Uzbekistan’s state provider Uzbektelecom claims to have made significant strides in its push to replace its copper communication networks with fibre-optic infrastructure.

The Bank of Tanzania (BOT) has granted its approval in principle for Cellulant Corporation to operate as a Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) in Tanzania.

Indian multinational telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel will collaborate with the semiconductor giant Intel for 5G network development by leveraging vRAN / O-RAN (virtualised/ open radio access network) technologies.

Israeli cybersecurity company Cybereason has announced the acquisition of empow, a security analytics company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ukraine's monopolist telephone company Ukrtelecom JSC has expanded the coverage of its fibre-optic network in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Chilean telecommunications regulator the Subsecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) has announced the launch of a public tender for the deployment of a fibre optic project in the country’s Tarapacá region.

Users of fixed and mobile networks in Vietnam are facing connectivity issues once again after the latest round of problems affecting the Asia America Gateway (AAG) cable.

The government of Tamil Nadu has signed MoUs with two firms with the goal of constructing data centres in and near Chennai.

Vodafone Fiji has tapped Aryaka Networks to provide it with SD-WAN solutions so that it can provide fast and secure connectivity to enterprise customers in the Pacific region.

Special purpose vehicle Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), on behalf of India's Department of Telecommunication (DoT), came out with a global tender for the development of BharatNet through public private partnership (PPP) in nine separate packages across 16 States for a concession period of 30 years.

Canadian supplier of mobile and broadband wireless solutions NuRAN Wireless has signed a memorandum of understanding with MTN South Sudan for the deployment of rural sites under the network-as-a-service (NAAS) model.

Brazilian telecommunications company Algar Telecom, a telecommunications and technology company belonging to the Algar Group, has just launched Controle de Ponto, an electronic timesheet digitalization solution, developed in partnership with Tangerino, a company specializing in workday management technology.

Tower Infrastructure Trust (Tower InvIT) which is sponsored by Brookfield and backed by leading global infrastructure investors has struck a deal to acquire telecom infrastructure provider Space Teleinfra (STIPL), a leading indoor coverage solutions provider in India, for an equity consideration of Rs 900 crore (USD 121 million).

Pakistani operator Jazz has announced a successful roll-out of massive MIMO technology, which, it says, enhances the 4G experience.

A 22km interconnected fibre optic network linking Cameroon and Gabon is now officially launched and operational.

MFS Africa, which describes itself as Africa’s largest payment gateway, has announced its entry into Sierra Leone, partnering with Afrimoney, the mobile money service offered by pan-African telecommunications company Africell.

UFINET, which provides wholesale fibre optic services across Latin America, is acquiring a majority holding in the Rio de Janeiro-based carrier NB Telecom.

Ncell Axiata’s plan to increase its 4G coverage in Nepal is taking a new stride as the company is now gradually shifting its 4G LTE operation to the 900MHz frequency band.

GDS Holdings, the largest carrier-neutral data center operator in China, announced the first step in the expansion of its portfolio to Southeast Asia with plans to develop a hyperscale data center campus in Johor, Malaysia.

Israeli real estate group Azrieli is acquiring 100% of Norway's data centre services firm Green Mountain for around $850 million, to expand its data centre activity.

Operator Moov Africa – Gabon Telecom has announced plans for an investment programme of more than 10 billion CFA francs (about $17.9 million) to bring coverage to Gabon's main roads – and many of its villages – using 3G and 4G technology.

Telefonica Colombia, a subsidiary of the Spanish telecom group Telefonica, and KKR, a global investment firm, have announced an agreement to establish Colombia’s first independent nationwide open access wholesale digital infrastructure company.

iSAT Africa and SES have signed a three-year agreement to deliver 4G services across East Africa, initially via the latter firm’s O3b medium earth orbit (MEO) constellation.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information (known locally as KemKominfo) has commenced the process of refarming 2.3GHz spectrum in a bid to improve service quality and prepare for 5G by using airwaves more efficiently.

Philippines three major telecommunications companies have completed initial tests of their technical capabilities and interoperability in preparation for the implementation of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Act.

Five of the largest network operators in the Middle East have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that commits them to the support and deployment of Open RAN technology in their future infrastructure rollouts.

Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) announced that it has awarded licences to two new mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), bringing the total number of mobile telecom companies in the country to seven.

Malawi’s mobile and information and communications technology (ICT) services provider Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) invested over MWK31.5 billion (USD38.5 million) in infrastructure during the year 2020 as part of its ongoing effort of developing a sustainable business.

The telecommunications giant operating in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region said that its quarterly net profits increased by 17% to reach 41 million dinars (US$138 million).

Brazil will confirm the date of its much-delayed 5G spectrum auction by 25th August.