Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Amazon Web Service (AWS) pumped nearly €16 billion into expanding its Spanish infrastructure, Microsoft continued to flex its AI muscle with Copilot+ PCs, and regulators set sights on spectrum sharing for 6G.
Microsoft taunts Apple with AI-powered Copilot+ PCs
What happened: Microsoft unveiled a roll of AI-powered devices that feature PCs and tablets during its Microsoft Build conference, where it also announced the availability of its Copilot products to developers.
Why it matters: Microsoft claimed the move has “completely reimagined the entirety of the PC” by placing AI at the front and centre of the device. CEO at CSS Insight Geoff Blaber noted the company “identified an opportunity to re-energise the PC market, transform the user experience and has galvanised the PC ecosystem to support its vision”. Further, by tapping Qualcomm to develop the AI-powered hardware, Microsoft has also upped its competition with Apple, which debuted a MacBook engineered by its in-house processor earlier this year.
AWS to spend €15.7 billion into Spanish facilities
What happened: The cloud giant committed to spend €15.7 billion through 2033 on its facilities in Spain, planning to expand its local data centres in a bid to encourage job creation, support local businesses and boost the country’s economy.
Why it matters: AWS’ Spanish investment marked the company’s latest move in expanding its European data centres, having recently allocated more than €1.2 billion to its French operations and €8 billion into forming a cloud region in Germany that will serve as the base of a European sovereign cloud project announced in 2023. AWS stated its Spanish investment will target the country’s productivity and economic growth, while its sovereign cloud project is meant to cultivate “local talent and infrastructure” in the European Union (EU) to ensure its customers have more autonomy and privacy over their data, while supporting the bloc’s wider digital transformation goals.
Regulators brand spectrum sharing key to 6G
What happened: Regulators from across the globe shared their views on potential benefits of 6G and the challenges expected from its future deployments at the 6G Global Summit in London this week, with authorities agreeing on the importance of spectrum-sharing with existing services.
Why it matters: Discussions on 6G at the event set a positive tone regarding the future network’s potential to boost non-consumer services, but lawmakers view spectrum-sharing with incumbent networks as key requirement. For example, Ofcom’s group director David Willis endorsed a “sharing by design” mechanism. To realise this, work needs to be done to develop a “software defined radio spectrum sensing technology that protects incumbent users, such as government operations, while promoting safe and efficient use of shared spectrum”, argued Charles Cooper, associate administrator at NTIA’s office of spectrum management.
