Colombian connectivity service provider INRED and satellite operator SES announced their latest collaboration on Monday, with this one using SES’ medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites to provide internet connectivity in the department (administrative division) of Amazonas.

Chinese vendor ZTE announced on Monday that it has signed a strategic agreement with Veon’s Bangladesh operator Banglalink to enhance their existing collaboration to modernise and improve its 4G network infrastructure.

SpaceX should be able to launch its Starlink LEO satellite broadband service in Indonesia in the next two weeks, a government minister reportedly said on Friday.

Nepal suffered an internet outage lasting five hours on Thursday after Indian telco Bharti Airtel reportedly cut off upstream links into the country because Nepal’s private ISPs are behind on their payments.

Telecom Argentina and OSS vendor Intraway have announced plans to establish a joint digital company to create a platform that allows regional CSPs to monetise their networks using Open APIs under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.

Malaysia’s special purpose company for 5G deployment Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) partnered with Ericsson to boost digitalisation in the country, with microchip giant Intel also involved. 

UAE-based operator e& denied a Bloomberg report claiming the company was in discussions to buy United Group.

Telkom Indonesia announced on Thursday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with cybersecurity firm F5 to collaborate on cybersecurity services and strengthen Telkom’s own security capabilities.

Hot on the heels of similar announcements in Indonesia and Thailand, Microsoft announced an even bigger deal in Malaysia on Thursday, pledging to invest US$2.2 billion over the next four years in new cloud and AI infrastructure in the country.

Alibaba, a Chinese multinational technology company specialising in e-commerce, retail, internet, and technology, reportedly plans to build a data centre in Vietnam.

Industry organisations Fibre Connect Council MENA (FCC MENA) and the FTTH Council Europe have inked what is described as a significant agreement aimed at fostering collaboration and synergy between the two organisations.

Hormuud Telecom employees were killed in a roadside bomb attack on the outskirts of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. 

Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom sold off more towers in a deal sealed back in 2022, raising PHP13.5 billion (US$234 million) to support future capex plans and pay down debts.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) reported profits surging in its Q1 results supported by revenue growth across its units, and cutting down costs.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has demanded that the government crack down on sales of Wi-Fi 6E routers that use the 6 GHz spectrum band, which has not yet been officially designated an unlicenced band.

Telecom Fiji said on Wednesday it has officially commenced Phase 2 of its Fibre Optics Northern Project to expand its underground fibre optic cables between Seaqaqa and Savusavu on the northern island of Vanua Levu.

Microsoft’s charm offensive in Southeast Asia this week has yielded two major commitments to build new cloud and AI infrastructure in Indonesia and Thailand, with the latter including its first data centre region in the country.

NuRAN Wireless, a leading rural telecommunications company that meets the growing demand for wireless network coverage in remote and rural regions around the globe, has announced the execution of a two-year term loan facility agreement relating to its businesses in Cameroon and DRC.

Operator Claro Costa Rica has started providing 5G services on what is described as a trial basis. Speeds of up to 1.7Gbps and the lower latency that 5G promises are part of the package.

Mauritius Telecom is in talks with operators including Reliance Jio and Orange to build a new subsea cable connecting Africa, Indian Ocean islands and Asia, a move to avoid network downtime experienced last month.

Hard on the heels of yesterday’s story about the use of multi-orbit satellite terminals on farm equipment in remote farmland throughout Brazil come no fewer than three news items focusing on how telecoms is boosting agribusiness in that country.

The UAE’s e& is reportedly considering an acquisition of Europe-focused United Group for as much as US$8.6 billion (€8 billion).

Global connectivity provider Telxius says it is opening its latest submarine cable route with the extension of SAm-1 between Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Yotta Data Services, which describes itself as India’s leading end-to-end digital transformation service provider, has announced a joint venture with BLC, a diversified entity encompassing manufacturing and services, to build a data centre near Kathmandu, Nepal.

Uzbekistani operator Perfectum will use solutions from Qvantel to help monetise the 5G SA network that it is deploying in the market.

True Digital Group announced on Monday that it is collaborating with Alibaba Cloud to launch an AI-powered ‘Climate Technology Platform’ that aims to help enterprises identify energy efficiency challenges and go green.

Philippine telco PLDT and its wireless arm Smart Communications said on Monday that the move by National Electrification Administration (NEA) to fast-track energization of rural telco facilities will help them roll out mobile services in those areas faster.

Global satellite operator Intelsat has signed a deal with agriculture and construction equipment firm CNH to install, connect and operate ruggedized multi-orbit satellite terminals on CNH farm equipment in remote farmland throughout Brazil.

Africa Data Centres, which describes itself as Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, has announced the launch of an exclusive channel partner programme, ADC Channel.

Qatar-based multinational telecommunications company Ooredoo Group has partnered with Nokia to “upgrade connectivity and drive 5G enterprise innovation”, as the two companies put it.

Ghana is the latest country to give the go-ahead to SpaceX and its Starlink satellite internet service.