The prohibitive costs of high-end smartphones, high-speed internet and additional memory have long stymied the development of mobile social networking in the developing world. A new service named MyXenzo aims to remedy this issue, claiming to offer a consistent user interface on 80% of handsets with even the most basic Internet access...

China Mobile is now moving into the mobile search engine market. The operator has announced a joint venture with Xinhua, China’s government-owned official state news agency, which will see the two parties create a search engine in an attempt to rival market leaders Baidu and Google...

Subscribers of Movistar, Argentina’s largest mobile carrier, now have access to Windows Live Messenger Java, a new service which allows clients to use Windows Live Messenger through their mobile phones by downloading a Java-based client from Synchronica...

Uzbekistan’s second commercial LTE network has been deployed by Ucell, a subsidiary of Swedish firm TeliaSonera. The network uses equipment supplied by ZTE...

The Indian Government has set August 31^st as the deadline for Research In Motion (RIM) to bring its BlackBerry email and messaging services in line with India’s security criteria...

The security concerns that have lead the Indian government to propose a ban on Chinese-made telecoms equipment has drawn a surprisingly mixed reaction from vendors...

The UAE’s well-publicised security concerns over Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices have threatened to develop into a crackdown that could envelop the Middle East region and spread well beyond it. However, RIM have been granted some respite by Saudi Arabia’s telecoms regulator, which has stated that it will allow the continued operation of the BlackBerry instant messaging service within the Kingdom...

Reports from Pakistan suggest that the country’s telecoms regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), is preparing to auction 3G spectrum, with the bidding expected to take place in three to four months...

Gongqing, in China’s Jianxi Province, has been selected by DigiEcoCity Ltd as the site of the world’s first digital eco-city. The initiative aims to develop Gongqing into a model city based on the principles of sustainable development that uses digital technology to provide a high quality of life to its residents...

China Unicom will reportedly launch a WiFi-capable version of the Apple iPhone – a significant step in the heavily regulated Chinese market...

East Africa’s only triple-play operator, the Wananchi Group, has signed a contract for the purchase of network technology solutions and services from Cisco.

Telefonica, one of the largest mobile operators in Spain and Latin America, saw its profits rise by 16% in the second quarter of 2010, with a weaker Spanish market being offset by an increase in revenue from Latin America...

Telecom Personal, the mobile subsidiary of Telecom Argentina, has launched a new push email service that will allow consumer, prosumer and business subscribers access to push email and synchronisation services without the need to upgrade or replace their existing mobile handsets...

Huawei were reportedly outbid by Nokia Siemens Networks for the acquisition of Motorola’s networks business, but this may not be the true reason for the Chinese vendor’s failure to procure the US-based business...

The Russian operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has launched commercial LTE in Uzbekistan, making it the second operator in the world to launch the next-generation technology...

The second quarter of 2010 saw global smartphone shipments increase by 64%, according to the research firm Canalys, with Android devices demonstrating a very respectable 886% year-on-year growth rate...

Having previously threatened to do so, the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially banned Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry smartphones, citing security concerns. There are indications that other major markets, both in the Middle East region and globally, could impose a similar ban on the devices...

Over the last year, China has seen a rapid expansion in triple-play services, following the launch of a massive FTTH network by China Telecom. Shanghai Telecom – an operating unit of China Telecom which began a triple-play programme in June 2009 - is now preparing to launch HD IPTV services over this network...

As part of its drive to create new broadcasting infrastructure across Slovenia, the commercial broadcaster Norkring Slovenia has commissioned NEC Corporation to provide its PASOLINK NEO ultra compact microwave communications system...

Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC will soon roll out its first own-branded handsets in China, among them two models designed exclusively for China Mobile...

The Chinese search engine giant Baidu looks unlikely to relinquish the mobile search market to competitors, with new data showing that the engine registered the most mobile searches of any company in China during Q2 2010...

The government of Indonesia has announced that it will reopen bids for licences to develop WiMAX infrastructure. The re-launch follows news that three of the eight original licensees have had their licences rescinded after failing to meet the terms of their contracts...

A new Federal Communications Commission report on broadband deployment has called attention to the need for federal regulators to funnel broadband stimulus funding to areas of greatest need, rather than building duplicate networks in market areas which are already competitive...

A Telecom Advisory Services (TAS) report delivered in conjunction with the GSMA has revealed how mobile sector-specific taxation is impacting on the development and deployment of Mobile Broadband in developing countries...

Belize Telemedia, the only multi-play carrier in Belize, is preparing to launch the nation’s first joint voicemail system, which will be available to both wireline and mobile subscribers...

Telefónica O2 subscribers in Prague and Brno will soon enjoy faster mobile broadband speeds. The operator is upgrading its network to 2.5G, EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM), technology to keep pace with growth in mobile data and the increasing use of smart devices...

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has purchased Motorola’s networks business for the sum of US$1.2 billion. The acquisition is reportedly aimed at raising NSN’s profile outside of Europe, and particularly in the US and Japan. However, NSN’s winning bid should have an interesting impact on emerging markets, particularly China...

One of Poland’s largest independent telecoms operators, Telefonia DIALOG, will soon be able to offer its customers voice services via VoIP technology, and potentially numerous other services...

 WiMAX has seen phenomenal growth throughout the MENA region since it was first launched in Algeria in 2007. The service is now offered by 26 of the 55 operators licensed to provide it, and is now commercially available in 11 countries in the Arab world...

LTE test networks will be launched in Russia by the end of this year by both the mobile operator MegaFon and the WiMAX provider Yota...

The Indian government has apparently banned the purchase of telecoms equipment from Chinese suppliers, in a move likely to unsettle many Chinese operators with an interest in the Indian market...

Growth of broadband in Africa and the Middle East will be driven by mobile broadband, due largely to poor wireline services and conscientious branding from mobile operators...

Following the arrival of three fibre optic international submarine cables in Kenya across 2009 and 2010 (Seacom, TEAMS and EASSy), Kenya’s telecommunications and broadband markets are no longer dependent on limited and expensive satellite bandwidth...

The ongoing saga of Thailand’s 3G auctions may finally be drawing to a conclusion, as the final draft of the licensing process has been approved by the country’s regulator...