ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (Thailand), a data centre service provider, announced the official opening of STT Bangkok 1, the first carrier-neutral hyperscale data centre in Bangkok built to global standards.

Brazilian carrier Vivo has announced the start of 5G tests in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) of 26 GHz band in partnership with Finnish vendor Nokia.

Schneider Electric and the University of Birmingham Dubai build green, energy-efficient data centre on-site at the new campus, and implemented by system integrator CDW.

In an interesting reminder of the growing relevance of smart grids and the Internet of Things (IoT) to developing markets, it has been reported that Kenyan operator Safaricom is offering to supply a $288 million smart metre system to the country’s main power utility.

Cable & Wireless Panama (CWP), which is 49% owned by Liberty Latin America (LLA), is acquiring Claro Panama from America Movil (AM) for US$200 million.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies is delivering affordable high-speed connectivity to communities in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) using Wireless Optical Communication technology (WOC) from Project Taara.

As part of its drive to address Africa’s vulnerability to climate risk, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has created an independent asset management arm, AFC Capital Partners, with a debut offering: the Infrastructure Climate Resilient Fund (ICRF).

Mauritius Telecom, a telecommunications company in Mauritius, has begun providing 1 Gbps broadband connectivity, claiming Mauritius is just the second African country after South Africa to provide gigabit speeds to residential subscribers.

The artificial intelligence (AI) subsidiary of MTS, Russia’s largest telecoms operator, has launched a US$ 100 million venture capital fund to accelerate investments in startups.

Hungary's 4iG will become the owner of Invitech ICT Services after the company concluded a sales contract with ICT Services' owner, Cyprus-based Rotamona, according to a report by state news wire MTI.

Celltick, a provider of cell broadcast-based products and public warning systems, has announced that the telecom operator Vi (Vodafone-Idea) is the first operator in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh to support its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) that is being deployed for the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA).

US-based open RAN software company Parallel Wireless has announced plans to continue growing its footprint across the globe with the expansion of its open RAN research and development work in a number of countries that include Israel and India as well as the US and UK.

As expected, the Ethiopian government has formally announced its proposal for the partial privatisation of state-owned operator Ethio Telecom.

The merger of Papua New Guinea’s state providers Telikom PNG and bmobile is reportedly on track to close by the end of this month.

Nokia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) to drive digital transformation and the knowledge economy for socio-economic development across the continent.

Telenor has confirmed that it still aims to exit the Myanmar market through a sale of its local unit.

Jordan-based telecom and contact centre services provider Globitel has been awarded a contract to supply its USSD Gateway product to Telecommunications Company Suriname (Telesur).

Chinese provider of submarine-network solutions HMN Tech said the first 16-fibre pair repeatered submarine cable system, the Hainan to Hong Kong Express (H2HE), has completed the system commissioning and testing, and is now ready for service.

Brazilian telecom operator Mhnet Telecom has finalized negotiations for the acquisition of Creral Telecom, located in the Alto Uruguay region, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Nokia Group signed an agreement on cooperation in research to upgrade and develop VNPT's digital infrastructure.

The Angolan government has launched an international public tender offering a concession to manage, operate and expand state-owned operator Angola Telecom’s national and metropolitan transport backbone network.

Telekom Srbija is acquiring ISP Posta NET from Post Srbije, a Serbian postal service provider.

In yet another example of how the response to Covid-19 has influenced the telecommunications sector in a number of countries, MTN Ghana has announced the launch of a home internet service.

The newly-formed Vodafone Oman has selected Netcracker’s Digital BSS solutions as it prepares to launch its network in the Sultanate of Oman.

Continuing the rural broadband theme that has been in the news lately, NetOne – Zimbabwe’s second-biggest operator and a state-owned entity – has announced the next phase of its mobile broadband expansion project.

Mobile telecommunication company China Mobile and the national cable TV operator China Broadcasting Network (CBN) have worked out the terms of a 700 MHz 5G implementation plan, with the operator to control base station prices and first of all own 100% of the shared network.

A1 Slovenija, the second-largest mobile operator in Slovenia, has launched commercial 5G services, offering download rates of up to 1Gbps.

MTN South Africa partnered with Nokia to modernize its network, and enhance connectivity and voice services, a move the operator argued puts it on a strong path to 5G evolution.

Huawei chairman Xu Zhijun announced that the Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies will launch its 6G networks in 2030, which is 50 times faster than 5G.

With an eye to the continuing drive to boost services to citizens and businesses, Botswana has floated a tender for the design, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and support of internet and backhaul connectivity in 61 of the country’s villages.

Pan-African operator Vodacom has installed three new solar-powered sites in South Africa as part of what it describes as its energy and carbon management strategy and commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.