At a glance…

• Accenture and Nvidia partnered to advance agentic AI
• The US presidential election shook up the tech sector
• Vodafone and Three merger created UK telco buzz

October: Big Movements in Big Tech

Google invested $1 billion into data centre regions in Thailand

Data centre and cloud investments continued to surge in the last quarter of the year, as Alphabet’s Google announced a $1 billion investment towards building data centre regions in Thailand.

The goal was to support AI adoption in Southeast Asia — as Deloitte forecasted, the investment would create an average of 14,000 jobs annually by 2029.

Accenture and Nvidia expanded their partnership to scale agentic AI adoption

In terms of Gen AI, there’s a new kid on the block. Agentic AI has seen a steady rise in search results, particularly in the last quarter of this year.

This may be linked to companies such as Accenture and Nvidia announcing joint plans to accelerate agentic AI adoption (as well as Honeywell and Google Cloud).

Unlike traditional AI that merely responds to prompts, agentic AI autonomously creates workflows and acts based on user intent.

See worldwide search results for ‘agentic AI’ below.

OpenAI closed a $6.6 billion investment round

OpenAI secured a groundbreaking $6.6bn in its latest funding round, hailed as the “largest venture capital deal of all time.”

The fundraising valued the creator of ChatGPT at $157bn following its announcement of plans to transition to a for-profit structure within the next two years.

Notable investors included Microsoft, Nvidia, SoftBank, Fidelity, Altimeter Capital, Khosla Ventures, MGX, and Thrive Capital.

Microsoft accused Google of a campaign to mislead the public and cloud regulators

In a Big Tech spat, Microsoft claimed Google initiated a covert campaign to “discredit” Microsoft and “tilt the regulatory landscape in favour of its cloud services.”

In a blog by Microsoft’s deputy general counsel, Rima Alaily, he stated that Google was about to launch a lobby group with a handful of smaller European cloud providers.

Alaily claimed that Google planned to remain a “backseat member” and allow the other cloud providers to be the group’s face. Still, one firm that chose not to join told Microsoft that the group’s purpose was to criticise Microsoft’s practices in Europe.

UK tech provided mixed reactions to the new government’s first budget

The UK’s new Labour government released its first budget statement, which included increased taxes for employers, an uptick in public spending, and a renewed commitment to focus on growth.

November: US Presidential Election Shakes Tech Sector

Trump vs Harris: key tech policies in the US presidential election

As the US presidential election approached, TI covered the key tech policies proposed by the Republican and Democratic parties.

These included AI and automation plans, such as Trump’s push to minimise AI regulation and Harris’s focus on promoting ethical AI use.

Both parties emphasised strengthening cybersecurity and taking antitrust actions against monopolistic companies.

However, they differed on cryptocurrency: Trump advocated for limited regulation to position the US as a crypto hub, while Harris supported stronger regulation to secure crypto markets and protect consumers.

What does Big Tech stand to gain or lose under a second Trump presidency?

Trump won the US presidential election, and TI analysed the pros and cons of a Republican party for Big Tech.

For instance, Trump threatened to impose 60-100% tariffs on goods from China, which could heavily affect companies such as Apple and Tesla. These companies depend heavily on continued access to the Chinese market and supply chains.

On the other hand, lighter regulation may benefit sectors such as crypto.

Air fryers may be secretly sizzling data

When you threw those sweet potato fries into the air fryer drawer, did you consider that your data may have been stolen in the process?

Consumer rights watchdog Which? warned shoppers that air fryers and other electronic products made in China may collect unnecessary data and share it with third parties.

According to Which? the Xiamoi app, which comes with smart air fryers like Xiaomoi, Cosori, and Aigostar, was linked to ad trackers on platforms such as Facebook and Tencent.

It also requested gender and date of birth when users set up an account, which it reportedly shared with servers in China.

Coca-Cola’s AI-generated ‘Holidays are coming’ ad sparked debate

Coca-Cola’s annual fleet of trucks appeared on our screens — except this time, the entire ad was AI-generated.

The ad sparked controversy online, with one X user calling it “soulless garbage.” It was produced by three AI studios, using generative AI models Leonardo, Luma, Runway, and Kling.

Two subsea cables were severed in the Baltic Sea

Two subsea cables connecting Germany with Finland and Lithuania with Sweden were severed over the course of one weekend.

While the cause remained unknown, Finnish state-controlled cybersecurity and telecoms company Cinia stated such an event does not happen “without an outside impact.”

Neither of the incidents affected internet traffic, as other subsea cable routes were available.

December: The Law Denies Big Tech’s Appeals

A US judge rejected Elon Musk’s Tesla pay package

Elon Musk’s four-year-old child (X Æ A-12) may not get so many presents this Christmas, as a Delaware judge upheld her decision to void his $56bn Tesla pay package.

The judge ruled that the car manufacturer’s board of directors failed to act in the best interests of shareholders when devising Musk’s 2018 compensation deal. She cited conflicts of interest and material misstatements made to investors.

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus warned of AI in the music industry

A study by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) found that human creators are “set to lose billions” due to GenAI.

Abba’s co-founder and president of CISAC, Björn Ulvaeus, responded to the report by warning that poorly regulated AI has “the power to cause great damage to human creators, to their careers and livelihoods.”

The CMA approved the £16.5bn Vodafone and Three deal and set terms for UK telecom’s future

The British telecoms sector saw a significant milestone as the UK Competition and Markets Authority approved the merger of Vodafone and Three, paving the way for a £16.5bn ($21bn) alliance.

The deal required several legal obligations, including a commitment to spend £11bn ($14bn) improving 5G connectivity services nationwide. (London is rated one of the worst capital cities in Europe for 5G connectivity). The deal brings together the UK’s fourth and third biggest operators.

A federal court upheld a ruling on TikTok forcing it to sell or face a US ban by 2025

A federal appeals court supported its decision requiring TikTok’s Chinese partner company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations or face a nationwide ban. It has until 19 January 2025 to comply with the ruling. If it fails, the app could be disabled for 170 million American users.

However, TikTok has vowed to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, arguing that the law infringes on free speech rights and unfairly singles out the platform.

Google unveiled a quantum chip

Finally, as a holiday gift, Google unveiled its quantum chip, Willow. It said that the chip could perform a standard computation in under five minutes, which would take today’s fastest supercomputer an inconceivable amount of time (ten septillion years).

Google Quantum AI’s founder and lead, Hartmut Neven, added that the new chip moves the firm “significantly” toward commercially relevant applications.

Missed the rest of the year? Read our roundups of Q1, Q2, and Q3 to catch up.

The post Q4 Wrapped Up: the top tech stories of October to December 2024 appeared first on TechInformed.

We cover our favourite events of the year, including accessing a simulated cyber attack at Black Hat USA, witnessing technology that is enhancing the experience for visually impaired fans at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille, and Crystal Palace FC and talking to technology founders aiming to close the gender data gap at TechBBQ.

Also on the agenda, the TI team considers tech turkeys of 2024, Which include advertisers leaving social media platform X, the Apple Vision Pro, and the CrowdStrike Windows IT outage that left many computers with the ‘blue screen of death’.

Plus, what do we predict for 2025?…

The post TI:TALKS TI’smas Special: a year in enterprise tech, plus 2025 predictions appeared first on TechInformed.

The amalgamation will create a new market leader in the UK’s mobile sector after the regulator gave its approval to the deal.

The deal is contingent on a number of legal obligations, including a commitment to spend £11bn ($14bn) improving 5G connectivity services across the country.

Legally binding commitments include capping some mobile tariffs and the agreement to offer preset contractual terms to mobile virtual network operators who leverage the combined firm’s wholesale network.

Price rises will be capped for several years, with both the CMA and regulator Ofcom set to enforce any conditions, which will be reported annually.

Some had questioned the deal’s ability to reduce competition in the connectivity market, as the merger will reduce the number of UK mobile network operators from four to three: Vodafone/ Three, BT/EE, and VMO2.

The deal, which brings together the UK’s fourth and third biggest operators, was first struck in June 2023. The combined entity will have around 27 million subscribers.

Vodafone’s chief executive, Margherita Della Valle, said the approval “releases the handbrake on the UK’s telecoms industry.”

Della Valle said: “Today’s decision creates a new force in the UK’s telecoms market and unlocks the investment needed to build the network infrastructure the country deserves.

“Consumers and businesses will enjoy wider coverage, faster speeds and better-quality connections across the UK as we build the biggest and best network in our home market.”

Vodafone will own a 51% stake in the merged company, while Three-owner CK Hutchison — based in Hong Kong — will own the remaining 49%.

Read more: How do organisations like Vodafone unlock innovation through smarter data strategies?

Canning Fok, the deputy chair of CK Hutchison, said: “When Three and Vodafone are combined, CK Hutchison will fully support the merged business in implementing its network investment plan, the cornerstone of today’s approval by the CMA, transforming the UK’s digital infrastructure and ensuring customers across the country benefit from world-beating network quality.”

The merger follows a tie-up between O2 and Virgin Media to form VMO2 in 2021. The company is a joint venture between Virgin Media owner Liberty Global and O2 owner Telefonica.

The other primary UK player is BT-owned EE, formed in 2010 as a merger between the then fourth-placed T-Mobile and third-placed Orange before it was bought out by BT in 2016.

The industry’s reaction to the Vodafone and Three deal has been mixed, with rivals such as BT strongly opposing the consolidation.

However, Rafael González, CMO at MedUX, said the newly merged entity needs to focus strongly on improving 5G services.

He said: “While the Vodafone/Three merger includes commitments to invest in 5G, general investment alone may not be sufficient to improve the experience for UK citizens and enterprises. Capital expenditure should specifically focus on enhancing 5G coverage, availability, reliability, and performance.

“With various versions of 5G offering different quality levels, it’s essential to address overlooked factors such as the spectrum bands used, minimum required speeds, and the performance capabilities necessary for new use cases.”

He concluded: “Considering these factors is crucial for contributing to positive social welfare and improving network quality.”

The post CMA approves £16.5bn Vodafone and Three deal and sets terms for UK telecom’s future appeared first on TechInformed.

According to Network Rail, the issue appears to be a fault with the onboard GSM-R radio system, which is used for emergency communications and is powered by its own contained phone and mast system.

This morning drivers found their radio systems were failing to start up automatically when trains left depots. Although a manual solution was found, trains across the network had to start their journeys later because of the fault, leading to knock-on delays and some cancellations.

The BBC has reported that a new piece of hardware, installed as part of an upgrade to the system at a major telecommunications hub in Stoke, was the source of the problem. Replacement hardware has now been installed and the system rebooted.

While the issue has now been rectified, in London services on the Elizabeth line, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Northern, ScotRail, Southeastern, Southern, South Western Railway and Thameslink were all affected.

Technical issue’ behind NATS air traffic system leads to aviation chaos

Incident response expert Chris Jones, an analyst at Check Point Software, said that the incident highlighted the risks of misconfiguration during essential system maintenance.

“It’s a challenge we’ve seen before with cloud services and communication platforms. While the GSM-R fault appears technical rather than malicious, it raises questions about whether rigorous testing and rollback plans were in place to prevent widespread delays,” he said.

Jones added that it was crucial for critical systems like GSM-R radio to follow the golden rules of IT maintenance: To test thoroughly, plan cautiously, and ensure rapid recovery options in case something goes wrong.

“When these steps aren’t followed, the impact on infrastructure and daily life can be immense, as today’s rail chaos demonstrates. This should serve as a wake-up call for organisations managing critical services—reliability demands preparation, not just hope.”

The post Comms system fault on UK trains disrupts Friday commute appeared first on TechInformed.

At the Orange OpenTech 2024 event, we cover what APIs—application programming interfaces—bring to businesses and how they can help cities become smarter, networks become more secure, and the future possibilities of retail and gaming.

We also explore Anton’s 12-year career and how her interest in technology derived from her childhood love of video games. Now, she chooses to wind down by walking through nature and of course, enjoying a coffee.

The post A coffee with… Otilia Anton, network APIs program director at Orange appeared first on TechInformed.

A subsea cable is an underwater fibre-optic cable designed for transmitting data across oceans and seas, enabling global internet and telecommunications connectivity.

According to Finnish state-controlled cyber security and telecoms company Cinia, its 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) cable stopped working at 02:00 am GMT on Monday and the incident is currently under investigation.

While its cause remains unknown, and no country yet has claimed responsibility for an attack, experts believe that cuts of this nature are unlikely to happen without some outside interference.

Cinia added that breaks like this do not happen “without an outside impact” and its chief executive, Ari-Jussi Knaapila indicated that it could take between five to 15 days to repair.

Releasing a joint statement, foreign ministers Elina Valtonen (Finland) and Annalena Baerbock (Germany) said:  “The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times.”

“Our European security is not only under threat from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors,” they added.

Another subsea cable linking Lithuania and Sweden also went out of service at 08:00am GMT on Sunday, according to Lithuanian telecom firm Telia Lietuva.

“It is absolutely central that it is clarified why we currently have two cables in the Baltic Sea that are not working,” added  Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Sweden’s minister of civil defence.

Neither of the incidents has affected internet traffic as other subsea cable routes were available.

The two cables join several similar incidents in the Baltic Sea over the last two years. In 2023, several telecom cables and a subsea gas pipeline were severely damaged.

Finnish and Estonian investigators have since blamed a Chinese container ship for dragging an anchor along the seabed, although it did not state whether this action was accidental or intentional.

In 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia to Germany were destroyed by explosions – the case is still being investigated by German authorities.

Read about the threat to subsea cables and how it can disrupt businesses, here.

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Currently CEO at digital identity platform SQR, Langan-Newton talks about the importance of identity verification in a world of remote working and AI.

Plus, she discusses her previous role as co-founder of the Isle of Man’s Internet Exchange and how it has helped the self-governed island stay connected, and as a former chair at the island’s Digital Forum, she discusses creating a surprisingly large tech community.

What is your current role?

I’m the CEO of SQR, and SQR is on a mission to make the world a safer place through efficient and inclusive identity verification. This means empowering organisations to trust that their clients are who they claim to be and allowing individuals to easily prove their identity. It’s increasingly crucial in today’s world, especially with the rise of deepfake technology and AI. We’ve recently gone through an acquisition and are working on our business plan for the next raise, focusing on both in-person and online identity verification and looking beyond initial client onboarding to what happens next.

What inspired the in-person focus, and what does that involve? 

It’s something we don’t often see because there’s not always a seamless blend between online and in-person. Yet, we naturally blend these in our daily lives. It’s sensible to have a journey that weaves through both environments, allowing proof of identity in both settings because life isn’t just lived online or offline anymore—it’s more blended.

What has been your career journey that led you to become the CEO of SQR? 

It’s what they call a “squiggly” career. I spent the first ten years as a performing arts teacher, lecturer, and education consultant. Then I transitioned into tech, previously working in telecoms tech and at a satellite operator. A few years ago, I took the plunge and left my previous job, feeling there was something else to explore. Now, I’m building on digital security and identifying gaps in what people fundamentally need; security is a foundational human requirement, and identity is a significant part of that.

Speaking of the digital world, tell us about some of the projects you spearheaded as chair at the Digital Forum of the Isle of Man?

We developed the Isle of Man’s Tech Map, which lists the different tech providers in the region. In a small community like the Isle of Man, you might think you know everyone, but we discovered over 70 tech providers among 80,000 people which is amazing. This awareness facilitates more collaboration and has a clustering effect. I’m excited about what the forum has achieved as a community, especially since our product isn’t limited to the Isle of Man, even though we operate from here.

You co-founded the Isle of Man Internet Exchange (ManxIX). What inspired that, and what impact did it have? 

One of the challenges of being a small but mighty powerful nation is democratising the Internet, due to less eyeballs on screens causing less people to bring down the cost of that service. Telecoms infrastructure is hugely expensive to run, maintain, and secure. So by putting an Internet Exchange into the island, it acts as a hub for service providers, increasing efficiency by reducing the need to send data around the world and thus lowering costs. While it’s not an overnight solution and won’t instantly bring costs down, it’s part of the journey to collaboration and aiding people to be able to access the internet and build exciting and innovative projects on top of that because it’s not as expensive.

With your background in teaching, how has that influenced your leadership skills? 

Initially, I didn’t realise I had transferable skills from teaching, but in education, especially performing arts, I learned to create safe spaces for creativity and innovation. These are skills I carry into leadership, fostering environments where people can excel. Seeing people reach their full potential is a source of personal satisfaction for me, and I’ve taken that with me outside of education.

Does your experience in performing arts help with public speaking now?

While I still get nervous, reframing it as excitement helps. My background helped me script and produce a quick video for a marketing video recently and I got our UX designer involved because he’s a natural in front of the screen. Then we recorded our two-minute script in a makeshift production unit, which took us about two hours in total, and I really enjoyed bringing in my creative skills.

Do you still engage in performing arts as a hobby? 

I used to sing in a band until recently, which was great fun, but it became difficult with two children—one being eighteen and the other being four. Though I’ve stopped for now, I’ve started a smaller local project. I love singing, attending performances, and watching shows.

How do you wind down? 

I go to the gym. It helps me clear my mind. Being mindful is important to remain focused throughout the day.

Were you always interested in technology? 

I became more interested in tech after leaving teaching. What I love about technology is its ever-evolving nature; you must stay informed. It suits my curiosity because there’s always something new to learn.

Last question—how do you take your coffee? 

An oat milk flat white is my go-to!

The post A coffee with…Shelley Langan-Newton, CEO, SQR appeared first on TechInformed.

In a statement released today the UK competition watchdog said that it had provisionally approved the merger provided certain conditions were met.

These included the delivery of their joint network plan, which would involve an eight-year investment programme to upgrade the merged company’s communications and connectivity infrastructure across the UK – including an ambitious 5G rollout programme.

This investment is combined with some short-term customer safeguards including a commitment to respect existing customer tariffs for a three-year period.

The regulator also said upholding pre-agreed deals or prices with Mobile Virtual Network Operators such as Sky Mobile, Lyca and Lebara could protect consumers and wholesale customers alike.

Last year the CMA expressed concern that the merger would result in “a lessening of competition in the UK” for both the retail and wholesale mobile markets. However, the regulator now appears more convinced that the long-term benefits outweigh a potential increase in mobile prices.

Stuart McIntosh, chair of the inquiry group leading the investigation, said: “Our provisional view is that binding commitments combined with short-term protections for consumers and wholesale providers would address our concerns while preserving the benefits of this merger.

“A legally binding network commitment would boost competition in the longer term and the additional measures would protect consumers and wholesale customers while the network upgrades are being rolled out.”

Vodafone and Three first announced plans to merge in June 2023  in a deal that would potentially create a mobile network giant serving over 29 million customers. The move was seen as a response to BT’s 2016 purchase of EE, and the 2021 merger of Virgin Media and O2.

CMA said that its provisional decision will be made final before the 7 December statutory deadline, following feedback on today’s announcement.

The post Three Vodafone UK deal gets conditional go-ahead from CMA appeared first on TechInformed.

The study, which analysed the breadth and depth of sustainability initiatives and technological adoption, names Japan’s KDDI, Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, and the US-based Verizon as the top three operators globally in terms of their impact on sustainability.

KDDI was highlighted in the report for its circular economy efforts and commitment to cloud technology. Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom and Verizon were recognised for their sustainability strategies and initiatives to reduce their environmental impact.

KDDI takes the lead in mobile sustainability

According to the report, KDDI recycled over 99% of its disused network hardware in 2023.

The Japanese operator has also taken steps to reduce its carbon emissions by embracing cloud computing, allowing for more efficient use of resources and energy.

KDDI’s use of Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) enabled the company to reduce the physical infrastructure required for its data centres, further reducing energy consumption.

These advancements in virtualisation and automation are central to the company’s sustainability strategy, allowing it to streamline operations and optimise energy use across its networks.

The operator’s sustainability strategy claims to focus on achieving carbon neutrality, promoting renewable energy, and supporting the circular economy.

Some of its key initiatives include the “Green Mobile” service for corporate customers powered by renewable energy and establishing the KDDI Green Partners Fund to support startups tackling environmental issues.

Deutsche Telekom and Verizon also performed well in sustainability

Deutsche Telekom and Verizon’s sustainability efforts also stood out in Juniper’s research.

Deutsche Telekom has been recognised for its commitment to environmental sustainability in the past, investing heavily in renewable energy and sustainable supply chain practices.

The German operator, the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue, has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint, including the widespread use of renewable energy across its European operations.

On the other hand, Verizon has focused on integrating sustainability into every facet of its business, from network management to customer outreach, according to Juniper’s report.

The US-based firm has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2035 and has invested significantly in green energy projects.

What role does cloud computing play in network sustainability?

The Juniper Research report recognises cloud computing as one of the most impactful technologies driving sustainability in the mobile operator space.

“With the high levels of virtualisation across 5G and future 6G networks, it is predicted that centralising and automating network functions via cloud platforms will enable operators to reduce their overall energy consumption by over 2,000TWh globally in 2025,” the report says.

Senior market analyst at Juniper Frederick Savage, the report’s author, emphasised the importance of cloud computing in meeting sustainability goals: “Cloud computing is an instrumental strategy for operators to improve efficiency and meet sustainability goals.

“Cloud’s ability to dynamically allocate resources in real-time significantly reduces energy consumption, compared to the constant energy requirement from traditional networks,” he said.

Read more: The hidden cost of AI and digital transformation

However, the data centres that power the cloud hyperscalers’ cloud computing operations are not carbon emissions-free. A recent Guardian analysis found that Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta data centre emissions could be 662% higher than reported due to “creative accounting”.

According to the International Energy Agency, data centres accounted for 1% to 1.5% of total global electricity consumption in 2022, and that was before the launch of ChatGPT.

Benchmark forecasts

In addition to analysing current practices, the Juniper report predicted that the global shift toward sustainable network practices will accelerate over the next five years, driven by advances in renewable energy, circular economy strategies, and sustainable supply chains.

Operators are expected to adopt more aggressive targets, such as the Science Based Targets initiative, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.

Chatbots: BT and Deutsche Telekom share insights

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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.”

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