Popular social media and OTT messaging services in Malaysia will have to apply for a class licence under a new framework to be introduced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) this week.

Mobile internet services in Bangladesh were restored on Sunday after being down for 12 days. However, access to social media and messaging apps reportedly remains blocked pending a meeting with social media reps and government officials later this week.

The mobile economy of the Asia Pacific was predicted to grow by US$130 billion by 2030 and hit US$1 trillion, due to faster adoption of 5G technologies in the region.

The Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) said on Thursday the latest upgrade of its network speed test app 'i-Speed' turns phones into an automated crowdsourcing tool for telcos to measure and optimise network performance.

Thai telco AIS and Malaysian telco Maxis signed MoUs with Singtel on Thursday to use its open API-based solutions suite that authenticates digital identities for consumer services – a day after the Bridge Alliance launched a new regional telco API exchange to facilitate such deals.

East African carrier-neutral data centre operator Wingu Africa, and Gebeya, a pan-African company that specializes in SaaS-enabled custom talent cloud innovation, have announced the launch of what they call a groundbreaking ‘talent cloud solution’ aimed at developing human capital for the data centre industry in East Africa. 

Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel has expressed its disappointment  at a recent decision by another government agency, the electricity-focused Aneel to, essentially, abandon plans discussed by the two regulators on the vexed topic of infrastructure sharing or, more accurately, pole sharing.

Orange credited “remarkable” results from its Africa and Middle East unit for a solid performance in the second quarter.

Airtel Africa reported profit gains subscriber growth as the group continues to battle against currency devaluation on the continent.

Fixed broadband in Bangladesh was reportedly set to be completely restored on Wednesday night, but the government said that mobile internet access will remain offline until at least Sunday or Monday, which means most people will remain unconnected.

Ericsson and Etisalat’s e& United Arab Emirates (UAE) say they have successfully conducted end-to-end verification of RedCap software on e&’s 5G Standalone (5G SA) network, which will enable it to support IoT devices as it evolves to 5G Advanced.

Indonesian telecoms service provider Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has announced a new strategic partnership with Garuda Indonesia, the country’s national airline.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix has announced its planned entry into the Philippines with the acquisition of three data centres from Total Information Management (TIM), a technology solutions provider.

An interesting take on the issue of how to manage energy-hungry data centres comes from Burkina Faso, where plans have been proposed to launch a data centre powered in an unusual way.

Philippine fibre broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions says it is collaborating with Ribbon Communications to boost the capacity of its fibre backbone to terabit levels using Ribbon’s Apollo optical networking system.

Fixed line broadband internet connectivity in Bangladesh has been partially restored in select areas and for certain business sectors after a five-day blackout that has reportedly wreaked havoc on almost every aspect of life in the country.

Colombia's ICT ministry (MinTIC) has cancelled a tender to connect over 3,000 schools. However, it does seem as though the process to connect 3,082 public educational institutions for a total of COP408 billion (US$101.6 million) will reopen – in approximately one month, according to the ministry.

Rijeka Gateway has announced a 5G standalone (SA) connectivity partnership with Croatian telecommunications company Hrvatski Telekom (HT), involving the adoption of what is described as a next-level private 5G campus network.

A new high-capacity cable system connecting Greece with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may be on the way after a recent agreement between the two countries.

Veon subsidiary Jazz secured a PKR75 billion (US$270 million) loan to finance plans to expand infrastructure across Pakistan, and aid plans to transition from a telco to a technology services company.

A Nigerian anti-trust agency fined WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms US$220 million for violating data and privacy laws.

Beeline Uzbekistan launched 60 new base stations in 20 locations in the Khorezm region to boost internet speed by almost double, a move to fulfil rising demand in the location.  

The number of active mobile money accounts in Tanzania has reportedly more than doubled in the last five years up to the end of 2023, according to the latest figures from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

The World Bank has pledged US$100 million to fund a new project that promises to speed up development of Zambia's digital infrastructure and narrow the digital divide.

LEO satellite operator Starlink has received a temporary permit to operate in Tonga in an apparent retreat by the government who had earlier banned the service outright as residents sought to cope with last month’s subsea cable outage.

The Liberian Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has introduced a new set of regulations designed to empower fintech companies and foster a more competitive mobile market.

Malaysian mobile data service company U Mobile is back in the news only days after a Maxis buyout was reported. This time it is apparently planning a domestic initial public offering (IPO).

Sky Cable Corporation, the pay television and broadband arm of ABS-CBN, a leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, has announced a partnership with Philippine fibre broadband provider Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions.

Nokia and Bharti Airtel partnered to complete a 5G non-standalone Cloud RAN trial in India, a move for the operator to take a major step to equipping its network for the future.

China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), which operates under the Zong 4G brand, says it has expanded its network in the first half of 2024, as well as completed an extensive network modernisation project to address capacity challenges.

Telcos across Southeast Asia said that they were mostly unaffected by a global internet disruption on Friday caused by a flawed software update from endpoint security firm CrowdStrike that crashed millions of Windows-based computers worldwide.