A new benchmark in intelligent mining has been set at the Yimin open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, China, with a fleet of 100 Huaneng Ruichi autonomous electric mining trucks entering into operation.

Digicel Vanuatu announced on Monday it has signed its 5th Undertaking to expand its mobile coverage to an estimated 99% of the population in Vanuatu as part of its Universal Access Policy (UAP) obligations.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata announced on Monday it will invest another US$100 million in its digital infrastructure, increasing its total cumulative investment in the country to more than US$3.37 billion.

UAE-based tech group G42 will lead a consortium of US companies to build a new 5GW AI data centre campus in Abu Dhabi as part of an agreement by the US and UAE governments to build and invest in AI infrastructure in the UAE and globally.

Operators MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda and digital infrastructure company ATC Uganda, alongside regulator the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), have launched a nationwide anti-vandalism campaign aimed at safeguarding the country’s telecom infrastructure.

Mexico’s proposed new telecommunications law has been modified after controversy about one of its provisions which, critics have suggested, could enable censorship on digital platforms.

Brazilian investment firm Patria Investimentos has announced the launch of Omnia, a hyperscale data centre platform that will invest about US$1 billion in its first project in the next 18 to 24 months.

Digital Edge, a data centre developer and operator with a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific market, has agreed a partnership with Philippines-based renewable energy provider First Gen to power one of its data centres.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix has inaugurated its first International Business Exchange data centre in Jakarta under a joint venture with Indonesian conglomerate Astra International.

It’s been another busy week for satcoms, with Agility Beyond Space (ABS), a global satellite operator, and SpaceBridge, a provider of satellite network equipment solutions, targeting managed services in EMEA, while satellite communications service Starlink is reportedly pursuing a Wi-Fi deal with the Emirates airline.

Multi-service operator Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private sector-led development aid institution and member of the World Bank Group, have signed a partnership to sustainably strengthen digital access in eight African countries.

There have been two recent announcements in Ethiopia involving the country’s main operators and digital offerings tailored to the needs of the transport sector.

Vodafone Idea has reportedly filed a fresh appeal seeking a reduction in its massive adjusted gross revenue (AGR) liabilities, warning that it may be unable to continue operations beyond the current financial year without securing additional loans.

Bharti Airtel has unveiled a free fraud detection service that uses artificial intelligence to detect and block malicious websites accessed through apps, email, and messaging platforms.

Telia Lithuania has announced plans to trial the country’s first standalone (SA) 5G network by deploying a private 5G system at the Baltic Sea port of Klaipeda, marking a key step in its nationwide rollout strategy.

The GSMA has urged governments worldwide to reduce spectrum prices, warning that high fees are choking the telecoms industry and threatening long-term economic development.

Digicel Pacific announced on Wednesday that it has launched a ‘Pacific Transfers’ service for its MyCash mobile wallet that it says enables direct, fast and relatively cheap money transfers via mobile between users in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Indian telco Vodafone Idea (Vi) launched its 5G service across the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday in partnership with Ericsson, and said it was on track to roll out 5G in all 17 priority circles where it holds 5G spectrum by August this year.

Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat and Canada-based satellite operator Telesat announced on Wednesday they have signed a term sheet under which Arabsat will lease multi-gigabit capacity from Telesat’s planned Lightspeed LEO satellite constellation.

Georgian mobile operator Cellfie Mobile has expanded its partnership with Finnish BSS provider Qvantel to include managed services for its business support systems (BSS), in a move aimed at accelerating its evolution into a digital services provider.

Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom has revealed that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has helped reduce its operating costs, with plans underway to deepen AI integration across the business.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has swiftly emerged as a game changer in digital transformation and cloud services, with a broad spectrum of use cases across industries at all levels, from the front office to the backend. But for AI to truly thrive – and for enterprises to gain the most benefits from it – a vibrant partner-driven ecosystem that can maintain a competitive edge and ensure sustainable development is absolutely critical.

Nokia announced on Tuesday that Saudi Arabian telco stc group has successfully completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) for network slicing over a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) infrastructure using its Altiplano Access Controller.

UAE-based telco du has launched a GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offering to enable enterprises and government entities to access the necessary compute power to adopt AI more cost-effectively.

Safaricom said on Tuesday it has entered into a strategic partnership with Kenya's iXAfrica Data Centres to offer services leveraging the new NBOX1 hyperscale data centre in Nairobi to enterprise and cloud solutions clients.

Telefónica has reportedly appointed investment bank Citi to advise on the sale of its Chilean unit, as the group continues to scale back its presence in Latin America.

LEO satellite player Rivada Space Networks revealed on Tuesday it has signed an MoU with satellite solutions and services provider Q-KON to add Rivada to its Twoobii LEO Smart Satellite Services portfolio.

Eutelsat Group announced on Tuesday it’s extending its partnership with UAE-based VSAT service provider InterSAT Communication Services to enhance fixed data services over Central and Eastern Africa, with a possible LEO satellite component to be added later.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on Friday it intends to charge satellite internet players up to 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) over a five-year period to use spectrum allocated to them for satellite broadband services.

Telkom Indonesia’s international arm Telin says it has signed a MoU with Phillippine telecoms service provider Radius Telecoms to boost cross-border connectivity services for enterprises in the Philippines.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata has launched a location-tracking service for school vans, which it says will not only improve student safety, but also make school transportation more efficient.

The two competitors in the Ethiopian mobile communications duopoly can both claim to have inspired positive headlines in recent days, with Ethio Telecom announcing a major new e-commerce service launch and Safaricom Ethiopia highlighting improved financial results.