The Digital Digest

Saf brings us the details of Digital 9's latest acquisition in Ireland and a round-up of recent deals.

Natalie has updates on the rapidly expanding connectivity landscape of the Middle East, where this week Zain's wholesale subsidiary launched the J2M subsea cable and AMS-IX has said it will co-develop six new exchanges across the GCC.

Heading back to the Pacific, Alan covers the news that Digicel is facing a tax wrangle in PNG as it sells its Pacific operations to Telstra.

This week we are joined by Raluca Cousson-Postoarca, head of innovation at Orange Business Services. Raluca talks to Natalie about enterprise advances and gender diversity at the now female-led telco.

Season 4, episode 13 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com and don't forget to register for International Telecoms Weekand Subsea World.

Over in Dubai for Capacity Middle East, Natalie brings us the details on Alliance Networks, a new digital infrastructure services company, aiming to bridge high speed connectivity infrastructure with data centres and exchange platforms. And Saf covers new latest from Iraq, where DE-CIX is to operate an IX under its as-a-service model.

Joining the conversation this week, the newly-appointed director of the ITW Global Leaders' Forum, Annabel Helm, talks about the importance of keeping the world connected in a fragmented marketplace – as well as the latest from the Forum.

Season 4, episode 12 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

To check out the 2022 GCA nominations page, click here and don't forget to catch up with our latest magazines, news and events online.

Following on from our interview with Ashley Yablon last week, Alan covers the latest from ZTE, which includes a leadership shakeup. And staying with the vendor theme, Saf talks about the UK's work to innovate and secure networks with the launch of UKTIN.

Meanwhile, in the world of subsea this week, Natalie brings us news of two major developments from Aqua Comms. CeltixConnect-2 and North Sea Connect have both launched, while its Havhingsten cable with Meta and Bulk – incidentally the world's first aluminium conductor powered subsea cable system – has gone live.

Season 4, episode 11 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com

Saf shares the details of his trip to MWC, which took place in Barcelona at the start of the month; Natalie explains how the world’s first half petabit trans-Atlantic subsea cable fits in with Meta's plans for the Metaverse; and Alan delves into the Viasat outage in Ukraine and the implications for telecoms infrastructure of all types.

Joining the conversation this week attorney-turned-whistle blower Ashley Yablon shares the inside scoop from his time as general counsel at ZTE's US subsidiary in Texas. Yablon informed the FBI that ZTE was illegally selling spy technology to Iran and the firm was fined $1.19 billion.

Season 4, episode 10 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. 

The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com

Natalie covers the industry's calls to action for Ukraine, and brings us the headlines from her interview with BICS CEO Matteo Gatta.

Alan cover the developments from OneWebsince last week and explains why the satellite operator has been forced to cancel its scheduled Baikonur launches.

Joining the conversation this week we speak to GLF members Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of Gulf Bridge Intl, and  Mohammed Al-Abbadi, the chief wholesale officer at STC, ahead of Capacity Middle East, which takes place in Dubai at the end of March.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com

Saf covers the news that Vodafone has put a $2.5 billion stake in Indus Towers on the market, while Alan has been reading up on a whitepaper published by NGMN, which predicts a series of 6G use cases.

Elsewhere, in the world of subsea, Natalie brings us an update on the near 20,000KM Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe (SEA-ME-WE 6) system.

Joining the conversation this week CEO of T5 Data Centers, Pete Marin, talks specialist facilities, federal cloud SLAs and quantum security.

Season 4, episode 7 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com

Natalie assesses Ofcom's latest reporton competition, which indicates the UK mobile market could be due for a significant shake-up – and she also brings us the inside scoop on Metro Connect USA 2022.

Saf brings us the latest from Norway, where telecoms regulator Nkom has conducted teststo determine whether 5G could interfere with altimeters in… helicopters. While Alan tells us all about his quantum adventurein London – and the silicon-based devices that are about to change the future of telecoms infrastructure.

Season 4, episode 6 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com

In a finance-themed episode, Saf covers the news that Vodafonehas a new shareholder and CEO Nick Read is backing consolidation across Europe. While over the pond, Alan covers AT&T's latest move as it offloads WarnerMedia to shareholders.

Joining the conversation this week, Ankit Agarwal, MD of STL, talks Evenstar, Open RAN and 5G in India and net zero targets.

Season 4, episode 5 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com and don't forget to nominate your top women from across the industry in our annual power listing.

Saf covers the news that Telecom Italia's new CEOis considering all options as KKR continues to circle the company. Natalie covers the latest from Bevan Slattery who has just launched a new digital investment vehicle, and Alan brings us the technical details behind Tonga's reconnection to the world.

Joining the conversation this week Braham Singh, the CEO of BDx, shares the company's scam-busting solution to tackle fake carbon credits and take the sustainability message beyond data centres.

Season 4, episode 3 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com and don't forget to  nominate your leading women in the industry for our 20 Women to Watch 2022.

Alan covers the news from the carrier formerly known as Telia– its rebrand has seen a new name and logo unveiled this week and the firm even has its own custom font. Meanwhile Saf explains why Vodafone's iSIMcould be a gamechanger for the mobile industry and Natalie brings us the latest on the US 5G saga, which has seen the aviation regulator delay C-band switch ons near airports across the country.

Joining the conversation this week Eli Katz, founder and CEO of XConnect, talks about CLI and protecting margins, alongside the massive changes coming for wholesale pricing.

Season 4, episode 3 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and edited by Richard Cosgrove. The episode features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com and don't forget to nominate your leading women in telecoms and tech in our 2022 Power List.

Natalie covers the news AFR-IX is building a new subsea cable system called Medusa for approximately €326 million. Saf brings us the latest on Telecom Italia'sCEO appointment saga – as well as updates on the buyout bid – while Alan cover the news that Colt Data Centre Services has secured 10 new land parcels across major markets.

Joining the conversation this week, Garry Connolly, the president and founder of Host in Ireland, gives us the inside scoop in Ireland's latest power requirements, and the other trends driving the industry on the Emerald Isle.

Season 4, episode 2 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik, and is edited by Richard Cosgrove.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com and don't forget to check out the 20 Women to Watchand Datacloud Awardsnomination portals.

Natalie brings us the big news from Exa Infrastructure, which is now an anchor tenant on the IONIAN subsea cable, as well as a partner in the project's deployment.

Saf covers the latest on EU roaming charges, following the latest "will they, won't they" developments from the UK's MNOs. And Alan looks to the skies to find out why OneWeb's launch schedule is up in the air.

Joining the conversation this week, Gerd Simon, chair of the Datacloud Awards judging panel shares his top tips for composing a winning entry, as well as his trends for 2022.

Season 4, episode 1 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Keep up with all the latest from our magazines, news and events over at Capacitymedia.com and don’t forget to nominate your top female leaders from across the industry for the 20 Women to Watch 2022 power list.

Natalie covers the OTT 2.0 debate that is unfolding in Europe – as network investments demands grow, should the tech companies contribute towards telco network capex?

Outlining a new money-maker for the industry, Saf explores the 2022 outlook from Analysys Mason, which said more will venture into gaming next year. And Alan brings us the headlines and highlights from the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, which states 5G will become the fastest deployed mobile generation to date.

Joining the conversation this week we welcome Andrew Lord, senior manager of optical networks and quantum research at BT. Andrew – who features in our December/January cover story – talks about QKD, global security solutions, hollow core fibre and the growing demand for quantum physicists.

Season 3, episode 12 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Before we finish for the year, a huge thanks to all the guests who joined us in 2021 – we've enjoyed each interview and we look forward to welcoming many more next year.

While we're away, catch up with our Dec/Jan magazine here, complete the State of the Industry Survey 2022, and keep up with the latest news across telecoms and data centresover at Capacitymedia.com.

Natalie brings us all the latest update on EllaLink's Equinix connection, which has seen the EllaLink subsea cable, connecting Europe and Latin America, go into service at Equinix IBX data centres SP4 in São Paulo, LS1 in Lisbon and MD2 in Madrid.

Saf covers the latest on Global Switch, which has been on the market for almost a year. This week it was reported that private equity giant KKR is weighing up an offer of $11 billion for the data centre company, which it continues to circle on TIM.

Season 3, episode 11 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

Don’t forget to register for our last two events of the year, Datacloud Nordics and Capacity Asia, and check out our latest magazines, news and events.

Alan cover the news that Viasat is to buy its UK-based rival Inmarsat for US$7.3 billion – and why it signals the start of a new trend in satellite. While Natalie explains why Ufinetexecs have met with the president of Ecuador and pledged US$250 million in projects to the country.

Joining the conversation this week is VP and CTO of connectivity at Capgemini Engineering, Shamik Mishra. Shamik explains why Open RAN isn't just about economics, its progress in India, and why the industry must come together – on many things.

Season 3, episode 10 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and deputy editor Natalie Bannerman

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Alan cover the news that Amazon will launch its first Project Kuiper satellites at the end of 2022, in preparation for a new 400Mbps network and, tackling the latest twist in the OTT debate, Saf brings us the insight on how Netflix move into mobile gaming will impact network infrastructure.

Joining the conversation this week Stephanie Lynch-Habib, CMO of the GSMA, talks about Mobile World Congress LA, the future of events, and the association's environmental research and activities around COP26.

Season 3, episode 9 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and reporter Saf Malik.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Alan covers the news that the FCC has its first female chair– and she's already pressing on with the country's telecoms agenda.

Bringing us the latest developments from Poland, Saf covers this week's news from UPC and after interviewing Orange's climate officer, previews his upcoming feature on data centre sustainability.

Meanwhile, Natalie covers the news that Telstra is to acquire Digicel Pacific for $1.6 billion – and also explains what it means for the region.

Joining the conversation this week we talk to Aayush Barot, CCO at Bankai Group, who talks about the rise of APIs, messaging and tackling fraud in wholesale.

Season 3, episode 8 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Alan covers the news that OneWebcould be turning to the newly set up commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation for future launches.

Natalie brings us all the latest updates from Spain, where Adamo Telecom has a new owner and competition dynamics are heating up.

On the road again, this week Saf goes to Antwerp to visit the new Orange 5G Lab where he saw robotic arms, a top secret data centre and the Orange security centre.

Joining the conversation this week Nigel Bayliff, CEO of Aqua Comms, talks about the first Atlantic subsea cable, the Aqua Comms project whiteboard, and the maximum capacity cables of the future.

Season 2, episode 7 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Alan cover the news that BT and Toshiba are to build the ‘world’s first’ quantum metro network in London – and a little bit in Bristol. Natalie brings us all the latest updates from Orangefollowing its European press and analyst day in London this week. And Saf covers the latest Operator Connect developments, which as the team concludes, is likely to signal the end of the landline.

Joining the conversation this week CEO of Exa Infrastructure, Martijn Blanken, talks about the challenges of acquiring an infrastructure portfolio – and how Exa Infrastructure will build it out (among other things).

Season 2, episode 6 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and deputy editor Natalie Bannerman

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Natalie explains the tech and strategy driving the 2Africa cable, which is now on track to become the world's longest, while here in the UK, Alan shares his story of the Crosslake Fibre deployment from Brighton this week.

Alan also covers the news that Microsoft is set to dominate the enterprise voice market - and make good on its Skype acquisition - following announcements this week from AT&T, NTT, Colt and Liquid.

And, live from central London, Saf brings us the latest from Datacloud UK & Ireland – on-site at a real conference!

Joining the conversation this week, we hear from Jerry Gerami, VP of wholesale solutions at AT&T. Jerry talks fibre, satellites and rural openRAN.

Season 3, episode 5 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik

Visit Capacitymedia.com to keep up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Ahead of the full interview in the next issue of Capacity, Natalie covers the news that GTT is "getting back to its roots" with an enterprise focus, while in the US, AT&T has offloaded Playdemic to EA for US$1.4 billion.

Joining us for the first time, Capacity'snew reporter Saf Malik covers the news that Ericssonhas a new – albeit surprise – contract for its 5G kit in Asia, while Europe's 5G speeds are under the spotlight.

Season 3, episode 4 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features deputy editor Natalie Bannerman and reporter Saf Malik.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events. You can also register for DataCloud UK&I, Capacity Europe and the Global Carrier Awards.

Natalie covers the news that BT has completed 'the world’s first' trial of quantum key distribution (QKD) over hollow core fibre cable – and explains how hollow core fibre works – while in Latin America, Cable & Wireless Panamá has agreed to acquire Claro Panama.

Meanwhile, Alan brings us the breaking news from GTT – more of which can be found online here.

Joining the conversation this week we welcome Helios Towers CEO Kash Pandya. Ahead of his switch from CEO to non-executive deputy chairman of the company, Kash talks tower industry growth, new markets, D&I in Africa, and how he's going to spend his retirement.

Season 3, episode 3 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and deputy editor Natalie Bannerman.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, newsand events.

Natalie covers the week's biggest deals, including Deutsche Telekom and Softbank's musical shares, Veon'sRussian tower sale and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners' latest purchase.

Meanwhile, following the news from GTTover the US Labor Day weekend, Alan explains the latest twist in the tale – and what could happen next.

Joining the conversation this week, we speak to Colm Shorten, senior director of data centres at JLL. Colm talks about JLL's latest sustainability research, Capacity's latest cover story, and why the environmental impact of ICT should be regulated.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

In the news Alan brings us the context behind the news that Colt is going to run it IQ Network through the Channel Tunnel, linking the UK and Europe, and Natalie explains the story behind Greece's first green data centre, Sparkle's Metamorfosis II.

Joining the conversation this week Carl Roberts returns to the Digital Digest to talk about the trends that we saw in this year's shortlist, as well as what guests can expect at the live event in London next month.

Click here to find out more about the Global Carrier Awards, including how to book a table for the live event.

Over at Capacitymedia.com we have the August/ September edition of Capacity magazine, and all the news from days one, two and three of International Telecoms Week. To catch up with the ITW conference, you can register and stream from here.

To find out more on this topic, A1 Wholesale has a series of webinars.

Natalie covers AT&T and Google Cloud's 5G and edge collaboration and the breaking news that EdgePoint Infrastructure is open for business. Meanwhile in Africa, in the DRC Liquid Technologies and Facebook have partnered to build an extensive long-haul and metro fibre network and in Ethiopia Anwar Soussa has a new job.

After a challenging week in Myanmar, Alan bring us the latest news from Telenor. In Europe, it's all eyes on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals for Telefónica, and in the US the Pentagonhas gone multi-cloud.

In the weekly quantum round-up, there's a security first from KPN, a QCaaSplatform launching in Oxford and a post-quantum cryptography breakthrough from ADVA.

In data centres, Natalie covers the big news from DigiPlex. Over in Russia, IXcellerateand MTSare making headlines, and in India Ascendashas invested $162 million in its first facility.

Season 2, episode 23 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and deputy editor Natalie Bannerman. Joining us for the last episode in this series we also welcome Jürgen Hatheier, CTO Europe, the Middle East and Africa, at Ciena.

The Digital Digest returns for series 3 on 2 September. Until then, don't forget that the latest issue of Capacity magazine is online featuring the 2021 women's power listing.

Natalie covers the news that major telco leaders in Europe are calling for regulatory change and BICSis tackling robocalls. Down under, Telstrahas raised AU$2.8 billion in the part sale of its tower business and at the edge Google Cloud and Ericsson are jointly developing CSP solutions.

In other cloud news, Alan talks about AT&T'slatest sale, as well as the other telcos announcing migrations this week.

In the weekly wrap of all things quantum, there's big news from the Quantum Loophole camp and quantum encryption start-up Arqit has a $1.4 billion valuation target for the end of August.

In data centres, Natalie shares the details on Princeton's$1 billion Tokyo project; Telehouse'sMarseille PoP. and Teraco's ACE interconnection upgrades.

Season 2, episode 22 is presented by editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and deputy editor Natalie Bannerman.

Don't forget to register for Subsea World, taking place 5-8 July and visit the Capacity website for the 2021 Women's Power List – now live in the June/July issue of Capacity magazine – and details of the upcoming ICT Investor list and 2021 Global Carrier Awards.

Natalie covers the news that BTfaced the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) over a lawsuit alleging it overcharged customers and American Tower Corporation (ATC) Europe has a new shareholder.

Also in telecoms, Etisalat and Ericsson have plans to commercially deploy mmWave 5G and Windstream Wholesale has launched ICON, its intelligent converged optical network.

On the vendor front, Alan hears from Nokia's Tommi Uitto on 5G faux pas and product launches and talks about the two court appeals that Huaweilost over the week. He also covers the news that Vodafonewill be 100% powered from renewable sources by 1 July, the same day OneWebwill launch the last 36 satellites it needs to begin commercial services.

In data centres, Natalie brings the latest on MainOne'sAccra facility; Dialog Axiata's Sri Lanka facility; and GTR'srecord breaking UK project while in China, BDx has opened the first phase of a new campus.

Joining this week's conversation, we welcome MEF's VP strategic programs, Daniel Bar-Lev; Divesh Gupta, VP of technology and sales operations at PCCW Global; and Michael Kearns, co-founder and chief strategy officer, Amartus. The three talk about their proof of concept for partner interop and onboarding.

Season 2, episode 21 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, and senior reporter Natalie Bannerman.

You can catch up with the latest edition of Capacity magazine online and, if you have data centre power stats to share with Alan, drop him a mail.

Natalie analyses new network security figures from Telia Carrier, which show a spike in incidents during the pandemic and news that it has launched PoPs at two Coresite campuses. Also in telecoms, Sparkle's Nibble is to extend into northern Europe and Axiatahas partnered with Google Cloud to deliver digitalisation across Asia.

Alan talks about the latest developments in quantum encryption, computersand internetas well as Honeywell taking a controlling stake in in a UK-based quantum technology company.

In data centres, Natalie covers the news that Equinix and GIC are adding $3.9 billion to xScale; LG Uplus is planning a new Seoul facility; Telemedia GDC has started building its $150 million Indian facility; and Microsofthas launched a new cloud region in Arizona.

Following the release of OpenRoaming Release2, this week we are joined by special guest Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance. Tiago talks about the new release and World Wifi Day, which takes place on June 20.

Season 2, episode 20 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman, and special guest Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance.

Natalie covers the news that Superloopis to acquire Exetel for $110 million and Patrick Drahi’s Altice UK has taken a 12% stake in BT. However, it was subsea has dominating  headlines this week following the news that installation for the NO-UK cable  has begun; Infinera's ICE6 solution has been selected by PEACE Cable International Network and PCCW Global; while SubCom has been selected by Google to design, manufacture, and deploy its Firmina cable.

Alan talks about Colony Capital's name change, Veon'smove to separate its services and investment unit, and Reliance Foundation's pledge to financially support the families of employees who lost their lives to Covid. Also in telecoms, Huawei's fortunes could be about to change following events in the US and the launch of its cyber security centre.

In data centres, Natalie covers the news that Australia's DCIis building its first facility in New Zealand; Alibaba Cloud has opened its first data centre in the Philippines; FiberLighthas completed its fibre expansion in El Paso; and Blackstone's acquisition of QTS Realty Trust  has put the industry on tack for a new M&A record in 2021.

Joining this week's conversation, we also welcome Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX International who talks about Space-IX, the growing role of satellite and CDNs.

Season 2, episode 19 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman, and special guest Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX International.

At Capacitymedia.com you can catch up with our latest magazines, news and events.

Bringing us the biggest headlines of the week, Natalie gives a progress update on American Tower's Telxius Towers acquisition and explains what BT has been up to in its next-gen fibre optic trials. Also in telecoms, Natalie talks about Airtel Tanzania's tower sale and the Arctic cable that has been put on ice.

Alan explains why two rural English counties are getting a £1 billion fibre boost and gives an update on Telia Company's divestment of Telia Carrier. While in Ethiopia, MTNis considering a second shot at an operating licence in the country.

And in the world of data centres, Natalie covers the news that Silicon Valley is to get a new, $142 million, sustainable data centre, while in cloud AWSis opening a new region in the UAE; Clouderahas gone private; and cloud adoption can add $414 billion to enterprise profits.

To keep up with the latest telecoms and data centres news, Capacitymedia.comcarries details of the Datacloud Awards 2021 and the first ITW webinar for 2021. you can also find the latest magazines and special reports online, as well as the nomination portals for the 20 Women to Watch and the GCAs 2021.

Season 2, episode 18 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and senior reporter Natalie Bannerman.

Natalie brings us the breaking news on the O2/Virgin merger, explaining how and why the CMA made its decision. Elsewhere in telecoms, Jio is launching two new subsea cables; Arc and BSO have interconnected their networks for on-demand connectivity; and gaming is on track to become a $6 billion opportunity in the Middle East.

Alan brings us a Hollywood-inspired explainer on AT&T's about-turnon content and why former activist investor, Elliott Management, could now be smiling. Following news this week from NEC and Rakutenwe catch up on the latest open RAN developments and, after a survey quantifies private network deployments, Alan explains why manufacturing and mining are driving the demand for private networks.

In the world of data centres, Natalie talks new builds, acquisitions and micro edge following the news this week on Microsoft's $500 million Chicago build and DCI's $54 million Adelaide project. Also in data centres, Digital Colony has acquired Landmark Dividend in a $972 million deal and Schneider Electricsays it's all about the micro edge in Europe.

Joining the conversation for our anniversary episode we welcome Capacity VIP Carl Roberts, partner at Hadaara Consulting, and head judge at the 2021 Global Carrier Awards. Carl has been on the ground at Capacity Middle Eastthis week and so reports back on the return to physical events, while also introducing the Global Carrier Awards 2021. Carl talks about the categories and judging process, and shares his nomination tips for this year's entrants.

Don't forget to catch up with the April/May issue of Capacity magazine and  sign up to our newsletters.

Season 2, episode 17 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman and special guest Carl Roberts.

Natalie covers the news that Aqua Comms, Telia Carrier and Ciena have successfully trialled a new, 400GbE POP to POP Trans-Atlantic Service, demonstrating that their traffic can be passed across their respective transmission networks.

Meanwhile, Softbank has backed Axiata's AI and data analytics unit and Helios Towers has acquired Omantel's towers for $575 million. Taking a look at the dark side of big data, Natalie also explains China's social credit system and its impact on net neutrality.

Alan explains why US government contracts will soon start flooding in for OneWeb, while in the world of Open RAN, NGMN and The Linux Foundationare setting out their priorities for 5G and 6G, and Millicom has started the shift to Open RAN for its mobile networks in Latin America.

Joining this week's conversation, we also speak with special guest Phillip Marangella, CMO for EdgeConneX, who talks about the launch of AdaniConnex and the growth of edge.

To keep up on all the latest on telecoms and tech, you can visit Capacitymedia.com, sign up to all our newsletters and also read the latest magazine.

Also online you can register to attend the 2021, virtual Datacloud Global Congress and Awards, which kicks off from 1 June.Season 2, episode 16 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman and special guest Phillip Marangella, CMO for EdgeConneX.

In telecoms, Natalie covers the news that AWS has secured a public cloud contract with the a leading OTT and in Alaska, Quintillion is connecting its Arctic ground station to Equinix’s Seattle data centre.

Elsewhere, BT's mobile subsidiary, EE, has launched new 5G spectrum and Aryaka has acquired SASE provider Secucloud.

Alan explains why the successful bidders for Ethiopia’s telecoms licences will not be restricted to using Ethio Telecom's infrastructure – and why there could be lessons to learn from Myanmar. While in satellites, OneWebis in ‘advanced’ talks with its next big investor and Starlink has received 500,000 pre-orders, according to Elon.

In the world of data centres, Natalie brings us the latest on Green Mountain's new land parcel in Norway and American Tower's Atlanta extension. Over at Ascenty, data centres across Latam are now connected to Seaborn's network; EdgeConneX is expanding across six US cities; and two new pieces of research have found cloud infrastructure spendis increasing by 35% a year.

Joining this week's conversation, we also welcome Simon Ford, AVP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at CyrusOne. Simon explains why we're at the start of a revolution and how it links to data centre capacity, carbon neutrality and the rise of the data centre REIT.

In the world of data centres, Natalie brings us the news that Bulk Data Centers has a new EVP and IPI Partners has raised $3.8 billion for re-investment. On project news Microsoftis to develop its first data centre in Malaysia – which it said will create more than19,000 jobs – and Teslais building its own data centre in China.

On the satellite front, Alan brings us the story behind OneWeb'snext launch – scheduled for 26 April – and explores why Amazon’s order to ULA doesn't have a delivery date. Meanwhile, Natalie has the story behind SES's MoU with the government of Kazakhstan.

In the telecoms roundup, we hear all about the subsea system connecting Brazil and Argentina while Chile's internet connectivity has increased 62%. And flying the flag for women in telecoms – as well as International Girls in ICT Day –  Globe has appointed its first female CCO. Other high-profile female appointments of the week included those of Annette Murphy, Kris Schaffer and Dawn Jones.

Also in telecoms, in the UK this week the Telecoms Diversification Taskforce has published its report while Meng Wanzhou has received some good news from the courts.

This week also marked Earth Day 2021, in the spirit of which Alan talks about the societal goals being explored by NGMN around 6G and the targets driving Deutsche Telekom's green cloud project.

Season 2, episode 14 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and senior reporter Natalie Bannerman.

Natalie covers the news that South Africa's MTN is reportedly eying up a valuation of more than $5 billion for its mobile money business while in Egypt, a US$35 billion rural fibre project has launched with a target to connect 58% of the population. Elsewhere, Orange Polska has formed a jointly owned fibre company with APG, the Dutch pension investment company and in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority has rubber stamped the merger of O2 and Virgin.

Alan brings us the latest on Meng Wanzhou's extradition case and explains why the University of Chicago – which is already planning to build a quantum internet – has launched a programme to fund quantum technology start-ups. Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, a new satellite centre of excellence is being developed in association with UK/Indian operator OneWeb.

In data centres, Natalie explains the story behind Google's cloud region in Poland and Tencent's first data centre in Indonesia. In other news, Johnson Controls to acquire Silent-Aire for $870m, Nokia is supporting China Mobile's nation-wide public cloud roll out, and PDG has revealed plans for a $1 billion data centre expansion.

Joining this week's conversation, we also welcome Hannes Gredler and Richard Brandon, the founder/CTO and VP of marketing at RtBrick. Hannes and Richard talk about the history of the company, the need for disaggregated routing and and why there is Lego in their logo.

At Capacitymedia.com you can find details on the Power 100, Capacity Latam and Capacity Middle East, and you can also catch up with the latest edition of Capacity magazine.

Season 2, episode 13 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman, and special guests Hannes Gredler and Richard Brandon from RtBrick.

In the world of subsea, Natalie brings the latest developments on the IRIS cable connecting Iceland to Ireland, and an update from Telxius on the Marea and Dunant subsea cables.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, KKR and DTCP have entered into a wholesale fibre venture, with T-Mobile confirmed as the first anchor tenant, and in Afghanistan, Etisalatis getting into Open RAN.

Alan explains why Aqua Comms' new owner, Digital 9 Infrastructure, is in the market for small cell firms and data centres, and in Tanzania, plans are in motion to extend the national broadband backbone to Mozambique.

In the world of data centres, Bharti Airtel has commissioned a solar power plant for its facilities in three states, and Africa Data Centres and N+ONEhave good news for Africa's west coast.

Joining this week's conversation, we also welcome Emmanuel Jean, projects coordinator at Télécoms Sans Frontières. Emmanuel talks about TSF's work in eight different countries and explains the different approaches to connectivity being pursued across various humanitarian projects. To find out more about TSF's work, click here.

At Capacitymedia.com you can find details on the Power 100, Digital Infra Africa, and Capacity Latam and also catch up with the latest edition of Capacity magazine.

Season 2, episode 12 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporter Natalie Bannerman, and special guest Emmanuel Jean from Télécoms Sans Frontières

Natalie covers the big investment news from President Biden and brings us a subsea update from Facebook and Google following news of the BiFrost and Echo cable projects. Meanwhile, eSIM installs are on track to top 3.4 billion by 2025 and GIC has taken a 2.5% stake in Cellnex worth $638 million.

On the financial front, Alan explains why Digital Colony has bought 4,200 towers in Indonesia and one industry veteran is planning to buy Aqua Comms – and others – after raising £300 million in an IPO. After taking a look at Huawei's financial results, Alan also explains how the firm's US ban affected its bottom line.

And bringing us the data centre roundup for the last time, Abigail talks edge and sustainability. She brings us the details on American Tower's new tenant-ready edge data centre in Pittsburgh and EdgeConneX's news from Spain. While in sustainability news, Vertiv and Green Mountain have deployed edge technology to boost their green credentials and STT GDC has made a pledge to be carbon neural by 2030.

Season 2, episode 12 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, and senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

To read the latest copy of Capacity magazine click here and to nominate for the Power 100, click here. To find out more about ITW 2021, visit our latest announcement, here.

Natalie explains why Airtel Africa has become the latest telco to sell off its tower infrastructure, and over in the GCC Virgin Mobile Kuwait has become the country's first MVNO.

In subsea, Galapagos Cable Systems (GCS) and Xtera are to build a new system to the Galapagos Islands and Interxion has entered into an agreement with Telxius to enable direct interconnection for the Dunant subsea cable at Interxion Paris, France.

In data centres, Abigail covers the news that demand for facilities in Europe is on track to increase by a third this year, while over at AWS a new CEO has been named.

Abigail also shares the news that in Australia, Upcloudhas confirmed a new data centre in Sydney and in Nebraska, Facebook is expanding its Papillion facility.

Alan brings us the latest on how the pandemic is forcing change in the industry. This follows the news this week that international mobile money transactions have reached US$1 billion a month and home working is on track to continue for the foreseeable. While in China, the pandemic has pushed spending on cloud infrastructure to $5.8 billion.

And in preparation for the end of the pandemic – and the return of international travel –  OneWeb is moving into aviation networks.

Joining this week's conversation, former Terremark and CyrusOne executive Josh Snowhorn shares the details on Quantum Loophole. In the interview, Snowhorn explains the plans, the story behind the name, and why it is the "Swiss army knife" of data centre campuses.

To read the current edition of the magazine, click here, and to find out more about the Power 100, click here. 

This episode features Capacity deputy editor Melanie Mingas, editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman, and special guest Josh Snowhorn.

Bringing us the latest on data centres, Abigail explains why Digital Realty is selling 11 European facilities and why Cisco is launching a new facility in Frankfurt.

Meanwhile in Latin America IBMhas expanded its cloud footprint, and DRFortresshas completed the expansion of its data centre over the ocean in Hawaii.

In telecoms, Natalie covers the news that Nokiais to cut 10,000 jobs in the next two years while over in Canada, Rogers Communications is paying $26 billion for Shaw Communications.

At sea, MasTec has acquired a stake in Confluence, the Florida-based developer of subsea cable systems, and down under FEPL unveiled Project Koete, its $1.5 billion technology ecosystem in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Alan brings us the full details on British regulator Ofcom's plans to advance the country's fibre roll out, while AFR-IXhas named Mombasa as its fourth African connection point. Rounding off the episode, Alan explains why quantum physics is going to be the next big thing in telecoms following the launches of Quantum Loophole and ColdQuanta

We also discuss the 2021 Power 100, which you can find out more about here, as well as the upcoming Digital Infra Africa and Capacity Middle East. And don’t forget the latest edition of Capacity magazine is available online here.

Season 2, episode 10 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, and senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

In the world of data centres, Abigail brings us the latest project announcements from Princeton Digital Groupin India, MC Digital Realty, Aligned and Equinix.

Natalie covers the news that Zayo is to acquireIntelligent Fiber Network and Vocus Group has entered into a Scheme Implementation Deed (SID) with a Macquarie-led consortium.

Natalie also explains the story behind AT&T Cybersecurity's new managed SASE solution and why Verizon has launched a new initiative to tackle the disproportionate rate at which women are leaving the workforce during the pandemic.

Alan brings us the news that Aqua Comms could be soldfor $215 million and OneWeb has signed a contractworth US$73 million for user terminals, while in Asia Turbidite has confirmed its first data centre deal.

Meanwhile at the European Commission, president Ursula von der Leyen has promised digital transformationfor all member states in 10 years.

Joining this week's conversation, we also welcome Mikael Schachne, the VP of Mobility and IoT Business and CMO, BICS, who talks about the plans that are in place for the world's largest NB-IoT network.

Season 2, episode 9 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman, and special guest Mikael Schachne, the VP of Mobility and IoT Business and CMO, BICS.

To catch up with Capacity'sInternational Women's' Day coverage, visit our features and opinions online. To read the February /March edition of Capacity magazine, click here and for Power 100 details and submission links, please click here.

First up, the ITW Global Leaders' Forum has published a Code of Conduct, defining a framework among global carriers providing IPX-based traffic, to ensure quality of service for critical IoT applications.

Next, Natalie brings us the story behind FiBrazil, Brazil's new wholesale network provider and India's new payment network built by Reliance, Google and Facebook. Meanwhile, in the UK Virgin Media is testing technology that can deliver 400Gbps on a residential fibre network and in Egypt, an almost heart-shaped subsea project is connecting Africa in new ways.

In the world of data centres, Abigail shares the details on Cologix's new Ohio data centre, while NetActuatehas finalised the upgrade of its Johannesburg hub and Equinix Metal has revealed its global expansion plans. And in other news, Digital Realty has snapped up the IP and engineering muscle of Pureport.

Alan explains why Bill Barney set up Turbiditeand why Digital Colony paid $854 million for Boingo Wireless. Meanwhile, Swarm's IoT in space got 12 new satellites this week which, technically, could be used to track whales, and according to SpaceX and Samsung Austin, Texas, is the new place to be.

We also look ahead to Digital Infra India, taking place online 9-10 March, and Natalie brings us a preview of what's coming up for International Women's Day, including a special feature looking at why equity needs to be part of the equality conversation.

Season 2, episode 8 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

In the world of data centres, Abigail brings us the inside track on Cyxtera's merger and IPO plans and Macquarie Data Centres' new government-certified facility in Canberra.

Meanwhile in India, Iron Mountain is investing $150 million in data centre firm Web Werks and the newly announced JV AdaniConneXhas unveiled plans to develop 1GW of data centre capacity in India by 2031.

Following Metro Connect USA, Alan brings us the latest from the US, including news on AT&T's rumoured sale of DirecTV; and why T-Mobile US’s 5G network has improved; while the team has a chip chat about Biden's $37 billion boost for semiconductor manufacturing in the country.

Meanwhile, north of the border, Canada's number one mobile operator has been revealed by Opensignal and, over the pond, Inmarsat has a new CEO – and Alan has met him!

In telecoms, Natalie brings us the weekly wrap with the news that KKRis to acquire a $1 billion stake in Telefonica's fibre network in Chile, while TIM'sfinancial results show its transformation project is paying off.

Elsewhere in telecoms, Unitas Global has revealed a purpose built SDN Network for cloud and edge, and FB Submarine Partners is building a new subsea cable connecting Florida and Cancun.

Season 2, episode 7 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

Kicking off the episode, Alan tells us about Starlink's latest activities and the rescue of Avanti, while the World Bank has weighed in on Ethiopia's telecoms liberalisation.

Elsewhere in telecoms, Natalie talks about Ocean Networks' $300m Caribbean Express subsea cable project and Sinch'sacquisition of Inteliquent. Meanwhile, Vantagehas expanded its tower portfolio and global internet capacity increased 35% in 2020, with video calling not far behind.

In the world of data centres, Abigail explains the impact of the increased demand on data centres in Africa, and brings us the story behind Compute North's $25m growth capital funding; IXcellerate's plans to build a sustainable data centre campus in Moscow; and Teledatais launching its fourth data centre facility in Manchester.

Elsewhere, there's a new CEO at Inteland Alan shares the story of the time he had dinner with former CEO, Andrew Grove.

Season 2, episode 6 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

In the world of data centres, Abigail brings us the story behind the €569 million euro buyout of BICS. Egypt's new capital city will have ICT infrastructure provided by Orange Business Services, but the city still doesn't have a name, so Abigail shares her suggestions. Meanwhile in Mumbai, Yotta Infrastructure has signed a new deal with Essar Capital; and Equinix'sfinancial results are out.

Natalie explains why the UK's Ministry of Defence is upgrading its satellite system, there are massive fibre developments from Canadaand breaking news from Australia; and there are project updates from Ciena on its projects with Southern Cross and Bulk Fiber Networks.

Alan explains why SoftBankis spending $21bn on 5G and 6G and the economics of offering satellite connectivity for $5 a month. Meanwhile the latest internet traffic figures are out for 2020, confirming a 40% increase over the year.

Also in this episode, Natalie speaks to Helen Xenos, senior director, portfolio marketing at Ciena, who explains how 800G is making its way down the pipeline.

Season 2, episode 5 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman, and special guest Helen Xenos, senior director, portfolio marketing at Ciena.

In the world of data centres, Abigail talks about CMI's new Frankfurt data centre; Teraco's multi-million-dollar funding round; and a new 16MW facility in Malaysia.

Alan explains why Airtel is out of the bidding for a license in Ethiopia and why Meng Wanzhou lost her bail appeal.

And Natalie covers the biggest headlines from across telecoms, including news on the Africa-1 cable; TIM's FTTH co-investment call; AT&T's spectrum funding; and Parler's data storage problem.

Also in this episode, the team looks at what – and who – could be next for AWS and we also cover the growing number of internet and telecoms blackouts around the world.

Season 2, episode 4 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, and senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman

After a particularly green week in the global data centre industry, Abigail brings us a sustainability round up from Texas and Poland, and big news on the dominance of the hyperscalers.

Natalie rounds up the biggest news from telecoms including  O2, Three and Vodafone's plan to build 222 4G masts and Orange has launched a EUR2.6 billion fibre business. On the appointments front, there is a new CEO at BICS and some new faces at the FCC.

And rounding off the news this week, Alan explains why a new era is dawning at Softbank and the team talks tech branding as WeChat is named one of the world's top tech brands.

Season 2, episode 3 is presented by deputy editor Melanie Mingas, and features editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, and senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

Natalie explains the latest events in telecoms, which span an installation update for the OAC system, corruption charges at Samsung, a new member for the AMITIÉ subsea consortium, and some good news for Cisco.

Over in the world of data centres, Abigail brings breaking news from Europe, where an industry pact has committed to a "climate neutral" future by 2030. Over in Hong Kong, HGC is delivering new capacity, and Swiss operator Green has allocated US$560 million to a new project.

Meanwhile, Digital Fortress has acquired Atmosera Inc and EdgeConnexlaunched a new edge facility in Chile.

Also in this episode, Alan explains the importance of Open RAN developments in Europe following the news this week that four telcos with a combined 1.4 billion customers are joining forces to promote the roll-out of open-source mobile technology.

And in the US, the industry has a wish list for President Biden.

Alan explains why Huawei is willing to fund Swedish security checks and who is heading BT's new digital unit.

Natalie covers two of the week's biggest deals: Vodafone's sale of its Cornerstone share and Deutsche Telekom's talks to sell T-Mobile Netherlands.

In the world of data centres, Abigail explains why NTT has gone green in Malaysia and why Compute North and Foundry Digital have stepped into bitcoin.

Joining this week's conversation, we also welcome cloud evangelist, seasoned CEO and entrepreneur Danielle Royston, who talks about the telco cloud, setting up TelcoDR and why sometimes it's best to skip a G.

Season 2, episode 1 features deputy editor Melanie Mingas, editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray, and senior reporters Abigail Opiah and Natalie Bannerman.

In the last episode of season one we cover Ajit Pai’s departure from the FCC; the real numbers on 5G's big sustainability claims; investor interest grows in TIM’s FiberCop; and Telefonica’sbig move to divest its subsea assets. Meanwhile over in the data centre space, Iomart'sfinancial results are out and Interxionis set to receive its carbon neutral certification by year end.

This episode features deputy editor Melanie Mingas, editor-at-large Alan Burkitt-Gray and senior reporters Natalie Bannerman and Abigail Opiah.