Customer experience and data monetisation solutions specialist Comviva has announced the launch of the next-generation Digital Distribution Management System for channel partners, working with CelcomDigi, Malaysia’s largest mobile network operator.

Papua New Guinea’s National Executive Council (NEC) – essentially its cabinet – has approved the Pukpuk Connectivity Initiative, which it has described as one of the most important digital infrastructure approvals in the nation’s recent history.

Global smartphone revenues climbed to a record US$135 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, rising 7% year-on-year as higher prices and strong demand for premium devices offset ongoing pressure on shipments.

Following the news that India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has frozen the AGR dues of operator Vodafone Idea and allowed staggered repayments spread over 16 years until 2041, the company is now looking ahead with some ambitious investment plans.

Philippines-based operator PLDT has invested PHP1.215 billion (US$20.5 million) in its data analytics unit Kayana, doubling down on efforts to unlock new growth engines across the wider group.

Data centre and fibre solutions company Digital Edge has announced a US$4.5 billion investment to build CGK Campus, one of Indonesia's largest AI-ready hyperscale data centre campuses, in the GIIC Industrial Estate in Bekasi, in the province of West Java, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.

NTT Global Data Centres (NTT GDC), part of NTT Data, and the world's third-largest data centre provider, has signed a 100MW power purchase agreement with Thai Energy company B.Grimm Power, through its Amata B.Grimm Power division, securing capacity for its upcoming Bangkok 4 Data Centre.

Hard on the heels of the EU agreement with Kenya reported earlier today on these pages comes more evidence of growing international concern about cybersecurity, with news of a Cambodia-Hong Kong MoU and Ghanaian plans to regulate would-be cybersecurity service providers.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has commissioned Malaysian subsea cable developer SubConnex to study the feasibility of a new submarine cable system linking India with Singapore and major data centres across Southeast Asia.

The leading operator in Bangladesh, Grameenphone, has secured 10 megahertz of spectrum in the 700MHz band, marking the first-ever allocation of the low-band frequency to a mobile operator in Bangladesh. It was, apparently, the sole buyer.

India's policymakers seem finally to have put an end to the 6GHz debate between proponents of cellular and of Wi-Fi with government confirmation of plans to delicense the lower 6GHz band to help enable faster Wi-Fi indoors.

Taiwanese vendor Asus has reportedly shelved plans to develop new smartphones in 2026 as it pivots resources towards emerging “Physical AI” projects spanning smart glasses and robotics.

Digital Realty, which describes itself as the largest global provider of cloud and carrier-neutral data centre, colocation and interconnection solutions, has joined the race for data centre space in Malaysia.

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and OMS Group announced on Monday that they have signed a contract with newly formed JV Intra-Asia Marine Networks (I-AM NW) to supply and install the Intra-Asia Marine (I-AM) Cable system linking Japan and Southeast Asia.

Malaysian operator CelcomDigi has announced the completion of a large-scale connectivity and tower infrastructure deployment across IOI Corporation’s plantation estates in Sabah, a state on the northern part of Borneo, and Peninsular Malaysia.

Huawei has regained the title of China’s leading smartphone manufacturer for the first time in five years, narrowly edging ahead in a competitive market, according to Omdia.

NTT Data, Sumitomo and JA Mitsui Leasing announced plans on Tuesday for a new subsea cable, dubbed Intra-Asia Marine Cable (I-AM Cable), that will connect Japan and South Korea to Malaysia and Singapore.

Global smartphone shipments rose 2.3% year on year to 336.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2025, shrugging off ongoing chip supply constraints and buoyed by sustained demand for premium devices.

RailTel Corporation of India has announced plans to establish a greenfield data centre for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Indian news reports, the data centre will be housed within the existing building of the Ministry in Addis Ababa.

The week just ended seems to have been a busy one for regulator Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), with important rulings related to MVNOs and 5G reported by the local press.

Sri Lankan operator Dialog Axiata has announced what it calls a landmark strategic partnership with UnionPay International (UPI), a China-headquartered company described as one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing global payment networks.

Technology company ACES India and state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have signed a strategic agreement to deploy advanced telecom and digital connectivity infrastructure at Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India.

Ocean Network Express (ONE), one of the world's leading liner shipping companies, and Japanese technology group MTI have established a joint venture called Quaveo in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City.

As predicted in recent days by many news outlets, including this one, Indian operator Vodafone Idea today confirmed that its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues for the period from FY 2006–07 to FY 2018–19 are to be frozen from 31 December 2025.

The rush to develop data centre infrastructure in Malaysia continues with Tien Wah Press Holdings saying that its joint venture (JV) with Singapore-listed property developer Lum Chang Holdings is entering the data centre business to tap into the growing demand for such infrastructure.

State-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced the awarding of two more BharatNet contracts as the village connectivity project enters its third, and presumably final, phase.

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is set to bring Realme back under its core brand structure as a sub-brand, as parent company BKK Electronics looks to better integrate resources and align its brand strategy alongside OnePlus.

RANext Technologies has been empanelled by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as a Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA), meaning it is authorised to evaluate the digital connectivity infrastructure of properties to ensure seamless connectivity and readiness for smart technologies.

Though it does not yet seem to have been formally confirmed by the Indian government, beleaguered operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) has apparently been granted a ten-year grace period before it has to pay more than 95% of its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.