Regulation

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reportedly kicked off a six-week public consultation to assess the potential for allowing direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services in Nigeria.

For the second time in five years Uganda faces a government-sanctioned internet blackout before a nationwide vote. The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has told all service providers to suspend internet access ahead of Thursday's presidential election.

The week just ended seems to have been a busy one for regulator Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), with important rulings related to MVNOs and 5G reported by the local press.

Regulators in Malaysia and Indonesia announced separately over the weekend that they have temporarily restricted access to X’s AI tool Grok over its ability to generate and distribute non-consensual deepfake pornographic images of women and children.

A recent update of Brazil’s General Telecommunications Law means that cooperatives from all over the country have gained authorisation to offer telecommunications services, including telephony and broadband internet.

As predicted in recent days by many news outlets, including this one, Indian operator Vodafone Idea today confirmed that its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues for the period from FY 2006–07 to FY 2018–19 are to be frozen from 31 December 2025.

RANext Technologies has been empanelled by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as a Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA), meaning it is authorised to evaluate the digital connectivity infrastructure of properties to ensure seamless connectivity and readiness for smart technologies.

As it suggested it would in late 2024, Zimbabwe has now started levying a new tax on payments to increasingly popular multinational digital service providers.

Though it does not yet seem to have been formally confirmed by the Indian government, beleaguered operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) has apparently been granted a ten-year grace period before it has to pay more than 95% of its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has formally announced its National Frequency Allocation Plan 2025 (NFAP-2025). It took effect from 30 December 2025 but is already attracting negative comments from operators.

Apple has settled its case with Brazilian antitrust regulator CADE, which had criticised alleged restrictions by the technology giant on certain payment methods.

The Government of Pakistan has reportedly approved a process for the auction of 600MHz of spectrum within two months. 

Peru’s telecoms regulator OSIPTEL reported a 3% year-on-year increase in sector revenues to SOL12.5 billion (US$3.7 billion) in the first three quarters of 2025, driven by rising demand for mobile and fixed internet services.

South Africa's Electronic Communications Act, which requires foreign-owned communications licensees to sell 30% of equity in their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups, is to be amended.

Mexico plans to suspend unregistered mobile lines very early in 2026, a deadline that allows only a matter of weeks for consumers to respond.

The long-anticipated merger of Telenor Pakistan with Pakistan Telecomm­unication Company Ltd (PTCL) does now appear to be close to becoming a reality after it received the approval of The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) late last week.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for digital technologies, has announced that the next Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27) will take place in Shanghai, China, from 11 October to 12 November 2027.

A UNDP report, published this week, warns that unmanaged artificial intelligence (AI) could reverse the trend of narrowing development inequalities that has marked much of the last half-century.

Madagascar’s Ministry of Digital Development has confirmed that the country’s operators will cut internet tariffs from this week, following talks aimed at boosting digital access, as reported by TechAfrica News.

Zimbabwe plans to introduce what it calls a 15% Digital Services Withholding Tax from January 2026. The new levy will apply to a wide range of services supplied by foreign companies with no physical presence in Zimbabwe.

Member States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) agreed on a roadmap to bring connectivity to everyone around the world as the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25) closed last week in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A partnership agreement has been announced between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies, and Senegalese regulator ARTP. The aim of this agreement is to support young women in digital development.

South African operator Vodacom and Remgro, a diversified investment holding company, have announced that regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has approved Vodacom’s acquisition of a minority stake in Vumatel’s parent company. The transaction will be implemented on 1 December.

The three member states of the confederation known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – have signed an agreement to coordinate the use of radio frequencies along their shared borders.

Efforts to curb alleged misuse of pre-registered SIM cards in Nigeria are continuing. Telecommunications regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced new measures aimed at eliminating the sale and use of these cards, according to local reports.

The United Arab Emirates regulator, The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), has announced the launch of what it calls the 6th Generation (6G) Initiative in the country.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) reportedly plans to block satellite operators linked to China from providing services to broadcasters and teleport operators in the name of national security.

There is bad news for operators in both Chad and Zambia, whose telecommunications regulators have highlighted what they see as serious quality of service (QoS) deficiencies in their mobile communications offerings.