AT&T vs Vodafone

T-Mobile Technician Cuts Cable to Thwart Salt Typhoon Hack

A T-Mobile technician literally cut a cable to stop the Chinese Salt Typhoon cyberespionage campaign, as reported by Bloomberg. In autumn 2024, Salt Typhoon infiltrated nine major US telecom companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, compromising routers and accessing metadata of millions of customers. T-Mobile's security team discovered an unusual router in its California data center that was communicating despite being offline. Tracing the signal, they found a manipulated router at another telecom company in Chicago, posing as a T-Mobile device. A technician drove to the site and cut the router's cable with scissors, successfully halting the attack. The router was later re-activated in an isolated test environment, but the attackers had already disappeared. T-Mobile's CIO Jeff Simon stated the hackers never accessed customer data, and the severed cable is now displayed in a frame as a memento of the incident.

• Salt Typhoon attacked 200+ targets across 80 countries in autumn 2024.
• Nine major US telecoms were hacked, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
• T-Mobile technician cut a router cable in Chicago to stop the attack.

AT&T, Crocs, Southwest Detail Cautious AI Agent Adoption

At Salesforce's Dreamforce event, executives from AT&T, Crocs, and Southwest Airlines shared their realistic approaches to deploying AI agents. They emphasized that while automation improves efficiency, human interaction remains critical, especially in sensitive areas like cancellations or 'right here, right now' customer issues. AT&T uses AI to cut phone upgrade times but reserves human intervention for cancellations. Southwest uses chatbots for servicing but relies on humans for empathetic support. Crocs uses an AI chatbot 'Rivet' but insists on keeping 'a human in the loop' and stresses the importance of a solid data foundation. The article also notes Salesforce's Agentforce adoption (about 20% of its customers) and highlights DE&PT's consumer survey showing decline in comfort with AI as autonomy increases. AI safety debates between Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Jensen Huang were also discussed, with contrasting views on regulation and safety.

• Salesforce's Agentforce is used by about 30,000 customers, roughly 20% of its 150,000 customer base.
• AT&T uses AI to reduce phone upgrade times from 30 to 10 minutes, but keeps humans for cancellations.
• Crocs has deployed an AI agent named Rivet for consumer chat and voice, and uses AI internally for developer tasks.

AT&T Blog Updates: New Posts on AI Networks, NYSE Milestone, and More

The AT&T blog page has been updated with new posts, including 'Why Enterprise Networks Need to Adapt for the AI Era' (Sept 10, 2026), 'AT&T: Built to Keep Up With What's Next' (Sept 09, 2026), 'AT&T and Mynd Immersive are Making a Change for Older Adults' (Sept 03, 2026), and '125 Years on the New York Stock Exchange: A legacy built for the future of connectivity' (Sept 03, 2026).

Internet Shutdowns Global Record; Vodafone Calls for Stricter Rules

The article covers the global record in internet shutdowns, highlighting the increasing frequency of government-ordered internet blackouts. Vodafone, a telecommunications company, is advocating for stricter regulations against such digital blackouts. The report likely discusses the impact on users, businesses, and the digital economy, emphasizing the need for legal frameworks to prevent arbitrary internet disruptions. Given the paywall, only the headline and teaser are accessible, which is insufficient for detailed analysis. The article is relevant to the AdTech industry because internet shutdowns directly impact digital advertising and media consumption, disrupting campaigns and reducing audience reach.

Adform becomes OpenAI tech platform partner for ChatGPT ads in Europe.

Adform has been announced as one of OpenAI's technology platform partners as ChatGPT Ads expands into Europe, enabling advertisers to plan, control, and measure chat-based ad campaigns within its existing omnichannel platform. This integration provides a unified view of the customer journey by connecting conversions from ChatGPT with other Adform campaigns. Volkswagen and Vodafone are among the first companies testing the access, focusing on brand presence and channel performance. The rollout, which began in August 2026 across 31 European markets, supports ad formats on free and lower-cost plans, with paid plans remaining ad-free. Advertisers can utilize CPM, CPC, conversion optimization, geo-targeting, and custom audiences, while OpenAI ensures ads are clearly labeled and do not influence ChatGPT responses. Adform's partnership aligns with its broader AI-driven advertising strategy, including MCP support and collaboration with IAB Tech Lab on agentic standards.

• Adform is a technology partner for OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads in Europe, enabling ad campaign management and measurement.
• The partnership allows advertisers to buy ChatGPT inventory through Adform's platform and connect conversions with other campaigns.
• Volkswagen and Vodafone are early testers of ChatGPT Ads.

Penguin Random House's Jon Donovan on AI, BookTok, and Discovery

In an interview with The Drum, Penguin Random House's digital marketing director Jon Donovan discusses how AI and TikTok are transforming book discovery. He highlights a shift from publisher-to-retailer push to reader-to-reader influence via BookTok, which has become a major sales channel. Donovan details the publisher's four-year digital transformation to build a data-driven marketing engine, focusing on first-party data, personalized recommendations, and AI-driven product discovery. He notes a decline in search traffic and an increased focus on visibility across AI platforms. He also discusses testing TikTok Shop for discovery commerce, scaling customer relationships, and the importance of balancing AI with human creativity. Donovan emphasizes that owning data and technology, along with agile team structures, are critical for adapting to rapid change.

• Penguin Random House publishes and sells 750 million books annually across print, ebooks, and audio.
• The publisher completed a four-year digital marketing transformation focused on data and marketing technology.
• TikTok is now the third biggest book sales channel in the UK, according to a TikTok announcement.