KaiOS,  whose mobile operating system brings the internet to affordable devices, has announced a partnership with payment giant Mastercard to integrate a range of digital payments solutions for developing markets, beginning with Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

Smartphone financing company M-KOPA hailed reaching the milestone of providing over five million customers with loans in Africa totalling US$1.5 billion.

Artificial intelligence (AI) underpins two recent announcements in the Latin American region – one from technology giant Microsoft and the other from Wi-Fi optimisation specialist Galgus.

Kenyan service provider Safaricom has been in the news this week for an initiative involving healthcare – and also for a sustainability-linked loan.

At the United Nations Summit of the Future 2024 in New York  on 21 September, ZTE Vice President Summer Chen delivered a keynote speech “A Digital Future for All” during ITU’s SDG DIGITAL on how ZTE’s solutions are able to provide connectivity in some of the world’s least developed countries as well as some of its most remote regions.

Data centre operator Raxio Group says it has inaugurated Raxio Côte d’Ivoire (CIV1), described as a state-of-the-art data centre, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Ethiopia’s state-owned service provider Ethio Telecom has announced that it is rolling out what it calls its Copper Switch-Off Strategic Initiative; its aim is to migrate 100,000 of the company’s copper-based customers to high-speed fibre optic connections during the current Ethiopian fiscal year.

Tunisia’s three biggest mobile operators – Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie and Ooredoo Tunisia – reportedly submitted their applications for 5G licences on Monday, with approval expected in the next three weeks.

Qatar-based Ooredoo Group announced on Tuesday it has signed a QAR 2 billion (US$549.4 million) financing deal to help fund its plan to accelerate its data centre business and establish itself as an AI infrastructure heavyweight in the MENA region.

Continuing a busy week for Nokia in terms of news headlines, operator Zain Iraq has announced a strategic partnership with the technology giant to upgrade its network in the south of Iraq.

Naver Corp, the operator of South Korea’s leading internet portal, says it has plans to establish a Middle Eastern unit in Saudi Arabia within this year as part of efforts to expand its global business.

Operator Vodacom South Africa has built an enablement platform for mobile virtual network operators and signed up its first MVNO client, declaring the platform open for business.

Nepalese telco Ncell has denied market rumors that it has struck a deal to take over fixed-broadband ISP Classic Tech, although it confirmed that is seeking some sort of deal with an ISP.

Axian Telecom was reportedly looking to acquire Kenya-based mobile, internet and TV provider Wananchi Group.

Safaricom and Mastercard announced on Thursday that they have signed a partnership to accelerate adoption of payment acceptance and cross-border remittance services in Kenya.

One week after launching 5G across Uzbekistan, state-owned telco Uzbektelecom JSC, which operates as Uztelecom, made good on its promise to launch 5G-Advanced (a.k.a. 5.5G) this week, albeit only for testing.

Internet giant and Facebook owner Meta is planning to buy carbon credits in Latin America. But what does this mean? And will it really help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

African cloud services provider ST Digital has announced its expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo through a partnership with the Open Access Data Centres (OADC) Texaf – Kinshasa data centre, the Democratic Republic of Congo's first live open-access, carrier-neutral and Uptime Institute Tier-III certified data centre.

Vodacom South Africa unveiled the Mobicel S4 4G Cloud Phone in a bid to equip more subscribers with smartphones and migrate them to modern 4G networks.

Nokia has announced a strategic partnership with iSAT Africa to enhance rural connectivity in Liberia.

The GSMA launched in conjunction with 19 operators its Responsible AI (RAI) Maturity Roadmap to provide operators with guidelines to effectively and safely tap into the emerging technology.

Is Nigeria finally carrying out its threat to disconnect unregistered SIM cards? A number of outlets are reporting that with the Nigerian Communications Commission's (NCC) deadline having passed on 14 September, Nigeria's mobile operators are blocking subscriber identity module (SIM) cards that are not linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN).

Brazilian provider Oi deployed Nokia software to enhance broadband subscriber experiences, open new revenue channels and protect its assets from theft.

Aramco Digital Company and Groq, a major name in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) inference, have announced a partnership to establish the world's largest inferencing data centre in Saudi Arabia. But it's far from the only recent AI news from the digital and technology subsidiary of Aramco, the giant global integrated energy and chemicals company.

IHS Nigeria, a subsidiary of the IHS Towers group, announced on Monday it has formed a strategic partnership with Jaza Energy to deploy solar power hubs at 250 towers in underserved communities across Nigeria.

Kenya's ICT Authority has reportedly launched an ambitious US$2.4 billion project to reduce digital inequality, modernise business processes, and improve the country's digital landscape. But this isn’t the only digital transformation initiative announced in East Africa in recent weeks, as the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project may soon be rolled out.

A reminder that in large parts of Africa internet connectivity is not always guaranteed comes from PalmPay, a financial platform with over 30 million users on its smartphone app in Nigeria. PalmPay has announced the launch of its USSD code, a service that offers Nigerians an additional way to manage their finances without the need for internet connectivity.

Elon Musk-owned companies Starlink and X saw freezes to their accounts lifted after Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the transfer of BRL18.35 million (US$3.3 million) from their account to government coffers.

Data Infrastructure Trust (DIT) sealed the acquisition of American Tower-owned ATC India for INR210 billion (US$2.5 billion), making it the largest towerco in the nation, surpassing rival Indus Towers.

The National Communications Authority of Somalia (NCA) partnered with the International Finance Corporation to prepare new regulations for submarine cable landings aimed at bolstering Somalia’s connectivity sector.

State-owned telco Uzbektelecom, which operates as Uztelecom, announced on Thursday that it has launched its non-standalone (NSA) 5G network in all regional centres of Uzbekistan, and has teased plans to move ahead with 5G-Advanced technology soon.

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and Scala Data Centers, a leading Latin American platform of sustainable data centres in the hyperscale market, have signed a letter of intent to enable the construction of what they call the largest and most innovative digital infrastructure project in South America.