State-owned Uzbektelecom JSC (a.k.a. Uztelecom) and Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) said on Thursday they will collaborate to develop network security services for Uzbekistan as well as the broader Central Asian market, starting with zero-trust access.

Ericsson said on Friday that Bangladesh telco Grameenphone has completed deployment of its mediation solution that leverages big data analytics to provide better and more useful insights into how Grameenphone’s network is being used.

Apple will begin selling iPhones manufactured in India and has revealed plans to open four new retail locations in the country.

Dialog Axiata unveiled what it described as Sri Lanka’s first AI-powered health scanning feature in its telemedicine app Doc990, which claims to be able to monitor multiple key indicators of health directly from smartphones.

Global digital solutions provider Hayo said on Tuesday it has opened new offices in Cameroon, Niger and Sri Lanka to expand its ability to meet growing local and regional demand for digital services.

Indian operator Bharti Airtel paid INR84.65 billion (US$1 billion) towards its debt for spectrum acquired in the 2016 auction, weeks after the supreme court threw out operator pleas to readjust their dues.

Ericsson announced on Friday announced that it has completed a major tech stack upgrade for Pakistan’s Telenor Microfinance Bank (TMB), giving its mobile wallet easypaisa a cloud-native platform on which to scale up its services.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has approved a $400 million loan for Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), marking a significant step toward its acquisition of Telenor Group’s operations in Pakistan.

Nepalese telco Ncell has denied market rumors that it has struck a deal to take over fixed-broadband ISP Classic Tech, although it confirmed that is seeking some sort of deal with an ISP.

One week after launching 5G across Uzbekistan, state-owned telco Uzbektelecom JSC, which operates as Uztelecom, made good on its promise to launch 5G-Advanced (a.k.a. 5.5G) this week, albeit only for testing.

Data Infrastructure Trust (DIT) sealed the acquisition of American Tower-owned ATC India for INR210 billion (US$2.5 billion), making it the largest towerco in the nation, surpassing rival Indus Towers.

State-owned telco Uzbektelecom, which operates as Uztelecom, announced on Thursday that it has launched its non-standalone (NSA) 5G network in all regional centres of Uzbekistan, and has teased plans to move ahead with 5G-Advanced technology soon.

The Bangladesh Private Cable System (BPCS) consortium is ready to start work on building the country’s first privately-owned subsea cable, according to subsea cable consulting and project management company Pioneer Consulting, who is advising the project.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) says that Mastercard has partnered with its fintech subsidiary U Microfinance Bank (UBank) to issue a new physical and virtual debit card for its mobile financial services platform UPaisa.

The GSMA revealed former Vodafone executive Vivek Badrinath (pictured) will take the hot seat as director-general of the GSMA from Mats Granryd who will depart at the end of March 2025 after MWC Barcelona.

Nokia is expanding its Fixed Networks R&D facility in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Tech Mahindra announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to tap into the technology giant’s generative AI products to digitally transform its parent company’s various industrial units.

Bhutan Telecom is deploying Ciena’s coherent routing solutions to support booming data traffic demands in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Bangladesh telcos Grameenphone and Robi Axiata have reportedly secured another 20 MHz of spectrum each in the 2.6 GHz band, after two years of haggling over the price per MHz.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said on Tuesday it has officially issued a telecoms licence to SpaceX’s LEO satellite broadband operator Starlink to offer services in the country.

Incumbent Maldives telco Dhiraagu said it has inaugurated the official landing of the SEA-ME-WE 6 subsea cable in the Maldives, although the cable is still almost two years away from activation.

UPDATE: Bangladesh's Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has confirmed that he has assumed power following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has now fled the country. At the time of writing, data from NetBlocks indicates that internet connectivity has been restored and remains available in Bangladesh.

The Indian smartphone market declined by 2% YoY in the second quarter of 2024, but 5G smartphones saw their highest market share growth so far.

Mobile internet services in Bangladesh were restored on Sunday after being down for 12 days. However, access to social media and messaging apps reportedly remains blocked pending a meeting with social media reps and government officials later this week.

Fixed broadband in Bangladesh was reportedly set to be completely restored on Wednesday night, but the government said that mobile internet access will remain offline until at least Sunday or Monday, which means most people will remain unconnected.

Fixed line broadband internet connectivity in Bangladesh has been partially restored in select areas and for certain business sectors after a five-day blackout that has reportedly wreaked havoc on almost every aspect of life in the country.

Veon subsidiary Jazz secured a PKR75 billion (US$270 million) loan to finance plans to expand infrastructure across Pakistan, and aid plans to transition from a telco to a technology services company.