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Regulatory Watch – October 2024

22.10.2024
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Round-up of the latest news

Google goes nuclear

Italy moves towards ‘fair share’ of network costs

Facebook trials facial recognition to combat celebrity fraud

Senegal launches its first satellite

Nigerian telcos oppose reintroduction of ‘telecom tax’

Adobe announces global digital skills package

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Google goes nuclear

Google has signed a deal to use small nuclear reactors to provide energy for its AI datacentres. The agreement with Californian based company Kairos Power aims to see the first reactor online by the end of the decade, with further to follow by 2035. ‘The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies,’ said Michael Terrell, senior director for energy and climate at Google. The move follows last month’s announcement by Microsoft that had agreed a deal to reopen a reactor at Three Mile Island in New York state. Kairos specialises in Molten Salt reactors, which can operate more efficiently and produce less waste than traditional water-cooled reactors, though the technology has yet to receive regulatory approval.

Italy moves towards ‘fair share’ of network costs

The Italian government will introduce measures to ensure that big tech firms share the cost of  developing telecoms infrastructure in the country. Industry minister Adolfo Urso said plans were in place and that it ‘makes good sense for big tech to contribute to the workload that is then entrusted to the large telecommunications networks’ . Telecoms companies have long argued that tech platforms should bear some the costs of high speed network rollout given that they make up a large share of internet traffic. The platforms argue that it amounts to an internet tax.

Facebook trials facial recognition to combat celebrity fraud

Meta is reintroducing facial recognition technology on its Facebook platform, three years after it removed it. The company says it will recruit 50,000 public figures as part of a crackdown on ‘celeb bait’ scams. The trial involves comparing their Facebook profile photos with images used in suspected scam advertisements. Where they match and Meta believes them to be scams, they will be blocked. The celebrities will be notified of their involvement and can opt out if they wish. The company plans to roll out the trial globally from December, excluding jurisdictions where it does not have regulatory approval, including the EU, UK, South Korea and the US states of Texas and Illinois.

Senegal launches its first satellite

Senegal has become the latest African country to develop and launch its own satellite when it launched aboard a Spacex rocket in August. The small Cubesat (slightly bigger than a Rubik’s cube) called GaindeSAT-1A will provide earth observation and telecommunication services in a move described by Senegal’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, as a big step towards ‘technological sovereignty’. 17 African countries have now put over 60 satellites into orbit. Djibouti and Zimbabwe have both made their first satellites operational this year as launch costs continue to fall. However, the continent currently has no launch facilities of its own.

Nigerian telcos oppose reintroduction of ‘telecom tax’

Telecoms companies in Nigeria have expressed strong opposition to government plans to impose a five per cent excise duty on the telecommunications sector. The tax was originally suspended in 2023 over concerns that it was placing financial pressure on the sector. An industry spokesman said that the government should provide more support for the telecoms sector,  regarded as central to the Nigerian economy. ‘One of our biggest challenges is the high cost of diesel, which powers telecom infrastructure. With the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market, diesel prices have soared. Currency fluctuations directly affect petroleum product prices, placing tremendous financial strain on the industry,’ he said.

Adobe announces global digital skills package

Adobe has said that it will provide $100 million in a new initiative aimed at closing the digital skills gap among young people. The company will offer a combination of donations, scholarships, product access and partnerships. The aim is to train 30 million learners by 2030 through schools, colleges, universities and alternative education institutions. Adobe says the programme is for students of all ages, including teachers.

 

Sources:  The Financial Times, APNews, Euronews, CNN,  Le Monde, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Bloomberg, Economic Times, Ars Technica, Reuters, BBC, Politico, Telecoms.com, USA Today, Vanguard

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Russell Seekins Russell Seekins Editor Intermedia; Partner, Re:Strategy
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