In a busy week for the company, BSS/OSS specialist Amdocs has announced a number of deals including collaborations with leading service providers in the Philippines and Peru.

An estimated 6.3 billion people, or 76% of the world's population, are using the internet in 2026, but around two billion remain unconnected, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

DE-CIX and Ooredoo Oman announced on Tuesday they have signed an agreement to launch Gulf Gateway-IX, a new internet exchange (IX) that will interconnect the country’s dual subsea corridors in Muscat and Salalah.

Nigeria’s First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and payment technology giant Mastercard have launched AgroPass, a digital platform designed to expand access to finance, markets and agricultural services for smallholder farmers across Nigeria.

Along with its Solar Park business, two other companies that are part of Bahrain-headquartered technology business the Beyon Group are also in the news – this time thanks to recent deals evolving Bahraini aviation holding company the Gulf Air Group.

Telefonica Brasil, which operates under the Vivo brand, has confirmed preliminary talks with shareholders of Brazilian fibre broadband provider Vero, as it looks to expand its fixed-line footprint amid consolidation in the country's broadband market.

Bahrain-headquartered global technology group Beyon announced on Monday that Phase 5 of its Beyon Solar Park programme will enable it to add a third solar-powered data centre to its green data centre portfolio.

Airtel Kenya has reportedly acquired 100 MHz of 5G spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for US$65 million after the Communications Authority of Kenya granted it a 25-year licence for the spectrum.

Recent news from tech giant Huawei underlines the growing interest in many regions in the use of communications to enhance transport systems – specifically railways.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Aramco, the state-owned integrated energy and chemicals company, have announced the closing of a transaction in which Aramco, through a wholly owned subsidiary, acquires a 49% stake in full-stack AI ecosystem Humain, with PIF retaining 51% ownership.

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has set out draft guidelines for the implementation of AI (artificial intelligence) into telecom networks, infrastructure, and services.

The GSMA has re-elected Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal (pictured, below) as its chair for the 2027-28 term, while MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita and Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle have retained their positions as co-deputy chairs.

Satellite operator SES revealed on Thursday it has been selected by Kazakhstan’s flagship airline, Air Astana, to install next-gen in-flight connectivity services across its Airbus A321LR fleet.

Bahrainian telco Batelco by Beyon and Ericsson said on Sunday they have extended their partnership to develop and modernize Batelco’s mobile broadband network across Bahrain, to include testing one of Ericsson’s AI-powered RAN solutions.

Visa announced on Friday it has signed an MoU with Senegal’s Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs to help support the government's digital payments ambitions.

The GSMA has urged the Gabonese government to reduce taxes on smartphones and mobile services to make internet access more affordable and bring more people online.

Saudi Arabia-based satellite operator Arabsat and satellite services and solutions provider Qatar Satellite Company (a.k.a. Es’hailSat) signed a strategic partnership agreement on Wednesday to expand joint initiatives in broadcasting and satellite communications.

Guinea has appointed Mamy Diaby as CEO of state-owned telecoms operator Areeba, as the government restructures the struggling business after a sharp decline in subscribers and revenue.

Salience Consulting, a management advisory firm specialising in the digital infrastructure and ICT sectors, has been appointed to provide transaction advisory services for a proposed commercial spaceport in Kenya.

Chilean regulator Subtel has refused to renew concessions in the 800MHz band for operator WOM, apparently due to lack of use. Indeed, the operator has not had customers on these frequencies since 2 November 2016.

Airtel Rwanda announced on Tuesday it has launched Airtel IQ, a Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offering for enterprises that integrates multiple real-time customer communication channels into existing applications and workflows.

Hayo, a global digital service provider, says it has expanded its presence in East Africa by establishing operations in Tanzania with the aim of helping to design, build and run critical digital infrastructure.

A reminder of the continuing dependence on diesel of many African countries as backup fuel for communications infrastructure comes from telecoms regulator ARPCE in the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Bolivian state-owned operator Entel has begun shutting down its 3G network in the administrative capital of La Paz, reallocating spectrum in the 850 MHz band to strengthen 4G services.

Gabon’s High Communication Authority (HAC) has lifted a ban on social media imposed eight months ago. The policy change was announced on Saturday in a televised statement.

The Abu Dhabi-based global technology group G42 has announced the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) both at home and abroad taking its AI expertise to both the UAE and Greece.

State-owned operator Uztelecom has upgraded 1,566 base stations and launched 380 new ones across Uzbekistan as it expands mobile coverage and develops its 5G network.

Paratus Tanzania revealed on Monday that it has established a new point of presence (PoP) at Wingu Data Centre in Dar es Salaam that connects the telco to Paratus Group’s continental network in East Africa.

Kazakh telco Transtelecom (TTC) and payments firm CNP Processing announced a partnership on Thursday that will enable local enterprises to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies for payment services, with local data storage and processing.

AST SpaceMobile, which is building a space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, has secured S-band spectrum authorisation from Brazilian regulator Anatel, as well as regulatory approval for the secondary use of spectrum in the 700 MHz band.

Satellite communications technology company ST Engineering iDirect has announced a strategic partnership with Oman’s MBSat, to provide the ground system technology foundation for MBSat’s next-generation satellite gateway and network operations across Oman and the wider Middle East region.

Kenyan telco Safaricom said on Thursday it has extended its M-Pesa overdraft service to micro-businesses, enabling them to complete business payments even when their available M-Pesa balance is insufficient.