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.

China’s central bank is seeking feedback on its antitrust proposals for stricter regulation of payment services provided by non-bank companies, such as Alibaba and Tencent.

Reports in the Kenyan press are making clear how much of a hit the country’s banks have taken from the recent surge in mobile money payments.

Latvia’s Bite has deployed a further six 5G base stations in Riga to expand its coverage in the capital.

Cable technology supplier Nexans opened a new plant in Morocco for its telecoms business unit, a move to bolster its industrial capabilities to cater to the European and North African markets.

Nepal is set to receive a new player in its mobile financial space in the form of the Nepali Digital Payment Company.

Tower One Wireless has stated that it has 75 new cell sites under construction across Latin America.

Vodafone and Russian operator MTS announced an extension of an existing strategic partnership through to 2023, as part of plans to further streamline operations.

TPay Mobile has partnered with Bango to increase access to digital commerce across Turkey, the Middle East and Africa.

Although Afghanistan continues to be confronted by numerous challenges, largely due to the material effects of many years of war and civil strife, there have been successes in the country’s efforts to rebuild infrastructure and create a functional telecom sector.