Illiad-owned Polish operator Play expanded its TV and broadband arms by acquiring 100% shares in rival provider Syrion. 

While there are strong rumours that funding may soon be withdrawn from one state-owned Indian operator, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), the much bigger Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is clearly still deemed worthy of support after a major injection of funding got the go-ahead this week.

Mexican operator Telmex reached a settlement with a worker’s union proposing a 5.6% rise in pay after almost a year of disputes with striking employees.

Indian press reports are suggesting that state-owned operator Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) may be shut down in the face of continuing losses and mounting debt.

MTC Namibia recorded the fastest mobile and fixed internet speeds in Namibia last year, according to data from industry bench markers Ookla.

Starlink has received an operating licence from the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), further expanding its Latin American footprint.

Tigo Guatemala emerged as the biggest spender in the sale of 2.5GHz-2.6GHz spectrum held by the country’s regulator SIT (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones).

Telekom Malaysia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ZTE to collaborate on a range of research and development initiatives.

Senegal’s telecoms regulator called for interested parties to apply for 5G licences as the body prepares the groundwork for the next-generation technology. 

Smartphone sales in Africa mirrored other emerging markets as macroeconomic factors hit consumer pockets, leading to a decline in vendor shipments. 

Is the Mexican government doing enough to support 5G rollout and thereby attract more investment? That is the question asked by the Mexican telecoms sector at a recent conference.

Following today’s report on the need to reduce the mobile internet gender gap there is some, potentially, positive news from Nigeria, where operator MTN Nigeria has announced that it is aiming for gender equality by reserving up to 70% of recruitment and promotion slots for women.

The Togolese Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) warned operators Moov Africa Togo (Maroc Telecom) and Togo Cellulaire (Axian), will face penalties if quality of service is not improved.

Industry body the GSMA said in its new report over 800 million women from low and middle-income countries (LMIC) across Africa, Asia and Latin America, must adopt mobile internet to close the digital gender gap by 2030. 

Russia’s MegaFon has issued a legal challenge against sanctions placed upon it by the European Union.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has informed operators that they will not be required to collect biometric data from users wishing to register SIM cards.

Beleaguered Indian operator Vodafone Idea has logged its first annual revenue increase since it was created in 2018 through the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular.

Azerbaijani operator Azercell expanded its 4G network to reach the city of Nakhchivan as part of its nationwide network modernisation project to blanket the Nakhchivan municipality with 4G by the end of the year.

CamTel, MTN, Orange and Viettel were fined a total of XAF6 billion (US$9.8 million) for poor quality of service in Cameroon, where subscribers staged protests in their demand for improved services. 

Ecuador’s telecommunications ministry revealed US$900 million was invested into the sector in 2022, which is expected to be topped this year as progressive reforms continue to reshape the industry.

The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) has opened applications for its upcoming multi-band auction of 5G spectrum.

All three bidders in Hungary’s 32GHz spectrum auction have procured licences.

Poland’s government is reportedly planning to commence the process of licensing 3.5GHz spectrum within weeks.

Gitpan (General Internacional Telecom Panama) remained the only interested party at the close of the prequalification round of Panama’s second tender for the licence vacated by Digicel Panama.

It’s a bold claim, even for a pan-Africa service provider, but MTN this week launched what it called SME Day, with the stated aim of empowering over 40 million small businesses across the African continent.

Regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has opened the lower part of the 6GHz spectrum band for Wi-Fi services. Lower 6GHz is the radio frequency range of 5925–6425 MHz band as allocated in the country’s National Radio Frequency Plan.

Two Caribbean markets are set to make 700MHz spectrum available for the provision of both 4G and 5G services.

Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT) will launch 10Gbps fibre with vendor partner Nokia, a move the vendor said is the first deployment of the broadband speeds.

MTN Ghana CEO Selorm Adadevoh said the unit is expected to exceed the US$1 billion infrastructure investment target it set out in 2021 by 2026.

China has banned US chip manufacturer Micron from participating in key infrastructure projects, citing the firm poses a risk to national security.