Light Reading contributing editor Robert Clark and Ross O'Brien, analyst-in-chief at Delta Analysis, discuss SoftBank's big AI-RAN play, Samsung's rare stock buyback, and China's appeal for a unified 6G. Also, Michael Ackland, Vocus Group's GM for Federal Government & Strategic Projects, discusses Darwin's potential as a connectivity hub and why so much Asian Internet traffic is routed to the US through Australia.
Robert Clark and Ross O'Brien discuss Samsung Electronics' AI market struggles, the geopolitical implications of China's call for a unified 6G standard, and the impact of shifting supply chains on Southeast Asia.
6G as a global standard
The podcast hosts cover the recent news of China's Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology calling for a unified global 6G framework. While such calls are not new, Clark and O'Brien suggest this latest call reflects concerns over potential restrictions from the US on Chinese access to critical technologies.
Historically, China has actively participated in standardization efforts, learning from past setbacks like its proprietary 3G platform failing to gain traction. Despite political tensions, the industry favors unified standards for seamless global adoption. And, even if the standards fork or separate, China's telecom gear champion Huawei could benefit by serving markets outside the US.
Said Clark: "I think at the industry level, I don't think there's anybody who wants to see a fragmented 6G standard, but I just think this is coming from the political leadership. So I think there is some concern that there may be some kind of a global forking."
Darwin's evolution
The podcast's interview portion focuses on Vocus Australia's fiber strategy. Guest Michael Ackland highlights Vocus' extensive network expansion across Australia, its role in developing key submarine cables, and its positioning of Darwin, the most northerly of the Australian capital cities, as a connectivity hub.
"If you think about it in terms of milliseconds, it's within 50 milliseconds of 600 million people and five milliseconds of 165 million people," Ackland said of Darwin and its data centers. "Now, in a country that is just clocking around 29 million, you know that's a big market for us. And, of course, what we complement that with is a very stable government, very reliable; there's a very low sovereign risk here."
The discussion also explores Vocus' collaborations, including the Pacific Connect project with Google, to meet rising demands from AI and hyperscale computing.
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