Nokia has published the findings of its latest annual Indian market-focused Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT).

Safaricom Ethiopia’s M-Pesa mobile money service has signed an international money transfer agreement with Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, which currently operates in 40 African countries.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s satellite solutions provider Yahsat, is partnering with data compression specialist Niflink to provide customisable telemedicine and e-learning solutions across its network using Niflink’s video compression technology.

Frequency division duplex (FDD) technology operating in the sub-3 GHz frequency bands has a key role to play as services evolve into the era of 5.5G (5G Advanced), says Huawei.

Cloud-based OTT video platform vendor Perception Group announced on Tuesday that mobile operator Africell Angola has launched AfriTV, an OTT mobile TV service using Perception’s TVCDN platform.

Ooredoo Group and e& Carrier & Wholesale announced that they have partnered to deploy the Gulf Gateway Cable (GGC1) subsea system to improve capacity, reliability and latency between data centres in Abu Dhabi and Doha.

The Nigerian neobank Kuda is reportedly expanding its reach with new payment licences in Tanzania and Canada.

Telecoms and agriculture are in the news yet again. Service provider MTN Nigeria has announced plans to partner the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), in disseminating weather and climate information to farmers and other users across Nigeria.

The subsea cable damage we reported recently that apparently happened along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal on 14 March has continued to make headlines in recent days.

Mastercard has signed a deal with China’s Alipay to facilitate international remittances into the market.

Jordanian operator Umniah will deploy Ericsson’s Cognitive Software AI solutions to optimise its network and address critical aspects of its network in key locations. 

Telekom Malaysia’s enterprise unit, Unifi Business, says it has launched an “e-Pharmacy” mobile application that it says enables e-prescriptions via teleconsultation for pharmacists and their walk-in patients.

Bangladesh operators Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi Axiata and Teletalk have each received a unified licence from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to streamline their operations and 5G evolution paths.

Start-up satellite manufacturer and operator Astranis said on Monday it has struck a new partnership with Latin American ISP Orbith to provide a dedicated MicroGEO communications satellite for Argentina.

Alfanet, a prominent internet service provider (ISP) in Ecuador that serves residential and commercial customers across the country, has chosen AXESS 5 ACS (Auto Configuration Server) software from device management solutions company Axiros.

Major tech player ZTE Corporation has announced that it has secured a bid for the Mexican izzi Telecom MVNO project.

Google’s in-app payment policies are once again under scrutiny from India’s competition authorities.

Philippines-base operator Globe Telecom closed the sale of 154 towers to Miescor Infrastructure Development Corporation (MIDC) for PHP 13.5 billion (US$242 million). 

UAE operator du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Samsung.

At Mobile World Congress 2024, Developing Telecoms spoke to Atilio Rulli, VP of Public Relations at Huawei Latin America & Caribbean, to discuss how Huawei’s solutions are enabling smarter connected farming in Brazil, a market where agribusiness is an enormous contributor to GDP.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has reportedly urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to do more to stop the theft of telecoms gear from cell towers, which has escalated in the last few months amid aggressive 5G rollouts.

UAE operator etisalat by e& has become the first telecom operator to partner with UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat for its Direct-to-Device (D2D) strategy to enable satellite connections for standard smartphones.

Digicel Fiji announced on Friday it is working with Nokia to upgrade its cell sites to support its 5G rollout across the archipelago, less than a month after rival telco Vodafone Fiji received clearance for a non-commercial 5G pilot.

Viettel Group announced it has officially won the Ministry of Information and Communications’ auction for the 2500-2600 MHz band for 5G usage in Vietnam.

Philippine telco PLDT announced on Thursday it plans to switch 33 facilities in Greater Metro Manila to use 100% renewable energy via a partnership with ACEN’s supply retail unit, ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions (ACEN RES).

Echostar-owned Hughes Network Systems announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan’s Republican Center of Space Communication (RCSC) will deploy its Jupiter System ground platform to connect remote villages in the country.

An expanded connectivity offering from two major names in satellite communications – Intelsat and CDL – is said to hold out the promise of delivering new land mobility services throughout India.

Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom deployed hybrid solar units across 26 sites as part of wider plans to become a net zero emissions company by 2050. 

Angola Cables, a multinational telecommunications operator of fibre optic telecommunication cables, and carrier neutral and open-access provider EllaLink have signed an agreement to boost data transfer and improve capacity between South America and Europe.

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.