UK operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) avoided 5,262 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions over the last decade through a network equipment-related partnership with sustainable tech specialist TXO.
Recovering and refurbishing assets for resale accounted for 4,575 tonnes of the savings reported by TXO. Switches, routers and line cards from VMO2’s fixed operation were common assets returned to the market.
The operator also sourced refurbished equipment: around 687 tonnes of CO2e saved was attributed to this activity, due to VMO2 not having to buy new.
Its TXO partnership also includes recycling, with more than 690 tonnes of the operator’s equipment at the end of its life sent to be broken down.
More than 60% of the recycled weight extracted from the waste was steel, copper and aluminium.
VMO2 head of reverse logistics Paul Franley said the operator aimed to “extend the life of our network hardware so it can be reused, given a second life or disposed of sustainably”, with its partner helping to “maintain network equipment through testing, repair and refurbishment wherever possible”.
“The results of this programme demonstrate how a more circular approach to technology can benefit both the business and the environment.”
TXO chief product and asset recovery officer David Evans urged the technology sector to “move beyond the linear model of buying, deploying and replacing”.
A new analysis of three skull fragments unearthed at the Gran Dolina cave site in Spain indicates that Homo antecessor had bone thickness closer to that of Neanderthals and modern people than to more archaic hominins.
WARSAW, Poland — The Lithuanian space laser communications company Astrolight has signed a memorandum of understanding with ATMOS Space Cargo, to demonstrate in-flight optical communications link between a reentry spacecraft […]
Constructions à faibles émissions, bioéconomie, stockage certifié du carbone... Longtemps perçue comme une industrie de tradition, la filière bois européenne va changer d’échelle pour prendre une place prépondérante dans la transition écologique.
The chief executives of some of the biggest operator groups in Europe warned massive amounts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) are still exchanged online each year and pressed authorities to give them the power to block it.
Margherita Della Valle from Vodafone Group, Christel Heydemann at Orange, Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer with Telenor Group and Allison Kirkby at BT Group want authorities to provide their companies with the legal clarity to prevent the sharing of more than 100 million CSAM files each year.
They have written an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and European Council President Antonio Costa warning the trading of CSAM material online is “at industrial scale”.
The CEOs argue differences in legal frameworks makes it difficult for telecom and internet service providers to fully pull their weight in tackling the problem, making the removal of barriers to “blocking access to domains and URLs” linked with CSAM a matter of urgency.
The CEOs believe an organisation with the oversight to identify and tackle CSAM throughout the European Union is necessary. They also want interim measures to the same end while such a group is being set-up.
Equally, the executives believe any such authority must be strictly overseen and its focus kept squarely on CSAM.
They called for governments in the region not within the EU to join the efforts with their own legal frameworks.
“Children need protection now, not in several years’ time.”
“The scale of abuse demands decisive action, so Europe must show global leadership.”
Unacceptable Della Valle, Heydemann, Fasmer and Kirkby pointed to Internet Watch Foundation statistics indicating 62% of “confirmed CSAM web pages” were hosted in the EU in 2024.
A cyber tipline operated by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children “receives tens of millions of reports” involving children mostly aged between seven-and ten-years old.
“Girls are disproportionately targeted”, the executives noted.
They branded it “simply unacceptable” for CSAM to remain accessible due to delays in removing it at the source.
The European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) named Spain-based Hispasat as the lead contractor for its IRIS2 European satellite network, handing it a budget of more than €1.6 billion.
Owned by Spanish defence company Indra Group, Hispasat has been charged with providing antenna infrastructure, control systems and ground network connectivity for IRIS2.
It will also lead the development of the system’s very low Earth orbit layer, operating at altitudes below 750km. This layer is designed to provide direct connectivity services to mobile devices and for IoT, providing access for European startups and SMEs.
The agreement further guarantees Hispasat access to non-geostationary orbits in regions of high strategic interest, complementing its range of capabilities and geographic coverage.
To that end, Hispasat has committed an investment of up to €600 million in exchange for obtaining “exploitation rights” in regions of high strategic interest and commercial value for the business it already operates through its geostationary fleet.
The award comes following talks between the EC, ESA and SpaceRISE, a satellite consortium formed between Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat.
Luis Mayo, CEO of Hispasat, noted the agreement helps it strengthen its position among the leaders of the European space industry and in its main business areas.
The IRIS2 programme will deploy a network of 330 new LEO satellites and 12 medium earth orbit (MEO) birds, with initial services due to begin in 2030. In total, €15.6 billion will be invested in the project, with €11.6 billion coming from public funds and €4 billion from the SpaceRISE consortium.
Telefonica detailed an operation to increase connectivity provision across more than 2,700 sites in Spain for an expected boost in network demand from viewers turning out to see a solar eclipse on 12 August.
The operator has undertaken network optimisation and capacity expansion work in locations across 31 areas of Spain covering the thousands of kilometres where the event is likely to be visible.
Tasks included actions to “parameterise the mobile network”, intelligently reconfiguring base stations and adapting them to traffic demand.
Telefonica noted preparations started five months ago and form part of wider planning to bolster coverage for events expected to be popular during the local holiday season.
In planning for the eclipse, it analysed coverage in more than 400 potential observation points identified by the country’s Autonomous Regions. It expects “extraordinary demand for connectivity from national and international observers” at the sites.
The astronomical event is expected to be visible in areas including Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Catalonia, Community of Madrid, Valencian Community, Galicia, La Rioja, Navarra and the Basque Country.
Europe risks becoming dependent on foreign orbital computing infrastructure as U.S. companies and China’s government-led push accelerate the development of space-based data centers, according to the European Space Policy Institute.
Neuraspace, the Portuguese space traffic management startup, announced around $18 million in fresh funding Aug. 5 to expand European space domain awareness and defense capabilities.
Megaliths —those enormous stone blocks that have stood for millennia— continue to fascinate archaeologists and the general public. A recent compilation of books published between 2025 and 2026 shows that, although research has advanced by leaps and bounds thanks to new technologies, some fundamental questions remain without definitive answers. Who built these monuments? Why did […]
New research led by the University of California, Berkeley reveals that beyond Neanderthals and Denisovans, humans interbred with two mysterious ‘ghost’ lineages: one in Africa more than 50,000 years ago, another in Eurasia over 1.7 million years ago.
WARSAW, Poland — The Spanish government announced it will allocate between 1.6 billion and 2 billion euros ($1.8 to $2.3 billion) to develop a national military satellite communications constellation that […]
Airbus Defence and Space won prime contractor status for the development of the next SpainSat NG bird, a secure communications satellite for mission-critical government and defence uses.
Thales Alenia Space separately detailed its selection as a co-contractor for the SpainSat NG-III project, explaining 10 Spanish companies are also on board to provide various technologies.
The contracts were awarded by Spanish satellite operator Hisdesat and the latest bird rounds out the SpainSat NG geosynchronous Earth orbit constellation, which already provides coverage of two-thirds of the planet.
Each company explained current SpainSat NG satellites play a key role in European security and defence, with the European Union, NATO and numerous allied governments employing them.
Airbus Defence and Space’s prime position means it is responsible for design, integration and testing of the satellite. It suggested the work would be an evolution of previous SpainSat NG birds, a fact Thales Alenia Space elaborated on by explaining the latest item would add “several improvements” to the existing model.
The project is to be handled at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Spain. It explained the satellite would use X-band receivers and transmitters which “provide the capability of 16 traditional antennas” and can rejig coverage “up to 1,000-times per second while detecting and mitigating electronic interference”.
Thales Alenia Space is to provide UHF and military Ka-band payloads.
Airbus Defence and Space stated the SpainSat NG-III would be resilient to “high-altitude nuclear events and electromagnetic pulses”.
Development is expected to take 48-months and the satellite is scheduled to launch in Q3 2030 before coming online early in 2031.
Thales Alenia Space asserted the development keeps Hisdesat at the forefront of domestic and allied defence capabilities, along with delivering a boost for the Spanish space industry.
Companies must ensure people know when they are interacting with artificially generated images, audio and text designed to look real
From apparently conspiring to steal elections to abusing staff or performing embarrassing dance moves, the last few years have seen plenty of fake content made about politicians intended to malign its targets and mislead the public.
Now EU rules aim to stem the flood of this deceptive content: starting from Sunday, artificially generated images, audio and text designed to look authentic must be labelled.
A fossilized skull fragment of Homo sp. unearthed in central Spain offers paleoanthropologists a fresh window into the story of ancient humans who lived in Europe hundreds of thousands of years ago.
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