Venezuela’s fixed-line teledensity was relatively high for the region before the steady growth in the number of lines came to an end in 2015. Since then, the number of lines has plummeted, and by late 2020 teledensity had fallen to about 18.6%.

Cuba’s telecom sector remains a peculiarity, with state control having stymied rather than promoted the development of all sectors.

A1 Bulgaria has chosen Nokia as the main equipment supplier for its radio access network (RAN).

To boost the Railways network in the country, India's Union Cabinet announced to provide 5 megahertz spectrum in 700 MHz band.

Ooredoo Oman said it recently recorded downlink speeds of more than 5 Gbps on a commercial 5G Massive MIMO single sector, one of the first such tests in the region.

Indosat Ooredoo, the telecommunications provider in Indonesia, will soon launch its fifth-generation or 5G network.

Southeastern Europe (SEE) region pay-TV, internet, and telecoms provider United Group’s spate of acquisitions boost its annualised revenues almost treble in the year to March to close to EUR 2 billion.

Orange Centrafrique has been unable to offer mobile services after its core network, data centre and radio installations were destroyed in a fire on 6th June.

Lebanon’s continued rationing of electrical power in the face of national shortages may prevent state operator Ogero from providing internet services, its chairman has warned.

There’s been some Interesting news from research group IDC, which has reported a strong performance for Africa's smartphone market in the first quarter of 2021.

Orange Jordan has signed a three-year agreement with Nokia to deploy more than 100,000 units of Nokia WiFi Beacons across the country.

Telecom Egypt (TE) and Vodafone Group have inked a modified shareholders’ agreement which includes changes to Vodafone Egypt’s dividend policy.

Ukrainian telecommunications operator Datagroup announced that it has completed the acquisition of the operator Volia, the country's Pay-TV and broadband service provider.

Group Vivendi Africa (GVA) officially rolled out its broadband connectivity operations in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.

Colombia’s national spectrum agency (ANE) sanctioned Avantel, a telecommunications company based in Mexico City, for the illegal use of WOM's spectrum.

Alibaba is clearly keeping busy in the Southeast Asian market. Recent reports indicate major new or ongoing initiatives in the Philippines and Malaysia, along with general investment in the region.

South Africa’s number three operator is claiming an African first. Telkom says it has launched Africa’s first virtual card for transacting on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments.

A new deal will, it is claimed, create South Africa’s first commercial network driven by segment routing.

IoT solutions for machines and fleet management are coming to India and Qatar, according to recent partnership announcements in both countries.

Vodafone Idea signed an agreement with Huawei to expand its 4G network shortly ahead of the Indian government’s March announcement that operators must procure all equipment from trusted providers.

Indonesia’s Telkomsel has extended its 5G coverage to the cities of Bandung, Batam, Denpasar, Makassar and Surabaya.

Russian operators VimpelCom (Beeline), Rostelecom, and Megafon have agreed they will own equal stakes in their joint venture New Digital Solutions aimed at the collaborative development of radio frequencies for establishing and operating 5G mobile networks.

The Government of Uganda has secured sh700.7b (USD 200 million) funding from the World Bank to enable the country to expand access to high-speed and affordable internet.

Russian provider of telecommunication services Nauka-Svyaz, working under the Naukanet brand in the city and region of Moscow, has deployed its fiber-optic (FOCL) networks for several Moscow objects belong to the Academy of Water Transport.

Ooredoo Telecom is now the first telecom operator in Kuwait and region to offer customers the ability to conduct a complete purchasing process of a new eSIM online and without any physical interaction or signature utilizing “Kuwait Mobile ID”, a mobile application provided by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI).

Pan-African operator MTN has announced plans to commit $25 million to develop Ghana’s digital ecosystem.

An interesting link between rail and telecoms has been announced in Russia, where operator Beeline has reportedly signed an agreement to develop digital services alongside Russian Railways, the state-owned railway carrier.

Health technology is a growing theme – and opportunity – across the MEA region, so it’s perhaps little surprise that a major operator is now getting involved.

Orange Botswana has announced the launch of a new TD-LTE network for consumers and enterprises, branded as Konnecta Max.

Slovenia’s telecom sector is dominated by four operators and following significant regulatory efforts to develop competition the incumbent telco Telekom Slovenije faces stiffening challenges from operators such as A1 Slovenia and Telemach.