Month: February 2026

The AI Boom and Unintended Consequences

by Steven J. Schuchart Jr., posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate, Secure
S. Schuchart

Summary Bullets:

• Service providers, tech companies, and enterprises are under extraordinary pressure to develop and deploy AI solutions.

• Enterprises will need to re-evaluate their goals for the rest of the year, considering cost increases and possible delivery delays.

In the late 1930s, Sociologist Robert K. Merton wrote about unintended consequences, where some of the outcomes of purposeful action are not predicted or intentional. He proposed three types of unintended consequences – unexpected benefit, unexpected drawback, and perverse result. In the first, there is a positive benefit, something good happened that wasn’t foreseen. In the second, an unforeseen detriment occurs. In the third, the result makes the problem worse, a contrarian result.

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Cisco Research Finds AI Is Revolutionizing the Privacy Landscape

by Amy Larsen DeCarlo, posted in Secure
Amy Larsen DeCarlo – Principal Analyst, Security and Data Center Services

Summary Bullets:

• The overwhelming majority of organizations say they are benefiting from privacy investments in a myriad of ways, including helping increase customer trust.

• But most acknowledge data localization efforts increase the cost and complexity – and risk – to cross-border data transfers.

Data privacy is top of mind for most organizations, and not just because of a stormy geopolitical climate that is putting pressure on businesses to meet stringent regulatory requirements around data residency. Security concerns about protecting both customer data and intellectual property have companies expanding privacy programs. There is also growing recognition that customers place a premium on knowing their data will be protected.

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Ooredoo Carves Out Fiber and Subsea Unit to Accelerate Regional Connectivity Ambitions

by Brendan Swan, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate
B. Swan

Summary Bullets:

• Ooredoo Group launches Ooredoo Fibre Networks, an independent entity dedicated to managing and scaling Ooredoo’s international connectivity and submarine cable infrastructure ambitions.

• By establishing a new entity, Ooredoo can be financially independent from its domestic operations, enabling it to be more transparent to present and future investors.

As global bandwidth demand surges and AI-driven cloud expansion continues to reshape traditional global traffic corridors, Ooredoo’s decision to establish a standalone business dedicated to international subsea cable and terrestrial fiber connectivity signals a shift in strategic intent. Rather than simply expanding capacity, the carrier appears to be reorganizing its infrastructure to compete more assertively in the wholesale and transit arena, where scale, route diversity, and commercial agility increasingly define market leadership. In a region that is fast-emerging as a key route, is Ooredoo positioning itself to evolve from a multi-national connectivity provider into the Middle East’s regional connectivity powerhouse?

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Sparkle and VDPC Redefine Infrastructure Partnership; Barracuda Swims Between Italy and Spain

by Brendan Swan, posted in Communicate, IT Leader
B. Swan

Summary Bullets:

• Sparkle has teamed up with VDPC and private equity firm Teset Capital will build the Barracuda Subsea Cable, a high-capacity subsea cable connecting Spain to Italy.

• Sparkle will acquire the Valencia-Genoa infrastructure and Valencia co-location, boosting its connectivity across the Iberian Peninsula.

In today’s interconnected world, subsea cables are the unseen arteries that power global communications with underwater cables carrying approximately 99% of the world’s internet traffic across continents. As operators collaborate to expand their network infrastructure, the recent announcement between wholesale network provider, Sparkle and Spanish telecommunications provider, Valencia Digital Port Connect (VDPC) highlights how strategic collaborations between infrastructure players continue to shape the future of digital connectivity. But as ownership of Sparkle is about to change, could this influence its long-term role in global infrastructure?

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Vodafone’s Subsea Expansion Fuels Global Network Ambitions

by Brendan Swan, posted in Network, Secure
B. Swan

Summary Bullets:

  • Vodafone Group will build two submarine cable systems, Thetis Express and Kardesa Cable systems, as it looks to further strengthen its global undersea network.
  • Vodafone’s investment in both its terrestrial and subsea cable infrastructure validates its intention to remain a critical enabler of global connectivity in an AI-driven world.

With demand for data continuing to soar driven by AI, cloud, and other data-intensive services, the Vodafone Wholesale division unveiled plans to expand its global infrastructure as it looks to future-proof its network acknowledging that growth will depend on network resilience and scalability beyond today’s traffic patterns. Over recent months, the carrier has made multiple announcements to build two cable systems named Thetis Express and Kardesa. With the AI boom just starting, will Vodafone’s investment in its global network keep pace for future growth?

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