A new submarine cable is on the way to Micronesia. It will be called the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) and have a total length of approximately 2,250 kilometres.

Móvil Éxito, a new Colombian MVNO, has selected revenue management software company Optiva for cloud modernisation of its Optiva BSS platform to a SaaS-based model.

Omani service provider Omantel has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global two-way radio manufacturing company Hytera to launch what is described as mission-critical push to talk (MCPTT).

Indian press reports are suggesting that state-owned operator Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) may be shut down in the face of continuing losses and mounting debt.

Sri Lankan operator Dialog Axiata has extended its partnership with Netcracker for BSS functionality and professional services to further enhance its billing capabilities for mobile, TV and broadband customers.

Safaricom Ethiopia, the newest mobile network operator in Ethiopia, and Prepay Nation, a B2B marketplace of cross-border transfers, has announced a partnership that will enable Ethiopians living abroad to send mobile airtime to their loved ones back home via Safaricom Ethiopia's network.

Samsung Electronics Egypt, a local division of the multinational company, has indicated that it has plans to establish a new mobile phone factory on an area of 6,000 square metres in Beni Suef, according to a recent statement by Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Liberia’s only wholesale infrastructure provider, CSquared, has announced that it is using FSP 3000 open optical transport technology from fibre networking solutions company Adtran to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to homes and businesses across Liberia.

MTC Namibia recorded the fastest mobile and fixed internet speeds in Namibia last year, according to data from industry bench markers Ookla.

Starlink has received an operating licence from the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), further expanding its Latin American footprint.

Tigo Guatemala emerged as the biggest spender in the sale of 2.5GHz-2.6GHz spectrum held by the country’s regulator SIT (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones).

Digital solutions provider Elm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Digital Economy, Posts, and Telecommunications of the Central African Republic.

Malaysian operator CelcomDigi has announced that it has begun its full-scale programme to build what it calls Malaysia’s future digital network – integrating and modernising the largest 4G network in Malaysia with the latest LTE and 5G-ready technologies.

Telekom Malaysia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ZTE to collaborate on a range of research and development initiatives.

Airtel Business, the enterprise arm of India’s Airtel, has a massive data centre concern, called Nxtra, in India. So far this isn’t the case in Africa, where the Airtel Group does have a massive presence, but mainly in the mobile market; it is one of the largest service providers in Africa. Apparently, that may soon change.

Senegal’s telecoms regulator called for interested parties to apply for 5G licences as the body prepares the groundwork for the next-generation technology. 

Smartphone sales in Africa mirrored other emerging markets as macroeconomic factors hit consumer pockets, leading to a decline in vendor shipments. 

Multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson and technology company Intel have said they will collaborate on the development of 5G use cases that can accelerate the digitalisation of enterprises to support the Thailand 4.0 vision.

Is the Mexican government doing enough to support 5G rollout and thereby attract more investment? That is the question asked by the Mexican telecoms sector at a recent conference.