Provider of water and process technology solutions Aquatech Systems, headquartered in India, and Saudi Arabia-based data centre developer and operator DataVolt have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for water cooling and recycling technology cooperation and services.

Veon announced its Beeline Uzbekistan unit completed the first phase of its network upgrade as part of wider plans to improve 4G coverage from 78% to 85% and overall service. 

Now Corp entered an MoU with cybersecurity firm Fortinet to enhance 5G security in the Philippines and progress the country’s digital transformation.

Satcoms company Astranis is partnering with Mexican ISP Apco Networks on what it describes as a two-satellite programme to bring affordable broadband internet to five million people.

The Republic of Congo’s telecoms watchdog issued a formal notice to Airtel and MTN regarding the failure to register an adequate rate of SIM cards to subscribers.

YahClick, the data solutions subsidiary of the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (YahSat), has partnered with Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) to expand broadband penetration in sub-Saharan Africa and boost access to critical electronic services across the region.

Nagad Limited, a mobile financial service provider in Bangladesh, has joined forces with TerraPay, a global payments network. The aim, the partners say, is “to revolutionize the landscape of cross-border remittances”.

Philippines operator Globe Telecom partnered with insurance technology company Bolttech to launch a mobile phone trade-in programme to spur post-paid subscriber upgrades.

Hard on the heels of last week’s long-distance licence award in Nigeria, Pan-African digital connectivity solutions company Bayobab Group has announced that it has been awarded an international network licence in Zambia, authorising the transit of capacity across borders.

Mexico’s CFE TEIT and multi-orbit satellite player SES have announced the delivery of voice and data services enabled by SES’s mobile backhaul solution to 400 underserved, remote villages and communities across the country via the very high-throughput (HTS) SES-17 Ka-band satellite.

Orange announced it will begin switching off its 3G network at the end of September in six counties, to re-farm spectrum and enhance its LTE network to serve growing demand.

The parent companies of Indonesian operators XL Axiata and Smartfren Telecom have reopened discussions to merge telecom operations in Indonesia, reported Bloomberg.

Kazakhstan’s largest communications service provider, Kcell, has selected Ericsson as a 5G radio access network (5G RAN) partner in a seven-year partnership aimed at accelerating Kazakhstan’s digital transformation and widespread adoption of 5G technology.

IDEMIA, a major name in identity technologies and biometric solutions, has partnered with Airtel Payments Bank, which serves over 40 million customers through its digital platform and a retail-based distribution network, and HMD Global, the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for phones, tablets and accessories, to expand the reach of offline CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) payments in India.

Normally a free data campaign would only be of modest interest in these pages, but when web innovator Opera launches such a campaign in Ethiopia, partnering with new entrant Safaricom, whose Kenyan service it has already worked alongside, it says a lot about how the operator is looking at ways to attract subscribers in this newly competitive market.

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) proposed to the government to price tariffs in US dollars and local currency, a move to fight back against hyperinflation in the country.

Malaysian operator Maxis conducted a trial of 6GHz spectrum with Universiti Malaysia (UM), as the operator looks to improve network traffic and explore use cases such as cloud computing, VR and AR.

Pan-African digital connectivity solutions company Bayobab Group has announced that it has been granted a national long-distance operator licence by the regulatory authorities in Nigeria. Bayobab’s subsidiary in Nigeria is now empowered to facilitate long-distance traffic.

India's largest operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm, is said to be raising up to $2 billion in offshore loans with major international banking establishment BNP Paribas as lead arranger of an initiative that will help fund the purchase of 5G network gear from Ericsson.