Neos Networks has revealed the successful completion of the first fibre installation under the Project Reach programme.

Specifically designed to end the worst signal blackspots on the major rail arteries of Britain and no less than rewire the UK for the next decade of digital growth, Project Reach’s nationwide roll-out will see at least 1,000km of high-grade fibre laid alongside Britain’s railways. By using the rail network as a national corridor for new fibre, Neos says it’s taking advantage of the most direct, secure and future-proof routes available.

The infrastructure will support everything from rail operations and transport digitisation to the surging demand created by artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and datacentre expansion. It’s the kind of investment that will determine how competitively Britain can perform in an increasingly data-driven world.

Structurally, the project brings together public and private sector investment and infrastructure, and is claimed to be able to save taxpayers around £300m while delivering substantial benefits to rail users.

The scheme also aims to create a high-performing digital connectivity backbone for businesses, providing connectivity to datacentres and high-performance edge facilities, supporting the UK’s digital ambitions and driving innovation.

Network Rail is the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Britain, and teaming with the business-dedicated network firm and connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider is designed to deliver the biggest upgrade to Britain’s rail telecoms infrastructure in decades.

The railway’s current fibre optic cable system uses 24- and 48-count cable similar to that found in the ground on residential streets. The network will see use of a Neos Networks 432-core high-count cable, hugely increasing the network’s capability. Network Rail will use one half of the new capacity and Neos will commercialise the other.

In partnership with AmcoGiffen and Network Rail, Neos has started to install 432-count fibre cables along the Great Western Main Line, connecting London to Cardiff.

For this first phase of fibre deployment, more than 40 specialists worked through overnight windows under tight safety and operational controls to ensure zero disruption to passenger services. Through planning, coordination and collaboration with Network Rail, the fibre pull was completed to time and to the required high safety standards, setting a benchmark for the roll-out programme and demonstrating the efficiency of the delivery model.

“The milestone is about more than a successful fibre pull, it’s about building the backbone for Britain’s digital future,” said Neos Networks CEO Lee Myall. “AI, cloud and datacentres may capture headlines, but they all rely on one thing: fibre. Without it, the UK’s digital ambitions simply can’t be realised. Project Reach is how we make sure the UK stays globally competitive for decades to come.”

“Safe and efficient delivery in rail operations demands real expertise and precision, and our team has set the benchmark for both as we leverage our experience on Project Reach,” added AmcoGiffen managing director John Booth. “The success of this first phase reflects the strength of our collaboration with Neos Networks and Network Rail, and the skill and commitment of everyone involved.”

Harriet Hepburn, corporate finance, partnerships and retail director at Network Rail, said: “This first milestone highlights how collaboration between the public and private sectors can deliver tangible national benefits. Project Reach is modernising Britain’s rail communications while laying the foundation for the next phase of digital growth in the UK.”

Corporate AI slop feels inescapable in 2025. From website banner ads to outdoor billboards, images generated by businesses using AI tools surround me. Hell, even the bar down the street posts happy hour flyers with that distinctly hazy, amber glow of some AI graphics.

On Thursday, Google launched Nano Banana Pro, the company’s latest image-generating model. Many of the updates in this release are targeted at corporate adoption, from putting Nano Banana Pro in Google Slides for business presentations to integrating the new model with Google Ads for advertisers globally.

This “Pro” release is an iteration on its Nano Banana model that dropped earlier this year. Nano Banana became a viral sensation after users started posting personalized action figures and other meme-able creations on social media.

Nano Banana Pro builds out the AI tool with a bevy of new abilities, like generating images in 4K resolution. It’s free to try out inside Google’s Gemini app, with paid Google One subscribers getting access to additional generations.

One specific improvement is going to be catnip for corporations in this release: text rendering. From my initial tests generating outputs with text, Nano Banana Pro improves on the wonky lettering and strange misspellings common in many image models, including Google’s past releases.

Google wants the images generated by this new model—text and all—to be more polished and production-ready for business use cases. “Even if you have one letter off it’s very obvious,” says Nicole Brichtova, a product lead for image and video at Google DeepMind. “It’s kind of like having hands with six fingers; it’s the first thing you see.” She says part of the reason Nano Banana Pro is able to generate text more cleanly is the switch to a more powerful underlying model, Gemini 3 Pro.

Stern said text messages obtained by authorities show Li boasting about how his father “had engaged in similar business on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.” Stern alleged the messages also show Li, who works at a hardware distribution company, was aware through news articles he shared that the Nvidia chips were subject to export controls. “He explained that his father had ways to import them,” Stern said, again citing Li’s text messages.

Stern told the court that Li “did admit to various facts” during questioning by federal agents on Wednesday that implicated him.

The defendants face various charges related to violating export control laws and up to 20 years in prison.

Ho and Raymond did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent to LinkedIn accounts purportedly belonging to them. Public defenders for Chen and Li declined to comment.

Nvidia spokesperson John Rizzo said in a statement that “even small sales of older generation products on the secondary market are subject to strict scrutiny and review” and that “trying to cobble together datacenters from smuggled products is a nonstarter, both technically and economically.”

Corvex, an AI cloud computing business Raymond consulted for, said in a statement that it had rescinded a job offer for him to join the company full-time and that it had no connection to the alleged wrongdoing.

Earlier this year, the US Department of Commerce was reportedly considering restricting the sale of advanced chips to Malaysia and Thailand in an effort to curb chip smuggling, but the regulations have yet to be finalized. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Magistrate Judge Westmore ordered Li to hire an attorney because she said he had significant equity in a San Leandro, California, home and other assets, making him ineligible for a public defender. The magistrate also set a hearing for Tuesday to decide whether Li is a significant flight risk and should continue to be detained. He holds a US green card and Hong Kong citizenship.

Li, wearing glasses, flipflops, and a black windbreaker, nodded in response to some of Westmore’s statements but did not speak. Kaitlyn Fryzek, his temporary public defender, said Li is planning to marry a US citizen. “His incentive is to stay and get married to his fiancée,” Fryzek said.