Qatari telecommunication operator Ooredoo has announced a major partnership with technology giant Ericsson that will see the two entities working together to ensure an unrivaled 5G experience for fans at the major football event in Qatar in 2022.

Haier, China’s largest consumer electronics and home appliance producer, collaborated with Huawei and China mobile to apply innovative manufacturing solutions combining 5G and mobile edge computing in its smart factories. The three announced the breakthroughs in Qingdao, China.

Polish mobile phone network operator T-Mobile Polska (T-Mobile Poland) has launched a trial of 5G standalone (SA) services at a test environment in the city of Lodz and via two commercial base stations in Zambrow and Halinow.

BNET, the national network responsible for providing broadband network services across Bahrain, has announced the launch and implementation of its new portability process for broadband Internet.

SatADSL has announced a new partnership with global satellite operator ABS which will provide the latter with access to SatADSL’s neXat platform.

The Nigerian regulator has announced what it calls strategic plans to boost the country’s telecommunications sector in the coming year.

Indian operator Bharti Airtel says it has appointed a committee to work on its efforts towards an environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) initiative.

The growth of mobile advertising indicates the continuing importance to operators of diversifying their business models, something that has been further underlined by an agreement between Indonesian operator  Indosat Ooredoo and mobile advertising and data monetisation specialist Out There Media.

Satellite firm Viasat is partnering with Intercorp Peru to expand digital and social inclusion across Latin America.

In-flight entertainment and communication systems company Panasonic Avionics Corporation has announced agreements with both Iraqi Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia). The Saudi national carrier also plans to offer a broadband solution from satcoms giant Inmarsat.

The vast telecommunications company Saudi Telecom Co (STC) has announced plans to invest $400 million in expanding its data centre rollout.

Paratus Namibia, part of Pan-African telecommunications company Paratus, has been chosen by Ongos Connect, a company working with Ongos Valley, Namibia’s first smart city development, to bring fibre connectivity to over 11,000 new residents in the new city.

MTN Mobile Money Uganda, a subsidiary of operator MTN Uganda, and TerraPay, a global payments infrastructure company, have announced an association that will enable MTN Mobile Money Uganda to facilitate international digital cross-border remittances and speedy money transfers to beneficiaries in a number of regions.

What is described as Africa’s largest satellite cellular backhaul network is about to extend its coverage.

MTN Rwanda has signed a five-year managed services agreement with Ericsson under which the Swedish vendor will deploy a new network operations centre (NOC) for the operator.

STL, an integrator of digital networks, has announced key initiatives to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, Africa (MEA) region by forming new partnerships, setting up a centre of excellence, and expanding its team.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) is reportedly planning to include 5G-capable spectrum in an upcoming frequency auction.

Iraqi internet service provider Earthlink Telecommunication is using Nokia’s solutions to build a high-capacity IP metro transport network in 15 provinces in the country as part of the Iraqi National Backbone project.

Given the ongoing conflict there, it’s probably not quite business as usual for Safaricom in Ethiopia, but the leading Kenyan operator has nevertheless announced plans to invest an initial $600 million in Ethiopia where it is part of a consortium setting up a new telecommunications operation of which it is the majority shareholder.

Libya’s Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba has stated that his government will aim to open the country’s telecoms sector up to competition, bringing about the end of a longstanding state monopoly.

MTN Rwanda has appealed to the country’s regulator for additional time to resolve the network issues that have incurred it the threat of penalties.

Costa Rican regulator Sutel (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones) has explained to the country’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) that it will not offer compensation for the 5G frequencies that it plans to appropriate from Grupo ICE.

Zambia’s fourth mobile licensee Beeline Telecom has set a deadline of 30^th June 2022 for its commercial launch.

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Russia's largest mobile operator, announced the successful test of Russia's first OpenRAN-based 5G telecom solution leveraging locally-sourced software that was developed by the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech).

Philippines wireless provider Smart Communications has revealed that its in-deployment 5G network now extends to 6,400 base transceiver stations (BTS), eclipsing its own target of 3,800 for 2021.

Millicom International Cellular, a telecommunications and media company which is a provider of fixed and mobile services dedicated to markets in Latin America, has signed an agreement to gain full control of Tigo Guatemala by acquiring the remaining 45% stake from its local joint venture partner in a $2.2 billion all-cash deal.

Global connectivity provider Epsilon has expanded its partnership with SEAX (Super Sea Cable Networks), a neutral information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure provider, to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia. SEAX has license to operate in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Hard on the heels of its takeover of Inmarsat, global communications company Viasat has underlined the diversity of its markets and offerings with two very different deals in Ghana and Peru.

Shares of Airtel Africa and MTN Nigeria have hit what are described as all-time highs after they were granted approval by Nigeria's central bank for banking licences – at least in principle.

Malaysia’s state-owned Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), which provides the only wholesale 5G services in the country, has integrated five domestic operators into its 5G network.

Sudan’s three main operators have received a court order to restore internet services after they shuttered access following a military coup last month.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s BH Telecom has selected Oracle’s Converged Charging System as it looks to revamp its prepaid product offerings and prepares to monetise 5G.

Indian multinational telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel and Cloud service provider Oracle announced new Cloud and data centre deals to help boost the digital economy and empower more than 1 million enterprise customers, as data consumption explodes in India amid rapid Internet and smartphone penetration.