Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital has been split into separate entities to enable the government to better focus on its digital transformation policies amid the rapid evolution of digital technologies.

How can digital twin technology, AI/ML, and satellite imagery improve water management? A new deal between the water authority of Ethiopian city Dire Dawa and climate technology solutions company Nedamco Ethiopia may provide the answer.

Croatian service provider Hrvatski Telekom and Montenegran operator Crnogorski Telekom have selected Croatian telecoms manufacturer Ericsson Nikola Tesla as the sole supplier of software and connected services for implementation of new 4G/5G core networks.

Operator Djibouti Telecom says it has developed D-Money, a new online payment service for port workers.

Mobile industry grouping the GSMA has announced the launch of its newest GSMA Innovation Fund, in partnership with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), to address humanitarian challenges.

Smartphone shipments in Latin America surged by 17% in Q3 to 31.8 million units, snapping six consecutive quarters of decline. 

Vietnamese incumbent telco VNPT called for a 5G platform-based approach to developing sustainable digital and IoT ecosystems in Vietnam, and called on the government to enact policies to nurture that ecosystem.

Brunei telco Datastream Digital (DST) has signed a deal with Ericsson to migrate DST’s customer interaction app to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud to boost its omnichannel capabilities.

Last week saw operator Claro Peru inaugurate what it calls the most modern Tier III data centre in the country to meet the growing demand from the country’s companies and public entities to bring many of their processes, virtual infrastructure, processing and storage capacity to the cloud.

Short video app TikTok plans to take a controlling stake in an e-commerce unit of a major Indonesian technology firm, PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia.

A satcoms collaboration described as “groundbreaking” has been signed in the past few days. Its aim is said to be to evolve the landscape of satellite imagery capabilities and geospatial services in Southeast Asia.

Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) warned sellers of Starlink equipment in the country to cease operations as the Elon Musk-owned satellite connectivity provider, has yet to gain a licence to operate. 

Two telecoms infrastructure associations – Malaysia’s PPIT and Indonesia’s ASPIMTEL – announced Friday they have signed an MoU to share knowledge and deepen cooperation between their respective countries.

Nokia and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), say they have wrapped up a trial of 5G-Advanced RedCap technology over du’s commercial network in Dubai.

Blue Label Telecoms, a 49.5% shareholder in South African operator Cell C is, through its subsidiary The Prepaid Company (TPC), moving to acquire control of Cell C.

The apparent award of an enormous tower leasing deal to American Tower Corporation (ATC) by operator MTN Nigeria is facing a challenge from ousted rival bidder IHS Holding.

Mexico-based It and telecoms firm Axtel secured a US$60 million loan form the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, as part of plans to expand its fibre network, tower footprint and data centres.

Thai telco True Corp and ZTE have revealed details on their collaboration to deploy a ‘fiber to the room’ (FTTR) optical Wi-Fi solution for Wyndham Royal Lee Phuket that provides gigabit connections for every room in the hotel.

UAE telco du announced that it has reduced power consumption on its mobile network by leveraging 5G technology from Ericsson, as well as its own in-house solar-power solution.

American Tower Corporation (ATC) demanded a down payment of KES500 million (US$3.26 million) and KES150 million per month from Telkom Kenya, in order to switch on the 246 cell sites it shut down seven months ago due to debt owed by the operator. 

Poland's largest power grid operator PGE has selected Nokia to deploy a country-wide critical backhaul network.

A recently announced collaborative effort aims to deploy sustainable broadband, connecting millions in Africa, fostering local businesses, and promoting sustainability.

Safaricom continues to enhance the offering of its recently launched Ethiopian service. The latest innovation is a payment system aimed at entrepreneurs, businesses and government.

Telekom Malaysia says it has swapped out 90% of its copper cables in Sabah with fibre and will ditch the remaining copper lines by 2025 as it copes with rising incidents of cable theft.

According to local press reports an international tender notice has been launched in Madagascar for the provision of satellite services.

Is the long-running saga of the five broken undersea cables linking Vietnam with the world now over? Regional reports suggest it may be, at least for now.