Operators

Thai operator dtac is partnering with Nokia for a three-year 5G RAN deal covering the north and northeastern regions of Thailand.

Digi Communications announced it entered a senior facility agreement gaining two loans totaling €150 million from a syndicate of large banks, as the company stated intentions to refinance a previous loan and push investments.

MTN deployed 4.5G in the city of Abidjan to meet rising connectivity demand in the economic capital, while Orange Cameroon increased the speed and capacity of its LTE-A network.

A year on from its acquisition of Orange Niger, Zamani Com has now rebranded the unit to Zamani Telecom.

Russian operator Rostelecom continued its acquisition strategy with the purchase of Sozvezdiye N for RUB 1.77 billion ($24 million), a move it stated to bolster its broadband and broadcast offerings position in key locations.

TIM Brasil revealed it acquired the lion’s share of rival Oi’s assets after it, Telefonica Brasil (Vivo) and Claro Brasil joined forces to acquire the troubled operator’s assets for BRL16.5 billion ($3.2 billion).

Brazil’s embattled operator Oi has sold its mobile assets to the sole party that bid on them – a consortium of rival operators Claro Brasil, Telefonica Brasil (Vivo) and TIM Brasil.

Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Region launched its 5G network in key municipal districts in KwaZulu-Natal province.

The Philippines new third operator DITO Telecommunity bullishly increased its coverage target pledge to 90% of the population by the end of its five-year network deployment programme, improving on its obligation to the government to secure its telecoms licence.

MTN Group could sell and lease back as much as 50% of its towers in its home market of South Africa.

Telecel Faso announced the launch of 4G+ (LTE-A) mobile services which deliver download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 20Mbps, as the operator moved to match rival offerings in Burkina Faso.

Nokia conducted 5G standalone tests in the 3.5GHz band in collaboration with Colombian operator Tigo in the city of Medellin, as the companies prepare for the country’s commercial launch of 5G.

Saudi operator STC hailed successful trials, in collaboration with Ericsson and MediaTek, to demonstrate the first global 5G carrier aggregation using low and mid-band spectrum, a move illustrating its 5G network development.

Now Telecom chose Nokia as its equipment supplier to deploy standalone 5G network, as the Philippines operator progresses plans to launch nationwide fixed wireless access and mobile services.

Telefonica’s Brazilian unit Vivo strengthened its B2B transformation program with the inclusion of e-commerce support, choosing Netcracker solutions to facilitate this move.

Saudi operator announced group chief executive officer Nasser Al Nasser resigned from his role and will depart the company on 28 March 2021, due to personal circumstances.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.