As 5G development gains momentum and 5G networks scale up, 5G technologies have been widely used, unlocking tremendous business value. In the consumer market, 5G technologies have significantly improved user experience and altered user habits.

South African regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has addressed submissions relating to an earlier Draft Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment Plan with a new round of consultation. The authority had previously highlighted ten bands for public consultation in March last year.

Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, and GAL-AMMROC, a provider of integrated aviation services, have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand airborne services for the UAE and regional market.

As network transmission and video communications evolve, IPTV and OTT are converging as video platforms incorporate video communication capabilities, opening new possibilities for operators.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has commenced its auction process for 4G and 5G-capable spectrum in the 700MHz and 800MHz bands.

A1 Telekom Austria Group’s board agreed to a plan to spin off its passive telecoms infrastructure into a separate company.

Data centre provider Princeton Digital Group (PDG) says it has unveiled what it calls its SG+ strategy with the announcement of a 96 MW data centre campus in Batam in Indonesia.

KaiOS, a mobile operating system for smart featurephones with a focus on the developing world, says it has formed a partnership with cybersecurity technology firm Trustonic.

STC Bahrain and regional digital hub Center3 have announced plans to land the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable system in Bahrain. The companies say they have now officially completed the marine survey to bring the cable to the country.

Last week’s decision by Mexico’s regulator – the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) – to open only the lower portion of the 6GHz band for license-exempt applications such as Wi-Fi has been met with some disappointment – notably from the collaboration forum known as the Wi-Fi Alliance. But is this really bad news?

Ethiopia has reportedly publicised a demand of US$150 million from Safaricom for the operator to deploy its M-Pesa mobile money platform in the country, with talks to be held this week.

Following approval from Ghanaian authorities, Vodafone Group has sold off its majority 80% stake in Vodafone Ghana to Telecel Group, continuing its strategy to streamline its footprint.

The GSM Association (GSMA) is keeping up the pressure on India’s decision-making bodies to identify and support 6GHz band spectrum for 5G.

The Uganda Communications Commission has come under fire from the country’s government for failing to recoup a penalty of UGX2 billion (US$540,000) from beleaguered operator Smile Communications.

Could two new undersea internet cable routes planned for 2023 or early 2024 offer Vietnam relief from its international connectivity issues?

Zimbabwe’s telecoms regulator gave operators permission to raise prices by up to 50% this April to combat rising operating costs.

The European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal to include roaming into an agreement to support war-torn Ukraine, a move that will enable Ukrainians to not pay additional charges in EU territories.

Starlink has received a licence to provide satellite broadband services in Rwanda.

The Philippines smartphone market declined by 8.6% year-on-year as manufacturers shipped 16.3 million units in 2022, as consumer and vendor confidence was hit by macroeconomic conditions.

Pakistan-based business communications company Multinet has announced that it will be upgrading its optical transport network that today spans the entire country covering more than 120 cities, across more than 14,000 kilometres.

ZTT International Submarine Cable & System has been hired as the cable supplier for three stretches of the Brazilian government-sponsored Amazon river fibre project Norte Conectado.

Serbia’s state-owned Telekom Srbija, which operates as MTS, has partnered with the country’s Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure (MGSI) to develop and implement digital solutions in the fields of infrastructure, transport and utilities.

Globe Telecom lauded its achievement in hitting infrastructure deployment targets as the Philippines-based operator continues its build-out to meet consumer demand for connectivity, which has gathered pace since the pandemic.

Operator Tigo Tanzania and vendor Ericsson have entered a partnership to launch 5G and to fully modernize and expand the existing Tigo 4G network across Tanzania.

Hard on the heels of news of its increased stake in African giant Vodacom, the Vodafone Group has responded dismissively to rumours that it is considering a partial or total sale of the company.

Africa and the Middle East continued to boost revenues for Orange as the group claimed success in its 5-year plan to invest in “fundamentals” to achieve growth.

For anyone wondering how close the long-awaited merger between India’s ailing state-run telecoms carriers Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) may be, it’s apparently getting closer – albeit there appears to be another hurdle.

Satellite operator Kacific and satcom technology and solutions provider ST Engineering iDirect say they have extended their technology partnership to expand satellite connectivity in Southeast Asia and other regions.

Following the apparent resolution of its tax dispute with the Ghanaian government, MTN Group, Africa’s largest mobile network operator, has now said it plans to invest US$1 billion in Ghana over the next five years.

Xavier Niel, the billionaire owner of French telecoms group Illiad has increased his stake in Millicom to 19.6% through his investment company Atlas Investissement.

Nokia announced the completion of the first Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDN) with Vietnamese operator Viettel, a move that will “dramatically” increase capacity for the operator.