Robert Clark

Hong Kong

Contributing Editor at LightReading

I cover Asian tech, telecom and innovation at my Electric Speech blog. I also write about Asian telecom for Light Reading.

Articles

The data center space race has begun

1 week ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

As data center energy demand soars, startups are plotting their way into space-based computing with its promise of low-cost power and cooling. Space data centers have become a hot concept, attracting cash and mounting investor interest. Among those drawn to the emerging sector are former chief Googler Eric Schmidt and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos along with a clutch of startups and governments in the US, Europe and China.
AWS, SK Group to build Korea's largest AI data center

1 week ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

AWS is joining hands with the SK Group, South Korea's number two chaebol, to build the country's largest AI data center. The two companies will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the 100MW facility in August, state news service Yonhap said, quoting industry sources.
Asia still lacks data center capacity despite investment boom

2 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

Most Asia-Pacific countries are "significantly underserved," despite stratospheric growth in investment and capacity in recent years, property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield says. In an annual survey, it found most Asian markets have an average of around 350,000 people per megawatt (MW) of data center capacity – roughly ten times more than the US level of 30,600 people.
5G isn't going to save China's cable operators

2 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

Profits, revenue and subs numbers are heading south for China's small and local cable players. If executives in China's declining cable sector believed 5G could resurrect their fortunes, they must be disappointed. Four years after launching 5G, the business is still contracting. Filings from 11 listed cable operators show net losses widened by 20% to 2.7 billion Chinese yuan (US$376 million) last year.
Asian telcos beating a different path to AI

3 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

Big Asian operators are making AI data centers a priority. A recent McKinsey report warned that the biggest AI danger for operators is inaction. But that seems hardly a problem for Asian telcos, judging by the latest spate of announcements. In a space of ten days we have seen:KT and Viettel strike a $95 million AI transformation and consulting partnership across southeast Asia. Optus and Telkomsel sign agreements with Perplexity to embed its AI assistant on phones.
PE firms are queueing up for Spark's data centers

3 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

Private capital firms are lining up to get a piece of Spark's data center business. The embattled New Zealand telco has put 50% of its data center unit on the sale block – estimated to be worth around 1.2 billion New Zealand dollars (US$719 million). Australian private equity and asset management firms Pacific Equity Partners, BGH Capital and QIC have been named as likely bidders.
China Mobile pitches its low-altitude capabilities

4 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

Telco giant China Mobile already has 166 contracts for low-altitude services across China. China's low altitude economy has become another of those segments where domestic telcos have been allocated a potentially lucrative central role. The industry, which is defined as including hardware as well as services, totaled 500 billion Chinese yuan (US$69 billion) in revenue in 2023 and will cross CNY1 trillion ($139 billion) in 2026, according to consultancy CCID.
NTT Docomo to take control of online bank for $2.9B

4 weeks ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

With NTT Docomo set to buy SBI Sumishin in a $2.9B deal, all four Japanese telcos now own or are closely affiliated with a bank. NTT Docomo is to buy online bank SBI Sumishin to bolster its financial services offerings – a hotly contested segment in Japanese mobile. The deal, estimated to be worth 420 billion Japanese yen ($2.9 billion), is part of a wider capital and business alliance between the NTT Group and SBI Holdings, Sumishin Net Bank's controlling shareholder.
KT and Viettel strike $95M AI partnership

1 month ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

KT and Viettel's $95 million artificial intelligence (AI) partnership will focus on AI transformation, consulting and Vietnam's AI infrastructure. KT Corp has struck a 130 billion Korean won (US$95 million) AI partnership with the Viettel Group. The two telcos will collaborate on AI transformation and consulting in Vietnam and plan to set up a JV to serve other southeast Asian countries, the companies announced this week.
China sets the pace on 5G-A with $3B rollout in 2025

1 month ago | lightreading.com | Robert Clark

China Mobile leads the way on 5G-Advanced with a $1.4 billion upgrade plan this year. In the wake of the 5G capex spree, it's no surprise mobile operators have been cautious in their embrace of 5G-Advanced. Currently, 26 telcos in 15 countries are investing in 5G-A, and of those only six have launched commercial service, industry association GSA says.

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