There’s a new name in e-commerce in Africa – and, having set up last month in Kenya and Nigeria, pan-African business-to-business marketplace Zandaux.com this week announced its launch in South Africa at an event held in Johannesburg.

Ericsson announced new and upgraded software and hardware products that will be showcased at Mobile World Congress Barcelona later this month. 

Telkom Indonesia announced on Thursday that its subsidiary Telkomsat will launch its 11th satellite – and the first in its fleet to feature High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology – around the middle of next week.

Telekom Malaysia (TM) and Maybank Islamic announced on Thursday that they have partnered to create what they’re billing as Malaysia’s first Islamic banking-as-a-service (BaaS) solution powered by 5G.

An intervention by the employees union of Indian state-owned operator BSNL, suggesting that BSNL should engage in a limited network sharing deal with private operator Vodafone Idea, has highlighted concerns about the speed – or otherwise – of BSNL’s 4G rollout.

Bahrain service provider Batelco and state-owned UAE telecommunications company e& (Etisalat and) have signed an MoU for the landing of the Al Khaleej Cable in the United Arab Emirates.

The Israeli government revealed it approved the use of Starlink satellites in a field hospital in the war-torn Gaza Strip and in Israel for the first time, Reuters reported.

South Africa-based service provider CMC Networks announced it has partnered with diagnostic services provider Cerba Lancet Africa to drive innovations in digital health and boost healthcare across the continent.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata says it has released a new mobile app that serves as a single remote control point for its suite of smart-home devices.

Philippine telco Globe Telecom has announced that a segment of its US$150 million Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) from Luzon to Mindanao is now live.

IDC reported the Indian smartphone market was flat with a 1% uptick in shipments totalling 146 million units in 2023. 

Nokia and Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo reached a resolution and threw out their lawsuits from the Indian high court which was originally filed by the Finnish company. 

Indian data centre company Nxtra by Airtel has announced an agreement with renewable energy specialist Ampln and leading distributed energy company Amplus Energy to procure an additional 140,208 MWh of renewable energy.

Test and measurement company Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its next-generation deep packet inspection (DPI) technology at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, which it claims will enhance networking and cybersecurity. 

American Samoa operator Bluesky celebrated its 25^th anniversary on Tuesday by launching the island’s first 5G service alongside its supplier partner Ericsson.

Guam telecoms and digital infrastructure provider GTA announced on Tuesday that Philippines-based carrier PLDT Global has established a PoP in its GTA GNC iX Data Centre.

Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has reportedly finalised its proposal to deploy a cell broadcast emergency warning system later this year to be used during disasters, terrorist attacks or civil unrest.

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) has unveiled what it calls  a pioneering initiative aimed at facilitating global access to cutting-edge technology solutions: the ATRC Global Tech R&D Platform.

Only days after Movistar’s request to suspend the process was turned down by the Court for the Defence of Free Competition (TDLC), Chilean telecommunications services regulator Subtel has again adjusted the calendar for the next 5G spectrum auction, which will award frequencies in the 3.5GHz band.

Hard on the heels of similar recent agreements in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Synspective, a Japanese synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite data and analytics solution provider, has announced  a deal to aid disaster prevention in Vietnam.

IHS Cameroon launched the ‘Tower Kiosk’ initiative in the Northwest and Southwest of Cameroon, a move to provide connectivity and digital services to communities in rural areas. 

Vodafone Romania said on Monday it has signed a six-year partnership agreement with Ericsson to upgrade its RANs to standalone 5G and develop 5G services for consumers and enterprises.

Ciena announced on Monday that Telia Lithuania is using its coherent optics gear to launch the first 800G wavelength service between major cities in the country as part of a nationwide upgrade of its fibre-optic network.

Qatar Satellite Company, aka Es’hailsat, and Egyptian Satellites Company, better known as Nilesat, have announced that they have signed a cooperation agreement and a strategic partnership.

Saudi Arabia’s STC Group, a leading digital enabler in MENA, has signed an Internet of Things (IoT)-focused memorandum of understanding (MoU) with iBASIS, an independent provider of communications solutions for operators and digital players worldwide.

Operators MTN Nigeria and Globacom have, according to local news reports, agreed to resolve their latest dispute over interconnection fees.

A flurry of recent news from Airtel Africa has seen the telecom giant establish a fibre-focused subsidiary and announce infrastructure expansion collaborations as well as counting down to an imminent data centre launch.

India’s smartphone market leader Xiaomi requested the Indian government to provide manufacturing incentives and lower import taxes, amid heavy scrutiny levied at Chinese companies in the country. 

Phil-Tower Consortium Inc (PhilTower) and Miescor Infrastructure Development Corporation (MIDC) revealed plans to form a joint-venture company to fuel the growing demand for 4G and 5G infrastructure in the Philippines. 

Bangladesh operator Grameenphone has launched “AppCity”, which it says is the country’s first cross-platform app marketplace that serves as both an app store and an API hub.