Airtel and partners pump $1bn into Nxtra data centres

The transaction is designed to accelerate Nxtra’s buildout of large-scale and edge facilities to serve enterprises, hyperscalers, and government customers across India.

Bharti Airtel has secured a $1 billion equity infusion for its data centre arm Nxtra Data from a consortium led by Alpha Wave Global, with participation from The Carlyle Group, Anchorage Capital and Airtel itself, the company said.

Under the terms disclosed, Alpha Wave Global will contribute $435 million, Carlyle $240 million, Anchorage Capital $35 million, with Airtel investing the remainder. Final investor stakes will be subject to post-closing adjustments and customary approvals.

According to reporting, the deal will see Nxtra valued at roughly $3.1 billion, with Airtel remaining the controlling shareholder.

The capital will be applied primarily to capacity expansion, with Nxtra planning to grow from about 300 MW today to a targeted 1 GW, aiming t control roughly a quarter of India’s data centre market.

Headquartered in New Delhi, Nxtra already operates 14 major data centres and more than 120 edge facilities across India, with recent openings in Pune and active development of AI-ready campuses in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata.As always, the deal is subject to typical regulatory approvals. Airtel and partners pump $1bn into Nxtra data centres - Total Telecom:

Read More........ → May 05, 2026

AST SpaceMobile satellite placed into wrong orbit

Posted by Harry Baldock : The failed deployment could hinder commercial pilots of direct-to-device (D2D) services for AST’s mobile operator partners

Satellite company AST SpaceMobile has hit a setback this week, with its latest BlueBird 7 satellite being deployed in the wrong orbit.

The launch, which took pace on Sunday, saw BlueBird 7 carried into low Earth Orbit (LEO) by Blue Origin’s New Glenn reusable rocket. However, issues in deployment led to the satellite being placed into too low an orbit.

“During the New Glenn 3 mission, BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower than planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle. While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will [be] de-orbited,” explained AST SpaceMobile in a statement, noting that the cost of the lost satellite was covered by an insurance policy.

AST is currently in the process of deploying a constellation of roughly 90 LEO satellites, which will be used to provide global coverage of D2D satellite services. This will allow AST’s mobile operator partners, such as Vodafone and AT&T, to provide customers with coverage beyond the limits of their terrestrial networks.

AST currently has six active satellites in orbit, which provide intermittent coverage and have primarily been used for preliminary tests of the company’s D2D technology. BlueBird 7 was set to be the first of the company’s upgraded satellites, with 45–60 additional devices targeted for launch before the end of the year.

“The company is currently in production through BlueBird 32, with BlueBird 8 to 10 expected to be ready to ship in approximately 30 days,” said the company statement. “The company continues to expect an orbital launch every one to two months on average during 2026, supported by agreements with multiple launch providers, and it continues to target approximately 45 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026.”The extent to which the failure to deliver BlueBird7 will impact AST’s customers is unclear. VodafoneThree, for example, is scheduled to begin trials of the technology with customers this summer. AST SpaceMobile satellite placed into wrong orbit - Total Telecom

Read More........ → May 05, 2026