Indonesian operator Telkomsel invested $150 million into taxi-booking firm Gojek, a move to expand their services and accelerate digital transformation in the country.

Russia’s State Commission for Radio Frequencies will not hand out 5G licenses in the 3.4GHz to 3.6GHz bands for subsidiaries of Rostelecom and Megafon, a move to seemingly preserve the space for security agencies.

Togolese regulator ARCEP (Autorite de Regulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes) is cracking down on what it deems anti-competitive behaviour between two of the country’s operators.

Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society (DES) minister has confirmed that the merger between the country’s state operators TOT and CAT Telecom should be complete by 13th January 2021.

Philippines operator Globe Telecom announced it expanded its 5G network to 17 key cities in populous areas Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao, as the operator continues its mass connectivity upgrade campaign.

Ericsson confirmed it won a five-year contract to supply gear for Czech operator CETIN’s 5G network, claiming the upgrade will deliver billions of euros to the country’s GDP.

South African fixed wireless access (FWA) operator Rain is apparently planning to switch off 4G network capabilities on its 5G packages in the near future.

The Dominican Republican government cancelled an agreement with Huawei which would have seen the company’s technology used in areas such as telecommunications, airports and ports in the country.

Employees of Indian operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will hold a strike in protest of the government limiting the operator from acquiring 4G equipment vital for deployment plans.

The Ghana Ministry of Communications through the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), announced a €155 million project to boost basic telephony services in rural areas.

Uruguay announced preparations are underway for a 5G spectrum auction in the first quarter of 2021, according to telecoms regulator Ursec.

Russian operator Rostelecom Group acquired a stake in the telecommunications arm of energy conglomerate Lukoil for RUB2 billion ($25.8 million), a move to expand its B2B propositions.

The GSMA urged Russia to readjust its safety guidelines for radio spectrum, or risk hindering the rollout of 5G and potential gains to the economy through adopting new technologies. 

Oman’s ministry of finance (MoF) in partnership with Ericsson will open a centre of excellence (CoE) to explore the full potential of telecoms technologies, and facilitate 5G and IoT in the country.

Philippines operator Globe Telecom made good on a pledge to ramp up connectivity coverage, announcing the construction of 107 new cell towers and laid more fibre lines in October.

China Unicom announced it is accelerating the switch-off of its 2G and 3G networks, as the operator pushes 4G and 5G upgrades.

Hungary’s telecoms regulator Nemzeti Media- es Hirkozlesi Hatosag (NMHH) stated the Metropolitan Court dismissed mobile operator DIGI’s case, which opposed its exclusion from the country’s 5G auction earlier this year.

Suriname’s Telesur is offering high-volume mobile data bundles for users on both its 4G and 5G networks.

Indosat Ooredoo chose Cisco for the construction of its 5G-ready transport network for the island of Java, a move to deliver one of the most advanced transport networks in Southeast Asia.

Development within Benin’s telecom market continues to be restricted by the poor condition of the country’s fixed-line infrastructure. The use of fixed-line voice and internet services is low, and consequently little revenue is derived from these sectors.

Samoa was one of the first Pacific Island countries to establish a regulatory infrastructure and liberalise its telecom market. In 2006, it became the first in the region to see the market entrance of Digicel, which has since launched services in other Pacific nations.

Over the years, efforts to expand the telecom sector in Nepal have met with many challenges. The fixed line market in Nepal remains underdeveloped.

Mobile Internet Holdings BV (MIH) is set to receive around $75 million in growth financing from a group of investors led by Gemcorp Capital.

Lithuania’s Communications Regulatory Authority (Rysiu Reguliavimo Tarnyba, RRT) scheduled a sale of 5G spectrum in the first quarter of 2021.

Despite the recently reported prospect of a Competition Commission of India (CCI) probe into Google Pay, the CCI has approved Google’s 7.73 percent stake in technology company (and subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited), Jio Platforms.

Some months after the guidelines were first unveiled, India’s Union Cabinet has given clearance – in principle – to the application of the Production Linked Incentives (PLI) scheme to telecommunications and networking products.

India antitrust watchdog the Competition Commission of India (CCI) opened an investigation into Google, after accusation surfaced surrounding the US company abusing its dominant app store market share to promote payment services.

Econet Group tapped Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory for its high-speed internet solution to roll out affordable broadband offerings across its subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Copel Telecom – Brazil’s only remaining state-owned telecommunications company – has finally been sold.