China’s UnionPay International, a leading name in payment solutions, has announced that, starting this year, UnionPay cards issued by Vietnamese banks can be linked with Alipay and WeChat Pay, China's leading mobile payment platforms, through a partnership with UnionPay International.

Bangladesh’s telecoms regulator has rejected an appeal by Banglalink to acquire 5MHz of spectrum in the 2,100MHz band outside of the ongoing auction process.

The Credit Fund of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Adjustment Fund says it has successfully closed its first investment – and it’s a big one. AfCFTA is committing US$10 million to wholesale voice and SMS services and enterprise connectivity solutions provider Telecel Global Services.

Satellite communications will be among the areas targeted by Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) in a new national space solutions-focused initiative launched this week.

Data centre company XDS Datacentres, which describes itself as a pioneer of liquid immersion digital infrastructure, has signed a major agreement with engineering and technology company ICS Arabia to deliver initial 10-megawatt immersion-cooled data centres in Riyadh and Jeddah.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s business unit said on Wednesday it has launched an AI-based surveillance solution for Indonesian enterprises that promises to improve operational efficiency and optimise data-driven decision making in maintaining security.

Ericsson said on Wednesday it has signed yet another new agreement with Indian telco Bharti Airtel – this one to support Airtel’s rollout of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services by enhancing its core network.

A private Indian aerospace company, Ananth Technologies, which already works with the government in the space domain, has secured authorisation from space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for offering broadband space services from 2028.

Vodacom Group has received the green light from South Africa’s competition watchdog to acquire a stake in fibre infrastructure provider Maziv, a move that supports the operator’s ambition to expand connectivity in underserved areas.

Ooredoo is launching advanced sovereign AI cloud services in Qatar with support from digital infrastructure provider Syntys.

MVNX, a South African Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE), has extended its agreement with Cerillion to streamline its operations and simplify the process of onboarding new MVNOs.

Nokia said on Tuesday it has completed what it says is the first deployment of shared 5G Standalone (5G SA) indoor coverage in Saudi Arabia in a proof-of-concept pilot with Mobily, Zain KSA, neutral host specialist ACES NH and the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST).

Omantel and UAE-based du and  announced on Tuesday that they have activated the Oman Emirates Gateway (OEG), a 275-km fibre-optic subsea cable system that will boost connectivity between the UAE and Oman.

ZTE stood out from numerous proposals with its Signal Reach Program implemented in Africa, winning the WSIS Champion Award (Champion Projects) at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Awards Ceremony.

At DTW2025, a panel featuring representatives from TM Forum, Huawei and Telkomsel discussed how intelligent core networks empower high stability autonomous networks.

Saudi Arabia’s stc group announced on Monday it has launched a dedicated nationwide LTE network for the country’s mission-critical sectors, including government, healthcare, and oil and gas.

MTN South Sudan has launched service in Abuyong Payam in Lakes State courtesy of the government’s universal service and access fund (USAF), although state officials said the network's coverage is too limited and needs to be expanded soon.

Telecoms infrastructure provider Edotco Bangladesh said on Monday it has signed an MoU with clean mobility and energy firm Tiger New Energy to deploy sustainable power systems for both telecom towers and electric vehicles across Bangladesh.

Thai operator AIS has teamed up with Samsung and insurance provider Bolttech to launch a new smartphone and tablet protection service aimed at offering comprehensive support for device users.

Nigerian regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have launched a joint initiative to reduce the estimated US$350 million that telecom operators in Nigeria spend annually on diesel.

Kacific Broadband Satellites Group continued its blitz of deals to provide satellite broadband services to rural Pakistan last week via an MoU with public sector company Pak Datacom.

Nokia announced on Monday that Indonesian telco Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has deployed its energy efficiency solution to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions across Indosat’s Nokia-supplied RANs.

Vodacom Business says it has deployed a private mobile network for South African energy and chemical company Sasol at its synthetic fuel facility in Secunda, Mpumalanga as an alternative to Wi-Fi.

The Trump administration is reportedly drafting a new rule that would restrict shipments of US-made AI chipsets to Malaysia and Thailand in an effort to prevent the chips from finding their way into China.

Technology giant Huawei and Saudi Arabian operator Zain KSA have announced the launch of the Riyadh Antenna Platform, which the partners describe as a groundbreaking innovation tailored to meet the unique needs of the Saudi telecommunications market.

Turkish service provider Turkcell, along with Beko, a leading home appliances company in Europe, and Ericsson, a global leader in information and communication technology, say they have successfully concluded the EU-supported VERGE project to develop next-generation communication technologies.

Satellite operator Sateliot, which says it is the first company to operate a constellation of 5G NB-IoT satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), has announced a boost to its satellite deployment plans, along with preparations to launch its commercial service in Brazil.

Pakistan’s long-awaited 5G spectrum auction is facing delays due to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), which is allegedly withholding key documents related to its proposed acquisition of Telenor Pakistan, according to the country’s Minister for IT and Telecommunications.

Vietnamese telco MobiFone has launched a new digital MVNO brand, Saymee, which is aimed at Gen Z subscribers and powered by a cloud-native SaaS platform from software and services provider Amdocs.

Qatar and the UAE have new sovereign cloud services following separate launches this week from Ooredoo and du that promise a local alternative to international cloud service providers.

TurkNet and SOCAR Fiber announced on Thursday they have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to integrate their fibre optic networks along the TANAP natural gas pipeline to expand TurkNet's fibre business and fortify Turkey’s internet backbone.

It’s not unusual to hear of operators using renewable energy, but in Kenya Sistema.bio, a biogas and regenerative agriculture platform, and operator Safaricom appear to be donating it to farmers.