We take a weekly look at mobile and tech stories from around the world. Headlines include… European Telecom Giants Threaten Legal Battle Against SpaceX Over Starlink Emissions, Telecom Stocks Set to Surge as Industry Outlook Brightens, Nokia Exposes Telecom Cyberattack Surge and more… Alternatively listen On MEF Radio.
European telecom companies, including Vodafone and Orange, are considering legal action against SpaceX if the FCC relaxes radio emission rules for Starlink.
They warn that easing these limits could harm mobile networks and service quality, leading to potential legal claims.
SpaceX has requested a waiver to improve real-time communications, especially during emergencies, but telecoms argue it could cause interference.
Despite Starlink’s rapid growth, resistance from telecoms backing rival AST SpaceMobile persists.
The outlook for European telecom companies is improving, driven by prospects of greater pricing power and industry consolidation, according to Andrew Lee of Goldman Sachs Research.
Regulatory shifts toward enhancing Europe’s competitiveness are boosting optimism in the sector, which has faced stagnant growth for years.
Lee notes that this positive outlook isn’t fully reflected in forecasts or investor expectations, potentially acting as a catalyst for higher stock prices.
His comments followed discussions at Goldman Sachs’ European Communacopia Conference, where telecom and Mario Draghi’s report on EU competitiveness were key topics.
According to a Dell’Oro Group report, telecom operators are reducing investments in 5G and fixed broadband technologies, with worldwide telecom capex declining 10% year-over-year in the first half of 2024.
Factors influencing this trend include excess inventory, weaker demand in China, India, and the U.S., challenging 5G comparisons, and high uncertainty.
Dell’Oro noted that stagnant revenue growth and difficulties in monetizing new technologies are affecting the industry’s risk appetite and capital investment.
Additionally, the narrowing gap in technology adoption between advanced and less advanced regions is impacting investment intensity.
A new report from Nokia reveals a sharp rise in cyberattacks on telecom infrastructure, with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks increasing from a few daily incidents to over 100 per day on many networks.
The surge is largely driven by insecure IoT devices, which spread malware.
North America is hardest hit due to its vast networks, while Western Europe faces cyber espionage and financial data breaches.
Advanced technologies like GenAI, used for defense, are also enabling more sophisticated attacks, and quantum computing is introducing new security threats.
The Global Telecom Order Management Market, valued at $2.25 billion in 2018, is projected to reach $6.5 billion by 2026, growing at a 14.3% Compound annual growth rate, according to a Allied Market Research study.
Cloud services are expected to drive significant growth as telecom companies adopt them to enhance performance and expand their customer base, boosting revenue.
Telecom order management systems enable efficient management and modification of telecom services, offering flexibility and customer order tracking.
Market growth is driven by rising network installations in rural areas and increasing connected devices.
Advanced technologies like AI and big data present opportunities, though skilled specialists and compatibility issues pose challenges.
North America leads the market, while Asia-Pacific is expected to see the fastest growth due to digital transformation.
Key players include IBM, Oracle, Ericsson, Infosys, and Wipro.
The US government and Microsoft have seized 107 websites used by the Russian intelligence group Star Blizzard, linked to the FSB, targeting phishing campaigns against Microsoft customers.
The Justice Department took control of 41 domains, while Microsoft seized 66.
Active since at least 2016, the group tricked victims into revealing sensitive information through legitimate-looking emails.
These takedowns aim to disrupt their operations and force them to change tactics.
OpenAI has requested investors to avoid supporting rival startups like Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI while raising $6.6 billion, valuing the company at $157 billion.
The deal bolsters the company efforts to build the world’s leading generative AI technology.
CEO Sam Altman emphasized exclusive funding arrangements, which may limit competitors’ access to capital and escalate tensions with rivals, particularly Musk, who is suing OpenAI.
Venture capitalists often face challenges investing in competing firms due to sensitive information, but exclusivity is uncommon.
Oracle will invest $6.5 billion to build a cloud services center in Malaysia, creating a network of data centers for corporate clients.
The initiative will provide access to Nvidia chips for generative AI development and underscores Southeast Asia’s growth as a hub for cloud services, supported by available land and government backing.
OpenAI is launching a real-time voice assistant feature for businesses to integrate into their applications through its API, allowing for realistic spoken interactions in services like customer support and travel apps.
The announcement was made at a San Francisco developer event, where OpenAI also showcased new API features amid ongoing staff changes.
A demo showed the assistant placing a call without revealing its AI identity, raising privacy concerns.
While OpenAI recommends informing users when AI is involved, it doesn’t enforce strict disclosure rules.
Initially teased in May and delayed for safety, the feature is now accessible to all paying ChatGPT customers.
