Satellite operator Intelsat has been part of two very different deals recently, both underlining the diverse uses of satellite communications. One involves extending video connectivity in Brazil. The other aims to improve maritime connectivity across an area that includes Africa and the Middle East.

Nokia has instituted legal action against the Romanian government after being refused authorisation to provide 5G network hardware in the country.

Thai operator AIS, Qualcomm and ZTE announced claimed to launch the first in the field demonstration of 5G NR-DC (New Radio Dual Connectivity), a move that could potentially enhance Thailand’s 5G network and expand its use cases.

Togo is aiming to fiberise the country’s network of electrical power lines, according to the Minister of the Digital Economy and Digital Transformation Cina Lawson.

Nokia has signed an agreement with Etisalat UAE to deploy 5G private wiles networks to various industries in the region.

Indian mobile subscriber base dipped by nearly 10 million users in January as tariff hikes make services dearer, said the telecom regulator.

To enhance its wireless products offering, Tata Group’s company Tejas Networks will acquire a 64.40% stake in the wireless solution company Bengaluru (Bangalore)-based Saankhya Labs for INR 2.84 billion (USD 38 million) in a cash trade.

Supported by the growing fixed broadband service adoption, particularly in the emerging markets of the region, fixed communications service revenue in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7% to reach USD 406.2bn in 2026.

Zain South Sudan has selected Tecnotree’s BSS suite for a major digital transformation initiative.

Trilogy International Partners has agreed to sell a majority stake in Bolivian operator Nuevatel to Balesia Group for an undisclosed fee.

Cloud networking provider GTT Communications has partnered with Arc Solutions to consolidate and expand its service reach across the Middle East.

A new World Bank report – South Asia's Digital Opportunity: Accelerating Growth, Transforming Lives – looks at the opportunities and challenges related to digitalising the economies, societies and governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

London Internet Exchange (LINX), one of the world’s largest internet exchange points (IXPs) and Saudi Arabian operator STC have announced the expansion of interconnection services to new internet exchange points in Riyadh and Dammam.

Philippines' Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has unveiled a PHP 50-billion (USD 960 million) spending plan for the next three years, with a focus on improving the country’s digital infrastructure.

Vi (formerly Vodafone Idea) and L&T Smart World & Communication (SWC) have created a use case for a private 5G enterprise network in India.

Netcracker and NEC Corporation announced that e& (formerly Etisalat Group) has deployed Netcracker edge orchestration to innovate with 5G and new edge services in vertical markets.

Indian operator Bharti Airtel has bought from the UK’s Vodafone Group a 4.7% stake in Indus Towers, paying Rs2,388 crore for the stake – that’s about US$315.8 million. Airtel now owns 46.43% of Indus. Vodafone’s stake is now 21%, though it reportedly plans to sell this too.

The high-speed and low-latency PEACE cable system, designed to connect Asia, Africa and Europe, is back in the news.

EASSy, the 10,000-kilometre submarine cable system traversing Africa’s east and south coasts, is leveraging Ciena's GeoMesh Extreme to increase capacity and performance in sub-Saharan Africa.

Japanese telecommunications giant NTT and QD.TEK, one of the leading ICT distributors in Vietnam, have announced plans to establish a joint venture to develop a new data centre in Ho Chi Minh City, a major centre of the Vietnamese economy and home to many multinational companies.

Panama’s competition regulator has given the green light for the proposed merger between Liberty Latin America’s unit Cable & Wireless and local rival Claro Panama.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies has acquired a fibre pair on the Equiano subsea cable, allowing the firm to transport traffic up to 12 Terabits.

Expect Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendations around pricing of 5G airwaves sometime in early April. TRAI secretary V Raghunandan has apparently told local press that the huge task will take another week or ten days.

The owners of the Russian telecommunications company Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) transferred about 1% of their shares to the president & CEO of the company, Vyacheslav Nikolaev, said an official statement.

Brazilian regional operator Copel Telecom has changed its name and is now called Ligga.

South African multinational mobile telecommunications company MTN said it will spend over ZAR 620 million (USD 42.25 million) in the largest province in the country Northern Cape and the country's judicial capital Free State on network expansion and 5G drive.

Yondr Group, a, developer, owner operator and service provider of data centres, has announced its entry into the Malaysian market with a planned 200MW hyperscale campus.

Telecom Egypt has penned an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to secure a loan of €150 million (US$164m) to expand its broadband network, the largest loan from the bank for a mobile network upgrade in Africa.

Could mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) finally be coming to Nigeria? It seems likely given the recent publication by the country’s telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), of what it calls a License Framework For the Establishment Of Mobile Virtual Network Operators in Nigeria.