Nokia secured a contract to supply Uzbekistan-based operator Perfectum with equipment and software to construct its standalone (SA) 5G network, in line with the operator’s plan to commercially launch Central Asia's first SA 5G network. 

MTN South Africa partnered with banking and financial services companies to integrate digital payments solution Payshap into its mobile money platform MoMo, a move MTN claimed will bridge the gap for the unbanked.

Thai telco True Corp has launched artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for local businesses as it seeks to increase the share of AI-driven revenue in its digital services business to 30% by 2027.

The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) has signed an MoU with SpaceX’s Starlink to provide internet access in Indonesia as the LEO satellite operator awaits final regulatory approval to operate in the country.

In a move it says is  set to “boost the transition towards a cashless economy and support the national digitalisation agenda”, UAE operator du has announced the launch of du Pay, offering what it calls transformative fintech solutions for UAE residents.

Vietnam’s biggest technology firm, FPT, has announced what it calls a comprehensive strategic partnership with technology giant Nvidia, aiming to offer what it calls a one-stop shop for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea's much heralded Rs18,000 crore (about US$ 2.2 billion at current exchange rates) follow-on public offer (FPO), India’s biggest, was fully subscribed by its third day, according to local news reports.

Claro Brazil will reportedly gain a US$7.7 billion cash injection over the next five years to upgrade fibre optic and 5G networks in Brazil.

Chinese telecoms equipment vendor ZTE said on Friday it has collaborated with China Mobile and Qualcomm to achieve a peak download rate of 5.4 Gbps on a 5G-Advanced network by combining three-carrier aggregation with 1024QAM.

Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has reportedly teased some upcoming big announcements regarding 5G developments in the next few weeks that will focus on boosting uptake in the industrial sector, among other things.

The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) says that it has set price caps on mobile and fixed termination rates for the next five years in a bid to foster better competition in the country's telecoms sector.

Shareholders in South African service provider Telkom will soon vote on a plan to sell the group’s towers and masts to a consortium led by private equity firm Actis.

Two recent announcements from Saudi Arabia highlight the growing momentum in that country behind smart city development.

NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL), a division of Indian state-owned power giant NTPC, has signed an initial pact with India's leading passive telecom infrastructure provider Indus Towers Ltd (ITL), related to the need to pursue green energy objectives and support for the government's efforts towards a carbon-neutral economy.

The Malaysian government has announced some ambitious investment plans to raise the country’s profile in digital technology in the coming years.

The Philippine government launched the first phase of its National Fibre Backbone (NFB) project on Friday, which it says will boost the country’s economy as well as its digital ambitions.

Internet services in Bangladesh have been partially disrupted since early Saturday morning after the SEA-ME-WE 5 submarine cable was damaged, knocking out two-thirds of the country’s international subsea capacity.

Apple has complied with an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China to pull WhatsApp and Threads from the Chinese version of the App Store.

Africa Mobile Networks Group (AMN) announced on Thursday that its first of its base stations in Nigeria to connect to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is now live and using the LEO satellite network for backhaul connectivity.

Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) has published a draft decree in line with the Regulation of the Law for the Promotion of a Connected Peru, passed in June last year, in which it lays out a number of proposals, notably the partial phasing out of public telephones.

A number of news outlets are reporting plans by digital infrastructure company Equinix to build a $130m data centre in Santiago, Chile. This will be the company's fifth Chilean facility.

UAE telco du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global internet provider Expereo to help it provide network connectivity to global enterprises with a local presence.

MTN Group announced on Wednesday it has officially inaugurated a Technology Innovation Lab in partnership with Huawei Technologies that aims to help accelerate digital transformation and sustainable development across Africa.

Telkom Indonesia’s international arm Telin announced on Thursday that it has signed a new Master Service Agreement (MSA) with Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata to provide managed services for international A2P SMS traffic to help it combat spam and fraud.

Egypt’s National Telecommunication Institute (NTI) has partnered with Arab Security Consultants (ASC), a distributor of the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) in Egypt, to bolster collaboration in network security and cybersecurity.

Operator Tigo Tanzania has announced the launch of what it calls a first-of-its-kind fibre-to-home and fibre-to-office internet service that is designed to enable consumers and businesses to have access to reliable, low-latency and high-speed internet for households and businesses.

Suriname’s Telesur has completed the migration of its fixed line customers onto Cerillion’s convergent BSS/OSS platform.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea’s Rs 5,400 crore (about $645.5 million) offer of shares to anchor investors was fully subscribed on Tuesday.

PLDT’s wireless unit Smart Communications said on Tuesday that in the first quarter of this year, it has blocked more than 13 million SMShing (a.k.a. “smishing”) messages designed to help criminals take over people’s social media accounts.

Ciena announced on Tuesday that Indonesian internet services and integrated network access provider PT Parsaoran Global Datatrans (a.k.a. HSPnet) launched high-capacity services of up to 6 Tbps on two fibre cable systems using Ciena gear earlier this year.