India has increased its policing of online technology platforms as it has reportedly demanded messaging services Telegram and Signal explain their safeguards around users keeping their phone numbers hidden, after WhatsApp saw its usernames rollout paused.

Paratus Zimbabwe and Powertel Communications, the ICT arm of Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), announced on Friday that the first phase of their national fibre backbone project is now live and carrying traffic.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced on Friday that international connectivity services on the SEA-ME-WE 5 subsea cable system have been fully restored following a fault on the cable a day earlier.

Chile telecoms regulator Subtel has this week announced plans to expand competition in satellite services in Chile and to incorporate new bands to improve connectivity.

The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Genew Technologies for a major fibre optic initiative covering the Congo River.

Google Cloud launched several new initiatives to boost AI development in Africa on Wednesday, including new infrastructure, a new AI lab, digital skillsets development and startup funding.

A new partnership has been announced that will build sovereign AI data centre infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

Global digital operator Veon – which owns Bangladesh telco Banglalink – announced Tuesday it has committed an initial US$250 million anchor investment as part of a new initiative to attract US$1 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Bangladesh.

Elea Data Centres says it is partnering with renewable energy company AXIA Energia to launch what they say is the first neutral AI data centre in the Amazon region in the second quarter of 2027.

Zain Group, a Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa and serving 51.2 million customers, has been awarded a 25-year licence to operate the former MTN mobile telecom network in Syria.

Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between French aerospace and defence corporations Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has announced the signing of a contract with Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, to develop a new-generation software-defined satellite.

The Chad QoS saga, pitting authorities against operators, continues. This time operator Airtel Chad has presented a new investment plan to improve service quality as Chadian authorities intensify pressure on telecom operators over network performance.

This week will see Tunisian plans to make mobile IDs mandatory for investment project declarations come into force.

The approval, early last week, of the installation of Google’s underwater cable linking Chile to Asia-Pacific means the Humboldt Cable, as it is known, is on track to be installed in the last quarter of 2026 and become operational in 2028.

Kenya’s Court of Appeal has lifted an injunction blocking the government’s planned sale of a 15% stake in Safaricom to South Africa’s Vodacom, reviving a transaction valued at KES204.3 billion (US$1.6 billion), reported to Bloomberg.  

Starlink will provide one month of free satellite internet service to users in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that struck the country this week, helping restore communications in affected areas.

UNESCO said on Wednesday it has launched the rollout of a new mobile-based teacher professional development initiative in South Sudan that focuses on empowering women school leaders and teachers.

Vodacom South Africa announced on Thursday it is expanding its partnership with Amazon South Africa to offer the latter's Amazon Prime membership service to its customers.

Chad’s government has warned Maroc Telecom-owned operator Moov Africa Chad to improve network performance, amid growing frustration over what officials described as the deteriorating quality of mobile services across the country.

Tanzania Community Networks Company, a community-focused technology, information and internet business, has announced a deal with Korean IT company Innonet, to accelerate the deployment of TV white space (TVWS) connectivity solutions across East Africa.

The government of Zanzibar has announced a public-private partnership agreement with Yas Fibre, the broadband division of operator Yas Tanzania, to expand broadband infrastructure in the semi-autonomous archipelago off the coast of East Africa in Tanzania.

Malawian farmers will now be able to receive payments directly into their mobile wallets after a deal agreed between a local branch of Airtel Money and the country’s Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC).

Mauritius Telecom CEO Veemal Gungadin highlighted the operator’s progress  to build trust in AI-native learning across its home market, a strategy culminating in the creation of a national AI registry.

Jordan’s Department of Statistics and operator Orange Jordan have signed a technical and institutional cooperation agreement under which the company will develop and implement the software system and digital solutions supporting the 2026 General Population and Housing Census project.

African operator Airtel Madagascar has announced the introduction of the new 035 mobile prefix, suggesting that this marks a significant milestone in the operator’s expansion strategy as it continues to grow its customer base and network coverage across the country.

Namibia’s communications regulator has dismissed an appeal by Starlink against the rejection of its licence applications, reaffirming that the satellite broadband provider failed to meet the country’s local ownership requirements.

Ericsson said on Monday it’s forecasting Sub-Saharan Africa to be the fastest-growing region for 5G subscriptions over the next five years, from around 30 million in 2025 to roughly 370 million by 2031.

Wego, which claims to be the number one travel app and the largest online travel marketplace in the MENA region, has announced a strategic partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

The Republic of the Congo could unlock FCFA870 billion (US$1.5 billion) in additional economic value, create more than 144,000 jobs and connect over 540,000 new mobile internet users by 2030 if it implements targeted digital policy reforms, according to a new report from the GSMA.

Messaging platform Telegram has lost its bid to overturn a government order that temporarily blocked access to the app during national medical entrance examinations, after an Indian court ruled the measure was legal and proportionate, Reuters reported.