Gates and OpenAI Team Up for AI Health Push in African Countries

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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and OpenAI have launched a $50 million partnership to help African countries deploy artificial intelligence to strengthen health systems amid sharp cuts to international aid. The initiative, called Horizon1000, will work with national leaders to identify priority use cases, beginning with Rwanda.

Announcing the plan, Bill Gates said AI could be a “gamechanger” for countries facing severe shortages of health workers and infrastructure. Speaking in Davos, he said innovation is needed to reverse setbacks following aid reductions that coincided with the first rise in preventable child deaths this century. The Gates Foundation estimates global development assistance for health fell by nearly 27% last year.

Horizon1000 aims to reach 1,000 primary health clinics and surrounding communities by 2028. The focus is expected to include maternal health and HIV care, using AI to provide guidance before clinic visits, bridge language gaps, reduce paperwork, and better connect patient records. Rwanda’s ICT minister Paula Ingabire said responsible AI use can ease burdens on healthcare workers while improving quality and access. Gates added that AI could cut visit times roughly in half while delivering better care.

European Telcos to Get Unlimited Radio Spectrum Under EU Draft Law

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Europe’s telecom operators are set to gain long-term certainty under a new European Commission proposal that would allow radio spectrum licences to be used for an unlimited duration, marking a major shift in the bloc’s telecom policy. The draft law, known as the Digital Networks Act, is part of a broader overhaul of telecom rules that will require approval from EU member states and the European Parliament.

Under the proposal, spectrum licences would become renewable by default, replacing the current minimum 20-year term. The Commission said the move would increase predictability and encourage investment across the 27-country European Union, particularly as it pursues full fibre broadband coverage between 2030 and 2035. A senior official described unlimited spectrum licensing as a strong signal that the sector is worth sustained investment.

EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said resilient digital infrastructure is critical to Europe’s competitiveness, innovation, and digital sovereignty. The Commission will also outline common rules on licence duration, auction conditions, and pricing to guide national regulators.

However, the proposal stopped short of meeting telecom operators’ long-standing demand that Big Tech contribute directly to network rollout costs. Instead, the Act introduces a voluntary cooperation mechanism between telecom groups and major platforms such as Google, Netflix, and Meta Platforms. Governments may also be allowed to extend the 2030 deadline for replacing copper networks with fibre if more time is needed.

France’s Atos Flags Steep Revenue Decline for 2025

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French IT services group Atos warned it expects a sharp drop in annual revenue for 2025, citing ongoing contract losses that continued through the quarter ending December 31. The company said revenue is estimated to fall to about 8 billion euros, in line with its earlier guidance.

Chief executive Philippe Salle said the figure represents an organic decline of 13.8%, underscoring the scale of the challenges facing the group as it attempts to rebuild after years of financial strain. Once considered a flagship of Europe’s technology sector, Atos recently emerged from a major debt restructuring that nearly pushed it into collapse.

The company is pursuing a broad reorganisation that includes asset sales and job cuts, significantly shrinking a business that was once valued at more than 10 billion euros to around 1 billion euros today. Salle said customer confidence is slowly returning, though at a more gradual pace than expected.

Atos plans to exit around 10 additional countries in 2026, following divestments in Scandinavia and Latin America. Despite the revenue decline, the group said it expects to exceed its 2025 profitability target and will publish its outlook for 2026 alongside full-year results on March 6.