Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top ten global operators, reinforces its Point of Presence (PoP) at Namex, in Rome, providing customers with remote peering capabilities through its Virtual NAP service.

Wholesale and Capacity
CenturyLink expands fiber network to 400,000 homes this year
US operator CenturyLink announced that it connected around 300,000 homes and small businesses to its fiber network last year. It has plans to add another 400,000 to the network across several cities in the US.
ITC coverage exceeds 400,000 homes
Integrated Telecom Company (ITC) coverage of fiber optic service exceeded the barrier of 400k homes across different regions and cities in the Kingdom in a record time. This is part of the company’s role in the initiative to deploy fiber optics broadband coverage across urban regions in the kingdom.
Intertelecom to proceed with CDMA to LTE switch despite tensions
Ukranian operator, Intertelecom, has issued an updated to its users which outlined its progress in switching from CDMA to 4G LTE technology.
Colt expands its Ethernet VPN service
Colt Technology Services has announced that its award-winning Ethernet VPN service is now offering any-to-any connectivity globally.
DEA announces auction for 450MHz spectrum in June
Danish Energy Agency (DEA), Energistyrelsen, has announced that it plans to hold a spectrum auction in the 450MHz frequency band on 23rd June this year.
UAE-IX sets peering traffic record as user demand surges in Middle East
The leading Internet Exchange (IX) in the Middle East part of datamena, has broken its peak peering traffic record on the IX in March.
AOI and Benya Capital join forces to build fiber optic cable factory in Egypt
The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, the Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) and the Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone attended a partnership signing ceremony between AOI and Benya Capital.
SES to clear C-band spectrum in line with FCC plans
Satellite operator SES said it plans to meet the FCC’s accelerated timeline to clear part of the C-band spectrum in the US. The FCC wants to clear the band so that it can hold an auction for the spectrum, which will then be used for 5G. The move means SES will be entitled to receive up to USD 3.97 billion in accelerated relocation payments.
Leading telcos announce a transformative subsea cable
China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC announced that they will partner to build 2Africa, which will be the most comprehensive subsea cable to serve the African continent and Middle East region. The parties have appointed Alcatel Submarine Networks (“ASN”) to build the cable in a fully funded project which will greatly enhance connectivity across Africa and the Middle East.