Smartphone apps accompany us wherever we go, along with a multi-layered digital infrastructure that remains hidden from most people. Behind every gesture on the display, a complex interplay of Internet exchanges, data centres, content services and global providers unfolds... all of which somehow takes place in the cloud. Having a 'simple' app in your pocket actually means dozens of servers and networks are working in parallel. A recent analysis makes this invisible network tangible.

On 31 August 2025, the consultation period for the extension of the amendment to the German  Telecommunications Act ended, and with it the opportunity to officially comment on the key points. eco – Association of the Internet Industry sees the key points of the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs (BMDS) as important impetus for the expansion of fibre optics and mobile communications in Germany.

Regarding the draft law on transparency and targeting of political advertising from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Public Administration, eco warns of massive understaffing of the responsible authorities. In the future, the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) is to function as the coordinating body for digital services – however, this does not even achieve half of the originally calculated staffing requirements.

Community of Experts The 'New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Programme: The Next Round' initiative launching in April 2026, led by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), aims to expand the internet's domain name system (DNS) by introducing new top-level domains. With more than 70% of all domain...

Silke Kanes is the latest addition to the eco Association's Board. In this interview, she discusses her motivation for playing an active role in shaping digital transformation, the opportunities presented by the rapidly growing SaaS market, and the importance of diversity and corporate culture in driving innovation.

At today’s eco General Assembly, Silke Kanes was elected as a new member of the Board. With her appointment, the Association of the Internet Industry is expanding its Executive Board with a portfolio for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) as well as diversity and corporate culture, which Kanes will now take on.

Join us for an insightful webinar to find out more about the FAME Marketplace and Data Assets Indexing (https://marketplace.fame-horizon.eu/). This event features expert speaker Nicolas Zafeiropoulos (UPRC).

Join us for an insightful webinar titled "Beyond Traditional ESG Screening: MarketSenseAI-Driven Adaptive Portfolio Optimization". This event features expert speaker Kostas Metaxas, Co-Founder and CEO of KM Cube Asset Management.

Digital resilience is more than just a buzzword: it determines whether companies remain capable of acting in times of crisis. In this interview, Katharina M. Schwarz from Myra explains why we need to focus on a “mixed forest” instead of technical monocultures – and how true digital sovereignty can be achieved.

With the AI transformation and structural change, the Rhineland region is developing into a digital hub in the heart of Europe. In an interview with eco, Emil Issagholian (RheinEnergie) explains the role of energy infrastructure in this development.