Senegal’s regulator ARTP (L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes) has confirmed plans to launch national mobile roaming this month, ahead of 5G licence allocation by end-July.

Uruguay’s 5G spectrum auctions have concluded with the local units of Claro and Movistar each obtaining holdings in the 3.5GHz band.

Telecom Egypt announced the landing of the 2Africa subsea cable in Port Said, a move that will enhance connectivity in Egypt and provide capacity for the operator to grow. 

Claro Colombia has deployed solutions from Casa Systems as it seeks to expand its broadband capacity and build a converged, cloud-native network.

MTN celebrated its super app Ayoba for gaining 25 million monthly users in four years after launching, with ambitions laid out to reach 100 million by 2025.

Axess Networks, a global provider of satellite communications solutions, has announced plans to connect more than 700 new 4G nodes via satellite as part of the CFE TEIT programme, a national development plan in Mexico. TEIT stands for TElecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos or Telecommunications and Internet for All.

The Middle East data centre market has been in the news recently, with plans announced for a massive new data centre in Cairo and the arrival of a new report suggesting impressive growth expected for Oman’s data centre sector.

Private networks are in the news again. This time Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía, a port terminal in Cartagena, Colombia, is announcing that it is the first multipurpose terminal to adopt a private 4G technology in Latin America after a deal involving Nokia and operator Claro Colombia.

South Africa’s Eastern Cape is getting its own internet exchange point (IXP). INX-ZA, an autonomous division of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) of South Africa, has launched the Nelson Mandela Bay IXP, or NMBINX in Gqeberha, about 770 km east of Cape Town, providing what is described as a boost for business and for the growth and development of the Eastern Cape internet ecosystem.

As promised earlier this year, South African operator Rain is no longer a data-only service provider. It is now part of the country’s highly competitive mobile network space, joining Vodacom, MTN and Telkom with a network offering national voice, SMS and data coverage.

Bahraini broadband provider BNET signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei to identify strategic objectives, outline governance rules, and set the terms for long-term collaboration, reported CommsUpdate.

Bolivia and Costa Rica have separately issued major updates regarding 5G progress in their markets.

Carrier-neutral data centre services provider GPX Global Systems, in collaboration with Redcon Group, a major name in construction, has announced a new data centre investment in Egypt.

Hispasat has secured the infrastructure deals required for its Amazonas Nexus satellite to begin operations.

Malaysian operators have thrown their weight behind the government's decision to reverse course and create a second 5G network.

Cuba's second-ever submarine cable, connecting Cuba to Martinique and deployed by Orange, is now being tested. The testing process began in April.

Orange Jordan has chosen Nokia’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment for its nationwide deployment.

Underlining the massive streaming potential of the mobile phone user market in Africa, Wi-flix, described as the fastest-growing streaming platform in Africa, has expanded its presence to Zambia following the launch of packages with mobile telecommunications giant MTN.

Vodacom has become the first operator in Mozambique to launch commercial 5G, with its network now available in Maputo City.

There’s been some controversy reported in Uruguay in the run-up to operators Claro and Movistar prequalifying for 5G spectrum in an auction scheduled for 9 May.

4G is about to become a reality in São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, thanks to Unitel STP, which has announced that it has become the first mobile operator to launch commercial 4G services in the country, after receiving approval from regulator AGER.

GTT (Guyana Telephone and Telegraph) is partnering with domestic satellite firm Wansat to deliver satellite connectivity to Guyana’s rural regions.

The Ghanaian National Communications Authority (NCA) set a hard deadline for the 11 million remaining unregistered SIM cards to be signed up, warning those SIMs will be cut off from services at the end of the month. 

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) has ordered mobile operator Korek Telecom to pay US$800 million to resolve an ongoing dispute over outstanding unpaid fees.

Tomorrow will see a potentially significant development for the Sierra Leonean economy as the Bank of Sierra Leone officially launches the National Payment Switch, a system that, it is hoped, will move the country closer to achieving the objective of building a cashless economy.

Camtel, MTN and Orange have been ordered by the Cameroonian government to immediately fix mobile services after subscribers staged protests over the lack of quality service.

Flō Networks, a provider of digital infrastructure solutions, has announced that it has completed the acquisition of American Tower's Mexico fibre business, ATC Holding Fibra México (known commercially as redIT), and its high-capacity fibre optic network, which maintains a dense presence in over 40 cities throughout Mexico.

The African Development Fund and the Smart Africa Alliance have jointly launched a US$1.5 million project to streamline digital trade and e-commerce policies across 10 African countries.

This week saw thousands of Cameroonians yesterday protest against what they regard as unacceptable quality of service from mobile operators MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon.

Orange Group again credited its revenue growth to its Africa and Middle East segments as units there demonstrated how the operator had responded to increased competitive pressure.

Telecentro Argentina has selected solutions from Nokia for its network transformation.