Operators

Artificial intelligence apps have the potential to boost the African continent’s economic growth by close to US$3 trillion over the next six years – and mobile operators will be key to unlocking that, says the GSMA, the world’s biggest mobile operator association.

UAE-based operator group e& said it will continue to fight against a half a billion dollar fine for anti-competitive practices in Morrocco.

Ethiopian state-owned operator Ethio Telecom announced revenues and profits surged over 20% in its full year ending in June.

Türkiye’s sovereign wealth fund was reportedly mulling the sale of its 26.2% shares in state-owned operator Turkcell.

Hungary-based 4iG Group announced the acquisition of regional operator PR-Telecom for an undisclosed fee to expand its optical network coverage.

Somalia-based operator Hormuud Telecom signed up to the GSMA’s Humanitarian Connectivity Charter pledging to provide connectivity in times of urgency and  enhancing collaboration with humanitarian organisations.

Telekom Malaysia (TM) announced on Monday that it has clinched a RM1.25 billion (US$265 million) deal with the Malaysian government to develop and operate a new AI-powered next-generation 999 emergency response system.

Saudi Arabian telco STC Group announced on Monday that it has deployed an AI-powered self-organizing network (SON) solution from Nokia in its network to automate network optimization.

Telecom Egypt and Hungary-based 4iG Group struck a partnership to build fibre access infrastructure, to commercialise Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) and Fibre-To-The-Site (FTTS) fibre access infrastructure on a wholesale basis in Egypt.

The ongoing saga of Malaysian 5G wholesale operator Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) took a new twist on Friday when four telco investors agreed to take slightly larger-than-planned stakes in the company – at least until August.

Telefonica’s Venezuelan unit Movistar announced plans to upgrade around 500 4G base stations.

Romanian operator group Digi Communications secured a three-year loan amounting €150 million to repay a €450 million bond due in 2025.

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison President Director and CEO Vikram Sinha opened up on his strategy to transition the operator into a native AI technology company for lofty growth targets, and contribute to Indonesia’s ambition to become a developed nation over the next two decades.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata said on Thursday it has officially take 100% control of rival telco Bharti Airtel Lanka via a share swap, sealing a deal that has been in the works for over a year.

Telecom Namibia has announced what it calls a three-year transformative partnership via a joint venture between mobile technology company ZTE Corporation and its partner company Huafull International Limited.

Colombian operator Claro deployed the first stage of its 5G network offering fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband with vendor partner Nokia, in only four months since securing its 5G licence.

Globe Telecom announced more mobile site transfers to PhilTower for a capital injection to pay down debts.

Orange reportedly deemed its 40% stake in Mauritius Telecom as not core to its business and is weighing up options to sell its shares.

Indian telco Vodafone Idea has reportedly completed the minimum rollout requirements outlined in its spectrum licences for its 5G network, although the timeline for a proper service launch remains fuzzy.

Vodacom announced it will increase investment into the Free State and Northern Cape provinces in South Africa, a move to boost capacity and resilience particularly in rural areas.

Amsterdam-headquartered operator group Veon completed upgrades to its unit Beeline Kazakhstan’s network using ZTE equipment, to support growing demand of connectivity in the country.

Malaysian 5G wholesale operator Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) said on Thursday that four of five telco investors have met the deadline to complete their Share Subscription Agreements (SSAs), paving the way for the launch of a second 5G operator.

Orange opened its IoT digital platform to energy suppliers in Africa and the Middle East that tracks payment, solar kits and smart meters in rural locations, in a bid to boost uptake of its services and electricity in emerging markets.

State-owned telco Kazakhtelecom JSC has reportedly signed separate deals this week – one to finalise the selloff of its mobile unit MTS, and the other to build a subsea cable connecting Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Vodafone confirmed media reports regarding its sale of shares in infrastructure company Indus Towers to pay down debts accrued in India.

Indian operator Bharti Airtel has reportedly prepaid its deferred spectrum liabilities to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). These high-interest liabilities related to spectrum acquired in the auctions of the year 2012 and 2015.

Globe Telecom built 116 new cell sites and upgraded 812 mobile sites to LTE in Q1 this year.

Southeastern Europe-focused telecoms player United Group reportedly lined up potential buyers for its operations, with aims to gain €8 billion (US$8.57 billion) from potential sales, reported Bloomberg.

Senegal’s three mobile operators have reportedly agreed to lower telecoms service costs – potentially as soon as later this week – in response to the government’s call to deal with longstanding complaints from consumers on the issue.