Regulation Anatel wants network expansion not money from Telefonica Brazilian regulator Anatel ruled that Telefonica can expand mobile coverage in underserved locations instead of slapping its local unit Vivo a fine to the tune of BRL45.2 million (US$8.5m).
Operators Airtel announces Tanzanian spectrum acquisition Airtel Africa, a provider of telecommunications and mobile money services in 14 countries across Africa, is again making its presence felt in the African market with a spectrum acquisition that will boost its network in Tanzania.
Cloud & Virtualisation Are you ready for digital transformation 2.0? Autumn seems to have suddenly arrived, reminding us that it is time to reap what we sow and make plans for the future. Over the past couple of years, we have gradually adapted to virtual meetings and connections, so it was very exciting for us to finally meet peers in the industry face-to-face...
Regulation Indian cyber security ruling deadline may be extended – again The deadline for complying with the Indian government’s controversial new cybersecurity directives is likely to be extended, according to Indian media – though only for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Operators MTC Namibia hails fibre rollout MTC Namibia revealed it has to date deployed 475km of fibre to date across the country to meet the high demand of subscribers and reduce network congestion.
Service Management Vodafone and Ericsson continue network optimization drive in Oman Continuing evidence of the growth in importance of artficial intelligence (AI) for operators comes in the form of a recent announcement from Ericsson and Vodafone Oman that they have partnered to, as they put it, “empower the telecom company’s network infrastructure development across...
Regulation Chilean spectrum decision delights GSMA but distresses DSA A lively debate has opened up over Chilean regulator Subtel’s decision to reduce the amount of spectrum it had originally earmarked for Wi-Fi, delighting mobile industry group the GSMA but upsetting Wi-Fi proponents like the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA), which promotes and showcases the...
Business Zimbabwe’s Telecel may be heading for corporate rescue Telecel Zimbabwe’s troubles are continuing, with reports from the country’s press that the smallest of the country’s three mobile operators is set to be placed under corporate rescue, a form of bankruptcy protection, due to serious financial distress.
Mobile Finance Public and private groups address African mobile money security concerns As mobile and digital money become more widely used across Africa, so public and private bodies are responding to fears of fraud, as recent news from Ghana and Kenya indicates.
Mobile Finance Airtel Kenya separates from mobile money unit Airtel Kenya announced the separation of its mobile money unit from its core network operations as the operator complies with regulations set by the central bank, ending a process three years in the making.
Vendors Huawei announces death of top executive Ryan Ding Huawei has confirmed the unexpected death of its long-serving executive Ding Yun, also known as Ryan Ding, at age 53.
Mobile Finance Another Nigerian operator joins the PSB club Nigeria’s Globacom has joined the rush to open payment service banks (PSBs) with the launch of its MoneyMaster PSB offering. MoneyMaster was granted a payment service bank licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2020.
Operators Safaricom set to rival Ethio Telecom in mobile money Safaricom is set to launch M-Pesa to rival Ethio Telecom’s Telebirr, boosting the Ethiopian economy up to two mobile money platforms.
Optical & Fixed Networks Uruguay to allow cable firms to offer fixed broadband Uruguay’s Senate has approved new legislation that will end the fixed broadband monopoly held by state-owned telco Antel.
Regulation Philippines passes SIM card registration law As has long been expected, a law has been passed in the Philippines making SIM card registration compulsory.
Energy & Sustainability Airtel Africa and American Tower partner in fuel-efficient infrastructure deal Pan-African operator Airtel Africa and ATC Africa, American Tower Corporation’s African operation, have announced a multi-year, multi-product agreement.
Investment Myanmar’s investment exodus is the price of control for its junta It’s never a good sign when a government steps in to block internet access, or bans a communication platform such as Twitter, and unfortunately such practices are not unheard of in the markets we cover at Developing Telecoms.
Cloud & Virtualisation Africa finally joins Google’s global cloud network Google has announced the launch of a cloud region in South Africa, its first in the African continent. South Africa now joins Google’s network of 35 cloud regions and 106 zones worldwide.
Operators Claro, TIM, Vivo hints at arbitration against Oi Telefonica Brasil (Vivo), Claro and TIM have signalled intentions to launch court proceedings against bankrupt rival Oi, for allegedly breaching contractual terms of the deal for Oi’s mobile assets, reported CommsUpdate.
Operators Timorese government to acquire Oi’s majority holding in Timor Telecom The government of Timor Leste is reportedly planning to acquire the majority stake in Timor Telecom (TT) that has long been held by Brazil’s Oi.
Optical & Fixed Networks South Africa’s MultiChoice makes waves in the fibre internet market South Africa’s MultiChoice Group is perhaps best known for its DStv satellite TV service that is a major force in sub-Saharan Africa. However, it has now aggressively entered the fibre internet market by bringing both DStv and internet into its own uncapped fibre products offering at heavily...
Wireless Networks Safaricom officially launches in Addis. How will Ethio Telecom respond? After many pilots, it appears that Safaricom Ethiopia has finally officially arrived with the announcement that it has switched on its network and services in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Regulation VTR and Claro cleared to merge in Chile The proposed merger of VTR and Claro Chile has been cleared by Chile’s FNE (Fiscalia Nacional Economica / National Economic Prosecutor).
Wireless Networks Uzbektelecom taps Huawei and ZTE for major expansion programme Uzbekistan’s state-backed provider of fixed and mobile services Uzbektelecom has signed a raft of new deals with Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE.
Vendors Silicon Labs plans to triple India office headcount Hard on the heels of the announcement of the official inauguration of its new office in Hyderabad, wireless technology company Silicon Labs has told local media that it plans to take its India office headcount to 1,500 professionals by 2025.
Regulation Zambian tax initiative aims to encourage ICT infrastructure imports While some sub-Saharan African countries are making things difficult for telecommunications operators and equipment suppliers through new or increased taxes, Zambia appears to be taking a different route – at least when it comes to infrastructure.
Regulation NuevaTel faces losing licence after regulator blocks sale After blocking the sale of NuevaTel PCS in August, Bolivian regulator ATT (Autoridad de Regulacion y Fiscalizacion de Telecomunicaciones y Transportes) has now threatened to revoke the mobile operator’s licence.
Operators India’s BSNL plans 4G in November and 5G next year Amid the fanfare about 5G in India, state-run operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has confirmed plans to start rolling out a 4G network from November and gradually upgrade it to 5G by August next year.
Operators Kenya acquires full control of Telkom Kenya The Kenyan government regained full control over Telkom Kenya after forking out KES6.09 billion (US$50.3m) for the 60% majority stake held by British investment firm Helios Investment Partners, reported Ecofin Agency.
Regulation Kenya SIM card registration: could millions miss out? Yet another SIM card registration exercise is having problems after reports that in Kenya, as the latest registration deadline draws closer, some 15 million SIM cards could be rendered unusable by 15 October.
Optical & Fixed Networks Oman-Australia cable ready for service The Oman-Australia undersea cable linking Perth and Muscat, is, according to the company that built it, ready for service.
Vendors Flurry of private sector announcements follows 5G launch in India Hard on the heels of the headline news about India’s first 5G services going live, a number of other announcements from the...
Wireless Networks Airtel claims first Indian 5G launch with Jio set to follow this month India’s first 5G services went live over the weekend, with Bharti Airtel announcing its commercial 5G launch at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) event.
Operators Robi Axiata hires former Ooredoo Myanmar chief Bangladeshi operator Robi Axiata hired former Ooredoo Myanmar head Rajeev Sethi as its new chief executive officer, an appointment to advance market share.
Operators Rain submits proposal for Telkom acquisition South African operator Rain submitted a request for rival Telkom to acquire it, a move that could potentially disrupt MTN’s intentions to buy Telkom.
Data Centres & Networks Construction of new Raxio Mozambique data centre begins The Raxio Group, a leading pan-African data centre developer and operator, recently held a ground-breaking ceremony that formally kicked off the construction of its Tier-III carrier neutral colocation data centre, located at Beluluane Industrial Park (MozParks) in Maputo, Mozambique.
Operators MTN planning greener HQ in South Africa MTN is accelerating its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 with the launch of a request for proposal (RFP) to convert its South African headquarters into a ‘green’ office.
Satellite Networks 4iG gains approval for satellite buy Hungarian telecoms operator group 4iG has agreed conditions to acquire a minority stake in Israeli company Spacecom, as part of a move for the company to launch Hungary’s first commercial satellite to expand coverage and services.
Data Centres & Networks MoU targets Asian and Middle Eastern data centre markets Khazna Data Centers, one of the largest wholesale data centre providers in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed a memorandum of understating (MoU) with GDS IDC Services (GDS), a Chinese company that develops and operates high-performance data centres.
Vendors Ericsson scales up Indian 5G manufacture as Vi strikes OnePlus deal Ericsson is boosting the scale of one of its Indian manufacturing plants to meet demand for 5G equipment from its customers in the market.
Operators Russia loses race to lead ITU Member states of the International Telecommunication Union elected US representative Doreen Bogdan-Martin as its next secretary-general, beating Russia’s Rashid Ismailov.
Enterprise Ecosystems AIS partners with ZTE to launch 5G A-Z Centre in Thailand ZTE and AIS have jointly launched Thailand’s first 5G innovation hub.
Operators Orange opens 5G lab in Jordan Orange expanded its 5G testbed programme into Jordan to explore new use cases using the new technology standard, as part of the operator’s long-term strategy to unlock more value from 5G before launching in the country.
Wireless Networks Tele2 switches on 5G in Lithuania’s capital Tele2 Lithuania has launched a 5G service in Vilnius using its recently obtained 700MHz and 3.5GHz spectrum.
Operators Ethio Telecom reveals ambition in face of competition Ethio Telecom revealed ambitions to grow subscriber numbers by 10.3% to 73.5 million over the next year, despite competition coming in from Safaricom Ethiopia.
Regulation Pakistan brings broadband QoS regulations up to date The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has reviewed the country’s existing broadband quality of service regulations, which date back to 2014, and has issued what it calls the Fixed Broadband Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations 2022 after consultation with stakeholders.
Operators Plintron brings MVNA offering to Chile Plintron, which describes itself as the world's largest multi-country mobile virtual network aggregator / enabler (MVNA / MVNE) with a client base in six continents, has announced plans to launch its services in Chile this year, enabling Chilean brands to offer mobile services.
Operators Telmex offer rejected by workers union Mexico’s telecoms workers union rejected the latest proposals offered by operator Telmex to resolve strike action, potentially continuing the long-running industrial action against the operator, reported Reuters.
Optical & Fixed Networks Cable upgrade announced for CFX-1 and EWC submarine cable networks C&W Networks, a wholesale telecommunications service provider, says it is leveraging the GeoMesh Extreme product from networking systems, services and software company Ciena to upgrade its CFX-1 (Colombia-Florida Express) and EWC (East West Cable) submarine cable networks to...
Optical & Fixed Networks Argentina announces multi-million dollar plan for social housing connectivity In the country’s latest initiative to improve fixed line connectivity for its population, Argentinian telecommunications regulator Enacom has approved funding for a programme to provide broadband internet in houses built and financed by the state.
