Xiaomi could reportedly face more heat in India after the country’s Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) called for a probe into the Chinese manufacturer over its business model and compliance with investment law.

Reuters reported the SFIO released a document recommending authorities look into the movement of funds and whether Xiaomi secured mandatory investment approvals, after India turned the screw on Chinese companies following political tensions in 2020.

Xiaomi is already facing a tax bill in the country and had some banking assets frozen in 2022 for illegal remittances, an allegation it denies.

Reuters reported the government is reviewing the SFIO recommendations and action could be taken.

The SFIO reportedly stated in the document: “The most important part of the proposed investigation should be examination of the beneficial ownership of foreign investors and group entities.”

It added any investigation “should verify whether any direct or indirect beneficial ownership, control or change in control was disclosed and approved as required”.

The SFIO did not specify what it wants investigated. Reuters explained the agency is tasked with looking into corporate fraud, and has the power to arrest and prosecute offenders.

Xiaomi’s smartphone share in India has reduced significantly in recent years.

Counterpoint Research figures indicate the vendor holds fourth-place, with a 13% share.

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Liberty Global agreed to sell towers owned by VodafoneZiggo to an entity owned by funds managed by a trio of companies in a €670 million deal, while revealing more asset sales are on the way.

The transaction, struck with infrastructure specialists DigitalBridge, TD Greystone Infrastructure and L&G, values the Dutch tower assets at 16.2x of their 2025 EBITDA.

Liberty Global has moved quickly since sealing its acquisition to take majority control of VodafoneZiggo early last month, which consequently led to the creation of Ziggo Group.

The holding entity holds Liberty Global’s interests in VodafoneZiggo and Telenet.

Through the tower sale, Liberty Global stated it will use the proceeds to retire debt across Ziggo Group, before adding further sales processes are underway.

It is looking to raise €1.2 billion to €1.4 billion from non-core asset disposals to support its intended listing of Ziggo Group in Amsterdam in the middle of 2027.

Mike Fries, chairman and CEO of Liberty Global, said the sale represents an important step towards the listing, as well as creating a platform for long-term value for shareholders and investors “who want to own part of this regional telecoms powerhouse.”.

The tower sale is subject to regulatory approval.

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Europe’s biggest mobile operators reportedly entered discussions to create a consortium that will bid on spectrum suitable for satellite services, with the view of launching joint direct-to-device (D2D) services in the continent.

Bloomberg reported Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone and Telefonica are looking to combine to secure airwaves that the European Union (EU) has earmarked for a European company, as part of a plan to bolster sovereignty and raise competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which dominates the global D2D sector with Starlink.

The EU has indicated it will set rules around the distribution of 2GHz spectrum, reserving a third of the allocation for local companies, a plan which has drawn fire from SpaceX.

As per the EU’s proposal, a satellite operator securing a bulk of the spectrum will have to be majority controlled by a European business, Bloomberg noted.

Vodafone is already notably involved in a satellite joint venture with US-based AST SpaceMobile, designed to offer D2D services. Bloomberg stated the 50-50 ownership of the company would need to be adjusted for Vodafone to be in the running to secure the spectrum.

Current licences for the spectrum are due to expire in 2027.

The EU also plans to reserve a third of the spectrum for the IRIS2 European satellite network, a project led by the European Commission and European Space Agency.

The constellation is being built by a consortium consisting of Hispasat, SES and Eutelsat, offering mainly broadband services with limited D2D capabilities.

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Huawei reportedly emerged as Malaysia’s preferred supplier of AI chips, with serious consideration being given for the Chinese vendor to provide the hardware for a MYR2 billion ($494.3 million) sovereign AI initiative.

Bloomberg reported the country is leaning towards Huawei to drive its AI efforts, in a move which would prove unpopular with the US government but be a significant victory for Chinese AI technology.

Malaysia outlined a digital transformation project in October 2025 involving numerous initiatives including adopting blockchain, quantum computing and AI to give it more control over national data, while pledging to establish itself as an “AI nation by 2030”.

Bloomberg reported Huawei could provide the backbone for the push in what it believes would be the first known instance a foreign government opted for Chinese AI technology over US options.

If Malaysia did push ahead with Huawei’s technology, Bloomberg noted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would effectively be defying US efforts to control global AI infrastructure and warnings not to buy from the vendor.

Malaysia is apparently assessing Huawei’s Ascend 910C product rather than the more advanced Ascend 950, which is limited in production.

The outlet recently reported Huawei is vying to build a data centre for the Egyptian government.

Huawei is racing to catch up to US rivals in the development of AI computing platforms, outlining its roadmap in 2025 and revealing plans to release “the world’s most powerful single system” in the fourth quarter this year.

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O2 Business claimed to be the first operator in the UK to offer satellite services for companies with the launch of a direct-to-device (D2D) offer which extends the reach of its connectivity beyond its mobile network.

It pitched O2 Satellite for Business as helping companies and staff to stay connected in more places across the UK.

O2 Business pointed to government figures showing 526,000 registered businesses in England are based in rural areas, which the operator stated makes providing reliable connectivity beyond the reach of mobile networks critical.

The service initiates automatically when customers move beyond O2 Businesses’ mobile coverage, connecting compatible smartphones without the need for additional satellite hardware or apps.

O2 Business stated the service essentially extends landmass coverage from 89% to 95%, giving “businesses greater confidence that their people can stay connected when working in remote parts of the UK”.

Services on offer include messaging, maps, weather and location share.

It is free on O2 Business Ultimate mobile plans, or £2.50 per month for customers on Plus plans.

O2 Business added it tested the satellite service in “challenging real-world conditions”: it provided 100 compatible phones to crews tackling a recent major wildfire in the county of Derbyshire.

“Businesses increasingly rely on always-on connectivity, but work doesn’t stop where mobile coverage ends,” CEO Jo Bertram said.

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