Telecoms players in the Philippines say that the government’s recent moves to streamline the permit process for faster network rollouts are helping, but that stakeholders need to do more to make the process smoother.

A2P voice and messaging solutions provider Vox Solutions said on Tuesday it has signed an exclusive interworking agreement Libyan mobile operator Almadar Aljadid to help it combat A2P SMS and flash call fraud.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with the country’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has launched a data-capturing scheme for Nigerian farmers.

The African smartphone market saw smartphone shipments grow by 6% year-on-year to 17.8 million units in Q2 2024, continuing recovery over the past three quarters against macroeconomic volatility.

We are now some weeks into an apparent internet slowdown in Pakistan, but no clearer on what is causing it, albeit activists and the state seem to have decided who is to blame.

Peru’s recently published Legislative Decree 1627, related to 5G deployment, comes with an attractive offer: 5G spectrum, at no apparent cost, in exchange for coverage.

North Korea’s Pyongyang Information Technology Bureau is reportedly conducting inspections of the country’s electronic payments network to update equipment and stabilize operations in a drive to boost confidence in the country's transition to digital finance.

Zambia has completed the construction of a ground receiving station which it says will pave the way for the launch of the country's long-awaited first satellite.

Singtel and Bridge Alliance said on Monday they will extend SingTel’s GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offerings to enterprises across Southeast Asia via alliance member operators, starting with Thailand’s AIS, Malaysia’s Maxis and Indonesia’s Telkomsel.

India’s state-owned operator BSNL plans to launch 4G services in the country this October, according to local news reports. This follows what seem to be encouraging trial results.

African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies has announced a strategic partnership with US connectivity innovator Globalstar to deliver advanced 5G connectivity solutions across Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf.

Bayanat, a provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, have announced the successful launch of their first low Earth orbit (LEO) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite. It went into orbit at the end of last week.

Nokia announced it secured a contract from TIM Brasil to expand the operator’s 5G network across 15 Brazilian states in January 2025, a move that will deliver high-speed connectivity to a wider population and enable enterprises to tap into digital services.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has kicked off a consultation process to develop a new framework that will make it easier for LEO satellite operators such as Starlink to acquire a licence to offer services.

Senegal finally launched its first-ever satellite, GAINDESAT-1A, into orbit on Friday – after numerous delays – marking the first stage of its budding national space programme SENSAT.

Malaysian telco Maxis says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Mobile International (CMI) to collaborate on exploring and developing private 5G applications and solutions for enterprises.

MTN Group and IHS Towers pledged to work constructively to resolve a governance issue as the firms push to bolster their relationship after resolving disagreements last year.

Bangladesh telcos Grameenphone and Robi Axiata have reportedly secured another 20 MHz of spectrum each in the 2.6 GHz band, after two years of haggling over the price per MHz.

Four out of Malaysia’s five mobile operators are officially in the running for the country’s second 5G network after submitting their bids to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Attempts across Africa to manage the proliferation of SIM cards are continuing. This time it’s Tunisia’s turn.

Blue NAP Americas, which provides businesses with data centre services, and Zella DC, an Australian company that manufactures micro data centres, have entered into a strategic partnership that initiates a reseller programme, enabling Blue NAP Americas to offer Zella DC's hybrid data centre solutions throughout the Caribbean.

Argentina’s telecoms regulator Enacom has permitted another big name in satellite services to enter the market.

Vodacom pledged to spend ZAR800 million (US$44.4 million) this financial year to upgrade its network and deliver connectivity to deep remote locations in the South African region of KwaZulu-Natal.

MTN subsidiary Bayobab signed a multi-year deal to integrate Eutelsat’s LEO satellites, a move to expand cellular backhaul and coverage in rural areas to meet rising demands from enterprise clients across Africa.

PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan said a deal is on the boil for a 49% stake in the operator group’s data centre business, despite negotiations with Japan-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) collapsing.

Malaysian telco Maxis announced on Wednesday it is partnering with Singtel to launch an all-in-one platform for 5G network, edge computing, cloud and services orchestration that enables vertical enterprises to incorporate 5G into their digital transformation strategies.

Axiata-owned telecoms infrastructure company Edotco says it has signed separate MoUs with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Axiata’s fintech firm Boost to accelerate infrastructure rollouts for digital enterprises and enable financial inclusion for tower landowners.

The first phase of OADC Texaf Digital, a joint venture between African data centre company Open Access Data Centres (OADC) and TEXAF, a major long-term investor in the economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is now live in Kinshasa in the DRC.

In a deal that seems to have been finalised last week but has only recently been widely reported, Uganda plans to sell 60% of its troubled state-owned service provider Uganda Telecommunications Corporation Limited (UTel) to Dubai-based global contractor Rowad Capital for US$225million.

Malaysian operators CelcomDigi and U Mobile, alongside ZTE announced recognition in the Malaysia Book of Records for achieving the fastest mobile speeds in in the world.

United Group announced it signed a purchase agreement for financially troubled Slovenian quad-player T-2, a move that could save the company from bankruptcy, while bolstering its local unit’s mobile and broadband offerings.