indonesian). In return for transferring its assets to the new company, IOH will receive 11.7tn rupiah ($650m). In a post on LinkedIn, IOH CEO Vikram Sinha said the move would “strengthen Indonesia’s digital backbone” to enable next-gen services, such as AI and cloud. IFT will operate more than 86,000km of fibre infrastructure across Indonesia, spanning terrestrial, domestic subsea and access networks, governed as an independent, open-access platform, noted IOH. According to the telco, which will of course be an anchor customer for the new wholesale company, IFT’s top priorities are “accelerating infrastructure development in underserved areas, expanding wholesale partnerships with telecommunications operators and hyperscalers, and building the operational capabilities needed to meet the high-capacity connectivity needs ready to support the development of AI in Indonesia.”

Vodafone is working with the government of Ireland to test satellite technology for emergency and public service organisations. Ireland’s Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and Vodafone Ireland said they have successfully trialled a number of satellite use cases, including a live test call on Clare Island, County Mayo, in partnership with Vodafone’s satellite venture Satellite Connect Europe. The trial connected to AST SpaceMobile’s (Vodafone’s joint venture partner) low-earth orbit constellation through a standard smartphone, demonstrating how satellites can be used to support voice and data services for frontline responders operating in remote locations. Representatives from Vodafone on Clare Island named David Lund as coordinator of the European Union Critical Communications Service (EUCCS) in the UK. They even posted a video of the trial, which you can watch here.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given the thumbs up for T-Mobile US to offload its 800MHz spectrum to Grain Management, in a deal that will also see it acquire more 600MHz frequencies. As a result of the agreement, T-Mobile US will transfer its 800MHz licences to private investment firm Grain in exchange for $2.9bn in cash, as well as the investor’s 600MHz spectrum. The divestment of the 800MHz licences was a condition of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger. While the regulator granted approval for the deal, it also warned that “strict conditions” would be imposed on Grain to prevent it potentially hoarding 800MHz spectrum. The FCC said the licences Grain was acquiring had been “underutilised in recent years”, so the regulator has imposed buildout deadlines of three and eight years (Grain had asked for six and 12). It also granted waivers that will encourage Grain to partner with satellite companies by allowing for “technological flexibility”.

KT-owned wholesale carrier Epsilon has partnered with Spanish internet exchange ESpanix to provide flexible, low-latency and scalable connectivity between the Iberian Peninsula and global markets. The collaboration means ESpanix customers in Barcelona and Madrid will gain immediate access to Singapore-based Epsilon’s global network, which spans six continents and hundreds of cloud regions. ESpanix’s exchange will be added to Epsilon’s network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform, Infiny, offering further links into the rest of the Iberian region (Spain and Portugal) and terrestrial and subsea cable landing stations in Barcelona, Valencia, Almería, Lisbon and Bilbao.

Dutch operator KPN has signed a five-year extension of its partnership with AI customer experience firm Future Connections, for the provision of technical services for customers across the Netherlands. KPN first began working with Future Connections in 2018, with the latter proving its customer experience, assurance, RAN optimisation and automation solutions through its managed telco services business unit. The partnership, which also includes the provision of field engineering services, was further extended in 2024, but the scope has been broadened from the southern region of the country to cover the entire Netherlands. Claartje Mangert, EVP of customer delivery at KPN, said: “We are pleased to entrust Future Connections with the delivery of part of KPN’s B2C technical delivery and support services to customers across the country”.

– The staff, TelecomTV