The two-day 2023 Global Talent Development Forum (TDF), themed "Leading an Intelligent Journey to a Bright Future", concluded successfully at Huawei’s Global Training Center in Hangzhou.

China Unicom has teamed up with Huawei to help Chinese car manufacturer Exquisite Automotive Systems (EA) deploy 5G Advanced technology on one of its production lines.

Solomon Islands operator bmobile has launched a satellite direct-to-mobile phone service to customers via a partnership with satellite phone operator Lynk Global, though the service only supports SMS for now.

There’s more data centre news from Indonesia – though the new launch and a planned development making recent headlines are not, for once, taking place in Jakarta.

Next-generation digital services and consulting group Infosys has announced what it calls a new proximity centre in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, as part of its continued growth in Europe.

Underlining the growing importance of content-driven business models in African mobile communications, mobile technology company Digital Afrique Telecom (DAT) has announced a partnership with gaming and esports entertainment company Clipfeed to bring esports to mobile operators in Africa.

Space X satellite connectivity subsidiary Starlink announced it launched broadband services in Benin, marking the sixth country in Africa to see the service. 

Armenia’s Team Telecom has completed its initial public offering (IPO), listing around 40 million shares worth AMD8.24 billion (US$19.8 million) on the Armenian Securities Exchange.

Vodacom Congo revealed it has began testing 5G technology but its strategy remains rooted to deploying 4G base stations to expand coverage, reported IT Web Africa. 

Equinix subsidiary MainOne, which provides connectivity and data centre solutions, has launched a new data centre in Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire.

Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) is reportedly making moves to convince operators in Angola, Gambia and Mauritius to buy telecoms equipment from Indian companies.

XL Axiata’s youth brand Axis has launched a set of package plans for social media users based on usage time, not data consumption.

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) Office is working on a spectrum management roadmap that could see auctions for the 3500-MHz band in 2026.

Azerbaijan’s Azercell has partnered with e& international, a unit of Etisalat, to deliver new services in the market.

As part of a drive to upgrade 3G base transceiver stations (BTS), North Korea has begun importing second-hand equipment from China’s Huawei.

Mobile and broadband subscriptions in Vietnam are predicted to see steady growth from 2023 to 2030 delivering revenue increases for operators, on the back of wider economic growth in the country. 

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison said on Thursday it has partnered with Google to launch what it says is the first Rich Communication Services (RCS) business messaging service in Indonesia.

Data centre providers ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) and Basis Bay have formed a joint venture to develop, build and operate green data centre projects in Kuala Lumpur and Cyberjaya.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) have signed a memorandum of understanding  (MoU) to develop, launch, and operate an earth observation (EO) satellite for Mauritius.

Wind power is in the news again, with Google signing a power purchase agreement (PPA) to procure renewable energy from a wind farm in Poland and Amazon announcing a new 198 megawatt (MW) wind farm in India.

State-owned Ghanian operator AT (formerly Airtel Tigo) signed a joint venture agreement with private equity firm Hannam Investments, a move to invest into the nation’s telecoms market. 

Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co invested US$58 million into Axiata research and AI unit Axiata Digital & Analytics (ADA), a move that will broaden Axiata's reach in the Asia Pacific to deliver AI and data products to enterprise clients. 

Veon’s Unitel (a.k.a. Beeline Uzbekistan) launched on Tuesday a “digital-first operator” service called OQ that will target digital-natives with “integrated digital experiences”.

Pioneer Consulting says it has completed deployment of the Togolese branch of Google's Equiano Cable for CSquared Woezon.

Liberty Networks says it successfully deployed free space optics technology from Taara to connect the Caribbean islands of St. Martin and Anguilla during a cable outage.

A new report from Google parent company Alphabet stated the digital economy of Vietnam is expected to grow 20% per year between 2023 to 2025, reaching a total of US$45 billion. 

Digital infrastructure and technology provider Cirion Technologies has announced the expansion of its carrier-neutral data centre complex in São Paulo (known as SAO1) with a new 3,600 square-metre building, increasing total capacity by 50%.

Safaricom expanded its 5G network to 35 counties in Kenya while also launching consumer incentives to boost uptake of its high speed network. 

Chapel Hill Denham’s Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund has agreed to provide long-term financing to West African solar-based internet service provider Tizeti. The senior debt facility will be used to finance the rollout of Tizeti’s state-of-the art broadband network across 15 states in Nigeria.

Indonesian multinational telecommunications conglomerate Telkom Indonesia and South Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a smart city project in what will soon be the country’s new capital, Nusantara.

True Cop stated it will appeal against the Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling demanding it pay THB7.1 billion (US$195.8 million) compensation to state-owned operator National Telecom (NT).