Smartphone financing company M-KOPA hailed reaching the milestone of providing over five million customers with loans in Africa totalling US$1.5 billion.

ASN announced on Wednesday it is collaborating with seismic instrumentation company Nanometrics and environmental monitoring firm RBR to integrate climate-change monitoring tech into subsea cables, starting with a new cable project underway in the Pacific Islands.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel said on Wednesday it has launched what it claims is India’s first network-based, AI-powered spam detection solution to alert customers of suspected spam calls and text messages.

Artificial intelligence (AI) underpins two recent announcements in the Latin American region – one from technology giant Microsoft and the other from Wi-Fi optimisation specialist Galgus.

Kenyan service provider Safaricom has been in the news this week for an initiative involving healthcare – and also for a sustainability-linked loan.

At the United Nations Summit of the Future 2024 in New York  on 21 September, ZTE Vice President Summer Chen delivered a keynote speech “A Digital Future for All” during ITU’s SDG DIGITAL on how ZTE’s solutions are able to provide connectivity in some of the world’s least developed countries as well as some of its most remote regions.

Data centre operator Raxio Group says it has inaugurated Raxio Côte d’Ivoire (CIV1), described as a state-of-the-art data centre, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Ethiopia’s state-owned service provider Ethio Telecom has announced that it is rolling out what it calls its Copper Switch-Off Strategic Initiative; its aim is to migrate 100,000 of the company’s copper-based customers to high-speed fibre optic connections during the current Ethiopian fiscal year.

Tunisia’s three biggest mobile operators – Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie and Ooredoo Tunisia – reportedly submitted their applications for 5G licences on Monday, with approval expected in the next three weeks.

Qatar-based Ooredoo Group announced on Tuesday it has signed a QAR 2 billion (US$549.4 million) financing deal to help fund its plan to accelerate its data centre business and establish itself as an AI infrastructure heavyweight in the MENA region.

Indonesian telco XL Axiata says it has launched a new prepaid SIM card registration process that uses facial recognition technology as a biometric ID verification measure, following a successful trial earlier this month.

The market for Starlink’s LEO satellite services in Fiji is getting more competitive as Digicel Fiji began offering Starlink services for its enterprise customers on Tuesday, just two months after rival telco Telecom Fiji did likewise.

Malaysia-based subsea cable solutions company OMS Group said on Monday it has allocated US$300 million for strategic investments in its global cable systems and terrestrial infrastructure in the ASEAN region.

A contactless boarding pass system is set to reduce waiting times and create a better travel experience for passengers at India’s airports, according to air transport technology giant SITA.

Continuing a busy week for Nokia in terms of news headlines, operator Zain Iraq has announced a strategic partnership with the technology giant to upgrade its network in the south of Iraq.

Naver Corp, the operator of South Korea’s leading internet portal, says it has plans to establish a Middle Eastern unit in Saudi Arabia within this year as part of efforts to expand its global business.

Service provider Telia Lithuania and Ribbon Communications, a global provider of real-time communications technology and IP optical networking solutions, have come together to upgrade communications for Lithuania’s rail network.

Operator Vodacom South Africa has built an enablement platform for mobile virtual network operators and signed up its first MVNO client, declaring the platform open for business.

Digicel Papua New Guinea hailed efforts in expanding its mobile network to all 21 provinces of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, noting 4G coverage now stands at 80% in the location where in the past, it was rumoured to be exiting.

Nokia signed a deal to deploy locally manufactured 5G equipment across Vietnam for state-owned operator Viettel Group.

Vietnamese telco Viettel reportedly plans to give away 4G feature phones to 700,000 of its 2G-only subscribers to migrate them to 4G as the government’s delayed shutdown of 2G draws near.

Nokia announced on Monday that Thai wholesale network provider International Gateway Company (IGC) has deployed its next-gen optical transport solution to modernize its existing DWDM network in Thailand.

Nepalese telco Ncell has denied market rumors that it has struck a deal to take over fixed-broadband ISP Classic Tech, although it confirmed that is seeking some sort of deal with an ISP.

Axian Telecom was reportedly looking to acquire Kenya-based mobile, internet and TV provider Wananchi Group.

Safaricom and Mastercard announced on Thursday that they have signed a partnership to accelerate adoption of payment acceptance and cross-border remittance services in Kenya.

Vietnamese telco VNPT said in Thursday it has commenced work to install a cellular base station in Lao Cai province to serve a new resettlement area for Lang Nu residents displaced by Super Typhoon Yagi earlier this month.

The central banks of Cambodia and Malaysia have launched the first phase of a cross-border payments system that initially enables Cambodian travellers to purchase good and services in Malaysia using QR codes.

Tata Group, a global enterprise headquartered in India, and Analog Devices (ADI), a major player in the semiconductor business, have announced a strategic alliance to explore potential cooperative manufacturing opportunities.

The Indian Supreme Court has this week rejected a plea for a recalculation of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues from a number of telecom companies – but the main focus of the news headlines after this decision has been on Vodafone Idea.

Service provider MTN South Africa and technology giant ZTE Corporation have announced Africa's first 5G ultra-range maritime offshore coverage at Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.

Data centre provider Princeton Digital Group (PDG), a major player in the Asian market, says it has acquired powered land for 500MW capacity expansion in key markets across Asia.

One week after launching 5G across Uzbekistan, state-owned telco Uzbektelecom JSC, which operates as Uztelecom, made good on its promise to launch 5G-Advanced (a.k.a. 5.5G) this week, albeit only for testing.