3i Infotech, an India-headquartered global provider of IT Infrastructure services, has reportedly won a five-year Wi-Fi monetisation deal from RailTel Corporation of India.

A third Ethiopian operator – and second new entrant into the market – may not be far off. News reports indicate that regulator the Ethiopian Communication Authority (ECA) is planning to issue an expression of interest early next month for the third telecom provider.

Operator Telecom Egypt has partnered with Huawei Technologies to implement what it describes as Africa’s first green towers.

Philippines operator Globe Telecom revealed it had more than doubled its 5G coverage nationally with 70 towns and cities seeing a connection at the end of 2022, compared to just 29 at the end of the year prior.

The government of Rwanda is reported to be aiming to connect at least 60% of the country’s primary schools to the internet by 2024.

Almost a year after Indian operator Vodafone Idea thought it had been assured of government help with its debt issues nothing has happened – and local media outlets are suggesting nothing will happen unless government can be assured of substantial input from other investors.

While it doesn’t seem to be region-specific, the widely reported news that satellite operator Iridium is entering into a service agreement for a direct-to-smartphone satellite service could be significant for many territories in both the developing and developed world.

Philippines-based operator group PLDT revealed uptake of 5G devices in 2022 was low, blaming this on devices being unaffordable for prepaid customers, which make up the bulk of its subscriber base.

State-owned operator Nepal Telecom held back plans to launch a 5G trial this month on hold due to the lack of compatible smartphones present in Nepal, reported The Kathmandu Post.

Canadian company Iristel, a global telecommunications service provider, has announced its expansion into Kenya, its first African market.

The first microsatellite to be manufactured in South Africa since 2009 is about to be launched. Developed by local company Dragonfly Aerospace, EOS SAT-1 is due to be launched at Cape Canaveral as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-6 on Monday evening, local time.

Nine telecommunications companies have apparently expressed their interest in acquiring radio spectrum in the 5G spectrum auction expected to take place in Colombia in the third quarter of 2023.

Montenegro’s major operators Crnogorski Telekom (CT), MTEL and One Montenegro have all acquired 5G-ready spectrum in the 700MHz and 3.6GHz bands.

Uruguay has approved the installation of Google's fibre optic submarine cable Firmina, removing another hurdle to the rollout of the longest cable ever with single-ended power supply capability.

Sri Lanka’s Dialog Axiata has claimed the country’s first successful mmWave 5G trial.

Lithuanian operator Bite began a plan to merge broadband subsidiary Mezon this year, a tie-up it claimed will provide competition against rival internet service providers, as Bite CEO Gintas Butenas bemoans a lack of competition in this segment. 

Kazakhstan’s 5G spectrum auctions have concluded, with both available blocks of spectrum acquired by the consortium of Kazakhtelecom subsidiaries comprised of mobile operators Kcell and Mobile Telecom Service (Tele2-Altel).

Nokia has announced that, in collaboration with operator Etisalat UAE, (aka etisalat by e&), it has demonstrated the fastest passive optical network (PON) speed in the Middle East and Africa region.

Multinational information technology services and consulting company Cognizant has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Garuda Aerospace, an Indian drone start-up, to power its drones with advanced digital tools.

The ongoing use of advanced technology to address potential mobile network customer satisfaction issues has been in the news in West Africa thanks to a partnership between operator MTN Benin and vendor Ericsson.

Singaporean operator Singtel says it has entered into a strategic partnership with Indonesian telco Telkom and Indonesian energy company Medco Power for what will be its first data centre project in Indonesia.

According to figures widely reported in the Indian press, India’s three major operators are well below Department of Telecommunications (DoT) targets for 5G base station rollout – and in fact Vodafone Idea seems not have started yet.

Operator Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Agricultural Commodity Exchange for Africa (ACE) and Welthungerhilfe to enhance food security through application of technology in the agriculture sector.

Mexican regulator the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) has said that 2023 will see it make available up to 7,750 MHz of millimetre wave bands for 5G networks.

The recently reported SES MEO satellite launches are continuing to bring business opportunities for SES and its customers: this time Ecuadorian state telco CNT is involved.