Spark New Zealand added heat to rural IoT connectivity competition, working with natural resource protection company Dryad Networks and a local authority to provide advanced warning of wildfires in a major forest.

The set-up in the Waitangi Endowment Forest uses Dryad Networks sensors equipped with AI to detect fires at an early stage and inform the Far North District Council (FNDC) and woodland authorities.

Spark stated the sensors are capable of detecting smouldering, meaning alerts can be generated even when there are no visible signs of smoke or flames to provide early warning and give fire fighters more time to respond, along with enabling swifter evacuation of the forest.

The system is being configured and connected to the internet by Spark company Adroit, with FNDC installing the sensors. The authority is also to match funding for the project provided in a recent round of investment by New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

A total of 250 sensors are to be deployed, providing full coverage of Waitangi Endowment Forest. The system is to be in place for 15 years.

FNDC group manager for Corporate Services Charlie Billington said the project is an opportunity to train AI for the setting, localising the technology and making it more accurate.

Further fine-tuning is scheduled for February 2027, when forest managers and owners, iwi and business representatives are set to trek the ground to explain the system and tweak it for specific smoke signatures.

Spark stated there is a broader goal to integrate the set-up with systems used by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

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China Unicom’s US division warned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a Trump administration proposal to bar US operators from interconnecting with Chinese telecoms firms deemed national security risks could severely disrupt global communications.

In a filing, the subsidiary stated the FCC’s proposal will “harm US companies with significant business and supply chain interests in China”.

It explained global communications infrastructure is built on a complex web of interconnection agreements between carriers across national borders, and Chinese-funded operators collectivity serve as the primary gateways for traffic flowing between the world’s two largest economies, the US and China.

“A blanket prohibition on interconnection with these entities would fundamentally fracture a critical segment of the global communications network,” the filing read.

As a solution, the unit suggested taking a more narrowly tailored approach that addresses national security risks, “while preserving an open and dependable interconnected global network would better serve the public interest and support the US government’s economic policies”.

In April, FCC commissioners voted unanimously to advance a sweeping notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) which would bar China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from operating data centres and PoPs in the US.

The NPRM also seeks to prohibit US operators from interconnecting with entities on the national security covered list, including facilities such as data centres, gateways and internet exchange points owned by those entities.

China Unicom filed right at the FCC’s comments deadline which were due 8 June, 2026, with reply comments due 60 days after on 7 July.

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China is reportedly plotting an outlay of around CNY2 trillion ($295 billion) over the next five years to build out data centres across the country, with state-owned telecoms operators tasked with managing the sites and vendor Huawei providing the bulk of the technology.

Bloomberg sources claim government agencies including the National Development and Reform Commission are drafting up plans to construct a network of “inter-connected computing hubs”, as part of a government initiative to boost domestic AI and increase competition with the US.

Operators China Mobile and China Telecom are named as being tasked with operating and connecting the bulk of the data centres, while suppliers including Huawei will be charged with providing at least 80% of the technology including AI chips.

The plan is in line with steps taken in recent years by the state to pump resources into domestic heavyweights like Huawei, effectively squeezing out US competitors such as Nvidia and AMD.

Funding for the plan will mainly come from sovereign debt including long-term special government bonds with more than a 10 year tenure and state funds for investment in strategic industries, added the sources.

In addition to the AI facilities, which will include data centres and faster mobile infrastructure, China also apparently plans to integrate the power grid to the project.

The planned investment figure does not include separate outlays planned by the country’s technology heavyweights including Alibaba and Tencent, added the sources.

Nvidia locked out
Notably, US AI companies are also planning for major AI investment. Meta Platform has set capex guidance of $125 billion to $145 billion for 2026, while Microsoft has committed to a $190 billion spend over the same period.

Robert Lea, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence said the big winner of China’s plan will be the nation’s economy, rather than private sector companies like Alibaba and Baidu.

“Domestic infrastructure suppliers including Huawei stand to benefit most, with Nvidia unlikely to get a look in,” he added.

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Telecom Italia warned ransomware attacks surged in 2025 as cybercriminals used AI and automation to scale campaigns, cautioning that rapidly evolving technology and geopolitical tensions are reshaping digital risk.

In the second edition of its Cyber Security Report produced alongside Italy-based non-profit Cyber Security Foundation, TIM said ransomware claims topped 7,400 globally in 2025, up 42% compared to 2024.

The report pointed to malware campaigns affecting entities in around 200 countries and a 20% rise in known vulnerabilities. It highlighted zero-day flaws as a growing concern because they can be exploited before vendors issue patches.

The study also flagged: promptware, a form of cyberattack designed to manipulate generative AI (genAI) and LLMs; and quishing, a scam using compromised QR codes, smart devices and satellite network security as emerging risk areas. It argued cyber resilience is now tied to service continuity, industrial competitiveness and overall national security.

In contrast, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) incidents, which are attacks designed to overwhelm websites, apps or networks by flooding them with traffic, fell 36% partly due to preventive measures. Yet, the report warned this decline did not mean the threat was easing. Attacks became more focused, persistent and aimed at strategic targets including governments, telecoms and transport systems, while average exposure times rose 19%.

TIM attributed the ransomware surge to the continued industrialisation of cybercrime, with attackers benefiting from both geopolitical instability and AI-powered automation.

Indeed, the study presented AI as a double-edged sword, noting that while it acts as a “threat multiplier” used to automate malicious code and accelerate fraud, phishing and abuse, it has also strengthened attack prevention, analysis and response capabilities.

Alessandra Michelini, CEO and chairwoman of TIM Group’s cybersecurity arm Telsy, said the threat response cannot be limited to emergency management, calling for active investment in “digital sovereignty, skills development and secure technologies”.

Marco Proietti, founder and president of the Cyber Security Foundation, added cybersecurity must become “a widespread culture”, as “a more digitally aware country is, first and foremost, a safer country”.

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MTN Group Fintech signed a deal with Ant International to collaborate on a so-called super-app platform covering a range of lifestyle and commerce services based around the operator’s mobile money platform.

The MTN unit hailed the agreement with the financial technology specialist as a major step in its attempts to build a more resilient and future-ready digital ecosystem across its markets.

Nigeria will be first country to see the results of the pact with a “super-app” platform set to be launched there in Q3 intended to deepen digital inclusion and provide the basis for a range of mobile money-linked services.

It is expected to significantly enhance MTN customers’ mobile money experience in Nigeria, delivering faster transactions, improving reliability, and providing greater integration with other financial and commerce services.

The operator unit explained using Ant’s technology provides the means for it to evolve its product by means including fraud prevention measures and “richer engagement features for consumers and merchants”.

MTN Group president and CEO Ralph Mupita (pictured) said the “partnership aligns” with the company’s “ambition of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress by leveraging scale, technology and strong global partnerships”.

He added it aims to deliver a “more seamless, secure and intuitive MoMo platform that advances digital inclusion and expands economic participation”.

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AST SpaceMobile decoupled from recent launch disappointments by scheduling the orbital deployment of its next three satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The space-based mobile network company hopes to blast its BlueBird 8, 9 and 10 satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) on 17 June. As ever, launches are dependent on various environmental and other factors, so precise timing is fluid.

AST SpaceMobile expects the latest satellites to deliver almost twice the data rates of its initial BlueBird models, which it noted recently hit 98.9Mb/s in the downlink.

Company president Scott Wisniewski said the significance of the satellites goes beyond expanding its constellation and coverage: they represent the culmination of an in-house manufacturing drive and bolster claims to having birds with the largest phase-arrayed antennas at LEO heights.

AST SpaceMobile stated the trio of satellites are already stacked using a proprietary architecture and ready to be integrated with the SpaceX rocket.

The scheduled launch is something of a firing back by AST SpaceMobile at commentators who questioned whether a recent failure of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket during a test would impact a plan to conduct regular launches throughout 2026.

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SK Telecom declared itself the first private company based in Asia to be picked to contribute to European Union (EU) work to develop next-generation quantum cryptography technology to boost the security of communications.

The South Korean operator was picked to help develop a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using Quantum Photonic Integrated Circuit-AI as part of the EU’s €95.5 billion Horizon Europe science and technology research financing programme.

SKT staff are to work with researchers in Greece, Austria and Germany, focusing on reducing the bulk, weight and cost of QKD equipment.

The theory is access to QKD-based security would be boosted if the equipment is easier to deploy: SKT stated current systems are unwieldy because “precision optical components…must be individually assembled and aligned in the form of discrete equipment”.

SKT believes optical elements can be combined into a single chip using Photonic Integrated Circuit semiconductor process technology, an approach it likened to producing smartphone camera modules.

The operator expects real-time optical calibration to be possible by embedding AI into the system to boost “overall QKD system stability”.

Project coordination is to be handled by the National Centre of Scientific Research Demokritos in Greece, which is also tasked with developing the AI.

The Austrian Institute of Technology is to develop the key management system and German semiconductor start-up Synogate the functional logic.

SKT highlighted a side mission to help harmonise European and South Korean quantum cryptography standards by identifying differences in respective current approaches. The work could ultimately help develop a global approach, it stated.

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OpenAI confidentially filed paperwork for a US IPO, becoming the latest company to move towards a listing as heavyweights in the AI sector race to raise fresh funds.

The ChatGPT-maker stated it had submitted a draft registration statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), adding, “we expect it to leak so we’re just announcing it”.

The AI player did not disclose the size, price or timing of the listing and cautioned a debut may not be imminent. “We have not decided on timing yet; it may be a while because there are things we want to do that are likely easier as a private company,” it stated.

OpenAI added the decision involves “a complicated set of trade-offs”, but that the filing gives it “the option to go public sooner if that ends up being best”.

Reuters reported OpenAI is targeting a valuation of up to $1 trillion, with a debut possible as early as September. The value would put it alongside AI rival Anthropic, which confidentially filed for its own US IPO last week. SpaceX. meanwhile, is expected to launch its IPO this week, at a reported $1.75 trillion valuation.

The three firms all have a “vast need for cash”, Aviva Investors’ head of multi-asset Sunil Krishnan told the BBC, adding “no-one wants to be last” in the race to go public. He explained the companies’ hefty investments in AI infrastructure, including chips and training models, come at significant cost.

OpenAI’s filing follows a period of rapid growth. Last week, research company Sensor Tower estimated ChatGPT crossed 1 billion monthly active users on its app, becoming the fastest in history to reach the milestone.

The company’s route to market was also complicated by its nonprofit origins and efforts to restructure. In May, a US jury ruled against Elon Musk in a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of departing from its founding mission, removing a key legal barrier for the ChatGPT-maker ahead of any listing.

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Nokia teamed up with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to modernise the operator’s mobile network with advanced 5G RAN capabilities, as part of broader ambitions around AI-enabled services.

Nokia stated it will support the rollout of low- and mid-band 5G in the country to help build “AI-ready” networks, serving Indosat’s customers nationwide.

The Finnish vendor pitched the partnership as “more than a network upgrade”, touting a commitment to enhancing digital experiences including immersive entertainment, gaming and everyday digital activities. It also pointed to advanced consumer and enterprise use cases because of a better network, spanning several key sectors.

The duo explained the network modernisation push will lay the infrastructure foundations for the country’s next phase of growth, with a shared mission “to turn connectivity into a platform for intelligence”.

This will be done through a deployment of AI-RAN, working with Nvidia to hold field trials in Indonesia by the end of 2026. It will also support Nokia’s work on new AI algorithms designed to improve spectral efficiency on Nvidia AI-RAN platforms.

Indosat added combining centralised AI factories and distributed AI-RAN infrastructure will advance its AI grid, creating a unified intelligence layer that distributes both AI and connectivity to millions.

Justin Hotard, CEO of Nokia, said together with Indosat and Nvidia, it is working to build a network that expands 5G, enables new AI driven services and creates long-term value.

“This partnership reflects a broader shift in the industry, as operators invest in networks that deliver high performance at scale while supporting greater efficiency, new business models and digital growth.”

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Samsung Group unveiled plans for a sweeping transformation of its businesses, introducing AI extensively across its companies covering functions from marketing to manufacturing.

The conglomerate believes widespread adoption across its affiliates, which includes Samsung Electronics, will fundamentally change working style and culture across the organisations.

Samsung highlighted it had pioneered the use of AI in consumer devices and wanted to “strongly apply” it to eight major business processes: development, purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, sales, service and management support.

“To enhance business competitiveness amid rapidly changing business environments, Samsung plans to officially introduce external generative AI services such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude across all affiliates in June,” the company added.

Specific aims include enhancing productivity in software and marketing, and upping “operational innovation” in manufacturing.

The company asserted AI was not “just a new technology or a simple tool for improving operations, but rather an innovative technique that triggers fundamental changes in management, actively utilising it as a starting point for discovering new growth momentum”.

To help push the initiative all executives from its companies are set to go through a training camp by the end of 2026, with all 50 CEOs to take the course this month.

It plans to extend the training to eventually cover all employees. Dedicated AI teams are also to be placed across the organisation’s businesses.

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Orange made a second decisive acquisition move in as many days after completing a buyout of its partner in Spanish joint venture MasOrange.

The French operator detailed the completion of the deal late yesterday (8 June), two days after a move involving the assets of domestic rival SFR.

Orange began its quest to purchase the 50% of MasOrange it did not own from partner Lorca in October 2025 and the process ran relatively smoothly, with a definitive deal made two months later and regulatory clearance secured earlier this year.

MasOrange CEO Meinrad Spenger gains a place on Orange’s executive committee. He said the buyout cements the operator’s foundations and improves its “capacity for investment and innovation”.

Orange intends to refinance MasOrange debt “over time”.

The operator highlighted the acquisition of the remainder of MasOrange as important to a current strategy focused on the theme of trust, while also bolstering its position in Spain, its second-largest market in Europe.

“It paves the way for accelerated industrial, operational and commercial synergies”, CEO Christel Heydemann said.

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After two years of over-promising and under-delivering, Apple unveiled an overhauled Siri AI voice assistant with new capabilities, a dedicated app and a foundation built on Google’s Gemini AI.

In January 2026, Apple struck a landmark deal with Google, licencing a custom-built Gemini model purpose-built for Siri and Apple Intelligence and larger than Apple’s previous cloud-based AI models.

At the event, Apple revealed that for the first time the assistant has its own dedicated app with a chatbot-style interface, as the iPhone-maker looks to close the AI gap against Samsung and Google devices.

Siri AI can see what is on a user’s screen, search the web in real time, remember past conversations and surface information such as a friend’s address buried in an old message thread.

“We believe truly helpful AI must be centred around you and your needs,” Apple SVP of software Craig Federighi stated, while laying out a philosophy built around privacy, personal context and deep integration with apps users rely on daily.

Siri AI is now a more conversational assistant capable of understanding context, handling multi-step tasks and interacting more naturally across apps and services. It is also compatible with Visual Intelligence in addition to working across existing apps.

A Search or Ask interface opens when users swipe down from the top centre of the screen, allowing users to search the web using Apple’s AI-powered search and launch apps, send messages, create calendar events, search notes, and perform other tasks.

Apple also plans to introduce an AI agent integration with the App Store, allowing users to delegate tasks such as booking reservations, managing everyday tasks, editing documents, or controlling smart home devices.

On the camera side, a Visual Intelligence section within the Camera app introduces a dedicated Siri mode which sits alongside Photo, Video, Portrait, and Panorama, with the feature using Google Image Search to accurately identify objects the user captures.

Siri AI is embedded directly into Dynamic Island, accessible by swiping down from it, pressing the side button, or saying “Hey Siri”. When a user activates Siri with a wake word or the side button, a Siri animation appears in the Dynamic Island.

The feature will launch in English first, with other languages to follow, and it requires iOS 27. The iOS 27 developer beta dropped June 8, immediately after the keynote.

A public beta is expected in July for those who want to test it early, with the full stable release arriving in September alongside the iPhone 18 lineup

Federighi said Siri AI will not be available initially in the European Union on iOS and iPadOS.

“In China, Siri AI and the other new Apple Intelligence features will not be available while we work through regulatory requirements,” he added

Analyst take
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, noted many of the Apple Intelligence capabilities will be familiar to people who have been using an Android smartphone for some time and in some instances are already available to Apple users who have installed third-party AI apps such as ChatGPT.

“Although it is late to the party, the company has a strong record of taking existing technology and implementing it in a more intuitive way, allowing users to easily discover capabilities in daily use,” he said. “I think the most obvious example of this is the integration of Siri into the Dynamic Island at the top of an iPhone.”

Child safety
New parental controls will, by default, allow children to access only the apps which parents have approved to flip the model from opt-in restriction to opt-out permission. A “ask to browse” feature requires children to seek permission before visiting every new website and not just flagged ones.

On the content side, Apple is expanding its existing nudity-detection tools by adding automatic blurring of gore in messaging apps, with parents alerted when such images are encountered, which builds on earlier features that already blurred nudity by default.

Wood noted Apple’s child-safety push is a welcome and timely move as concerns about smartphones and online harm grow among parents and regulators.

He explained the parental controls, tools and developer APIs are positive steps, but they do not go far enough on their own.

“I believe that stronger cross-industry safeguards need to be built into operating systems at a deeper platform level that deliver protection not only in native apps but for every interaction a child has with a device,“ he said. “Apple is well-positioned to be a driving force in this area.”

Cook’s swan song
Outgoing CEO Tim Cook (pictured) opened and closed the conference’s presentation, in what many expect will be his last appearance before his planned transition to executive chairman on 1 September, when SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as CEO.

“Tim Cook’s last WWDC keynote as Apple CEO may be the most important one and it was a clear reflection of his leadership: disciplined, ecosystem-first, privacy-led, and focused on making technology useful at scale,” stated Francisco Jeronimo, VP of client devices at IDC.

Cook closed the keynote by stating creating the best products in the world to deliver experiences that enrich people’s lives has always been Apple’s North Star.

“It’s been the honour of a lifetime to help advance that mission with teams whose creativity, care, and conviction continue to make a lasting difference in people’s lives,” he said.

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Vodafone ha reforzado su infraestructura de red en Barcelona y ha puesto a disposición de los Mossos d’Esquadra, la policía autonómica de Catalunya, tecnología de red 5G privada para dar soporte al dispositivo de seguridad durante la visita del papa León XIV a la ciudad.

Según la operadora, la solución permite a los agentes disponer de una red totalmente configurable a demanda, lo que facilita la coordinación del operativo policial y garantiza el acceso a los servicios de red incluso en situaciones de alta congestión, cuando la concentración de usuarios en zonas geográficas reducidas puede comprometer la conectividad convencional.

Refuerzo de la red

La operadora ha reforzado cerca de 1.000 celdas de sus redes 5G y 4G en Barcelona y ha activado un mecanismo especial de supervisión y atención de posibles incidencias en todos los elementos de red implicados en el evento. Para ello, ha movilizado un equipo de más de 100 técnicos que permanecerán activos durante toda la visita, y ha desplegado varias unidades móviles de red en los diferentes puntos de la ciudad. Asimismo, ha optimizado los parámetros de su red para mantener la cobertura de voz y datos durante el viaje apostólico.

León XIV llega a Barcelona este martes 9 de junio, procedente de Madrid, y permanecerá en la ciudad hasta el 11 de junio, cuando se desplazará a las Islas Canarias. La agenda incluye un rezo litúrgico en la Catedral, una vigilia de oración multitudinaria en el Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys de Montjuïc, una visita a la cárcel Brians 1, un encuentro con entidades de acción social en la iglesia de Sant Agustí del Raval y una misa en la Basílica de la Sagrada Família coincidiendo con la inauguración de la Torre de Jesucrist. La jornada del 10 incluye también una visita al monasterio de Montserrat.

“Comunicaciones críticas fiables y en tiempo real”

José Miguel García, consejero delegado de Vodafone España, ha señalado: “Nuestro propósito siempre ha sido conectar a las personas con lo que importa. Durante la visita del papa León XIV a España, Vodafone despliega toda su capacidad técnica y humana para garantizar una conectividad sólida a quienes participen en el evento y a quienes trabajen para hacerlo posible. Pondremos las últimas innovaciones de red al servicio de las fuerzas de seguridad en un acontecimiento de esta magnitud, garantizando comunicaciones críticas fiables y en tiempo real”.

Las antenas 5G también funcionarán como radares

El despliegue de Vodafone se suma a los anunciados días atrás por Movistar y MasOrange. La iniciativa más singular es la solución de teledetección de MasOrange, que hace que las antenas 5G actúen como radares: el sistema analiza los rebotes de las ondas de radio para localizar objetos, personas y drones con un margen de error inferior a 10 centímetros, sin necesidad de hardware adicional. La operadora activará el servicio Orange Drone Guardian en zonas de alta afluencia como los alrededores de la Sagrada Família. Telefónica, uno de los patrocinadores del viaje apostólico, reforzará más de 1.300 puntos de red y desplegará unidades móviles 5G y mochilas de conexión satelital táctica en los principales escenarios del recorrido papal.

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