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In Today’s Issue

What’s Happening On Earth?

🇨🇦 Copper theft growing at alarming rate across Eastern Canada - Bell is sounding the alarm over a sharp rise in copper thefts across Eastern Canada, a growing crisis that is endangering public safety and disrupting essential communications infrastructure.

My Take: “Copper theft related incidents have increased 23% year-over-year across Canada. Since 2022, Bell has recorded more than 2,270 copper thefts nationwide. Copper thefts now account for 88% of all physical security incidents on Bell's network, with over 500 cases reported in the first half of 2025 alone. Ontario remains the hardest-hit province, representing 63% of all incidents, with hotspots including Hamilton, Cambridge, and Windsor. Quebec follows with 12% of cases, most concentrated in the Saguenay region.” Put fiber on the spans and use interrogators to sense when someone is screwing with it.

Turkcell collaborates with Juniper Networks and IDQ to pioneer quantum-safe network security - Industry-first proof-of-concept showcases quantum-safe protection for precision timing and encrypted data across Turkcell’s mobile backhaul, advancing secure, next-generation 5G services

My Take: Ok, 3rd Quantum Safe article in as many weeks. There must be something to this.

Nexar's dashcams plug into Charter's Wi-Fi network - Nexar, a maker of AI-assisted dashcams that aim to improve driver safety, will complement its network by connecting to 17 million-plus Wi-Fi hotspots managed by Charter.

My Take: So who benefits from this? The dashcam user or Nexar? Is there some special traffic alerting Nexar subscribers will have access to? Will I be able to watch mu car being stolen in real-time?

Aging subsea cable fleet needs a $3B upgrade – report - With the number of cable repairs set to soar and nearly half of all cable vessels due to be retired, the industry needs to find new solutions to maintaining subsea infrastructure.

My Take: Robots. Amazon has a million of them. Borrow a few.

Oracle poised for explosive growth with $30B cloud deal - Is Oracle stepping up to the big leagues? CEO Safra Catz announced the company has signed an enormous cloud deal poised to boost Oracle’s annual revenue by 150% from its fiscal 2025 level.

My Take: The mystery partner is no more. OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, announced Tuesday it plans to rent 4.5 gigawatts of data center power — enough to provide power to 750,000 homes — from Oracle. That’s huge.

🇨🇦 British Columbia expands wildfire camera network for early detection - The BC Ministry of Forests has announced that the wildfire camera network first piloted in 2024 will be expanded across British Columbia, with an investment of $200,000.

My Take: A worthwhile investment if the early detection works.

Arista buys VeloCloud from Broadcom - Arista Networks acquired Broadcom’s VeloCloud SD-WAN platform in a move set to boost Arista’s presence in the SD-WAN space and align with the vendor’s broader wireless LAN (WLAN) focus but also leaves questions as to what Arista might do next.

My Take: Maybe Arista will buy HPE’s Instant On assets that they have to divest of? Add in the VeloCloud SD-WAN stuff, and voila!

🇨🇦 Internet service providers fear feds will side with CRTC on ruling boosting competitor access to fibre networks - According to the regulator, 'several thousand Canadian households' are already benefitting from new plans

My Take: Several thousand new Telus customers? Unless I’m confused, this has little, if any impact on the “regular’ TPIA ongoings and is focused on Tier 1 wholesaling on each others networks.

🇨🇦 Ottawa orders Chinese tech firm to close Canadian operations over national security - The federal government has ordered a Chinese maker of surveillance camera systems to shutter its Canadian business and leave the country over national security concerns.

My Take: National security issue with a maker of surveillance cameras.. What have they already surveilled?

EchoStar plays financial poker with debt holders, blames FCC - EchoStar paid one outstanding bill but is holding up payment on another, continuing what has been an increasingly sordid financial juggling act for the diversified telecommunications provider.

My Take: Is anyone else tired of the whole EchoStar thing yet?

🇨🇦 Rogers launches Wi-Fi 7 in Canada - Rogers is upgrading its Wi-Fi offering with the new Xfinity router, which is the most powerful one yet. It’s capable of multi-gig speeds over Wi-Fi and can connect to more than 200 devices at a time. It’s only available with Rogers XFinity’s Pro 4G plan, which offers 4Gbps download and 1Gbps upload speeds, which the company says are the fastest on any Hybrid Fibre Coax network.

My Take: I said it on LinkedIn, I’ll say it here. No one needs it as a residential service offering, but someone will buy it - just to say they have it.

Chunghwa Telecom to invest in resilience as network threats rise - Network resilience is a core issue of national security and social stability, Chunghwa Telecom chairman says as the Taiwanese telco steps up investment.

My Take: Nothing to add..

CableLabs sees 14-Gig speeds at latest DOCSIS 4.0 interop - CableLabs said its latest DOCSIS 4.0 interop of cable modems, remote PHY devices and virtual CMTSs delivered downstream speeds of 14 Gbit/s – a 55% increase when compared to recent D4.0 interops.

My Take: No mention of upstream. Maybe DOCSIS has an edge over XGS (downstream) with an ability to actually delivery 10Gbps on a roadmap to 25Gbps.

How a clock change could accelerate vCMTS deployments and lower costs - The emergence of a new 'PTP-less' approach that eliminates the need for a GrandMaster Clock in distributed HFC networks is poised to speed-up virtual CMTS deployments and help operators cut costs.

My Take: I wonder if Grandmaster Clock is related to Grandmaster Flash?

Charter labels recent fiber cuts 'an act of domestic terrorism' - Following a fiber-cutting attack in California that disrupted service to thousands of customers, including a US military base, Charter is urging federal and state legislators to classify such attacks as a felony on a broad basis.

My Take: “Charter said the attackers severed 13 cables, including 2,600 individual fibers.” .. That’s a lot of splicing. Shouldn’t copper theft fall under the same consideration?

DoJ, HPE reach compromise on the $14B Juniper deal - The waiting game seems to be finally over for HPE’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) just gave the deal the greenlight – but not without some caveats.

My Take: HPE Juniper Networking, is what its now called.. Maybe Amazon will buy the “Instant On” assets to add to their EERO SMB platform.

Juniper, Mist, MSPs, and Partners - SMBs have an exaggerated form of the problem that most tech user organizations face, which is difficulty in acquiring and maintaining support talent for both IT and network operations.

My Take: Yea, that’s why they’re ripe for all sorts of unique and innovative solutions.

Top 5 reasons enterprises don't deploy private networks - Many enterprises hesitate to deploy private networks because of high costs compared to Wi-Fi alternatives. Access to spectrum and compatible devices remains inconsistent across regions and industries. Skills gaps and fast-evolving standards create operational and lifecycle challenges for IT teams

My Take: And by private networks, they mean private 5G networks. Another time-and-a-place best-use technology. It’s not one or the other.

Why Ubiquity is attracting MDU brownfield communities - By partnering with ISPs that possess their own fiber backhaul, Curtin said Ubiquity is able to put together an economic profile that benefits multiple parties, including MDU owners/operators, and their ISP partners.

My Take: Which is more lucrative - the MDU space or the SMB space? There’s a podcast link in the article as well.

US Supreme Court rules in favor of Universal Service Fund - The U.S. Supreme Court, with a 6-3 ruling, has upheld the legality of the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund.

My Take: It’s kind of like the Broadband Fund in Canada with provider contributions, however the funds are not allocated to similar prohects.

Vodafone looks to space to ensure its mobile antennas are aligned - Vodafone is looking to space to address an industry challenge down on earth – how to ensure land-based 4G and 5G antennas are precisely positioned to consistently provide customers with the best mobile signal.

My Take: Interesting Networks As A Sensor appliction.

Battle lines are drawn over upper 6 GHz band in Europe - The discussion about whether to release the upper 6 GHz band for mobile networks, Wi-Fi service providers, or both has become an increasingly hot potato in Europe as regulatory decisions loom, spurring the respective sectors to overload on rhetoric as to why their claim for the spectrum should supersede others. 

My Take: As noted below as well, Spectrum policy and management is a confusing and complicated.

What’s Happening In Space?

What’s in Space This Week?

Space comms reaches commercialisation inflection point - Research from the GSMA has found that the satellite-based communications industry is now transitioning from the pilot and validation stage to initial commercial deployments, with 109 telco-satellite partnerships now covering 70% of global mobile subscribers, and commercialisation set to unfold over the next two to three years as services evolve from SMS to voice to data. 

My Take: The convergence is upon us.

Base Stations in the Sky: SoftBank Corp. to Launch Pre-commercial HAPS Services for Japan in 2026 - To help bridge the digital divide and provide emergency communications during disasters, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been actively conducting research and development for its High Altitude Platform Station

My Take: Watch the HAPS space. Seems to be a lot of activity of late, like real activity with real solutions that could help solve real problems. I spoke about this during my Space workshop at the recent Eastern Canada CRRBC Conference. I’ll have new information for the Western Conference in Kelowna, BC this coming November.

Space is hard. There is no excuse for pretending it’s easy. - The headlines in the space industry over the past month have delivered a sobering reminder: space is not forgiving, and certainly not friendly to overpromising entrepreneurs.

My Take: Space is hard. That’s all they had to say, although William Adama made it look easy. So say we all.

The Rules of Spectrum Are Changing As We Speak - Spectrum allocation is a very complicated game. It must balance the rights and priorities of many stakeholders, including the DoD and other federal spectrum users, commercial wireless players, new NGSO systems and legacy GSO satellites

My Take: Spectrum management is a work unto its self.

Colombia seizes first unmanned narco-submarine with Starlink antenna - The Colombian navy on Wednesday seized its first unmanned narco-submarine, equipped with a Starlink antenna, off the Caribbean coast. No drugs were found, but officials and regional security sources suspect it was a trial run for automated cocaine trafficking, navy and Western sources told AFP. 

My Take: Maybe this should be in the AI section. Automated cocaine trafficking. See, these guys are using their heads (I’m not condoning cocaine trafficking) with a solution to solve a big problem! I wonder if they have a special subscription plan?

Power Plays: The Push for European Space Sovereignty - Nations throughout the continent are seeking to expand their sovereign satellite capabilities while also collaborating with other European nations and multinational alliances to enhance Europe’s collective presence in space.

My Take: as Europe seeks to safeguard its autonomy in space, it’s not just about launching more satellites—it’s about building end-to-end sovereign infrastructure

Data Centres Are Increasingly Being Launched Into Space but Must Meet Stringent Requirements - Data centres in orbit will be a key component of future space activities, but there are hurdles to overcome to make them widely available.

My Take: Redundant power, cooling, cost.. launch capacity.. cost.. cost…

MethaneSAT Loses Contact With Satellite - Methane-monitoring satellite MethaneSAT has lost power and communications, the team behind the mission said in an update on Tuesday. 

My Take: Ok, this is actually the second Uranus comment because I put my comments in starting from the last story. That means you have another one to look forward to.

July stargazing: Buck Moon, Lāhainā Noon, and meteorites (soon) - Two upcoming meteor showers and warm weather makes summer a great season for stargazing.

My Take: Just lie on the ground, let the ticks and ants crawl up your shorts and stare at the sky.

Brazil, Musk’s Starlink cut deal to curb its use by criminals in Amazon - Brazil's Federal Prosecutor's Office announced Friday a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink to curb the use of its services in illegal mining and other criminal activities in the Amazon

My Take: Where there’s a will, and all that.

Mass Burn: SpaceX Deorbits Nearly 500 Starlink Satellites in 6 Months - The company deorbited about 2.6 satellites per day between December and May, causing them to burn up in the atmosphere. It's unclear how or if this might impact the environment.

My Take: Out with the old, in with the new. It’s like Logan’s Run, in space. How come there was never a Logan’s Run broadway production? 😳

Ookla: Starlink is elevating in-flight Wi-Fi - Ookla Research today published a study of in-flight Wi-Fi. The report also found that Starlink far outperforms other providers with speeds roughly double those of its next-fastest competitors.

My Take: See the article for the link to the report. Air Canada has better broadband that most Indigenous communities in northern Ontario. Starlink for the win.

'The sun is dying!' Ryan Gosling tries to save a doomed Earth in 1st trailer for 'Project Hail Mary' (video) - "Project Hail Mary" is the upcoming outer space odyssey, based on Andy Weir's 2021 novel, that offers a stirring story of alien first contact.

My Take: Watch for the movie review.

Iran bans Starlink amid fears over foreign influence and unauthorised internet access - The Iranian government has officially outlawed the use of Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, as part of a broader crackdown on unauthorised internet access and what authorities describe as “foreign interference in national communications infrastructure.”

My Take: TikTok is a secret weapon.

Satellites keep breaking up in space. Insurance won't cover them. - Cheap, uninsured satellites are creating more space junk — and it's starting to rain down on our heads.

My Take: Imagine Flo, the lady from Progressive, in a satellite Insurance ad.

France is betting Eutelsat can become Europe’s answer to Starlink — but experts aren’t convinced - France’s Eutelsat is often touted as a European challenger to Elon Musk’s Starlink. The satellite operator last week received more than 1 billion euros in an investment led by the French state. The deal shows France views Eutelsat as a strategic asset in the EU’s push for technological sovereignty. However, experts are doubtful that Eutelsat can become a viable alternative to Starlink in Europe.

My Take: Different use cases. Different networks. Maybe the same outcome.

SpaceX rocket sets reuse record on 500th Falcon 9 launch - SpaceX conducted its 500th Falcon 9 rocket launch early this morning (July 2) and broke its own reuse record in the process.

My Take: Now if they could only get Starship off the ground…

Enabling AI

Sam Altman Slams Meta’s AI Talent-Poaching Spree: ‘Missionaries Will Beat Mercenaries’ - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is hitting back at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent AI talent-poaching spree.

My Take: $100M signing bonuses. Crazy.

AI in telecom – levelling-up with gen AI (beyond ML automation) - From call centres to back-office systems, telcos are navigating the shift from predictive machine learning to generative AI, balancing innovation with caution in critical environments.

My Take: So many of these articles…

AI Agents Are Creating Insider Security Threat Blind Spots, Research Finds - Only 30% of US businesses are actively mapping which AI agents have access to critical systems, creating a security blind spot.

My Take: Unchecked AI agents doing whatever they want, with whatever data they can find, slowly embedding themselves and taking over. Sounds like a security threat.

Research: Executives Who Used Gen AI Made Worse Predictions - The executives who used ChatGPT became significantly more optimistic, confident, and produced worse forecasts than the group who discussed with their peers.

My Take: Well, then don’t use it next time. AI makes people cocky.

How generative AI could help make construction sites safer - The technology could save lives—so long as it doesn’t fully replace humans that monitor safety.

My Take: This is a great application, although not sure how people will feel about being watched all the time.

Amazon launches a new AI foundation model to power its robotic fleet and deploys its 1 millionth robot - New AI technology will make the world's largest fleet of industrial mobile robots smarter and more efficient.

My Take: One million robots.. but none of them are replacing humans.. Looks like that narrative went out the window as well.

The Path to Medical Superintelligence - The Microsoft AI team shares research that demonstrates how AI can sequentially investigate and solve medicine’s most complex diagnostic challenges—cases that expert physicians struggle to answer.

My Take: Isn’t that a good thing? Detecting what others couldn’t, or detecting it earlier?

Don’t let hype about AI agents get ahead of reality - At Google’s I/O 2025 event in May, the company showed off a digital assistant that didn’t just answer questions; it helped work on a bicycle repair by finding a matching user manual, locating a YouTube tutorial, and even calling a local store to ask about a part, all with minimal human nudging. Such capabilities could soon extend far outside the Google ecosystem.

My Take: It’s hype because it’s cool, and all sorts of people are coming up with great ways to use it.

This and That!

Trump bashes AT&T for bad conference call tech - President Donald Trump gave some major flak to AT&T on Monday for being “unable to make their equipment work properly” during a conference call with faith leaders.

My Take: With all those religious leaders on the line, it was likely an act of God(s).

Hackers Make Hay? Smart Tractors Vulnerable to Full Takeover - Hackers can spy on tens of thousands of connected tractors in the latest IoT threat, and brick them too, thanks to poor security in an aftermarket steering system.

My Take: And find out what? That they’re plowing a field of wheat? Sensitive information. Bricking them or altering their movement is the serious issue.

ChatGPT could pilot a spacecraft shockingly well, early tests find - In a recent contest, teams of researchers competed to see who could train an AI model to best pilot a spaceship. The results suggest that an era of autonomous space exploration may be closer than we think.

My Take: Someone could train it to venture out to Uranus.

Astronomers spot potential 'interstellar visitor' shooting through the solar system toward Earth - A newly discovered object, dubbed A11pl3Z, appears to be moving too fast and straight to have originated in the solar system. If confirmed, it will be the third interstellar visitor ever spotted.

My Take: Maybe it was Matthew McConaughey

Diagnostic dilemma: A man was stabbed through the throat and the base of the skull — by a fish - While on a fishing trip, a man sustained an unusual injury from a marlin.

My Take: I hope it tasted good.

Infographic Of The Week

My Take: I didn’t see ‘Producing a Newsletter’ on there. The Critical Thinking metric is disturbing. All of the “without” times will increase as the march towards “with” continues and people forget how to think.

Podcast Recommendation

In this week’s episode of Space Minds David Ariosto sits down Nathalie Cabrol, Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute who explains why the Red Planet may hold answers about extraterrestrial life as well as our own origins.

Our conversation explores the potential for life on Mars, the implications of exoplanet discoveries, and how AI is transforming our understanding of habitability. She challenges our assumptions about intelligence, consciousness, and the very nature of life itself—both here on Earth and beyond. A thought-provoking conversation that expands your view of the universe—and our place within it.

Listen Here!

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

IMDb: 8/10

JMDb: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/10 (Binge-worthy)

Squid Game Season 3 is back, and so are the nerve-shredding games—bigger, bolder, and with enough pink jumpsuits to start a fashion revolution. The stakes are higher, the twists are wilder, and if you thought a honeycomb was stressful, just wait until you see what they’ve cooked up this time. Familiar faces return, new alliances form, and the VIPs are somehow even more eccentric (and less subtle) than ever.

The acting remains top-notch, and the set design is so elaborate you’ll wonder if Netflix bought a whole amusement park just to destroy it. The tension is relentless, and the surprises will have you second-guessing every handshake and side-eye. The finale? Let’s just say it’ll split fans faster than a game of tug-of-war.

In short: Squid Game Season 3 is a wild ride. Trust no one, and definitely don’t accept candy from strangers.

A Word From Our Partner

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