Nokia and Mobily have completed a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network deployment in the L-800 band in Saudi Arabia.

According to a blog on the IBM website, the technology giant has launched a proof of concept (PoC) with Movistar, a Telefonica brand, to deploy one of the first fully functional Open RAN networks, covering 81,000 inhabitants in the city of Puerto Madryn in Argentina.

South Africa’s operators will be able to make use of their emergency spectrum allocations for an additional two months after regulator ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) delayed a scheduled multi-band auction.

Recent news from India indicates that there has been a lot of activity and comment relating to 5G spectrum and its pricing and allocation. However, whether this will help to advance the rollout of 5G is hard to say.

Senegal’s Sonatel has won a contract from Benin’s government to run the state-owned SBIN (Societe Beninoise d’Infrastructures Numeriques, or Beninese Digital Infrastructure Company) with the ultimate goal of launching a third network in the market.

A major new announcement from pan-African data centre developer and operator  Raxio is a useful reminder of the continuing acceleration of data centre development across Africa.

Namibia will require all mobile phone users to register their SIM card prior to accessing services following the introduction of new regulation.

Not to be outdone by its longtime rival Globe Telecom, which this week announced a major upgrade to its 4G services while pledging new 5G coverage, Smart Communications confirmed that it has activated over 2000 5G sites in the Philippines.

South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is holding discussions with shareholders in a bid to avert the liquidation of pan-African operating group Smile Telecoms Holdings.

Nokia and Safaricom have confirmed yesterday’s news that East Africa’s first commercial 5G services have been launched in parts of Kenya, and have added more detail about the technology involved.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched an investigation into WhatsApp’s delayed and highly controversial privacy policy update.

Kenya’s leading operator Safaricom has announced plans to launch a 5G network this Friday in Nairobi and western Kenya.

According to local press reports, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Communication and Information (KemKominfo/MCI), has again opened the 2.3GHz spectrum auction in the 2.360-2.390MHz range for 4G (and possibly also 5G) services.

Andean Telecom Partners Perú (ATP Perú) has selected Nokia to support its rollout of neutral host digital infrastructure projects for both fixed fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and mobile (small cells) access in Peru.

Operator Ooredoo Maldives has announced the launch of the country’s first ever tier-III-ready data centre, providing connectivity, storage, security and support systems for IT-based services and operations for a wide range of customers.

Zimbabwe’s smallest mobile operator Telecel is reportedly courting investors to generate funds for a new network expansion.

Ooredoo Kuwait has tapped Infovista’s radio planning portfolio to upgrade over 2500 sites nationwide in a bid to accelerate its 5G network deployment.

Another 5G spectrum auction is on the way in Israel – and it could be held before the end of this year.

Globe Telecom has completed a 4G/LTE upgrade to its network in Boracay and is set to accelerate a modernisation push in other areas of the Philippines.

China is implementing new regulations aimed at clarifying the nature of the customer data that apps are allowed to gather.

TIM Brasil has announced its intention to be the first operator in Brazil to migrate its data centres to the cloud.

The government of India has fully divested its final 10% stake in Tata Communications.

Tunisia has launched its first home-made satellite. Challenge ONE was launched on 22 March with the help of a Russian launching rocket from a base in Kazakhstan.

Philippines operator Smart Communications has announced plans to roll out fuel cell sites in off-grid or hard-to-reach areas nationwide. This rollout starts in the second quarter of 2021 and will continue until the end of the year.

The government of China is reportedly turning its attention to the development of 6G technology across the next five years.

The Competition Council of Romania is investigating allegations that Telekom Romania exploited its dominance in the market by hiking fees for technical approvals.

The deployment of a submarine cable system from Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands has been announced.

Given the difficulties faced by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) lately, the Indian state-owned telecommunications provider must be delighted that it has some encouraging news to promote – in the form of an offshore satcoms partnership with Novelsat.