Mobile industry organisation the GSMA says it has secured a US$1.2 million subaward from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to strengthen mobile-enabled early warning systems across nine Pacific Island countries.
The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) has deployed what it calls its Preparedness Data Exchange (PDX) platform in the Democratic Republic of Congo, strengthening the country’s access to epidemic intelligence and early-warning information.
Helios Towers, a telecommunications infrastructure company, and child rights organisation UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) have announced a multi-year partnership to expand internet connectivity and digital learning access for children and young people across Africa.
Humanitarian charity Save the Children and Vodafone Foundation, the philanthropic arm of multinational telecommunications company Vodafone, have formed a new global humanitarian partnership.
Cybastion, a US company that delivers digital and infrastructure solutions in Africa, has signed an agreement with Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to develop women's technology and business innovation hubs with child care centres across the country.
Telkom Indonesia announced on Wednesday that its operating companies have restored all telecoms and digital services in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region following a deadly 7.7 earthquake on the island of Flores on Saturday.
The world is more connected than ever. Some six billion people were online in 2025, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Yet 2.2 billion remained offline, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Even that figure understates the challenge: the GSMA estimates that more than three billion people live within mobile-broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet.
For more than a decade, the telecoms industry has championed digital inclusion, invested billions in network expansion and driven smartphone adoption across emerging markets. Yet 810 million women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain offline.
UNESCO said on Wednesday it has launched the rollout of a new mobile-based teacher professional development initiative in South Sudan that focuses on empowering women school leaders and teachers.
The global gender gap in mobile internet adoption narrowed slightly in 2025 according to new figures from the GSMA, but low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain behind the curve, with 810 million women still offline, compared to 595 million men.
Philippine telcos PLDT, its wireless arm Smart Communications, and Globe Telecom have deployed Starlink’s broadband and direct-to-device (D2D services as part of recovery efforts following Monday’s 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao.
Pan-African service provider MTN has this week launched the 2026 edition of its 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign. Described as its flagship employee volunteerism campaign, it continues from 1 June until 21 June.
MTN Group has signed a multi-year MoU with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide meaningful connectivity and digital inclusion for refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and host communities across MTN’s African markets.
SES, a space solutions company, says it is expanding humanitarian connectivity at the Farchana refugee settlement in Chad.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced at Mobile World Congress 2026 on Monday that Saudi telco Mobily and Qatar-based Ooredoo Group have made fresh pledges for its Partner2Connect Digital Coalition to bridge the digital divide, bringing total commitments to the coalition to over US$82 billion.
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, has launched a procurement initiative for internet connectivity in Africa, inviting internet service providers to deliver managed connectivity services to schools, health facilities, and other child-serving institutions across 54 countries.
Eutelsat said on Wedneday it is partnering with global non-profit organization unconnected.org to deploy satellite-powered community Wi-Fi in underserved aras in Tanzania, with plans to expand the project across Africa.
Malaysian satellite operator MEASAT and healthcare technology company Mudah Healthtech announced on Friday they have expanded their Sihat Xpress telehealth service to two new rural villages in Sabah.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced the launch of Airbel Ventures, a new humanitarian impact investing fund designed to accelerate the entry and scale of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities.
Philanthropic organisation the Gates Foundation and AI research organisation OpenAI say they plan to invest US$50 million to use AI to ease the impact of chronic staff shortages in 1,000 primary health clinics and surrounding communities in Rwanda and other African countries by 2028.
Telkom Indonesia said on Friday that it has completed restoration of network and telecoms services in the Sumatra region that was devastated by floods and landslides last month.
Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and operator Orange Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at expanding the use of telemedicine and delivering integrated, high-quality digital healthcare services to villages and to remote and deprived areas.
More reminders of the importance of satellites, Wi-Fi and cellular to emergency communications come from recent events in Sri Lanka and on the Thai–Cambodian border.
Emergency communications are in the news again, with operator CelcomDigi in Malysia highlighting its support for flood relief efforts in the country and another service provider, Edotco Bangladesh, announcing a partnership to enhance disaster preparedness.
New data released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on Monday indicates that while the number of internet connections is growing, the digital divide is still deepening in other key metrics such as speed, reliability, affordability and skills.
UN partners, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and GSMA, announced on Monday they are working on expanding efforts in Chad and other refugee-hosting countries to provide affordable connectivity to millions of forcibly displaced people and local communities in the next five years.
Last week, Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica and swept through other islands in the Caribbean including Cuba, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Melissa was a Category 5 storm, the most intense to make Atlantic landfall for 90 years according to Agence France Press.
NEC Africa announced on Wednesday it has kicked off a project with Cote d'Ivoire’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production that aims to improve and upgrade agricultural efficiency with digital technology.
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.
Satellite operator Intelsat has partnered with actor Forest Whitaker’s non-profit organisation, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), to deliver for the first time high-speed internet connectivity to WPDI’s Community Learning Centres in South Sudan and Uganda.
The GSMA released a new white paper on Monday calling for stakeholders in the mobile sector, including governments and regulators, industry, civil society, and youth, to support stronger protections for children online across Africa.
Telekom Malaysia (TM) said on Friday it will rebuild network infrastructure damaged by a gas explosion in the township of Putra Heights in Subang Jaya on Tuesday and provide assistance to customers affected by the blast.
Viettel’s Myanmar operator Mytel said on Thursday that it has restored International and mobile connectivity following last week's 7.7 magnitude earthquake, although questions remain over how much ordinary users can access it in the midst of reported internet shutdowns by the ruling military junta.
Globe Telecom announced on Wednesday it has become the first mobile network operator to join the UN Global Pulse's Data Insights for Social and Humanitarian Action (DISHA) coalition as part of a pilot project in the Philippines to harness data and AI for better disaster preparedness and response.
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