• Telenor launches its AI factory
• Indosat unveils Indonesia’s local-language LLM
• As Nokia acquires Rapid, Spanish telcos collaborate on API R&D

In today’s industry news roundup: Telenor already has a customer for its Nvidia technology-fuelled AI factory; Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison marks Indonesia AI Day with the launch of the first phase of the country’s local-language LLM; network APIs are once again in the spotlight as Nokia buys the assets of API hub developer Rapid and major Spanish telcos collaborate on a network API lab initiative; and much more!

Telenor has officially launched its AI factory, which has been designed using hardware and software from Nvidia to provide enterprises with AI services and access to infrastructure that can run AI workloads as well as meet the internal needs of the telco. The Norwegian operator announced its investment in Nvidia technology and its AI factory plans in February, when CTO Amol Phadke discussed the strategy with TelecomTV at the MWC24 show. The AI factory already has its first customer, Norwegian tech firm Hive Autonomy, which develops autonomous systems that can adapt to the specific needs of enterprises across multiple industries. The company’s CEO, Christoffer Jørgenvåg, said the “opportunity to collaborate with Telenor is a major milestone for Hive Autonomy. This partnership will drive significant advancements in our autonomous solutions, allowing us to enhance safety, efficiency and reliability in new ways.” Jannicke Hilland, EVP and head of Telenor Infrastructure, added: “This is an exciting milestone for Telenor as we launch the AI factory with a visionary customer like Hive Autonomy. Our mission is to empower organisations to innovate, and Hive Autonomy’s commitment to redefining autonomous technology aligns perfectly with our vision. By combining their forward-thinking solutions with our critical infrastructure, we’re opening doors to a future where AI and autonomy transform industries in real, tangible ways.” Read more. 

Meanwhile, to help mark Indonesia AI Day, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and its partner PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia have announced the “first phase of development of Sahabat-AI, an open-source large language model (LLM) ecosystem specifically designed for Bahasa Indonesia [the country’s official language]” and its local variations, Indosat announced. The initiative is significant because of Indonesia’s scale: It is the world’s fourth-largest nation with a population of more than 270 million, so this development will provide the country with generative AI (GenAI) services that it couldn’t get from other LLMs. “This groundbreaking project is a significant step forward in advancing Indonesia’s digital sovereignty, preserving its linguistic heritage, and unlocking new pathways for socio-economic growth and innovation,” noted the telco. “Due to its understanding of local context, Sahabat-AI will enable Indonesians to build AI-based services and applications in Bahasa Indonesia and various local languages, addressing a gap left by global AI models,” explained Indosat, adding that the initiative is supported by AI Singapore and Tech Mahindra, which are using Nvidia AI Enterprise software, including Nvidia NeMo, “to train the model and enhance general language understanding.” Indosat CEO and president Vikram Sinha noted: “Sahabat-AI is not just a technological achievement, it embodies Indonesia’s vision for a future where digital sovereignty and inclusivity go hand in hand. By creating an AI model that speaks our language and reflects our culture, we empower every Indonesian to harness advanced technology’s potential. This initiative is a crucial step towards democratising AI as a tool for growth, innovation and empowerment across our diverse society.” Indosat is working closely with Nvidia on a number of initiatives, including the development of a GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) offering for local enterprises from its own AI factory that is run by Indosat’s IT services division, Lintasarta – see Indosat taps Nvidia for AI muscle.

Nvidia also provided its perspective on Indonesia AI Day and the emerging role of sovereign AI developments in this blog. 

Nokia has added to its network API development capabilities with the acquisition (for an undisclosed sum) of assets from San Francisco-based API hub developer Rapid. The Finnish vendor says it has acquired Rapid’s “technology assets, including the world’s largest API hub used by thousands of active developers globally, and its highly skilled research and development unit” and that it will integrate Rapid’s technology with Nokia’s Network as Code platform with developer portal to help telcos “seamlessly integrate their networks, actively control API usage and exposure, enhance API lifecycle management, and collaborate with Rapid’s global developer base on its public API marketplace.” Nokia is keen to play a major role in helping telcos to develop new business opportunities by using network APIs to expose their network functions to developers in a standardised way and, since the launch of the Network as Code platform last year, it has struck 27 partnerships with companies, such as BT Group, Orange, Telefónica and Google Cloud. Raghav Sahgal, president of cloud and network services at Nokia, noted: “Operators need a bridge to connect to thousands of developers to drive enterprise and consumer value creation and monetise their networks. Rapid’s technology and talented R&D team, together with Nokia, will allow us to bring a robust API infrastructure platform to accelerate network API-related product development and drive adoption across its broad global developer community.” For more on Nokia’s network API plans and progress, see Nokia CEO boasts network API traction.

Still in the world of network APIs… Telefónica, MásOrange (the operator formed earlier this year from the merger of MásMóvil and Orange Spain), Vodafone Group and Spanish technology R&D centre i2cat have “established Europe’s first multi-operator Open Gateway lab, a milestone in the telecoms sector that opens up new opportunities for developers and enterprises,” the partners noted. The lab is part of the GSMA-led Open Gateway initiative, which is helping telcos to develop their network API strategies and to foster collaboration between network operators. The lab “aims to accelerate the adoption of interoperable APIs, creating joint use cases and unifying performance in an accessible and collaborative environment,” the partners noted in this announcement. The lab’s working group will “set up tests and testbeds to reach consensus on the deployment of APIs, both existing and newly created, as well as to foster an open discussion environment based on technological and business innovation criteria,” they added. Víctor del Pozo, MásOrange director general of innovation, alliances and new services, noted that “Spain is once again a pioneer in creating an open framework for collaboration, led by the GSMA and operators, which now also incorporates i2CAT as a critical technology partner to find concrete solutions to the challenges faced daily by companies or administrations.” Read more. 

Europe’s fifth-largest telco, Xavier Niel’s Iliad Group, is on course to hit its full year revenues target of €10bn after reporting third-quarter revenues of €2.55bn, up by 8.5% year on year, a figure that takes its sales for the first nine months of 2024 to €7.46bn, up by 9.7% compared with the same period in 2023. Group earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the first nine months came to almost €2.9bn, up by 13.6% year on year. The company, which has major operations in France, Italy and Poland, ended September with just over 40.2 million mobile customers and almost 10 million fixed broadband customers. Iliad Group CEO Thomas Reynaud, stated: “These solid Q3 results, combining strong growth and a sharp increase in bottom-line performance, demonstrate the strength of our brands, the impact of our innovations and the efficiency of our operations. Despite heightened competition, we’re continuing to win market shares in each of our geographies, and we’re standing by our target of achieving €10bn in revenues for full year 2024.” For further details, see this earnings release.   

The shareholders of Frontier Communications have given their approval for the sale of the US fibre broadband network operator to Verizon for $20bn in cash, a deal announced in September, though support for the takeover was far from unanimous. “Approximately 63% of stockholders voted ‘For’ the merger agreement proposal, with 10 of the company’s top-12 stockholders voting to approve the transaction,” noted Frontier in this announcement, which means that two of those top shareholders did not vote ‘For’. Frontier’s president and CEO, Nick Jeffery, stated: “Today’s vote demonstrates the strong value of the fibre business we have built over the past four years and our ability to expand access to reliable connectivity for more Americans. We look forward to closing this transaction by the first quarter of 2026 and beginning to deliver our premium fibre offering to millions more customers across our combined network.”

SK Telecom (SKT) is to spend 1.15tn Korean won ($817m) to acquire the 24.8% stake in SK Broadband held by Taekwang and Mirae Asset, a move that will take SKT’s stake in the broadband network operator to 99.1%. According to this announcement from SKT (in Korean), this will enable greater synergy between the telco and its broadband subsidiary and enable SK Broadband to play a role in the further development of SKT’s datacentre and subsea cable infrastructure that will support its AI ambitions – see SKT unveils AI infrastructure superhighway plan.

– The staff, TelecomTV