Ericsson has secured a multi-billion-dollar deal to supply 4G and 5G equipment and solutions to Indian operator Bharti Airtel, outpacing its rivals.

Kenyan telco Safaricom has reportedly revamped its “5G for Businesses” offering with new packages aimed specifically at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that promise to support their digital transformation plans with faster and more reliable connectivity.

Digital infrastructure provider WIOCC announced on Tuesday it is partnering with Nigeria’s state-owned ICT and shared services provider Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) to boost broadband infrastructure in Nigeria.

There’s been a new development in the ongoing issue of how much local input must be included in smartphones sold to Indonesians. The Indonesian government is now reportedly planning to increase the local component requirement for such phones.

Data centre colocation services provider ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) has announced a collaboration with Zenlayer, described as the world’s first hyperconnected cloud, to bring high-performance private connectivity to STT GDC’s global data centre platform, starting with selected markets in Southeast Asia.

Multi-project developer Red Sea Global (RSG), whose projects include what are described as 'regenerative tourism destinations' AMAALA and The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, says it has unveiled the region’s first unified critical communication system (UCCS).

Nigerian news outlets are reporting a strong response by consumer association the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) to the latest government attempt by the government to tax telecoms.

Satellite services provider Q-KON has expanded its partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb to deliver connectivity through what it calls Smart LEO networks, tailored to reach remote locations in sub-Saharan Africa.

M-Pesa Africa – the mobile money JV between Safaricom and Vodacom Group – says that it’s expanding its partnership with global payment infrastructure provider Thunes to enable users in Kenya and Tanzania to use their M-Pesa wallet to make payments when traveling to China.

Veon-owned Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said on Monday it has launched a generative AI (GenAI) lab in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help local enterprises adopt GenAI to improve their business processes.

Tunisian telcos Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie and Ooredoo Tunisia have been granted 5G licences by the Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy, clearing the way for 5G services to be launched sometime next year.

MTN Rwanda's fintech arm, Mobile Money Rwanda (MoMo Rwanda), has partnered with payment giant Mastercard to launch a new virtual payment solution in Rwanda.

Chilean regulator Subtel says it has received four offers to carry out a feasibility study of a project to implement  the first submarine fibre optic cable between Chile and Antarctica.

Telefonica’s sale of shares in its fibre optic network in Peru to investment fund KKR and Chilean telco Entel collapsed after the deal was announced in July 2023.

IHS Towers, an independent owner, operator and developer of shared communications infrastructure, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its 70% interest in IHS Kuwait to Zain Group.

Development financier and impact investor Finnfund has announced a 10 million euro (about US$10.5 million) equity investment to boost the expansion of a major fibre network in Nepal.

South African telco Vodacom says it has launched the first 4G base station in the village of Thathe Vondo in Thohoyandou, Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo province as part of its effort to expand rural coverage in the country.

Southeast Asian data centre operator Bridge Data Centres (BDC) says it has signed an electricity supply agreement (ESA) with Malaysian energy company TNB to supply renewable energy for its planned hyperscale data centre in Johor.

Incumbent telco Lao Telecom announced it has expanded its 5G service to Savannakhet province, with coverage now available at ten locations in the provincial capital of the same name.

Benin-based broadband provider Isocel Telecom has announced ambitious plans to expand its network to reach up to half a million households, emphasising that fibre is still essential to fill the gaps that mobile connectivity cannot yet address.

Public utility Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) and mobile network operator and ISP MTC have announced a partnership to modernise Namibia’s water sector through digital innovation – and, importantly in a country where supply is more limited than most, save water.

The China Satellite Navigation System Management Office (CNSO) has reportedly revealed its roadmap to upgrade China's Beidou positioning and navigation system by 2035 by adding next-generation LEO satellites to the mix.

The ongoing story of Brazilian digital infrastructure solutions company and neutral fibre optic network owner V.tal’s plans to buy financially troubled telecommunication company Oi's broadband unit has taken a positive turn as Brazilian competition regulator Cade has approved the purchase – though it’s far from over yet.

MTN Group, Africa’s largest telecommunications operator, and the ORAN Development Company (ODC) have agreed a strategic partnership through which they say they will develop and test innovative open RAN (ORAN) solutions tailored to unique requirements of networks across Africa.

Built at du’s Dubai headquarters, the 5G-A Innovation Center is going to be a key building block of the next generation of 5G, not just for the UAE but for anyone associated with the next iteration of 5G.

Philippine telco PLDT has reportedly launched what it’s billing as an “uninterruptible fiber internet connection” service that uses fixed wireless access (FWA) LTE as an automatic backup connection in case of a fibre outage.

MTN South Africa has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Telecom Global and Huawei to develop digital infrastructure across MTN’s African footprint.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stated that 227 million new people connected to the internet for the first time in 2024, bringing the total number of connected people to over 5.5 billion.

Satellite communications company Viasat has announced that it has successfully demonstrated direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity in Saudi Arabia for the first time, in conjunction with its ecosystem partners.

South African operator MTN is launching an own-branded 5G smartphone. Called the Icon 5G, the new MTN smartphone will sell for 2,499 rand (about US$138). The smartphone is manufactured by ZTE.

A reminder of the difficulties that can be faced by a global brand working in multiple territories with specific local rules and concerns comes from multinational technology company Apple, which is facing two very different regulatory challenges in two very different regions.