Yet another initiative to increase the reach of the cashless society has been announced – this time in Sri Lanka.

Two technology companies, Group 42 (G42), based in Abu Dhabi, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, based in Israel, have agreed to form a new joint venture (JV) that aims to commercialize artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies and solutions for multiple sectors.

Indonesia has commenced the auction phase of its 2.3GHz spectrum tender.

Telxius, a leading neutral telecommunications infrastructure operator with an extensive tower and submarine cable portfolio, has announced that it is providing diverse subsea capacity between Brazil and Argentina through a new submarine cable.

Fast-growing pan-African operator Africell has signed a multi-million-dollar agreement with wireless transport solutions company Aviat, which will provide Africell with a 5G-ready end-to-end disaggregated transmission network across multiple African countries.

Indosat Ooredoo, the wireless telecommunications provider in Indonesia, has conducted OpenRAN (Radio Access Network) field trials on its video grade 4G network, including proof of concept and functional testing.

MTS, Russia’s largest mobile operator, and the Chinese tech giant Huawei have activated 5G networks at 14 iconic locations in Moscow.

Global smartphone shipments surged to 340 million units in Q1 2021, up +24% YoY representing the highest growth since 2015, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics.

State-owned operator Telecom Egypt and Sudatel Group, a leading telecommunications service provider in Sudan, have signed a cooperation agreement in the field of international connectivity.

Slovenia’s multi-band 5G spectrum auctions have generated a total of EUR164.2 million (US$195.7 million).

Registration of new SIM cards had been suspended in Nigeria for about four months. Now there’s been a change of mind by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

International communications enabler BICS has been appointed as the main provider of managed roaming services by Unified National Networks (UNN).

The arrival of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) system will benefit underserved users in remote areas by supporting high-speed, low latency broadband service.

According to a recent report by Allied Market Research, the cybersecurity market is on its way to reaching $304.91 Billion, Globally, by 2027 at 9.4 percent CAGR; a market that had only generated $149.67 billion in 2019.

UPC Polska, the nationwide operator and provider of fibre-optic internet in Poland has expanded the coverage of its fixed broadband network services in an additional 12 cities, with customers able to reach up to 1 Gbps speed.

As promised at the launch in February, South African ISP Supersonic is now extending the coverage of its Unlimited Air Fibre wireless broadband product.

Cash is probably not going to disappear anytime soon in Africa, but a growing number of digital finance initiatives – including two recently announced in Kenya and Nigeria – may help to accelerate the process.

ScholarX Technologies Limited, an edtech start-up founded in 2016 and headquartered in Lagos, has announced a strategic partnership with telecommunications services provider Airtel Nigeria.

French regulator Arcep has approved Digicel and Free Caraibe’s network-sharing arrangement for the Antilles-Guyane region (covering French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique).

Bharti Airtel’s board has approved a proposed restructuring of the operator’s business to shift its focus towards digital initiatives.

Israeli operator Partner Communications decided not to accept any of the bids received from potential investors for a 20% stake in its fibre infrastructure unit.

Veon has partnered with ZTE to deploy Uzbekistan’s largest virtualised SDM (Subscriber Data Management) platform via its local unit Beeline.

Seamless viewing, gaming and download experiences for customers in Bahrain could receive a boost after a recent deal between Tata Communications, a digital ecosystem enabler, and Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX), its exclusive cable landing partner in Bahrain.

Senegalese regulator ARTP (L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes) has issued formal notices to two of the country’s operators for failing to comply with mobile number portability (MNP) regulations.

After signing a partnership agreement with Ericsson in late 2020, Telia Lietuva has begun deploying the Swedish vendor’s next generation mobile base stations across Lithuania.

After a slow 2020, Vietnam has logged record revenue growth from the export of handsets and components during Q1 2021.

Global payments company Mastercard and Saudi fintech business Geidea have announced a strategic partnership agreement to accept Mastercard payments for Tap on Phone solutions in Saudi Arabia. This is claimed to be the first such agreement to be signed in the Middle East and North Africa.

Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual has reportedly won 58 percent of operator Oi’s fibre business, for which it is expected to pay $2.3 billion.

Zimbabwean financial services provider First Capital Bank has announced the launch of Alisa, a WhatsApp banking chatbot, bringing together machine learning and cognitive computing technologies to provide customers and clients with various banking services.

Sri Lanka’s regulator is introducing new legislation aimed at boosting mobile coverage and service quality across the island nation.