A reminder of the difficulties that can be faced by a global brand working in multiple territories with specific local rules and concerns comes from multinational technology company Apple, which is facing two very different regulatory challenges in two very different regions.
As expected, Mexico has gone ahead with plans to abolish a number of regulatory bodies, including telecoms watchdog the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT). However, it hasn’t been the wholesale clear-out some commentators feared.
Another attempt to manage virtual private network (VPN) use is under way in Pakistan, where the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has extended a deadline for unregistered VPN owners to give their details until the end of this month.
Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA), in collaboration with the ministry of communications and digitalisation and mobile network operators, recently began negotiations with relevant stakeholders in The Gambia to advance the implementation of the ECOWAS Free Roaming Initiative.
There’s been good news on the tax front for India’s telecommunications industry. However, one of the beneficiaries, operator Vodafone Idea, has received less positive news from banks relating to letters of credit.
Ukraine’s telecoms regulator said it raked in UAH2.8 billion (US$67.7 million) during its spectrum auction on Tuesday, with Vodafone, Kyivstar and Lifecell buying five lots of spectrum in the 2100, 2300, and 2600-MHz bands.
In what has been an unprecedented year for global elections, the world may look drastically different by next year. For Ukrainians, however, life changed profoundly two years ago. On 24 February 2022, many packed the bare essentials and fled to safe havens as Russian forces began their invasion.
Somalia is working to put in place a favourable regulatory framework to strengthen its digital infrastructure. In particular, regulator the National Communications Authority is preparing the introduction of new regulations on submarine cable landings.
India’s competition regulator has ordered WhatsApp to cease sharing data for advertising purposes with other Meta-owned applications for five years and fined the US tech giant US$24.5 million for antitrust violations.
African ministers highlighted the importance of collaboration with the private sector to drive the technology sector and strengthen economies across the continent, despite criticism from global companies such as Meta regarding over-regulation and taxation by African governments.
In its latest report, the GSMA projected that tackling key connectivity barriers to facilitate AI, 5G, and satellite adoption could add $170 billion to Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP by 2030.
Several civil society organisations in Mozambique have reportedly filed an injunction against mobile operators TMcel, Vodacom and Movitel over ongoing mobile internet shutdowns and blocked access to social media and messaging sites.
Governments in Mozambique and Mauritius have reportedly shut down access to social media and messaging sites, as Mozambique deals with election protests while Mauritius is trying to control the fallout of an alleged wiretapping scandal.
BEREC Chair Robert Mourik (pictured) warned of “fundamental repercussions” for the European technology sector if policies from the new European Commission are based on recent reports calling for sweeping changes to the telecoms framework.
The Communications, Space, and Technology Commission (CST), the Saudi Arabian communications authority established to regulate, monitor and empower the communications and IT sector, has granted a licence to provide specialised wireless telecommunication services to Aramco Digital.
Egypt’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (NTRA) said it has signed an agreement with the government’s Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) to create a joint digital platform designed to resolve complaints about telecom services more quickly.
Costa Rican regulator Sutel has reportedly restarted the country’s 5G spectrum auction process, following the dismissal by The Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) of most of the objections of Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (Grupo ICE), the Costa Rican government-run electricity and telecommunications services provider.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has reportedly kicked off a pilot programme to allow foreign investors to operate wholly-owned data centres and other telecoms-related services in select locations.
Industry association the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which includes Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea among its members, has questioned the continuation of licence fees in their present form.
Two 5G spectrum allocations owned by government-owned groups in Argentina are now to be put up for sale after a presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni made an announcement to this effect earlier this week.
Brazil has imposed new tariffs on various imports from China and other Asian nations, including iron, steel and fibre optic cable, in what officials say is an effort to combat dumping.
Bangladesh’s telecoms regulator has reportedly fined mobile operators Grameenphone, Robi Axiata and Banglalink for breaching regulations on promotional SMSs, despite telcos saying the regulations are impractical and too restrictive.
As the ITU prepares to hold the World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly (WTSA) in India – the first time the event has ever taken place in Asia – we spoke to Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy-Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), to discuss how the experiences of developing countries are essential for informing the standardisation process.
The South African government has revealed plans to close the connectivity coverage gap in rural areas, emphasising this as a key initiative to empower poorer communities and stimulate economic growth.
The European Commission (EC) approved UAE-based operator e&’s acquisition of European operator group PPF Telecom, after the operator committed to proposals to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage.
The Indian Supreme Court has this week rejected a plea for a recalculation of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues from a number of telecom companies – but the main focus of the news headlines after this decision has been on Vodafone Idea.
Is Nigeria finally carrying out its threat to disconnect unregistered SIM cards? A number of outlets are reporting that with the Nigerian Communications Commission's (NCC) deadline having passed on 14 September, Nigeria's mobile operators are blocking subscriber identity module (SIM) cards that are not linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN).
Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has reportedly delayed its planned shutoff of 2G mobile networks by a month to mid-October as communities struggle to stay connected in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yagi.
Elon Musk-owned companies Starlink and X saw freezes to their accounts lifted after Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the transfer of BRL18.35 million (US$3.3 million) from their account to government coffers.
The National Communications Authority of Somalia (NCA) partnered with the International Finance Corporation to prepare new regulations for submarine cable landings aimed at bolstering Somalia’s connectivity sector.
Regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has introduced a device management system (DMS). The NCC DMS is described as a comprehensive central equipment identity register (CEIR) aimed at managing and regulating mobile devices accessing the country’s communication networks.
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) reportedly plans to auction off spectrum in the 2100 and 2300-MHz bands early next year to enable telcos to upgrade to 5G-Advanced and 6G.
Not for the first time, officials in Mauritania have targeted mobile operators for alleged failure to provide a service of acceptable quality.
Qatar’s mobile operators have been given seven months to switch from FDD to TDD in the 2.6GHz frequency band by the country’s regulator.
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