Regulation Argentina to roll out biometrics rule for SIM transfers Argentina’s telecoms will roll out a new rule demanding operators register customer biometrics when switching to new SIM cards, a move to boost security for subscribers and curb SIM hijacking.
Devices & Platforms Urguay’s Antel works with VMware on cloud-supported use case-driven trial Antel, the leading mobile operator in Uruguay, is working with VMware, a provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, for a use case-driven trial using the VMware Telco Cloud Platform to support a proof of concept (PoC).
Devices & Platforms India announces home-grown mobile OS India seems to have taken the self-sufficiency theme to another level with a home-grown mobile operating system developed at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. It’s called BharOS (Bhar is short for Bharat, or India).
Operators Russia reportedly objects to Veon exit The Russian government has reportedly objected to operator Veon planning to join a raft of companies in selling off assets in the country and exiting the market.
Data Centres & Networks Uzbektelecom signs up NEC, NTT, IIJ for data infrastructure push Uzbekistan's state-owned operator Uzbektelecom has signed a new infrastructure agreement with four Japanese firms - Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ), NEC, NTT and Toyota Tsusho.
Operators Mafab finally launches 5G services in Nigeria Nigerian operator Mafab Communications met its deadline extension and finally launched 5G services after months of delay.
Mobile Finance Zain Cash Iraq adds Western Union to its mobile money offering Electronic financial service ZainCash Iraq has announced the launch of Western Union international money transfer services through the ZainCash mobile application, enabling customers in Iraq to connect to more than 200 countries and territories.
Operators Vodafone Idea bolsters rural retail strategy Vodafone Idea (Vi) showcased how it opened nearly 1,100 retail shops across 18 Indian states in the last three months, a move to serve growing demand in rural locations.
Regulation Tanzania grants mobile users two more weeks to verify SIM cards The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has pushed back its original SIM verification deadline from 31st January to 13th February 2023.
Investment Latin American giant Millicom is a takeover target It’s being widely reported that Millicom International Cellular, the Latin American telecommunications company, is a takeover target.
Vendors Nokia spotlights India as highlight in Q4 results Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark hailed India as a “highlight” in its recent financial results with the company forecasting more growth and market share gains in 2023.
Operators Globe Telecom blocks 2.7bn fraud messages, calls Philippines-based operator Globe Telecom blocked 2.72 billion fraudulent calls and messages in 2022, more than double the 1.15 billion figure from 2021.
Mobile Finance MTN and Ecobank launching loan offering with Optasia in Guinea Fintech provider Optasia is launching a microloan service in Guinea with pan-African Ecobank and MTN, via the latter’s MoMo (Mobile Money) service.
Mobile Finance South African fintech and Zimbabwean bank target remittance market Mama Money, a South African fintech that offers cross-border money transfer and banking services, has partnered with AFC Commercial Bank, a market leader in Zimbabwe with a reliable and robust payout network.
Satellite Networks Argentina’s ARSAT takes delivery of satellite-based IoT solution Satellite communications company ST Engineering iDirect has delivered its flagship Internet of Things (IoT) solution to ARSAT, the national telecommunications company of Argentina.
Operators Poland fines broadband provider for illegal price hike Polish broadband provider Vectra was slapped with a PLN22 million (US$5m) fine for illegally raising subscription fees by Poland's consumer watchdog, which stated the company had taken advantage of consumers.
Wireless Networks NOW taps Nokia for 5G design in the Philippines Filipino operator NOW Telecom has selected Nokia’s Bell Labs Consulting to design a nationwide 5G Standalone (SA) network, and to design and plan a national broadband network.
Data Centres & Networks Namibian Roads Authority migrates data to new Paratus data centre Paratus, described as a full-service network spanning the African continent and connecting customers internationally, has welcomed the Roads Authority (RA) of Namibia as the latest client of its recently opened Paratus Namibia Armada Data Centre in Windhoek.
Revenue & Billing Ooredoo Kuwait works with Ericsson to upgrade billing system Operator Ooredoo Kuwait has partnered with Ericsson to implement Ericsson Billing across its network. The billing system upgrade has, Ericsson says, enabled 5G evolution across Ooredoo Kuwait’s network and supported it in developing competitive marketing strategies for a variety of 5G...
Energy & Sustainability American Tower Corporation expands solar energy support for fibre American Tower Corporation a leading independent owner, operator and developer of multitenant communications real estate, says it plans to expand its solar energy park in order to support the sustainable expansion of its neutral fibre optic network in Brazil.
Wireless Networks Jio and Airtel boost 5G footprint while Vi claims speed boost from new upgrades Indian market leader Jio has connected 184 cities across India to its Standalone (SA) 5G network, noting that its latest expansion added a further 50 cities across 17 states.
Operators Xl Axiata delivers 4G to 75% of Kalimantan XL Axiata hailed its deployment on the island province of Kalimantan in Borneo, where it increased base station presence by 1,100 sites (42% year-on-year), with coverage now reaching 75% of the location.
Regulation South Sudan allocates funds to challenge Vivacell licence settlement South Sudan’s government has been availed of US$4.48 million by the country’s Council of Ministers to aid its legal appeal against the now defunct mobile operator Vivacell.
Regulation 5G ban in India’s airports set to be reviewed India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has said it intends come up with a decision on whether to lift a ban on 5G around airports – but not until it has carried out a detailed study.
Optical & Fixed Networks Vodacom welcomes 2Africa cable to the Eastern Cape The 2Africa subsea cable, described as the largest subsea cable system in the world, has landed at the South African operator Vodacom’s network facility in Gqeberha. This is the first submarine cable landing in the Eastern Cape region.
Data Centres & Networks Africa Data Centres expands presence in Nairobi Africa Data Centres, a business of pan-African technology group Cassava Technologies, says it has officially broken ground on an additional data centre facility in Nairobi. The new build will see the existing facility on the adjacent piece of land expanded up to an extra 15MW of IT...
Operators Maxis holds off signing up for Malaysia 5G plan Maxis, the last Malaysian operator yet to sign an access agreement with state-owned 5G agency Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), said it would refrain from seeking shareholder approval to join the scheme until the government completes its review of the 5G strategy implemented by the previous...
Data Centres & Networks Asiacell taps LigaData for data governance program Iraq’s Asiacell has appointed data analytics and AI specialists LigaData to implement a new Data Governance Framework and Data Governance Centre of Expertise.
Wireless Networks Infrastructure sharing and free Wi-Fi provision planned by Peru’s comms ministry Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) has announced a six-month-long infrastructure sharing pilot. It will take place in and around Lima, using three base stations, and in Lambayeque, on the coast of northern Peru, using one. The project, supported by operators...
Operators Tigo Panama pledges US$100m for 4G, fibre expansion Tigo Panama pledged to invest US$100 million into its network this year as part of its long-term modernisation and expansion strategy, to plug in coverage gaps and ready itself for 5G.
Optical & Fixed Networks TM R&D and ZTE sign optical networking MoU Telekom Malaysia’s TM R&D has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with ZTE that will see the companies collaborate on optical network research, bringing the first 50Gbps bandwidth experience to Malaysia.
Data Centres & Networks AirTrunk announces first Malaysian data centre Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) hyperscale data centre specialist AirTrunk has announced its entry into Malaysia with plans to develop a 150+ megawatt (MW) data centre.
Humanitarian Comms USTDA-AirJaldi collaboration aims to enhance digital connectivity in India Hard on the heels of Nokia’s collaboration with UNICEFto improve digital education and training in schools in parts of Senegal...
Vendors Apple faces antitrust investigation in Brazil Apple is under investigation by Brazilian antitrust watchdog CADE over allegations that it is violating antitrust laws, by demanding app developers stay in its allegedly restrictive system and processes.
Operators Madagascar blames anomalies for 5G delay Madagascar’s Agency for Regulation of Technology and Communication (Autorite de Regulation des Technologies de Communications, ARTEC), revealed technical challenges are preventing operators from launching 5G services but stated commercial launches are on the horizon.
Humanitarian Comms Nokia and UNICEF announce digital education initiative in Senegal Telecoms vendor Nokia has announced a new collaboration with UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, to bridge the digital divide by helping to improve digital education and training in schools in parts of Senegal.
Operators Play hails network deployment Polish operator Play hailed its fixed network build-out in 2022 which resulted in the deployment of 10,500 base stations and over six million FTTH connections.
Wireless Networks Orange Madagascar and NuRAN announce NaaS deal Operator Orange Madagascar and supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions NuRAN have announced a network-as-a-service (NaaS) agreement.
Data Centres & Networks Race for data centre space continues in India Multiple recent data centre development announcements have underlined the growth of the sector in India. This time Airtel, CtrlS Datacentres and Google are involved.
Optical & Fixed Networks America Movil, Telxius showcase new subsea cable America Movil and Telxius unveiled a new ultrahigh capacity subsea cable to link Guatemala to the US from 2025, as part of wider plans to improve global connectivity through bolstering the link between America Movil and Telxius parent Telefonica.
Operators Tele2 Latvia pledges €20m for network upgrade in 2023 Tele2 Latvia announced it will invest €20 million to upgrading its network and the deployment of 5G this year, as well as constructing a new data core.
Devices & Platforms Turkcell upgrades Ericsson Mediation platform to support BSS evolution Turkish operator Turkcell has upgraded to the Ericsson Mediation platform, supporting its ongoing business support systems (BSS) evolution.
Operators Ghana approves Vodafone Ghana shares sale to Telecel Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) gave Vodafone Group the green light to sell its majority 70% stake in its Ghana unit to Telecom Group, a move that progresses the European operator’s divestment strategy to focus on core markets.
Operators Bangladesh lifts SIM card sales ban off Grameenphone The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) lifted its ban on operator Grameenphone, which was forbidden from selling new SIM cards...
Wireless Networks Kuwait’s Mada turns to Nokia for transport network upgrade Nokia has announced that Mada Communications, a Kuwait-based telecommunications service provider offering enterprise solutions and services, will deploy its Wavence microwave solutions.
Data Centres & Networks Raxio Group to develop Tier III data centre in Angola The Raxio Group, a pan-African data centre developer and operator, has announced that it is investing in and establishing Raxio Angola, which it says is the first state-of-the-art, carrier neutral, Tier III data centre in the country.
Regulation Croatian regulator signals start of spectrum auction process HAKOM, the Croatian telecommunications regulator, has announced the start of the latest competitive frequency allocation process in the country.
Mobile Finance TOD and TPAY partnership targets Egypt’s mobile content subscribers TOD, described as the fastest growing streaming platform for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has struck a strategic partnership with TPAY, a leading payments company in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META).
Satellite Networks SES and du demo satellite-enabled 5G backhaul Satellite operator SES and du from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), a leading telecom operator in the United Arab Emirates, say they have successfully demonstrated the first satellite-enabled 5G backhaul in the Middle East utilising SES’s medium earth orbit (MEO)...
Operators MTN denies $684m tax bill in Ghana MTN Group was slapped with a US$773 million back tax bill by the Ghana government which accused the operator of under-declaring revenue, a claim it denied.
