ThinkWiFi, an Africa-based ad-tech free Wi-Fi internet service provider, and Mawingu, an internet service provider backed by Microsoft, have announced the launch of the first outdoor Telecom Infra Project (TIP) OpenWiFi network in Kenya.

Cambodia’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Chea Vandeth, has announced government plans for a submarine cable connection from Hong Kong to Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh in 2024.

Senegal’s regulator ARTP (L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes) has confirmed plans to launch national mobile roaming this month, ahead of 5G licence allocation by end-July.

Uruguay’s 5G spectrum auctions have concluded with the local units of Claro and Movistar each obtaining holdings in the 3.5GHz band.

RETN, an international network service provider, has announced the launch of a new fibre route connecting Berlin in Germany and Poznan and Warsaw in Poland.

Telecom Egypt announced the landing of the 2Africa subsea cable in Port Said, a move that will enhance connectivity in Egypt and provide capacity for the operator to grow. 

Claro Colombia has deployed solutions from Casa Systems as it seeks to expand its broadband capacity and build a converged, cloud-native network.

MTN celebrated its super app Ayoba for gaining 25 million monthly users in four years after launching, with ambitions laid out to reach 100 million by 2025.

Yet another private 5G initiative has hit the headlines, with news that Ericsson and operator Telia have launched the Baltic region's first enterprise 5G private network, Ericsson Private 5G.

Axess Networks, a global provider of satellite communications solutions, has announced plans to connect more than 700 new 4G nodes via satellite as part of the CFE TEIT programme, a national development plan in Mexico. TEIT stands for TElecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos or Telecommunications and Internet for All.

The Middle East data centre market has been in the news recently, with plans announced for a massive new data centre in Cairo and the arrival of a new report suggesting impressive growth expected for Oman’s data centre sector.

Private networks are in the news again. This time Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía, a port terminal in Cartagena, Colombia, is announcing that it is the first multipurpose terminal to adopt a private 4G technology in Latin America after a deal involving Nokia and operator Claro Colombia.

The new Nokia Middle East and Africa (MEA) Mobile Broadband Index research report is out. It confirms that the Middle East is far ahead of Africa in terms of 5G adoption, and that many operators in Africa are still developing their business models around 4G.

Ecobank Kenya, in collaboration with Fingo, a Kenyan fintech, has unveiled the Fingo Africa banking app, aimed at young people. Launched last week in Nairobi, the app will roll out across Ecobank’s pan-African footprint of 33 countries as well as France, the UK, the UAE and China.

South Africa’s Eastern Cape is getting its own internet exchange point (IXP). INX-ZA, an autonomous division of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) of South Africa, has launched the Nelson Mandela Bay IXP, or NMBINX in Gqeberha, about 770 km east of Cape Town, providing what is described as a boost for business and for the growth and development of the Eastern Cape internet ecosystem.

As promised earlier this year, South African operator Rain is no longer a data-only service provider. It is now part of the country’s highly competitive mobile network space, joining Vodacom, MTN and Telkom with a network offering national voice, SMS and data coverage.

Bahraini broadband provider BNET signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to identify strategic objectives, outline governance rules, and set the terms for long-term collaboration, reported CommsUpdate.

Bolivia and Costa Rica have separately issued major updates regarding 5G progress in their markets.

Carrier-neutral data centre services provider GPX Global Systems, in collaboration with Redcon Group, a major name in construction, has announced a new data centre investment in Egypt.

Hispasat has secured the infrastructure deals required for its Amazonas Nexus satellite to begin operations.

Malaysian operators have thrown their weight behind the government's decision to reverse course and create a second 5G network.

Cuba's second-ever submarine cable, connecting Cuba to Martinique and deployed by Orange, is now being tested. The testing process began in April.

Orange Jordan has chosen Nokia’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment for its nationwide deployment.

Philippines-based NOW Corporation, which has investments in telecoms, media, and technology, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity to the Philippines.

Underlining the massive streaming potential of the mobile phone user market in Africa, Wi-flix, described as the fastest-growing streaming platform in Africa, has expanded its presence to Zambia following the launch of packages with mobile telecommunications giant MTN.

Zoom Video Communications (ZVC) India, a division of video-first unified communications platform provider Zoom, has announced that it has received three licenses from the Indian Department of Telecommunications (DoT): a unified license with pan-India access, a national long-distance licence, and an international long-distance licence.

A new partnership aims to offer advanced satellite data and monitoring that, the partners say, will transform disaster response and environmental monitoring in Southeast Asia.

Vodacom has become the first operator in Mozambique to launch commercial 5G, with its network now available in Maputo City.

Philippines-based operator PLDT revealed it is in discussions with consortium partners to build another subsea cable with ambitions to increase international data capacity to 1Tbps in the next five years.