Regulation

Two recent news items from Pakistan highlight the country's attempts to manage two very different but pivotal areas of the modern telecommunications landscape: QoS and satellite internet.

Zambia’s telecoms regulator has fined Airtel and ordered it to compensate customers following a major network outage that caused widespread disruption.

Bangladesh’s telecoms regulator has rejected an appeal by Banglalink to acquire 5MHz of spectrum in the 2,100MHz band outside of the ongoing auction process.

The Trump administration is reportedly drafting a new rule that would restrict shipments of US-made AI chipsets to Malaysia and Thailand in an effort to prevent the chips from finding their way into China.

Pakistan’s long-awaited 5G spectrum auction is facing delays due to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), which is allegedly withholding key documents related to its proposed acquisition of Telenor Pakistan, according to the country’s Minister for IT and Telecommunications.

Thai telcos Advanced Info Service (AIS) and True Corp purchased spectrum bands in the 1500-MHz, 2100-MHz, and 2300-MHz bands for over THB41 billion (US$1.26 billion) in an auction by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) on Sunday.

The Vietnamese government has reportedly approved a proposed merger of Vinaphone and VNPT-Media into their parent company, VNPT, to streamline group operations and enhance efficiency.

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has reportedly ordered Thai telecoms service providers to cut all internet links to Cambodia – ostensibly to combat cyberscammers, although the move also comes amid an ongoing border dispute between the governments of both countries.

Kenya’s competition watchdog has warned landlords against signing exclusive access deals with broadband providers, saying such practices restrict consumer choice and could lead to heavy fines.

Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) has reported that it has made a decision approving the creation of two new joint ventures by Moroccan operators Maroc Telecom and Inwi.

A cross-border payment platform specialising in emerging markets, dLocal, has announced that it has obtained what it calls three pivotal licenses and authorisations in the Middle East and Asia.

The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO) urged President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday to veto new legislation that would relax requirements for new data transmission operators to set up operations, particularly satellite operators.

The Argentinian government has again raised concerns over operator Telecom Argentina’s plan to acquire rival Telefónica Móviles Argentina and the possibility of a two-player market. So what happens now?

After a lengthy investigative process, Mexico's telecommunications regulator Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) has fined America Movil's subsidiary Telcel MXN1.78 billion (US$93.3 million) for alleged monopolistic practices.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is apparently capping connectivity costs for public Wi-Fi providers in what is widely seen as an effort to boost internet accessibility, but one that has not been well received by the companies whose infrastructure is helping to enable public Wi-Fi.

Ghana’s Communication and Technology Ministry announced that operators MTN, Telecel, and AirtelTigo have committed to investing a combined US$150 million this year to enhance their networks, driven by regulatory demands for improved service.

The Vietnamese government has reportedly signed a new decree that, among other things, promises to make it easier for telecoms players, data centre operators and cloud providers to get the necessary approvals to set up operations in Vietnam.

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), a specialised agency of the African Union in the field of telecommunications, has secured a grant from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to accelerate Africa’s transition from Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) to version 6 (IPv6).

Malaysian telcos and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) have promised mobile users that their personal data and privacy won’t be compromised following a news report that telcos were ordered by the MCMC to hand over mobile network usage records for the first three months of 2025.

Qatar regulator the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has announced that it has opened access to more than 4,860 kilometres of government telecom duct infrastructure across Qatar.

The SAMENA Telecommunications Council and the World Broadband Association (WBBA) said on Monday they have signed a MoU to collaborate on advancing broadband access across the South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa region and beyond.

The latest spectrum licence auction in Thailand has apparently only attracted two bidders: True Corporation and Advanced Info Service (AIS) – and they do not seem interested in all the spectrum on offer. So what happens now?

The Namibian government has set out ambitious plans to rapidly improve connectivity services as part of its strategy to stimulate economic growth.

Vietnam’s telecoms regulator has reportedly ordered the country’s telcos to block messaging app Telegram over its alleged failure to prevent its users from using the app to commit crimes under Vietnamese law.

IHS Nigeria, a subsidiary of the IHS Towers group, announced on Thursday it has formed a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to increase protection of critical telecoms infrastructure across Nigeria.

The long-running story of service quality issues in Cameroon rumbles on with news that the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) has initiated a new restricted tender for an audit of Cameroon's national fibre optic network.

The extraordinarily long and complex story of the Indian government's adjusted gross revenue (AGR) payment demands on operators continues to make headlines with Monday’s news that India’s Supreme Court has rejected pleas from operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to support a waiver on their AGR dues.

Mexico’s proposed new telecommunications law has been modified after controversy about one of its provisions which, critics have suggested, could enable censorship on digital platforms.

The GSMA has urged governments worldwide to reduce spectrum prices, warning that high fees are choking the telecoms industry and threatening long-term economic development.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on Friday it intends to charge satellite internet players up to 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) over a five-year period to use spectrum allocated to them for satellite broadband services.

The Liberian Telecommunications Authority (LTA) announced on Monday that it has launched a nationwide initiative to rehabilitate and maintain rural base stations deployed under the Universal Access Fund (UAF) that have since been abandoned.

Multinational technology company Meta has been in the news lately in Nigeria and Ghana – but not necessarily for positive reasons.

Last week’s agreement between Togo and Burkina Faso to end roaming charges for incoming calls comes into effect at the end of this month. But is it really part of a growing wave of roaming initiatives across West Africa?