All Tech News

Malaysian operator U Mobile has won the rights to implement Malaysia’s second 5G network to compete with original 5G operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), leaving rival contenders CelcomDigi and Maxis to rethink their 5G plans.

The Day One Keynote session at MBBF 2024 emphasised that we are entering a new era of AI facilitated by the expansion of 5.5G. With 5.5G expanding the boundaries of connections, AI allows them to connect intelligently.

Nokia has announced that Vietnam’s largest service provider, Viettel, will use its optical transport solution to cost-effectively address growing demand for 5G and data centre interconnect (DCI), consumer data consumption, and cross-border connectivity.

Brazilian neutral network and digital infrastructure company V.tal, recently in the news thanks to its interest in troubled operator Oi Brasil’s fibre broadband base, is now making headlines through an indoor 5G deal for Brazilian shopping centres.

ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) Philippines said on Thursday that the first phase of operations for its upcoming STT Fairview 1 hyperscale data centre is on track to be ready for service by the second quarter of 2025.

Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said on Wednesday that it has invested UAH1.9 billion (US$46 million) over the last two years to upgrade backup-power facilities for its network, the second phase of which is now underway.

Malaysia’s Hexa Capital Consultancy said on Wednesday it has chosen Globe Telecom to serve as the landing party in the Philippines for its trans-Pacific Malaysia-US (MYUS) Cable System.

Network International, an enabler of digital commerce in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and global digital payment and financial technology provider Ant International, have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the extension of innovative digital payment solutions to businesses in the MEA.

Millicom International Cellular, a provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Latin America, has announced a tower sale agreement with SBA Communications Corporation (SBA), an independent owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata says it has added a café to its metaverse platform “Futureverse” via a collaboration agreement with Sri Lanka’s largest café chain Barista.

Brazil-based digital bank platform Nubank announced plans on Tuesday to join Brazil's increasingly crowded mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) space in a bid to expand its portfolio beyond financial services.

Global communications solutions provider iBasis said on Tuesday it has signed an deal with Peruvian mobile operator Claro Perú to implement its A2P messaging gateway solution.

Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines have signed on for Airbus HBCplus Ka-band satellite-supported broadband in-flight connectivity.

OMS Group, a Malaysian subsea digital infrastructure company, has signed a contract with Dutch maritime firm Royal IHC for the construction of a series of cable-laying vessels. OMS is backed by KKR, a global investment firm investing across private markets in every asset class all over the world.

A flurry of deals and agreements underlines the continuing competition for a piece of the still-growing digital payment market in Africa. Some of the big names in the frame in two of the most recent announcements are Standard Bank, Volante Technologies, Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) and Mastercard.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix announced on Tuesday it will invest around US$500 million in phases over the next ten years to cash in on Thailand's bustling data centre scene, starting with two new IBX data centres in Bangkok.

Orex Sai – the Open RAN joint venture between NTT DoCoMo and NEC – says it has been selected by Cambodia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for a project to deploy a 4G Open RAN test network.

Huawei’s technology is revolutionising the energy sector in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia—two nations committed to achieving ambitious clean energy goals. At GITEX Global in Dubai, Andy Ding, Solution Vice President of Huawei Electric Power Digitalisation Business Unit, and Dr Moustafa Abdelhady M Shahin, Smart grid expert, discussed the rapid digitalisation of Dubai’s power grid, the role of smart infrastructure, the challenges of renewable integration, and other key issues.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi announced on Saturday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AmBank and AmBank Islamic to deliver affordable digital healthcare solutions to medical providers over the next three years.

IP optical networking solutions vendor Ribbon Communications announced on Friday it has successfully completed a long-haul DWDM project to upgrade Indian telco Bharti Airtel’s optical transport network.

Indonesia’s Industry Ministry said on Friday that sales of Apple’s new iPhone 16 in the country remain illegal due to an ongoing certification dispute, but clarified that incoming travellers and air crew who own the devices can still bring them for personal use.

Odata, a Brazilian provider of data centre services for Latin America that is controlled by US group Aligned Data Centres, is reportedly investing US$1.3 billion to develop two more data centres in Colombia.

ZTE has unveiled the innovations of its RAN multi-agent collaboration solution with China Mobile during the China International Information and Communications Technology Exhibition (PTEXPO) in Beijing.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix announced it has opened its first International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in South Africa, and is already onboarding new customers and partners.

At GITEX Global 2024, Huawei unveiled a ground-breaking innovation set to redefine the optical transport landscape — the industry's first end-to-end fine-grained Optical Transport Network (fgOTN) product portfolio.

Ethio Telecom is back in the news – this time via plans to launch a smart city project in Bahir Dar, capital city of the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia, following the deployment of commercial 5G services.

As technologies such as AI, 5G-A, and cloud computing accelerate ever more rapidly, our physical and digital worlds are growing increasingly intertwined.

The Iraqi government is reportedly in talks with foreign companies to operate the country’s planned 5G network, a year after the 5G network plan was greenlighted by the Iraqi Communication Ministry.

Indian state-owned telco BSNL is reportedly planning to lease out its land assets to data centre operators and renewable energy firms as part of a broader strategy to turn around its flagging telecoms business.

Philippine telco PLDT announced on Wednesday it has a secured a PHP2 billion (US$34.4 million) social loan facility from HSBC Philippines to finance its fibre infrastructure rollouts to underserved and unserved communities.

Satellite communications company ST Engineering iDirect, says it has been selected for the Phase Two expansion of Indonesia's Satria-1 satellite network.

GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway) specifications were released two decades ago. These have been successfully used around the world, but can no longer support the bandwidth, latency, and connectivity required by railways as they go digital.