An estimated 6.3 billion people, or 76% of the world's population, are using the internet in 2026, but around two billion remain unconnected, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Scams, hacks and cybercrime in general are making headlines around the world – and Africa is no exception. But as the continent becomes more connected is cybersecurity keeping up? Three recent announcements may encourage modest optimism.

Viettel Group and Vietnam's Government Cipher Committee revealed on Wednesday they have jointly developed a semiconductor security platform featuring VGC v1.0, a homegrown chipset that integrates a domestic cryptographic algorithm directly into silicon.

DE-CIX and Ooredoo Oman announced on Tuesday they have signed an agreement to launch Gulf Gateway-IX, a new internet exchange (IX) that will interconnect the country’s dual subsea corridors in Muscat and Salalah.

NTT Data announced on Tuesday it has opened a new AI-ready data centre, Jakarta 2 Annex Data Centre (JKT2A), alongside the launch of its next-gen all-photonics network (APN) technology to interconnect its other data centres in Indonesia.

Nigeria’s First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and payment technology giant Mastercard have launched AgroPass, a digital platform designed to expand access to finance, markets and agricultural services for smallholder farmers across Nigeria.

Along with its Solar Park business, two other companies that are part of Bahrain-headquartered technology business the Beyon Group are also in the news – this time thanks to recent deals evolving Bahraini aviation holding company the Gulf Air Group.

Telefonica Brasil, which operates under the Vivo brand, has confirmed preliminary talks with shareholders of Brazilian fibre broadband provider Vero, as it looks to expand its fixed-line footprint amid consolidation in the country's broadband market.

Bahrain-headquartered global technology group Beyon announced on Monday that Phase 5 of its Beyon Solar Park programme will enable it to add a third solar-powered data centre to its green data centre portfolio.

Orange Romania says it has tested 50G PON technology for the first time in its 5G Lab in Bucharest, achieving symmetrical data speeds of around 40 Gbps and latency below 1 millisecond on a single fibre.

Airtel Kenya has reportedly acquired 100 MHz of 5G spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for US$65 million after the Communications Authority of Kenya granted it a 25-year licence for the spectrum.

Recent news from tech giant Huawei underlines the growing interest in many regions in the use of communications to enhance transport systems – specifically railways.

Given the ongoing worries in many countries about the demands of data centres on water supply, recent news from Google in Malaysia is undoubtedly timely.

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has set out draft guidelines for the implementation of AI (artificial intelligence) into telecom networks, infrastructure, and services.

The GSMA has re-elected Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal (pictured, below) as its chair for the 2027-28 term, while MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita and Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle have retained their positions as co-deputy chairs.

Satellite operator SES revealed on Thursday it has been selected by Kazakhstan’s flagship airline, Air Astana, to install next-gen in-flight connectivity services across its Airbus A321LR fleet.

Bahrainian telco Batelco by Beyon and Ericsson said on Sunday they have extended their partnership to develop and modernize Batelco’s mobile broadband network across Bahrain, to include testing one of Ericsson’s AI-powered RAN solutions.

Visa announced on Friday it has signed an MoU with Senegal’s Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs to help support the government's digital payments ambitions.

The GSMA has urged the Gabonese government to reduce taxes on smartphones and mobile services to make internet access more affordable and bring more people online.

Viettel’s technology R&D arm, Viettel High Tech, said that it has successfully migrated more than 100 million Viettel subscribers and 5,000 tariff plans to its in-house cloud-native charging system, vOCS 4.0.

Saudi Arabia-based satellite operator Arabsat and satellite services and solutions provider Qatar Satellite Company (a.k.a. Es’hailSat) signed a strategic partnership agreement on Wednesday to expand joint initiatives in broadcasting and satellite communications.

Veon-owned Ukrainian telco Kyivstar announced on Thursday it has struck a deal to buy local cloud infrastructure provider GigaCloud in a deal valued at around US$50 million.

Guinea has appointed Mamy Diaby as CEO of state-owned telecoms operator Areeba, as the government restructures the struggling business after a sharp decline in subscribers and revenue.

Salience Consulting, a management advisory firm specialising in the digital infrastructure and ICT sectors, has been appointed to provide transaction advisory services for a proposed commercial spaceport in Kenya.

Chilean regulator Subtel has refused to renew concessions in the 800MHz band for operator WOM, apparently due to lack of use. Indeed, the operator has not had customers on these frequencies since 2 November 2016.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) connections across Asia-Pacific are forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.5% between 2026 and 2031, rising from 28 million to 50 million, as operators use 5G to expand broadband access beyond fibre networks.

International network services provider RETN said on Wednesday it has expanded its presence in Bulgaria via a deal with connectivity and telecom solution provider Neterra to install a new PoP in its Sofia Data Center (SDC) campus.

Airtel Rwanda announced on Tuesday it has launched Airtel IQ, a Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offering for enterprises that integrates multiple real-time customer communication channels into existing applications and workflows.

DE-CIX and Thai telecoms service provider International Gateway Co (IGC) announced on Wednesday they have established a joint venture to create a new internet exchange (IX) in Bangkok to serve as a regional gateway to Southeast Asia.

The US$3.2 billion IPO of Indian technology and digital services multinational Reliance Jio Platforms has been one of this week’s big business stories, not least because the company's shares rose 27% in its Mumbai debut on Wednesday, making it India's second-largest company by market capitalisation.

Hayo, a global digital service provider, says it has expanded its presence in East Africa by establishing operations in Tanzania with the aim of helping to design, build and run critical digital infrastructure.

A reminder of the continuing dependence on diesel of many African countries as backup fuel for communications infrastructure comes from telecoms regulator ARPCE in the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Bolivian state-owned operator Entel has begun shutting down its 3G network in the administrative capital of La Paz, reallocating spectrum in the 850 MHz band to strengthen 4G services.