The anticipated merger of Bayanat, an AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite operator, is now close to completion.

e& UAE will use cloud interconnect solutions from Nokia to deliver services for hyperscalers in its home market.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) reportedly plans to hash out guidelines for LEO and MEO broadband satellite services that could enable SpaceX’s Starlink and similar services to operate in the country.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi announced on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with energy company Petronas to develop private 5G solutions and digital apps for the oil and gas sector.

Cameroon authorities have reportedly banned imports of Starlink kits and are confiscating them at the border, even though SpaceX plans to stop service availability in the country this week.

Internet and banking services were reportedly disrupted in Mauritius on Friday due to a technical glitch with the South Africa Far East (SAFE) submarine cable, although connectivity was restored late the same day.

Bangladesh’s internet slowdown due to a break in the SEA-ME-WE-5 subsea cable may reportedly continue to the end of May due to red tape and haggling over the cost of lighting up more bandwidth on the country’s only alternate subsea route.

Saudi Arabian operator Zain KSA and network security specialist Enea have announced a collaboration to pilot the world’s first mobile network signalling overlay technology, which, they say, significantly extends signalling firewall capabilities.

Indian IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is setting up large data centres in the four regions of the country as part of its Rs 15,000-crore (US$1.8 billion) deal with state-owned service provider BSNL.

State-owned operator Pakistan Telecom revealed intentions to close its acquisition of Telenor’s local unit this year, reported Bloomberg.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday recommended that all telecoms licencees be allowed to passively and actively share all infrastructure and spectrum in the name of promoting optimum resource utilization.

The UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) unveiled on Wednesday its roadmap to not only implement 6G in the country, but to contribute heavily to the technology’s global development.

Satellite operator SES announced on Wednesday that its second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite network, O3b mPOWER, is now live and ready to provide satellite broadband services around the world.

India’s leading operator Reliance Jio is now the world's largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic consumption, overtaking China Mobile.

Moratelindo, one of the largest telecommunications infrastructure and network providers in Indonesia, has chosen Epsilon Telecommunications, a global interconnectivity provider to connect customers to a global ecosystem of internet exchanges (IXs) via a service it calls Remote Peering.

Nokia secured a contract to supply Uzbekistan-based operator Perfectum with equipment and software to construct its standalone (SA) 5G network, in line with the operator’s plan to commercially launch Central Asia's first SA 5G network. 

MTN South Africa partnered with banking and financial services companies to integrate digital payments solution Payshap into its mobile money platform MoMo, a move MTN claimed will bridge the gap for the unbanked.

Thai telco True Corp has launched artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for local businesses as it seeks to increase the share of AI-driven revenue in its digital services business to 30% by 2027.

The Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) has signed an MoU with SpaceX’s Starlink to provide internet access in Indonesia as the LEO satellite operator awaits final regulatory approval to operate in the country.

In a move it says is  set to “boost the transition towards a cashless economy and support the national digitalisation agenda”, UAE operator du has announced the launch of du Pay, offering what it calls transformative fintech solutions for UAE residents.

Vietnam’s biggest technology firm, FPT, has announced what it calls a comprehensive strategic partnership with technology giant Nvidia, aiming to offer what it calls a one-stop shop for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea's much heralded Rs18,000 crore (about US$ 2.2 billion at current exchange rates) follow-on public offer (FPO), India’s biggest, was fully subscribed by its third day, according to local news reports.

Claro Brazil will reportedly gain a US$7.7 billion cash injection over the next five years to upgrade fibre optic and 5G networks in Brazil.

Chinese telecoms equipment vendor ZTE said on Friday it has collaborated with China Mobile and Qualcomm to achieve a peak download rate of 5.4 Gbps on a 5G-Advanced network by combining three-carrier aggregation with 1024QAM.

Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has reportedly teased some upcoming big announcements regarding 5G developments in the next few weeks that will focus on boosting uptake in the industrial sector, among other things.

The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) says that it has set price caps on mobile and fixed termination rates for the next five years in a bid to foster better competition in the country's telecoms sector.

Shareholders in South African service provider Telkom will soon vote on a plan to sell the group’s towers and masts to a consortium led by private equity firm Actis.

Two recent announcements from Saudi Arabia highlight the growing momentum in that country behind smart city development.

NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL), a division of Indian state-owned power giant NTPC, has signed an initial pact with India's leading passive telecom infrastructure provider Indus Towers Ltd (ITL), related to the need to pursue green energy objectives and support for the government's efforts towards a carbon-neutral economy.

The Malaysian government has announced some ambitious investment plans to raise the country’s profile in digital technology in the coming years.