Tonga now has 5G after the country’s two main mobile operators – state-owned incumbent Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC) and Digicel Tonga commercially launched their respective 5G networks within a week of each other.

Sudan’s telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Corporation (NTC), has partnered with mobile network operator Sudatel and NGOs to connect relief workers in the conflict-ridden country.

ST Telemedia said on Thursday that it will sell the majority of its stake in Malaysian telco U Mobile to local firm Mawar Setiam, which is majority-owned by U Mobile chairman Vincent Tan, in a deal that could see the country’s royal family hold a combined controlling stake in the telco.

Brazilian telecommunications tower company Highline, owned by the US-based DigitalBridge group, says it has successfully raised almost US$380 million through a new debenture issue, its largest fundraising effort to date and its first issuance of tax-exempt incentivised debentures in the telecommunications infrastructure sector.

Members of the Caribbean ELIte Alliance (CELIA) consortium have announced plans for the introduction of CELIA, described as a new high-capacity ‘express’ cable in the Caribbean region connecting Aruba, Martinique, Antigua, Puerto Rico and Boca Raton in the US.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) has signed a two-year extension with Nokia to expand its 4G and 5G network across Indonesia.

Connectivity solutions provider iBASIS announced it was selected as Caribbean-based operator Paradise Mobile’s international gateway partner.

Vodafone Group has announced the sale of its remaining 3% stake in the Indian tower company Indus Towers for US$300 million to help reduce its significant debt pile.

Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudatel Telecom Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a multi-terabit, redundant terrestrial fibre optic link interconnecting Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan.

Telecoms network operator Paratus Botswana announced on Wednesday it has started work on lighting a new fibre route – billed as the “SADC Highway” – that will connect Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Neo Space Group (NSG), a Public Investment Fund-owned company described as Saudi Arabia's leading commercial space services provider, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with space company Airbus Defence and Space, to acquire its UP42 business, a next-generation earth observation digital platform.

A partnership between tech giant Nokia and service provider Ooredoo Oman claims that it will do nothing less than transform the nation’s connectivity via the deployment of a state-of-the-art dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) wholesale network.

Ericsson has secured a multi-billion-dollar deal to supply 4G and 5G equipment and solutions to Indian operator Bharti Airtel, outpacing its rivals.

Kenyan telco Safaricom has reportedly revamped its “5G for Businesses” offering with new packages aimed specifically at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that promise to support their digital transformation plans with faster and more reliable connectivity.

Digital infrastructure provider WIOCC announced on Tuesday it is partnering with Nigeria’s state-owned ICT and shared services provider Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) to boost broadband infrastructure in Nigeria.

There’s been a new development in the ongoing issue of how much local input must be included in smartphones sold to Indonesians. The Indonesian government is now reportedly planning to increase the local component requirement for such phones.

Data centre colocation services provider ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) has announced a collaboration with Zenlayer, described as the world’s first hyperconnected cloud, to bring high-performance private connectivity to STT GDC’s global data centre platform, starting with selected markets in Southeast Asia.

Multi-project developer Red Sea Global (RSG), whose projects include what are described as 'regenerative tourism destinations' AMAALA and The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, says it has unveiled the region’s first unified critical communication system (UCCS).

Nigerian news outlets are reporting a strong response by consumer association the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) to the latest government attempt by the government to tax telecoms.

Satellite services provider Q-KON has expanded its partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb to deliver connectivity through what it calls Smart LEO networks, tailored to reach remote locations in sub-Saharan Africa.

M-Pesa Africa – the mobile money JV between Safaricom and Vodacom Group – says that it’s expanding its partnership with global payment infrastructure provider Thunes to enable users in Kenya and Tanzania to use their M-Pesa wallet to make payments when traveling to China.

Veon-owned Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said on Monday it has launched a generative AI (GenAI) lab in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help local enterprises adopt GenAI to improve their business processes.

Tunisian telcos Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie and Ooredoo Tunisia have been granted 5G licences by the Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy, clearing the way for 5G services to be launched sometime next year.

MTN Rwanda's fintech arm, Mobile Money Rwanda (MoMo Rwanda), has partnered with payment giant Mastercard to launch a new virtual payment solution in Rwanda.

Chilean regulator Subtel says it has received four offers to carry out a feasibility study of a project to implement  the first submarine fibre optic cable between Chile and Antarctica.

Telefonica’s sale of shares in its fibre optic network in Peru to investment fund KKR and Chilean telco Entel collapsed after the deal was announced in July 2023.

IHS Towers, an independent owner, operator and developer of shared communications infrastructure, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its 70% interest in IHS Kuwait to Zain Group.

Development financier and impact investor Finnfund has announced a 10 million euro (about US$10.5 million) equity investment to boost the expansion of a major fibre network in Nepal.

South African telco Vodacom says it has launched the first 4G base station in the village of Thathe Vondo in Thohoyandou, Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo province as part of its effort to expand rural coverage in the country.

Southeast Asian data centre operator Bridge Data Centres (BDC) says it has signed an electricity supply agreement (ESA) with Malaysian energy company TNB to supply renewable energy for its planned hyperscale data centre in Johor.