Category: Communications

Meta Platforms tried to poach OpenAI employees by offering signing bonuses as high as $100 million, with even larger annual compensation packages, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said.

While Meta had sought to hire “a lot of people” from OpenAI, “so far none of our best people have decided to take them up on that,” Altman said, speaking on the “Uncapped” podcast, which is hosted by his brother.

“I’ve heard that Meta thinks of us as their biggest competitor,” he said. “Their current AI efforts have not worked as well as they have hoped and I respect being aggressive and continuing to try new things.”

The Meta CEO is personally trying to assemble a top artificial intelligence team for its “superintelligence” AI lab and has invested heavily in AI through its Meta AI research division, which also oversees its Llama series of open-source large language models.

The moves come after Meta had once again delayed the release of its latest flagship AI model due to concerns about its capabilities, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Zuckerberg has become so frustrated with Meta’s standing in AI that he’s willing to invest billions in top talent.

Last week Alexandr Wang, founder of Scale AI, announced he was leaving for Meta as part of a deal that saw the Facebook parent dish out $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in the AI startup. Wang added that a small number of Scale AI employees would also join Meta as part of the agreement. CNBC

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the government-owned telecommunications provider, has announced the launch of high speed connectivity solutions in Telangana circle, including Quantum 5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), Micro Data Centre and International Gateway, in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Chairman and managing director A. Robert J. Ravi said the SIM-less BSNL Q-5G (FWA) services aims to provide 100% secure, reliable internet connectivity to enterprises, businesses, gated communities and individual homes using ‘home grown’ 5G technology developed in collaboration with indigenous partners.

Addressing customers and staff, he said the service is being launched for the first time in the country at Ameerpet exchange. “Hyderabad’s tech-savvy ecosystem makes it the perfect launch-pad for our next-generation access portfolio. It has beenbuilt on BSNL’s direct-to-device platform, fully indigenous stack core with design and integration by Indian vendors under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ programme,” he said.

With Gigabit-class speeds, it is ideal for UHD (ultra high definition) streaming, cloud gaming and remote work; the rapid install self-install gateway reaches 85% of Hyderabad households under existing BSNL tower grid with no trenching or fibre pull required.

The pilot expansion will also happen in Bengaluru, Pondicherry, Visakhapatnam, Pune, Chandigarh and Gwalior by September 2025. The tariff introductory plans is ₹999 and ₹1,499 per month for 100Mbps and 300Mbps speeds, respectively.

Micro data centre
BSNL Micro Data Centre is a small scale self-contained data centre designed to provide localised computing resources, storage and networking as an alternative to available cloud solutions, said the CMD. These are ideal for healthcare facilities providing quick access to medical imaging and patients, manufacturing plants, retail stores etc., providing virtual servers, storage and security with option of hiring space in BSNL data centres.

International Gateway is for connecting domestic telecom network to international telecom networks for quality voice, SMS and data communications assuring a seamless internet experience. Another area of technology development has been in working on 6G with government support where each mobile phone will act as an antenna, added Mr. Ravi.

Chief General Manager D.M Ezhil Buddhan, Chief General Manager-Telangana Circle Ratna Kumar and other top officials were present. The Hindu

The worldwide mobile connectivity market is undergoing a significant transformation, with mobile data traffic increasing rapidly while subscriber growth slows. According to ABI Research, a global technology intelligence firm, mobile data traffic is expected to increase by a 23% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2025 to 2030, reaching over 5,241 exabytes (EB) by the decade’s end. This surge in data usage is primarily driven by the rising demand for bandwidth-intensive services like high-definition video streaming, immersive gaming, and always-on mobile apps, all of which require greater network capacity and lower latency. In contrast, mobile subscriptions are projected to grow at a much slower pace, increasing by just 0.17% annually and reaching 5.659 billion subscribers globally by 2030.

While subscriber growth remains steady, the real transformation lies in the increasing amount of data individual users are consuming. The slower pace of subscriber growth in many regions can be attributed to market saturation, especially in mature markets where most potential customers already have mobile subscriptions. “In contrast, subscriber numbers are growing in many emerging markets, driven by population growth and greater access to mobile services. However, economic challenges, infrastructure limitations, and the affordability of smartphones continue to hinder faster adoption in these regions. The real growth lies in how much more data individual users are consuming,” says Samuel Bowling, Research Analyst at ABI Research.

As users engage in data-heavy activities, networks must evolve to meet these higher demands. The rollout of 5G networks plays a central role in this shift. 5G’s advanced capabilities, such as faster speeds, ultra-low latency, and better support for applications like Augmented Reality (AR) and the Internet of Things (IoT), are significantly increasing mobile data traffic. Between 2025 and 2030, 5G is expected to account for a 2,200 EB rise in global data traffic, fueling this expansion as more users transition to 5G networks. To accommodate this surge in demand, operators must enhance their infrastructure to deliver the performance required by next-generation technologies.

Although 4G networks will see a decline in subscribers—expected to drop to around 1.4 billion by 2030—their data consumption will continue to grow, at a rate of 16% annually. This highlights that while newer 5G networks will take the lead, 4G will still support significant data usage across the globe. Regionally, India is expected to be a major contributor to global data consumption, driven by a growing population, expanding 5G deployment, and some of the most affordable data plans. By 2030, India’s mobile data traffic is projected to reach approximately 1,275 EB. At the same time, older technologies like 2G and 3G are rapidly fading, with subscriptions expected to decline sharply, especially as countries like Sweden and Israel plan to shut down their legacy networks by 2026.

Bowling concludes, “Success in the mobile market will increasingly depend on network performance and user experience rather than simply the number of subscribers. As data traffic grows faster than subscriptions, operators must focus on optimizing network efficiency, implementing effective data monetization strategies, and meeting the demands of next-generation digital services. Those who can adapt to this shift in priorities will be best positioned to lead in the coming decade.” ABI Research

Bharti Airtel has announced that July 18, 2025, will be the record date to determine the members eligible for the payment of the final dividend for the financial year 2025, in an exchange filing.

This decision follows the company’s earlier communication on May 13, 2025, where the Board of Directors recommended a final dividend of Rs 16 per fully paid-up equity share and Rs 4 per partly paid-up equity share.

The record date is crucial as it identifies shareholders who will receive the dividend. Bharti Airtel’s fully paid-up equity shares have a face value of Rs 5 each, while the partly paid-up equity shares also have a face value of Rs 5 each, with Rs 1.25 paid up per share.

The dividend will be paid within 30 days from the date of approval, subject to tax deductions, to those members whose names appear in the register of members or depository records as of the close of business on July 18, 2025.

The scrip rose as much as 1.61% to Rs 1,870 apiece. It pared gains to trade 1.42% higher at Rs 1,866.60 apiece, as of 11:23 a.m. This compares to a 0.68% advance in the NSE Nifty 50.

It has risen 30.68% in the last 12 months. Total traded volume so far in the day stood at 0.24 times its 30-day average. The relative strength index was at 55.

Out of 33 analysts tracking the company, 27 maintain a ‘buy’ rating, four recommend a ‘hold’ and two suggest ‘sell’, according to Bloomberg data. The average 12-month consensus price target implies an upside of 7.4%. NDTV Profit

The government is preparing a relief package for Vodafone Idea (Vi) but is facing concerns over the company’s ability to stay afloat unless its pending spectrum usage charges are waived. There are no plans to convert any more of these dues into equity, as this would raise the government’s stake in Vi beyond the current 49 per cent, the report said.

One idea is to let Vi clear its adjusted-gross-revenue (AGR) arrears over 20 years instead of the six-year window fixed after the Supreme Court ruling. “Extending the tenure of AGR payments from the scheduled six annual instalments of ₹18,064 crore to over 20. Despite this, the long-erm sustainability of the company remains in doubt,” an official said, as quoted by the report.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) models show that if Vi must pay the full ₹18,064 crore by the end of FY26, it would run out of cash before the FY27 bill arrives. Even if each annual instalment is trimmed to ₹6,000 crore–₹8,500 crore through a 20-year schedule, officials fear the numbers still do not add up beyond FY29, the report said.

Equity swap done
Earlier this year, the government converted ₹36,950 crore of Vi’s spectrum arrears (linked to auctions held before 2021) into equity. The move made the state the single-largest shareholder. Ahead of that conversion, Vi had shared financial projections up to FY31, the deadline for settling AGR dues. Because the Centre granted a four-year moratorium on AGR and spectrum payments in FY22, all missed dues now bunch into six hefty instalments that begin with the current financial year and must be paid by 31 March each year.

For the January–March quarter, Vi reported a net loss of ₹7,166 crore, wider than the ₹6,609 crore loss in the previous quarter. Auditor S R Batliboi & Associates flagged “the group’s ability to continue as a going concern” because Vi cannot generate or raise enough cash to clear debts when they are due.

The telco’s board has already approved plans to seek a further ₹20,000 crore through equity or debt, yet lenders remain cautious. Meanwhile Vi’s market capitalisation — now about ₹72,300 crore — has slid as its share price drifted from nearly ₹10 in January to ₹6.70 last Friday. Business Standard

Spanish telecom company Telefonica said late it had reached an agreement with Luxembourg-based Millicom International to sell 100% of the shares of its Ecuador unit Otecel S.A. for 380 million dollars.

The transaction aimed to further reduce the Spanish company’s exposure to Latin America, after it recently sold its businesses in Uruguay, Peru and Argentina to focus on Spain, Brazil, Britain and Germany.

Telefonica had agreed a month ago to also sell its Uruguayan unit to Millicom, which operates telecom companies all over Latin America under the brand Tigo.

The company had to book an accounting loss of 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) during the last quarter from the disposals in Peru and Argentina. Reuters

Digital twins are increasingly transforming industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and aerospace, offering solutions to optimize operations, improve efficiency, and enable predictive capabilities across various sectors. Against this backdrop, the global digital twins market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.6% from $5 billion in 2019 to $154 billion by 2030, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Digital Twins,” reveals that the growth of the global digital twins market will be driven by low-cost sensors used in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, a decline in the cost of high-performance computing (HPC), and cloud accessibility. Advances in data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) will also drive the growth.

Aisha U-K Umaru, Strategic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Large companies such as Amazon have tapped into their reach and reputation to partner with firms such as Matterport and Anthropic to enhance their digital twin offerings, and smaller companies such as Aerogility are providing services to specific industries such as aerospace and defense.”

Digital twins: Diverse use cases
Conceptually, digital twins have been around for decades; a forerunner was used in NASA’s Apollo 13 mission to the moon in 1970. While far from ubiquitous today, adoption is increasing across industries.

Umaru continues: “Digital twins are employed in various industries, including oil and gas, power, sport, and government. They serve a wide range of purposes within these fields, from enhancing the efficiency of a factory to providing an enriched viewing experience for sports fans.”

AI’s impact on digital twin industry
Digital twins are increasingly harnessing AI to provide more context to the users. This approach has created a hybrid technology called semantic twins, which can provide a deeper level of understanding by letting users ask large language models (LLMs) questions about a twin and its components. In response to these questions, the LLM can draw from its knowledge of the twin, the twin’s aims and objectives, and its broader understanding of systems and the world. For example, a semantic twin of a city may be asked, “How can I update this twin to be in line with other cities with similar population and transport systems that are managing traffic congestion more effectively?”. Semantic twins also benefit from other features of generative AI, including advanced predictive analytics and information retention.

Umaru concludes: “AI is pervading almost every industry, and it can offer more depth to digital twins. Semantic twins can allow users to draw deeper meaning from their digital twins, using LLMs for support.” GlobalData