Right, so we could rework the long Vodafone write-up about the present and future impact of AI on telcos, and try to say something else, but we’ve said it here many times before, and my head is fried. Still worth a read, but I would rather draw your attention to comments by Gartner, reported here, that the concept of a sovereign cloud is only achievable in the US and China – because they’re the only nations that can build the complete tech stack.

It seems plain, but it is a lazy argument, actually – as pointed out on social media by someone else. So this borrows from that – c/o Dion Wiggins at a company called Omniscien Technologies.

But before tearing down the idea that the US or China has a better chance of building a sovereign stack than Europe, currently beating itself up for years of snivelling techno-dependence, there is another point – raised by BT Business on stage in London a couple of weeks back. Because sovereignty, as said, might be construed a number of ways – as data sovereignty, operational sovereignty, technological sovereignty.

And the first of these is solved (they say), and the second is feasible, and the last is crazy to think about. Tech sovereignty is impractical, and also not very helpful – for any partner in a global ecosystem, which relies on its collaborators’ niche R&D pursuits in all directions. I am the network operator – and you are the network maker, and you are the chip maker, and you are the cloud. Why should I own any of those other pieces, and why should you?

The tech is a tangled web, right? Necessarily so – because these are all building blocks, quarried and cut by different hands, delivered and deployed by familiar faces. Those relationships cannot be easily unmade, and they certainly can’t be remade. So a sovereign telco tech stack, say, is a daft idea to begin with. But the argument keeps coming back – that no country or region, except the US and China, will ever have total tech authorship.

Which is wrong, anyway. Dion Wiggins, chief tech officer at Omniscien Technologies, a Singapore-based AI and language tech firm, raises the point on LinkedIn. “Nvidia is the most strategically important AI infrastructure company on the planet. It is American,” he writes. But that’s about where its sovereign lineage stops.

He goes on: “Its chips are fabricated by TSMC in Taiwan, advanced production depends on EUV lithography from ASML in the Netherlands, ASML depends on Zeiss optics in Germany, and critical materials intersect with China at multiple points. Pull one lever in that chain and [the] sovereign American stack fractures. What both possess is leverage dominance inside a system that neither controls end-to-end. Sovereign cloud is a myth even on American or Chinese soil.”

Enough said; except he also says more – but we don’t have time to write it here.

James Blackman
Executive Editor
RCR Wireless News

RCR Top Stories

Vodafone on AI: Vodafone has outlined how AI will reshape telco networks and operations, while also reporting stronger revenues, improved profits, robust African growth, and broadband momentum in the UK with a new FWA offer.

Verizon’s edge bets: Verizon is ramping up its infra investments, increasing network build activity by 20% year-on-year. The carrier is positioning itself for a future defined by real-time edge computing and API-driven network capabilities.

Telus targets AI DCs: Telus is expanding its sovereign AI infrastructure strategy in Canada with three planned data center facilities in British Columbia, targeting more than 60,000 GPUs and 150 MW of AI compute capacity.

China 6G trials: China has approved 6GHz spectrum for 6G trials, moving to real-world testing as local operators, vendors and researchers accelerate work on next-generation wireless infrastructure and future AI-driven connectivity services.

John Smee on 6G: Qualcomm’s John Smee says America’s 250-year innovation legacy positions the US to lead AI-native 6G development, highlighting spectrum policy, standards leadership, and wireless R&D as critical to growth and security.

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Beyond the Headlines

EU 5G shortfall: The GSMA is lobbying the EU for sweeping regulatory reform in as telcos face a €475 billion investment gap to catch up with rivals in other regions – and to deliver the sovereign infrastructure for Europe to compete in AI.

TIM tower strategy: TIM chief Pietro Labriola has outlined the operator’s evolving tower strategy, highlighting RAN sharing, new tower partnerships, and infrastructure flexibility aimed at supporting lower-cost 5G expansion in Italy.

EU telco models: Vodafone’s sovereign-cloud deal with AWS and BT’s brand refresh and UEFA deal, plus lots else, shows how European telcos are repositioning as trusted intermediaries for AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure.

Nvidia and Corning: Nvidia has a multi-year supply deal with Corning that could grow into a $3.2bn equity position, alongside a major expansion of US optical fibre manufacturing capacity aimed at meeting surging AI infrastructure demand.

Lumen takes control: Lumen is acquiring cloud platform Alkira for $475 million to strengthen its ‘east-west’ DCI strategy, and bolster its programmable NaaS roadmap to cover all the compass points – enterprise to cloud, US to everywhere.

What We’re Reading

Private 5G is proven: A GlobalData white paper (via Verizon) says enterprises are increasingly using private 5G to drive operational outcomes beyond connectivity, with firms reporting productivity gains, reduced downtime, and faster ROI.

Qs about space DCs: ABI Research says space data-centers are almost viable as AI energy demand strains terrestrial grids; SpaceX and Google are exploring orbital compute powered by solar despite technical and economic challenges.

EU sovereignty joke: Gartner has said only the US and China can deliver fully sovereign cloud infra, warning EU firms arendent on foreign tech providers despite growing efforts to build local cloud alternatives and reduce hyperscaler reliance.

6G spectrum paper: The IEEE has a new radio resource utilization efficiency (RUE) concept to measure 6G performance, arguing 5G infra leaves efficiency gaps. RUE could support AI algorithms, wider bandwidths, and next-gen RAN.

Telco battery business: Softnank has a new Japanese battery business to support AI power, planning 2028 gigawatt production of battery cells and storage systems to supply AI data centers, industrial apps, and next-gen infrastructure.

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