Regional Brazilian operator Sercomtel announced a voluntary layoff plan with the aim to reduce its 456 staff by 50%, as part of urgent plans to reduce massive debt and ensure the survival of the company.

IoT hardware manufacturer Cavli Wireless announced plans to start manufacturing modules in India based on GCT Semiconductor chipsets, a move to broaden its business in India’s growing IoT market.

Reduce the cost of network maintenance with drones, AI and ML. To learn how, download this FREE White Paper.

State-run Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) is aiming to launch a “pre-commercial” 5G service using 3.5GHz spectrum by mid-2021.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information – known as KemKominfo - has “terminated” the country’s allocation process for 2.3GHz mobile spectrum.

Further underlining the growing importance of cashless and paperless payment in Africa, Kenyan operator Safaricom has announced the launch of an M-Pesa Bill Management service.

Asia Consultancy Group (ACG), a leading independent private company providing telecommunications infrastructure and managed and engineering services across Afghanistan, has signed a multi-year contract with Indian networking products company Tejas Networks.

Mexican regulator IFT (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones) has approved a public tender for 41 blocks of spectrum across the 800MHz, 1900MHz, 1700MHz/2100MHz and 2.5GHz bands.

Ooredoo Algeria has deployed Nokia’s cloud-native core software to cost effectively strengthen its network performance and reliability.

In a rather unusual development, certain areas of IoT provision may be rendered illegal after a proposal by Russia’s ministry of digital development, communications and mass media at the end of last year.

Thailand’s Central Administrative Court has ruled that state-owned operator TOT must pay market leader AIS a total of THB1.35 billion ($45 million) relating to a revenue sharing concession.

There have been some significant recent announcements about international cooperation – actual or potential – between Saudi Arabia and a number of European countries involving digital technology.

Orange Maroc, the Moroccan division of the multinational telecommunications company Orange, has acquired EtixEverywhere Maroc, part of European global data centre developer and operator EtixEverywhere. As part of this acquisition Orange is also to be the owner of a data centre in Casablanca, Morocco.

It’s been a little more than 15 months since we reported that two major Indian service providers were to merge. Now it looks like the merger – between fixed and mobile service providers Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) – has been shelved.

If Indian press reports prove true, both the country’s Ministry of Defence and its Department of Space may soon give up their claims on parts of the 3300-3600 MHz spectrum.

Fitch Ratings has reiterated its prediction that Airtel Lanka will seek a merger with – or to be acquired by – a rival, given the overwhelming amount of CAPEX investment required to remain competitive in an aggressive market.

Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has said that it has developed home-grown 5G Radio integrated with its 5G core network.

Togolese regulator ARCEP (Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority) is implementing new frameworks aimed at protecting consumer interests.

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), a data centre service provider headquartered in Singapore, has reportedly proposed plans for a greenfield data centre campus in Noida, India.

The Nigerian Communications Commission hailed its progress in improving connectivity in Nigeria, revealing base stations and fibre optic cables were rolled out rapidly after a regulatory restructure.

Nokia and China Mobile announced the successful trialing of AI-powered RANs to predict bandwidth traffic and detect network anomalies, showcasing technology to automate networks that could drastically reduce reliance on human resources.

Emirati operators Etisalat and Du have increased their cap on foreign share ownership from 20% to 49%.

India’s government is looking to sell its entire 26.12% stake in Tata Communications before the end of the current fiscal year.

Uruguay’s government is appointing a database administrator to begin implementing mobile number portability after many delays.

Cuba’s state-run operator ETECSA (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba) has affirmed its goal of delivering fixed, wireless or mobile broadband to all districts in the Havana province before the end of 2021.

Recent deals involving Chile and Brazil underline the continuing growth of the data centre market in South America.

Philippines operators PLDT revealed a surge in mobile download speeds since 2017, with more plans to invest and bolster its networks in the pipeline.

Following hard on the heels of yesterday’s Bango and Tpay mobile money alliance comes another multi-regional digital finance deal. This time Wari and Lycaremit have announced a strategic partnership to facilitate cross-border remittance.