Yet another example of the growth of the infrastructure leasing model in the telecommunications world comes from Kenya, where a major name is hoping to interest a number of big local operators in its tower offering.

The ongoing dispute over the planned withdrawal of temporary spectrum in South Africa looks set to continue after the regulator ICASA announced its plans to take on operator Telkom and its objections to the end of the temporary spectrum scheme.

Airtel Tanzania has partnered with the country’s I&M Bank to launch a mobile overdraft service.

The name of the UK company investing in troubled Gambian operator Comium and, importantly, promising to rid it of its outstanding debts has been revealed. It is Monty Mobile.

Angola’s newest operator Africell will use wholesale IP transit and connectivity solutions from Angola Cables.

Group Vivendi Africa (GVA) has confirmed that it will begin offering its CanalBox FTTH services in Gabon’s second city of Port-Gentil by mid-2022.

It seems that reports of the demise of Gambian operator Comium may have been premature. The Gambian media is now suggesting that, following a suspension of its activities imposed by the Public Utilities and Regulatory Authority (PURA) until 4 November, Comium may be planning to pay back its debts.

Sahel Telecom, a new wireless broadband provider, has launched services in Mauritania.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has slated the country’s 5G spectrum auctions for 13^th December.

Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed that the tech giant will invest $1 billion into Africa across the next five years.

Eutelsat Communications is back in the news again after the satellite operator was selected by African digital solutions provider Globacom to bring satellite broadband to underserved regions of Nigeria.

In what could be the largest IPO in Uganda to date, MTN Uganda has announced its intention to float 20 percent of its shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE).

SICO  Technology, described as Egypt’s first smartphone maker, plans to get into the African electronics market assembling handsets for other companies, according to recent news reports.

Avanti Communications has announced the launch of a new managed satellite service for rural connectivity branded as Avanti EXTEND.

Late last week President Muhammadu Buhari told Nigerians, in an Independence Day broadcast, that after a government team had had "extensive engagements" with Twitter, the ban on Twitter's operations in Nigeria was to be lifted. But there are strings attached.

NuRAN Wireless, a supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions, says the first site in Cameroon relating to its network as a service (NAAS) contracts with Orange SA went live last week and, the company adds, has already begun to generate significant traffic.

South African 5G pioneer Rain has announced further growth for its 5G network, to which it recently added eight new regions.

The government of Botswana is upgrading its private wireless transmission network using Intracom Telecom’s OmniBAS microwave product family.

The Government of Togo and Bboxx, a next generation utility, have announced what is described as the first-ever memorandum of understanding (MoU) to sell smartphones in Togo on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Guinea-Bissau’s National Regulatory Authority for ICT (ARN) is reviving the country’s state-backed Guine Telecom (Companhia de Telecomunicacoes da Guine-Bissau) including its mobile unit Guinetel.

Finnish multinational telecommunications giant Nokia and South Africa-headquartered miner AngloGold Ashanti have successfully trialled 5G connectivity at an underground mine in Jerico, Colombia.

South Africa's data center market size will witness investments of USD 3071 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 15% said a report.

Kenyan operator Safaricom has confirmed that it plans to launch a commercial 5G network in 2022.

Burkino Faso’s government has detailed its National Strategy for the Development of the Digital Economy, which seeks to boost connectivity in urban areas.

Lynk Global has signed its first commercial deals with operators in the Bahamas and the Central African Republic.

MTN Uganda has been granted an additional 5MHz of spectrum in the 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands.

Number three South African operator Telkom has enjoyed a positive response to news that it plans to spin off its masts and towers business in separate listings on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

As broadband demands grow, could satellites be part of the answer? Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) a satcoms company under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications, seems to think so. It recently announced that Nigeria plans to acquire two new satellites by 2025.

Orange MEA is partnering with Ericsson as it looks to accelerate its pan-Africa Orange Money mobile finance service.

Gambian regulator PURA (Public Utilities Regulatory Authority) has ordered mobile provider Comium to suspend its services after it failed to pay a number of required fees.