Backhaul specialist Ceragon Networks Ltd has won a major contract related to communications support for Cameroon’s rail system.

Nokia secured a three-year deal to upgrade Airtel Kenya networks, a move that laid foundations for a commercial 5G rollout in the capital of Nairobi.

The telecommunications sector in Bahrain is robust and progressive and it contributes about 4% a year to the Kingdom’s GDP. Bahrain is striving to drive further growth in the telecoms sector in 2020 by ensuring it is competitive and adaptable to market dynamics. It has the added pressure of coping with the impact from the global Covid-19 outbreak and ensuring provision of adequate Internet services and applications to home-based citizens.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) was under a 30-year dictatorship between 1967 and 1997. Since then the country has continued to suffer from regional wars among rival groups, resulting in considerable social upheaval.

The Brazilian Attorney General Office ruled to strike-off half of operator Oi’s fines totalling BRL14.3 billion ($2.7 billion) owed to watchdog Anatel, a major boost for the debt-ridden operator.

Following last week’s announcement that operator Togocom is deploying the first 5G network in West Africa, Nokia has announced that it will be supplying 5G equipment and services for the new network, which launched in Togo's capital city Lomé last week.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the country’s telecommunications regulator, is extending the temporary assignment of radio frequency spectrum again – but this time operators will be charged for its use.

The Ethiopian Communications Authority opened its tender to award two nationwide full-service telecommunications licenses through auction, opening the door for international companies to bid in 2021.

Vodacom Lesotho launched an appeal against the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), which recently demanded operators must seek the watchdog’s approval before appointing senior staff.

Russia’s State Radio Frequencies Commission has decreed that all 5G equipment used for networks in the country must be homegrown.

A transaction that will create one of the largest independent tower companies in Brazil has been announced by digital infrastructure investment firm Digital Colony.

A news release from the Rockefeller Foundation announces that satellite imagery is being used for electricity consumption forecasting in Africa for the first time through a new service.

Russian operator MTS announced it will deploy the first 5G-ready dedicated network using Ericsson gear for gold and silver producing company Polymetal, paving the way for future B2B uses of 5G.

There’s a new mobile operator in Kazakhstan. Jýsan Bank, a major Kazakh bank founded in 1992, and Mobile Telecom Service, the third-largest mobile operator in the country, are to launch Jýsan Mobile Communications, an MVNO with a strong focus on banking products and services.

Hungarian operator Magyar Telekom claimed it was the first operator in the country to expand 5G services using the 2,100MHz frequency band via dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology.

The regulator of Timor-Leste has released additional spectrum in the 1800MHz, 2300MHz and 2600MHz bands, with operators now able to apply for allocations.

The Indonesia Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) began the process to award spare spectrum in the 2.3GHz band to operators, a move to boost operator capacity and encourage digital transformation.

Slovakia’s 5G spectrum auction has concluded, bringing in a total of €100.23 million (US$119 million).

Confirming the deal struck earlier this year, India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has said that its subsidiary Jio Platforms has now received a substantial amount of money from Google.

America Movil’s Colombian unit Claro launched a 5G network trial in an exclusive collaboration with Nokia, which is apparently the largest 5G pilot to take place in the country, to test the network standard in sectors such as health, smart cities and education.

Nokia announced it was selected to deliver IoT connectivity services for China Mobile’s IoT subsidiary, a move by the operator to ensure the delivery of connectivity and IoT services for customers in China and globally.

Iliad announced Polish operator Play’s shareholders accepted its public tender offer, with the operator also reorganising its board of directors to reflect the incoming owners, further completing the acquisition.

South Africa has a new MVNO – PnP Mobile – launched by the major retailer Pick n Pay.

Vodafone Idea sold its stake in infrastructure unit Indus Towers for INR37.6 billion ($507.2 million) as the debt-ridden operator looked to ease its financial burden.

Five firms have lodged bids through Chile’s Department of Telecommunications (Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones, Subtel) for the country’s upcoming public tender of 5G spectrum.

It would be, to say the least, a reasonable excuse for delaying plans for telecommunications liberalisation, but the authorities in Ethiopia have reportedly insisted that the ongoing Tigray conflict won't hold up plans to auction telecommunications licences or a planned sale of part of Ethio Telecom.

The telecommunications sector remains one of the fastest growing areas of the Georgian economy, accounting for between 5% and 7% of GDP. There is still room for further growth, with penetration rates in the mobile and broadband segments relatively low by the standards of European benchmark countries.

Côte d’Ivoire has two competing fixed network operators though the sector is dominated by Orange Group’s local unit, Orange CI. The company is also the dominant player in the mobile market, followed by MTN and then Moov.

The island nation of Mauritius has long been a pioneer in the telecom sector. It was the first market in the greater Africa region to launch mobile telecom networks (in 1989), the first to provide a 3G service (2004), the first in the world to develop a nationwide WiMAX wireless broadband network (2005), and one of the first to launch IPTV services (2006).

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) continued its 5G deployment plan, granting state-owned operator VNPT-Vinaphone permission to conduct 5G trials.