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Attorneys want the US Supreme Court to say Mississippi’s felony voting ban is cruel and unusualUS News Today Live Updates on December 25, 2024 : Diddy hit with new lawsuit: Ex-employee claims forced to set up ‘Wild King Nights’ sex parties
At the end of 2012, T-Mobile US was not in a good place. With a market cap of less than $6 billion, it was in distant fourth place relative to competitors like AT&T and Verizon. The company’s trajectory changed in 2013, when it rebranded as the “un-carrier,” seeking to distinguish itself from competitors by offering simplified pricing structures, more flexible contracts, and a host of other customer perks. Thanks to these and other shrewd moves—notably its 2020 merger with Sprint, which gave it access to mid-band spectrum, crucial for 5G networks—today, T-Mobile has a market cap of over $200 billion and more than 100 million customers, making it one of the largest and most valuable mobile carriers in the world. Despite this success, the company strives to retain the hunger—and the mindset of “punching up at giants”—that enabled its rapid growth in the first place, T-Mobile US CEO and president Mike Sievert tells TIME. Sievert took the helm in 2020, having previously served as COO since 2015. “We have a bigger opportunity in front of us than we’ve ever had, because we are a technology leader who's transformed from a telecommunications company to a tech company, and that gives us a new canvas on which to serve customers,” he says. Through partnerships with leading AI companies like and , T-Mobile, which TIME listed as one of 2024’s , is looking to define the next decade of connectivity. TIME spoke with Sievert in November about his vision for the company. Given the level of influence that T-Mobile now has, we have a huge opportunity to craft the future of connectivity. It's amazing to think about how important connectivity has become in our lives. Last week, we had a big storm here in Seattle, and we lost our power in our house, but we didn't lose our connectivity. The T-Mobile site nearest to us lost its power, but T-Mobile has this self-healing network, and it was able to reach us from a further away tower. I came to realize, if you made me choose between my power and heat or my connectivity, I’d choose connectivity. I felt so good being able to make sure my kids were OK, my mom was OK, even though our lights were off. It underscores the essential nature of the service that we provide. That's why we're working with the world's best thinkers in the space to define what connectivity looks like a decade from now. Not surprisingly, it will be powered by AI technology: networks will optimize themselves in real-time to get you the very best possible signal, ensuring you're connected everywhere you go. With Jensen, we’re creating a future that we call AI-RAN [ ]. Right now, we have compute power at every one of our tens of thousands of network nodes all over the country, and we want to virtualize that into data centers—60 different data centers near the edge of our network—so we get the efficiencies of being able to create a virtualized data center that puts all that compute power in one place. Network demands vary throughout the day. If we can use excess computing capacity to run AI workloads when network demands are lower, this opens up new potential for us to make the network better for users. In our core business, AI-RAN has the potential to allow the network to self-correct in real time, which is going to be more important as payloads rise. AI will radically increase the demands on our network, so it's going to become increasingly important that we stay ahead of that rapidly rising demand. For example, let's say, in the future, you're in a spot uploading high-def video to an AI cloud, to help you process the world around you, and a big truck moves between you and the tower you're communicating with. You're in motion, and the world's in motion. The network will reconfigure itself to keep that stream uploading. We believe AI workloads will create an important role for edge clouds. Right now you have two kinds of workloads: you have the massive cloud workloads, which are very helpful where massive compute is needed. They're giving you textual responses, and sometimes photos and videos, but they’re mostly taking in simple voice or text inputs. There's a lot of latency to that as it comes down from a central cloud. Secondly, there's AI that runs locally on your device. And these are both very different from each other. We think there will be a “Goldilocks demand” as, for example, LLMs will emerge to be much more about video and photos and audio going in both directions. To process what it's seeing in real time, it needs to have the best of both worlds: a cloud-like compute capability, while remaining very close to the end user. So we think this will create an opportunity for edge clouds. Now, we don't have a business model around this yet. I rolled out a multi-year plan for the capital markets day that was financially exciting, and it includes zero for this. But we see it as a big opportunity, one of many now that T Mobile has a massive footprint and technology capabilities we didn't have just a few years ago. We're making a bet that AI applications in general, as they become more immersive, will benefit from a Goldilocks architecture like I'm describing. That might be right, or it might be wrong. The great news for our financial picture is it doesn't matter—we're going to build it anyway, because it makes our core business so much better. Part of it is, we want to remove pain points. Being a great provider of wireless service means you shouldn't have to interact with us much. We should prevent problems in the first place. In 2023, we had the best year ever in terms of “churn”: people leaving T-Mobile. But because we're so big, 8 million people left us. Think about that: 8 million people! I'm a pilot, so I’ll use a pilot metaphor: every one of them fell down an “accident chain”. With every one of them, we did something wrong, which wasn't enough for them to quit, and then we did something else wrong, and then something else, until finally they threw up their hands and left. Every one of them left a breadcrumb trail of data behind on what exactly went wrong, and what we could have done to prevent it. In the past, we’ve done nothing with this data. We've never even looked at it. But we've spent a lot of the last two years reorienting our data estate so that for the first time, AI can be trained to look at all this—network data, billing data, interaction and experience data, and other data about you—at one time, so that we can see the breadcrumbs. We will have advanced bots that blow your mind and do great things. But it's not about putting bots between us and our customers. We see this technology and ask ourselves: could we create an experience for our customers that's so great that they love us more? Managing a team of people who have created so much success together over the last decade, one of my biggest leadership challenges is: how do you keep everybody hungry, humble, unsatisfied, and striving for the future? How we do that has changed. Little old T-Mobile, when we were a fraction of the size of our principal competitors, created a culture of punching up at giants on behalf of customers, and created a turnaround that we called the “un-carrier”, because we're unlike those giant companies. And we always told ourselves, one day, we'll be as big or bigger than those other guys, but we must never become them: companies that basically hate customers, take them for granted, are motivated by old-school ideologies, and aren't risk taking or interesting. How do we keep all that in a time when we're successful? That's what “challenger to champions” is about. Instead of just trying to right wrongs created by other companies, can we create new norms that nobody ever thought of before? Things like: could we be the first to provide direct-to-cell service, working with SpaceX, so that we can have the end of dead zones and your mobile phone could be directly connected to a custom low Earth orbit satellite system? We announced that intention two years ago, and we're about to launch it. Another example is “ ”: using advanced 5G technology to provide first responders across the nation with the world's only dedicated 5G slice for first responders. What's required of us in this challenger to champion era is to pioneer and innovate things that other companies couldn't do. Part of what has defined us over the last decade is that we do what we say, and in our industry, we're the only ones. If you were to watch our Capital Markets Day in 2021, and then you watched everybody else's from around that time, we're the only company still working on the things we said. Investors and the public and customers love this about us. We're reliable, and that takes a company that can execute. You also have to be able to look around corners. And maybe we were lucky, maybe we were good. But a lot of our success has been that we called the ball on 5G. The whole world, except us and Sprint, thought that 5G would be about new gadgets, not your smartphone, and that they would be connected by a technology based on millimeter wave spectrum. As recently as 2018, everybody was building assets for that future. And we looked at it, maybe because of our “love our customers” value, and said that's not what customers want. They want their smartphone to work everywhere they go, at least 10 times faster and better than it does today. And the technology to get us there is mid-band technology in a multi layer 5G network. So we went after Sprint, which had this treasure trove of mid-band spectrum, but a stressed-out business model that wasn't able to take advantage of it. Arguably, that's been the most successful merger in telecommunications history, because it created this company. We were right about what 5G would be. Everybody else has seen that and is scrambling to catch up, but they're a few years behind. It's important to try to see around corners again—we're determined to get the next era right as well. I'm worried about not moving fast enough. These technologies are rapidly changing how we engage with the world of computing and with each other. Companies that are able to see that unfolding, make some bets, and intercept it, are going to be the winners. One question people have about AI right now, at least financially, is “is it all a bubble? Will it turn out AI is better at poetry and humorous photos than creating value?” My belief is that no, this is no AI bubble, but it'll be up to companies like T-Mobile to be customers of it, and to demonstrate at scale how it can transform our relationship with customers. If the T-Mobiles of the world don't show giant breakthroughs from the technology, then the benefits will be delayed. So it's up to people like us. That's one of the reasons companies like OpenAI and Nvidia want to partner with us. They see that we're ahead, and they’re as interested as we are in demonstrating real value for end users that improves their lives, and creates financial value for everybody involved. We can already see the potential. After two years of working on it, one of the aspirations that I unveiled in September was to reduce person-to-person problem-solving and customer service interactions by 75% within a three-year period. And that's going to happen—we're well on our way. We have a detailed quarter-by-quarter plan that is absolutely on track, and a lot of that value is already dropping in. That's one of many metrics that I unveiled. We're demonstrating to ourselves that this is real, partly because we've laid all the track. We've got the data estate in order. We have our app out the door. We're going to get the hardest part done in 2025. Once we've moved into big elements of delivery, I think we will have broken the back of this opportunity in the next 12 months, and we can taste that right now.Moroccan fintech firm Talaty has garnered support from prominent investors such as Witamax and Renew Capital, along with angel investors. Although the total funding amount remains undisclosed, these investors are known champions of innovation and growth in Africa. AI-Powered Financial Solutions Talaty is breaking new ground in the world of finance for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) through its AI-driven platform. By merging cutting-edge technologies such as computer vision and text analysis with behavioral finance, Talaty is revolutionizing conventional financial processes. This transformative approach aims to enhance SMBs’ access to much-needed working capital. The platform not only streamlines lending processes for financial institutions but also cuts down on default rates while slashing operational costs by a remarkable 90%. Through its strategic use of AI, Talaty provides lenders with more efficient, reliable, and inclusive credit decision-making tools, catering primarily to the underserved SMB sector. Securing financing often poses a hefty challenge for SMBs, with a significant percentage of bankruptcies resulting from payment defaults. Talaty aims to simplify this process, ensuring that financial partners can deliver timely support. Witamax’s Strategic Investment Witamax, Morocco’s first privately-backed VC fund, through its Funds II and III, sees this investment as aligning with their mission to support startups addressing critical societal challenges across Africa. They recognize Talaty’s innovative approach as a crucial tool for empowering millions of SMEs across the continent. Future Ambitions Armed with fresh investment, Talaty is poised to expand its AI-powered credit solutions, with plans to enter Francophone Africa. This move promises to further their mission of enhancing financial inclusion for SMBs throughout the region. Revolutionizing Finance: How Talaty is Transforming SMB Lending with AI Innovations In the rapidly evolving fintech landscape, Moroccan firm Talaty is setting a new standard for financial solutions targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With impressive backing from renowned investors such as Witamax and Renew Capital, Talaty is focused on leveraging AI to tackle longstanding challenges in the SMB sector. The Power of AI in Financial Solutions Talaty’s innovative use of AI technologies, which integrates computer vision and text analysis with behavioral finance, is reshaping traditional banking processes. By doing so, the firm is making it easier for SMBs to secure the working capital necessary for sustained growth and stability. One of the most significant impacts of their platform is the dramatic reduction in operational costs for lenders, down by an impressive 90%. This efficiency comes with enhanced decision-making capabilities, allowing lenders to minimize default rates with more precise risk assessments. Addressing SMB Challenges For SMBs, access to financing remains a critical hurdle, often leading to business failures due to cash flow shortages. Talaty’s user-centric platform not only ensures smoother access to loans but also facilitates a quick and accurate credit decisioning process, thereby reducing the time spent by financial institutions on each application. Strategic Investments and Market Influence Witamax, Morocco’s pioneering privately-backed venture capital fund, views their investment in Talaty as a strategic move to support startups solving vital societal issues across Africa. Their endorsement underscores the potential of Talaty’s platform to empower millions of SMEs by addressing their financial inclusion needs effectively. Witamax sees Talaty as a catalyst for economic growth, particularly in underbanked regions. Expanding Horizons in Francophone Africa With the recent infusion of investments, Talaty is set to expand its groundbreaking financial solutions to Francophone Africa. This expansion is poised to reinforce their dedication to enhancing financial inclusivity across diverse markets. It is a significant step that will potentially open doors for SMBs in these regions to access more reliable and inclusive financial services. Predictions and the Future of Fintech Solutions As fintech continues to disrupt conventional banking, Talaty represents the innovative potential within the sector. Predictions for the future suggest an increasing reliance on AI-driven platforms to close the financial inclusion gap worldwide. Talaty’s approach is likely to inspire similar ventures, fostering a landscape where technology seamlessly integrates with financial needs, thus empowering smaller businesses to thrive in an increasingly digital economy.
Christopher, Amanda, Olivia and William Luxon in their matching pyjamas on Christmas Eve. Photo: X Luxon, his wife Amanda and their two children, Olivia, 23, and William, 25, dressed in green PJs this Christmas after they wore red pyjamas last year. “Christmas pyjamas and Christmas movies," Luxon said in a social media post. The Luxon family celebrated Christmas last year in their red PJs. Photo: Instagram Their Christmas movie of choice in the past has been the classic Love Actually, which features Hugh Grant in the role of the UK prime minister. From our family to yours, we hope you have a very Happy Christmas 🎄🎅 pic.twitter.com/9X8AcpKVRh — Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) December 24, 2024 Christmas is kicking off in the Luxon household tonight! pic.twitter.com/hRqQ8Zo6kB — Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) December 23, 2023A unique Christmas tree with over 150 illuminated crab pots stands tall at Prince Rupert’s Rushbrook Harbour. It highlights the importance of the local seafood industry in the North Coast’s social, cultural and economic landscape. The Area A Crab Association, Harbour Machining, Tourism Prince Rupert, and Port Edward Harbour Authority collaborated to build the tree to celebrate the community. “We love supporting everything that emphasizes the town’s rich fishery heritage and shows that our fishing industry here is still thriving,” said Port Edward Harbour Authority. Chelsey Ellis is the executive director of the Area A Crab Association, which represents 42 commercial crab fishing vessels and over 160 crew members that harvest Dungeness crab in “Area A” (Hecate Strait). She says Prince Rupert is home to B.C.’s largest Dungeness crab fishing vessels. These vessels operate in the notoriously rough waters of the Hecate Strait and range in size from 35ft to 62ft. Over 60 per cent of the province’s total Dungeness crab catch is harvested on the North Coast, with Prince Rupert and Port Edward as the main offloading hubs. Since 2016, an average of 10 million pounds of Dungeness crab has been landed annually in Prince Rupert and Port Edward. “We are really proud to be the Dungeness crab capital of Canada here in Prince Rupert,” said the Area A Crab Association. “This tree grew so far beyond what we originally envisioned due to the passion and energy that came from all the organizations coming together. The tree captures the essence of Prince Rupert and is so authentic to our coastal identity,” said Tourism Prince Rupert. This December is the first time residents of Rupert and the area can observe such a sight. “This year we wanted to help make the biggest and best Crab Trap Tree on the whole Pacific Coast,” said Harbour Machining. Lobster trap Christmas trees have been appearing along the East Coast of Canada and the U.S. since the early 2000s and have since made their way to the West Coast using crab pots. For this project, the collaborators sought inspiration from the Dungeness crab pot tree created by the Fishermen’s Wives of Humboldt in Humboldt Bay, California. “A coalition of like-minded organizations and commercial fishing industry partners has recently been formed to enhance local access to seafood and create new opportunities for our sustainable fisheries and aquaculture to become key elements of Prince Rupert’s tourism experience,” said Jaimie Angus, executive director of Tourism Prince Rupert. She adds that this crab tree marks the beginning of more festivals and activities, such as crab boils centred around local seafood. The coalition’s long-term goal is to maintain crab accessibility for everyone in restaurants and live tanks. The crab tree will remain at Rushbrook Harbour for visitors to enjoy until the first week of January.
Punjab Seeks Rs.1000-Cr Package for Police Modernization, Indl Incentives like Hill States
Surfshark vs. Windscribe: Which unlimited device VPN is best?Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and botsMonday, December 30, 2024 Turkiye Tourism in the country reached a new milestone in 2024, as over 50 million international visitors explored its diverse attractions in the first 11 months alone. This figure represents a remarkable 7.1% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The surge underscores the country’s growing appeal as a global travel destination and the effectiveness of its strategic initiatives under the ‘Regional Development and National Strategy’ blueprint. The Industry and Technology Ministry’s strategic blueprint aims to revolutionize tourism by analyzing traveler profiles, preferences, and spending patterns. This data-driven approach is designed to help policymakers and stakeholders tailor experiences to meet the expectations of high-value tourists, while also encouraging domestic travel. Crucially, the plan emphasizes spreading tourism activities evenly throughout the year, reducing the traditional focus on peak seasons. The strategy focuses on identifying regions with untapped potential and developing alternative destinations and activities for both local and international travelers. By diversifying the tourism offering, the government hopes to enhance the industry’s resilience and sustainability. Efforts to diversify tourism will focus on seven primary sectors: gastronomy, health, culture, faith, nature, winter, and cruise tourism. Each sector represents a unique aspect of the country’s rich heritage, geography, and traditions. Prominent provinces such as Istanbul, İzmir, Çanakkale, Nevşehir, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Bursa, and Kars have been identified as key cultural hubs. These destinations will serve as the backbone for train tours and immersive cultural experiences, allowing travelers to explore ancient ruins, historic landmarks, and vibrant local traditions. From the iconic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to the stunning fairy chimneys of Cappadocia in Nevşehir, culture tourism promises to captivate the imagination of global visitors. Faith tourism is another cornerstone of the strategy, with efforts centered on promoting sacred sites and religious landmarks. Mosques, churches, synagogues, tombs, and cathedrals are key attractions. Natural wonders such as sacred lakes, mountains, islands, groves, and caves are also being incorporated to enhance the spiritual experience for pilgrims and faith-based travelers. The country’s world-renowned culinary heritage will be leveraged to attract food enthusiasts. Gastronomy tourism initiatives aim to showcase regional cuisines, traditional cooking methods, and vibrant food markets. Culinary festivals and workshops will provide immersive experiences that celebrate the diversity of local flavors. Health tourism will capitalize on the country’s advanced medical infrastructure and natural wellness resources. Visitors seeking medical treatments, spa retreats, and wellness therapies will find an array of options tailored to their needs. Hot springs, thermal baths, and specialized clinics are integral to this offering. Nature tourism is set to highlight the country’s breathtaking landscapes, ranging from lush forests and serene lakes to dramatic mountain ranges and pristine beaches. Eco-tourism initiatives will focus on sustainable travel, encouraging visitors to appreciate and preserve the natural environment. With its snow-covered mountains and state-of-the-art ski resorts, the country aims to become a hub for winter sports enthusiasts. Activities such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing will be complemented by cozy accommodations and après-ski experiences. The strategic development of cruise tourism is expected to draw maritime travelers to the country’s picturesque ports and coastal regions. Itineraries will include stops at historical cities, idyllic islands, and vibrant coastal towns, offering a unique perspective on the nation’s maritime heritage. Central to the strategy is the analysis of traveler profiles in both domestic and international markets. By understanding the preferences and spending habits of high-value tourists, the government can design targeted campaigns and develop experiences that resonate with their expectations. The ultimate goal is to enhance visitor satisfaction while maximizing economic benefits for local communities. The blueprint aims to uncover hidden gems within the country, offering alternative destinations to alleviate overcrowding at popular sites. This approach not only ensures a more balanced distribution of tourism revenue but also helps preserve the cultural and natural integrity of iconic landmarks. Regions previously overlooked by mainstream tourism will gain prominence, fostering inclusive growth and community development. As the country builds on the momentum of its record-breaking tourism figures in 2024, the strategic focus on diversification and sustainability is expected to yield long-term benefits. By investing in infrastructure, promoting unique experiences, and prioritizing data-driven decision-making, the tourism industry is poised to achieve new heights while preserving its rich cultural and natural heritage for generations to come. The 7.1% rise in tourism in 2024 reflects the success of a forward-thinking strategy designed to attract a diverse range of travelers. Through initiatives spanning gastronomy, health, culture, faith, nature, winter, and cruise tourism, the country is transforming its travel landscape to offer year-round, sustainable experiences. With its sights set on innovation and inclusivity, the future of the nation’s tourism industry looks brighter than ever. 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