Malaysian telecoms infrastructure services provider REDtone Digital says it has signed an authorised reseller agreement with SpaceX to offer Starlink's LEO satellite broadband services in Malaysia.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel announced on Monday that it has expanded its 5G coverage to the remote Zanskar valley in Kargil district, making it the first 5G service in the valley.

Korean telco SK Telecom said on Monday it has signed several new publishing partnerships, including one with Malaysian operator CelcomDigi, to expand its metaverse product “ifland” to Southeast Asia.

At the recent Africa Digital Expo in Kinshasa Fast Congo, a subsidiary of the pan-African operator the Paratus Group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), announced that it had signed a long-term agreement with Group Vivendi Africa (GVA) to provide fibre capacity between Muanda and Kinshasa in the DRC.

Pan-African operator MTN and technology giant NEC Corporation say they have launched Africa’s first 400G optical transponder.

Operator Ooredoo Qatar has partnered with Ericsson, which will supply and implement a 4G network for Ooredoo’s oil and gas enterprise customers. The network will be deployed offshore to connect oil and gas enterprise facilities with arriving ships.

Safaricom Kenya and Nokia have announced an initiative to save on network energy usage and cost – one that makes use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Kazakhstan’s minister of digital and aerospace told a government briefing that legislation will be amended to permit the general use of Space X’s Starlink satellite constellation after a trial of the technology connecting schools was permitted last month. 

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has cleared the way for a new licensing regime that will require operators wanting to use foreign satellites to offer services to apply for three licences instead of one.

Indonesian telco Telkomsel has signed an agreement with Microsoft to collaborate on exploring the sustainability of generative AI as an accelerator for the development of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem.

Cambodian operator CamGSM PLC successfully launched its US$20 million sustainability bond on the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX), making it the first such bond to be issued in Cambodia.

Telekom Malaysia reported profits doubling due to lower costs and taxes, despite revenues taking a dip due to market challenges.

Viettel High Tech says it has successfully deployed and validated its 5G Open RAN gNodeB, co-developed with Qualcomm, on Viettel’s live network in Hanoi.

North Korea is reportedly taking pre-orders for a newly launched smartphone called Hwawon, but details are scarce and prospective customers can only order by phone.

Analyst company Canalys reported the smartphone market is showing signs of recovery predicting a lower decline in 2023, and growth will be pushed by emerging markets next year.