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.

Satellite networking technology, solutions and services company Gilat Satellite Networks has announced that it has received a $12 million service award for recurring revenues from broadband services in Cusco, Peru.

The giant telecoms corporation America Movil, having decided on a reorganization earlier this year, is now to propose a spinoff of its towers business to shareholders.

Pakistan’s state-owned Ufone obtained a further 2×9MHz of 1800MHz spectrum in the country’s latest spectrum auctions.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technology of Azerbaijan has extended the license agreements of mobile network operators Azercell, Bakcell, and Azerfon (Nar) for ten years.

Greece's Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) has completed the acquisition of a 30% stake of Telekom Romania Mobile Communications (TRMC) from fixed-line operator Telekom Romania Communications (TKR).

Africa’s largest telecom company MTN Group is reportedly in talks with potential international buyers for its wireless business in Afghanistan, a bid to accelerate plans to exit the country, as per a Bloomberg report.

Dr. Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, has announced plans to provide more than 60 million people in rural areas with high-speed internet under an ambitious drive to unlock new pathways for economic growth.

UAE-headquartered satellite solutions provider Al Yah Satellite (Yahsat) has selected Cobham SATCOM, a provider of satellite communications solutions to the land, aeronautical and maritime industries, to deliver a comprehensive mobile broadband system, including ground infrastructure and products, to operate as part of its next-generation Thuraya 4-NGS system.

Investors continue to display a strong appetite for data centre investment in the Asia Pacific region. The data centre market across the region is expected to see another record year in terms of investment, with an estimated US$1.8 billion in direct investments already transacted in the first half of 2021.

Satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks specialist Hughes Network Systems and Bharti group-backed low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb have signed an MoU for a strategic agreement to distribute satellite services in India to large enterprises, small and medium businesses, government, telcos, and ISPs in the rural and remote parts of the country.

International rating agency S&P maintained Bharti Airtel’s credit rating of “BBB-“, and upgraded outlook to stable from negative, indicating the company’s improved financial status and ability to pay back debt.

The principal telecommunications company in Bahrain Batelco has announced the expansion of its mobile network, to cover major housing developments currently being built by the Ministry of Housing and the private sector across Bahrain.

African telecommunications giant MTN Group and its Nigerian operation have had a good week with both the announcement of a new multi-country mobile payment deal for MTN Group and also a licence renewal for MTN Nigeria in the past few days.

In an interesting example of cooperation to avoid duplication, Tanzania is planning to use electricity infrastructure to deploy broadband services.

The mobile telecommunications provider in Malaysia, Celcom Axiata Bhd is prepared to launch its 5G technology services by the end of this year.