ended up revealing a network that smuggled thousands of cell phones

Mobile phone theft in London It has become a widespread problem. In most cases, trying to locate them is only useful when they have been lost, not when they have been stolen. Criminals often turn them off instantly and the signal disappears without a trace. But this time something different happened: tracking a stolen iPhone ended up opening an investigation that revealed a network that sent thousands of devices from the United Kingdom to Asia, according to data published by the Metropolitan Police and British media. Official figures help to understand why mobile theft occupies so much space on London’s security agenda. In 2024, nearly 80,000 complaints were registered in the capital alone, with a rebound in the most tourist and commercial areas. The phenomenon is not limited to isolated thefts: many of the thefts end up fueling a black market that moves thousands of devices out of the country. This background explains the interest of the forces in going beyond petty robberies and focusing on the networks that organize them. How a tracking attempt ended up uncovering an international network The case began after the tracking of a stolen iPhone led the police to a warehouse located near Heathrow airport. There they discovered a shipment with around a thousand phones that were going to be transported to Hong Kong. Based on that discovery, the Metropolitan Police opened the Operation Echosteepa large-scale investigation into a possible international network dedicated to the smuggling of stolen cell phones in London. Once the operation began, the investigation grew rapidly. The Metropolitan Police added expert units in smuggling and organized robberies to track the shipments. Each seized package provided new clues: forensic analysis of the packaging, matches on labels and patterns on sealing materials. These tests took investigators to various points in the capital and allowed them to identify the first suspects related to the handling and transportation of the stolen phones. In September the investigation took a decisive leap. The Metropolitan Police arrested two men in northeast London for their alleged involvement in the network and found in their properties around 2,000 phones. Shortly after, another operation in Islington ended with the seizure of around 40,000 pounds – about 46,800 euros – and several devices. During those weeks, more than thirty searches were carried out in homes and premises in the capital, with a total of 46 arrests related to the trafficking of stolen cell phones. The final figures measure the magnitude of the network. In one year, the network would have managed to send up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones to Hong Kong, equivalent to 40% of the thefts reported in London. According to the Metropolitan Policethe group mainly targeted Apple products due to their high value in the international market. Middlemen paid thieves up to £300 per phone and, once in Hong Kong, some were resold for more than $5,000. For its part, The Times points out because the case originated after the tracking of an iPhone through the application Find My. There is no official confirmation from the Metropolitan Police about which tool was used, although everything indicates that it was that one. It makes sense: Find My is Apple’s built-in system to locate devicesand allows you to track not only phones, but also computers, tablets or accessories. It would be strange if an alternative had been used, given that there is such a useful and widespread native tool. The case demonstrates that a tracking tool can be more than just a resource for recovering a lost phone. On this occasion, it served, according to investigations, to connect an everyday robbery with an international smuggling network. It does not solve the problem of the stolen cell phone market, but it leaves evidence that is difficult to ignore: when technology is applied rigorously, even a location signal can open a line of investigation that previously seemed impossible. Images | Metropolitan Police (1, 2) In Xataka | Amazon and Google have buried their voice assistants at the same time

In Spain, a huge electric carload network has been created in the shadow: Mercadona’s

The expansion of the electric car depends on several factors. Autonomy is fundamental, but so important is reduce friction when loading. That is why they are applying Wireless load solutionsbut it is also necessary a Expansion in the loading network. And there is someone who has positioned himself as the great network of free cargoers in Spain. Mercadona Short. Loading the car while making the purchase is a comfortable way to give an impulse of kilometers to the accountant. In that sense, Mercadona hill 2024 with almost 5,000 active recharge points if we add the more than 4,800 of Spain and the almost 140 of Portugal. It is curious, but this positions the supermarket as one of the most extensive networks in the country. The network. To reduce that friction, On this website We can see a list of the Mercadona that have recharge points with a breakdown of the most important data: Population and street. Load places. Power. Asterisk. Although the number of recharge stalls That they have deployed in a short time, there is an important detail to consider (not to mention those that park combustion cars in these places focused on plug -in electric/hybrids), it is the loading power. Currently, Mercadona offers two powers: 3.7 kW and 22 kW. They are clearly scarce powers. Load at 3.7 kW for free for 60 minutes. Load at 22 kW at € 0.25/kWh. What Mercadona proposes is a support for that day, with a free recharge of about 15 kilometers of autonomy, enough for daily urban activity, hugging the CA network while rejecting, for now, the fastest stations of CC. It is also important to take the cable in the trunk. And model. The good market is competition, and if other chains see that users perceive Mercadona chargers as an important value added to experience, they will begin to offer their own solutions. Carrefour, for example, too It has a map in which we can find loaders of a much more limited network, but with options of 50 kW and 150 kW. Savoramás has projects Undergoing to expand its network by EDP and Lidl has More than 215 stores with 654 recharge points in total with Compatible loaders With Chademo, CCS and AC type 2 and free recharge for half an hour, but without a detail of what type of speed is handled in each of those chargers. And the English Court more of the sameeven with some exclusive points for Tesla. As we say, in the end it is a way to reduce friction when betting on the electric car, but beyond supermarkets, we see that little by little the network is expanding in stores such as Decathloneither McDonald’swhere We have seen some Ferrari by throwing morro. In this case, with powers up to 150 kW. Images | SMNT, Carloss In Xataka | Installation of an electric car charger in neighboring communities: step by step, legislation and everything to know

The spectrum belongs to the operators and will have to negotiate with them to display their satellite mobile network

In January we knew that Starlink activated the direct cellular connection for mobileregardless of whether or not they have satellite connection. So that the system, called Starlink Direct To Cell, Offer mobile internet to any mobile, you must do it through the frequencies that are in use by mobile operators. Here comes the delicate. The situation. As our partners say Xataka mobilefor a company for a company like Starlink or Project Kuiper de Amazon Give us mobile connectivity, you need to do it through the frequencies that are already used for classical mobile networks. The problem is that these bands are licensed by Movistar, Vodafone and Orange. A possible route. Taking into account that Starlink and company are competitors, it is expected that the operators will want an agreement in which they do not be harmed. A possible route would be to negotiate the use of the bands with the regulatory agencies, thus jumping to the operators, but it will not be possible. The GSMA has spoken. It is the Association of Mobile Operators and organizer of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Have published A statement in which they give a series of guidelines for coexistence between land operators and satellite operators. The document establishes that Starlink and company must negotiate directly with the operators, who are the owners of the land spectrum. Marking territory. With this statement, the GSMA does not want to stop the arrival of satellite mobile connectivity services, but to mark its territory and defend what has cost so much to achieve terrestrial operators. To put it in context, in 2021 The 700 MHz band was auctioned and Spanish operators paid more than 1,000 million euros for their hole. It has all the meaning that they are who negotiate who uses their spectrum. Starlink has already negotiated similar agreements with operators from other countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada or Switzerland, so it is not something alien to the company. Of the satellite to the mobile. To offer internet to any mobile, Starlink uses a network of satellites that operate in the Leo orbit. These satellites fly lower to facilitate connectivity, about 360 kilometers from the surface. According to Starlink herself, they already have more than 600 satellites from their Direct To Cell network that add to the more than 8,000 satellites they have in orbit. If you want to continue expanding it to more countries, they will have to reach new agreements and pay what corresponds to use the frequencies. Cover image | Wikipedia, Apple In Xataka | China increasingly dominates technology on earth. There is a place where it is still far from the West: space

A Microsoft Data Center in Mexico collided with the reality of the electricity network. Your solution: use gas generators

Artificial intelligence has become daily, but behind each consultation to tools such as Chatgpt either COPILOT There are real buildings that consume a lot of energy and require reliable infrastructure. In that framework, Microsoft announced May 7, 2024 The beginning of operations of its “Central Mexico” data centers region, with several locations in the Querétaro Metropolitan Area. The deployment, however, coexists with very specific tensions: According to the companyat least one of those centers, that of Columbus, cannot benefit from the advantages of the electricity network until mid -2027 and obtained permission to temporarily operate with gas generators. It should be remembered that the proximity of these infrastructure to users is essential: it reduces latency, improves the quality of the service and allows to meet data residence requirements. But that technical advantage depends on something elementary: having an electricity grid capable of sustaining permanent operations and constant cooling. Microsoft stressed the magnitude of its project in the North American country. The new region aims to offer local access to Azure, Microsoft 365Dynamics 365, among other services. The firm also presented the initiative as an “avant -garde” infrastructure aimed at accelerating innovation in the region. The Achilles heel of deployment: energy In a request to the Ministry of Environment delivered in 2023Microsoft acknowledged that, although the data center would connect within the planned deadlines, due to the construction deadlines included in its contract with the Federal Electricity Commission, the energization of the connection would not be ready until the Second quarter of 2027. To save that void, The use of seven generators was approved capable of covering 70% of the demand of the center of Columbus for 12 hours a day, for at least four months. According to Rest of World, Mexico already has about a hundred data centers, with investments that exceed 7,000 million dollars from 2020 by Microsoft, Aws and Google. Querétaro has established itself as the main attraction pole, with 15 facilities that concentrate about 80% of the sector’s energy demand, about 200 MW. The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness projects thatby 2030, the network will face a deficit of 48,000 MWh, more than half of what it produced in 2023. With more than 70 new centers planned in the next five years, the mismatch between installed capacity and electric transmission becomes an obvious threat. The American company has set ambitious environmental goals: Being negative carbon in 2030, eliminating all its historical emissions in 2050 and supplying 100% with renewable energy contracts in 2025. In contrast, in Columbus is the provisional measure of operating with gas generators until it can be fully connected to the network in 2027. What It is not clear is whether these equipment were usedif they remain in operation or what intermediate solution the company will apply in the coming years. Microsoft, for now, has not specified with which energy sources Opera Colón. The launch of the Central Mexico region was presented as a decisive step to accelerate the country’s digital transformation and attract foreign investment. But energy reality introduces a decisive nuance: the infrastructure necessary to sustain that deployment does not advance at the same rate as the technological ambition. The tension between promises of sustainability and limitations of the network is a reminder that the cloud, far from being ethereal, rests on concrete foundations, cables and megawatts that define, in a way, how far artificial intelligence and other services can go. Images | Microsoft (1, 2) In Xataka | This nuclear reactor is different from everyone else. It has been expressly designed for data centers

build a solid network and be constant

Before putting in front of OpenAi and lead the Chatgpt development To transform forever The world as we know itSam Altman spent his time to guide entrepreneurs and startups such as Reddit, Airbnb or Spotify on his way to success from the incubator and combinator he directed. During his stage as a mentor, Altman learned important lessons on how to cement a long -term successful professional career. The current CEO of Openai, wrote In your personal blog Some of those lessons to get a solid professional career. 1. Who does not risk, does not win Altman believes that most people tend to overestimate the risk and underestimate the reward. It is true that it is not always easy to assume risks, especially when you do not have enough experience or knowledge. However, the millionaire recommends Start taking calculated risksespecially at the beginning of the professional career, to learn to face them, and lose their fear of taking risky paths as progress is being made in the professional career. Especially at that initial stage of the races, Altman ensures that rewards tend to be much greater than losses. Successful entrepreneurs like Bernard Arnault They have assumed that mistakes are going to be madebut it is important to learn from them and not repeat them again in the future. Avoiding them is not always possible, so it is convenient to learn from veterans like Bill Gates and prepare for the worst and best scenario possible. 2. Constancy and optimism Sam Altman quotes Airbnb as a record reference. “They managed to survive enough time for luck to accompany them.” Maintain an optimistic attitude and determined to achieve the objectives setallows to stay in the line enough time to arise the necessary opportunities to achieve it. At the same time, having an optimistic mood allows not to decline in the face of the challenges that will surely be raised along the way. So MR.BASET also believes itone of the most popular youtubers (and Millionaires) of the Google service, with almost 300 million subscribers. Every time someone asks for advice on how to create a YouTube channel, the content creator Repeat the same: “Record 100 videos. And it improves something in each of them.” Authentic power that systematic constancy lies in the emphasis on the process, gradual learning and incremental improvement that is only obtained through constant practice. 3. Create and keep your pits It is not that Altman recommends burying himself on earth and digsing a ditch around. The theory of the tarry, widely used by Warren Buffettcreate an analogy between the strategic advantages that companies or people have surrounded by medieval strengths. The larger and deep the pits of these strengths, the more difficult the enemy turned out to reach the walls and knock them down. Based on professional or business, pits are your advantages, skills, knowledge, or any other difference that gives you some type of advantage over other employees, companies or competition in general. Creating and maintaining these pits in time makes the person or company more valuable and essential. “If you do the same as everyone else, it will not be difficult to compete with you,” says Sam Altman in his recommendations for success. 4. Build a solid network There is a popular said that he says: “You will only arrive faster, accompanied you will do it further.” Openai’s co -founder affirmed in his Podcast interview Unconfuse me Bill Gates, who is still surprised by the amount of help he currently receives from people he helped a decade ago. A solid contact network is not achieved by keeping someone’s number on the agenda to call him when something is needed, but on the contrary. According to Altman, “an effective way to build a network is to help people as much as you can. It will return to you multiplied by 1”. But the Openai manager makes a warning: “Remember to spend your time with positive people who support your goals.” In Xataka | Sam Altman does not bring good news about the impact of AI on employment: “It is a huge, huge problem” In Xataka | People did not stop hacking virtual work interviews with AI. Solution: We want to meet you in person *An earlier version of this article was published in August 2024

Your network group is separated in the midst of a massive internal restructuring

Lip-bu Tan, the general director of Intel, is deeply restructuring this company with the purpose of increasing its competitiveness and returning to profitability. Just four days ago formalized quarterly losses of 2.9 billion dollarsand, in addition, since June 18 and throughout the month of July they will be forced to leave their jobs Between 8,000 and 10,900 workers Of the factories that this company has spread throughout the planet. Shortly after his arrival It was leaked that lip-bu so He planned to launch a new cut of the Intel template in a clear attempt to reduce their operating expenses, among which personnel costs or marketing expenses are counted. The figure that the company was considering on this occasion amounted to 20% of its workforce, which in practice implied Become approximately 20,000 workers. These people join the more than 15,000 employees of which Intel has dispensed with during the last months of 2024. Now BU has launched the second phase of his deep restructuring plan. And the first thing he has done has been to split his group of networks, known as Nex (Network and Edge Group). From now on, this division will be a completely independent company specialized in the development of network hardware and the deployment of communications infrastructure. “This new independent company will accelerate its customer -oriented strategy and its product roadmap innovating faster,” Sachin Katti holdsChief of the group and current strategy leader of artificial intelligence (AI) of Intel. Now are the Intel factories that are in the spotlight The rescue of Intel semiconductor factories is A priority for the US government. The bad economic results that has chained this company For several consecutive years they have placed it in a very delicate position that at the beginning of last December triggered The departure of Pat Gelsingerits general director for almost four years, through the back door. Anyway, Intel cannot fall. And cannot do it because it is the largest manufacturer of integrated circuits in the US. The administration led by Donald Trump asked TSMC in mid -March to help rescue Intel chip factories Its network of production, packaging and chip verification extends not only for its country of origin, but also by Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Central America. The problem is that it is not competitive. This is the reason why the administration led by Donald Trump asked TSMC in the middle of last March that helped rescue intel semiconductor factories. An initiative like this would hardly prosper not to have the government’s approval, but not only has it; The US administration is promoting it. Two years before leaving, Pat Gelsinger acknowledged that I saw with good eyes the possibility that the network of integrated circuit factories of the company will break somewhat from the Intel matrix. At that time this was an interesting option to increase the competitiveness of its chips production plants, and in current circumstances it seems even more advantageous. Especially if TSMC, The largest semiconductor manufacturer on the planetget on this car. However, this last company has insisted on several occasions in which she is not interested in taking care of Intel factories. We will see what happens finally. Image | Intel More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | Bill Gates has radiographed Intel. And his diagnosis is overwhelmingly accurate

China built the largest high speed network in record time. Now you want something more difficult: improve it

China has already shown that you can do what no other country has achieved: display in record time The largest high speed network on the planet. But it is not enough to have it. The new challenge is even more complex: to improve it, make it more efficient, more connected, more useful for the economy. And that demands less colorful, but equally ambitious decisions. To grow quickly to grow well. Between 2021 and 2024, China added 10,000 Kilometers of track to your high speed network. The figure impresses, but it is no longer what defines success. The Ministry of Transportation has made it clear that the current objective is not to extend the railway map without pause, but to squeeze its potential. In fact, The country has set As a goal to reach 50,000 operating kilometers before the end of 2025. The network adds 48,000 kilometers, more than 70 % of the world total, and connects 97 % of cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. Millions of travelers, but there is still a margin of improvement. Only in the first half of 2025, Chinese high -speed trains They transported 2,240 million people. The figure impresses, but the authorities are not formed. The objective now is to make this system more comfortable, more predictable and better coordinated with the rest of the transport ecosystem, from the urban metro to airports. High speed yes, but also logistics. China wants its high -speed trains to cease to be just a solution for travelers. The new approach includes routes adapted to the transport of goods, interconnections with airports and sea nodes, and improvements to integrate the system into the production chain. What is at stake is no longer only mobility, but the country’s competitiveness. Beyond traditional rails. While the current network is kept, China develops new generations of trains, such as magnetic levitation. These advances do not seek to replace what is built, but prepare for a future where speed, autonomy and sustainability are key. The country has already tried prototypes that reach 600 km/h In cities like Qingdao. Figures that impress. Security that holds. Moving millions every day with punctuality is an achievement. Doing it without major incidents, for years, it is even more. China has built a network that not only runs quickly, but aims to resist earthquakes, storms and overloads. According to Xinhuasince 2012 no serious accident has been registered in the high speed network. Centralized planning. Faced with chronic delays that affect many countries, China has maintained a clear strategy: centralized decisions, sustained investment and state control of the process. It is not a perfect model – there are errors, cost overruns and debatable decisions. But its results in deployment and integration are difficult to ignore. A mature network, a major challenge. As we have seen, the Asian giant continues to expand its network, especially towards interior and less connected regions. However, it is no longer just about adding cities to the map. The real challenge is another: to ensure that a gigantic infrastructure works better and better, with less margin of error and more logistics demands. The stage of the big deployments is giving way to the stage of precision. Images | N509FZ (Wikimedia Commons – CC by-SA 4.0) | N509FZ In Xataka | China has not only created the world’s broader high -speed network: it wants to operate it at 1,000 km/Hy has taken a new step

The goal social network is giving failures worldwide

If Instagram is not working well, you are not the only one. The social network is experimenting problems from last nightand complaints have not taken to appear on other social networks. According to Downdetector dataa platform that includes user reports on the operation of online services, the failures began before 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, but were shot from 23:00. At that time, the volume of reports increased significantly worldwide. 21 Instagram tricks – Tutorial with all secrets! The data offered by the service helps to better understand what is happening: 61% of the incidents have to do with the OPP operation21% with server connection errors, and 17% with problems logging. One of the clearest tracks than is happening, as it usually happens, in X (formerly Twitter). Several users have complained that storiesalthough apparently they work, they are not showing information on display or scope statistics. This is not a minor detail, especially for commercial accounts or content creators that depend on these data to measure the impact of their campaigns. But it also affects regular users, many of whom review who has seen their stories as part of their daily use of the platform. At the moment, Meta has not offered any official explanation. It is unknown what the failure is causingif they are working to solve it or when the service will return to normal. Images | Alexander Shaatov | Instagram | Downdector screen capture In Xataka | When an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 occurred in Almería, the first to warn was not Civil Protection: it was Google

The electricity network was not prepared for 2025

Although Bocachancla’s fame has been gained by the fame, Elon Musk can also be hit in his predictions. In mid -2024 predicted that this year we would see failures in the electricity grid because it was not prepared for current demand levels. And so it is being in large part of the world. Musk’s prediction. First, the shortage was from chips. Now, the bottleneck is in the voltage transformers. To the electrification that was already underway, the computing dedicated to the AI has been added, which is multiplied by ten every six months. “I have never seen a technology advance so quickly,” said the businessman in the Bosch Connected World 2024. What sounded to hyperbole has become a tangible problem just 18 months later. The difficulties in connecting new data centers, Light cuts during heat waves and The climbing of the night price of electricity They are already symptoms of an old and inflexible network that falls short for the times. The demand is runaway. In Italy, requests for connection to the network of new data centers They reached 42 gigawatts in March 2025a spectacular leap from the 30 GW registered at the end of last year. This 40% growth in just a quarter shows a voracious energy demand that mainly driven by AI. The energy appetite of generative AI is not a secret in Silicon Valley. Renewable energy has fallen short due to the slow expansion of batteries, and companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are investing in nuclear reactors To feed your data centers. A summer of blackouts. The summer of 2025 is serving as a hard reminder of the fragility of our electrical networks. On July 1, a heat wave caused a blackout in Florence. The cause: an overload in the network for the demand for air conditioning and overheating underground cables. It was not an isolated case. Countries like Kuwait and Bangladesh They decreed programmed cuts of electricity by heat waves. The networks operate with increasingly narrow margins, as we saw in Spain with the Bru what of April 28. There is no need for a catastrophic event to trigger a collapse: stations that control the tension They are at the limit. The background problem. Electrification, air conditioning and AI explosion is not the root cause of the problem. Neither does the lack of generation or storage. The background problem is the abandonment of infrastructure that connects everything. For every dollar that is invested in generating electricity, 40 cents are barely allocated to the networks, according to the International Energy Agency We are building an energy system of the 21st century on an infrastructure of the twentieth century. The IEA warning is as clear as that of Musk: “Without action, the electrical networks will be the bottleneck of the energy transition.” Elon Musk’s prediction was not a futuristic fantasy; It was a diagnosis of a disease that the electrical system already suffered. Images | Bosch, Dr. Maik Koch In Xataka | A month after the blackout in Spain, we continue to drag the same problem that led us to him: electric networks

Linda Yaccarino leaves Elon Musk’s network without clear relay

Linda Yaccarino It has ceased to be the executive director of X. Executive Lor has announced In a message posted on the platform, where Elon Musk thanks the opportunity and claims to be proud of the “historical change of course” achieved in these two years. His resignation leaves the direction of one of the best known social networks and opens a new question in a company that has not stopped mutating since Musk bought it. A CEO to turn off fires. That was, in essence, the role that Linda Yaccarino assumed when Elon Musk placed it at the head of the company in May 2023. The advertising business had collapsedthe brands fled and Twitter’s reputation was minimal. Musk needed someone to return calm without stealing prominence, and chose an executive tanned in the world of media, with experience, contacts and good image. Your mission: Recover trust. Click to see the message of Linda Yaccarino in X From nbcuniversal to the jungle of X. For Yaccarino, the jump to X not only meant a company change: it was a change of ecosystem. He went from leading one of the most solid groups in the television industry to put a social network in crisis and an unpredictable owner. A position, many shadows. Yaccarino’s resignation comes months after one of the strangest movements of the Musk ecosystem: The sale of X to XAIits own artificial intelligence startup, in an unprecedented operation and loaded with opacity. In parallel, Musk intensified his presence in American politics, collaborating with the Trump administration and moving away, at least publicly, day to day in some of his companies. Tesla is no stranger to the earthquake: in recent months He has immersed himself in a difficult financial panorama. An output without successor (for the moment). At the moment there is no substitute. Not even a provisional name. The company has not made additional comments and Elon Musk, faithful to its style, has not clarified who will take over. It is a silence that weighs, especially in a company that has been trying to convince the market for years to remain viable. Images | Linda Yaccarino | https://x.com/ In Xataka | Technological ceos have perfected an absurd art: sound intelligent without saying absolutely nothing

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