The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has announced the launch of the Africa Broadband Maps project, which aims to establish broadband mapping systems in 11 sub-Saharan African countries to help narrow the digital divide.

Malaysian telco U Mobile and Axiata-owned telecoms infrastructure company Edotco say they have formed a partnership to accelerate the rollout of 5G under the government’s planned dual network model.

Foxconn’s Singaporean unit reportedly gained a licence from Vietnamese authorities to invest US$551 million into two projects to produce smart entertainment products and smart system equipment.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) says it has embarked on a project with UAE operator group Etisalat by e& to build what it claims is the energy sector’s largest ever private 5G network, spanning 11,000 square kilometres.

The Philippine government’s new project to expand the reach of fibre broadband across the country will result in more lines deployed, but it won’t get more people connected if services are too expensive, says analyst firm BMI Country Risk & Industry Research.

If you needed a reminder of how tricky the situation regarding AI and privacy is going to be for both lawmakers and businesses from now on, one has recently come from Brazil where the country’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has clearly got issues with technology giant Meta's AI privacy policy.

The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) and aerospace manufacturer EnduroSat have announced that they are together building the country’s first satellite, BOTSAT-1. The satellite will launch on the SpaceX Transporter-13 mission during or after February 2025.

­Swedish vendor Ericsson announced the appointment of Patrick Johansson as Head of Market Area Middle East and Africa, replacing Fadi Pharaon who announced his departure in May.

TelCables South Africa, which offers a range of secure connectivity solutions to the Southern African market, says it has upgraded its backbone network infrastructure to accommodate the rapidly growing data traffic across its network and to provide faster, more secure connectivity.

Indonesian telco Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison announced on Thursday that it has launched a new suite of AI-powered, cloud-based solutions specifically geared to help Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas industry become more sustainable.

Philippine broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions announced on Wednesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with US-based IT solutions provider Supermicro to help it build three 'green' AI data centres in the Philippines.

European fibre backbone and subsea infrastructure provider EXA Infrastructure says it has signed a deal with Turkey’s SOCAR Fiber to develop a terrestrial fibre optic route across Turkey that it says will add diversity to the cluster of subsea cables in the Red Sea corridor.

Latin American telecoms service provider Millicom has announced, through its Tigo Business division, what it calls a new phase in its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to jointly continue developing the adoption of cloud services.

Some very positive connectivity news comes from the Brazil-Colombia border where it is being reported that a fibre optics cable crossing Brazil's Amazonas state is finally ready to connect the Colombian city of Leticia two years after the project to link the two countries via fibre in the shared Amazon border area kicked off.

Nokia and telecom infrastructure organization Solis Tower Telecom do Brasil have partnered to provide connectivity to agribusinesses in rural parts of Brazil.

UAE-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) says it has contracted SpaceX as the launch provider for its upcoming new geostationary satellites, Al Yah 4 (AY4) and Al Yah 5 (AY5).

Guinea’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (MPTEN) says it has signed an agreement with Mali to interconnect the two countries’ fibre optic networks, partly in response to recent subsea cable outages affecting the continent.

The North Korean government has reportedly made plans to strengthen security of its mobile network by the end of this year by ditching Chinese telecoms equipment – just months after deploying it.

Indian full-stack space engineering solutions provider Dhruva Space and France-based satellite operator and global IoT connectivity provider Kinéis say they plan to introduce Kinéis IoT connectivity in India, and to launch a Kinéis IoT payload on the Dhruva Space P-30 satellite.

Operator MTN Nigeria is widely reported in the African press to be building a 1,500-rack Tier IV data centre in Lagos, which would make it West Africa’s largest data centre.

A previously little-known company with the interesting name of Natural Environment Solutions (NES) has announced that it has launched a 5 MW data centre in Pune, India, marking its entry into the country's fast-booming data centre industry.

Nokia and Philippines-based operator PLDT signed a memorandum of understanding to provide 5G services to the latter’s enterprise customers.

Somalia-based operator Hormuud Telecom signed up to the GSMA’s Humanitarian Connectivity Charter pledging to provide connectivity in times of urgency and  enhancing collaboration with humanitarian organisations.

Tunisia’s Ministry of Communication Technologies reportedly launched a call for tenders for 5G operating licences on Sunday, with the aim of launching commercial 5G services in some form as early as November this year.

Telekom Malaysia (TM) announced on Monday that it has clinched a RM1.25 billion (US$265 million) deal with the Malaysian government to develop and operate a new AI-powered next-generation 999 emergency response system.

Saudi Arabian telco STC Group announced on Monday that it has deployed an AI-powered self-organizing network (SON) solution from Nokia in its network to automate network optimization.

Smart Africa, an alliance of African countries, international organisations, and global private sector players tasked with advancing Africa’s digital agenda, last week signed a potentially significant agreement with KaiOS Technologies, whose mobile platform is said to make the internet accessible to all.

African money transfer company Dahabshiil and Safaricom Ethiopia's M-Pesa have signed a partnership that will enable the Ethiopian diaspora to send money directly to M-Pesa mobile wallets.

India’s big three private operators, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, have put up their tariffs. This is the first time in three years they have done so. It was, however, widely expected.

Amazon has again delayed the launch of its first production satellites for Project Kuiper, the company’s rival to the Starlink satellite internet constellation.

Nokia acquired Infinera for US$2.3 billion to increase its scale in optical networks, a move to bolster future products and improve its profit line.  

Telecom Egypt and Hungary-based 4iG Group struck a partnership to build fibre access infrastructure, to commercialise Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) and Fibre-To-The-Site (FTTS) fibre access infrastructure on a wholesale basis in Egypt.