Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week as US politicians passed a bill that could see TikTok banned in the country, the European Parliament moved closer to adopting landmark AI laws and Singtel denied it was in advanced talks to sell Optus.
US politicians make a move on TikTok ban
What happened: The US House of Representatives voted in favour of a bill that could see ByteDance-owned platform TikTok banned from the country due to national security concerns.
Why it matters: President Joe Biden has been under pressure to ban TikTok over the app’s alleged links to Chinese politics. If the bill is signed into law, ByteDance will be forced to sell US assets of the short-form video company to a non-Chinese company. Former US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has since said a consortium is being developed as part of a plan to take over the platform.
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Europe on the brink of adopting landmark AI laws
What happened: The European Parliament voted in favour of a set of provisions that will govern the way AI is adopted in the continent, after a provisional agreement was struck in December 2023.
Why it matters: In total, 523 Parliament members voted in favour of the AI regulation, 46 against and 49 abstentions. The European Parliament’s green light is one of the last steps required before the rules become law, which will now be given formal approval by European Union member states in May. The AI Act will then be enforced in early 2025, making Europe a “global standard-setter in AI”, according to European Commissioner for internal markets Thierry Breton.
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Singtel distances itself from Optus sale speculation
What happened: Singtel dismissed an article from Australian Financial Review (AFR), which reported it was in advanced talks to sell subsidiary Optus to Brookfield Asset Management for AUD16 billion ($10.6 billion).
Why it matters: While Optus has attracted negative headlines recently due to a major network outage which led to a fine and the resignation of its CEO, Singtel maintained the Australian operator is an integral part of its operation. However, in rebuffing AFR‘s report, it also added it will explore all options to maximise shareholder value, arguably leaving the door open for a potential sale in the future.
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