The Indian Cabinet has followed the recommendations of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) government body in setting starting prices for the auction. A previous recommendation by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was rejected as too high.

In an auction on the 30^th of July, Claro Chile, Entel PCS and Movistar Chile all bought blocks of Chile’s 4G spectrum. The auction for blocks of the 20mhz spectrum was conducted by the Chilean regulator, Subtel.

Two of China’s most successful internet firms have announced that they will cooperate in making their services work closer together. Sina and Baidu have announced that they will be increasing the interoperability of their respective platforms.

Uninor, the Indian joint venture of the Norwegian operator Telenor and Indian real estate firm Unitech confirmed that it will auction its assets in anticipation of shutting its operations on the 7^th of September...

An even greater number of mobile users in Latin America can now have their phones topped up by friends and relatives in Europe following the extension of a wide-reaching top-up service by one of the largest operators in the region. Telefonica will offer the service in partnership with recharge specialist ezetop, via the latter’s distribution network of over 117,000 shops.

Near Field Communication (NFC), the promising mobile (m)-payment technology, has not created the revenue-generating opportunities the telecom industry expected...

A major global operator has announced that it will institute an extensive e-learning program for its employees across 17 African countries...

A new online money transfer service is launching in Madagascar, allowing customers to receive international remittances directly to their accounts...

The government of Tunisia is planning on selling its holding in the country’s market-leading operator through an auction...

Following criticism that the opening bids for 2G spectrum licences were too high, the Indian authorities have lowered the starting prices. However, the GSMA has stated that it still believes the prices to be prohibitively high...

The Philippines’ leading telecommunications provider will be the country’s first network with 40G, 100G and OTN switching capabilities...

Possessing one of the smallest markets in the Middle East, Bahrain's telecoms market is arguably one the most developed...

Retaining customers is an issue for carriers in all markets – unless loyalty is incentivised, they will switch between operators without a second thought. However, with customer bases that can be as much as 80-90% prepaid, mobile carriers in emerging markets can have a particularly hard time getting to know their customers...

One of the largest operator groups in Africa is upgrading its Nigerian network to cope with booming demand for data...

Two southeast African countries will soon have access to high-speed mobile internet with the launch of Airtel’s 3.75G platform in Malawi and Madagascar...

Lebanon's telecoms market holds a unique position in the Middle East given the level of government involvement...

Kuwait's telecoms industry is something of an anachronism in the region due to the lack of liberalisation of the market...

The Brazilian branch of Telecom Italia, TIM Brasil, is seeking to overturn a regulatory decision that prevents it from offering new mobile contracts...

We are going through a radical shift in the way people work and use computers. Increasing availability and affordability of wireless broadband is giving the global workforce true mobility, for the first time in history. Many of them will use smartly designed mobile rugged computers for their everyday computing and communication needs, instead of traditional laptops.

Regulation and compliance requirements are still evolving in many markets when it comes to mobile commerce.

This is not a new channel for operators alone: Many banks also lack experience with mobile payments, remittance and other transactions. Various government bodies that regulate both mobile operators and financial services are also learning their way around mobile. Many regulators simply rely on existing rules for older types of transactions, such as card or cash payments. Regulation of mobile commerce as an industry is still a way off...

Burkina Faso’s largest mobile operator has launched its own mobile money platform in partnership with Ecobank...

In many emerging markets, communication service providers (CSPs) are often the biggest technology companies present, with the largest data centres and IT infrastructures in any given country or area. CSPs are therefore well placed to respond to the increase in demand for data resulting from the rapid deployment of the internet in emerging economies, whether via mobile or otherwise...

The Moroccan regulator ANRT has initiated the process of auctioning 4G licences, confirming that it will accept bids from operators until August 23...

The upcoming 4G LTE auctions in the Czech Republic are expected by the country’s regulator to raise over CZK7.4 billion (US$354 million)...

Three of Poland’s leading operators have formed a coalition with various academic institutions as well as third party developers in order to tackle competition from over-the-top (OTT) players...

Across much of the EMEA region there is an increasing demand for managed network rollouts. With such a large investment, providers need to monitor the physical assets of their networks with care, ensuring that sites are maintained and managed correctly. Just as important as keeping track of stock, however, is ascertaining the available connectivity...

The three largest operators in Russia have been issued with licences for LTE spectrum by the country’s regulator...

Four operators have obtained 3G licences in the Democratic Republic of Congo following auctions that raised EUR60 million. The four licences were each sold for EUR15 million...

Myanmar has begun the process of reforming liberalising its communications networks, which would culminate in the country’s population finally gaining access to mobile and internet...

Telenor has formed a collaboration with Citi Global Markets India in order to select a new Indian operating partner...

The fastest mobile internet to launch in Rwanda will soon be available following the introduction of a 3.75G platform by Airtel...

A leading operator in the Philippines has commenced the second phase of its upgrade to unified OSS, allowing it to deploy and assure the quality of next generation networks and services...

An Indian operator has reportedly been notified that it will lose its network support unless it pays its bills...

Iraq’s market-leading operator has been hit even harder than its peers by regulatory action, with the country’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) hitting Zain with a hefty fine for missing an IPO deadline...