Operator Vodafone Oman and vendor Ericsson say they have carried out a successful test call that will pave the way for the commercial introduction of 5G standalone (SA) voice and data services for Vodafone subscribers in the Sultanate. 

India’s STL (Sterlite Technologies Limited) is divesting its support, monetisation, networking, and analytics solutions business to Skyvera.

The long-awaited end of charges for roaming between Brazil and Chile is not happening after all – or at least not yet.

Could the rollout of 5G services across India by operators be slowed without heavy investment in tower connectivity? That appears to be the question asked by ratings agency ICRA, which suggests that some three trillion rupees (about US$36.7 billion) will need to be spent over the next four to five years to fiberise towers.

Bangladesh’s Grameenphone has recorded increased year-on-year revenue for its seventh consecutive quarter, shrugging off a months-long government-imposed ban on SIM sales.

Bite Lithuania hailed 5G data speeds up to 2.679Gbps, which it claimed bested rival records, as the operator edges closer to launching its commercial network for smartphones next month.

Telecom Egypt acquired 5MHz of spectrum in the 1,800MHz band for US$125 million as the operator looks to support rising traffic on its network.

State-owned Indian operator BSNL has apparently partnered Echelon Edge, a global information technology and system integration company. The aim? To set up private 5G networks.

Malaysian rural broadband service provider MEASAT has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Parcel365, an app-based platform that allows consumers and sellers to send and receive parcels 24/7.

YahClick, the data solutions subsidiary of UAE-headquartered satellite operator Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), has signed a US$15 million six-year strategic partnership agreement with Canar Telecommunication Co of Sudan, further expanding YahClick’s satellite broadband presence in Africa.

The government of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) has embarked on a national fibre ring project that will connect to the Arcos-1 system.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has cautioned several operators for applying for authorisation to land submarine cable systems in which they hold no stakes.

Zimbabwe’s telecoms regulator stated prolonged power blackouts are causing multiple network issues in the country.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) said it is nearing complete nationwide network integration, a move that will boost coverage and customer experience.

Niger’s government will abolish the tax on incoming international traffic (Taxe sur la Terminaison du Trafic International Entrant, TATTIE), according to reports in Agence Nigerienne de Presse.

Argentina’s telecoms regulator will roll out a new rule demanding operators register customer biometrics when switching to new SIM cards, a move to boost security for subscribers and curb SIM hijacking.  

Antel, the leading mobile operator in Uruguay, is working with VMware, a provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, for a use case-driven trial using the VMware Telco Cloud Platform to support a proof of concept (PoC).

India seems to have taken the self-sufficiency theme to another level with a home-grown mobile operating system developed at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. It’s called BharOS (Bhar is short for Bharat, or India).

The Russian government has reportedly objected to operator Veon planning to join a raft of companies in selling off assets in the country and exiting the market.

Uzbekistan's state-owned operator Uzbektelecom has signed a new infrastructure agreement with four Japanese firms - Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), NEC, NTT and Toyota Tsusho.

Nigerian operator Mafab Communications met its deadline extension and finally launched 5G services after months of delay.

Electronic financial service ZainCash Iraq has announced the launch of Western Union international money transfer services through the ZainCash mobile application, enabling customers in Iraq to connect to more than 200 countries and territories.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) showcased how it opened nearly 1,100 retail shops across 18 Indian states in the last three months, a move to serve growing demand in rural locations.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has pushed back its original SIM verification deadline from 31^st January to 13^th February 2023.

Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom blocked 2.72 billion fraudulent calls and messages in 2022, more than double the 1.15 billion figure from 2021.

Fintech provider Optasia is launching a microloan service in Guinea with pan-African Ecobank and MTN, via the latter’s MoMo (Mobile Money) service.

Mama Money, a South African fintech that offers cross-border money transfer and banking services, has partnered with AFC Commercial Bank, a market leader in Zimbabwe with a reliable and robust payout network.