Telecom
Telcos Look to AI to Shrink Environmental Footprint
As the world marks the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, global telcos say they see artificial intelligence (AI) as key to cutting energy demand from rising internet traffic.
This is according to research compiled by Nokia and GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSM Association.
GSMA Intelligence surveyed 103 communication service providers (CSPs), which is about a quarter of CSPs globally, on a variety of energy-efficiency issues.
The research reveals that 83% of CSPs surveyed see energy-efficiency as a major network transformation driver that will grow in importance as 5G is operationalised by the industry. On the other hand, 67% expect their energy costs to rise over the next three years based on current trends.
Most of the surveyed CSPs indicated energy-efficiency is either “very important” or “extremely important” in their network transformation strategy to counter rising energy consumption and emissions, says the report.
In addition to renewables, CSPs see AI energy management software as central to their strategies to shrink their environmental footprint, adds the report, noting this is due to those solutions’ ability to be used effectively across an entire network, with little to no human intervention.
Volker Held, head of marketing for managed services, cloud and network services at Nokia, says: “Reducing its carbon footprint is an important challenge for the telecommunications industry, given rising internet traffic trends and its implications for energy consumption.
“AI solutions hold the promise of realising quick and substantial energy-efficiency gains and ensure we fully live up to our environmental and social responsibilities.”
Tim Hatt, head of research and consulting at GSMA Intelligence, adds: “AI has clear and tangible benefits to improving the energy-efficiency of telecom networks and is a big part of the solution in driving sustainable 5G networks. It’s important to deploy AI early in order to train the algorithms and continually optimise network ops and costs over the long run.”
The report notes global internet traffic has risen exponentially in recent years, as a result of increased television and movie streaming, video-conferencing from remote working, and online gaming.
Despite this, many CSP respondents acknowledged they are still in the early planning and testing stages of getting their AI efforts off the ground with respect to energy-efficiency.
Nearly 50% of CSP respondents say they expect to achieve energy savings of 10% to 20% over the next two years, as AI energy solutions are rolled out and optimised.
The report states: “Using zero-touch automation, AI programmes can improve energy savings by closely aligning equipment usage patterns with real-time network demands, and identifying performance anomalies in underperforming network equipment that saps energy resources and requires replacement.
“Beyond curtailing energy demand, AI-powered energy solutions are expected to drive other important outcomes, such as reducing the number of on-site visits personnel have to make to troubleshoot network issues.”
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the @Twitter account, replacing its profile with a standard notice citing violation of platform rules.
Musk
The action, which occurred on Sunday, January 11, left users encountering the handle greeted by a bold “Account Suspended” message on a black screen, with no details provided on the specific rules broken or the duration of the suspension.
The development has sparked widespread confusion and nostalgia among users, given that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X in July 2023, approximately six months after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in late 2022.
The @Twitter handle had remained dormant since before Musk’s takeover, serving as a legacy remnant of the platform’s original branding, and its suspension appears to mark the final erasure of the Twitter name amid X’s ongoing efforts to combat spam, impersonation, and rule violations.
X’s official statement on the suspended page simply reads: “X suspends accounts that violate our rules,” without offering an appeal process or further explanation, unlike standard user suspensions.
Public reactions on social media ranged from humorous laments of “RIP Twitter” to speculation that the move resulted from automated moderation or a deliberate cleanup of legacy trademarks.
xAI’s Grok AI described it as a purposeful retirement of outdated elements rather than a genuine infraction, while neither Elon Musk nor X spokespeople issued any comment as of Monday morning.
This incident underscores the evolving identity of the platform under Musk’s ownership, which also saw a domain shift to x.com in 2024, further distancing it from its Twitter roots.
Industry observers note that while the suspension aligns with X’s stricter enforcement policies, the lack of transparency has fueled debates on consistency in applying rules to high-profile legacy accounts.
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