Scale and response for AI and edge computing demands

Colt Technology Services is a global digital infrastructure company providing high-performance network, voice, and cloud connectivity services across Europe, Asia, and North America. It focuses on secure, high-bandwidth, software-defined networking and related services that support digital transformation and hybrid cloud strategies for enterprises.

EITN has an email interview with its COO, Buddy Bayer, as well as its Product Director of Global Capital Markets, Wesley Elder.

EITN: How is Colt enabling enterprises to build intelligent infrastructure? What features must intelligent infrastructure have to scale and respond to AI and edge computing demands?

Wesley: Colt is enabling intelligent infrastructure by combining our extensive global network with deep partnerships and advanced customer experience capabilities. Enterprises today are looking for infrastructure that can scale, adapt quickly, and support complex workloads like AI and edge computing. This means delivering not just bandwidth, but the right kind of connectivity – flexible, secure, responsive, and designed for intent-based use. Colt’s network is built to support this, with scalable services, real-time insights, and programmable solutions that give enterprises control over how their traffic is routed and optimised.

The features of intelligent infrastructure go beyond speed and scale. Enterprises need networks that are capable of adjusting based on performance metrics, environmental goals, or data sovereignty requirements. We offer intent-based networking, where customers can define their needs such as avoiding specific geographies or optimising for carbon efficiency, and we are able to provide network solutions that respond accordingly. Layered onto this is a strong zero-trust security, real-time adaptability, and proactive service design, all of which ensure the infrastructure is not just reactive but anticipatory. This level of sophistication is what enables our clients to meet the demands of AI and edge at scale.

EITN: What actionable steps should organisations take now to prepare their networks for the upcoming quantum threat and AI-driven workloads?

Buddy: Organisations must begin by strengthening their resilience fundamentals. One of the most overlooked yet critical steps is working together long-term with an experienced incident response partner. In the event of a breach or network incident, having a trusted partner who understands your infrastructure and can act fast is invaluable. Next, companies should regularly test and update their business contingency plans. At Colt, we’ve learned firsthand the importance of these exercises – what began as a routine drill helped us improve real communication strategies that were immediately applied in real scenarios back in July.

Equally important is understanding your data. Many organisations lack a clear inventory of where their data resides and how it is backed up. Without this foundational clarity, scaling or protecting infrastructure becomes much harder. On the technology front, the quantum threat is approaching faster than many anticipate.

Colt is actively developing and testing quantum-safe encryption across our network layers, including wave, IP, and satellite. We are already retrofitting our long-haul network backbone and serving as “customer zero” through validating these technologies internally before taking them to market. This blend of operational readiness and technological foresight is essential for future-proofing against both quantum and AI-driven demands.

EITN: Why is Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) becoming essential for enterprises, and how does it address agility and cost challenges posed by real-time AI processing?

Wesley: NaaS is increasingly vital because it enables enterprises to dynamically scale and adapt their networks to the unpredictable demands of real-time AI processing. AI workloads are often bursty and high-volume, requiring bandwidth and performance levels that can spike dramatically and then fall. Traditional network models are not built for this level of agility.

With Colt’s NaaS offering, customers can self-provision services, customise routes, and monitor performance metrics such as jitter and latency all in real time. This level of visibility and control empowers IT teams to optimise cost and performance on the fly.

From a financial standpoint, NaaS also shifts enterprises toward a usage-based model. Rather than overpaying for capacity that may only be used occasionally, customers can scale up and down based on demand – particularly during peak periods.

This is particularly important as AI-driven decision-making, trading, and analytics begin to automate provisioning needs. As APIs standardise and interoperability improves, we envision a world where AI agents can directly interface with our network, such as provisioning a 10Gbps circuit between Singapore and Hong Kong autonomously to support a real-time trading strategy. This is the flexibility NaaS is enabling today, and it is laying the groundwork for a far more intelligent, responsive digital economy.

EITN: Could you describe Colt’s vision for integrating emerging technologies like quantum-safe encryption and satellite-based networking to future-proof digital infrastructure?

Buddy: Colt’s vision is rooted in the principle that security and resilience must be built into every access method, whether terrestrial, subsea, or satellite-based. With quantum computing poised to disrupt traditional encryption standards, we are proactively investing in quantum-safe technologies. Our work includes piloting quantum encryption across wave and IP services and even testing quantum encryption over low-Earth orbit satellites through partnerships like our collaboration with Honeywell and Nokia. These tests are the foundation of products we plan to bring to market.

As mentioned earlier, Colt is retrofitting our long-haul network and will soon be able to offer those same protections to customers. By acting as “customer zero,” we ensure we understand the challenges and solutions before rolling them out commercially. This is part of our broader strategy to help enterprises navigate the uncertainties of the future with confidence, by embedding innovation, adaptability, and security at the heart of their digital infrastructure.

EITN: How does Colt plan to help enterprises achieve sustainability in their digital infrastructure while scaling for exponential data growth and computational requirements?

Buddy: Sustainability is becoming a critical requirement for enterprises operating in regulated or ESG-sensitive environments. At Colt, we help customers optimise their environmental impact through intelligent, intent-based networking. Our systems can assess the carbon footprint of various network paths and allow customers to choose greener routing options. Such green routing solutions align directly with organisational sustainability targets and provides transparency into their digital emissions.

Internally, we’re also focused on network hygiene by continuously modernising our infrastructure to replace legacy equipment with more efficient, lower-energy alternatives. This not only reduces our own footprint but enhances performance and efficiency for our customers. Our efforts have been recognised with consecutive Platinum ratings from EcoVadis, affirming Colt’s leadership in sustainable digital infrastructure. We believe sustainability and performance are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they are deeply intertwined.

EITN: In expanding Colt’s presence in markets like Asia-Pacific, what unique challenges and opportunities do you encounter in meeting diverse customer needs?

Wesley: Asia Pacific is one of the most dynamic yet complex regions for network expansion. Each market is unique in terms of language, regulation, and customer expectations. Enterprises entering the region often struggle to navigate these complexities without a trusted partner. That is where Colt adds significant value: we offer a unified contract model with global reach, with our delivery grounded in local expertise. We have boots on the ground in key markets like Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong, which allows us to serve customers with the responsiveness and nuance they need.

This local presence is critical for success. Having in-market teams means we can manage installations, provide on-site support, and ensure compliance with local regulations. It also enables us to build long-term relationships and provide consistent service across borders. As more global enterprises view APAC as a growth region, they need infrastructure partners who can scale with them not just technically, but culturally and operationally. Colt is well-positioned to meet that need.