News from Central & South Asia

Operators

MTNL, BSNL partner up to bolster operations

State-owned Indian operators Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have signed an MoU to synergies...

Operators

PTCL board approves Telenor Pakistan buyout plan

The board of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has greenlit plans to acquire rival Telenor Pakistan with a binding offer to be...

Operators

Jio on target for nationwide 5G in 2023

Reliance Jio chairman Mukesh Ambani stated the operator is on track to spread 5G coverage nationwide by the end of the year, supported by over...

Regulation

Cellfie Mobile cleans up in Georgian 5G auction as rivals opt out

Georgia’s Communications Commission has concluded an auction of 5G spectrum that attracted just one participant - Cellfie Mobile, formerly known...

Operators

Telenor appoints veteran as Asia head

Telenor reshuffled its executive suite, appointing Petter-Borre Furberg (pictured, left) as the new head of Telenor Asia, replacing Jorgen...

Devices & Platforms

Honor plots relaunch in India

Chinese smartphone vendor Honor will launch manufacturing in India as part of plans to relaunch in one of the world’s largest smartphone markets...

Operators

Telenor Pakistan promotes COO to CEO

Telenor Pakistan promoted COO Khurrum Ashfaque (pictured) to CEO, replacing Irfan Wahab Khan who will take a new role as SVP in Telenor Asia.

Devices & Platforms

Foxconn to begin iPhone 15 manufacturing in India

Apple manufacturer partner Foxconn has reportedly begun production of the iPhone 15 in a factory in Southern India, as the semiconductor giant...

Operators

Banglalink applies for financial services licence

Veon has applied for a digital banking licence via its Bangladesh-based unit Banglalink, as the group looks to expand into fintech services.

Operators

Tejas Network bags BSNL contract

Indian equipment provider Tejas Networks won a contract worth INR74.9 billion (US900 million) from BSNL to supply gear, support and maintain...

Operators

Vodafone Idea shareholder injects cash for debt

Indian operator Vodafone Idea received a loan of INR20 billion (US$240 million) to aid it in making scheduled payments, as the operator continues...

Devices & Platforms

Foxconn to open more plants in India

Apple supplier Foxconn is reportedly in motion to increase investment to over US$1.2 billion in India, by pumping US$500 million into two new...

Operators

Kazakhtelecom set to divest mobile unit by year-end

Kazakhstan’s state-backed operator Kazakhtelecom (KT) is planning to sell one of its mobile subsidiaries before the end of this year.

Regulation

GlobalData hails Indian AI embrace

Analyst company GlobalData hailed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for its recommendations for adopting AI, stating this will...

Satellite Networks

AST SpaceMobile opens R&D lab in India

Satellite communications company AST SpaceMobile opened an R&D facility to build space technology in India, as it identified the South Asian...

Operators

Freedom Holding mulls 5G start-up in Kazakhstan

Kazakh conglomerate Freedom Holding has confirmed its intent to enter the country’s mobile market with a 5G start-up player.

Operators

Proximus spends $721m on Indian cloud services firm

Belgium-based operator group Proximus acquired a 58% stake in Indian cloud enterprise company Route Mobile for INR59.2 billion (US$721 million),...

Vendors

Nokia cuts sales and profit forecast

Nokia trimmed its sales and profit forecast for 2023 blaming a tightening economic landscape for cutting customer budgets.

Regulation

Georgia eyes August for 5G spectrum auction

Georgia is set to commence 5G auctions next month after the country’s Communications Commission approved the sale of airwaves in the 700MHz,...

Operators

Kyrgyzstan lines up MEGA share auction for October

Kyrgyzstan’s Fund for State Property Management is set to auction off 100% of shares in the state-owned mobile operator MEGA.

Operators

Reliance Jio unveils affordable 4G feature phone

Reliance Jio launched an affordable 4G feature phone in a move to gain more subscribers from remote locations in India to its digital...

Vendors

Foxconn to inject $246m into Vietnam

Foxconn gained approval from authorities in Vietnam to invest US$246 million into two projects to assemble telecom and electric vehicle parts in...

Operators

Jio discusses $1.6 billion loan to buy Nokia gear

Reliance Jio is reportedly negotiating loans with several banks to raise US$1.6 billion to purchase equipment from Finnish vendor...

Cloud & Virtualisation

Kazakhtelecom JSC improves subscriber services with A10 Networks

Kazakhtelecom JSC is working with A10 Networks to improve the reliability of broadband access for businesses and consumers nationwide.

Optical & Fixed Networks

India green-lights $1.3 billion package for Micron plant

The Indian government approved chip manufacturer Micron Technology’s plan to build a US$2.7 billion semiconductor packaging and testing facility...

Operators

MTS loses legal challenge in Turkmenistan

Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has lost its longstanding legal battle against Turkmenistan after it was allegedly forced to abandon its...

Regulation

Sri Lanka warned against privatising SLT Mobitel

The Sri Lankan government was advised by the Sectoral Oversight Committee to not pursue privatisation of state-owned telco operator Sri Lanka...

Trends & Forecasts

GSMA: Closing of connectivity gender gap "stalled"

Industry body the GSMA said in its new report over 800 million women from low and middle-income countries (LMIC) across Africa, Asia and Latin...

Operators

Vi registers first annual growth since its creation

Beleaguered Indian operator Vodafone Idea has logged its first annual revenue increase since it was created in 2018 through the merger of...

Regulation

Vi penalty plea thrown out by Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has rejected Vodafone Idea (Vi)’s attempt to challenge a fine issued by the regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of...

Operators

BSNL orders $1.83bn of equipment from Tata

Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) ordered INR150 billion (US$1.83 billion) worth of infrastructure equipment and...

Optical & Fixed Networks

Uzbektelecom deploying AirPON to bring fibre broadband to remote regions

Uzbektelecom, which operates as Uztelecom, is pushing high speed fibre broadband access across Uzbekistan by deploying AirPON (Air Passive...

Wireless Networks

Ucom modernising Armenian network with Ericsson Nikola Tesla

Armenia’s Ucom is renewing its collaboration with Ericsson Nikola Tesla as it seeks to upgrade its infrastructure across the market.

Vendors

Cisco to manufacture in India

Cisco announced it will start manufacturing in India as part of plans to diversify its global supply chain and drive US$1 billion in domestic...

Operators

Malaysian operators open arms to second 5G network

Malaysian operators have thrown their weight behind the government's decision to reverse course and create a second 5G network.

Vendors

Huawei crafts management software to replace US tech

Huawei announced it has developed a key enterprise IT management software to cut its use of a solution from Oracle, as the vendor strives to...

Wireless Networks

Teletalk Bangladesh signs upgrade agreement with Huawei

Huawei is set to supply Teletalk Bangladesh with a suite of solutions aimed at preparing the operator for 5G and boosting rural operations.

Regulation

Nepal strips Smart Telecom of licence

The Nepalese Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has reportedly pulled Smart Telecom’s licence again for failing to pay its renewal fee and...

Optical & Fixed Networks

Lightstorm upgrading digital infrastructure in India with Nokia

Nokia is supplying its WDM optical network solutions for Lightstorm’s network expansion into the Eastern and Northern regions of India.

Devices & Platforms

Apple sales in India hit $6 billion

Apple sales in India surged to hit almost US$6 billion in the year through March according to sources speaking to Bloomberg.

Investment

How can smart cities benefit emerging countries?

The over-arching purpose of smart cities is to improve the living standards of their people through multiple pathways, be it waste management,...

Devices & Platforms

Apple takes wraps off Indian stores

Apple officially revealed it will open its first retail stores in India this month, marking a significant expansion in India as the company seeks...

Operators

Sri Lanka Telecom faces cost-cutting restructure

State-owned operator Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT-Mobitel) is reportedly facing a massive restructuring as the government announced plans to cut...

Devices & Platforms

Apple preps first Indian retail store

Apple revealed a first look at its first retail store in India which will be located in the city of Mumbai, and sourced claimed it will be open...

Operators

Vodafone Idea woes could lead to duopoly

Vodafone Idea may fall behind rivals in its 5G deployment due to funding challenges, leading to a duopoly between Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio,...

Operators

Veon taps OneWeb for LEO satellites

Veon Group announced it will use OneWeb low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to extend its coverage in emerging markets.

Mobile Finance

bKash and Huawei pushing financial inclusion in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi mobile money firm bKash has extended its existing partnership with Huawei.

Operators

Vodafone Idea equips factory with private LTE network

Vodafone Idea is equipping a technology factory in the city of Hazira, India, with a private 4G network to showcase automation through IoT, a...

Operators

Globe takes aim at prepaid broadband market

Globe Telecom chief commercial officer Issa Guevarra-Cabreira (pictured) said the Philippines operator is aiming for growth through a fixed-line...

Wireless Networks

Kcell’s pilot ushers in Kazakhstan’s 5G era

Kazakhstan’s Kcell has launched its first 5G trial with 12 sites now live across the cities of Almaty and Shymkent.

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