Operator Claro Costa Rica has started providing 5G services on what is described as a trial basis. Speeds of up to 1.7Gbps and the lower latency that 5G promises are part of the package.

Mauritius Telecom is in talks with operators including Reliance Jio and Orange to build a new subsea cable connecting Africa, Indian Ocean islands and Asia, a move to avoid network downtime experienced last month.

Hard on the heels of yesterday’s story about the use of multi-orbit satellite terminals on farm equipment in remote farmland throughout Brazil come no fewer than three news items focusing on how telecoms is boosting agribusiness in that country.

The UAE’s e& is reportedly considering an acquisition of Europe-focused United Group for as much as US$8.6 billion (€8 billion).

Global connectivity provider Telxius says it is opening its latest submarine cable route with the extension of SAm-1 between Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Yotta Data Services, which describes itself as India’s leading end-to-end digital transformation service provider, has announced a joint venture with BLC, a diversified entity encompassing manufacturing and services, to build a data centre near Kathmandu, Nepal.

Uzbekistani operator Perfectum will use solutions from Qvantel to help monetise the 5G SA network that it is deploying in the market.

True Digital Group announced on Monday that it is collaborating with Alibaba Cloud to launch an AI-powered ‘Climate Technology Platform’ that aims to help enterprises identify energy efficiency challenges and go green.

Philippine telco PLDT and its wireless arm Smart Communications said on Monday that the move by National Electrification Administration (NEA) to fast-track energization of rural telco facilities will help them roll out mobile services in those areas faster.

Global satellite operator Intelsat has signed a deal with agriculture and construction equipment firm CNH to install, connect and operate ruggedized multi-orbit satellite terminals on CNH farm equipment in remote farmland throughout Brazil.

Africa Data Centres, which describes itself as Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, has announced the launch of an exclusive channel partner programme, ADC Channel.

Qatar-based multinational telecommunications company Ooredoo Group has partnered with Nokia to “upgrade connectivity and drive 5G enterprise innovation”, as the two companies put it.

Ghana is the latest country to give the go-ahead to SpaceX and its Starlink satellite internet service.

The anticipated merger of Bayanat, an AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite operator, is now close to completion.

e& UAE will use cloud interconnect solutions from Nokia to deliver services for hyperscalers in its home market.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) reportedly plans to hash out guidelines for LEO and MEO broadband satellite services that could enable SpaceX’s Starlink and similar services to operate in the country.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi announced on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with energy company Petronas to develop private 5G solutions and digital apps for the oil and gas sector.

Cameroon authorities have reportedly banned imports of Starlink kits and are confiscating them at the border, even though SpaceX plans to stop service availability in the country this week.

Internet and banking services were reportedly disrupted in Mauritius on Friday due to a technical glitch with the South Africa Far East (SAFE) submarine cable, although connectivity was restored late the same day.

Bangladesh’s internet slowdown due to a break in the SEA-ME-WE-5 subsea cable may reportedly continue to the end of May due to red tape and haggling over the cost of lighting up more bandwidth on the country’s only alternate subsea route.

Saudi Arabian operator Zain KSA and network security specialist Enea have announced a collaboration to pilot the world’s first mobile network signalling overlay technology, which, they say, significantly extends signalling firewall capabilities.

Indian IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is setting up large data centres in the four regions of the country as part of its Rs 15,000-crore (US$1.8 billion) deal with state-owned service provider BSNL.

State-owned operator Pakistan Telecom revealed intentions to close its acquisition of Telenor’s local unit this year, reported Bloomberg.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday recommended that all telecoms licencees be allowed to passively and actively share all infrastructure and spectrum in the name of promoting optimum resource utilization.

The UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) unveiled on Wednesday its roadmap to not only implement 6G in the country, but to contribute heavily to the technology’s global development.

Satellite operator SES announced on Wednesday that its second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite network, O3b mPOWER, is now live and ready to provide satellite broadband services around the world.

India’s leading operator Reliance Jio is now the world's largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic consumption, overtaking China Mobile.