MEASAT-3d, described by Malaysian operator MEASAT as its latest and most advanced satellite, has now entered commercial service, after its handover by Airbus Defence and Space.

Safaricom chief executive officer Michael Joseph calmed mounting interest in the operator spinning off its successful mobile money division M-Pesa into a seperate company.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought views on the need for overhauling laws governing the telecommunications sector.

Airtel Africa confirmed its Kenyan unit bought 60MHz of additional spectrum in the 2600 MHz band from the Communications Authority of Kenya for US$40 million, a move to expand its 4G network.

Guinea is the latest African country in which a telecoms regulator has seen fit to step in over allegations of unacceptable quality of service by an operator.

Now Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based infrastructure provider SBA Communications as part of plans to bolster its 5G deployment.

Claro, the second – and only other – network in Guatemala after Tigo, has claimed a 5G launch not long after its rival. This week it has launched 5G operations with initial coverage in parts of all of Guatemala's 22 departments (or administrative divisions).

Mexican operator Telmex is the latest company to face industrial action from staff, marking the first strike since 1985 after the company and trade union STRM (Sindicato de Telefonistas de la Republica) failed to agree on terms.

The Thai government’s digital arm has admitted the administration has used spyware to survey individuals deemed a national society threat or narcotics offender, despite previously denying the use of spyware.

Africa’s Phase3 Telecom, an independent aerial fibre optic network infrastructure and telecommunications service provider, has partnered with satellite broadband service YahClick to offer high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband services.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved four bidders for the auction of 5G spectrum in India scheduled to start on 26 July.

Vodacom pledged to invest ZAR1 billion (US$58.2 million) into its mobile network in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal to accelerate connectivity in the deep rural areas.

Vodacom will retain full ownership of the tower company subsidiary which will have full ownership of the operator’s tower portfolio.

International service provider Sparkle has added another submarine cable to its assets in the Atlantic with the activation of spectrum capacity on the Monet submarine cable system connecting Brazil to the United States.

Google and Twitter have yet to comply with a new licensing law in Indonesia, which could result in services being taken offline in the country.

State-owned fixed and mobile operator Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) has announced plans to deploy fixed broadband infrastructure and services to new housing projects in the country.

This week, Huawei held the Carrier Cloud Transformation Summit as a highlight of its Win-Win Innovation Week.

Tele2 Estonia launched commercial 5G services in parts of the capital city Tallinn despite ongoing 5G auctions in the country.

The Montenegrin telecoms regulator EKIP made reforms to pricing by demanding operators cut prices, in a move to spur the country’s telecoms industry.

Another major communications deal involving india’s oil industry has been announced as broadband satellite and managed network services provider Hughes Communications India (HCI) says it has been chosen to deploy and manage a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) for Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) across its 10,800-site retail enterprise network.

A leading Israeli colocation data centre infrastructure provider has attracted the attention of one of the world’s biggest and best-known private investment firms.

Given the growing requirement for fibre across Africa and the problem some African countries have with copper theft, it may perhaps be a surprise to learn that a fibre optic cable manufacturing factory recently inaugurated in Ogun State, in Nigeria’s South-West region, is West Africa’s first and only the fifth in the entire continent.

Indonesia-based Bersama Digital Infrastructure and investment firm Opti-Teknology Philippines have jointly acquired a majority share in Alliance Towers Corporation for an undisclosed fee.

Latin American data centre deals have been in the news recently thanks to a major acquisition in Ecuador and two facility openings in Mexico.

The capital venture building units of Globe Telecom and Ayala Corp have partnered up to explore new opportunities in a bid to expand digital solution ecosystems.

Ethiopian mobile money service TeleBirr has now passed the 20 million subscriber mark. In fact the Xinhua agency reports that TeleBirr, a service designed and rolled out with help from Huawei, now boasts more than 21 million subscribers.

Indonesia has told technology companies that they must register soon under licensing rules first unveiled in late 2020 or run the risk of having their platforms blocked.

Telecom Namibia pledged to invest NAD2.3 billion (US$134m) into its infrastructure to address the country’s “urgent need” to improve low connectivity adoption and high prices.

Tanzanian telecoms regulator TCRA called out operators Vodacom, Tigo, Airtel, Tanzania Telecommunications Company and Halotel for subpar connectivity services, particularly in 15 districts.

Romanian regulator ANCOM (National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications) has begun a consultation on its upcoming 5G spectrum auctions.

Google is set to take a 1.2% stake in Indian operator Bharti Airtel via an equity share issue after the move was cleared by the Indian firm’s directors.