The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended a slew of measures, including fixing minimum broadband speed at 2 megabits per second, to promote internet connectivity and increase connection speed.

MTN Cameroon (MTNC), a subsidiary of the South African multinational mobile telecommunications company MTN Group, has requested a licence from the telecom regulator to deploy 5G.

Indonesia-based mobile telecommunications services operator XL Axiata said that it has intensively built a 4G network in Banten Province in the last year. Within a year, there was the construction of more than 630 4G BTS to remote areas that were previously unreachable.

The South African telecommunications regulator has finally decided it will call a halt to emergency spectrum use by the country’s mobile operators – after more than 17 months.

AXESS Networks, a provider of connectivity solutions via satellite, has been chosen by the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) to provide connectivity and teleport services on the Appendix 30B C-band space segment on-board its Arabsat-5A satellite at an orbital location of 30.5°E with a coverage footprint across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Global smartphone shipments are continuing to grow – and that growth is being led by strong recovery in many emerging markets. That’s the view of market intelligence provider International Data Corporation (IDC) in the latest edition of its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

A1 Croatia will deploy 5G radio and core networks nationwide in partnership with Ericsson.

Honduras’ state-back operator Hondutel has revealed that its losses topped HNL298.9 million (US$12.4 million) for the first half of 2021, reportedly prompting a rescue package from the country’s government.

Iraqi operator Asiacell Telecom has chosen Nokia to build its next-generation microwave network.

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), the largest mobile network operator in Russia, has proposed spinning off its infrastructure assets, an idea it's taking to shareholders.

Chinese multinational technology company Huawei Technologies has teamed up with the Brazilian National Service for Industrial Training (Senai) to open a professional training and certification lab for the ICT and telecom sectors in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (Espirito Santo).

ZTE Corporation announced it has won the bid of the centralised procurement of IPRAN products from China Unicom.

MegaFon, the second-largest mobile phone operator and the third-largest telecom operator in Russia, announced that its revenues grew by 7.1% year-on-year to RUB84.1 billion (USD1.1 billion) in the second quarter of 2021, with underlying service revenue improving by 4.5% to RUB76.6 billion.

Confirming what a lot of people might have guessed given the events of recent years, Nigerian regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently reported an increase of over 200 per cent in data usage over the last three years in the country.

Nokia and Indosat Mega Media (aka IndosatM2), a subsidiary of telecommunications provider Indosat, have announced that together they have enabled smart Wi-Fi for what they call an improved broadband experience in Indonesia.

FiBrasil (FiBrasil Infraestrutura e Fibra Ótica SA), a Brazilian company whose focus is the construction and operation of a neutral fibre network, has announced a major acquisition with the potential to boost its coverage plans.

Another potential major player in the African mobile money market has received serious financial backing. African fintech pawaPay has announced that it has secured $9 million in a seed funding round.

Indian wireless carrier Bharti Airtel announced it plans to raise INR 210 billion ($2.86 billion) via a sale of shares to existing shareholders as it builds a war chest to prepare for the launch of 5G services.

Israeli mobile network operator company Partner Communications, formerly known as Orange Israel, has made a bid for Marathon (018) Xfone, offering ILS187 million (USD58 million) for the business activity of its smaller rival.

Hungarian IT company 4iG has signed a preliminary agreement with the Minister for the Management of National Assets on gaining a majority stake in state-owned telecom infrastructure company Antenna Hungaria (AH) through a capital increase.

Top trade and technology bodies from the US and UK have told the Indian government to adopt the 5G standards that have been recommended by the 3GPP.

Ecuador’s regulator ARCOTEL (Agencia de Regulacion y Control de las Telecomunicaciones) has begun talks with the country’s two largest mobile operators about revising the terms of their licences after they expire.

Brazilian plans to encourage lower energy use amid an ongoing drought include a mandate to federal data centres to moderate their power use.

Indonesian digital telco Indosat Ooredoo launched a commercial 5G network in Jakarta.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended to the government to reduce/remove various levies imposed on satellite operators as well as measures like avoiding intermediaries in the segment to make services affordable.

Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Contas da Uniao, TCU) has approved the public notice for the proposed multi-band 5G spectrum auction.

Chinguitel, the telecommunications service provider in Nouakchott, Mauritania has announced the launch of its first LTE-based services - 4G services - in the country capital as well as six other regions after being awarded a 4G licence last September.

Botswana’s regulator has found operator BTC (Botswana Telecommunications Corporation) guilty of violating its licence terms by preventing a competitor from accessing high-speed data connectivity.

A second data centre is on the cards for Huawei in Mexico, according to reports from an online event marking two years since Huawei’s first Latin American data centre opened in Chile. The precise location of the planned site has not yet been revealed.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), is reportedly planning to open an India office fairly soon, although specific dates have not yet been given.

Indonesia’s XL Axiata has detailed its 5G service expansion strategy as it seeks to extend its offering outside of Java.