Internet Word News

» China’s long march into space
September was a busy month for Chinese satellite launches into low Earth orbit. The Long March 2D, one of China’s most reliable and successful launch vehicle models, completed its hundredth flight in late September.

To date, all 100 launches of the Long March 2D type have been successful.

These missions have placed a total of 316 scientific, remote sensing, technology demonstration, and other types of satellites into space.

In addition to Chinese satellites, the model has also launched satellites for numerous foreign clients from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Argentina, Pakistan, and other countries. China conducted 60 launches in 2025.

“In the near future, the Long March 8A will be used to deploy a large number of satellites for China’s massive space Internet networks,” reported the official China Daily newspaper, citing Song Zhengyu, a senior rocket scientist at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

“China now has several Internet satellite networks under construction, but maintains a low profile on these projects,” China Daily added.

Low Earth orbit, or LEO, is the area of space where SpaceX has sent more than 7,000 of its Starlink satellites. China is pursuing this to compete with Starlink. Another low-orbit competitor is Amazon, which plans to launch service for a satellite network called Project Kuiper by year’s end.

Compared to SpaceX, China has been slow in building LEO constellations. The country plans to catch up with networks like Spacesail, which last year signed an agreement with a Brazilian partner to launch service in the country.

» Unitirreno is complete
“We have completed the installation of the Unitirreno undersea cable system, connecting Sicily, Sardinia, Rome, and Genoa with 28 fiber pairs of over 20 Tbps each.” The announcement in September came from Renato Brunetti, CEO of Unitirreno, President and CEO of Unidata, and President of Namex.

“A cutting-edge infrastructure that strengthens resilience and connectivity capacity in the Mediterranean, making our country even more central in the international scenario,” Brunetti explained on LinkedIn.

“After activating the Rome-Olbia section, today we completed laying the Sicily-Liguria section. On October 12, after testing is finished, the Mazara-Genoa, Mazara-Rome, and Genoa-Rome routes will enter service.”

“An ambitious project, lasting over two years, realized with commitment and vision, demonstrating how Italy can be a protagonist in the development of global digital networks.”

“I am proud,” Brunetti said, “of the work done and thank all those who contributed to achieving this result.”

“Unitirreno is not just infrastructure: it is a bridge to the Mediterranean’s digital future.”

A bridge that connects directly to Namex and, among other things, will greatly serve the development of exchange systems in Italy.

» EU-Big Tech Clash Over the DMA
The consultation launched by the European Commission on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is turning into a battleground with tech giants. Google and Apple have sent harsh observations to Brussels regarding regulations that, they say, risk producing more harm than good. Apple has argued that the current regulatory framework penalizes European users, forced to give up or receive late new features designed to make the digital experience smoother. Examples cited include real-time translation with AirPods, mirroring between iPhone and Mac, and some Apple Maps updates, suspended or postponed precisely to comply with interoperability obligations under the DMA. Apple has also highlighted security and privacy risks arising from mandatory opening to third-party marketplaces and alternative payment systems, going so far as to explicitly request the replacement of the DMA with a “more proportionate and adequate” legislative instrument.

For its part, Google has denounced that obligations imposed on online search risk disrupting the very functioning of the search engine, forcing it to reduce the visibility of direct links to airlines or hotels in favor of intermediaries who pay to appear in results. An approach that, according to the company, would not only penalize consumers but also hinder small and medium-sized European businesses. Mountain View also fears that the DMA’s entry into force will slow the introduction of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in the EU market compared to the rest of the world.

The European Commission, however, has rejected the idea of backing down. A spokesperson reiterated that the DMA’s objective is not to reduce privacy or security levels, but rather to offer European citizens greater freedom of choice. The fact remains that tensions are not new: in early 2025, Brussels already fined Apple 500 million euros for violating the “anti-steering” obligation. Apple and Google have also come under investigation for other possible antitrust violations.

The confrontation has therefore just begun. The positions of the EU and big tech are currently very far apart, but it is important to consider a context in which, on one hand, US President Donald Trump is strongly demanding that Europe ease regulations on big tech, and the European Commission itself declares it is more willing to introduce regulatory simplification proposals this year, albeit for the benefit of European SMEs rather than American giants.

» Reform of the Italy 1 Giga plan: funds, deadlines, and an unprecedented role for satellite
The Italian government has finalized a revision of the Italy 1 Giga Plan to ensure that PNRR funds destined for ultra-broadband are not lost, despite accumulated delays in implementation (previously scheduled for June 2026). The PNRR steering committee approved a package of measures in late September that extends timelines without reducing the plan’s ambition, and the final proposal will be sent to the European Commission by October 8.

At the center of the revision is the National Connectivity Fund, a financial instrument created to supplement Italy 1 Giga Plan resources and ensure coverage of addresses in so-called gray areas. There are 700,000 that will not meet the 2026 deadline set by the PNRR in agreements already made with the EU. The Fund will finance a new tender to complete 1 Gbps connection across the entire national territory, supporting digital transition even in the most difficult-to-reach areas.

The government will use approximately 700 million euros, from savings generated by the original plan and other interventions managed by the Department for Digital Transition, to launch two new coverage streams.

The first intervention concerns approximately 580,000 addresses that will be covered following the same methods as Italy 1 Giga, with FTTH fiber or high-capacity terrestrial FWA. Unlike the original plan, however, the deadline is no longer set for 2026, but is aligned with the European Digital Decade objectives, therefore 2030. The second stream provides for adoption of a hybrid model with satellite, successfully tested in Lombardy: 95 million euros will be used to connect over 80,000 users in the most remote areas via satellite backhauling, completing the connection with terrestrial infrastructure, while for an additional 40,000 addresses a voucher of 1,300 euros will be provided to subscribe to a satellite service, with a maximum investment of 50 million.

In this way, the government aims not to lose PNRR funds and to maintain the plan’s high ambition, extending digital connectivity even to the country’s most difficult areas, with a combination of fiber, FWA, and satellite backhauling that marks a turning point in Italian infrastructure strategy.

On this point, particularly regarding satellite use, the government’s plan has sparked strong criticism from the opposition (PD parliamentarians) and from AIIP (Italian Internet Providers Association), who judge it as a favor to a foreign company, Elon Musk’s Starlink. With the double disadvantage therefore of guaranteeing neither national sovereignty over the networks used (and related data passing through them) nor gigabit-level performance, possible with fiber and FWA but not with satellite.