The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has finally cleared Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s (PTCL) acquisition of rival Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers, subject to a series of stringent conditions.

Deploying a mobile network has never been cheap, but the scale of the intensive capital expenditure required is increasingly pushing smaller players to seek out alternative models for delivering connectivity.

Finland-based business support systems (BSS) provider Qvantel announced it is acquiring rival Optiva, in a move aimed at expanding its scale and accelerating the development of full-stack, AI-enabled BSS solutions.

True Corp will challenge a decision by the Central Administrative Court which dismissed its appeal against an arbitration order requiring the operator to pay THB4 billion ($124.3 million) plus interest to National Telecom (NT).

The World Bank Group has approved the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP), a project that aims to support Zambian government efforts to increase access to, and inclusive use of, the internet and digitally enabled services.

Huawei has launched a three-step "ACT" pathway to enable intelligent transformation for enterprises, with the aim of helping them harness the power of AI, as well as nine new industrial intelligence solutions developed with Huawei’s partners.

Loc8 has reportedly entered Namibia’s 5G arena, aiming to launch its network in Q1 2026 after years of securing telecoms licences for both 4G and 5G spectrum.

Operator Airtel Chad is reportedly planning a XAF50 billion (about US$90 million) investment plan aimed at improving network quality and expanding digital connectivity across the country.

Nokia has signed a contract to modernise Vietnamese operator Viettel’s broadband network in the capital city of Hanoi.

It’s been a busy week for ICT in Zambia with the approval of two new bills for the digital economy, a new strategic plan announced by Zambia's ICT regulator and the awarding of a World Bank grant that reports suggest may be used for digital infrastructure.

Vodafone Romania and Digi Romania have entered binding agreements to acquire separate parts of OTE’s subsidiary Telekom Romania Mobile Communications (TKRM), reducing the number of mobile operators in the country to three.

There’s been an interesting new development in the ongoing story of the repositioning of Nigerian operator 9mobile as T2 Mobile. It involves a spectrum deal with one of the country’s leading operators, MTN Nigeria.

The Tunisian government has reportedly announced plans for a staggering 138 projects to accelerate the digital modernisation of government administration over the period 2025–2026.

The latest government attack on internet connectivity – and one of the most drastic so far – comes from Afghanistan, where ruling group the Taliban this week imposed an internet ban on the northern Balkh province, where a Wi-Fi shutdown was confirmed on Tuesday. The Taliban has said that the fibre optic internet ban will eventually be nationwide.

ZTE announced on Tuesday that it has completed the first phase a network modernisation project for telecoms provider Mobiuz in the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan and the Khorezm region in Uzbekistan.

Hurricane season in the Caribbean usually runs from June to November, but the storm arrived a month early at Digicel’s Jamaica headquarters in 2024, when Marcelo Cataldo (pictured) took the top job to turn around a company struggling under billions of dollars of debt.

According to local news reports, operator Vodacom Tanzania is planning a number of technology modernisation programmes likely to involve an outlay of more than US$100 million.

Four of Peru’s mobile operators – Bitel, Claro, Entel and Integratel - have obtained spectrum for 5G deployment. A fifth, Americatel, which had prequalified for the bidding process, reportedly did not participate in the auction.

Ericsson has opened a new base of operations in Vietnam, underscoring the country’s growth potential as it undergoes rapid digital transformation.