China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), which operates under the Zong 4G brand, says it has expanded its network in the first half of 2024, as well as completed an extensive network modernisation project to address capacity challenges.

Nokia reported a 32% plunge in operating profit in Q2 blaming low demand for 5G telecoms equipment.

The Indian smartphone market was flat with a growth rate of only 1% in the second quarter of 2024 due to subdued seasonal demand.

The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) announced on Wednesday the launch of its second competitive funding round for enterprises to develop and scale solutions that can narrow the gender digital divide in developing countries.

Nepalese telco Ncell says it is collaborating with Meta to allow mobile subscribers to access Facebook Basic Mode and text-only web browsing even if they used up their data balance or don’t subscribe to a data package at all.

The GSMA announced a global coalition with major telecom players, the ITU and World Bank to improve the access of affordable handsets and connect three billion people that are not online.

The Sri Lankan government will vote this week to change a law that will pave the way for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite connectivity service to deploy on the island, reported ET Telecom.

Türkiye’s sovereign wealth fund was reportedly mulling the sale of its 26.2% shares in state-owned operator Turkcell.

Bangladesh’s telecoms minister reportedly warned the country’s telcos on Sunday that they will be forced to compensate for mobile call drops, while the country’s regulator is turning to AI to deal with complaints.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata said on Thursday it has officially take 100% control of rival telco Bharti Airtel Lanka via a share swap, sealing a deal that has been in the works for over a year.

State-owned telco Kazakhtelecom JSC has reportedly signed separate deals this week – one to finalise the selloff of its mobile unit MTS, and the other to build a subsea cable connecting Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Vodafone confirmed media reports regarding its sale of shares in infrastructure company Indus Towers to pay down debts accrued in India.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata says it has launched a smart tracking solution for vehicle and fleet monitoring, which also uses its 4G network to power various data-based monitoring features.

Satellite operator SES and UZ-SAT, the Republic of Uzbekistan’s national broadband satellite service provider, have announced plans to sign an agreement to deliver what are described as unparalleled connectivity services throughout Uzbekistan via the SES GEO satellite NSS-12.

Mobile service revenue in India was predicted to yield a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3%  from US$27.7 billion in 2023 to US$32.6 billion by 2028, due to adoption of data services, according to analyst company GlobalData.

Global smartphone shipments are predicted to grow by 4% year-on-year in 2024 to 1.21 billion units due to rebounding consumer demand.

Malaysian property developer Mah Sing Group threw its hat in the country’s increasingly crowded data centre ring on Thursday by launching a new site in Southville City and announcing Bridge Data Centres (BDC) as its first partner.

Global digital operator Veon announced on Tuesday that it has struck a deal to sell off its minority stake in Kazakh wholesale telecoms infrastructure services provider TNS+ to focus on its mobile operation, Beeline Kazakhstan.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has reportedly decided to let mobile operators pay spectrum fees in local currency rather than the costlier option of US dollars.

Azerbaijan’s state-owned operator Baktelecom is deploying Nokia’s XGS-PON solution to help bring new gigabit services to residential and business customers across the country.

Viasat and Azercosmos are partnering to bring L-band satellite services to Azerbaijan.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) announced on Tuesday that it has awarded a feasibility study grant to Bangladesh telecoms company CdNet Communications to explore construction of a new subsea cable to improve internet connectivity across the country.

Bangladesh telcos Robi Axiata and Banglalink have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to evaluate ways that they can share and rationalize their network resources to expand and improve 4G access across the country.

Veon Group announced revenue was up by 6.6% US$942 million, and maintained its full-year guidance for revenue of between 16% and 18%.

Over 1.5 billion women used mobile internet in 2023 in developing nations, as women are adopting connectivity faster than men, according to the GSMA.

Saudi firm DataVolt, which says it leads the way in sustainable digital infrastructure and renewable energy, has recently announced the launch, which took place earlier this month, of a data centre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and signed an agreement for more to come.

­Bharti Airtel signed a long-term agreement with Google Cloud to deliver cloud and gen AI solutions in the Indian B2B market.

The Sri Lanka government is reportedly making moves to amend the country’s telecoms laws to allow independent companies to build telecoms towers.

Veon-owned Bangladesh operator Banglalink said on Thursday that it has become the first mobile operator in the country to phase out 3G services as it shifts focus to boosting performance of its 4G network.

Pakistan’s antitrust regulator warned Pakistan Telecommunication Company’s (PTCL) acquisition of Telenor’s local unit will substantially reduce competition in the mobile market.