Comviva, the global player in digital solutions, has announced its strategic partnership with Etisalat Misr to offer media-rich Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) services.

Brazilian Internet Service Provider (ISP) Desktop Sigmanet is planning to stage an initial public offering (IPO).

Asian e-commerce giant QNET has said it is seeking to establish a physical presence in Kenya and to grow a large network of independent representatives.

The continuing importance of the small and medium enterprise (SME) market – and helping to enabling it for a digital future – is a theme reiterated in a number of initiatives, most recently from Malaysia’s Maxis and Bahrain’s Batelco.

UAE operator Etisalat has announced further expansion plans for its SmartHub ecosystem of interconnected communities with the planned launch of a new facility.

Ghana is all set to begin re-registration of SIM cards with Ghana Card, the country’s smart national ID, or risk getting their SIMs blocked.

Ethiopia’s telecommunications regulator awarded one operating license to a consortium led by Kenya’s Safaricom Vodafone, Japan’s Sumitomo Brook Taye, and UK finance agency CDC Group.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has accepted the proposal of a single orbital position of 26.7 degrees West and the frequency channels of future satellite networks of the Republic of Serbia for the FSS (Fixed Satellite Service) and BSS (Broadcast Satellite Service).

There are 40 countries/territories worldwide with private network deployments based on LTE or 5G or LTE or 5G-suitable private network spectrum licence.

Claro Chile has signed a US$10.75 million deal to acquire a 2×15MHz holding of 3.5GHz spectrum from rival operator Entel.

What is claimed to be Thailand’s first 5G open RAN smart city is on the way, courtesy of the country’s National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT) , 5GCT, a local partner specialized in delivering end-to-end 5G smart cities, networking company Cisco Systems (Thailand), and end-to-end, cloud-native network software provider Mavenir.

IoT solutions specialist Kerlink has partnered with Vietnamese start-up Cloud Energy to develop and deploy new solutions to meet demand for IoT services in rural areas around Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

The global satellite operator Telesat and TIM Brasil, the Brazilian subsidiary of Telecom Italia, completed in-orbit 4G mobile data backhaul testing using Telesat's Phase 1 low earth orbit (LEO) satellite.

The state-owned telecommunications company in Azerbaijan, Aztelekom is building a network based on Gigabyte Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology in the villages of the country within projects to expand the coverage area of ​​communication services and improve their quality.

Mobile TeleSystems Belarus (MTS Belarus), in cooperation with the state-owned infrastructure operator beCloud, is expanding its 4G network in the Minsk region.

The Russian operator VimpelCom (Beeline trademark) announced the launch of the VoWiFi (Voice over Wi-Fi) service in Moscow and the Moscow region in a pilot mode.

Underlining the growth of the mobile payment business across Africa, operator MTN has announced a $2 million partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand its mobile money business – called MoMo – in South Africa.

Tele2 Russia has selected Ericsson to upgrade its network with the 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System, including software. The partners will jointly deploy 50,000 base stations across the country in 27 regions including Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Togolese regulator ARCEP has ordered local mobile operator Moov to attend a public hearing to explain its subpar quality of service.

The Communications Authority of Kenya has decided to approve the framework authorising the use of the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum.

Global smartphone wholesale revenue increased 37% YoY to pass $100 billion in the first quarter of 2021, said a study. Smartphone shipment volume also grew 28% YoY this quarter.

Things are continuing to get tricky for WhatsApp, with further unfavourable responses to the Facebook-owned service’s proposed data use policy.

Polish OSS provider Suntech has won a new contract with Singapore-based StarHub to upgrade its service fulfilment platforms as part of an ongoing digital transformation process.

Days after confirming that Jamaica’s 700MHz tender had been successful, the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz has named domestic operator Rock Mobile as the island nation’s third licensee.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the bill granting DITO Telecommunity Corp., the country's third major telecommunication service provider, a new 25-year franchise.

UAE-IX, carrier and data center neutral Internet Exchange operator in the GCC region, recorded 63% growth in total customer bandwidth to over 1,400 Gbps in 2020.

Arc Solutions, a joint venture launched by Du and Batelco, has signed an agreement with global telecoms operator BSO to interconnect network footprints in the Middle East and around the world.

Travellers, employees and retailers at Brazil’s São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) are now able to access the world’s first at-airport Wi-Fi 6 network using OpenRoaming.

Recent reports in the Tanzanian press indicate that the government hopes to encourage investors to establish mobile phone assembly lines in Tanzania in order to bring affordable smartphones to unserved members of the population.

Ecuador’s state-owned provider CNT (Corporacion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones) has formed an Automatic National Roaming agreement with Telefonica’s local Movistar unit which will see 4G coverage expanded within 18 provinces.