All Tech News

The Indian cabinet has agreed to an ambitious public Wi-Fi plan that could bring broadband data connectivity to anywhere in the country – even places that at present have no mobile coverage.

Colombian operator WOM is deploying 125 cellular backhaul sites in partnership with Axess Networks as it seeks to connect rural areas as part of its nationwide build-out.

Welcome news for Kenyan operator Safaricom, though possibly less so for its customers, is that coronavirus-related price cuts affecting its mobile payment business may end soon.

Nokia and Vodafone India Foundation, the CSR arm of Vi (formerly Vodafone Idea), have deployed a smart agriculture solution that aims to improve the productivity of farmers in India.

US-based travel app Tripadvisor was banned by the Chinese government as part of a list of 105 apps, which were deemed to promote pornography, prostitution, gambling, violence, and obscene content.

Rohde & Schwarz has been awarded a contract by Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) to deliver voice over IP (VoIP)-capable air traffic control (ATC) communications and a remote monitoring and control solution (RCMS) from its CERTIUM portfolio.

Alphabet subsidiary Loon announced its internet-beaming balloons will now be piloted using reinforcement-learning (RL) AI, an advancement it claimed will simplify processes and provide reliable and constant connectivity.

MegaFon Tajikistan is now offering commercial VoLTE services, which it claims is a first for the market.

Mobility solutions company Comviva and Indosat Ooredoo, Indonesia’s leading mobile operator, have announced a strategic partnership.

Philippines operator Smart Communications has announced plans to upgrade 40 per cent of its sites to 5G by the end of 2021.

A couple more examples of the growing importance of cashless, mobile phone-based payments in Africa have emerged in recent days – this time in South Africa and Uganda.

The PNG Sustainable Development Program (SDP) is working with Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific), Emstret Holdings and Tag Energy to install and operate 30 solar-powered satellite dishes.

Ascenty, a leading name in the Latin American data centre market, has announced that a second unit is now in operation on the company’s mega-campus in Vinhedo, a Brazilian city in the state of Sao Paulo.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published a draft of rules designed to limit mobile app developers from collecting user data, an attempt to regulate the growing technology sector.

Argentina’s Metrotel is deploying Nokia’s Altiplano cloud platform for fibre access throughout its network.

Alibaba financial arm Ant Group denied it was preparing to offload shares in India-based digital payments company Paytm, due to tensions between China and India bringing more restrictive market conditions.

In an unusual use of LTE, but one that may become more common as industries adopt 4G and 5G for private networking, Nokia has announced plans to digitize crane monitoring systems in Indonesia.

As expected, Viettel has now become the first 5G carrier in Vietnam, after the launch of a 5G commercial trial following a period of technical tests.

Ukraine’s Kyivstar has extended its 900MHz 4G LTE services to all 25 regions in the country four months after launching the offering.

Hard on the heels of yesterday’s deal between Airtel Kenya and Nokia comes news that the partnership between Airtel Africa and CSG, a provider of revenue management and digital monetization, payments and customer engagement solutions, has been extended.

Leading operator Telefonica Movistar Argentina has deployed a complete traffic management solution from telecommunications software company Enea to help it handle the high consumption of data being experienced in Argentina due, in part, to the ongoing pandemic.

The total number of mobile money users in emerging markets will exceed 1.2 billion in 2025. That’s a key finding of a new study from Juniper Research, which provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector.

Ericsson penned a five-year deal to expand and modernise Mozambique Telecom’s (TMCEL) network and digital services ecosystem, a move with a focus on boosting the operator’s mobile money solutions.

Liquid Telecom is expanding fibre access through Botswana’s Lobatse border to Gaborone, an undertaking that, it says, will dramatically increase connectivity and network capacity in the country.

The Indian wearables market saw a record rise in Q3 this year with units hitting over 11.8 million, a year-on-year surge of 165.1%, with strong demand swelling from lower prices and home working needs.

Zain KSA – the Saudi Arabian operator and part of Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company the Zain Group – has announced the expansion of its 5G network coverage in Saudi Arabia to Dammam’s Second Industrial City.

Fintech deals continue to make news in Africa as more companies – and countries – embrace digital payment and banking.