Blogs & Opinion

The curtain has closed on another Mobile World Congress Barcelona, where more than 100,000 people wandered through eight cavernous halls, collectively racking up enough steps to climb a small mountain - or at least justify an extra tapas or two after a long day.

History will judge whether 2025 proves to have been pivotal for the telecoms industry or perhaps heralding a false dawn. The technologies and tools necessary for service providers to transition from connectivity providers to digital services companies continued to be rolled out over the year, yet network investments have struggled to recover from recent lean years and monetising 5G connectivity remains a challenge.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept for Africa - it is a present-day economic and social force. As one of the defining technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), AI holds immense promise for transforming key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and tourism. But realising this promise demands more than innovation - it demands action on digital infrastructure, policy, and investment.

Now Telecom, the mobile operator arm of Now Corporation, has become the latest casualty of the heavy demands placed on telecom operators in the Philippines.

And with that, Mobile World Congress Barcelona is over for another year - so how did it stack up compared to previous years? Our editorial team gives their impressions.

Developing Telecoms’ Founder and CEO, Alec Barton has, once again, been judging for the Best Mobile Innovation in Emerging Markets category of the 2024 GLOMOs.

We’re delighted to welcome John Tanner to the Editorial team at Developing Telecoms.

Mobile World Congress 2023 may be done and dusted, but the agenda that emerges from the show tends to impact the industry’s focus across the following year. I’ve felt in the past that these trends have been more tangible than they were in 2023; we’re perhaps in a year of evolution rather than revolution.

Developing Telecoms begins an exciting new chapter in its history with the appointment of Manny Pham as its new Editor.

The last few months have shown by force of circumstances the strategic importance of telecom networks. Qualitative, reliable and secure broadband connection - whether it is fixed or mobile - is not only essential at home, but also for small and large enterprises. 

The AfricaCom Awards show, supported by Founding Awards Sponsor, PCCW Global, was a colourful and festive Mardi Gras themed event last night. 

The annual AfricaCom Awards shortlist was released today. With an overwhelming number of excellent entries, the selection process has been even more challenging than previous years.

The winners of the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards 2018 (GLOMO Awards) will be announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The dominant subject at this week’s AfricaCom was, as it has been many times before, connecting the millions of Africans who still have no access to any kind of network.

Broadband access is still prohibitively expensive in many emerging markets, and according to the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, things are unlikely to improve if these regions follow the course charted by developed markets.

Without doubt AfricaCom is among the biggest and most important events for telecoms in emerging markets each year.

DT Editor James Barton spoke to some of the industry's leading lights at AfricaCom 2014 to find out where the continent's telecommunications sector is heading.

One week the axe falls on Nokia Asha and X lines. Two weeks later it unveils the Nokia 130 for ‘first-time buyers’. Where is Microsoft Devices heading in emerging markets?

The telecommunications, media and digital (TMD) industry has a proven history of strong growth and attractive returns in emerging markets.

After much hype and speculation, Amazon have revealed their new smart device, known as the Amazon Fire Phone.

The growth of LTE in Africa has coincided with a boom in Mobile communications.

The hottest ticket at Mobile World Congress 2014 was without doubt Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's session.

Now that the dust has settled after Mobile World Congress, I’ve had time to collect my thoughts following on from some of the conversations I had at the show.

Earlier this year, African carrier's carrier WIOCC asked a panel of experts - among them Dalkom Somalia CEO Mohamed Ahmed Jama - how they would invest $100 million in African ICT. This week, in the run-up to AfricaCom, Developing Telecoms will republish their opinions.

Earlier this year, African carrier's carrier WIOCC asked a panel of experts - among them Andrew Doyle of Mott MacDonald - how they would invest $100 million in African ICT. This week, in the run-up to AfricaCom, Developing Telecoms will republish their opinions.

Earlier this year, African carrier's carrier WIOCC asked a panel of experts - among them Balancing Act CEO Russell Southwood  - how they would invest $100 million in African ICT. This week, in the run-up to AfricaCom, Developing Telecoms will republish their opinions.

Earlier this year, African carrier's carrier WIOCC asked a panel of experts - among them DT Editor James Barton - how they would invest $100 million in African ICT. This week, in the run-up to AfricaCom, Developing Telecoms will republish their opinions.

Research shows that in developed markets, the revenue mix is changing in line with the evolution of consumer behavior, and the greatest growth opportunity will come from mobile handset data.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s handset business has made headlines across the industry, but it is highly likely that the deal’s impact will be felt the most in emerging markets.

Connecting five billion people to the Internet is a pretty lofty ambition, so it would take some serious clout to bring such a goal to fruition.