The Cameroon business of pan-African telecom giant MTN Group has received some encouraging news from its parent company in the form of a promised major injection of cash.

Pan-African infrastructure investor and asset manager Africa50 has announced a US$15 million investment in Raya Data Centre (RDC), a leading system integrator in MEA.

Tower deals are again in the news in major Asian territories, this time in Pakistan and the Philippines.

Sudan’s telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Corporation (NTC), has partnered with mobile network operator Sudatel and NGOs to connect relief workers in the conflict-ridden country.

ST Telemedia said on Thursday that it will sell the majority of its stake in Malaysian telco U Mobile to local firm Mawar Setiam, which is majority-owned by U Mobile chairman Vincent Tan, in a deal that could see the country’s royal family hold a combined controlling stake in the telco.

Brazilian telecommunications tower company Highline, owned by the US-based DigitalBridge group, says it has successfully raised almost US$380 million through a new debenture issue, its largest fundraising effort to date and its first issuance of tax-exempt incentivised debentures in the telecommunications infrastructure sector.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) has signed a two-year extension with Nokia to expand its 4G and 5G network across Indonesia.

Connectivity solutions provider iBASIS announced it was selected as Caribbean-based operator Paradise Mobile’s international gateway partner.

Vodafone Group has announced the sale of its remaining 3% stake in the Indian tower company Indus Towers for US$300 million to help reduce its significant debt pile.

Neo Space Group (NSG), a Public Investment Fund-owned company described as Saudi Arabia's leading commercial space services provider, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with space company Airbus Defence and Space, to acquire its UP42 business, a next-generation earth observation digital platform.

Ericsson has secured a multi-billion-dollar deal to supply 4G and 5G equipment and solutions to Indian operator Bharti Airtel, outpacing its rivals.

There’s been a new development in the ongoing issue of how much local input must be included in smartphones sold to Indonesians. The Indonesian government is now reportedly planning to increase the local component requirement for such phones.

Nigerian news outlets are reporting a strong response by consumer association the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) to the latest government attempt by the government to tax telecoms.

Tunisian telcos Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie and Ooredoo Tunisia have been granted 5G licences by the Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy, clearing the way for 5G services to be launched sometime next year.

Telefonica’s sale of shares in its fibre optic network in Peru to investment fund KKR and Chilean telco Entel collapsed after the deal was announced in July 2023.

IHS Towers, an independent owner, operator and developer of shared communications infrastructure, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its 70% interest in IHS Kuwait to Zain Group.

Development financier and impact investor Finnfund has announced a 10 million euro (about US$10.5 million) equity investment to boost the expansion of a major fibre network in Nepal.

South African telco Vodacom says it has launched the first 4G base station in the village of Thathe Vondo in Thohoyandou, Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo province as part of its effort to expand rural coverage in the country.

Incumbent telco Lao Telecom announced it has expanded its 5G service to Savannakhet province, with coverage now available at ten locations in the provincial capital of the same name.

The ongoing story of Brazilian digital infrastructure solutions company and neutral fibre optic network owner V.tal’s plans to buy financially troubled telecommunication company Oi's broadband unit has taken a positive turn as Brazilian competition regulator Cade has approved the purchase – though it’s far from over yet.

A reminder of the difficulties that can be faced by a global brand working in multiple territories with specific local rules and concerns comes from multinational technology company Apple, which is facing two very different regulatory challenges in two very different regions. 

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi said on Tuesday it has renewed its partnerships with tower companies Edotco Group, Edgepoint Infrastructure, D’Harmoni Telco Infra and PDC Telecommunication Services as part of its ongoing project to integrate and modernise its network.

Pan-African operator Axian Telecom has announced the rebrand of its five mobile units to Yas, a move aimed at unifying the operators and creating synergies for future growth.

Aramco Digital, the technology subsidiary of Saudi petroleum and natural gas company Aramco, is widely reported to be in talks to invest about US$1 billion in telecommunications software maker Mavenir.

As expected, Mexico has gone ahead with plans to abolish a number of regulatory bodies, including telecoms watchdog the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT). However, it hasn’t been the wholesale clear-out some commentators feared.

Mobile broadband service revenue in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%, from US$229.6 billion in 2024 to US$296.2 billion over the next four years, driven by the availability and adoption of 5G services.

China Telecom Global has officially kicked off operations in Saudi Arabia with the launch of new subsidiary China Telecom Gulf, which has already secured its first cooperation agreements with local telcos STC and state-owned BTC Networks.

TIM has claimed that it is the first operator in Brazil to carry out 5G network slicing on a public network for real-time video transmission. The initiative took place with help from Ericsson in the design and optimisation process.