The benefits that broadband delivers are proven and measurable in terms of economics, and few would dispute that fibre is the optimal broadband technology in situations where it is feasible to deploy.

Paratus Group announced on Monday that it has launched what it claims is the fastest fibre express route from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Europe after completing a terrestrial fibre link linking Johannesburg to Google’s Equiano subsea cable.

Oman fixed broadband provider Awasr announced that it has officially launched the "Oman-IX" internet exchange point in collaboration with regional digital infrastructure services provider Alliance Networks and internet exchange provider AMS-IX.

Indian company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a major name in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, has announced the opening of a new delivery centre in Londrina, a city in southern Brazil.

Submarine cable network operator and managed connectivity service provider Seacom has launched a low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite service for its enterprise clients in South Africa.

Lebanon-based OTT video platform provider Mangomolo says it has won a deal with UPICtv, the OTT commercial wing of Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet), to provide a turnkey solution for The Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport & Culture (MYSC) of Botswana.

This week saw a potentially highly significant signing ceremony take place when representatives of Iraq’s Informatics and Telecommunications Public Company (ITPC) and the Kuwaiti service provider Zajil Telecom signed a strategic collaboration agreement to create a communications route from the Gulf to Europe.

Technology giant Huawei has been busy with information and communication technologies (ICT) education initiatives in recent weeks – in Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt.

The Togo Digital Agency (Agence Togo Digital or ATD) is said to be working on a plan to speed up the digitisation of Togo’s public services.

Among the many businesses dealing with Zimbabwe’s attempt to move to a new currency last Friday was operator Econet, which last weekend said it was preparing its systems to allow trading in the new currency.

South African operator MTN has responded to the country’s ongoing power blackouts with further investment in generators in an attempt to make up for the deficiencies of state electricity provider Eskom.

Orange and online learning company Coursera are launching a free certification training programme for young people in Africa and the Middle East, to provide them with key skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Saudi oil giant Aramco has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GCT Semiconductor Holding, a leading designer and supplier of advanced 5G and 4G semiconductor solutions.

MTN’s super-app Ayoba had 35 million monthly active users in 2023 a year-on-year increase from 20 million due to feature upgrades and expansion into new markets, and now the operator aims to chase growth through expanding its B2B front. 

Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) says it has raised US$400 million in debt financing to cover the cost of its planned acquisition of Telenor Pakistan.

The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh (AMTOB) has reportedly called on the government to lower taxes on telecoms companies, saying the current tax structure is limiting sector growth and hobbling the government’s own "Smart Bangladesh" strategy.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published what it calles the Draft Radio Frequency Migration Plan (Draft RFMP) and the Draft International Mobile Telecommunication Roadmap (Draft IMTR) for public consultation.

Google says its Firmina submarine cable has now landed on the Argentine mainland.

Ericsson and Orange Egypt announced on Monday that they have signed a multi-year deal to collaborate on accelerating the telco’s digital transformation by fortifying its backend and building a resilient architecture across its network.

In a deal announced last week on its website by Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA), the NCA and the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et de la Poste (ARCEP) of Benin say they have signed a bilateral roaming service agreement.

Africa Data Centres, Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, say it has broken ground on the construction of a solar farm in South Africa's Free State in collaboration with DPA Southern Africa, a joint company of the French energy utility EDF.

Nepali telco Ncell says it has boosted connectivity speeds for its 4G service in various districts of the Lumbini and Bagmati provinces as part of an ongoing drive to improve Quality of Service (QoS) for customers.

Network International, an enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, says it has entered into a strategic partnership with fintech solutions provider Souhoola to enable merchants with the capability to offer buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) payments at its networkpay point-of-sale terminals in Egypt.

Remittances are in the news yet again, this time in the shape of LemFi, a cross-border payment solution that allows people in the diaspora to send and receive funds back home. LemFi has announced that it has secured the approval of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to operate remittances in Kenya.

MTN Nigeria plans to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) with its shareholders on how to manage the capital loss it suffered in 2023.

South Africa's Blue Label Telecoms has received approval from the country's Competition Commission (CompCom) to take control, via a subsidiary, of operator Cell C.

Bangladesh operator Banglalink has partnered with mobile financial service provider bKash and City Bank to finance 4G smartphone purchases for customers to make the devices more affordable and in turn boost 4G adoption.

Telecom Namibia (TN) the state-owned telecommunications operator, has taken what it describes as a proactive step to align with regulatory requirements by deactivating 191,598 unregistered prepaid subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.

UAE-headquartered technology group operator e&, in partnership with communications and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi ME, has launched the mobile version of its Wider Web Extension tailored for autistic individuals.

Thuraya, the mobile satellite communication arm of UAE satellite player Yahsat, announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its partnership with Algérie Télécom Satellite to become the authorised distributor of Thuraya’s new direct-to-device (D2D) satellite smartphone in Algeria.