Today’s telecom news includes announcements on FirstLight, Claro, Desktop, Aeris, Telna, among others.
FirstLight Expands Pennsylvania Fiber Network with 31-Mile Hyperscale Connection
FirstLight is extending its fiber infrastructure to a new hyperscale development site in western Pennsylvania through approximately 31 miles of additional construction. The project connects the location to FirstLight’s existing regional backbone, allowing prospective hyperscale and cloud operators to access high-capacity telecommunications infrastructure without waiting for a completely new long-distance network. FirstLight operates more than 3,200 route miles of fiber across Pennsylvania and a broader northeastern US network exceeding 20,000 route miles. The new connection will support dedicated fiber access and potentially diverse network routing for data-center operations. FirstLight says the existing backbone enables targeted construction while providing access to its wider carrier-grade transport, dark-fiber and connectivity services.
Claro Completes R$1.75 Billion Acquisition of 72.83% Stake in Brazil’s Desktop Fiber Network
Claro has completed the acquisition of a 72.83 percent controlling stake in Brazilian fiber broadband operator Desktop through its subsidiary Claro NXT Telecomunicações. The transaction involved approximately 84.68 million ordinary shares, with the controlling stake valued at around R$1.747 billion, subject to contractual adjustments. The agreement was originally signed in March 2026. Completion gives Claro control of Desktop’s regional FTTH infrastructure and broadband customer operations, strengthening its fixed-network position in Brazil. Claro now intends to pursue a public tender offer for the remaining shares and seek changes to Desktop’s stock-market registration. The acquisition adds an established regional fiber business to Claro’s existing mobile and fixed-broadband infrastructure portfolio.
Aeris and Telna Integrate Cloud-Native Mobile Core for IoT Connectivity Across Brazil
Aeris and Telna have announced a partnership integrating Aeris’ IoT Accelerator platform with Telna’s cloud-native mobile core, initially targeting Brazil. The arrangement gives international IoT customers access to locally compliant cellular connectivity using Telna’s Brazilian IMSI profiles. Telna maintains more than 800 network agreements across over 200 countries and territories, supporting multinational deployments through a common connectivity architecture. The combined solution provides automated eSIM provisioning, local traffic breakout and geographically redundant points of presence. These capabilities are intended to reduce latency and simplify connectivity management for industrial equipment, connected vehicles, agricultural devices and other IoT applications. The integration addresses Brazil’s restrictions on permanent international cellular roaming.