Orange Centrafrique has been unable to offer mobile services after its core network, data centre and radio installations were destroyed in a fire on 6th June.

South Africa’s number three operator is claiming an African first. Telkom says it has launched Africa’s first virtual card for transacting on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments.

A new deal will, it is claimed, create South Africa’s first commercial network driven by segment routing.

Pan-African operator MTN has announced plans to commit $25 million to develop Ghana’s digital ecosystem.

Health technology is a growing theme – and opportunity – across the MEA region, so it’s perhaps little surprise that a major operator is now getting involved.

Orange Botswana has announced the launch of a new TD-LTE network for consumers and enterprises, branded as Konnecta Max.

Mauritius is the latest African country to be able to boast a presence in space. The first Mauritian satellite (a CubeSat – MIR-SAT1) was successfully launched yesterday on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

Ethio Telecom’s new mobile money service Telebirr apparently registered over one million users in the week after its launch. Now, according to some reports, registrations have passed the three million mark.

More tower deals have been announced in what has become an increasingly busy market for both buyers and sellers. The latest two deals involve American Tower Corporation (ATC) buying in Latin America and Airtel Africa selling in Tanzania.

Polarium which provides energy storage solutions built on lithium-ion technology for the telecom, commercial, and industrial segments, has announced a new deal with ATC Africa, the African subsidiary of American Tower Corporation.

Last week saw an announcement from Angola’s Instituto de Gestão de Activos e Participações do Estado (IGAPE), opening what is called a Limited Tender for Previous Qualification to privatise 51 percent of operator Net One.

Pan-African operator MTN may have a second look at bidding for a mobile operator license in Ethiopia, despite being taken out of contention for apparently underbidding first time round, according to comments made recently by its chief executive.

The World Bank says it has approved $150 million for a project to help increase access to high-quality broadband internet services in Tanzania. It's one of a number of Tanzanian projects receiving World Bank financing that are aimed at improving not just connectivity but rural roads and the learning environment.

Operator Orange Bissau has announced the launch of a programme to modernise its mobile access network and extend its rural coverage to more than 1,000 new villages in Guinea Bissau.

It’s not every day we announce an operator deal to attract customers, but the latest campaign by leading Kenyan operator Safaricom arguably has wider significance than a mere marketing ploy.

São Tomé and Principe’s incumbent provider Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes (CST) has disclosed that it is awaiting clearance from the country’s regulator to deploy 4G services.

Raxio has officially launched what it calls Uganda’s first state-of-the-art Tier III carrier-neutral data centre at its site in the Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP).

Mondia Pay, part of leading mobile commerce company Mondia, and mobile money service M-Pesa have partnered to allow Tanzanians to conveniently access Mondia’s suite of online content on the Vodacom Tanzania digital services network.

Rain, an operator that offers a data-only 4G and 5G service to a number of South African cities, has announced ambitious coverage growth plans for its 5G network.

Togo’s regulator ARCEP has fined mobile operator Moov Togo XOF593 million (US$1.1 million) for “serious and lasting breaches of its obligation to provide its electronic communications networks and services on a permanent and continuous basis.”

Asian e-commerce giant QNET has said it is seeking to establish a physical presence in Kenya and to grow a large network of independent representatives.

Underlining the growth of the mobile payment business across Africa, operator MTN has announced a $2 million partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand its mobile money business – called MoMo – in South Africa.

Togolese regulator ARCEP has ordered local mobile operator Moov to attend a public hearing to explain its subpar quality of service.

Recent reports in the Tanzanian press indicate that the government hopes to encourage investors to establish mobile phone assembly lines in Tanzania in order to bring affordable smartphones to unserved members of the population.

The launch of 4G in Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount County by operator Lonestar Cell MTN is undoubtedly going to boost coverage to a number of underserved towns and villages.

Following an announcement late last year that it was looking at the strategic and financial merits of a sale and leaseback deal for its tower portfolio, South African operator MTN has been keen to underline the need for a successful bidder to take good care of this asset.