Operators

Airtel announced the milestones of connecting 900,000 customers to its 5G network in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and 1.7 million in Kerala.

Malaysian operator CelcomDigi has unveiled a new unified corporate logo almost a year after the merger of Celcom and Digi, and says that almost a third of its network will be fully integrated by the end of this year.

Philippine operator Globe Telecom says it is now bundling popular digital content brands into its prepaid fiber broadband service, including video streaming, e-commerce, gaming and online dating.

UAE operator etisalat by e& has been busy of late. Two more partnerships with Ericsson have been announced to add to this week’s 5G downlink speed record achieved alongside the tech giant.

China Mobile and Huawei say they have established a ‘New Calling Innovation Center’ to develop new use cases for 5G calls beyond standard voice by leveraging VoNR and IMS.

The Africa-focused GSMA event MWC Kigali 2023 is well under way and is proving a useful platform for some major service providers to comment on government policy across the continent – notably on taxation.

Malaysian operator Maxis has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Digital Penang to develop a digital tech ecosystem space for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Penang’s digital start-up district.

Malaysian wholesale 5G operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), incumbent telco Telekom Malaysia (TM) and ZTE said on Tuesday they have banded together to conduct a trial of millimetre-wave 5G that promises downlink speeds of up to 28 Gbps.

Airtel Uganda has pushed back the closing date for its initial public offer (IPO).

The Government of Rwanda and SoftBank Corp have confirmed the successful testing of SoftBank's proprietary 5G communications payload in the stratosphere installed on a solar-powered High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) prototype.

Thai operator Advanced Info Service (AIS) and STC Kuwait have added to the hoopla over 5G Standalone (SA) roaming by completing the first ever such connection between an Asian and Middle Eastern operator.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi is set to boost its home fibre broadband business via an infrastructure-sharing deal with communications service provider Time dotcom.

Nigeria’s Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) is having a  busy week already, with the industry association expressing concerns about unpaid bank debts and the cost of spectrum licenses.

UAE operator etisalat by e& has announced a 5G standalone (SA) deployment and a 5G downlink speed record.

Yettel Hungary announced it will switch off its 3G network next month, finally joining its rivals in ultimately sunsetting the legacy technology in Hungary.

Unifi Mobile, the mobile unit of incumbent telco Telekom Malaysia, is leveraging its Uni5G service to spice up coverage of Harimau Malaya home football matches with 360° livestreaming and virtual reality.

Malaysian operator CelcomDigi has teamed with DHL Supply Chain Malaysia to launch what is billed as Malaysia’s first autonomous inventory management system to be powered by both 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata says it has successfully completed what it claims is the first-ever trial of Voice over New Radio (VoNR) on a Standalone (SA) 5G trial network in Sri Lanka.

Madagascar’s Axian has closed its acquisition of additional shares in Senegal’s Free.

Netherlands-based operator group Veon has announced that it has completed its exit from Russia with the closing of the sale of its Russian operations to a group of senior members of the PJSC VimpelCom management team, led by VimpelCom CEO Alexander Torbakhov.

Thai mobile operator AIS has partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) with a new campaign to boost the country’s tourism numbers by making mobile digital services easier to use.  

Cambodian operator CamGSM PLC says it has cleared two key regulatory hurdles to listing its planned US$20 billion sustainability bond next month.

Philippines mobile operator Globe Telecom says it’s managed to reduce incidents of cable theft as it announces plans to boost collaboration with local government units (LGUs) and law enforcement authorities to combat the problem.

Philippines telco PLDT and wireless subsidiary Smart Communications say they have expanded their Ligtas Kit programme nationwide, with 58 kits now deployed to municipalities and cities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to provide resilient communications during natural disasters.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has met with yet more financial woes after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) dismissed its appeal relating to its outstanding licence fees for the fiscal years between 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Kenya’s cabinet is seeking to reverse the government’s purchase of a 60% majority holding in Telkom Kenya obtained from Helios Investment Partners in October 2022.

A legal case brought against the Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) by operator NOW Telecom has been dismissed by the country’s Court of Appeals.

Globe Telecom struck a deal to sell off its 77% stake in fintech company Electronic Commerce Payments (ECPay) to Mynt for PHP2.3 billion (US$40.7 million).