PLDT stated there was no fraudulent activity in relation to its PHP48 billion (US$866 million) capex overspending last year, but profit fell in its full 2022 financial year due to the overrun.

Nokia has deployed 25Gbps-capable PON-based fibre broadband access technology for Vodafone Qatar in the Msheireb Smart City district.

At Mobile World Congress 2023, Karim Benkirane, Chief Commercial Officer of UAE operator du, presented the relationship between fibre and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in his Keynote speech.

A new internet exchange has been launched in Manila in the Philippines by two major players in ICT service provision and interconnection platforms.

Safaricom opened a US$2 million operations centre in Kenya to enhance its M-Pesa mobile money platform and prepare for launches into new markets.

The GSMA has laid out what it calls the mobile industry’s vision of how to maximise the benefits of mobile spectrum for billions of people worldwide ahead of spectrum allocation deliberations at the crucial ITU World Radio Communication Conference (WRC-23) in November and December.

Brazilian ISP Brisanet said it is still on course to launch commercial 4G/5G services in the second quarter of this year.

The Egyptian government has reportedly suspended plans to sell a stake in state-owned operator Telecom Egypt due to market conditions, reported Reuters.

WorldLink Communications, Nepal's largest private sector internet service provider (ISP), has received a series B investment of NRs 1.08 billion (about US$8.4 million) from British International Investment (BII), the UK government’s development finance institution and impact investor, and NRs 900 million (US$6.9 million) from Dolma Impact Fund II (DIF II).

Hungary’s state-owned investment vehicle Corvinus International Investment has obtained indirect minority stakes in both the mobile operator Yettel Hungary and its infrastructure unit CETIN Hungary.

Omani service provider Omantel has partnered with Wingu Group’s Djibouti Data Centre to expand into the African market and, it says, further boost its standing as a leading regional wholesale hub.

Philippines-based Eastern Communications budgeted PHP1 billion (US$19.1 million) in capex to bolster operations on the islands of Visayas and Mindanao, and complete a subsea cable, reported Philstar.

ARSAT, the national Argentinian telecommunications company, recently awarded Communications & Power Industries (CPI) an approximately US$20 million three-year contract to provide large, Ka-band telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) and gateway systems to support the ARSAT-SG1 satellite.

The African Development Fund’s Board of Directors has approved $3.9 million grant to finance an upgrade of Liberia's payments infrastructure and systems project.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies has acquired Egyptian cloud and security firm Cysiv MEA, formerly known as SecureMisr.

Slovenia’s Telemach has long been a pioneer in its market, launching the country’s first commercial 5G network in June 2021, and it has now had its achievements in 5G recognised at a global level in the Opensignal 5G Global Mobile Network Experience Awards 2022.

Fast Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) subsidiary of network solutions company Paratus Group, has announced that its 620-kilometre fibre optic network link between Muanda on the West Coast and the capital, Kinshasa, is now active.  The fibre link will deliver high-speed connectivity to the region through Paratus Group’s pan-African network.

Vertiv, a provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has formalized a distribution partnership with iPoint, one of Bahrain's largest multi-brand distributors of electronics, computer peripherals, and gadgets for individuals and businesses.

FunP Innovation Group, a Taiwan-based digital advertising sales and advertising technology conglomerate, has reportedly secured US$3.12 million in additional investments to fuel a smart retail and cloud drive into the Indonesian market.

South Africa’s Rain, which describes itself as the country’s mobile data-only network, may not be data-only for long. Its major investor, African Rainbow Capital (ARC), has reportedly said that Rain hopes to launch a full mobile service this year.

Claro Argentina has signed a collaboration deal with Empatel, an Argentinean service provider based in the remote La Pampa province.

Kazakhstan’s Kcell has launched its first 5G trial with 12 sites now live across the cities of Almaty and Shymkent.

Tele2 Russia has reportedly withdrawn its RUB478 million (US$6.2 million) lawsuit against Finnish vendor Nokia, after the company ceased supplying operators and departed the Russian market due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Rostelecom has reportedly reconsidered selling its Armenian subsidiary GNC-Alfa, and plans to invest and broaden the unit. 

Several of Digicel Group’s major creditors have reportedly expressed reservations over Chairman Denis O’Brien’s proposed agreement for restructuring the group’s debt.

The Panamanian National Public Services Authority (Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Publicos, ASEP) revealed it received a bid for the telecoms licence vacated by Digicel Panama.

PLDT subsidiaries Smart Communications and Digital Mobile Philippines struck a sale and leaseback deal with Frontier Tower Associates Philippines, for 1,012 sites worth PHP12.1 billion (US$220.7 million), continuing its tower sale strategy. 

Philippines-based operator PLDT agreed to acquire cable TV and broadband provider Sky Cable, in a move to bolster the operator’s broadband offering.