Tecno runs African football youth talent scheme
AFRICA 14:12

Tecno runs African football youth talent scheme

Tecno, the official global partner of the Total Energies Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup of Nations Morocco tournament 2025, has launched the 'Future Star of Africa' scheme under its football charity programme, Dream On The Field. The initiative will identify talented young male and female players aged 12-15 in Africa and provide continuous support and development opportunities until age 18. This long-term commitment addresses a critical gap in African football development, namely the lack of su

Space42 conducts Europe's first licensed HAPS flight for Telespazio wildfire response joint venture
EUROPE 14:02

Space42 conducts Europe's first licensed HAPS flight for Telespazio wildfire response joint venture

Mira Aerospace, the High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) subsidiary of UAE-based company Space42, has conducted the first HAPS flight in Europe after obtaining civilian operational approval. The flight was executed by Mira Aerospace's ApusNeo18 HAPS model for Telespazio Iberica, part of the Leonardo group. The mission is part of the ISSEC programme, a joint venture by Telespazio Iberica and Pegasus Aero Group, which focuses on developing Spain's wildfire response infrastructure. 

Ooredoo Kuwait offers Vision AI analysis service
KUWAIT 13:46

Ooredoo Kuwait offers Vision AI analysis service

Ooredoo Kuwait said it has begun offering Vision AI to enable organisations of any size to enhance their intelligent analytics capabilities and make faster and more accurate decisions. The launch reflects its brand promise, "Upgrade Your World". Vision AI is available through three flexible packages, called Vision AI Basic, Vision AI Ultimate and Vision AI Supreme. The service is powered by Ooredoo Kuwait's 5G Advanced network.

Zain KSA partners with Social Development Bank provide workspaces for entrepreneurs
SAUDI ARABIA 13:27

Zain KSA partners with Social Development Bank provide workspaces for entrepreneurs

Zain KSA has announced a strategic partnership with the Social Development Bank which aims to empower entrepreneurs and small and micro-enterprises, enabling them to participate more broadly in the national economy.

Finnish police probe fatal fall by intruder from Digita radio mast
FINLAND 13:13

Finnish police probe fatal fall by intruder from Digita radio mast

Finnish telecoms infrastructure operator Digita said the police have made progress in investigating a fatal fall from a radio mast in Teisko on 20 December. According to preliminary information, three male youths under the age of 18 had climbed it with the intention of filming footage for a TikTok challenge. It appears that one of them lost his grip on the maintenance ladder during his descent and fell to his death.

Dhiraagu introduces special offers to welcome 2026
MALDIVES 12:58

Dhiraagu introduces special offers to welcome 2026

Maldivian operator Dhiraagu has announced special offers to welcome the New Year 2026 They include FlexiHour add-ons for customers who need instant, high-value data access for short durations. They start from MVR 10 for between 5 GB and 26 GB of pre-paid data. Meanwhile, Salhi 365 Days supplies 765 GB of data and unlimited music streaming on Gaana App for a year. Customers receive 1 GB of daily data, an additional 100 GB bonus, and 300GB of entertainment data for 365 days.

Egypt's NTRA and Consumer Protection Agency launch training initiative
EGYPT 12:49

Egypt's NTRA and Consumer Protection Agency launch training initiative

Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) have launched a joint training initiative. The NTRA said it focuses on developing the institutional and practical capacities of employees in consumer protection associations by introducing the NTRA's role in regulating the telecom market and monitoring service providers, as well as the approved channels for receiving, recording and following up on complaints. It also reviews mechanisms for protecting users' rights,

Tecnotree extends deadline for USD 20 mln notes held by Fitzroy Investments
GLOBAL 12:45

Tecnotree extends deadline for USD 20 mln notes held by Fitzroy Investments

Tecnotree's board of directors has agreed to trigger an extension clause in its unpaid compulsorily convertible debenture notes (CCDs) held by Fitzroy Investments, enabling Fitzroy to postpone payment of the notes until December 2026 from Q4 2025. In connection with the extension, which comes at Fitzroy's request, it has agreed to a payment-on-demand clause under which it is liable for the full EUR 20 million or part of that amount within 90 days of receiving a written demand from Tecnotree. The London-base

TIM calls shareholders meeting for shares plan, names Cavalaglio to board
ITALY 12:37

TIM calls shareholders meeting for shares plan, names Cavalaglio to board

Italian operator TIM has called a shareholders meeting for 28 January to approve the earlier announced share conversion plan. Shareholders will also be asked to vote on two new directors:  Alessandra Perrazzelli, who was proposed in September, and Lorenzo Cavalaglio, who is proposed as a replacement for Umberto Paolucci, who is stepping down at the end of 2025.

Ooredoo Maldives launches 2026 New Year offers
MALDIVES 12:35

Ooredoo Maldives launches 2026 New Year offers

Ooredoo Maldives has announced special offers to mark the start of 2026. They include short and medium-term prepaid options for extra data, call minutes and social media access during the New Year period. One example is a Prepaid New Year Pack priced at MVR 26 that supplies 1.5 GB of data and 26 local call minutes, valid for three days.

Ooredoo Qatar signs MoU with research organisation to improve sustainability
QATAR 12:29

Ooredoo Qatar signs MoU with research organisation to improve sustainability

Ooredoo Qatar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD) to collaborate with a view to enhancing Ooredoo's sustainability performance and identifying actionable opportunities for continuous improvement. Mohammed Al-Madadi, executive director for administration at Ooredoo Qatar, said they aim to enhance environmental performance and support national efforts to build a more sustainable future.

Honor reaches 1 mln smartphones sold in South Africa, come second for market share
SOUTH AFRICA 12:22

Honor reaches 1 mln smartphones sold in South Africa, come second for market share

Chinese smartphone brand Honor is celebrating selling over 1 million units in South Africa's tightly contested market, ITWeb reported. Fred Zhou, CEO of Honor in South Africa, said that this is a clear indicator of the company's growing footprint in the country. He said the vendor sold over 19,000 devices in a day during Black Friday. He adds that Honor recently reached the number two position in market share in the country.

MALAYSIA 12:06

U Mobile says network-wide scam protection has blocked 265 mln attempts since February

Malaysian mobile carrier U Mobile has successfully completed deployment of a scam protection firewall from Irish vendor Cellulys across its national 4G and 5G network. Since the start of the rollout in February 2025, more than 265 million fraud attempts via voice calls and SMS messages have been thwarted by U Mobile's network layer firewall technology.

MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF 12:00

Moldova mobile data traffic up 12% in Q3

Mobile data traffic in Moldova rose 12.3 percent in third quarter, to over 105,000 TB, according to the latest data from regulator Anrceti. Voice traffic was up 0.9 percent in the same period, taking average use per Sim to 139 minutes per month (+4.5%). SMS traffic also showed positive growth, with an increase of 6.4 percent. The regulator said data traffic growth was supported by the M2M/IoT market, as the total number of active mobile Sims continued to fall in Q3 (-3.1%).

GLOBAL 11:52

Meta to acquire genAI service Manus at reported USD 2 bln valuation

Meta's Platforms subsidiary has agreed to acquire Singapore-based Manus, creators of a general-purpose AI agent tailored to deep research and other complex workloads. The deal, expected by the Wall Street Journal's sources to value Manus at over USD 2 billion, comes after the start-up had sought an injection of equity funding at a similar valuation. That figure is roughly four times Manus's previous valuation of USD 500 million, achieved in April with a USD 75 million transaction led by the venture capital

THAILAND 11:51

True starts repairs after network damaged along Thai-Cambodian border

True said it is working with the Royal Thai Army and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to restore mobile services across seven provinces affected by fighting along the Thai–Cambodian border. Repairs on base stations, signal towers, and fibre-optic networks are underway in an effort to restore normal service. According to the operator, the most severe damage was recorded in Sisaket, Surin and Sa Kaeo, where BM-21 rocket attacks struck civilian areas near the border, damaging

MOLDOVA, REPUBLIC OF 11:41

Moldcell introduces Lumo plans with free roaming in EU

Moldcell has launched a new range of subscription plans including free roaming in the EU. This prepares for the start of 'roam like home' in Moldova in 2026 under an agreement with the EU. The new Lumo plans come with 5G data, voice and SMS allowances, valid both at home and in the EU, as well as discounts on devices and up to 10 percent cashback on purchases with the Moldcell Visa card. 

BULGARIA 11:31

Evolink announces CEO's death

Bulgarian operator Evolink announced that one of its founders and CEO Biser Tsonev passed away on 27 December. No word on his replacement was announced. Based in Sofia, Evolink operates a MPLS network and data centres, providing a range of connectivity services for businesses. It was fully acquired by DHH in July. 

POLAND 11:24

Plus starts smartphones sale

Polish operator Polkomtel, trading under the Plus brand, has introduced a seasonal promotion of smartphones with up to PLN 2,000 discounts on seven models. The Honor Magic V5 5G 16/512 GB costs PLN 6,599 under the promotion, down from PLN 8,599. The Motorola Edge 70 5G 12/512GB costs PLN 3,499, with PLN 1,000 cashback. 

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11:23

Russian operators start API for business caller ID

Russian mobile operators Beeline, Megafon, MTS and T2 have developed their own open API for caller ID on calls from businesses, reports Vedomosti. Available on their websites, the API is expected to make it easier to connect the calls across networks. Since September, such business calls in Russia must display information telling the recipient who the calling party is.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 11:16

Beeline Russia builds over 36,000 base stations in 2025

Russian operator Beeline announced that it launched more than 36,000 new base stations this year. LTE services were expanded to 22.4 million residents in villages and long aover 4,500 km of roads. The expanded coverage was supported by refarming 3G spectrum in the 2,100 MHz band to LTE, a process completed in 80 regions across the country. The upgrade covered almost 60 percent of the subscriber base. 

GLOBAL 11:15

GlobalConnect says Polar Connect route mapping reaches 45% by November

GlobalConnect says that by November 2025, approximately 45 percent of the route for the Polar Connect cable through the Arctic Ocean had been mapped. The Swedish icebreaker Oden had begun mapping the ocean floor this summer to identify the safest and most efficient cable route. A second expedition is scheduled for 2026. The EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) recently granted EUR 4.97 million in funding for Polar Connect, which is scheduled to go live in 2030, spanning the Arctic Ocean at depths reaching

NETHERLANDS 11:13

KKR takeover of Techone gets greenlight from Dutch regulator

KKR's acquisition of Dutch IT services group Techone has been cleared by the competition regulator ACM, with no expected impact on the market dynamics. Announced in November, the takeover is expected to help Techone expand outside the Netherlands. The companies filed in early December for clearance from the Dutch regulator, and market parties have another six weeks to comment on the ACM's decision before it becomes final.

DENMARK 11:11

Telenor Denmark says Christmas Eve data traffic rises 26% year on year

Telenor Denmark said that data traffic on 24 December 2025 (Christmas Eve) was 26 percent higher than last year, reflecting rising use of video greetings and a stronger 5G network. Voice calls were down by 4 percent year on year.

Just In

14:12

Tecno runs African football youth talent scheme

14:02

Space42 conducts Europe's first licensed HAPS flight for Telespazio wildfire response joint venture

13:46

Ooredoo Kuwait offers Vision AI analysis service

13:27

Zain KSA partners with Social Development Bank provide workspaces for entrepreneurs

Commentary

15 DEC 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

8 DEC 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

31 OKT 11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

27 OKT 15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

23 DEC 10:32

Netherlands TV-video market grows 2.6% in Q3 to EUR 759 mln

22 DEC 00:25

The week in telecoms: YouTube, Instagram take on TV market and WBD rejects Paramount

15 DEC 01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation

8 DEC 01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold