Philippines-based challenger operator Dito Telecommunity has partnered with Rakuten-owned messaging app Viber to offer zero-rated plans on the platform, aiming to strengthen its competitiveness and attract new customers.

Ghana and Burkina Faso have reportedly begun a bilateral meeting to address cross-border signal interference. The National Communications Authority (NCA) of Ghana and Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP) of Burkina Faso began the meeting, held virtually, on 19 August.

Chinese technology company Lenovo has announced plans to establish a regional headquarters (RHQ) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, along with the appointment of its executive leadership team for the country, marking what Lenovo describes as a key milestone in the company’s regional growth strategy.

Thai telco True Corp said on Tuesday it has deployed an AI-powered solution for monitoring and managing base station signals to enhance the performance and stability of its networks along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Airtel Tanzania has reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zanzibar Communication and ICT Infrastructure Agency (ZICTIA) that outlines a framework to collaborate on key infrastructure projects in Zanzibar to expand access to telecoms and internet services.

The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and e& money, the fintech arm of technology group e&, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide wage protection services via the e& money platform. This enables individuals to manage salary payments for domestic workers in line with applicable legislation and regulatory frameworks.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced a strategic collaboration with tech giant IBM to help streamline operations, improve service reliability, enhance the customer experience, and accelerate the seamless delivery of digital initiatives, using artificial intelligence (AI) and the implementation of a unified DevOps execution model fuelled by automation.

Namibian operator Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) says it has launched a strategic rural network optimisation initiative following a comprehensive network audit in northern Namibia. The audit aimed to gain first-hand insight into coverage gaps and service quality challenges in underserved and uncovered rural areas.

Apple is reportedly ramping up iPhone production at five factories in India as part of its ongoing strategy to reduce reliance on China-based manufacturing.

Vodafone Idea has continued its rapid 5G rollout in India, with Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram the latest cities to go live.

Malaysian telco U Mobile on Monday officially launched Ultra5G – its standalone 5G network – in two locations with an initial focus on delivering 5G experiences in indoor environments.

State-owned Telkom Indonesia said on Monday it is set to carry out repairs on a damaged subsea cable that has disrupted internet connectivity in South and Central Papua since Saturday.

Maxis revealed on Monday that it is partnering with China Mobile International (CMI) to launch CMLink, its new mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business in Malaysia.

Data centre news is still pouring in from the Middle East, including recent announcements of significant developments in Dubai and coastal Oman.

State-owned telecom service provider BSNL has enjoyed a couple of decent headlines in the past week, unlike its much smaller sister company MTNL, whose financial woes seem to be worsening.

MTN announced a reshuffle of its leadership, appointing group chief risk officer Ferdi Moolman as CEO and executive director of MTN South Africa, succeeding Charles Molapisi as part of a strategic review and operational shift.

Operator Airtel Congo has announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Wing Wah, a private oil company under Congolese law and a subsidiary of the Chinese Southernpec group, for the deployment of a private telecom network at the country's Banga Kayo oil site.

Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud have teamed with Malaysian state-backed telecoms infrastructure operator Smartsel to launch Selangor Multi-Cloud Services (SMC), a state initiative aimed at accelerating AI adoption and driving digital transformation across Selangor.

Huawei announced on Friday that Ethio Telecom has deployed its tri-band massive MIMO solution that it says significantly improves the telco’s 4G network both in terms of performance and user experience.

CelcomDigi, Maxis and YTL Power International have injected an additional MYR350 million (US$82.8 million) into 5G wholesale network Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) to support its operations as it braces for the arrival of the second 5G network being deployed by U Mobile.

South Africa’s Competition Commission has approved Cell C’s proposed acquisition of Comm Equipment Company (CEC).

e& UAE says it has launched a new business continuity service – billed as "monitoring-as-a-service (MaaS)" – that it says provides enterprises complete observability over their infrastructure environments.

ZTE announced on Thursday that China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), which operates under the brand Zong 4G, is the first operator to commercially launch its high-power 8T8R ultra-broadband radio (UBR) and digital intelligent antenna (DIA) solution.

Alipay+, a global wallet gateway, and Kaspi.kz, the leading super app in Kazakhstan, say they have enabled international cross-border QR payment acceptance in Kazakhstan.

In a move that, unlike some regulatory initiatives, may actually prove popular with mobile operators and consumers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a manual to aid in the assessment of digital connectivity in properties.

Ukrainian operator lifecell has completed a network modernisation project in Kyiv in just five months, delivering major improvements across key performance metrics to meet rising demand for connectivity.

Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), the statutory body responsible for regulating Lesotho’s communications sector, has announced a strategic partnership with CTM360, a leading name in digital risk protection.

Global digital operator Veon said on Wednesday it has completed the sale of its 50.1% indirect stake in Kyrgyzstan mobile operator Sky Mobile (a.k.a. Beeline Kyrgyzstan) – but to the government via state-owned Eldik Bank, and not CG Cell Technologies as originally planned.

Malaysia-based Axiata Group announced on Wednesday it has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia (MPTC) to collaborate on beefing up Cambodia’s cybersecurity landscape, as well as developing cybersecurity talent in the country.

Pixxel, an Indian space technology company, has announced that a consortium it leads, along with partners Dhruva Space, PierSight and SatSure, has been selected by the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to design, build, own, and operate a national Earth observation constellation under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

IoT connectivity solutions enabler floLIVE has announced the launch of what it calls a groundbreaking connectivity offering designed to revolutionise the monitoring of transportation and logistics in sub-Saharan Africa.

A busy week for telecommunications news in Vietnam has seen yet another agreement between a state-owned Vietnamese business and a major Korean company, along with the launch of a terrestrial fibre optic cable directly connecting Vietnam to Singapore.