Ericsson said on Monday it has successfully completed MTN Nigeria’s first field trial of a triple-band FDD massive MIMO radio that integrates the telco’s entire 4G mid-band spectrum into a single, compact radio unit.

Two submarine cables – one linking the UAE and Kenya and the other linking Tunisia with France – have made news recently, the former thanks to a new launch, the latter because of a successful landing.

Problems continue to pile up for troubled Brazilian operator Oi, with news late last week that rival operator Claro is to take over a connectivity contract it formerly managed.

Automation and orchestration specialist Inmanta expanded its sovereign cloud automation offering to Africa, aiming to help telecom operators and datacentre providers boost efficiency and maintain data sovereignty as infrastructure investment accelerates across the continent.

Smart utilities are again in the news after InfraX, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and technology giant Ericsson recently announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate the digital transformation of the utility sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Wingu Africa, a specialist provider of carrier-neutral, Tier III-standard data centres in East Africa, has entered a strategic partnership with Africa Data Centres, which operates the continent’s largest network of interconnected facilities.

Qatar-based Ooredoo Group announced it is collaborating with Ericsson-led open network API joint venture Aduna to make its open network APIs available to businesses across the MENA region and around the world via the Aduna platform.

Mozambique’s government has made 5G coverage compulsory in all provincial capitals, while scrapping its earlier plan to auction spectrum licences to mobile operators.

Ecuador’s state-owned operator Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CNT) has launched the country’s first commercial 5G network in partnership with Nokia, marking a major milestone in Ecuador’s digital development.

It may come as a surprise to some readers to hear that, more than three years after the telecommunications regulator laid the groundwork for MVNOs to come to market, only this week is Nigeria preparing to welcome its first virtual mobile operator (MVNO).

Two MoUs announced in the past week underline the ongoing focus of many major corporations in telecommunications and energy supply on pursuing – or being seen to pursue – sustainable strategies, notably in the area of energy efficiency.

MTN MoMo South Africa is expanding its strategic collaboration with Mastercard in a bid to increase access to digital financial services and support greater financial inclusion across South Africa.

Saudi Arabian telco stc Group announced on Wednesday it has signed a strategic agreement with LEO satellite operator AST SpaceMobile to develop direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity services across Saudi Arabia and select markets in the Middle East and Africa.

Singapore-headquartered global payment platform Thunesand pan-African financial institution Ecobank Group signed an agreement on Wednesday to collaborate on enabling instant cross-border payments for individuals and businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa, starting in Togo.

Safaricom has officially confirmed it is partnering with Meta subsidiary Edge Network Services to establish the Daraja subsea cable system that will connect Kenya and Oman.

Humain, a global artificial intelligence company based in Saudi Arabia building end-to-end AI capabilities, and AirTrunk, a data centre platform in the Asia Pacific region, have agreed to establish a strategic partnership to build data centres in Saudi Arabia.

Communications and technology provider Liberty Caribbean, part of Liberty Latin America, has announced a partnership with satellite communications company Starlink to support emergency communications on the storm-hit island of Jamaica.

Logistics solutions company DP World says it has launched the rollout of its Port Community System (PCS) platform in Kenya, marking what it calls a major milestone in the country’s journey towards more efficient and transparent trade.

As 5G applications continue to extend well beyond outdoor use, Ericsson and Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) are the latest companies to discuss 5G-powered rail operations after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing rail operations through 5G technology.

Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has inaugurated Oppo’s new smartphone factory, marking another milestone in the country’s expanding electronics manufacturing sector.

Ownership of 5G phones in Nigeria is greatly outpacing coverage, leaving many users unconnected to 5G, according to a new report conducted by Ookla and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Two recent news stories – from Madagascar and Chad – indicate that some African regulators feel they need to respond strongly to public concerns about quality and cost of mobile services – although powers to enforce these responses often differ from country to country.

Syria has signed an agreement with Barcelona-based Medusa Submarine Cable System for the country’s first international subsea cable landing, state-run Ikhbariya TV reported.

ZTE announced on Friday it has launched a joint initiative with Colombian telco ETB (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá) to jointly deploy all-optical networks across key regions in Colombia, including Bogotá, within the next three years.

Singapore-headquartered global payment platform Thunes says it has launched real-time cross-border payments to and from Colombia through Bre-B, the country’s new national instant payment system from Banco de la Republica, the Central Bank of Colombia.

Education and healthcare are the two sectors where artificial intelligence (AI) holds the greatest potential to deliver meaningful benefits for society, according to Frost & Sullivan’s Global ICT Practice Leader, Alexander Michael.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata announced on Thursday it has expanded its 5G trial network across 15 districts nationwide as it gears up for the country’s long-awaited 5G spectrum auction slated for early December.

NEC Africa announced on Wednesday it has kicked off a project with Cote d'Ivoire’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production that aims to improve and upgrade agricultural efficiency with digital technology.

The governments of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have held discussions on the extension of Tanzania’s National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), which will, it is hoped, extend through Lake Tanganyika to the DRC province of Kalemie, on the western shore of the lake, by 2027.

Pan-African telecoms and network services provider Paratus Group announced on Wednesday that it is expanding into Rwanda, where it will provide and install Starlink LEO satellite services for businesses in the country.

Huawei has launched a new framework designed to help governments in the Middle East and Central Asia advance their digital transformation agendas, while underlining the role of technology as a catalyst for economic growth.

Saudi Arabia-based telecoms and digital infrastructure company Etihad Salam said on Tuesday it has entered into a strategic partnership with AFR-IX Telecom to be the primary landing and interconnection hub for the Medusa subsea cable system and extend the system’s reach to the Red Sea.