Defence company KNDS enlisted Nokia to provide 5G capabilities intended to boost communications for military personnel and enable autonomous war machines.

The contract for Nokia Defense involves using its Banshee portfolio to close gaps in battlefield communications.

Nokia stated Banshee systems would be integrated with a KNDS armoured vehicle for infantry to deliver a communications set-up described by the Finnish vendor as fit for a “transition from armoured vehicles into complex mission environments”.

It explained the integration would enable “more responsive and coordinated operations”, highlighting modern warfare requirements spanning “continuous communication across many manned and unmanned systems”.

The connectivity gap targeted involves communications with personnel once they are outside their vehicle. Nokia explained 5G would tackle this, along with laying the groundwork for the data exchange required to run robotic systems.

Ari Kynaslahti, head of Nokia Defense, said “reliable, real-time data” is now a must for military operations, a view echoed by KNDS France CEO Nicolas Groult, who said “connectivity is becoming a core enabler of future land operations”.

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China’s commerce ministry is reportedly targeting broader use of AI across the country’s consumer economy, unveiling 17 policy measures intended to push the technology beyond industrial applications.

State broadcaster CCTV reported the ministry will use the measures to embed AI into households and businesses, viewing the technology as a lever for economic stimulus.

As part of the plan, it is apparently looking at a fundamental shift in how consumer electronics are designed and sold.

The way devices operate is also a target, moving from functional tools towards AI-integrated systems.

Advancing humanoid robotics in the home is high on the agenda, and the sector has already gained government and private investment.

Chinese players including Unitree and Ubtech were cited as front-runners in the market. They are vying to establish themselves commercially in industrial and consumer spaces.

Structural issues
On the services side, China wants to expand AI’s presence in retail services to public and personal areas.

CCTV cited comments from Lin Jian, deputy director of the international trade cooperation institute at the ministry of commerce, who said the measures are designed to solve structural issues within the country’s services sector.

These include addressing challenges around high labour costs and poor standardisation in service consumption, added Lin.

Beijing is stepping up its AI plans, with Bloomberg reporting earlier this month the government is planning to invest $295 billion over the next five years to build out data centres in the country.

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Nokia and Lenovo agreed another multi-year patent cross-licensing deal to maintain a harmony found in 2021 when they put their litigious differences aside.

The companies emphasised their commitment to licensing their respective technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

They were tighter lipped regarding the exact details of their latest agreement, though Nokia chief licensing officer Susanna Martikainen said it is an “amicable” arrangement which the company is happy to have come to.

Taylor Ludlam, VP, deputy general counsel and chief IP officer at Lenovo, pointed to its meaningful contribution to technology development and emphasised the benefits of allowing other companies to access it.

“Effective IP licensing helps companies innovate faster, meet industry standards and bring new products to customers more efficiently”.

A two-year legal fight between the companies was brought to a close in 2021 when they agreed an initial cross-licensing deal, one which Nokia stated at the time involved Lenovo making a “net balancing payment”.

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US President Donald Trump (pictured) stated Apple has struck a deal with Intel to produce computer chips inside the US, a move which marked a significant moment in his administration’s push to reshore semiconductor manufacturing.

“I decided to help Intel because we need to design and build our Chips right here in America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social today (18 June).

He added Apple’s agreement was the latest in a series of wins for his domestic chip strategy, following similar commitments from Nvidia and Elon Musk’s TeraFab project with Intel.

The Apple agreement marks another significant win for Intel. CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who spent much of last year shoring up the company’s balance sheet through major external investments, now appears to be delivering on operational improvements which seemed unlikely just a year ago.

For Apple, the partnership offers a chance to diversify a supply chain which currently depends heavily on TSMC to produce the processors powering its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.

Any agreement will likely be a foundry deal, since Apple already designs its own silicon.

Apple price increases
Apple CEO Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal price increases for its products are now unavoidable, citing soaring costs for memory and storage chips driven by the AI boom. He stated Apple had absorbed rising costs for as long as possible, but the pressure has become too great to avoid passing increases on to customers.

A domestic chip supply deal from Intel could give Apple more flexibility in an increasingly constrained global market, though analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously suggested any production through Intel’s advanced 18A-P process node is unlikely to reach mass scale before late 2027.

Trump’s post also gave him an opportunity to tout the government’s earlier bet on Intel. Last August, his administration converted roughly $8.9 billion in federal funding into an equity stake of around 10% in the company.

He noted in his post Intel was worth around $100 billion when the government made its offer.

“Now they are worth over 600 BILLION DOLLARS! Nine months, and they’ve increased in value over HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS. America’s stake is now over 60 Billion Dollars.”

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Orange and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) launched a joint laboratory to explore semantic communications, a technology designed to cut data traffic and energy use in future AI-driven networks.

The AI-Native Communications lab will run for five years and develop semantic communications technologies and applications, which prioritise whether the receiver understands the meaning or content of a transmitted message, even when the received data is not exactly identical to what was sent. This marks a shift away from conventional data transmission, where networks aim to reproduce bits perfectly and treat any alteration as an error.

The partners said the approach could reduce the volume of data exchanged across networks, lowering energy consumption and infrastructure requirements. The technology could also support communication between AI agents, which are expected to play a greater role in future network architectures.

The laboratory will also combine research from Orange and CEA to study network evolution, create shared semantic representations between AI models and contribute to future standards work.

Announced at the annual VivaTech event in Paris by Orange CEO Christel Heydemann and CEA general administrator Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, the pair said the initiative forms part of a broader push to strengthen French and European sovereignty over future intelligent network technologies.

Lyse Brillouet, EVP of research at Orange, said the joint laboratory reflects the operator’s commitment to building “the networks of the future: smarter, more sustainable, and natively designed for artificial intelligence”. She added the move was “a key step in reconciling the performance of our infrastructure with the need to reduce our future carbon footprint”.

Meanwhile, Etienvre stated semantic communications marked “a major breakthrough in how future networks will process information”, adding the collaboration aimed to strengthen Europe’s ability to “design and influence technological standards”.

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German technology giant Bosch settled a case with the US Department of Commerce for supplying $72 million-worth of sensor products and software subject to export restrictions to Huawei.

The products falling foul of US rules were Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors used in smartphones, wearables and vehicles, along with automotive software.

Announcing the $36.2 million settlement, the US department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) noted Bosch had disclosed the information itself and cooperated with the subsequent proceedings.

BIS explained the products shipped to Huawei or affiliates were covered by the Foreign Direct Product Rule, part of Export Administration Regulations (EAR) restricting the supply of some goods made using specific technology of US origin without a licence.

Shipments found to break the rules were made between 16 September 2020 and 26 September 2024.

Alongside the fine, Bosch must give up profits made as a result of the transactions.  

BIS assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement David Peters said the company had “several opportunities to avoid these violations had they exercised the increased vigilance BIS has repeatedly said it expects of companies whose transactions are governed by the EAR”.

“Today’s action should serve as a warning to embrace compliance and as an example of the benefits of voluntary self-disclosure.”

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Ericsson named David Hammarwall, an executive within its Americas division, to lead its Business Area Networks division, succeeding Per Narvinger, who is lined up to replace Borje Ekholm as CEO.

Hammarwall is currently head of Customer Unit T-Mobile in Market Area Americas, a position he has held since 2023. He joined Ericsson in 2007 and worked in various roles including as the heads of Product Area Networks, Product Line Radio and Product Line 5G RAN.

The appointment is due to take effect on 1 October, when current Networks chief Narvinger steps into the role of CEO. Hammarwall will also join Ericsson’s executive team.

Narvinger said Hammarwall had been a key leader in driving Ericsson’s technology.

Hammarwall added he takes on leadership of the networks unit at an interesting time, “where Ericsson is truly setting a new standard for network intelligence with AI in RAN by bringing powerful AI capabilities to service providers”.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with all the talented Network employees and to meet customers and partners to create outstanding value.”

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Vodafone Group et Airbus déroulent le tapis rouge à un fabricant de terminaux durcis dans le cadre d’une collaboration tripartite proposant aux services d’urgence et aux industries critiques européennes une offre de communication dédiée.

Les terminaux RugGear viennent s’ajouter à une offre combinant la connectivité de Vodafone et une plateforme de collaboration d’Airbus, dans une démarche que l’opérateur juge de nature à simplifier son offre auprès des services d’urgence et des clients entreprises.

Pour Marika Auramo, PDG de Vodafone Business, le trio propose « une offre complète de communication critique ». Olivier Koczan, responsable de la sécurité publique chez Airbus Defence and Space, qualifie quant à lui ce dispositif d’« outil ultime »pour les industries critiques.

L’offre repose sur le service Mission Critical Communications de Vodafone, une plateforme Airbus disponible en cloud et sur site, ainsi que la gamme de terminaux durcis de RugGear.

Vodafone précise que les terminaux répondent aux risques d’endommagement des appareils sur le terrain, et indique que cet accord plus large approfondit une relation avec Airbus initiée en 2025.

Le réseau de l’opérateur est configuré pour prioriser les communications du personnel d’urgence. Vodafone a lancé ce service en Allemagne et élargit désormais sa disponibilité à d’autres marchés européens.

Il précise que la plateforme sécurisée de communication critique Agnet d’Airbus peut connecter un grand nombre d’utilisateurs à des salles de contrôle.

Les terminaux RugGear offrent des spécifications de niveau militaire, des torches haute intensité, des scanners, un suivi GPS et des fonctions talkie-walkie (Push-to-Talk, ou PTT).

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Orange intensifie ses ambitions pour stimuler la croissance commerciale des start-up françaises. Le groupe a profité du salon annuel VivaTech à Paris pour détailler une stratégie en trois volets centrée sur l’achat, la distribution et l’intégration en entreprise.

L’opérateur affirme qu’il achètera directement aux start-up françaises lorsque leur technologie répond à ses besoins opérationnels et commerciaux, utilisera son réseau commercial pour mettre ces entreprises en relation avec des acheteurs publics et privés, et intégrera certaines technologies sélectionnées à son catalogue de services destiné aux entreprises.

Orange indique en outre vouloir renforcer la souveraineté numérique en s’attaquant aux obstacles de longue date rencontrés par les jeunes entreprises françaises : délais de contractualisation, accès limité aux grands comptes, manque de références commerciales et complexité du passage à l’échelle.

Par ailleurs, Orange Ventures, le bras d’investissement du groupe, annonce qu’il musclera son offre de financements en faveur des start-up travaillant dans l’IA, le cloud, la cybersécurité, la santé et la défense, dans le cadre d’une démarche plus large de confiance numérique.

Le groupe cite plusieurs entreprises avec lesquelles il a déjà collaboré dans ce cadre, mentionnant des partenariats fructueux avec le spécialiste de la cybersécurité Anozr Way, l’acteur de l’économie circulaire Circular Place, le développeur d’IA agentique H Company et la société d’optimisation des processus Kerys.

Cette initiative s’inscrit dans le partenariat de l’opérateur avec la Mission French Tech 2030, un programme soutenu par l’État visant à aider les start-up du pays à passer du stade pilote au déploiement commercial.

« La France doit voir émerger des start-up capables de franchir un cap industriel, de pérenniser leurs solutions et de conquérir rapidement leurs marchés, commente Christel Heydemann, directrice générale. Orange assume pleinement son rôle de catalyseur dans cette dynamique. En étroite collaboration avec la Mission French Tech, nous mettons à la disposition de l’écosystème des leviers industriels concrets – notre volume d’achat, notre force commerciale et notre expertise d’intégrateur – afin de propulser l’expansion de solutions françaises de confiance. »

« Notre priorité, c’est d’accélérer la croissance des start-up françaises pour faire émerger nos propres champions et renforcer notre autonomie, ajoute Julie Huguet, directrice de la Mission French Tech. Pour y parvenir, les grandes entreprises ont un rôle décisif à jouer en fléchant leurs commandes vers des solutions françaises et souveraines. »

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Paris dévoile un vaste plan en faveur de l’IA souveraine. Le gouvernement français annonce que ses services de renseignement cesseront désormais de travailler avec l’américain Palantir au profit d’une alternative locale, aux côtés d’un engagement à investir 655 millions d’euros dans la technologie à l’horizon 2030.

Le Premier ministre Sébastien Lecornu a annoncé ces plans dans une vidéo publiée sur X, alors que le pays poursuit ses ambitions de souveraineté technologique et sa volonté de réduire sa dépendance aux offres américaines. « Nous devons utiliser nos propres outils d’IA ; nous ne pouvons pas accepter de nouvelles dépendances stratégiques dans le numérique », a justifié le chef du gouvernement.

Le débat autour de la souveraineté continue de s’intensifier : les États-Unis ont récemment freiné l’accès à plusieurs modèles avancés d’Anthropic, invoquant des préoccupations de sécurité nationale.

La DGSI doit remplacer les outils de données de Palantir par une alternative développée par la société française à capitaux privés ChapsVision.

Palantir collaborait avec l’agence depuis une dizaine d’années et avait annoncé un renouvellement de trois ans en décembre 2025.

Des inquiétudes ont été exprimées au sujet de Palantir, dans un contexte de volonté européenne de réduire le volume de données sensibles traitées par des sociétés américaines.

La société a été cofondée par le milliardaire Peter Thiel, qui entretient des liens étroits avec le gouvernement américain.

Révolution française

Le Premier ministre a précisé que l’investissement de 655 millions d’euros serait consacré aux infrastructures, à la capacité de calcul, à la recherche et aux secteurs économiques et industriels.

Dans le cadre de ces plans, le gouvernement souhaite doter l’ensemble des fonctionnaires d’un assistant conversationnel de la société française Mistral AI, ainsi que d’un assistant de santé publique d’ici la fin de l’année.

« Nous pouvons subir cette révolution. Ou nous pouvons la conduire. La France a choisi. Elle relèvera le défi de cette révolution et entend y prendre toute sa place », a déclaré Sébastien Lecornu.

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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis reportedly lobbied for a US-led coalition to shape global AI rules, as Anthropic remained locked in negotiations with the Trump administration over export controls on its newest models.

CNBC reported that during a closed-door lunch at the G7 Summit attended by President Donald Trump and other world leaders, Amodei called for international cooperation to cover structured access to frontier models, a chip and critical components trade framework which excludes China and coordinated responses to AI risks in cybersecurity, bioterrorism and intelligence.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also called for a formal international forum to establish globally accepted testing standards, provide impartial analysis of AI capabilities and risks, and serve as a venue for cooperation among nations, according to an OpenAI briefing.

The outlet reported Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed the US could lead such a coalition, according to people familiar with the discussions.

In addition to Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also in attendance.

Anthropic ban
The backdrop of the AI discussions was the export controls imposed by the Trump administration on Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models, which went into effect on 12 June after the government cited national security concerns.

News sites have reported Anthropic is currently in negotiations with the Trump administration over the directive.

Financial Times (FT) reported the US decision alarmed European governments and Silicon Valley alike, while raising concerns even allied nations could be cut off from cutting-edge AI.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated the Anthropic dispute clarified what was at stake, warning if the US could “from one day to the next turn off the switch” it would ultimately damage the multitrillion-dollar US companies leading the global AI race.

Macron called for stronger AI regulation and a platform for democratic cooperation to establish common standards. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated democratic nations needed access to frontier models to protect critical infrastructure, according to people familiar with the discussions.

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Consulting company Deloitte is set to launch an AI Studio at its London campus in partnership with Google Cloud, a co-innovation hub designed to support the UK’s transition towards agentic AI.

Opening in late July, the studio will serve clients across financial services, the public sector, retail, healthcare and life sciences, and technology, media and telecommunications.

Deloitte is pitching the facility as a place where production-ready agentic solutions are built and delivered. Innovation labs hosted at the studio will allow clients to prototype and validate agentic AI systems in as little as four weeks, the company stated, compressing time-to-market for complex deployments.

For its retail clients, the aim is to move beyond generative AI chat interfaces toward sophisticated systems capable of modernising the customer journey end-to-end.

In healthcare and technology, media and telecommunications, the studio will focus on how agentic AI can reshape traditional business models and daily workflows rather than simply augmenting them.

Alongside the studio launch, Deloitte announced an upskilling plan to train 1,000 members of its UK AI and data workforce on Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise. The certification programme is designed to ensure Deloitte’s engineers are equipped to implement Google’s most advanced agentic architecture, giving UK clients access to what Deloitte described as one of the largest pools of certified AI talent in the region.

“Our clients are looking for more than just productivity gains — they want AI that can take action and drive real-world business outcomes,” stated Hayley McKelvey, chief AI officer for Deloitte UK, speaking at the Google Cloud London Summit. “This is about moving from curiosity to a new era of autonomous business operations.”

The London studio is in addition to Deloitte’s existing AI Experience Centres in Egypt and India.

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Ericsson kept the heat on in a bid to be a frontrunner in 6G technology, though separately detailed a move at the recent FIA Formula 1 race in Japan showing it is keeping 5G firmly in its sights.

The vendor stated work to optimise RAN energy consumption under the Intention 6G programme is now at a mid-point. The initiative is a €12 million move contributing to decarbonisation targets set in the France 2030 scheme and is co-funded by domestic bank Bpifrance.

Ericsson explained the project targets delivering optimal RAN energy use while still meeting the needs of 5G and 6G traffic.

AI is playing a central role, driving work involving automating network functions, dynamic energy use and developing infrastructure which can adapt power consumption by itself.

Hitting the mid-point in the development means the focus of Intention 6G is now switching to defining the initial “building blocks”, Ericsson explained.

Christian Leon, head of Ericsson Western Europe, said the project is an example of how its French R&D centre is collaborating with domestic companies to develop networks capable of delivering “tomorrow’s critical use cases and digital transformations”.

French government information explains France 2030 is a €54 billion investment programme covering decarbonisation through technological innovation and promoting companies in key industrial sectors.

Ericsson emphasised the research programme demonstrates the benefits of broad collaboration brought about through public-private partnerships.

Racey.
The vendor today (17 June) separately detailed a trial of standalone 5G its Japanese unit completed with SoftBank Corp during the FIA Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the Suzuka Circuit in March.

Ericsson Japan and SoftBank employed five independent network slices, one of which involved mmWave to boost connectivity at the venue, a set-up the vendor explained enabled quality to be optimised for specific use cases.

The pair deployed tri-band Massive MIMO equipment and various mmWave radios, along with conducting “detailed network design”, all of which upped downlink data rates by 4.1-times and uplink 14.6-times over those SoftBank users received at the event in 2025.

Some base stations employed self-tuning to tweak the performance of individual network slices based on a quality measurement taken every minute.

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Alibaba Cloud launched a cloud region in France featuring two availability zones in Paris as part of a plan to launch a suite of enterprise-grade agentic AI services in European markets later this year.

The move marks the Chinese giant’s third European hub following infrastructure builds in Germany and the UK.

The fully operational region brings enterprise-grade cloud services to European customers spanning computing, storage, containerisation, networking, security, databases, and developer tools.

The launch extends Alibaba Cloud’s global network to 105 availability zones across 32 regions.

The France deployment builds on European countries seeking to host their own data centres and cloud regions instead of relying on US companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.

Built with data sovereignty in mind, Alibaba Cloud stated the Paris infrastructure is designed to comply with European regulatory frameworks covering data privacy, cybersecurity and resilience.

Alibaba Cloud noted the new region in France comes as European demand accelerates across sectors including retail, software development, AI-powered creative platforms and sports tech.

The company’s suite of agentic AI services includes AgentRun, a one-stop development platform for AI agents; STAROps, an intelligent operations platform; and ACS Agent Sandbox, which provides hardware-level security isolation while reducing operational costs.

The company is also bringing Agent Security Centre, AI Security Guardrails 2.0, and Agentic SOC to the region. Together, the portfolio is designed to cover the full agent lifecycle from development and debugging through deployment and security.

“This expansion, alongside the introduction of our agentic AI services to Europe, aligns with our broader strategy to bring our full-stack AI+Cloud ecosystem to global customers as we enter the agentic era,” stated Alibaba Cloud CTO and president of international business Dr. Feifei Li.

Last year, Alibaba Group CEO Eddie Wu committed to building “full stack technology capabilities” across AI chip design, infrastructure, cloud services and model development.

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Social media company Snap officially unveiled its new AR glasses priced at $2,195, the company’s latest push into the segment.

A decade in the making, Snap stated the AR glasses developed by its dedicated Specs subsidiary would bring AI assistance, work tools, entertainment and shared experiences “into the world around us”.

The device is scheduled to ship later this year, initially in the US, UK and France.

Specs are priced at more than 15-times the price of Snap’s original $130 camera-only Spectacles, which debuted in 2016 and struggled to gain traction.

Snap emphasised main selling points of Specs as being fully standalone, made from Swiss TR90 polymer and available in two sizes.

A 47mm model weighs 132 grams and a 52mm version 136 grams.

Snap argued current smart glasses are lightweight but limited in what they can do, while headsets “are powerful but can feel isolating and cumbersome”.

Specs are designed to address those drawbacks. The display system is powered by Snap’s proprietary liquid crystal on silicon technology, delivering a 51-degree field of view and 16 million colours. It claimed the display “feels like a 24-inch monitor” while working, or a 115-inch home cinema screen placed 10 feet away when watching a movie.

Other highlights include up to four hours of mixed battery life spanning audio and video playback, AI assistance for services including maps and general queries, and the ability to cast a screen and stream content wherever the user is.

Specs run two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with one dedicated to computer vision and the other running developer tool Lenses.

Lenses enables the glasses to access interactive features including academic and music educational tools.

Qualcomm struck a multi-year platform deal with the Specs subsidiary in April.

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European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) called for closer US-European Union (EU) cooperation on AI at the G7 Summit currently being held in France, arguing both sides have a shared interest in accelerating adoption and ensuring powerful models are introduced safely.

In a post on X following a roundtable with partner countries and AI business executives, von der Leyen stated AI is “developing exponentially” and described it as “the most important technology of our time”. She said the technology “comes with immense potential, but also risks for free, democratic societies”, adding Europe and the US should work together because they “represent 70% of the world market”.

According to Reuters, von der Leyen framed AI safety as a shared interest, stating: “We use each other’s trusted technology, and our financial systems are interconnected. “It is in our mutual interest that our citizens and companies can safely use the best AI models,” she added.

New models
The remarks follow a US government order issued earlier this week directing Anthropic to suspend access to its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for foreign nationals over national security concerns.

Although the Trump administration’s letter targeted foreign nationals, Anthropic said compliance would have required verifying the nationality of every user. It therefore shut both models down entirely for all customers.

In an AI sovereignty push earlier this week, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu argued: “We cannot rely on the goodwill of certain partners who, as we have seen in recent days, are capable of cutting off access to the Anthropic model.”

On the issue, von der Leyen said at the summit “the key question of today is how to introduce new models safely,” calling for G7 countries to exchange information and cooperate through independent entities evaluating models before market release.

She also highlighted adoption as a competitive priority, stating Europe and the US are “at par in terms of AI adoption” but that the bloc wants “our own AI future, not in isolation – that is very important – but together with our trusted partners”.

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Australian regulator ACMA advanced preparations for the introduction of anti-scam measures on SMS by advising users of the visual changes involved.

ACMA lined up the introduction of SMS Sender ID Register rules for 1 July and stated it would mean some messages are labelled as unverified to alert consumers to potential scams.

Unverified messages are to be grouped in a single thread to draw attention to them.

ACMA member Samantha Yorke believes the measures will boost consumer confidence in the legitimacy of messages and “help prevent impersonation scams”.

She advised people to be cautious about messages tagged as unverified and check for proven contact information online or using bills.

The regulator is acting after scammers took Australians for almost AUD18 million ($12.7 million) using SMS in 2025.

It stated almost 17,000 sender IDs have already been verified, but Yorke warned businesses which do not get their details in by the launch date risk being flagged as potential scams.

She said operators are also set to publicise the move to their customers directly.

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Rakuten Symphony appointed former Telefonica CTIO Enrique Blanco (pictured) as a strategic adviser, charging the experienced executive with helping guide the company’s technology and support its ongoing expansion across global markets.

Blanco was global CTIO at Telefonica from 2017 until 2025, having previously been CTO at the group. Towards the end of his stint at the operator he was a vocal supporter of the move to open and virtualised network infrastructure.

Rakuten highlighted the expert brought decades of experience in the telecoms industry, which would help it in a drive to accelerate operator network modernisation.  

Part of the remit of the newly created role is to support adoption of AI-driven operations in the sector, with the ultimate aim of improving end user experience and achieving long term growth.

The vendor noted Blanco joins at a time when operators are upping investments in infrastructure and intelligence while being under pressure to improve returns and deliver better customer experiences.

These trends, it believes, are driving interest in software-based networks, automation and open ecosystems.

Rakuten Symphony president Sharad Sriwastawa said Blanco’s “insights and expertise will accelerate our work with like-minded service providers that want to build better networks for the future of connectivity. His experience will enable us to provide even greater support to operators as they move beyond network modernisation and embrace AI-driven business transformation”.

Blanco added: “The industry has made significant progress over the past decade as we’ve advanced to 5G and beyond, but operators still face many of the same challenges around complexity, cost and speed of innovation.”

Noting Rakuten’s willingness to “rethink” how networks are built and operated, he noted “open architectures, automation and cloud-native technologies give operators more flexibility to adapt their businesses and respond to changing customer expectations. I’m looking forward to helping shape that next stage of the industry’s evolution”.

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Orange stepped up ambitions to drive commercial growth for French start-ups, using the annual VivaTech event in Paris to outline a three-pronged strategy focused on procurement, distribution and enterprise integration.

Orange stated it will buy directly from French start-ups where their technology fits its operational and business needs, use its commercial network to connect companies with public and private-sector buyers and integrate select technology into Orange Business’ enterprise catalogue.

The operator said it aims to boost digital sovereignty by tackling long-standing barriers faced by young French companies, including lengthy contracting processes, limited access to large corporate customers, a lack of commercial references and the complexity of scaling technology at pace.

Separately, Orange Ventures, the group’s investment arm, added it would boost funding for start-ups working in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, health and defence as part of a wider digital trust push.

Orange pointed to several companies it has already worked with under the plan, citing successful partnerships with cybersecurity specialist Anozr Way, circular economy player Circular Place, agentic AI developer H Company and process optimisation firm Kerys.

The initiative forms part of the operator’s partnership with French Tech Mission 2030, a government-backed programme that aims to support the country’s start-ups seeking to move beyond pilots and into commercial deployment.

Orange CEO Christel Heydemann (pictured) said France needs start-ups “capable of reaching industrial scale, sustaining their solutions and rapidly winning their markets,” adding Orange aims to use its “purchasing volume”, “commercial strength” and “integration expertise” to help them grow.

Julie Huguet, director of the French Tech Mission, added “access to customers, trusted relays and smoother sales cycles” were “essential” for start-up growth. She said the partnership with Orange could “generate tangible commercial opportunities for our scale-ups and help bring out the future European technology leaders”.

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AT&T named former McAfee executive Jennifer Biry as its next CFO, replacing Pascal Desroches who is set to retire at the end of the year.

In a regulatory filing, AT&T explained Biry will first take the position of deputy CFO, effective 6 July 2026, before assuming the role as senior EVP and CFO from 1 January 2027.

Biry has served as CFO and COO of security company McAfee since October 2023. Before that, she had a long career at AT&T spanning 22 years in numerous positions across sales, finance and strategy.

As part of this tenure, Biry had an 18-month stint as CFO of WarnerMedia when it was owned by AT&T.

Desroches has been CFO of the US operator for five years, taking on the position in 2021. Before this, he held positions across the WarnerMedia group.

During his time as AT&T’s finance chief Desroches has led a cost cutting drive and moved to simplify the operator’s balance sheet, while taking on major investment in 5G and fibre.

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