A strategic partnership announced last week in the Philippines continues the trend towards using IoT to enhance business and public service efficiency across a wide range of use cases.

The Republic of the Congo could unlock FCFA870 billion (US$1.5 billion) in additional economic value, create more than 144,000 jobs and connect over 540,000 new mobile internet users by 2030 if it implements targeted digital policy reforms, according to a new report from the GSMA.

Messaging platform Telegram has lost its bid to overturn a government order that temporarily blocked access to the app during national medical entrance examinations, after an Indian court ruled the measure was legal and proportionate, Reuters reported.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced on Friday that its new Local Zone in Hanoi, Vietnam is now generally available, extending core cloud services such as compute, storage, networking and other services closer to customers in Hanoi.

Lao Telecom announced on Friday it has signed a cooperation agreement with Lao-China Railway Company Limited to build a 4G signal network along the Lao-China railway that will also serve passengers.

ICT company Azerconnect Group has landed a US$20 million Shariah-compliant facility from the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) to help finance telecom infrastructure development in Azerbaijan.

PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications said on Friday it has switched on a new mobile site in San Vicente, Palawan, as part of the Philippine government’s Bayanihan SIM programme to connect geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

Chinese vendor Huawei has announced a patent licensing royalty rate of US$0.50 per device for products compliant with the Wi-Fi 7 standard, as it seeks to provide greater transparency around its intellectual property licensing framework.

It’s being widely reported that Indian telecommunications company Reliance Jio is planning to develop and launch its own low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation of 1,600-1,650 satellites at an altitude of about 650 kilometres in the next two to three years.

Communication & Renewable Energy Infrastructure (CREI), a telecom energy service and asset management company and part of global corporate group two33, has received a funding boost for the expansion of its renewable energy assets across Africa.

ICT provider Seacom says it has launched a new high-capacity terrestrial network route between Nairobi and Kampala, reinforcing one of East Africa’s most critical digital corridors.

Colombia's Ministry of ICT (MinTIC) has fined operator Telecall Colombia COP7.42 billion (US$1.8 million) for failing to meet obligations attached to its 5G spectrum licence.

Telegram is challenging an Indian government order blocking access to its messaging platform, arguing the move violates constitutional protections for free speech and access to information.

Veon-owned Beeline Uzbekistan announced on Wednesday it has signed two MoUs with data centre operator DataVolt that it says will boost development of Uzbekistan’s digital infrastructure.

True Corp said on Wednesday it's joining forces with local and overseas organisations to launch a project that aims to advance development of quantum computing technology in Thailand and transform the country into a quantum hub for Southeast Asia.

Jamaican operator Flow has claimed to launch the country’s first commercial 5G network, providing coverage to around 70% of the population.

Nokia announced on Wednesday that it has been selected by Thai telecoms and digital infrastructure provider Symphony Communication to upgrade the optical equipment of the Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand (MCT) subsea cable system.

Eutelsat announced on Tuesday that Angolan telco Mercury (previously known as MSTelcom) will use its OneWeb LEO satellite connectivity services under a new multi-year, multi-million agreement.

Asiacell announced on Tuesday it has become the first telecoms company in Iraq to successfully implement IPv6 Dual Stack technology.

Satellite communications giant Viasat and Indian deep-tech company WiSig Networks say they have officially launched global testing of a newly developed Made in India 5G satellite Internet of Things (IoT) chipset.

Dubai-based telecom and digital services provider du says it has become the telco partner of SME in a Box, a flagship initiative by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Dubai SME.

Egypt has approved a US$400 million data centre project to boost the country’s cloud infrastructure, granting a license to a company called Hassan Allam Digital Infrastructure and Data Centre Solutions to establish and operate data centres and provide cloud computing services.

Indian authorities have intensified inspections around Tata Electronics’ iPhone components facility in Hosur following concerns that wastewater discharge from the site may have contaminated groundwater in nearby agricultural areas.

There are signs that some mobile connectivity is now available on Mumbai Metro 3’s relatively new underground Aqua Line, after a number of delays.

Adani Enterprises and US-based manufacturing company Jabil plan to establish an AI and data centre infrastructure manufacturing platform in India, targeting both domestic demand and global exports.

Satellite operators Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and SES reportedly face new obstacles in getting final clearance to launch internet services in India after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) expressed concerns over signal spillage in border areas.

Starlink is officially the fastest broadband option in most of the sub-Saharan African markets where it currently operates, according to the latest figures from Ookla, although many terrestrial operators offer better latency and upload speeds.

Grameenphone announced on Sunday it has launched nationwide deployment of its recently acquired 700-MHz spectrum band across Bangladesh.

Operator Orange Jordan, on behalf of Orange Money, has announced a new strategic partnership with insurance company MetLife to provide seamless access to insurance solutions via an e-wallet application, giving users tailored, digital coverage designed around their needs.

Somalia is reportedly moving ahead with its structural transition to the new generation of internet addresses (IPv6), a change necessary to build the capacity of the country's digital infrastructure and anticipate the future growth of online applications. 

Sustainable development company First WATT Renewable and operator MTN Nigeria have announced a strategic renewable energy infrastructure partnership designed to reduce diesel dependence and improve operational resilience at MTN’s critical facilities.

Bharti Airtel shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the operator’s proposal to increase its stake in Airtel Africa through a share-swap transaction with promoter group entity Indian Continent Investment Limited (ICIL).

Dubai Digital Authority, which leads the modernisation of digital infrastructure in the emirate, and technology giant Ericsson have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration on digital initiatives that support Dubai’s digital ambitions.