Airtel, a global communications solutions provider and a major player among India’s mobile network operators, has announced the launch in India of what it calls an Always On IoT Connectivity solution, apparently with an eye to the vehicle tracking market.

The uneasy relationship that many governments have with online discourse continues; a new law in Uganda has imposed restrictions on the use of the internet that some people feel could silence legitimate criticism.

Globe Telecom transferred 701 towers to Miescor Infrastructure Development Corporation, as part of plans to sell over 7000 towers to raise PHP71 billion to pay for coverage expansion and debts.

Guinea’s telecom minister Ousmane Gaoual Diallo has affirmed the government’s commitment to re-launching state-owned Societe des Telecoms de Guinee (Sotelgui) in the first half of 2023.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has concluded a multiband spectrum auction, bringing in a total of US$187.5 million.

The 800G Pluggable Multisource Agreement (MSA), which was established in 2019 and consists of more than 40 member companies, announces the demonstration of the industry’s first 800G-LR4 transceiver prototype with up to 10 km reach based on 200Gbps-per-wavelength PAM4 and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technologies.

Apple was again fined for selling iPhones without chargers in Brazil, this time by the Sao Paulo state court to the tune of BRL100 million (US$19m), reported Reuters.

Gulf Bridge International (GBI) is increasing its international network capacity with optical upgrades from Nokia to enable high-speed connectivity between Doha, Qatar and Milan, Italy.

Operator Airtel Africa and payments company Cellulant have announced deals that will help them to expand their presence in the Zambian market.

The Carrier and Wholesale Services division of e& (formerly the Etisalat Group) has announced a partnership with technology giant Microsoft and satellite operator SES to host the co-located SES O3b mPOWER and Microsoft ground station at Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE.

MTN Cote d’Ivoire is set to boost its rural coverage via a new agreement with NuRAN Wireless.

Brazilian regulator Anatel ruled that Telefonica can expand mobile coverage in underserved locations instead of slapping its local unit Vivo a fine to the tune of BRL45.2 million (US$8.5m).

Airtel Africa, a provider of telecommunications and mobile money services in 14 countries across Africa, is again making its presence felt in the African market with a spectrum acquisition that will boost its network in Tanzania.

The deadline for complying with the Indian government’s controversial new cybersecurity directives is likely to be extended, according to Indian media – though only for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The continuing potential of IoT as a business model has been underlined by two recent deals involving major players in both mobile and satcom markets, in this case China Mobile International Middle East company (CMI) and Yahsat.

MTC Namibia revealed it has to date deployed 475km of fibre to date across the country to meet the high demand of subscribers and reduce network congestion.