In an apparent challenge to the dominance of America Movil, Mexico’s media firm Grupo Televisa has acquired a 50% stake in the country’s third largest operator, Iusacell. Shareholders of both firms will have “equal corporate governance” over the resulting entity...

There could be trouble ahead for Vodafone’s proposed buyout of joint venture partner Essar, as the Indian operator is demanding more for its 33% stake than the pre-agreed fee of US$5 billion – allegedly US$600 to US$700 million...

China Unicom’s subsidiary in Anhui province is gearing up to reduce the energy consumption of its mobile base transceiver station (BTS) sites by as much as 20%...

Qatar has played host to the second of two cable landings by the Middle Eastern submarine cable operator Gulf Bridge International...

The largest mobile operator in the Americas, Claro, has implemented a new Dynamic SIM Allocation (DSA) solution to help streamline its SIM card supply chain logistics and optimise its telephone number inventory...

India’s three major state-owned telecoms firms have been advised by the country’s government to merge...

The ITU has announced the launch of a new digital literacy partnership with Philippines-based NGO telecentre.org Foundation that over the next 18 months will train one million unskilled women to use computers and modern information and communication technology (ICT) applications to improve their livelihoods...

After Kazakhstan's mobile market delivered annual growth of 36% in 2008, the 2009 year saw a major slowdown in the market with net growth almost negligible...

Mobile subscribers in Ghana will soon have access to new content services via a partnership between MVAS developed Kirusa and wireless applications provider txtGhana...

Subscribers of the operator Econet Wireless Zimbabwe will be able to send and receive low-cost internet messaging via any standard SMS capable mobile phone without being connected to the Internet...

China Mobile has selected Ericsson to participate in the world's largest TD-LTE trial network deployment to date...

The final draft of South Africa’s spectrum allocation process reportedly features a previously mooted clause relating to those who have come to be termed ‘historically disadvantaged individuals’, or HDIs...

A newly-launched partner scheme will foster closer ties between UK-based firm Aircom International and Techaccess Pakistan...

The mobile entertainment industry in India is witnessing significant growth, with forecasts predicting that it will reach $4.9 billion in 2015 from $1.2 billion in 2009, growing at a CAGR of 26% in the period 2009-2015...

The largest shareholder in India’s Idea Cellular, the Aditya Birla Group, is reportedly looking to sell a stake in the Indian operator to MTN...

The total number of global mobile subscriptions at the end of 2010 was 5.5 billion. Of this total, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for a whopping 53% (2.9 billion)...

With three potential candidates dropping out of the running in the last few days, the bidding race for Syria’s third mobile licence has come down to two competitors – Saudi Arabian STC and Qatar’s Qtel...

A new Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between two market-leading operators in Asia. China Mobile and South Korean SK Telecom (SKT) have agreed to pool their resources and develop next-generation networks, operating systems, M2M services and applications...

The past weekend marked the first formal charges brought against Indian firms involved in the country’s 2G licensing scandal, with shares of Unitech Wireless and Reliance Communications falling as a result...

Consumers can now send money directly to the mobile “wallets” of Safaricom M-PESA subscribers in Kenya from 45 countries and territories...

After a well-publicised deterioration in relations, Vodafone has announced that it will acquire Essar’s 33% stake in the two firms’ Indian mobile joint venture for US$5 billion...

One of Qatar’s leading operators, Vodafone Qatar, has interconnected to the iBasis global network for the exchange of international mobile phone calls...

A major operator in the Philippines is set to purchase a controlling stake in one of its rivals...

Two West African countries are the focus of recent market reports, and encouragingly both have healthy mobile sectors...

The first Israeli mobile operator to partner with MVNO carriers has selected a new integrated end-to-end billing solution for MVNOs...

The Indonesian government’s energy security and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals will receive support from Tetra Tech, which has been awarded a $16.2 million, 3.5-year program with the U.S. Agency for International Development...

The chairman of China Mobile has detailed the operator’s plans in the smartphone arena, stating that the firm aims to increase its range of devices based on its Ophone operating system...

The largest mobile operator in China, China Mobile, has begun selected vendors to take part in its TD-LTE trial, with the most recently confirmed additions being the international vendors Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent...

Iraq’s largest mobile operator, Zain Iraq, is expanding its voice and data services to the governorates of the Kurdistan region. This expansion is the first phase of the company’s plan to cover all areas in the Northern provinces...

The Chinese search engine provider Baidu could be developing a new “light” mobile operating system, according to reports which indicate that the launch timeframe for the platform would be “the coming three to five years”...

Tajikistan's telecommunications infrastructure was arguably the least developed of all the former Soviet republics. With a telecom network that was at near total collapse, the government has had the daunting task of bringing it up to modern standards...

Following a bribery charge, a Malaysian operator has prohibited international vendor Alcatel-Lucent from involvement in any contracts, tenders and joint ventures for the next year...

The growth of mobile services is a key part of extending the benefits of communications in emerging markets. It is also essential for mobile operators looking for new services to differentiate their offering and generate new income. Mobile banking has been one of the big success stories in the last few years. Now attention is turning to other areas in the financial area. One of these areas is mobile insurance...

Cameroon's economic growth has lagged behind other countries in the region, and this is mirrored by the development of its telecommunications sector...