Indian telco Bharti Airtel said on Thursday its enterprise unit has formed a strategic partnership with smart metering and digital solutions provider IntelliSmart Infrastructure to provide connectivity for up to 20 million smart meters.

The 20th of December at 9 am local time saw the start of an auction to assign 5G spectrum to various players in Colombia. But was everyone happy with the result?

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) said that operator True Corp has not violated the conditions of its approved merger with Dtac despite complaints from customers over network quality and pricing.

Varnion Technology Semesta, an Indonesian ISP focused on the hospitality sector, has tapped Nokia to upgrade its broadband network to a PON-based infrastructure.

Malaysian operator Maxis announced Wednesday it has extended its existing agreement to lease Telekom Malaysia’s high-speed broadband (HSBB) access services to 2029.

STC Group subsidiary centre3 is acquiring CMC Networks, a global service provider offering networking solutions across Africa and the Middle East.

Recent reports indicate that Japan has agreed to provide grant aid worth up to 2.3 billion yen (about US$16 million) to Cambodia for its National Data Centre and government digitisation plan after a meeting between senior officials from both countries.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) set a deadline of 28^th February 2024 after which operators must fully block any SIM cards that are not registered to a National Identification Number (NIN).

Telecom Egypt is reportedly in talks to sell and lease back the majority of its tower footprint to raise up to US$250 million, as three major tower players have shown interest.

Viettel High Tech has officially handed over its private 5G technology solution to Indian network and engineering services provider QuadGen Wireless Solutions to manufacture and sell the technology in India.

Singapore-based data centre firm Digital Edge announced on Tuesday it has increased its stake in Indonesian digital infrastructure company Indonet by acquiring all remaining shares held by Indonet’s original founders.

Philippine mobile operator Smart Communications says it has successfully tested transport network disaggregation tech that it hopes to use to make its network more efficient, flexible and scalable.

The UAE’s Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster collaboration and investment in the digital infrastructure sector, specifically focusing on Egypt’s data centre projects.

Africa’s smartphone market has shown resilience with a second consecutive quarter of strong recovery in Q3 2023, according to analysis from Canalys.

Scala Data Centres, a Latin American platform for sustainable data centres in the hyperscale market, has announced the operations launch of its first site in the Brazilian Southern Region, based in Porto Alegre city.

Kenya’s Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary, Eliud Owalo, has announced that the development of 1,450 ICT hubs in all wards across the country will begin in 2024.

M-Pesa, the mobile money platform used by more than 32.1 million Kenyans and over 60 million customers across eight African markets, is taking a new direction in the payments field.

Senegal’s telecoms regulator awarded its second 5G licence to Saga Africa Holdings with the company paying XOF13.5 billion (US$22.5 million).

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata said on Monday it has introduced a service to make it easy for customers to transition from traditional SIM cards to eSIMs.

The Indian government on Monday introduced its long awaited new telecoms bill that proposes to give the government more power in national security matters. It also potentially settles the debate on satellite spectrum allocations, and doesn't cover OTTs.

Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) Group, a leading global energy player, says it has centralised its IT infrastructure on Nutanix, a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, for retail expansion and to deliver what is described as a slick digitally driven customer experience.

It looks like the infrastructure deal between Entel and OnNet Fibra in Chile is going ahead – though there seem to be strings attached.

There’s been another service upgrade announcement from state-owned incumbent Ethio Telecom, presumably aiming to position itself as an attractive alternative to new entrant Safaricom Ethiopia in what has become a much more competitive Ethiopian market in recent months.

Lesira-Teq, a leading South African original equipment manufacturer known for its innovative smart water meters, has announced a strategic partnership with Comsol Networks, a leader in the IoT network domain in South Africa.

Tanzania has secured what is described as a crucial position in orbit at 16 degrees West for its own satellite, paving the way for its first satellite launch.

Telefonica is reportedly considering to buy troubled Brazilian operator Oi’s broadband unit as part of expansion plans in Brazil. 

Authorized mobile phone importers in Sri Lanka have reportedly warned the government that its decision to not only raise its value added tax (VAT) next year but also apply it to mobile phones will only benefit parallel importers and make the grey market problem even worse.

The debate over power limits for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems saw a resolution of sorts at the World Radio Conference 2023 (WRC-23) in Dubai, with potential regulatory action forestalled until at least 2031.

Proof of the continuing importance of the handheld satellite phone market comes with the announcement that Thuraya has launched what it calls an enhanced generation of its popular XT-PRO DUAL satellite and cellular feature phone.