Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Vero Fiber’s 5 Gbps FTTH, Telecom AI goals, WhiteFiber’s 60 MW North Carolina data center, among others.
Vero Fiber Activates 5 Gbps FTTH for 1,600 Ukiah Locations in $5.7 Million Broadband Project
Vero Fiber and the City of Ukiah, California, have activated fiber-to-the-home service for more than 1,600 homes and businesses under the Ukiah Gigabit Fiber Project. The multi-year initiative is backed by a $5.7 million California Public Utilities Commission grant and aims to connect about 3,000 homes, businesses, schools and community facilities. Customers in activated areas can access symmetrical broadband speeds of up to 5 Gbps. The city will own Phase 1 infrastructure while Vero Fiber operates the network under a long-term public-private partnership. Construction is scheduled to continue through December 2026, while engineering for Phase 2 has already started. Vero has hired 28 local employees since entering Humboldt and Mendocino counties in 2024.
Telecom AI Ambition Outpaces Readiness as 60 Percent See Revenue Opportunity but Just 25 Percent Can Scale
Telecom operators increasingly see artificial intelligence as a revenue engine, but most remain unprepared for AI-native operations, according to research from HCLTech and Mobile World Live. The survey covered nearly 200 senior executives from network operators, MVNOs, communications service providers and equipment manufacturers worldwide. About 60 percent identified AI as a major driver of future revenue, while only 25 percent said their organisations are ready to operationalise AI at scale. HCLTech says legacy network infrastructure, cloud-native modernisation challenges and shortages of appropriate skills are delaying the transition from traditional telecom operators toward AI-native technology companies. The findings suggest that operators will need to accelerate network automation, cloud transformation, data modernisation and workforce development before generative and agentic AI can materially reshape telecom revenue.
WhiteFiber Plans 60 MW North Carolina Data Center Expansion With Potential to Reach 200 MW
WhiteFiber has agreed to acquire two industrial properties in Yadkin County, North Carolina, as it expands infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing. The sites, which will become NC-2 and NC-3, are expected to provide 60 MW of initial capacity and could eventually support approximately 200 MW. The properties are around 55 miles from WhiteFiber’s existing NC-1 campus in Madison, allowing the company to leverage regional development expertise and operating resources. WhiteFiber is acquiring the locations through subsidiary Enovum Data Centers and intends to retrofit the properties into data-center campuses. The expansion reflects rapidly rising infrastructure requirements for AI workloads, including compute capacity, power availability, high-speed connectivity and advanced cooling, as cloud and AI service providers pursue larger deployments.
SHAFANA FAZAL
