It looks like someone has jumped the gun on 5G rollout in Nigeria, as the country’s telecommunications regulator has felt obliged to challenge recent reports that have appeared on social media.

Following the example of its neighbour South Africa, where MTN Group, Vodacom, Telkom, Liquid Telecom and Rain Networks have all been granted temporary additional spectrum, Zimbabwe has also announced plans to free up spectrum for emergency use.

NASSCOM, India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies, has been asked to respond to calls from the country’s IT sector seeking changes to the country’s taxation and labour laws as the industry gears up to deliver more services remotely.

Revenue from the telecom sector in the Maldives is limited by the relatively small local population, though it is supported by a considerable influx of tourists, reports Research & Markets.

Given all the other problems the Indian mobile communications sector has, delays to permissions for installing mobile infrastructure are probably less than welcome, but that is the issue that is now being highlighted by Indian media.

Timor-Leste has been pressing ahead with the regeneration of its economy and the rebuilding of infrastructure, reports Research & Markets.

Could a holiday from fine payment in exchange for better coverage be the new trend for operators in Brazil – or even elsewhere? 

Lebanon's government is to take back management of the country's two state-owned mobile phone networks, Alfa and Touch, after the recent expiration of the latest contracts given to the groups that have been running the networks until now.

Is the Indian lockdown being eased for smartphone sale and manufacturing along with tower installation? No one seems to be quite sure.

All three of Algeria’s mobile operators have come under fire from the country’s regulator ARPCE (Autorite de Regulation de la Poste et des Communications Electroniques).

A task force appointed by India’s finance ministry has underlined what the country’s operators have already stated: that the 5G spectrum price suggested by India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is too high.

While it registered strong revenue growth in Q1 2020, one-off severance costs resulted in Indosat Ooredoo recording an overall loss.

There’s been continuing good news for Indian operator Reliance Jio as profit soars, a deal with Facebook boosts its position in the market and it announces plans to enter the video conferencing app business.

Chilean operator group Entel has earmarked an investment fund of US$371 million for 2020.

There’s been a mixed reception to the latest news involving Vodafone Idea and the country’s Supreme Court after the troubled Indian operator sought – and won – a refund from the Indian Tax Department. 

The World Bank has approved $273 million in International Development Association (IDA) financing for four West African nations.

America Movil registered a loss of MXN29.4 billion ($1.2 billion) in the first quarter after the Mexican peso fell 25% against the US dollar.

It's take two for Poland’s 5G spectrum auction, which is now due to relaunch, although there are no firm dates for the rescheduled process yet.

Morocco's mobile market is one of the more mature in the region, with a penetration rate of about 125%, reports Research & Markets.

Kazakhstan has one of the most advanced telecoms sectors in Central Asia, reports Research & Markets.

The apparently obscure topic of spectrum usage charges (SUC) related to shared spectrum has been in the news in India of late. In fact operators may be taking a very strong interest in Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) plans to consult on the topic.

Sri Lanka has seen a very strong increase in mobile broadband penetration over the past six years, driven by rising usage of online video and the price drop of LTE-enabled smartphones.

After news stories in mid-February indicated that preparations for 5G spectrum auctions and eventual rollout could begin in Iran before the end of March, there have been reports in local news media of spectrum issues.