Bank Albilad has formed a strategic partnership with CashU to develop innovative payment products and services for Saudi Arabia’s fast growing electronic payments market.

After stalling following deregulation, Pakistan’s telecom market now shows major growth opportunities, according to Research & Markets.

The planned sale of Polish operator Play (branded as P4) has been shelved after underwhelming bids from private equity firms.

Tunisie Telecom (TT) has successfully completed a series of lab and field trials of G.fast technology with Adtran.

Vodafone M-Pesa is simplifying mobile money payments and cash collection with businesses by implementing Ericsson’s M-Commerce Interconnect (EMI) service.

Pakistani operator Zong is aiming to create an additional 1,000 4G sites across Pakistan by the end of the year.

O3b Networks has announced that it has been commissioned to more than double the bandwidth capacity of South Sudanese ISP RCS-Communication.

Pan-African telecommunications provider Gondwana International Networks (GIN) has announced Africa’s first roll-out of Satmotion from Integrasys.

Apple is launching Apple Pay in Russia via a partnership with Mastercard and local bank Sberbank.

Facebook has launched its Messenger Lite app, aimed at “markets with slower than average internet speeds and a prevalence of basic Android smartphones”.

The GSMA has called for a renewed dialogue between the Egyptian authorities and the country’s mobile industry after the offering of 4G licences failed to attract any bids from Egypt’s three mobile operators.

Telefónica has partnered with Vivendi to offer customers in Latin America two new mobile entertainment services.

MTN is looking to divest a 35% stake in its Ghanaian unit in order to comply with regulatory criteria regarding its 4G spectrum holding.

South African network solutions provider Vula Telematix has partnered with machine connectivity specialist Ingenu to launch the Machine Network in the Western Cape region of South Africa.

While the market currently lacks even some more standard telecoms infrastructure, South Sudan has huge potential for growth, according to Research & Markets.

MTN has refuted claims that it illegally moved $13.92 billion out of Nigeria, slamming the allegations as “unfounded and without any merit”.

Google is launching a range of products and services specifically aimed at the Indian market.

IFC has announced that it has successfully completed a landmark six-year project with satellite operator O3b Networks Ltd.

ICFLIX, the Middle East and North Africa’s leading internet streaming service, has partnered with SLA Digital to bring Direct Operator Billing to more customers in the Middle East.

Southeast Asian cable operators Mega Vision and CICT are leveraging Calix GPON solutions as they transform portions of their networks to fibre.

Telkom Indonesia has selected HAUD to provide A2P SMS monetisation and SS7 security managed services in order to create new sources of revenue and improve subscriber experience.

After all three Egyptian operators chose not to acquire a 4G licence due finding the terms unfavourable, the government is debating whether to auction them internationally.

Israeli market leader Cellcom has reached “advanced stages of negotiations” over a network sharing and hosting arrangement with a group of investors considering an acquisition of Golan Telecom.

Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) is launching its flagship M40 and M50 smartphones using WCDMA//HSPA (+) chipsets from Spreadtrum.

The Solomon Islands has demonstrated some impressive figures when it comes to mobile uptake, according to new research.