Regulation

An estimated 6.3 billion people, or 76% of the world's population, are using the internet in 2026, but around two billion remain unconnected, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has set out draft guidelines for the implementation of AI (artificial intelligence) into telecom networks, infrastructure, and services.

The GSMA has urged the Gabonese government to reduce taxes on smartphones and mobile services to make internet access more affordable and bring more people online.

Chilean regulator Subtel has refused to renew concessions in the 800MHz band for operator WOM, apparently due to lack of use. Indeed, the operator has not had customers on these frequencies since 2 November 2016.

Gabon’s High Communication Authority (HAC) has lifted a ban on social media imposed eight months ago. The policy change was announced on Saturday in a televised statement.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has announced plans for a study to identify and serve remote, hard-to-reach, underserved and disaster-prone areas where telecom services are inadequate or of poor quality.

Regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has advised phone owners to check, via a USSD code, whether their devices have received regulatory approval for use in Nigeria.

Frehiwot Tamiru, the former Chief Executive Officer of Ethio Telecom, has been approved by Ethiopia’s House of Peoples' Representatives as the country’s new Minister of Innovation and Technology.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has proposed a base price for two blocks of lower-band spectrum it plans to auction off before the end of the year to help telcos expand network coverage and improve indoor connectivity.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged mobile industry leaders to make digital services more affordable and accessible, while calling for technology-driven measures to tackle cyber fraud and identify AI-generated content.

Mexico's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) has announced plans for an auction of upper 2.3GHz spectrum that will apparently be reserved for private 5G and auctioned to industrial players.

The Philippines' National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has fined Globe Telecom, Smart Communications and DITO Telecommunity PHP100,000 (US$1,600) each per day until they meet required mobile broadband quality-of-service standards.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned governments, regulators, and meteorologists on Monday to safeguard radio frequency spectrum essential for weather forecasts, early warnings, climate monitoring and water management.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched what it calls the Digital Connectivity Rating (DCR) platform, an integrated digital platform that establishes a transparent and standardised framework for assessing the digital connectivity readiness of properties.

Thailand launched a new national strategy on Thursday to boost its semiconductor sector – which currently focuses mainly on assembly and packaging – into a fully integrated domestic chipset ecosystem by 2050.

A meeting of regional intergovernmental organisation the East African Community (EAC), along with East African trade bloc the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and Eastern African countries implementing World Bank-supported digital transformation programmes has convened in Nairobi.

The GSMA and the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa (PDAA) launched a new roadmap on Monday that seeks to narrow Africa’s mobile internet usage gap and connect 1 billion people by 2030.

Mozambique’s communications regulatory authority INCM says it is responding to concerns expressed by consumers on social media and elsewhere regarding the rapid exhaustion of mobile data packages.

Zambia’s Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has cancelled the operator licence of Beeline, which operated under the Z-Mobile brand, for failing to meet several regulatory obligations.

A three-judge High Court bench in Kenya has ordered that a 15% Kenyan government stake transferred to Vodacom should revert to the State after ruling that the transaction was unconstitutional.

Vietnam is set to auction 900MHz spectrum freed up by the country's 2G shutdown, giving mobile operators access to additional low-frequency capacity for expanding 4G and 5G networks.

Papua New Guinea’s telecoms regulator announced on Friday that it’s ready to issue 5G spectrum licences in the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands to "qualified" mobile operators.

Thailand reportedly suspended construction of 49 data centres on Friday over concerns of their impact on local communities, making it the second Southeast Asian country after Malaysia to rethink its data centre investment strategy in recent weeks.

The Philippines' telecoms sector is set to invest more than US$2.2 billion in 2026, with the country's largest operators continuing to expand network infrastructure amid growing demand for digital services.

In a move that will benefit mobile operators – and potentially save them money – the Indian government has announced that it will increase the electromagnetic field (EMF) limits for mobile networks to global standards, allowing telecom operators to cover larger areas with fewer towers.

Malaysia is reportedly planning to toughen oversight of e-commerce platforms operating in the country, to include requiring them to be registered with the government.

MTN Group has reportedly secured conditional approval from Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for its proposed acquisition of the remaining stake in tower company IHS Holding Limited.

The Bangladesh government’s Posts and Telecommunications Division has reportedly blocked the deployment of two subsea cable vessels into Bangladesh's territorial waters to install the privately-owned Bangladesh Private Cable System (BPCS).

The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) has announced the award of radio spectrum frequency blocks to operators Viettel and Claro Dominicana after a recent public tender.

Interesting news for countries trying to grow their internet domains comes from Kenya, where recent data has shown the .ke domain growing four times faster than the global average. But why is this?

Around 80% of Malawians live within mobile broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet, highlighting a major usage gap that could be worth MWK 1.1 trillion (US$637 million) to the economy by 2030, according to the GSMA.