At a time when the future of energy – not just oil and gas but renewables – is again a hot topic, Inmarsat, which owns and operates a global portfolio of mobile telecommunications satellite networks, plans to expands its presence in the Middle East by joining the Energy Industry Council.

Orange Botswana has announced the launch of LTE-A services, increasing data transfer rates on its 4G network. The upgrades are being branded 4G+ and have already rolled out in Greater Gaborone (which houses about 10 per cent of the country’s population) and Francistown, the country’s second-largest city.

The deadly skirmishes on India’s border with China may have a knock-on effect on the telecommunications market after government officials, quoted in the Indian media, floated the idea of barring Chinese vendors from supplying telecommunications companies.

O2 Czech Republic is launching its commercial 5G network next month, becoming the first operator in the market to achieve this milestone.

Some sort of resolution to India’s ongoing legal wrangles about AGR still looks a long way off after two operators refused to offer bank guarantees requested recently by the Supreme Court.

Romanian regulator ANCOM (National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications) has begun a public consultation after its own review identified no issues requiring new regulation for the wholesale fixed market.

Chinese internet giants Tencent and Baidu are strengthening their existing relationship with Nokia to build out their software-defined data centre interconnect (DCI) infrastructure.

Orange’s Slovakian unit is increasing its 5G spectrum holding while also discussing a potential network-sharing arrangement with Slovak Telecom.

Estonia’s Telia Eesti is planning an investment of €10 million (US$11.3 million) into its mobile networks for 2020.

stc Bahrain has formed a new partnership with China Telecom Global aimed at digitalising economies in the Middle East and North Africa.

Jio Platforms has confirmed funding from two more overseas investors, racking up a collective investment of $13.7 billion within two months.

Indonesian mobile operator Telkomsel has announced that it is extending its 4G LTE coverage to more areas of the country.

Having newly generated $450 million in funding, Helios Towers has underlined its intention to increase its footprint across Africa.

A useful reminder that fibre is still a strong player – even in mobile-dominated markets – comes from Oman and Myanmar, where expansion of fibre-to-the-home services is under way.

Jordan’s Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) has stated that its attempts to ensure a consistent standard of internet service during the pandemic have led to “significant improvement” in access speeds.

After yesterday’s announcement that Zambia’s UZI has finally abandoned its attempts to roll out a network, it looks like another long-running saga involving a cash-strapped operator is coming to an end with an announcement from Brazil’s Oi.

After two years, MTN Group has finally reached an agreement for a long-term renewal of its operating licences in Uganda.

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), which aims to promote the rapid development of info-communications in Africa, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ericsson to help fast track the roll-out of technology across the continent.

While 5G rollout is imminent or underway in countries as diverse as South Africa, the Philippines and Morocco, some countries are not in a hurry – the most recent examples being Paraguay and Nigeria.

Cambodian mobile market leader Smart Axiata is implementing a network-based authentication solution for service providers from Benefit Vantage.

China Unicom has chosen Nokia to support the build-out of its 5G SA Core network in China.

Thailand’s True Move is implementing direct carrier billing from Docomo Digital, making it easier for its customers to make purchases using their existing mobile accounts.

Globalstar, a provider of mobile satellite voice and data services, has announced the deployment of a new ground station with second-generation technology in Córdoba, Argentina.

In the face of regulatory constraints and bureaucratic delays in some countries, it’s worth highlighting ways in which governments are supporting telecommunications by enabling or encouraging rollout, most recently in Colombia and Vietnam.

Asia Direct Cable (ADC) Consortium has selected NEC to build a high-performance submarine cable connecting China (Hong Kong SAR and Guangdong Province), Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The director general and two board members of Lebanese state-owned operator Ogero face public prosecution by the country’s Attorney General.