Continuing efforts by countries across the Middle East to develop domestic space ecosystems encompassing satellite infrastructure have been underlined by recent announcements from Oman and Iraq relating to ground stations.

The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) has deployed what it calls its Preparedness Data Exchange (PDX) platform in the Democratic Republic of Congo, strengthening the country’s access to epidemic intelligence and early-warning information.

India’s smartphone shipments fell 26% year on year to 35.8 million units in the third quarter of 2026, their lowest level for the period since 2016, as higher prices and cautious consumer spending weakened replacement demand despite the start of the festive season.

The Trans-Caspian Submarine Cable System linking Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan was officially launched on Thursday, linking the respective telecoms infrastructures of AzerTelecom and Kazakhtelecom with 400 Tbps of capacity.

Iraqi telco Asiacell says it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Samsung Electronics Levant to provide consumers and businesses with broader access to Samsung devices, services and technology solutions.

Digicel Trinidad and Tobago announced on Friday its business unit has launched satellite connectivity solutions that offer businesses a secure, resilient backup connectivity option to strengthen business continuity and operational readiness.

Global digital operator Veon – which owns Beeline Uzbekistan – said on Monday it has struck a deal to buy rival telco Rubicon Wireless, which operates under the “Perfectum” brand, for US$207 million.

Digital payments and remittances are becoming increasingly central to Africa’s economic growth and inspiring a number of significant recent partnerships, including one involving dLocal and Western Union and another involving Mastercard and Moovn Technologies.

Indonesia’s PRT BRIN, and Indian companies Signaltron and Signalchip Innovations have signed a letter of intent for collaboration and co-development in the field of electronics, telecommunications, networking and drone technologies.

Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has completed a MYR5.2 billion (US$1.3 billion) Syndicated Islamic Term Financing, which it described as one of the largest syndicated loan facilities ever arranged for an unlisted company in Malaysia.

Global media services provider Arqiva has announced what it calls a landmark agreement with Gulfsat, a leading Kuwaiti communications company and regional satellite operator.

State-owned national telecommunications and internet service provider Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) and the state electricity utility Socadel have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore infrastructure sharing in Cameroon.

CelcomDigi and Maxis have both accepted spectrum assignments from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), with each operator bolstering its position in the 2600MHz band.

Millicom, the digital telecommunications and media company operating primarily under the Tigo brand in Latin America, has announced an investment of approximately US$2.665 billion in Colombia over the next four years.

Almost 30 suspected scammers have been arrested and 3.7 million online profiles and accounts removed as part of a multi-agency crackdown – also involving private sector companies – against fraud perpetrated from across Africa.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced on Wednesday that their ambitious US$10 billion initiative to accelerate AI adoption across Africa has progressed to the deployment phase.

A plan by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to build a new subsea cable connecting peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak is reportedly moving forward, with construction scheduled to begin early next next year.

Operator Ooredoo Qatar has announced the launch of Qatar’s first 5G+ mobile network, building on the capabilities of 5G standalone, the network Ooredoo Qatar was the first to deploy.

Philippine operator Globe Telecom's chief intelligence and trust officer Anton Reynaldo M. Bonifacio will step down on January 1, 2027, after 12 years with the company.

Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal announced on Wednesday it has earmarked ZAR1 billion (US$60.3 million) for network infrastructure investment for the 2027 financial year.

State-owned Telikom PNG announced on Thursday it has signed a tower sharing licence agreement with Digicel PNG, marking the third such deal in Papua New Guinea’s telecoms sector in the past two months.

Large-scale data centre growth in India appears to be accelerating, with recently announced deals or plans including big names such as CtrlS Datacenters, Submer, BSNL and Google, but some public discomfort has been expressed about the rollout in Andhra Pradesh.

Philippine operator Globe Telecom has called for telecommunications networks to be prioritised alongside electricity and water during disaster recovery, arguing that connectivity is essential for emergency response and relief efforts.

Multinational telecommunications company AT&T says it has reached an agreement to sell service provider AT&T Mexico to Grupo Televisa, a major Mexican multimedia and telecommunications corporation, and investment firm Fintech Holdings for US$2 billion.

Egypt's Bank NXT has announced the extension of its collaboration with Network International, a leading fintech company in the Middle East and Africa, to accelerate the digitisation of its payment services and further modernise its payments infrastructure.

Cassava Technologies’ Liquid C2 announced on Tuesday it has signed a new reseller partnership agreement with digital workforce security firm KnowBe4 to bring training and risk management solutions to enterprise customers across Africa.

India-based Henox IT and Data Centers has revealed plans to build a subsea cable system that will create a series of new, carrier-neutral landing hubs along India’s coastline.

IFS has launched IFS Intelligence, an AI product that lets industrial businesses query operational data, investigate issues and prepare actions through a conversational interface.

Telefónica and KKR have appointed JPMorgan and Scotiabank to sell OnNet Fibra, their Chilean wholesale fibre joint venture, in a deal that could value the business at up to US$2 billion.

Botswana has reportedly invested P34.5 million (about US$2.5 million) in expanding mobile broadband and voice coverage along the 1,900-kilometre Trans-Kalahari Highway, deploying 12 sites through the Universal Access and Service Fund broadband expansion project.

The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), a leading bank in Bahrain, has entered into a strategic partnership with TerraPay, a global digital money movement company, to expand its international payout capabilities and enhance cross-border payment experiences for its customers.