Investors continue to display a strong appetite for data centre investment in the Asia Pacific region. The data centre market across the region is expected to see another record year in terms of investment, with an estimated US$1.8 billion in direct investments already transacted in the first half of 2021.

Satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks specialist Hughes Network Systems and Bharti group-backed low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb have signed an MoU for a strategic agreement to distribute satellite services in India to large enterprises, small and medium businesses, government, telcos, and ISPs in the rural and remote parts of the country.

International rating agency S&P maintained Bharti Airtel’s credit rating of “BBB-“, and upgraded outlook to stable from negative, indicating the company’s improved financial status and ability to pay back debt.

The principal telecommunications company in Bahrain Batelco has announced the expansion of its mobile network, to cover major housing developments currently being built by the Ministry of Housing and the private sector across Bahrain.

African telecommunications giant MTN Group and its Nigerian operation have had a good week with both the announcement of a new multi-country mobile payment deal for MTN Group and also a licence renewal for MTN Nigeria in the past few days.

In an interesting example of cooperation to avoid duplication, Tanzania is planning to use electricity infrastructure to deploy broadband services.

The mobile telecommunications provider in Malaysia, Celcom Axiata Bhd is prepared to launch its 5G technology services by the end of this year.

ZTE Corporation has exclusively won the bid for 5G nomadic base stations from China Mobile Research Institute.

Latvian network operator Latvijas Mobilais Telefons (LMT) has set up a 5G mobility innovation testbed at the Bikernieki racetrack in the capital city of Riga.

Netcracker Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, extended its contract with Maxis, Malaysia's converged service provider, for its Digital OSS, which provides the underlying digital and automation foundation for Maxis including fibre optic footprint and next-gen IP network.

Uganda’s number three operator, Africell, is to leave the country after seven years.

Broadband satellite networks and services provider Hughes Network Systems and Indonesian operator DTP plan to connect citizens in Papua and throughout Indonesia with satellite broadband.

The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has submitted an offer to buy a 60% stake in the mobile phone towers unit of the kingdom’s second-largest telecom company, Zain KSA.

Indonesia’s biggest cellular operator Telkomsel chose Infinet Wireless solutions for building up a radio link of 180 km to provide connectivity in challenging terrain.

Namibia's largest telecommunications company, Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC Namibia) is set to list on the Stock Exchange (NSX) by the end of November 2021 and 367.5 million shares are to be made available to the general public, MTC chairperson Theo Mberirua said.

5G will accelerate the adoption of Smart Home IoT devices, such as Smart TV (29%), Smart Health Systems (21%), and Smart Speakers (17%), said a survey.

The South African dispute that has delayed a planned spectrum auction in the country still hasn’t been resolved. However, communications regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) on Tuesday moved to avoid a lengthy court battle over the issue, saying it believes the auction could still happen by January.

The Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) has announced continued enhancements in its drive to expand mobile coverage in rural areas.

According to a number of reports, PLDT, a leading operator in the Philippines, is considering selling its data centres, with a potential value in the region of half a billion dollars. However, its towers, also the subject of sell-off speculation, could make even more money.

Africa’s largest fintech platform has been celebrating a major milestone with the news that M-Pesa has reached 50 million monthly active customers, cementing its position as Africa’s largest fintech platform.

Debt-laden telecommunication services provider Vodafone Idea (Vi)’s precarious risk position is likely to impact its rivals, the government, and the other stakeholders at large and could jeopardise the telecom industry in India.

Indonesian wireless network provider Telkomsel closed another tower sale with Dayamitra Telekomunikasi (Mitratel), selling 4,000 units for IDR6.2 trillion ($434.8 million) and agreeing on a ten-year leaseback.

Philippines' largest publicly-listed telco Globe Telecom said its diversification into non-core businesses was bearing fruit, allowing it to move beyond traditional telecommunications and transform the company into a “digital solutions group.”

Russian production company Star Media has unveiled the new streaming service 'Lava', which promises to offer more than 7,500 hours of content to a Russian-speaking audience abroad.

Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has announced that the country’s national SIM card re-registration process will start at the beginning of October. Ghanaians over the age of 15 will have until 31 March 2022 to re-register their SIM cards.

Tower sales are back in the news. This time an operator is selling its towers in Russia to a company keen to expand its infrastructure portfolio – and making just under a billion dollars from the deal.

Saudi Telecom Company (STC), the provider of telecommunications services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said that its internet-services unit Arabian Internet and Communications Services Company is seeking to raise as much as 3.62 billion riyals (USD 966 million) from an initial public offering (IPO) in Riyadh.

Indian telecom sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said that special mobile number portability (MNP) specific tariffs are discriminatory and a violation of current rules.

Telecom operators in Rwanda will be implementing new directives for SIM card registration in a move Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) said will help curb fraud.

Russian communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has blocked six providers of virtual proxy networks (VPNs), which people can use to circumvent government restrictions on the Internet.

Toko Wireless (Tonga) and WanTok Networks (Vanuatu) have announced the formation of WanTok Pacific Corporation, a company that will launch a new local mobile operator and, it says, provide a full suite of additional telecom services.

The UAE has a strong mobile market, dominated by Etisalat and du. Both are majority-owned by the government. In a bid to attract additional foreign investment, it was resolved in early 2021 that the stake held by foreigners in the two companies could be increased.

Jordan’s government has focussed on the use of ICT in a range of sectors, aimed at transforming the relatively small economy through the use of digital services.