Data from Dell’Oro Group showed Huawei was the leading telecom equipment vendor by revenue in 2023, but the overall market had contracted 5% year-on-year, snapping five years of consecutive growth. 

stc Bahrain has launched what it claims is the first instant mobile eSIM activation service that uses AI-powered facial recognition to authorise users, one month after Bahrain's telecoms regulator issued guidelines for facial recognition usage in telecoms services.

Thailand may reportedly lose at least one of its two satellite orbital slots next year if the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) can’t find any takers in its upcoming allocation plan.

Indonesian telco XL Axiata and Nokia say that they have successfully completed a five-year project to modernise around 4,400 of XL Axiata’s existing sites in Central Java, to include 5G deployments in four cities.

MTN, the largest mobile network operator in Africa, and global communications provider Omnispace have announced a collaboration to provide voice, data, fintech, digital, enterprise, wholesale and API services to over 290 million customers in 19 countries.

Private equity firm KKR & Co will invest US$400 million in telecoms tower operations in the Philippines, according to an announcement made by the US Department of Commerce this week.

A number of Indian press reports have suggested that state-owned operator BSNL has installed 3,500 4G-capable base transceiver stations (BTSs) in five north Indian states, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh West.

Malaysian operator Maxis revealed on Tuesday that it has signed an MoU with Dell Technologies to design cybersecurity and 5G-powered endpoint solutions for enterprises.

Cambodia’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunication has reportedly promised that the ministry is preparing to launch 5G technology in in the “near future” to support the country’s digital ambitions.

Leading global connectivity providers Arelion and Telxius say they are collaborating to expand connectivity to North and Latin America.

The volume of payment technology news from Africa grows apace with two recent announcements: a payment services licence for Unlimit in Tanzania and two companies – ExiPay and Izwe – teaming up to launch a new point of sale device in Zambia.

Thai operator AIS is in the news again today, this time through the announcement that it is joining forces with IPification to deliver next-generation phone number verification solutions to Thailand.

Technology giant Microsoft has said it will train 100,000 Philippine women in artificial intelligence technology and cybersecurity.

Research group Opensignal has produced its latest analysis of the mobile network customer experience in South Africa, in which, it says, MTN again takes home the largest haul of awards.

AIS partnered with Google Cloud to deliver a suite of business solutions to SMEs in Thailand, a move to push growth in its enterprise segment. 

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) revealed key initiatives on Monday to boost local development of 5G and 6G use cases, as well as a skilled workforce to support it.

Digicel Samoa announced on Monday that it has been granted conditional approval from the Government of Samoa to launch 5G technology, and is already working with Nokia to upgrade its cell tower sites.

NOW Telecom suffered another legal setback in its quest to become the next major telco in the Philippines after the Supreme Court upheld earlier rulings denying its petition for a preliminary injunction against the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Networking systems, services and software company Ciena has announced an upgrade to support growing demand for more bandwidth for the SEA-ME-WE 4 cable across the Asia-to-Europe route.

Wholesale connectivity provider Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet), which operates Botswana’s largest fibre network, is boosting its offering with solutions from DZS.

Last week’s inauguration of Tunisia’s Ifriqiya submarine cable is part of a wider plan to boost the country’s international connectivity, according to a number of reports.

Tower company  Edotco Bangladesh revealed on Thursday that it signed an MoU with Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) to collaborate on deploying a telecoms tower in Bangladesh made of fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP).

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on Friday that its next spectrum auction – which will put more 5G bands on the block – will commence on May 20, and has invited all players to apply.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has reportedly opened its long-awaited 5G spectrum auction to all players, starting with the 2500-2600 MHz band, with more bands to follow in the coming days.

Airtel Tanzania managing director Dinesh Balsingh revealed the operator had expanded its coverage with newly constructed towers, as part of an initiative to boost connectivity in rural locations, The Citizen reported.

MTN Uganda Mobile Money managing director and CEO Richard Yego revealed the operator is aiming to almost double its loans to UGX1 trillion (US$256,000) this year. 

As Nigeria’s MVNO sector gathers pace, software solutions provider Mobilise has launched Tier 5 MVNE services to cater to this burgeoning market segment.

Colt Data Centre Services (Colt DCS) announced on Thursday that it has purchased a new 10-acre plot in Ambattur, Chennai, on which it will build a hyperscale data centre to expand its presence in Southern India.

Cloud service provider Liquid C2 has announced collaborations with global technology leader Google Cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic to deliver advanced cloud, cybersecurity solutions, and generative AI (gen AI) capabilities to African businesses across the continent.

EcoCloud, a leading Kenyan provider of sustainable data centre solutions, and G42, a UAE-headquartered technology holding group, have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) highlighting plans for a data centre powered by geothermal energy.