The shipments of mobile phones to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region grew 8.3% quarter on quarter (QoQ) in Q4 2021 to a total 6.10 million units, said a report.

Bharti Airtel, one of the leading operators in India, has announced the successful completion of what is described as India’s first open radio access network (open RAN)-based live 5G network validation in partnership with network software provider Mavenir.

A major deal, through which digital infrastructure company Equinix is to acquire West African data centre and connectivity solutions provider MainOne for an enterprise value of US$320 million, is now complete.

Lithuania’s regulator has unveiled plans for its 5G spectrum auction in the 3.5GHz band, revealing the starting price for airwaves. 

Nigeria’s government has ordered the country’s mobile operators to block SIM cards from making outgoing calls if they have not been registered to their user’s National Identity Number (NIN).

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where opposition to the recent Registre des appareils mobiles (RAM) – a tax on mobile devices – caused it to be withdrawn, it looks like the regulator, the Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications du Congo (ARPTC), is trying a different money-raising approach, this time through a tax targeting consumption.

After months of delay, Africell has finally set a date for its Angola debut next month to become the fourth operator in the country.

The Philippines-based operator PLDT has reportedly selected two bidders for half of its towers valued at around US$1.5 billion, a move to cut its debt pile.

Iliad Group has closed its acquisition of cable operator UPC Poland from Liberty Global for a total of PLN7 billion (US$1.6 billion).

Zain Global Connect (ZGC), its wholly-owned subsidiary of Zain Global, has announced that it’s investing in the development of a submarine cable that will connect the Middle East with Europe through the J2M (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Marseille, France).

According to a statement from the government of India, it is estimated that out of 5,97,618 inhabited villages in the country, 5,58,537 villages have mobile wireless broadband coverage.

The Government of India approved a revival plan for the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region, has announced that EG-IX, the first open access internet exchange in Egypt, is live and available for customers.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix has announced plans to build a brand-new data centre in the city of Salalah on the south coast of Oman.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of at least $500 billion, and Saudi telecommunications company STC Group have signed a joint venture agreement to establish a new company specializing in the Internet of Things (IoT).

The government of Papua New Guinea has passed an act imposing a tax liability on Digicel, an operator that is a major player in the Pacific and Australia.

Israel’s Ministry of Communications (MoC) has overhauled fixed broadband laws separating infrastructure and internet service provision.

Infobip has acquired a Service without Network (National) licence to operate in Zambia, which will help the firm expand in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has confirmed that it will not issue new telecoms and broadcasting licences between 1^st October 2022 and 30^th September 2023.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered that every telecom service provider (TSP) offering at least one ‘Plan Voucher’, one ‘Special Tariff Voucher (STV)’, and one ‘Combo Voucher’ renewable on the same date of every month.

Bahrain Telecommunication Company, trading as Batelco, has partnered with e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) to connect Manama Internet Exchange (MN-IX) with SmartHub Internet Exchange (SH-IX) to provide a seamless peering experience for customers, enabling a two-way data path utilising the robust global network remotely.

India’s networking market which includes Ethernet Switch, Routers, and WLAN segments witnessed a 13.6% year-over-year (YoY) growth in terms of vendor revenues during 4Q 2021 (Oct-Dec), said a study.

Israel’s Ministry of Communications has approved Amphissa Holdings’ acquisition of a 27% stake in Partner Communications for US$300 million.

With the deadline of 31^st March now elapsed, Nigeria’s government has called on the country’s mobile phone users to register their National Identity Numbers (NINs) to their SIM cards in “the next few days.”

Saint Kitts and Nevis is set to build a new data centre in a bid to boost its economy.

Indian multinational telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel and compatriot information technology services and consulting company Tech Mahindra announced a strategic partnership to build and market innovative solutions for India’s digital economy by bringing together their core strengths. The partnership will co-develop and market 5G use cases in India.

Vodacom South Africa MD Balesh Sharma is leaving the mobile operator after less than two years in the role. He has decided to pursue a new opportunity in Europe after two decades with Vodafone Group, the parent company.

UAE’s telecom major e& (formerly known as Etisalat) has announced a strategic partnership with Meta, the entity that houses Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Zambia’s regulator has claimed to have blocked over two million illegal SIM cards, a move that is part of plans to clamp down on illegal activities prevailing as citizens take up digital financial services.

Satellite operator Intelsat has been part of two very different deals recently, both underlining the diverse uses of satellite communications. One involves extending video connectivity in Brazil. The other aims to improve maritime connectivity across an area that includes Africa and the Middle East.

Nokia has instituted legal action against the Romanian government after being refused authorisation to provide 5G network hardware in the country.