Paratus Namibia announced on Wednesday it has launched Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellite service for both residential and enterprise customers.

Ooredoo Group’s international connectivity arm OFN said on Wednesday it has signed an agreement with Iraqi fibre infrastructure provider iQ Networks to create a terrestrial corridor across Iraq linking OFN’s Fibre In Gulf (FIG) subsea cable to Turkey and Europe.

For the second time in a week, there’s IoT coverage news relevant to Brazil with the announcement from Flolive and Skylo Technologies of integrated cellular and satellite connectivity services designed to extend reliable IoT communications across Brazil.

Vodacom is investing more than ZAR500 million (US$30m) in network infrastructure in South Africa's Western Cape during the current financial year, with spending focused on network modernisation, 5G expansion and energy resilience.

Mexico's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) has announced plans for an auction of upper 2.3GHz spectrum that will apparently be reserved for private 5G and auctioned to industrial players.

Aeris, described as the secure connectivity platform for physical AI and intelligent IoT devices, has announced a strategic partnership with Telna, a provider of managed global network infrastructure for cellular connectivity, with an initial focus on Brazil.

Two recent deals, one involving Afreximbank, the other involving financial service provider Absa Group, indicate the growing reach of digital trade and payments in Africa.

Tigo is now officially a mobile operator brand in Ecuador. On 1 October the telecommunications brand owned by Millicom replaced Movistar and Tuenti, after Tigo completed its acquisition of Telefonica's operations in the country.

Brazilian operator Claro has completed the acquisition of a 72.83% controlling stake in fibre broadband provider Desktop.

Nokia has announced that Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa (RNP), Brazil's national research and education network (NREN), has selected Nokia and technology company Q13 to modernise rede Ipê, which it describes as critical infrastructure for Brazil’s research and education communities.

Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom has established a subsidiary in Guatemala as it expands its enterprise ICT business from North America into Latin America and the Caribbean.

Vertiv announced on Monday it has signed an MoU with US-based Cybastion to establish a framework to collaborate on digital infrastructure projects in Northwest Africa.

Orange Tunisie announced on Monday it has signed a strategic partnership deal with digital services firm Focus Tunisie to accelerate corporate access to sovereign cloud and infrastructure solutions.

There’s a new arrival in the African data centre market as Continent 8 Technologies, a provider of managed technology solutions designed for the global iGaming and online sports betting industry, announces its expansion into Africa with the launch of a new data centre in South Africa.

MTN Ghana and Telecel have bagged licences to provide 5G services in Ghana as the market enters a new era of 5G competition following the government’s decision to scrap the existing wholesale exclusivity deal.

Gilat Perú has signed a $28 million agreement with Pronatel, Peru’s national telecommunications program, to upgrade broadband connectivity across the Ica region.

The Medusa Submarine Cable System will extend its reach to Jordan via an agreement with NaiTel, the telecom arm of Jordanian carrier-neutral data centre Aqaba Digital Hub (ADH), to integrate its Coral Bridge cable with Medusa.

Safaricom and payment gateway provider Pesapal announced on Thursday they are rolling out new payment features for M-Pesa across Kenya, including dynamic scan-to-pay, tap-to-pay and “AI pay”.

NEC Africa confirmed it has secured a US$75,000 contract with emerging ISP Savannah Uganda to expand 4G connectivity in Kampala and surrounding regions as part of the broader expansion of its business in the country.

EllaLink, the operator of the first high-capacity fibre optic submarine cable directly connecting Latin America to Europe, has announced the official launch of the EllaLink Caribbean Gateway (ECG) initiative.

Claro Colombia has entered the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) hosting market for the first time, signing an agreement with Movil Exito to provide network access alongside its existing arrangement with Tigo.

Spanish satellite telecommunications operator HispaSat, recently in the news thanks to its support for a rail connectivity trial in Poland, says it has signed an agreement to take over the management and signal transport business of Media Networks Latin America.

Telefonica is looking to exit Venezuela, with the Spanish group reportedly waiting for market conditions to improve before formalising a sale within the next year.

Veon-owned Beeline Kazakhstan announced on Tuesday that it has commercially launched Starlink Mobile direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service in the country, enabling customers to access apps and messaging in areas outside of its terrestrial coverage.

Vodacom South Africa said on Tuesday it has partnered with Nokia to test what they claim is the world’s first integrated passive-active massive MIMO solution, which Vodacom will now use to evolve its 4G and 5G network.

Angola Cables is upgrading capacity across its MONET and South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) submarine networks with technology from Ciena, including support for 800Gbps services on the route linking the US, Brazil and Angola.

Cape Verde service provider Cabo Verde Telecom (CVTelecom) and internet exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX have signed a letter of intent to explore the establishment of a new South Atlantic interconnection corridor linking Lisbon, Portugal, with São Paulo, Brazil.

Helios Towers, a telecommunications infrastructure company, and child rights organisation UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) have announced a multi-year partnership to expand internet connectivity and digital learning access for children and young people across Africa.

Veon and Bangladeshi conglomerate Square Group have received approval from Bangladesh Bank for a digital bank licence, expanding Veon’s digital financial services operations in the country.

Zain KSA has launched Nokia’s Deepfield Cloud Intelligence across its network, covering more than 100 cities in Saudi Arabia.

Suriname market leader Telesur has completed an overhaul of its BSS/OSS systems, upgrading to the latest version of Cerillion’s suite.

Orange Money, the e-wallet owned by Orange Jordan, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with ADSTRA, a Jordanian technology company that specialises in developing artificial intelligence solutions for combating financial crimes.