A good eight years after the idea was first mooted, Botswana’s attempt to introduce mobile number portability (MNP), which allows customers to change their network provider while retaining their original number, has ground to a halt.

The enterprise arm of Indian operator Vodafone Idea, also known as Vi, has strengthened its IoT portfolio with the launch of what it calls integrated IoT solutions for enterprises.

Millicom has announced that its Tigo Business division has teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to expand and integrate its managed and professional services into its cloud solutions portfolio in a number of Latin American countries.

Airtel’s Kenyan and Sri Lankan units are bolstering their coverage via 5G upgrades and new site deployments respectively.

Etisalat has collaborated with Parallel Wireless, Intel and Supermicro to deliver Central Asia’s first cloud-native O-RAN compliant 5G 4G 3G 2G Open RAN solutions in Afghanistan.

The Telecommunication and Posts Regulatory Authority (ARPT) of the Republic of Guinea and the company Global Voice Group (GVG), a provider of ICT and RegTech solutions, have announced a partnership relating to the deployment of what is described as a leading-edge mobile and digital ecosystem regulation platform in Guinea.

While South Africa is home to the largest concentration of data centres on the African continent, the appeal of West Africa seems to be growing, with new developments planned for both Senegal and Nigeria.

Bharti Airtel has agreed to sell its 800MHz spectrum for three of India’s telecom circles to larger rival Reliance Jio Infocomm.

ZTE Corporation has implemented Africa’s first live 3G/4G/5G Tri-RAT dynamic spectrum sharing solution, ZTE’s SuperDSS, in South Africa.

It appears that the dispute over 5G licenses in Bulgaria has been resolved after an apparently successful 3.6GHz spectrum auction finally took place recently.

In what has been described as an eleventh-hour decision in response to requests from bidders, the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) has again extended the deadline for operators bidding for new operating licences. Instead of 5 April the bids are now required by 26 April.

The past few days have seen the Tanzanian government take action after what has been described as ‘public uproar’ relating to new data bundle pricing from the country’s operators.

Croatian regulator HAKOM (Regulatory Agency for Network Operations) has invited feedback on its proposals for the auction of 5G-ready spectrum in the 700MHz, 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands.

The original deadline for NIN-SIM registration in Nigeria was the end of 2020. It’s been moved three times since then. The new deadline – the fourth in total – is 6 May.

The global drive to encourage digital payment continues – this time with an announcement from Sri Lankan operator SLT-Mobitel that its mobile money arm mCash has partnered with payments solution giant Visa.

Bharti Airtel has announced the expansion of what it calls its green energy footprint with the commissioning of a captive solar power plant for its data centres in Uttar Pradesh.

The long-promised Russian software legislation favouring local companies came into force late this week. Smartphones, computers and other smart devices purchased in Russia must now come pre-installed with Russian software.

Pan-African group Smile Telecoms Holdings has agreed a debt restructuring plan with its lenders.

Cellnex will formally assume control over 7000 telecom tower sites formerly owned by Poland’s Play (Polkomtel).

Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has issued what it calls its Three-year Outlook for Commercial and Innovative Use of the Spectrum in Saudi Arabia – and Wi-Fi supporters appear to be very happy with the contents.

Brazil’s Oi has closed the sale of its tower unit to Highline after signing an initial agreement in November last year.

Digitec Communications appears on track to launch mobile services in Papua New Guinea by the end of 2021.

The formation of a new Indian telecommunications industry body has just been announced. It’s called the Satcom Industry Association (SiA-India).

Cambodian operator Smart Axiata has announced plans to invest more than $90 million in its mobile network infrastructure in 2021.

Suriname’s leading operator Telesur has signed a ten-year contract with Cerillion for a fully convergent BSS/OSS platform.

Data centre provider ST Telemedia Global Data Centres’ India unit has announced a new partnership with Indian cleantech company Avaada Energy to procure renewable energy.

Hungary-based IT service management company 4iG Plc says it has entered into a preliminary agreement with the Romanian RCS & RDS consortium for the acquisition of the Hungarian interests of the Digi Group, a leading telecommunications service provider in Hungary.

Botswana’s information technology and communication (ICT) sector may be about to receive a boost, after news that the country’s government has decided to direct more projects towards locally owned ICT businesses.

According to local press reports, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is set to earmark additional 5G spectrum bands in the run-up to the next auction. The question, however, is, which ones will be added?