Thai telco True Corp says that while it welcomes plans by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to hold a new spectrum auction in April, it objects to the reserve prices and the requirement that telcos must pay at least 50% of their winning bid upfront.

Nokia announced on Thursday that it’s signed a deal with  Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) to upgrade its legacy SDH transport system in Ho Chi Minh City with IP/MPLS.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX withdrew from a planned public hearing where it was set to propose a new licensing framework for satellite services in South Africa, drawing criticism from an industry body representing MNOs.

Connectivity solutions provider iBASIS announced on Wednesday that it has signed a deal with Saudi Arabian telco Etihad Etisalat (a.k.a. Mobily) to renew and extend their multi-service IPX agreement for roaming services.

Malaysian satellite operator MEASAT said on Thursday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with aspiring Chinese LEO satellite operator Shanghai SpaceSail Technologies to offer multi-orbit services to MEASAT’s customers.

UAE-based e& Carrier & Wholesale and global internet exchange operator DE-CIX have followed up last month’s IX interconnection deal with plans to establish an Internet corridor between the UAE and India.

Thailand has said it will suspend electricity supply to some border areas with Myanmar in an effort to curb scam centres.

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC), one of the three arms of government that conduct the affairs of the country at the federal level, has approved two major initiatives to advance Nigeria’s digital economy: the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project and the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trust.

The Zambian Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has penalised Airtel Zambia with a ZMW4 million (US$143,000) compensation bill following continuous service disruptions on its network.

Malaysian operator U Mobile delivered average 5G download speeds of 597Mb/s in a trial on the 13.5km-long Penang Bridge using Huawei equipment, as the operator prepares to launch the country’s second 5G network.

Saudi Arabian telco Etihad Etisalat (a.k.a. Mobily) announced on Tuesday it has successfully landed the Africa-1 subsea cable in Duba, which it says will position the country as a key international data exchange hub.

Malaysian 5G wholesale operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) and Ericsson announced on Tuesday that DNB has launched 5G-Advanced technology on its network.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday issued its recommendations for auctioning off millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum for 5G services at a relatively lower price than previous auctions.

Communications technology company Tata Communications and conversational and generative AI specialist CoRover.ai have announced plans to bringing sovereign AI solutions to Indian enterprises and government bodies.

Operator Orange Romania has signed a ten-year virtual power purchase agreement (vPPA) with Engie Romania, a division of French low-carbon energy and services group Engie, to procure around 40 GWh of wind energy per year from one of Engie Romania’s wind farms.

Wholesale fibre optic connectivity services and infrastructure carrier InterNexa has announced a five-year US$100 million investment to strengthen connectivity in Colombia.

The global smartphone market grew by 7% to 1.22 billion units in 2024, marking a rebound after two consecutive years of decline, with emerging markets highlighted as the industry’s key growth driver.

The fallout from the recent announcement, reported on these pages, that José Maria Álvares-Pallete had resigned from his position as Chairman & CEO of Telefónica has continued with news that he will not stay in the position of Chair of the GSMA Board of Directors.

Colombian mobile network operator Tigo cut off connectivity access to MVNO Flash Mobile users after the latter failed to pay its last two bills.

The latest African roaming agreement comes from the west of the continent, where the governments of Liberia, The Gambia and Sierra Leone have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at reducing telecommunications costs through improved roaming services.

As well as the revenue projections we covered earlier today, India’s Union Budget 2025 offers mixed but largely positive news for the telecoms sector, notably in areas such as rural coverage, tax on imported electronics, the space sector and artificial intelligence (AI).

Ooredoo Qatar announced on Sunday it has contracted Ericsson to supply and deploy its latest RAN and microwave backhaul solutions to expand the operator’s 5G coverage, including to remote areas.

Philippine telco Globe Telecom says it recently held a successful pilot test of 50GPON, which it hopes will not only boost the user experience for its fibre broadband service, but also unlock other potential use cases for enterprises.

The Indian government is reportedly projecting a 33% drop in telecoms revenue in its fiscal year 2026, although that’s partly due to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) raking in more telecoms revenue than expected for FY2025.

The government of Andhra Pradesh, a state on the east coast of southern India, has announced plans to develop a 500-acre Data City in Madhurawada, a major business and residential area of Visakhapatnam, a port city and industrial centre.

It looks like SIM card registration in Ghana, supposedly over and done by May 2023, isn’t quite finished yet, at least according to Ghana’s Minister-Designate for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Sam Nartey George.

As the air transport industry faces more competitive and financial pressures, ICT is stepping in with technology that can enhance efficiency and, it is hoped, cut costs, as recent deals in the Middle East involving Wipro and SITA indicate.

The European Commission has announced the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme, an initiative, backed by a €100 million (about US$103.8 million) investment, that, the EU says, forms a critical part of its Global Gateway strategy to deepen space cooperation between the EU and Africa.

The DeepSeek AI story continues to make headlines, this time through AceCloud, which claims to be the first Indian sovereign cloud provider to offer DeepSeek Gen AI models at scale on its cloud platform.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a US$160 million loan to Axian Telecom to support the operator’s plans to upgrade its nine subsidiaries in Africa and explore expansion into new markets.

The GSMA and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have launched a fund to equip enterprises in developing markets with the means to harness emerging technologies, including AI.

Aspiring Nigerian mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Vitel Wireless said on Thursday it has been issued  a mobile number series by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), making it the first of the country’s dozens of MVNO licencees to receive one.

Qatar-based Ooredoo Group announced on Thursday it has signed an agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to build a new subsea cable connecting seven countries in the Gulf region.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) – Nigeria's largest labour union – has reportedly called for a nationwide protest next week to oppose a government-approved plan by telcos to raise tariffs by 50%, as the GSMA has waded in to support the increase.