Launched in 2014 as a sustainable alternative to Formula One, the single -seater race series sees 22 drivers representing 11 teams in 16 races across 10 global venues. According to the FIA, around 400 million people tune in to watch the electric cars race.

Like its Formula One cousin, there is a massive machine behind the motorsport, with staff moving an entire data centre and broadcast facility to a new venue every two weeks.

But unlike other major motorsports, Formula E isn’t raced inside stadiums or existing tracks like Silverstone. Instead, races take place in cities, or in parks, or conference centres, which may not be designed for a broadcasting behemoth.

“There is a culture within our organisation that we want to push the envelope,” explains Formula E vice president of technology Eric Ernst.

“Where we go is a parking lot or a grass field in the middle of nowhere, and we have to run a high availability data centre set-up quickly.

“That’s why we need to opt for technologies that guarantee reasonable service level agreements (SLAs) but can be flexible.”

Take the final race of Season 10 of Formula E, which was a double header for the championship. The FE team transformed London’s Excel Centre – normally home to global tech conferences and Comic Con – into a racetrack, fanzone, pit lane, and broadcasting hub. They had a week to carry out most of the turnaround.

One of the biggest challenges, Ernst explains, is setting up a private network in some locations would either be extremely complex, expensive, or have poor environmental outcomes. These considerations led Formula E to run all its broadcasting and connectivity across the public internet, as part of an agreement with Tata Communications.

Global IP backbone

Tata Group’s involvement in Formula E goes beyond its role as a communications partner, with Tata Consultancy Services – another division of the Indian conglomerate – also sponsoring Team Jaguar Racing’s car since 2021

Tata Communications – which is the telecoms division of the firm – is one of only a handful of global Tier 1 networks who together form the internet backbone we all use on a daily basis.

Tier 1 networks exchange traffic with each other on a settlement-free interconnection basis – ie no fees are paid for traffic in either direction. This has long been a key component of keeping the internet public, making it much more accessible.

Formula E’s cousin F1 uses a private network (also coincidentally provided by Tata) to provide broadcasting and connectivity services, linked back to its media and technology centre in Biggin Hill, London. But Formula E took a different road.

In February 2023, Tata Communications was unveiled as the official broadcast distribution provider to the Formula E World Championship in what it described as a “multi-year strategic relationship”.

The agreement sees Tata deliver high-definition, high-resolution and high-speed live broadcast content to viewers around the world as part of Formula E’s remote broadcast production of live races, reducing the environmental impact typical of major live international sports events on TV.

Tata’s software-defined media edge platform delivers more than 160 live video and audio signals from Formula E races across continents within milliseconds, using 26 media edge locations across North America, Europe and Asia.

Production takes place remotely – at the former home of the BBC in London -and it is all carried over the public internet.

Edge-of-the seat racing

Prior to onboarding Tata, Formula E was using what Ernst describes as a “legacy solution” involving more traditional forms of broadcasting – such as satellite – and connectivity.

“Before we came on board, the solution was being forced to fit with the sport,” explains Tata Communications vice president & global head, Media & Entertainment Business Dhaval Ponda.

“When we first started having conversations with Eric, our solution wasn’t as prevalent in the industry. We were quite fortunate because it takes the right sort of CTO to take a stand and adopt a future-proof solution.

“We loved the challenge of providing connectivity to Formula E and embarked on using public Internet leveraging edge-based distribution for video because FE required a unique solution.”

By this, he means Tata was tasked with providing connectivity that could be supplied almost anywhere, without laying specialised infrastructure such as fibre cables or private Wi-Fi networks.

“Tata was one of the few vendors offering a solution that could do everything needed and be deployed at this scale,” adds Ponda.

“Even now, when we talk with other organisations about our partnership, they are often surprised at the scale of what we deliver using public internet and edge-based delivery.”

Ernst agrees, saying that Tata’s global reach and experience of operating in multiple markets also makes it easier when accessing infrastructure. If they had picked another partner, they may have ended up using part of Tata’s network, or would have had to strike individual agreements with other organisations, and this is something Tata Com takes care of for Formula E.

“It was a no-brainer to cut out the middleman,” he adds. “The size of the network, the size of their partners that they have to distribute that last mile of Internet in a reliable way with monitoring with permits is pretty much unique in the market.

“And Tata is unlike any other partner – it is a communications company that has a massive technology company behind it, so we keep on pushing each other.”

Pitfalls in the pitlane

Enterprises will often turn to dark fibre or other private options for large scale connectivity, due to concerns around security, latency and performance. Traditionally, broadcast events would involve some kind of OB setup located on site.

And while there is a tech centre located on site, the editing is all done in London, so for Formula E and Tata, this is where edge computing plays a vital role.

By deploying 26 media edge locations across the US, Europe and Asia, Tata is able to carry out processing much closer to the action, allowing it to reduce latency when transferring from the 85 cameras deployed during a race.

Tata Communications says its media edge cloud is capable of enabling very low latency video processing from any venue using first-mile internet while processing and distributing the video signals to any platform globally with high availability.

Ponda explains: “In terms of cloud and edge deployment, we have a very rigorous way in which we choose the technology. A lot of the infrastructure we own ourselves  and that gives us a very unique sort of capability in terms of leveraging that.

“In terms of the infrastructure planning, design and architecture, we look at how it is deployed globally in a secure manner.

“Secondly, we look at the automation and tools around it. You cannot really operate in an environment where you have a lot of manual intervention because manual intervention is weak and you’re always a step back in terms of how quickly you’re able to fix it. So, a lot of focus goes into automating and we go through scenario analysis to test our network, to see what might break it.”

Finally, he points to teamwork as a key component. Tata is offering a managed service, and its team works closely with Formula E on delivering its platform, including a team on the ground available to assist during race day.

Ernst agrees, saying the two teams had formed a close bond while deploying Tata’s solution.

Regarding security, he explains: “Our biggest security concern is a framework of confidentiality, integrity and availability but, most importantly, the availability part.

“We have secured this with the redundant passes into that cloud network and we go to great lengths to communicate across the teams to make sure that we fully understand the diversity that these routes have.”

Keeping the wheels on

However, there can still be challenges, for example, when major incidents occur on the internet, such as the recent CrowdStrike outage.

“Those are risks you take when you go with this technology,” he admits. “But you’re not necessarily safeguarded if you use dark fibre either – it is a bit of a false economy because a lot of the security concerns happen at the application level now.”

Those applications, he adds, already come with buffers and encryption that offer a level of security irrespective of whether you are operating over a private or public network.

Ernst acknowledges this may not work for everyone. “If I worked in a different sport, with a different audience , maybe dark fibre is something I would throw into the mix. But for what we do, this solution is absolutely the best approach.”

Another key consideration – one that is at the heart of Formula E as an organisation – was to make sure its approach to any technology is as environmentally friendly as possible.

This was achieved by specially designed data centre equipment that can be shipped from location to location by freight with minimal footprint. And anything that can be done remotely helps to reduce the carbon footprint.

“For us, that is just day-to-day,” adds Ernst. “It is built into the ethos of this sport.”

The post Formula E shifts gears: revolutionising broadcasting with edge compute appeared first on TechInformed.

Customers affected include those on mobile virtual network operators that use the AT&T network such as Cricket, Boost Mobile, and Consumer Cellular.

Data from between May 1^st, 2022, and October 31^st, 2022, may have been exposed, as well as records from a “very small number” of customers on January 2^nd, 2023.

The attackers obtained the information through the firm’s cloud provider, Snowflake, AT&T’s spokesperson Alex Byers told The Verge.

The telecoms firm knew of the breach in April, but an FBI spokesperson reported to TechCrunch that itself, AT&T, and the Department of Justice “agreed to delay notifying the public and customers on two occasions, citing ‘potential risks to national security and/or public safety.’”

According to Byers, the stolen data includes phone numbers customers interacted with, counts of those calls/texts and total call durations for specific days or months.

It does not include the content of the calls or texts, time stamps, or Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or other identifiable information – however, a name can be matched to a phone number by simple actions taken with online tools.

AT&T said in a blog post that it does not “believe that the data is publicly available” and it has “taken steps to close off the illegal access point.”

“We will provide notice to current and former customers whose information was involved along with resources to help protect their information,” AT&T added.

“We sincerely regret this incident occurred and remain committed to protecting the information in our care.”

Recently, TI spoke to fintech platform Soldo on how it uses observability to make its cloud more secure: read here.

The post AT&T admits customer call and text data breached in cloud hack appeared first on TechInformed.

The Department of Defense will adopt T-Mobile’s 5G network for wireless solutions in the Navy.

It will include voice, data, fixed wireless solutions, Internet of Things and mobility management solutions.

The partnership will also ensure connectivity for activities ranging from mission-critical communications to network solutions that serve military personnel.

“With a cutting-edge product portfolio, a proven track record and a clear vision for the future, we’re ready to take government innovation to the next level,” said David Bezzant, vice president of sales, T-Mobile for Government.

‘Spiral 4’ relates to the next phase of the Navy’s wireless and telecommunications partnership efforts – T-Mobile had been already part of the ‘Spiral 3 contract’, a five-year-long agreement which began in 2017, alongside Verizon Communications and AT&T.

During this time, the US Navy launched its 5G private and hybrid network solutions.

Now, telco companies Verizon, Echostar, and Wide Point are also joining T-Mobile in Spiral 4.

Protecting the internet: the threat to subsea cables

In the future, T-Mobile said government agencies may be able to leverage the telco provider’s partnership with Elon Musk-owned aerospace firm SpaceX.

This will merge its network with Starlink’s satellites with the goal of providing improved connectivity.

The post US Navy adds T-Mobile to $2.7 billion contract appeared first on TechInformed.

The new ‘DL Connect’ app aims to ensure that all its 10,000 frontline and five hundred desk-based staff spread across 133 clubs in nine countries have mobile access to the company’s internal communications.

Powered by Unily, the app, which is due to go live this summer, has been designed to connect its many deskless staff and create a sense of community among its diverse global workforce.

The app is described as a mini social media network in a press statement and the fitness firm believes that it will increase employee engagement and drive advocacy through stories and community groups.

The firm added that it hoped that the new app would provide adequate functionality so that it would “remove WhatsApp as a form of communication” for its staff. Like the Meta-owned messaging service, DL Connect also offers the ability to create target messaging of groups and can be used for two-way communication.

According to Juliett Cattermole, group people director, David Lloyd Clubs the intranet fits the fitness brand’s ethos of “fostering an inclusive workforce and creating a place where everyone belongs.”

She added: “That now extends to being able to provide all our international teams with a new raft of features, through the new ‘DLConnect’ app, including multi-lingual capabilities.”

Chris Ciauri, CEO of Unily, added that the partnership demonstrated why organisations need to invest in technology to connect and empower a diverse and distributed workforce.

He added: “Today’s employees are overloaded with technology noise; it’s imperative to streamline the vast number of applications employees have to switch between and provide a personalised experience by leveraging governed AI.”

The post David Lloyd creates multilingual intranet to connect global staff appeared first on TechInformed.

In its announcement, SES said that the acquisition of 100% of Intelsat will not be expected to close until the second half of 2025, and it is still subject to regulatory approvals.

The Luxembourg-based firm said the deal would allow for greater coverage, improved resiliency, and the expansion of its solutions, resources, and talent.

The acquisition will also allow SES to better meet growing Government demand for secure and reliable connectivity for mission-critical applications, bring improved services to the 3,000 connected aircraft, maritime businesses, and cruise line operators the pair serves, work with mobile operators on improved coverage, and more, it claimed.

Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, commented: “In a fast-moving and competitive satellite communication industry, this transaction expands our multi-orbit space network, spectrum portfolio, ground infrastructure around the world, go-to-market capabilities, managed service solutions, and financial profile.”

“This combination is also positive for our supply chain partners and the industry in creating new opportunities as satellite-based solutions become an increasingly integral part of the wider communications ecosystem.”

The merger comes just two years after talks broke down about a potential merger of the two providers amid a wave of consolidation in the sector. Before that, Intelsat filed for bankruptcy in 2020 but emerged in 2022 following a financial restructuring process, only for talks with SES to stall that summer.

The deal is agreed upon at a turning point for the satellite industry, which has seen a shift in focus from GEO satellites to LEO satellites.

As the name suggests, LEO satellites orbit the Earth at a lower altitude than GEO satellites — meaning they circle the globe at an increased speed, forcing more satellites to be launched in ‘constellation’ to follow one another and ensure consistent coverage of an area. GEO satellites, on the other hand, essentially stay stationary over one location of the Earth as it orbits at the same speed.

The two firms have over 100 GEO satellites combined, as well as medium earth orbit constellations.

GEO satellites were once the most popular satellite of choice. Still, the rise of LEO constellations, which offer connectivity more than five times faster than GEOs, like SpaceX’s Starlink, which has over 5,000 functioning satellites in orbit, has seen them come under increasing pressure.

Still, LEO constellations tend to cost more because they need to be tracked and monitored, and the effectiveness of GEO over LEO for various applications has been long debated by those in government and the private sector.

The post Satellite firm SES to take on Intelsat for $3.1bn appeared first on TechInformed.

The US and UK governments have signed a landmark deal that will see both countries co-operate on testing artificial intelligence.

The safety agreement, signed on Monday, is the first bilateral agreement of its kind and will see both the US and UK develop “robust” methods to evaluate AI tools and the systems that underpin them.

The agreement builds on commitments made during the AI Safety Summit which was held at Bletchley Park last year, according to UK tech minister Michelle Donelan.

“We have always been clear that ensuring the safe development of AI is a shared global issue,” she said.

“Only by working together can we address the technology’s risks head on and harness its enormous potential to help us all live easier and healthier lives.”

Read more about the AI deal here

Orange Spain merges with Masmovil to launch “MasOrange”

The merged Spanish telco MasOrange has unveiled plans to invest €4 billion in 5G and fibre over the next three years.

MasOrange, which was formed from the merger of Orange’s Spanish arm and MasMovil, has more than 30 million customers in Spain. The deal was completed on 26 March after it was rubber stamped by regulators in Brussels and Madrid.

Meinrad Spenger, CEO of MasOrange, said: “MasOrange is a reliable partner for all our clients, including companies and public administrations. We are going to invest and innovate more to offer the highest quality service in a sustainable way.”

Read more about MasOrange here

Amazon cuts hundreds of roles at AWS

Amazon Web Services has announced plans to axe hundreds of jobs across sales, marketing and its global services division.

The plans were revealed in an email sent to staff on Wednesday, with executives saying the cloud company is shifting its focus to self-serve digital training and training programs run by external partners.

AWS also cited overlap in some programme management and sales operations roles.

“We do not take these decisions lightly, and I know change can be difficult,” wrote Matt Garman, AWS senior vice president. “We operate in an incredibly fast-moving industry, and it is important that we stay agile as an organisation.”

He added: “The changes we are making are preparing the organisation for the future, aligning with our strategy and priorities, and reducing duplication and inefficiency. I recognise the effect this has on every individual impacted.”

Read more here

BT to pause digital telco switchover

BT and Virgin Media are set to delay plans to switch off analogue phone lines in the UK due to concerns over safety alarms for the elderly.

The UK was set to switch off its 14 million+ network of copper-powered landlines by the end of 2025 in an agreement struck by the key telecoms providers in 2017. However, according to reports, industry bosses are considering a two-year delay due to compatibility issues with personal alarm systems.

The switch off would see voice calls switched over to a voice over IP (VoIP) network, but it has been reported that some emergency alarms – worn by around 1.8 million elderly and vulnerable people – have seen calls fail using VoIP, prompting the telcos to rethink the deadline.

A spokesperson for BT said: “We’re working closely with the Government and Ofcom as we continue the important programme to move customers onto digital landlines.

“Our priority remains doing this safely, supporting our vulnerable customers and those with additional needs in particular, and we’re working with key organisations that represent these groups to achieve that.”

Read more here.

The post UK and US agree AI safety deal; AWS axes hundreds of roles appeared first on TechInformed.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, you might ask such a question. The right connectivity choice can be the difference between thriving and merely surviving. Choosing the right technology is crucial for ensuring seamless operations, regardless of geographical constraints.

Drawing on insights from industry experts at Mobile World Congress 2024, this guide aims to help businesses navigate these choices and ensure they leverage the optimal connectivity solution for their needs.

5G vs WiFi: In the ring

Understanding the connectivity spectrum

If you run a business, chances are the endless question about who would win in a fight out of 5G or WiFi plagues you to no end. But, before placing your bets, it’s probably best you get to know the major players:

5G: The Speedster — In the red corner, known for its high speeds and low latency, coming straight in to connect all your mobile devices, we have the reigning champion of the Telecoms Title, 5G. According to its advocates, 5G is vital for enabling real-time data transfer needed for applications such as IoT and AI. But critics claim its rollout — which kicked off in 2019 — was lacklustre, requiring significant investment.

WiFi: The Ubiquitous Connector — In the blue corner, we have ubiquitous, convenient, and ever-reliable WiFi. It’s a collaborative effort, mostly running on wired broadband networks. WiFi has evolved and adapted over the years, with WiFi 6 and beyond providing greater speeds and more efficient data handling.

Wired: The Workhorse — Perched just outside the ring, puffing on a cigar, is the old, grizzled figure of Wired connectivity (Ethernet/fibre). While offering one of the most stable and reliable forms of connectivity, ideal for high-speed transfer in fixed locations, wired connectivity is limited by its static nature.

Satellite (NTNs): The Overseer — Finally, live-streaming from space (or perhaps just the upper atmosphere) is Satellite connectivity. While certainly not new, satcomms have seen rapid changes in recent years thanks to the launch of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Traditionally a key supplier for remote or underserved locations where traditional infrastructure isn’t feasible, could satellites be making a comeback?

The case for 5G

5G technology is distinguished by its high-speed, low-latency capabilities. It’s ideal for scenarios requiring high mobility and real-time data access, such as logistics tracking or field services, where real-time data access and transfer are crucial.

Chris Keone, a director at BT’s Division X, champions 5G for its transformative potential in fields requiring meticulous precision and real-time oversight. He states:

There are specific use cases related to things like asset tracking capability, surveillance, and so on. We’re able to use a private 5G network to provide full coverage across that area.”

The capacity of 5G to support a dense network of devices within a square kilometre makes it the go-to choice for deploying IoT solutions at scale.

“Think about vast geographical open spaces, for example — there’s another good use case here within ports and airports where you’ve got very wide coverage,” Keone adds.

However, the fifth generation of mobile connectivity has faced challenges.

After being significantly hyped by the telecoms industry and politicians, take-up has been positive. Forecasts by Statista anticipate mobile data traffic will reach almost 330 exabytes per month by 2028. However, according to a report from the industry body of the TM Forum, it has failed to offer the return on investment that most telcos were hoping it would bring.

Regional disparities in 5G adoption also highlight the importance of finding alternative solutions. Statista’s data says, “The North America, Developed Asia Pacific, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions are set to have surpassed 90% adoption by 2030, while adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to remain below 20%.”

Nonetheless, 5G is seen as a potential solution to narrow the digital gap through Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). FWA can provide high-speed broadband in regions without fixed broadband, bridging the digital divide for consumers and businesses in otherwise difficult-to-connect locations.

Why-Fi? 

WiFi technology remains a cornerstone of digital connectivity, offering reliable, high-speed access — primarily inside buildings. Its widespread adoption in homes, businesses, and public spaces underlines its importance in the current connectivity landscape.

WiFi is indispensable in office environments. It facilitates everything from email communication and access to cloud services to video conferencing and collaborative online workspaces. It allows flexible work arrangements, including hot-desking and remote access within the office perimeter.

Cities worldwide also deploy public WiFi networks to provide residents and visitors free internet access, enhancing the urban experience and supporting smart city initiatives like real-time traffic monitoring and public transportation updates.

Nabil Bukhari, CTPO at Extreme Networks, suggests that WiFi is often the most economical option. “It’s built into pretty much everything, and everybody has it. As an enterprise, your first thought should be ‘Can I do it on WiFi?”

“If you can do it and already have the infrastructure for it, the economics would be better.”

But he acknowledges its drawbacks, “When you need connectivity outside, not in a building, or you need it on long ranges, or ultra-low latency, for it to be very deterministic, that’s a use for 5G.

“We’ve all seen videos of demonstrations of things like a surgeon doing remote surgery, for example. Don’t do that on WiFi!”

Panch Chandrasekaran, head and director of ARM’s 5G carrier infrastructure segment, supports this by saying:

In a factory environment, things are moving towards wirelessly connected factory equipment. There are no more cables.

“If you’re sitting at home, WiFi is perfectly fine. Reliability and security of your connectivity are less of a concern.”

He adds, “WiFi has definite problems in terms of reach, different access points interfering with each other, and security is a concern.”

The future of connectivity 

For telecom companies, enterprise has long been seen as the “golden goose”, but there is an unspoken fear within the industry that they will be limited to providing just connectivity – something that would significantly undermine profits.

That’s why France’s incumbent telco Orange revealed an overhaul of its enterprise division last year, then named Orange Business Services (now just Orange Business) to offer digital services on top.

Telco vendors are also getting involved in the act. Finnish equipment provider Nokia has been developing products specifically for enterprises for years, explains Rafael De Fermín, senior vice president of Network Infrastructure RBC Europe at Nokia

“We have an ambition to play increasingly significant roles with enterprises. We’ve been doing that for quite a while,” he adds.

“We sell a lot of routers and optical communications to enterprises. That business is growing significantly for us, and we’ve doubled down in our efforts. We have products that are specifically built for the enterprise market.”

Read all about Orange’s shift to enterprises here

Reach for the skies

Even with 5G’s reach growing and more backbone cables being built than ever before, some places just cannot be connected by a terrestrial network.

Take, for example, an oil rig out at sea or parts of the Arctic, where the landscape changes drastically every year.

Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are emerging as a pivotal part of the enterprise connectivity landscape. Satellite has long been the dominant player for NTNs, but new technology is promising to extend the reach of network services far beyond the confines of terrestrial and traditional infrastructure.

Peter Kibutu, TTP‘s 5G NTN lead, explains in more detail. “Although satellite connectivity is not new, satellite services are now provided for niche markets and more prominent companies. It’s become revitalised because of this non-terrestrial component, which means services provided via the terrestrial network can now also be provided via satellite.

“One satellite can see a huge region from the sky. So, it can provide coverage in all those spots that are not economically viable for the use of standard terrestrial mobile networks,” he adds.

“So, the technology offers ubiquitous coverage. From an enterprise point of view, good connectivity anywhere means you can receive a Teams call in the desert, for example. It can open economic activity in areas it has never been before.”

NTNs go beyond satellites, too. Google previously trialled balloon-supported connections through its (now defunct) Google Loon project, while several companies are trialling unmanned aerial vehicles, such as drones, that can provide connectivity.

Place your bets!

The landscape might be more complex than 5G or WiFi, but Bukhari suggests this isn’t the right question.

“The future is not about choosing between 5G and WiFi, but about how these technologies can work together to meet business needs,” he says.

“WiFi and 5G are not the only ways to provide connectivity. Most devices are still connected via Ethernet, for example.

Ethernet is still one of the best technologies in the industrial sector. Not only can it provide all the bandwidth that you want, but it’s also very deterministic and can deliver power to your devices as well.

BT’s Keone agrees, “Crucially, the answer is not always plain to see. There’s a lot of testing and learning. Customers don’t really care or understand the technology; they’re most focused on the outcome the technology can bring them.”

So, what should business leaders do?

If you’re still struggling to keep your head in the game, Bukhari explains how businesses should decide between 5G and WiFi.

Step One: “You should really look at if you have a use case today that is important to you and cannot be done on existing technology — be it on WiFi or Ethernet, etc. Then, pick the technology that you need for that. If that happens to be 5G, then absolutely do that; that’s the first step!”

“If you do end up selecting 5G, the next question is, are you going to end up having to create an entire team in a silo that only works on 5G? If the answer is yes, then rethink. That’s a very costly way of doing things.”

Step Two: “Ask yourself, what operating model will help me run 5G and WiFi together simultaneously? Then, you will need to find a vendor that can provide that.”

He concludes, “In the end, if you invest in any new technology without knowing the outcome, you will struggle with determining the ROI. If you can’t determine and clearly show the ROI, then the economics will not make sense.

“There are exceptions to that rule. But I think an enterprise that follows that way of thinking will find itself in a better position.”

The post 5G vs WiFi showdown: which to bet on for your business appeared first on TechInformed.

The cable systems – at least the newer ones – are fibre-optic pipelines delivering data at light speed across the ocean bed, but despite their importance to global infrastructure, they are surprisingly vulnerable. The fibres themselves are made of wafer-thin glass, but, to keep them safe from common threats, they are encased in a pipe comprising polycarbonate, aluminium, steel wires, and polyethylene.

Around 570 submarine cables are in operation today, acting as the data highway between countries across the globe. They are also, in many ways, the West’s Achilles Heel.

Last June Dmitry Medvedev – former Russian president and one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies – argued that Russia has a right to attack subsea cable systems, citing his belief that the West was responsible for sabotage to the Nord Stream undersea gas pipeline in 2022.

“If we proceed from the proven complicity of Western countries in blowing up the Nord Streams, then we have no constraints – even moral – left to prevent us from destroying the ocean-floor cable communications of our enemies,” he wrote.

Defending cable systems has always been a priority – cable landing stations, which is where the systems meet the land, are often highly secure facilities – but Medvedev’s words put governments on high alert. Last October, Finland initially suspected Russia of sabotaging a cable connecting Estonia and Sweden in the Baltic Sea, which Putin has denied.

As probes proceeded, Finnish investigators named a Chinese-owned and Hong Kong-flagged container as a prime suspect, believing it dragged an anchor along the seabed.

Increased Russian naval activity off the Irish coast also raised alarm last year, given the high number of cables located there that connect North America to Europe.

Potential threats stretch beyond Russia, however. The conflict in Gaza has prompted Ansar Allah – better known as the Yemen-based Houthi movement  – to launch attacks on Western supplies in the Red Sea in protest to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

A high density of cables run between the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden – which borders Yemen – prompting Houthi rivals to warn the group may purposely sabotage cable systems there, something they deny.

However, there have been cuts there since the conflict began. Several major cables, including the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1), TGN Atlantic, Europe India Gateway, and the Seacom system were cut in the Red Sea, causing outages in February, which the Houthis blamed on US and British military strikes against them.

“If Houthi rebels are behind the recent damage to undersea and land cables…then evidently those cables are now considered infrastructure worthy of attack during times of conflict,” says Jeff Huggins, president of deeptech company, Cailabs.

Nevertheless, those uninvolved in the attacks are feeling the impact. According to HGC Global Communications, as a result of just four of the 15 severed submarine cables in the Red Sea in February, an estimated 25% of traffic flowing between Asia and Europe was affected.

“The sheer ubiquity of internet in daily life makes the potential impact of successful sabotage enormous,” adds Huggins.

How repairable is the damage?

Intentional attacks on fibre networks have happened before.

In October 2022, multiple fibre cables were cut in Marseille – a central hub for subsea cables, located in the Mediterranean, with the Atlantic to the west and links to Asia to the East – in a targeted attack.

At the time, cloud security company Zscaler wrote in a blog post: “We are aware of a major cable cut in the South of France that impacted major cables with connectivity to Asia, Europe, UK, and potentially other parts of the world.”

Speaking to TI, Yannick Leboyer, European managing director of communications firm Zayo, explains: “One night around 2 am, we saw three links go down one after the other within one or two minutes with sabotage.”

“There’s been a few of these in France, so the police have been investigating for quite some time.”

While the cables were repaired quickly since they were at a landing station, investigations are still ongoing as to who conducted the attack and why.

For cyber security firm Recorded Future, these incidents highlight that onshore landing stations remain the most vulnerable point in a cable system to state-sponsored damage or attack – and fortunately, these can be repaired more easily.

When a submerged part of a cable is cut or damaged, repairing it takes time – depending on the location a repair can take up to several weeks –  and this can cost businesses money and disrupt internet usage.

The reason for this is complex. Firstly, the cable provider needs to detect where the fault took place, and this is first estimated onshore. Then they need to hire a specialist vessel to go and repair the fault, which will involve both picking up relevant equipment and travelling to the location. Unfortunately, this type of ship is limited – around 60 are in operation globally, and many of these are old stock that have been in operation for decades.

The vessel itself can face rough waters before even reaching the location of the damage. They then need to feed the cable through the boat until they find the actual cut before repairs are carried out – meaning the whole process can take weeks.

Intentional damage isn’t the only problem, either. While threats from state actors have happened, most outages are caused by accidental or natural causes, adds Zayo’s Leboyer.

Referring to last week’s cable damage in Africa that caused internet outages in 13 African countries, Leboyer says: “I know there’s a lot of discussion right now about disruption, especially towards Africa, but honestly this is pretty normal for us.”

Accidental cable faults are not uncommon. They can occur as a result of fishing lines, anchors, or in some rare cases, sharks.

It’s why firms such as Orange Marine have vessels aimed at not only laying new cables but fixing old ones, with digital technology implemented simply for identifying faults on cables on the seabed.

For Zayo, this has always been a reason for advising clients to have a minimum of three or four different routes taking data from A-to-B to ensure there is no black-out of transmission.

“Even before recent events, we’ve had situations where we were down to only one path out of six,” Leboyer recalls.

“We have UK-based clients trying to connect the UK to India and, as you go into India, not only are you crossing the ocean, but you also have a pretty long terrestrial distance as well.”

“So we’ve moved them to a solution where we try to keep [the routes] as diverse as possible,” he says, choosing separate directions of cables for each client.

Still, Recorded Futures believes that larger attacks on the network will happen, with results varying from intermittent traffic disruptions to widespread outages that will take days or weeks to resolve – as demonstrated by the recent disruption in Africa (which, it turned out, was caused by an underwater landslide).

“State actors seeking an espionage edge will almost certainly target the entire submarine cable ecosystems for intelligence collection: landing station infrastructure, the submarine cables themselves, third-party providers, and the hardware and software that knits it all together,” Recorded Futures notes.

Tapping into the cables

Subsea cables hold a lot of weight. Within the so-called internet superhighway, the cables can carry sensitive government communications, and are used to support overseas military operations.

As well as undercover communication, submarine networks also facilitate more than $10 trillion of financial transactions daily. For banks, this makes the security of the network a vital asset: “Banks are typically at the top in terms of diversity requirements,” adds Leboyer.

According to Recorded Future, the increasing volume of data and the importance to global finance have only exaggerated the impact posed by physical security attacks.

The organisation warns that recent conflicts have created new imperatives for countries and state actors to disrupt cable system operations, and even covertly tap into the data flowing through them for national security and economic espionage purposes.

This kind of sabotage and espionage is not new. During the Cold War, the US successfully tapped into a Soviet Union military communication cable in the Sea of Okhotsk to listen in on sensitive conversations.

While the report states that the rapid growth of the system since then has created more opportunities to tap into information, it’s more challenging to find coveted information as the “sheer magnitude” of data surging through the cables would necessitate a super complex mechanism able to filter or transfer it to analytics.

Therefore, hacktivists or ransomware groups are unlikely to be capable of finding information through subsea cables, “but their threat cannot be discounted,” adds Recorded Future. Protecting cable systems still remains a priority.

The post Protecting the internet: the threat to subsea cables appeared first on TechInformed.

Yet the Finnish-based corporation, which started life as a pulp mill in 1865, before expanding into rubber and cables, has had many incarnations over the years, producing everything from toilet rolls and respirators to microcomputers and rubber boots.

Today Nokia’s focus remains firmly on providing wireless and fixed network infrastructure, communications and networks service platforms to telecoms operators and service providers.

Over the past five years, the corporation has also made a strategic push into enterprise networking, as different verticals require connectivity to transform their business processes.

Over a very strong coffee the firm’s CEO for UK and Ireland Phil Siveter explains to TechInformed that this focus was initially borne out of the demand for mission-critical verticals such as defence, energy and transport, that required “carrier grade” connectivity and security.

“We do a huge amount of enterprise networking now, it’s a business that has grown rapidly for us over the last five years and now brings in around €2bn a year in business for us globally,” he says.

For context, this sum represents around 8% of the vendor’s total revenues – something that the firm has said it wants to increase to 10% by 2025.

Major support contracts Nokia has secured in recent years include a deal with GEANT (a routing and switching replacement project for European research and education networks), as well as projects for UK transport groups, Network Rail and Highways England.

“We’re intrinsically involved in delivering connectivity to all these enterprises. And we’ve really doubled down on that when we talk about what’s coming next, which is 5G.”

5G in enterprise

Like many mobile network operators and telco vendors, Nokia claims that there’s a big opportunity in 5G connectivity for enterprises – with use cases ranging from online gaming and banking to mining, industry 4.0 and logistics.

“It’s going to have a transformational impact over the coming years, and we are starting to see that already” Siveter enthuses.

The CEO admits however, that one of the challenges he faces in communicating the benefits of 5G to enterprise, is the telecoms industry’s propensity to big up the tech and play down the outcomes.

To this end, Siveter says Nokia is currently working with domain experts to understand how best to deliver technologies into sectors that have been operating the same ways for the last thirty years and may be reluctant to take the risk in investment.

“But they do need to work with us and other partners to understand how 5G can change their business. Because those who embrace the technology are already starting to differentiate in the market with improved cost efficiencies, with innovative solutions with faster time to market.

“We’re starting to see that happen particularly across manufacturing where the pioneers are really starting to see the benefits and there’s going to be a race to catch up. My message is don’t ignore it.”

Private networks

Siveter is able to list a number of areas where 5G is having positive outcomes in industry, and in particular the impact that private networks are having on enterprises.

At the backend of 2022 there were about 1000 private networks globally, spread across 72 countries and 12 verticals. Industries that have been at the vanguard of this private 4G and 5G use include manufacturing, ports and mines.

Nokia’s partnerships in this area include an agreement with mining facing solutions integrator Sedna to enable ‘Industry 4.0’ applications including digital automation to improve safety, operations and sustainability.

A Nokia case study shows that the digital automation of a mining truck fleet in Africa using a private wireless network led to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and 15,000 tonnes in Co2 emissions.

Over in the UK, meanwhile, Siveter references the V-CAL project led by the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), which involved running four zero-emission battery powered autonomous HGVs on private roads owned by Nissan Sunderland.

Going private: How 5G networks can enable Industry 4.0

Another classic use of 5G private networks in action – for Nokia and others – can be found in seaports around the world. Due to their isolated nature, ports act as microcosms of what a smart city or a huge, connected factory might one day look like.

Since 2021 Southampton Port has been a major test bed for Nokia, as Silveter outlines: “We’ve flooded the port with 5G and use it to track containers using HD Cameras and IoT to track relatively simple things, such as damage to the big containers.”

Closer to home, Nokia’s flagship factory Oulu in Finland has been recognised as a lighthouse “Industry 4.0 era” project by the World Economic Forum in terms of how to do 5G in an enterprise environment.

According to Siveter, the overall performance of this factory is constantly improving.

“We use the private network to control robots to do machine feeds. To use IoT tracking of kit to check for wear and tear of machinery.

“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the performance. We used to talk about it being a 30 to 40% improvement on productivity – but now we talk about it being 250% overall performance improvement in that manufacturing plant as an enabling technology. These are the kind of game changing impacts private networks can have,” he says.

Is cost still considered a barrier for companies considering private networks?

“It’s interesting that’s the perception,” he replies. “We’ve just done a piece of work with Global Data, and they looked at all the enterprises that have tested and used private wireless to date, and 80% of them saw an ROI in less than 6 months.

“Because the cost of entry is not millions and millions these aren’t big investments compared to big bits of equipment at a manufacturing plant.”

Connecting the watts

While countries such as Germany and Ireland have carved out spectrum for the energy sector which has allowed them to build their own networks, other territories, including the UK, have created publicly available spectrum where any firm, for a small fee, can register to bid for up to £2m worth of spectrum to deliver their own private networks.

One of Nokia’s flagship wins in this area has been at British Sugar’s manufacturing plant as part of a major ‘factories of the future’ upgrade.

The sugar plant’s project initially kicked off two years ago with a 4G network in partnership with Nokia and Virgin Media O2 – a set up which has been designed to upgrade to 5G “as and when required and dictated by business need”.

The network has been designed to connect multiple IoT devices, enabling British Sugar to streamline its production process, introduce intelligence, automated production lines, robotics and drones.

Healthcare and the metaverse

Another collaboration between Nokia and VMO2, includes building what both suppliers claim to be the UK’s ‘first 5G connected hospital’.

The Maudsley Smart Hospital and Maudsley Smart Pharmacy trials are funded by NHS Digital and are designed to explore the efficiency, safety and security benefits of using 5G-connected technologies in hospitals.

“There’s no question that 5G is going to have an impact on healthcare,” says Siveter.

“Not just in the hospitals but we’ve done some interesting work in Finland too where we’ve trialled 5G in the asset tracking of beds using IoT; using AI, tracking data and driving efficiency in that patient life cycle; and, on fibre sites, helping with remote care in the home,” he adds.

As well as physical plants and hospitals, Siveter adds that Nokia is also looking at virtual sites, as it grapples with the intersection of where industry meets the metaverse.

“The idea that there is just one metaverse is wrong,” he opines. “There are going to be multiple metaverses and we think that they will fall into 3 categories.

“One is for consumers. And we’ll do all the AR and VR connectivity. We’ll see the technology and standards being used to match the price points and services that needs.”

“Then you will have a metaverse that supports low cost, low tech- required enterprises: retail and non-mission critical companies.

“And then there’s the third one, which involves the industrial metaverse and that is where it’s going to have real impact,” he claims.

The CEO reveals that Nokia has been working with French systems integrator Dassault, merging its digital twin capability software management with Nokia’s private wireless network to deliver real-time digital replicas of manufacturing plants.

“You can see exactly what’s happening and interact in a virtual way with that digital twin. That’s the beginning of the metaverse in an industrial environment,” he adds.

6G and HEXA

With the arrival of 6G, Siveter thinks we will soon be able to start thinking more about ‘human augmented reality’ and live data that is embedded in how we operate, the way we work and how this intersects with and supports these metaverses.

To this end, Nokia and its industrial research arm Nokia Bell Labs is leading on a European Union 6G research and development programme known as HEXA-X which promises to explore ways in which we can connect the physical, digital and human worlds more effectively.

Nokia Bell Labs believes that 6G can be used to power preventive healthcare solutions or even to create “a sixth sense” network that intuitively understands our intentions, making our interactions with the physical world more effective and anticipating our needs, improving productivity.

However, Siveter is keen to stress that the building blocks the telco vendor is putting in place with 5G and fibre is giving the corporation plenty of opportunity to innovate right now.

“There is so much work to do on leveraging these investments to the benefit of enterprises. 6G will come, but let’s get this working first.”

The post Vertical thinking: Nokia’s plans to transform enterprises with 5G appeared first on TechInformed.

Before his current role at Extreme, Bukhari spent significant leadership stints at tech firms Cisco and Seagate, culminating in a critical position at storage networking vendor Brocade.

Bukhari joined cloud-driven networking firm Extreme Networks seven years ago following the acquisition of Brocade.  Under his stewardship as chief technology and product officer, Bukhari has spearheaded the company’s rise into cloud-driven networking.

According to Bukhari, his approach to technology is grounded in the belief that technology should enhance the human condition.

Amidst the buzz of MWC24 in Barcelona, Bukhari shares how his diverse background in Technology, Fine Arts, and Business fuels his passion for making technology work for people.

Do you drink coffee? How do you take it?

Not only do I drink coffee, but the people around me would tell you I’m coffee-obsessed. I’m one of those crazy people who like to roast their own beans.

Coffee is more about an experience than just a beverage. I love every aspect of it, from roasting the beans to grinding them and then creating the perfect cup of coffee for that moment.

You expressed that you’re passionate about your work’s impact. Where did that passion come from?

People always ask me how I got involved in technology. I didn’t really. My passion is for humans. It’s all about creating a better experience and a better outcome for humanity.

I’m involved on the technology side, yes. But I studied Technology, Fine Arts, and Business. I have degrees in all of them. It was always about having a positive impact on the human condition.

In today’s world, technology seems to be the best, or at least the fastest way to accomplish that.

Impacting other humans is not about pontificating. It’s about having conversations and engaging more people in them. Then, collectively, we can find a better way of doing the same things or, hopefully, a better way of doing better things.

How do you integrate that into your work at Extreme Networks?

When we think about networks, we think about cold technology, like big names, three-letter words, etc. But the reality is that if you step away from all of that, connecting people is what we do.

Networking is at the core of everything we do as a society. The way we interact with each other, react to things, and absorb things — our whole society is centred and built around the concept of connectivity. Technology is what provides that connection.

All you have to do is look around and see what people do when they connect. When I look, I don’t see Wi-Fi; I see a kid talking to their grandparents over FaceTime.

When you go to a stadium and see the joy on a spectator’s face when their team is doing well, and they’re sharing it with friends on social media.

When you think about a healthcare system, people can talk to their doctor in the middle of a pandemic because they have Wi-Fi and connectivity. We built that Wi-Fi. We made that connection possible.

I like to look beyond the technology and more towards what we enable with it. That is powerful.

What excites you about the connectivity space?

It hasn’t traditionally been the industry that’s exciting and hot and sexy. But there are a lot of new developments right now.

When I consider the next 12 months, I think of Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy.

First, enterprises are still trying to respond to the need for infinite connectivity. We’re connecting every device, every person, and every application.

Secondly, the connection you provide needs to be secure.

Thirdly, how can you provide that secure connection within your resources? Once you do that, you can focus on delivering a great customer experience.

Then, how can you enhance and create new experiences using technologies like AI? And, of course, it’s not sequential. You look at them all at the same time.

What’s the most challenging aspect involved in getting a product to market?

Creating a product is a bit like creating art. It should not only serve a purpose but should evoke an emotional response from the customer and improve their quality of life.

We must innovate with that in mind, not just for innovation’s sake. The most difficult part of product design is keeping that in mind — you must marry the right technology with the right emotional need.

Tell us about the product you’re most proud of

Creating a suite of solutions that put customer experience first — and that specifically rings true with the ExtremeCloud portfolio we’ve developed at Extreme.

The network is the connective tissue of everything we do at work, at home, at an event. It moves society. It must work. That’s why I take immense pride in creating a better way for enterprises to connect people and applications securely and simply, no matter where they are.

Also, during my time as CPO and CTO at Extreme, we’ve acquired technology from multiple companies and quickly integrated them into our portfolio to reduce complexity for our customers. This is a significant differentiator in our industry — as competitors make it very complicated to use their disjointed hardware and software solutions — creating multiple networks to manage.

What does it mean to be part of the C-suite?

For me, making it to the C-suite was about consistency: in leadership, in being courageous but also humble. Fail fast, learn objectively, and adapt and move forward.

From my perspective, leadership is about enabling your teams to do their best work and helping to guide them through those chaotic moments to create something that everyone can be proud of — and it must be built on a foundation of trust.

One mind plus another mind is exponential growth. Two minds together can create way more than the sum of their parts. So, the more minds we connect, the more exponential growth we can have, which relies on connectivity.

The post A coffee with… Nabil Bukhari, CTPO, Extreme Networks appeared first on TechInformed.