African vendor-neutral data centre and interconnection services provider Teraco Data Environments Proprietary Limited says it has completed the JB3 data centre facility, which is sited on the Isando Campus in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.

Vodacom DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) has commissioned ST Engineering iDirect and Gilat Telecom to help it migrate its VSAT-based 2G network to 3G.

Broadband network and digital services offered in Seychelles will soon get a boost from a new cable system that will be leased by Seychelles-based telecommunications provider Intelvision Limited with support from global development institution IFC.

A fascinating initiative announced recently involves what will probably be one of the first government-backed digital currencies in Africa – if it happens.

Spanish technology services company Lleida.net has signed contracts with the postal operators of five African countries to provide them exclusively with digital postal services and registered electronic communications technology.

2Africa, not only Africa’s biggest subsea project but, the consortium behind it says, the largest subsea cable project in the world, is in the news again with plans for more branches.

Hard on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that Sanlam and telecoms giant MTN Group are to distribute Sanlam Group insurance and investment products across Africa comes news that microinsurance fintech aYo has partnered with MTN to launch insurance for all Ivorians – and Sanlam will be involved.

CAMPOST, the national provider of postal and financial services in Cameroon, and VYZYO, a mobile financial services technology company, have signed a commercial partnership agreement to deploy and operate digital payment and mobile financial services throughout Cameroon.

According to local press reports, state-owned operator Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) has announced a Memorandum of Understanding with AST SpaceMobile.

The telecoms regulators UCC in Uganda and ARTP in Senegal have introduced quality-measuring apps for various communications networks.

The Ethiopian authorities are to allow the new licence offered to a Safaricom-led consortium in May to be upgraded to include mobile financial services.

Two recent news stories from Nigeria underline the fact that efforts are continuing in the country to expand connectivity to less-well-served areas, in these two cases through rural satcoms and urban Wi-Fi.

It wasn’t too long ago that pan-African operator MTN seemed keen to have another try at the second Ethiopian telecoms licence it failed to win in May. That opportunity has now been offered, but MTN may no longer be as keen to get involved.

Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC), a mobile telecommunications company and internet service provider in Namibia, announced the commercial launch of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) communications technology.

MTN Nigeria, the biggest operator in the pan-African MTN Group in terms of subscriber numbers, says it is planning to invest 600 billion naira (about $1.46 billion) over the next three years to expand broadband access.

We reported in early July that Djibouti was planning to open up its telecoms sector to competition. Now the country has set Thursday 16 September as the deadline for investors to express interest in taking a 40 percent stake in the incumbent operator.

South African operator MTN has announced plans to invest some $11.8 million in network expansion in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.

Somalia’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has set a deadline of 31st August for all unlicensed service providers nationwide to apply for an operating permit.

The Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has opened a public consultation inviting stakeholders to provide feedback on its proposals for 5G spectrum bands.

Angolan President Joao Lourenco published an order that authorises the privatisation of the 90% participation that the state holds in the Multitel's share capital, through a public tender.

Two Nigerian communications industry associations have backed a proposed move by the country’s regulator towards collocation and infrastructure sharing.

International (and pan-African) operator Orange and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have inaugurated a new Orange Digital Centre in Bamako.

The mobile money bandwagon continues to gather pace in Africa. Local press reports indicate that leading Angolan operator Unitel is about to launch a service called Unitel Money.

Nigeria’s government has again pushed back the deadline by which mobile phone users must register a valid National Identification Number (NIN) with their operator.

Angolan newcomer Africell is set to be granted a number of tax and customs exemptions after the country’s parliament unanimously approved the proposal.

The DRC’s state-owned provider SCPT (Societe Congolaise des Postes et Telecommunications) has signed a US$35 million infrastructure modernisation agreement with LMS Holding.

For the second time this month an African MTN operator has announced a digital advertising services partnership, underlining the importance of mobile advertising to modern mobile business models, especially in low-income or low-margin markets.

The Bank of Tanzania (BOT) has granted its approval in principle for Cellulant Corporation to operate as a Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) in Tanzania.

A 22km interconnected fibre optic network linking Cameroon and Gabon is now officially launched and operational.