Eutelsat and Orange form multi-year partnership to deliver LEO connectivity globally
10 June 2025
Eutelsat Group and Orange have announced a multi-year agreement that enables the telecom giant to leverage the Eutelsat OneWeb constellation to offer low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity services to enterprise and government customers worldwide, with a focus on Africa and the Middle East.
According to Eutelsat, Orange’s strategic investment aims to enhance its satellite service offerings by providing high-throughput, low-latency, resilient, and sovereign connectivity solutions. These services are designed to ensure reliable communication regardless of location, supporting global mobile backhauling and bridging connectivity gaps in underserved and remote areas.
Find out more Vodacom considers alternative fibre opportunities if Maziv merger falls through
27 May 2025
Vodacom Group is exploring other opportunities in the fibre optic sector across its African markets, should its merger and acquisition plans with Maziv not proceed, according to CEO Shameel Joosub.
While no specific country was mentioned, South Africa remains a potential market, and Vodacom emphasizes that numerous opportunities exist within its existing operations. The company intends to focus on strengthening its position through partnerships rather than pursuing new market entries.
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The future of communications: embracing the power of photonics
06 May 2025
Chris Wright, CTO, Red Hat; and a member of the Board of Directors at the IOWN Global Forum
As we stand on the brink of a new technological era, the way we build and manage communication networks must evolve. The increasing demand for high-speed, low-latency, and energy-efficient networks is accelerating the transition from electronic to photonic infrastructure. To enable truly smart cities, power AI innovation, and drive sustainable industries, we need communication networks that operate at the speed of light.
High-speed, sustainable networks
The future of communications networks lies in shifting from electrons to photons. This transition is essential for meeting the demands of AI infrastructure, real-time data processing, and global connectivity. All-photonics networks (APNs) hold the key to unlocking these capabilities while significantly reducing power consumption. A fully optical network not only increases speed and bandwidth but also enables more sustainable digital ecosystems.
As we accelerate this transition, it’s crucial to keep sustainability at the forefront. The environmental benefits of APNs are profound — offering reduced energy consumption and lower operational costs for organisations. Recognising this, Red Hat, in collaboration with IOWN Global Forum members, has established an Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Task Force.
Action needed on security measures for physical critical communications infrastructure
05 May 2025
In the telecommunications world, there is increasing visibility of and debates around cybersecurity – protecting the networks from digital attacks. Yet there should also be emphasis on the security of the physical infrastructure.
TCCA’s Legal and Regulatory Working Group (LRWG) aims to focus the attention of critical communications providers to the importance of the issue, with the goal of catalysing the creation of a global standard for the physical security of infrastructure supporting critical communications.
Why is this important now? Because most of the current critical communication networks using narrowband technologies such as TETRA, Tetrapol and P25, are owned and operated by the state, and their physical security is assured by the state to the extent deemed necessary. However, the emerging use of commercial mobile operator (MNO) networks to support broadband critical communications, particularly as Radio Access Networks, is changing the operating model.
