Safaricom Ethiopia’s M-Pesa mobile money service has signed an international money transfer agreement with Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, which currently operates in 40 African countries.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s satellite solutions provider Yahsat, is partnering with data compression specialist Niflink to provide customisable telemedicine and e-learning solutions across its network using Niflink’s video compression technology.

Cloud-based OTT video platform vendor Perception Group announced on Tuesday that mobile operator Africell Angola has launched AfriTV, an OTT mobile TV service using Perception’s TVCDN platform.

Ooredoo Group and e& Carrier & Wholesale announced that they have partnered to deploy the Gulf Gateway Cable (GGC1) subsea system to improve capacity, reliability and latency between data centres in Abu Dhabi and Doha.

The Nigerian neobank Kuda is reportedly expanding its reach with new payment licences in Tanzania and Canada.

Telecoms and agriculture are in the news yet again. Service provider MTN Nigeria has announced plans to partner the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), in disseminating weather and climate information to farmers and other users across Nigeria.

Jordanian operator Umniah will deploy Ericsson’s Cognitive Software AI solutions to optimise its network and address critical aspects of its network in key locations. 

Bangladesh operators Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi Axiata and Teletalk have each received a unified licence from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to streamline their operations and 5G evolution paths.

Start-up satellite manufacturer and operator Astranis said on Monday it has struck a new partnership with Latin American ISP Orbith to provide a dedicated MicroGEO communications satellite for Argentina.

Alfanet, a prominent internet service provider (ISP) in Ecuador that serves residential and commercial customers across the country, has chosen AXESS 5 ACS (Auto Configuration Server) software from device management solutions company Axiros.

Major tech player ZTE Corporation has announced that it has secured a bid for the Mexican izzi Telecom MVNO project.

Google’s in-app payment policies are once again under scrutiny from India’s competition authorities.

UAE operator du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Samsung.

At Mobile World Congress 2024, Developing Telecoms spoke to Atilio Rulli, VP of Public Relations at Huawei Latin America & Caribbean, to discuss how Huawei’s solutions are enabling smarter connected farming in Brazil, a market where agribusiness is an enormous contributor to GDP.

UAE operator etisalat by e& has become the first telecom operator to partner with UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat for its Direct-to-Device (D2D) strategy to enable satellite connections for standard smartphones.

Echostar-owned Hughes Network Systems announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan’s Republican Center of Space Communication (RCSC) will deploy its Jupiter System ground platform to connect remote villages in the country.

Angola Cables, a multinational telecommunications operator of fibre optic telecommunication cables, and carrier neutral and open-access provider EllaLink have signed an agreement to boost data transfer and improve capacity between South America and Europe.

stc Bahrain has launched what it claims is the first instant mobile eSIM activation service that uses AI-powered facial recognition to authorise users, one month after Bahrain's telecoms regulator issued guidelines for facial recognition usage in telecoms services.

Leading global connectivity providers Arelion and Telxius say they are collaborating to expand connectivity to North and Latin America.

Research group Opensignal has produced its latest analysis of the mobile network customer experience in South Africa, in which, it says, MTN again takes home the largest haul of awards.

Wholesale connectivity provider Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet), which operates Botswana’s largest fibre network, is boosting its offering with solutions from DZS.

Last week’s inauguration of Tunisia’s Ifriqiya submarine cable is part of a wider plan to boost the country’s international connectivity, according to a number of reports.

Tower company  Edotco Bangladesh revealed on Thursday that it signed an MoU with Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) to collaborate on deploying a telecoms tower in Bangladesh made of fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP).

Airtel Tanzania managing director Dinesh Balsingh revealed the operator had expanded its coverage with newly constructed towers, as part of an initiative to boost connectivity in rural locations, The Citizen reported.

MTN Uganda Mobile Money managing director and CEO Richard Yego revealed the operator is aiming to almost double its loans to UGX1 trillion (US$256,000) this year. 

As Nigeria’s MVNO sector gathers pace, software solutions provider Mobilise has launched Tier 5 MVNE services to cater to this burgeoning market segment.

EcoCloud, a leading Kenyan provider of sustainable data centre solutions, and G42, a UAE-headquartered technology holding group, have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) highlighting plans for a data centre powered by geothermal energy.

TowerCo of Africa Uganda has procured funding of US$40 million to boost coverage in rural areas of the country.

Chile’s ClaroVTR joint venture has signed a 15-year agreement with fibre optics company OnNet Fibra, which will allow the migration of the joint venture's cable modem customers to fibre optics.