MTN Mobile Money Uganda Limited and Jumo, a technology company building next-generation financial services for emerging markets, have launched MoSente, a new service that allows MTN customers to access credit facilities.

A ‘green’ high-speed underwater backbone communication network is coming to Brazil’s Amazon River thanks to a partnership between Seja Digital, a non-governmental, non-profit institution created by regulator Anatel, and HMN Tech, a provider of turnkey submarine network solutions.

Operator Vodacom Tanzania has reportedly signed a contract with the country’s National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) – the government-owned fibre optic cable infrastructure system.

Venezuela’s Digitel has confirmed its aim of launching a VoLTE offering in 2023.

WIOCC has landed Google’s Equiano subsea cable in Lagos, Nigeria.

Telebirr, a mobile payment and digital wallet service launched by Ethiopia’s state-owned operator Ethio Telecom in May 2021, has reached over 17.6 million subscribers with a cumulative transaction value of 12.58 billion birr (about $245.2 million) to date.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has announced it will review its frequency band every four years, a move to be in line with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) guidelines, which promote cross border interoperability and support for new technologies.

As part of the operator’s wide-ranging network upgrade, Nokia will deploy its XGS-PON equipment for Cable Bahamas (REV)’s new fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network.

Chile’s Entel has pledged to invest more than US$665 million throughout 2022 into its operations across Chile and Peru.

Broadband internet via satellite is coming to 500 rural communities in Mexico thanks to Spanish telecommunications satellite operator Hispasat and Mexican internet service provider GlobalSat.

As recently happened – more than once – in Nigeria, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has extended SIM card registration in the country beyond last week's deadline.

Parallel Wireless is conducting an Open RAN field trial over the 2600MHz band in Brazil, in partnership with local operators and organisations.

Bahrain-headquartered technology solution provider Kalaam Telecom has announced the completion of its acquisition of Kuwaiti ISP and ICT services company Zajil International Telecom Co (KSCC).

Batelco and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on next-generation 5G technologies.

MTN Cameroon and state-owned Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) have penned a national roaming agreement which will see the latter expand its coverage significantly.

The rapid growth of mobile money-based services continues. Ooredoo Money Services, part of Qatar-headquartered operator Ooredoo, has announced a partnership with Thunes, a global payment services platform based in Singapore, to provide instant money transfers to multiple mobile wallets internationally.

South African operator MTN has announced an expansion drive into rural and peri-urban areas and a major 5G rollout, at a cost of some R749 million (about US$51.5 million dollars), in the Western Cape province this year.

Telecel Group has finally completed its acquisition of Mattel Mauritania from Tunisie Telecom and Comatel for an undisclosed fee.

Google’s Equiano subsea cable system will connect Nigeria this month (April) a move that is expected to boost broadband speeds for the country and its neighbours fivefold.

Fresh from its commercial launch in Angola’s capital of Luanda, Africell has revealed the next locations for its phased network rollout of 4G services.

Global communications company Viasat and Batelco, the leading digital solutions provider in Bahrain, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to engage in several regional business-to-business (B2B) service opportunities.

Two of the world’s biggest names in digital payments have announced major agreements in significant African markets: Visa in Egypt with operator Orange Egypt and Mastercard in Kenya with digital payment solution provider PesaLink.

India’s telecommunications sector has struggled for growth over the last five years. The sector’s lacklustre performance has been in spite of concerted efforts by the government to bolster the underlying infrastructure in a bid to achieve universal coverage.

Remittances are back in the headlines with news of a recently announced partnership that is targeting Zimbabweans who want to transfer funds from the UK to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

MTN’s Nigeria business – which constitutes its largest market in Africa – has been very much in the news in recent days, mainly thanks to the approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria of a licence for MTN's Mobile Money (MoMo) Payment Service Bank in the country.

Operator Telma Madagascar and vendor Ericsson say they have deployed Ericsson’s Radio 6626 three-sector dual-band radio across five major sites in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo.

Mauritania’s small population and low economic output has limited the country’s ability to develop sustained growth in the telecom sector.

In recent years the government of Ivory Coast has helped develop a competitive telecom sector focussed on the provision of converged services, thus allowing operators to offer fixed-line and mobile services under a universal services licence regime.

Nepal’s regulator has warned the country’s internet service providers to end the “unnecessary” price war in the for high speed fixed broadband services.

It looks like one of the potential hurdles to the planned licensing of high-demand spectrum in South Africa may have been overcome after the country’s number three operator Telkom ended its legal battle with regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).

Among African countries, Burundi provides an attractive telecom market given its high population density and existing low penetration rates for all services.