Japanese group OCC (Ocean Cable & Communications Corporation) is reportedly acquiring Nepalese operator Smart Telecom for NPR12 billion (US$99 million).

Malawi’s Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has approached the country’s operators to address consumer complaints over high data prices.

The latest in what appears to be a fast-growing number of data centre development plans in Indonesia has just been announced.

African Countries and telecommunications stakeholders have launched the first set of African Telecommunication Union (ATU) spectrum recommendations that focus on transforming Africa into a knowledge economy through the development of technologies that boost connectivity and innovation.

As the government of India implementing curfew and lockdown situations in many states due to surging COVID-19 cases, it becomes of utmost importance to ensure the continuity of telecom tower operations 24 x7.

O2 Slovakia, the provider of mobile service in Slovakia, has tapped Ericsson as its technology partner for commercial 5G rollout and modernisation of existing 2G, 3G, and 4G radio access network (RAN) infrastructures.

Albania’s small telecom market has experienced some significant changes in recent years. Following its acquisition of the ISP ABCom, Vodafone Albania in early 2021 committed to invest €100 million to upgrade its fixed-line infrastructure.

Nearly half a million students at Indonesian universities are to get access to what is described as a personal cloud solution over the next three years.

Azerbaijan has joined an initiative to create a single roaming space between the countries of the Eastern Partnership (EaP).

Somalia’s largest telecommunications provider, Hormuud Telecom, has announced the rollout of the country’s first indigenous mobile money application.

Etisalat’s du has partnered with Nokia to deploy a 5G network providing enhanced mobile broadband services and expanding 5G coverage and revenue opportunities.

Neterra, the Bulgarian operator for telecommunications services and projects in Southeast Europe, said that it expanded Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service in over 180 countries.

Tesla, the electric vehicle maker founded by Elon Musk, is building a Chinese-only data centre in Shanghai. This centre allows Tesla to comply with Chinese cybersecurity law in regard to data collection and storage.

A1 Telekom Austria Group, the provider of digital services and communications solutions, said it is accelerating its 5G rollout plans across Central and Eastern Europe.

Brazilian operator Oi has announced the launch throughout Brazil of Oi Conta Zap, a digital bank account managed through the WhatsApp messaging application.

Filipino operator Globe Telecom has surpassed its network upgrade targets for Q1 2021, deploying 318 new sites for a year-on-year increase of 152%.

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and broadband infrastructure provider CSquared have made an agreement that will involve leasing of GRIDCo’s excess fibre capacity to mobile network operators and internet service providers in Ghana.

Kazakhstan’s Republican Center for Space Communications (RCSC) and the global content connectivity solutions provider SES have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore satellite service agreements.

China has built the world's largest 5G high-speed mobile network with 260 million 5G mobile connections now, reported Chinese official media quoting Liu Liehong, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Finland-based smartphone manufacturer Nokia has announced that it has been selected by Taiwanese carrier Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to expand the operator’s 5G network in Taiwan.

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).