iWorld
SingTel plans submarine cable linking S E Asia, M East and W Europe
CALIFORNIA: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) and 12 international telecommunications carriers have signed an MoU in Bali, Indonesia, to jointly plan and initiate the construction of a new submarine cable linking South East Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe.
The proposed South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) cable project will connect 12 countries including India, Bangladesh, France, Singapore, Sri Lanka. Besides SingTel, the other partners in the consortium include VSNL, Bharti Telesonic, Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board and France Telecom. With a proposed design capacity of 1.28 Terabits per second, the cable project will be built using DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technology. The proposed network will provide much needed bandwidth as the existing cables along the same route are increasingly becoming saturated.
An official release informs that currently, data traffic from South East Asia and the Middle East to Europe is routed through smaller capacity cables, mainly SEA-ME-WE 3 and FLAG. SingTel sees this as the opportune time to gather like-minded partners to plan and build a network to ease the expected bandwidth bottleneck between Asia and Europe. By working with reputable partners, the company is relying on strong bargaining power with the cable suppliers, and expects to achieve substantial cost savings.
SingTel aims at providing customers global connectivity, even as demand for bandwidth increases. This potential investment is in line with the company’s strategy to build and operate a world-class telecoms infrastructure. The new cable’s purpose will be to capture a sizable share of traffic between Asia, the Middle East and Europe when market conditions improve.
iWorld
Spotify rolls out ‘Verified by Spotify’ badge for artists
New badge and profile details aim to boost transparency in AI-driven music era.
MUMBAI: In a world where even playlists can have imposters, Spotify is adding a badge of trust. The streaming platform has begun rolling out a new ‘Verified by Spotify’ badge, alongside expanded artist profile details, as it looks to bring greater clarity to listeners navigating an increasingly complex mix of human and AI-generated music. The badge, currently in beta, will appear on artist profiles that meet Spotify’s internal criteria for authenticity. These include consistent listener engagement, adherence to platform policies and signs of a real-world presence such as live performances, merchandise or active social media profiles. Notably, profiles representing primarily AI-generated artists will not be eligible for verification at launch.
Spotify says the verification process will combine automated systems with human review, prioritising artists with sustained audience interest over those driven by short-term spikes. The rollout will be gradual, with the badge appearing across profiles and search results over the coming weeks. The company noted that more than 99 per cent of artists users actively search for are already included in the initial phase.
Alongside the badge, Spotify is also introducing a new artist details section within profiles. Available even for non-verified artists, the feature will highlight career milestones, release activity and touring history, offering listeners a more comprehensive view of an artist’s journey and output.
The move builds on Spotify’s broader push towards transparency, complementing existing features such as SongDNA, expanded song credits and AI attribution tools. Together, these updates aim to give users more context about what they are listening to and who is behind it.
As generative AI continues to blur the lines between creator and creation, Spotify’s latest update signals a clear intent: in the streaming era, authenticity is becoming just as important as accessibility.
