Philippine mobile operator Smart Communications said on Wednesday it has launched a new service package that gives prepaid 5G subscribers unlimited data when they drop down to 4G.

Bharti Airtel Services revealed it has purchased majority control of Bharti Group’s telecoms product maker Beetel Teletech for Rs 6.6 billion (US$79.2 million).

The chairman of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Dr Sarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, has outlined some urgent policies that will be accelerated in 2024, including a number aimed at supporting the launch of new MVNOs in the market.

Elea Digital, which describes itself as the largest platform with the highest number of operational data centres in Brazil, has announced a new R$570 million (US$115.9 million) issuance of debentures linked to sustainable goals for the expansion of data centre infrastructure in Brazil.

The giant Indian business conglomerate Adani Group’s data centre joint venture with EdgeConneX is reportedly in talks with a group of global lenders to raise as much as US$400 million via an offshore loan.

Reliance Jio could gain landing rights and market access to launch gigabit speed fibre services based on satellite technology. 

Vodafone Idea denied Elon Musk’s SpaceX was looking to buy a stake in the operator as a move to deploy Starlink in India. 

Robi Axiata’s new digital services subsidiary Axentec PLC officially opened for business on Monday, offering high-tech digital solutions and services for both the Bangladesh and global market.

Three Vietnamese banks have reportedly changed their SMS notification policies in a bid to encourage customers to switch to digital banking apps, as SMS charges from telcos are too expensive.

In an interesting development in the very lucrative and competitive online shopping market in China, JD.com has reportedly won a lawsuit against rival Alibaba Group in the High People’s Court of Beijing.

Among news stories that may have sneaked under the radar during the holiday season is an interesting partnership announced about a week ago between Vienna Payment Solutions/VIPASO and technology solutions provider Interswitch East Africa (Kenya) Limited.

As might have been predicted a few months ago when the process appeared to be going slowly, the Namibian government last week extended its SIM card registration deadline.

Turkcell has signed an agreement to sell its units in Ukraine to the French investment firm NJJ Capital.

Papua New Guinea’s telecoms watchdog issued Starlink a five-year licence to operate in the island, while pledging to clamp down on illegal LEO satellite terminal operations.

Somali operator Somtel has launched the country’s first 5G network.

Indian telecoms vendor HFCL said on Monday it has landed a deal worth INR 11.2 billion (US$135 million) from state telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to upgrade its optical transport network (OTN) across the country.

True Corp’s mobile arm True Move H Universal Communication (TUC) says it has paid THB 4 billion baht (US$116.3 million) for the sixth instalment fee for 900-MHz spectrum originally acquired by Dtac TriNet (DTN).

North Korea is reportedly now taking on subscribers for a new 4G network in Pyonyang, although take-up has been slow due to limited coverage.

Network testing and benchmarking is an important way to improve operator performance and reputation.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel said on Thursday its enterprise unit has formed a strategic partnership with smart metering and digital solutions provider IntelliSmart Infrastructure to provide connectivity for up to 20 million smart meters.

The 20th of December at 9 am local time saw the start of an auction to assign 5G spectrum to various players in Colombia. But was everyone happy with the result?

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) said that operator True Corp has not violated the conditions of its approved merger with Dtac despite complaints from customers over network quality and pricing.

Varnion Technology Semesta, an Indonesian ISP focused on the hospitality sector, has tapped Nokia to upgrade its broadband network to a PON-based infrastructure.

Malaysian operator Maxis announced Wednesday it has extended its existing agreement to lease Telekom Malaysia’s high-speed broadband (HSBB) access services to 2029.

STC Group subsidiary centre3 is acquiring CMC Networks, a global service provider offering networking solutions across Africa and the Middle East.

Recent reports indicate that Japan has agreed to provide grant aid worth up to 2.3 billion yen (about US$16 million) to Cambodia for its National Data Centre and government digitisation plan after a meeting between senior officials from both countries.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) set a deadline of 28^th February 2024 after which operators must fully block any SIM cards that are not registered to a National Identification Number (NIN).

Telecom Egypt is reportedly in talks to sell and lease back the majority of its tower footprint to raise up to US$250 million, as three major tower players have shown interest.

Viettel High Tech has officially handed over its private 5G technology solution to Indian network and engineering services provider QuadGen Wireless Solutions to manufacture and sell the technology in India.

Singapore-based data centre firm Digital Edge announced on Tuesday it has increased its stake in Indonesian digital infrastructure company Indonet by acquiring all remaining shares held by Indonet’s original founders.

Philippine mobile operator Smart Communications says it has successfully tested transport network disaggregation tech that it hopes to use to make its network more efficient, flexible and scalable.