Israeli operator Partner Communications has ended its brand licensing agreement with Orange.

ABnote and MeaWallet have expanded their strategic partnership to cover Mexico, Central America and South America.

China Unicom has formed a joint venture with Telefonica to offer big data services in its home market.

Telekom Srbija is deploying Alcatel-Lucent’s mobile device management technology to improve its customer experience.

Facebook’s Free Basics continues to be beset by problems, with Egypt imposing a ban on the service while Indian tech companies balk over zero-rating concerns.

Leading Omani operator Omantel has selected Teoco to provide multiyear managed services that cover RAN planning and optimisation.

BlackBerry will no longer pull out of Pakistan after resolving a dispute with the country’s government over data privacy.

MoneyGram has extended its Nigerian remittance service to customers in several European markets.

Ooredoo has selected GoSwiff as its partner for the implementation of its international mPOS (mobile point of sale) platform.

Eastern African connectivity provider SimbaNET has collaborated with Tata Communications on enterprise ICT in the region.

MTN is mounting a legal challenge against the $3.9 billion fine issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Bidding for Brazil’s leftover spectrum in the 1.8 GHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz bands has raised BRL762.7 million ($192 million).

Syniverse has announced a new agreement to enable Ooredoo Oman to extend its LTE roaming reach.

Peruvian investment fund Fitel has awarded a regional telecommunications infrastructure project to satellite operator Gilat Satellite Networks.

Ooredoo Maldives has partnered with Huawei Marine for a $25 Million Project to deploy a nationwide fibre optic submarine cable.

Reliance Communications (RCom) and Vodafone India are reportedly negotiating a spectrum-sharing agreement for 3G spectrum in Delhi and Mumbai.

Facebook is calling for Indian users of Free Basics to defend the service against a potential ban by the country’s regulator.

Telefonica and MTN have signed a strategic partnership for cooperation across several areas, with a focus on M2M and enterprise.

SES Techcom Services and Solarkiosk AG have formed a two-year partnership to deliver high-quality connectivity to communities worldwide.

The Czech Educational and Scientific Network (CESNET) has successfully trialled ECI’s Apollo 400G flex-grid blade solution.

Kazakhstani operator Transtelecom JSC has deployed 100G DWDM optical transport equipment from Ekinops across its country-wide optical network and to the border of China.

The government of Bangladesh has extended its social media embargo to cover Twitter, Skype and imo.