The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the country’s telecommunications regulator, is extending the temporary assignment of radio frequency spectrum again – but this time operators will be charged for its use.

The Ethiopian Communications Authority opened its tender to award two nationwide full-service telecommunications licenses through auction, opening the door for international companies to bid in 2021.

Ericsson penned a five-year deal to expand and modernise Mozambique Telecom’s (TMCEL) network and digital services ecosystem, a move with a focus on boosting the operator’s mobile money solutions.

Liquid Telecom is expanding fibre access through Botswana’s Lobatse border to Gaborone, an undertaking that, it says, will dramatically increase connectivity and network capacity in the country.

Vodacom Lesotho launched an appeal against the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), which recently demanded operators must seek the watchdog’s approval before appointing senior staff.

The Indian wearables market saw a record rise in Q3 this year with units hitting over 11.8 million, a year-on-year surge of 165.1%, with strong demand swelling from lower prices and home working needs.

Russia’s State Radio Frequencies Commission has decreed that all 5G equipment used for networks in the country must be homegrown.

Zain KSA – the Saudi Arabian operator and part of Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company the Zain Group – has announced the expansion of its 5G network coverage in Saudi Arabia to Dammam’s Second Industrial City.

Fintech deals continue to make news in Africa as more companies – and countries – embrace digital payment and banking.

Saudi operator STC was preparing to expand its digital payment services into United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain, with the company currently awaiting regulatory approval.

A1 Bulgaria’s 5G network is now live in the country’s capital of Sofia.

MTN Group hailed its achievement in connecting 42 million users to its MoMo mobile money service, an acceleration attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A transaction that will create one of the largest independent tower companies in Brazil has been announced by digital infrastructure investment firm Digital Colony.

A news release from the Rockefeller Foundation announces that satellite imagery is being used for electricity consumption forecasting in Africa for the first time through a new service.

Russian operator MTS announced it will deploy the first 5G-ready dedicated network using Ericsson gear for gold and silver producing company Polymetal, paving the way for future B2B uses of 5G.

There’s a new mobile operator in Kazakhstan. Jýsan Bank, a major Kazakh bank founded in 1992, and Mobile Telecom Service, the third-largest mobile operator in the country, are to launch Jýsan Mobile Communications, an MVNO with a strong focus on banking products and services.

Hungarian operator Magyar Telekom claimed it was the first operator in the country to expand 5G services using the 2,100MHz frequency band via dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology.

The regulator of Timor-Leste has released additional spectrum in the 1800MHz, 2300MHz and 2600MHz bands, with operators now able to apply for allocations.

The Indonesia Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) began the process to award spare spectrum in the 2.3GHz band to operators, a move to boost operator capacity and encourage digital transformation.

Slovakia’s 5G spectrum auction has concluded, bringing in a total of €100.23 million (US$119 million).

Omani company data2cloud has announced that it has achieved official accreditation to provide cloud services to the Omani government.

Togocel (Togo Cellulaire) has been given the green light to conduct full-scale 5G trials using live network equipment, under real world conditions.

Confirming the deal struck earlier this year, India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has said that its subsidiary Jio Platforms has now received a substantial amount of money from Google.

Another day, another Ericsson deal. This time UAE operator Etisalat has awarded the giant networking and telecommunications company a 5G-related contract.

America Movil’s Colombian unit Claro launched a 5G network trial in an exclusive collaboration with Nokia, which is apparently the largest 5G pilot to take place in the country, to test the network standard in sectors such as health, smart cities and education.

French firm Global Technologies has been tasked with reviving the Central African Republic’s defunct fixed-line provider SOCATEL (Societe Africaine de Telecommunications) by the country’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT).

NuRAN Wireless Inc has announced that it has received its first purchase order from iSAT Africa for an initial commercial rural deployment in what is described only as a sub-Saharan African country.

Nokia announced it was selected to deliver IoT connectivity services for China Mobile’s IoT subsidiary, a move by the operator to ensure the delivery of connectivity and IoT services for customers in China and globally.

Iliad announced Polish operator Play’s shareholders accepted its public tender offer, with the operator also reorganising its board of directors to reflect the incoming owners, further completing the acquisition.

Western Union has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in the fast-growing Saudi Digital Payments Company (known as stc pay), a fully owned subsidiary of the Saudi Telecom Company).

South Africa has a new MVNO – PnP Mobile – launched by the major retailer Pick n Pay.

Ooredoo Oman has selected Etiya to implement its digital Customer Relationship Management (CRM) transformation project.