Brazilian news reports claiming that beleaguered operator Oi is filing for bankruptcy have come as a surprise to Oi itself.

It’s been a long time coming but it looks as though free roaming across six Central African countries – for nationals of those countries – is going to be a reality from the start of 2021 with the formal adoption of the measure by the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).

Further evidence of the growing reach of Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions comes from a new LoRaWAN contract in South America.

Thai operators AIS and CAT have signed a five-year sale and lease deal covering 155 towers, bringing a longstanding disagreement to a close.

Airtel Africa and MoneyGram have announced a partnership that will allow 19 million Airtel Money subscribers to receive international MoneyGram transfers directly into their mobile wallets.

The government of Vietnam has pushed back its end-2020 deadline for privatising several state-owned firms as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to recent reports in the Nigerian press, the country’s telecommunications regulator has started licensing last-mile satellite operators.

Operator 3 Indonesia and Nokia have announced that they are working together to optimize and expand 3’s LTE network coverage and capacity to meet customer demand via what is referred to as a new Zero Drive Test solution.

Telefónica Group’s Brazilian subsidiary Vivo has extended its contract with Netcracker for its Revenue Management and Service Activation platforms.

AdcareIT is deploying managed secure SD-WAN services using an integrated NFV edge solution from Telco Systems and Clavister.

It looks like Chile is aiming to be a leader among Latin American states in tendering 5G spectrum.

We reported last week that incentives to encourage local production of electronics in India were encountering problems attracting major names from the telecommunications network equipment business. Smartphone makers, by contrast, seem a lot more enthusiastic.

Vogel Telecom, a leading wholesale carrier in Brazil, has deployed the Groove (GX) Series G30 Compact Modular Platform from networking solutions provider Infinera to double capacity on its network.

iSAT Africa, a leading data, video and internet service provider, has signed an agreement with Azercosmos, a leading satellite operator in the South Caucasus.

Citing the need for more flexibility than originally foreseen, Brazilian operator Oi is apparently restructuring its restructuring plan, which could, in turn, bring changes to the bidding process – now under way – for its assets.

Israel is about to join the ranks of 5G countries after the award by the Israeli regulator of licences for the country’s 5G networks.

Another long-running merger saga appears to be close to an end with the news that Israel’s communications minister has approved the merger of operators Cellcom and Golan.

According to Indian press reports, the country’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is having trouble with its incentive scheme encouraging local production of telecommunications network equipment.

The strange saga of Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos and an ongoing alleged financial scandal has taken a new turn with her decision to leave her position on the board of the country’s leading telecommunications operator.

Pan-African operator Airtel Africa and leading international banking group Standard Chartered Bank have announced a strategic collaboration to drive financial inclusion across key markets in Africa by providing customers with increased access to mobile financial services.

Equinix, a global interconnection and data centre company, has announced its expansion into India through the acquisition of the Indian operations of GPX Global Systems, a provider of next-generation, Tier 4 design, carrier-neutral data centres to developing global markets.

Recent satellite news from Latin America includes a backhaul contract for Gilat and an extended partnership involving SES and COMNET.

Armenia’s Ucom has filed a lawsuit against Team LLC’s acquisition of Beeline, the local unit of Veon.

Helios Towers is acquiring the passive infrastructure assets of Senegal’s number two mobile player Free Senegal for US$188.2 million.

Not long ago Ethiopia invited foreign firms to buy stakes in Ethio Telecom to end its monopoly. Now according to The East African, a regional publication, the Ethiopian government has suspended the entry of foreign telecom infrastructure companies into the country.

The Indian Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to shortly approve the applications of a number of operators for 5G trials. However, it is also expected to block the involvement of Chinese kit makers.

The Indian Supreme Court has asked, in a recent hearing, a question that does not appear to have occurred to India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT): how does it plan to recover adjusted gross revenue (AGR)-related dues from telecom companies facing insolvency?

Tajik operator Tcell has activated its first 5G base stations in the city of Dushanbe.