All Tech News

Three Vietnamese banks have reportedly changed their SMS notification policies in a bid to encourage customers to switch to digital banking apps, as SMS charges from telcos are too expensive.

Among news stories that may have sneaked under the radar during the holiday season is an interesting partnership announced about a week ago between Vienna Payment Solutions/VIPASO and technology solutions provider Interswitch East Africa (Kenya) Limited.

Papua New Guinea’s telecoms watchdog issued Starlink a five-year licence to operate in the island, while pledging to clamp down on illegal LEO satellite terminal operations.

Somali operator Somtel has launched the country’s first 5G network.

Indian telecoms vendor HFCL said on Monday it has landed a deal worth INR 11.2 billion (US$135 million) from state telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to upgrade its optical transport network (OTN) across the country.

North Korea is reportedly now taking on subscribers for a new 4G network in Pyonyang, although take-up has been slow due to limited coverage.

Network testing and benchmarking is an important way to improve operator performance and reputation.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel said on Thursday its enterprise unit has formed a strategic partnership with smart metering and digital solutions provider IntelliSmart Infrastructure to provide connectivity for up to 20 million smart meters.

Varnion Technology Semesta, an Indonesian ISP focused on the hospitality sector, has tapped Nokia to upgrade its broadband network to a PON-based infrastructure.

Malaysian operator Maxis announced Wednesday it has extended its existing agreement to lease Telekom Malaysia’s high-speed broadband (HSBB) access services to 2029.

STC Group subsidiary centre3 is acquiring CMC Networks, a global service provider offering networking solutions across Africa and the Middle East.

Recent reports indicate that Japan has agreed to provide grant aid worth up to 2.3 billion yen (about US$16 million) to Cambodia for its National Data Centre and government digitisation plan after a meeting between senior officials from both countries.

Viettel High Tech has officially handed over its private 5G technology solution to Indian network and engineering services provider QuadGen Wireless Solutions to manufacture and sell the technology in India.

Singapore-based data centre firm Digital Edge announced on Tuesday it has increased its stake in Indonesian digital infrastructure company Indonet by acquiring all remaining shares held by Indonet’s original founders.

Philippine mobile operator Smart Communications says it has successfully tested transport network disaggregation tech that it hopes to use to make its network more efficient, flexible and scalable.

The UAE’s Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster collaboration and investment in the digital infrastructure sector, specifically focusing on Egypt’s data centre projects.

Africa’s smartphone market has shown resilience with a second consecutive quarter of strong recovery in Q3 2023, according to analysis from Canalys.

Scala Data Centres, a Latin American platform for sustainable data centres in the hyperscale market, has announced the operations launch of its first site in the Brazilian Southern Region, based in Porto Alegre city.

Kenya’s Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary, Eliud Owalo, has announced that the development of 1,450 ICT hubs in all wards across the country will begin in 2024.

M-Pesa, the mobile money platform used by more than 32.1 million Kenyans and over 60 million customers across eight African markets, is taking a new direction in the payments field.

Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) Group, a leading global energy player, says it has centralised its IT infrastructure on Nutanix, a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, for retail expansion and to deliver what is described as a slick digitally driven customer experience.

It looks like the infrastructure deal between Entel and OnNet Fibra in Chile is going ahead – though there seem to be strings attached.

Lesira-Teq, a leading South African original equipment manufacturer known for its innovative smart water meters, has announced a strategic partnership with Comsol Networks, a leader in the IoT network domain in South Africa.

Tanzania has secured what is described as a crucial position in orbit at 16 degrees West for its own satellite, paving the way for its first satellite launch.

Authorized mobile phone importers in Sri Lanka have reportedly warned the government that its decision to not only raise its value added tax (VAT) next year but also apply it to mobile phones will only benefit parallel importers and make the grey market problem even worse.

The debate over power limits for non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems saw a resolution of sorts at the World Radio Conference 2023 (WRC-23) in Dubai, with potential regulatory action forestalled until at least 2031.

Proof of the continuing importance of the handheld satellite phone market comes with the announcement that Thuraya has launched what it calls an enhanced generation of its popular XT-PRO DUAL satellite and cellular feature phone.

Germany-based LEO satellite operator Rivada Space Networks has announced a partnership with Thai Aerospace Industries (TAI) to provide connectivity services to commercial, military and general aviation sectors inside and outside Thailand.

Copia Global, an e-commerce/fintech platform for African mass-market consumers, and payment giant Visa have announced a strategic five-year partnership to provide digital financial services to middle to low-income consumers in Kenya.

Indonesian telco Telkomsel is collaborating with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to launch ‘5G Hive Laboratory’, a research centre to develop 5G tech solutions and innovations.

Ericsson and Malaysian wholesale 5G operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) said on Wednesday that they have successfully completed a proof of concept that uses intent-based operations powered by AI and ML to manage radio sources more efficiently.