SpaceX’s LEO satellite operator Starlink has shut off service in Papua New Guinea – at least for now – and has reportedly withdrawn from the market amid ongoing legal tangles that have delayed approval of its licence to operate there.

Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) says it has officially licensed operators Safaricom and Airtel Money Kenya to operate as what are called intermediary service platform providers (ISPPs).

Professional services company Deloitte India says it has expanded its strategic partnership with cloud computing services business Google Cloud. The firm will serve as a premier partner, reseller and managed security service provider (MSSP) for Google Cloud in India.

The Government of Pakistan has reportedly approved a process for the auction of 600MHz of spectrum within two months. 

The slow but steady growth of private networks in Latin America appears to be continuing with last week’s news from operator Telefonica Movistar Colombia that its business division Movistar Empresas has implemented the first industrial private LTE network in a maritime terminal in Colombia.

Ooredoo Qatar has launched a new eSIM solution for IoT devices, which it says can help enterprises simplify device management, enhance security, and scale IoT operations across borders.

e& UAE says its EMIX IP transit platform has upgraded its UAE core with 400G links in collaboration with Cisco to meet demands for traffic growth that is growing over 20% annually.

Veon-owned digital telco Beeline Kazakhstan and Japan’s Rakuten Symphony have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore ways to collaborate on next-generation connectivity, digital services, and cloud-native network infrastructure.

Edotco Services Lanka says it has commissioned 400 resilient power systems across Sri Lanka to strengthen telecoms network reliability and resilience during natural disasters and prolonged power outages.

Investment firm Stonepeak has agreed to acquire TeleTower, the tower company carved out of Eastern European operator Bite, in a move aimed at tapping growth in the region’s telecoms infrastructure market.

PayTabs Kuwait, a member of the Saudi Arabia-headquartered PayTabs Group, which specialises in payment orchestration, has announced that it has entered a strategic partnership with BEDE Kuwait, a payment services company.

In what is described as a first for the EEMEA region, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and payment giant Mastercard have officially launched Mastercard’s proprietary mobile-first virtual card number (VCN) solution for businesses.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Bahrain has announced the launch of satellite direct-to-device (D2D) services in the country, although ‘launch’ may mean ‘authorisation’ in this case.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has signed an investment agreement with a consortium comprising Arsari Group and Northstar Group to form a new joint venture focused on fibre digital infrastructure in Indonesia.

Ericsson and Zain Bahrain announced on Monday they have expanded their strategic partnership to include Ericsson’s 5G Edge User Plane technology, which Zain will deploy to enable Industry 4.0 technologies in Bahrain’s industrial sector.

Vietnamese telecoms player Viettel said it has held “high-level bilateral working sessions” with Japanese companies Nikon Corporation and Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) as part of its preparation to help build Vietnam’s first domestic semiconductor manufacturing plant.

ASN and OMS have revealed that their contract with Vanuatu-based telecoms infrastructure firm Prima to build the Tamtam subsea cable has officially entered into force as of Thursday, with the system now scheduled to be ready for service by the end of 2027.

Underlining the continuing government push not only to make Malaysia an attractive home for data centres but for renewable energy to power those data stations is a recent announcement of a 250MW solar initiative positioned to supply AI data centres in Malaysia.

Indian state-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) seems to be enjoying a period of making positive business headlines lately, with initiatives in airport communications and fixed broadband in the news this week.

The challenge of keeping businesses safe from cyberthreats is yet again in the news, this time in Qatar, where a leading telecommunications and ICT provider has announced a cybersecurity deal.

Peru’s telecoms regulator OSIPTEL reported a 3% year-on-year increase in sector revenues to SOL12.5 billion (US$3.7 billion) in the first three quarters of 2025, driven by rising demand for mobile and fixed internet services.

Bahrain-headquartered provider telecommunications and digital services Batelco by Beyon has signed an agreement with Cisco to modernise its IP backbone infrastructure.

Econet InfraCo, the infrastructure arm of telecommunications provider Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, has announced plans to develop a 300-hectare industrial park not far from the country’s main airport.

Pan-African technology group, Cassava Technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools provider, Gebeya have reportedly collaborated to launch Gebeya Dala, a suite of AI tools aimed at enabling Africans to create digital content using Cassava’s data centres and infrastructure.

Global digital operator Veon announced on Friday that its financial services subsidiary, Mobilink Microfinance Bank has launched Islamic banking operations in Pakistan, in response to growing customer demand for Shariah-compliant financial services.

Digicel Fiji said on Friday it has signed a universal service obligation (USO) contract with the Telecommunications Authority of Fiji (TAF) to deploy mobile and digital connectivity services to underserved communities in the Lau group.

Dialog Axiata announced on Friday it has signed a partnership deal with SpaceX to resell its Starlink LEO satellite internet service to enterprises and underserved communities in Sri Lanka.

Telecoms activity, you might think, should be slowing down as the holiday season approaches – but 5G launches are still making headlines. Following recent announcements from Sri Lanka’s Dialog Axiata and SLT-Mobitel, it’s now the turn of Claro Paraguay.

Uruguay-headquartered dLocal, which describes itself as the leading payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, has announced a new strategic partnership with commercial payments specialist Convera.

Payments giant Mastercard say it has partnered with MoneyHash, a payment orchestration platform built for emerging and global markets, to expand merchant access to the newly launched Merchant Cloud across the Middle East and Africa.

PLDT reported a decline in cable and telecoms equipment theft across most of 2025, citing closer cooperation with local government units, police and community groups.