Tanzania has secured what is described as a crucial position in orbit at 16 degrees West for its own satellite, paving the way for its first satellite launch.

Telefonica is reportedly considering to buy troubled Brazilian operator Oi’s broadband unit as part of expansion plans in Brazil. 

Authorized mobile phone importers in Sri Lanka have reportedly warned the government that its decision to not only raise its value added tax (VAT) next year but also apply it to mobile phones will only benefit parallel importers and make the grey market problem even worse.

The debate over power limits for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems saw a resolution of sorts at the World Radio Conference 2023 (WRC-23) in Dubai, with potential regulatory action forestalled until at least 2031.

Proof of the continuing importance of the handheld satellite phone market comes with the announcement that Thuraya has launched what it calls an enhanced generation of its popular XT-PRO DUAL satellite and cellular feature phone.

The Indian government revealed chip manufacturer Foxconn will invest INR139.11 billion (US$1.67 billion) a further in Karnataka state, a move by the Taiwan-based company to diversify away from its reliance on China. 

Germany-based LEO satellite operator Rivada Space Networks has announced a partnership with Thai Aerospace Industries (TAI) to provide connectivity services to commercial, military and general aviation sectors inside and outside Thailand.

The question of India’s use of the 6GHz band appears to remain unresolved despite the ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) reaching an agreement to open part of the 6GHz band for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) – or mobile telephony services.

Last week’s news that tower company IHS had boosted its offer to MTN Nigeria for the lease of 2,500 tower sites in an apparent attempt to get it to reconsider its contract with American Tower Corporation has received short shrift from the operator.

Copia Global, an e-commerce/fintech platform for African mass-market consumers, and payment giant Visa have announced a strategic five-year partnership to provide digital financial services to middle to low-income consumers in Kenya.

Indonesian telco Telkomsel is collaborating with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to launch ‘5G Hive Laboratory’, a research centre to develop 5G tech solutions and innovations.

Ericsson and Malaysian wholesale 5G operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) said on Wednesday that they have successfully completed a proof of concept that uses intent-based operations powered by AI and ML to manage radio sources more efficiently.

Vietnam-based Viettel Group is reportedly making plans to expand its operations in Cambodia via local subsidiary Metfone to invest in more technologies and create jobs.

The Rwandan government has partnered with Ignite Power, a provider of solar-based solutions, to connect schools in the country to the internet and solar power.

Eutelsat OneWeb has signed an exclusive distribution partnership agreement with Libyan operator RLTT (Rawafed Libya for Telecommunications & Technology) to provide high-speed, low latency connectivity across Libya.

Indonesia’s new internet satellite, SATRIA-1, has reportedly been successfully tested and should be ready to begin operations in early 2024.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital has been split into separate entities to enable the government to better focus on its digital transformation policies amid the rapid evolution of digital technologies.

How can digital twin technology, AI/ML, and satellite imagery improve water management? A new deal between the water authority of Ethiopian city Dire Dawa and climate technology solutions company Nedamco Ethiopia may provide the answer.

Croatian service provider Hrvatski Telekom and Montenegran operator Crnogorski Telekom have selected Croatian telecoms manufacturer Ericsson Nikola Tesla as the sole supplier of software and connected services for implementation of new 4G/5G core networks.

Operator Djibouti Telecom says it has developed D-Money, a new online payment service for port workers.

Mobile industry grouping the GSMA has announced the launch of its newest GSMA Innovation Fund, in partnership with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), to address humanitarian challenges.

Smartphone shipments in Latin America surged by 17% in Q3 to 31.8 million units, snapping six consecutive quarters of decline. 

Vietnamese incumbent telco VNPT called for a 5G platform-based approach to developing sustainable digital and IoT ecosystems in Vietnam, and called on the government to enact policies to nurture that ecosystem.

Brunei telco Datastream Digital (DST) has signed a deal with Ericsson to migrate DST’s customer interaction app to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud to boost its omnichannel capabilities.

Last week saw operator Claro Peru inaugurate what it calls the most modern Tier III data centre in the country to meet the growing demand from the country’s companies and public entities to bring many of their processes, virtual infrastructure, processing and storage capacity to the cloud.

Short video app TikTok plans to take a controlling stake in an e-commerce unit of a major Indonesian technology firm, PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia.

A satcoms collaboration described as “groundbreaking” has been signed in the past few days. Its aim is said to be to evolve the landscape of satellite imagery capabilities and geospatial services in Southeast Asia.

Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) warned sellers of Starlink equipment in the country to cease operations as the Elon Musk-owned satellite connectivity provider, has yet to gain a licence to operate.