John Smeddle

NEOM about to Prove its Worth to the World, not just the Kingdom

Giga-project launches NEOM Investment Fund (NIF) NEOM should no longer be considered a Saudi Arabian project, but a global flag bearer for a sustainable future. That’s the message the Kingdom is sending out with the establishment of the NEOM Investment Fund. Another message might be: we can no longer think of NEOM as just a […]

EVs Now a Metaphor for Polarization of Democrats and Republicans

It had to happen. Trump and Biden turn up in Detroit at about the same time and give their pitch to striking members of the United Automobile Workers (UAW). “Here’s the big difference between Democrats and Republicans”, proclaims Trump. “We want to know why Detroit aren’t making cars that are going to sell, cars that […]

Comium Gambia Wins Mobile Operator of the Year Africa 2023

World Business Outlook is a highly influential online magazine based in the South East Asian business hub of Singapore, with a global audience. It’s a comprehensive, data-driven publication that provides sought-after analysis for the international business community. As highly regarded as World Business Outlook’s editorial is, so too is the awards list they publish every […]

Israel’s Tech Industry Hit Hardest by War

As recently as 2021, it was reported that Israel’s tech industry was booming, with one third of the world’s cybersecurity unicorns emerging from the country. Eric Schmidt, Google founder, also claimed that Israel is the best incubator in the world for tech entrepreneurs after the United States.  Although the industry accounts for only around 15% […]

War Will Downgrade Israel's Credit Rating

Moody’s is the world’s pre-eminent advisory on debt markets. Along with Standard & Poor and Fitch, it monitors global investment risk. And now, it’s just sounded the alarm bell for Israel, warning that the severity and probable longevity of the current Israel/Palestine conflict will make it more expensive for Netanyahu’s Government to borrow money. The […]

China Celebrates the Recolonization of Africa

They had a party last week in Beijing. Even Putin was invited. In fact, over 100 leaders went to the same party. It was billed as a forum to celebrate a decade since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. But actually, this little soirée was really about China sending out a message about global […]

Rolls Royce Clips its Wings to Stay in the Air

Roll Royce Holdings has announced it will reduce its staff by up to 2500. The announcement by the jet engine manufacturing division of the iconic marque has taken no-one by surprise. But it’s interesting to note that  one news website has claimed the cuts, which are all in the non-engineering sector, are to reduce costs […]

Mental Health Day Should Remind Us of Our Disconnection

Since the advent of social media, the trope ‘becoming connected is actually becoming disconnected’ has been so overused as clickbait that it’s become a cliché; a meaningless headline that surprises no one anymore. But on Mental Health Day, we’d be wise to remember that all clichés have a root in truth. And that the disconnection […]

If You Imagine that Jeff Bezos Lives in that Castle, You’ll Understand Techno-feudalism

A great friend of Inside Telecom and a frequent contributor, Cesar Tabr, sent me an interview yesterday between Channel 4’s Krishan Guru-Murthy and Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek Finance Minister. Mr. Varoufakis was explaining society’s journey from about eight hundred years ago to today. What made the interview fascinating was his ability to take an extremely […]