Google launches age check API for Play Store developers
GLOBAL 12:36

Google launches age check API for Play Store developers

Google is introducing an age-check API that helps Google Play Store app developers verify the age range of end users. Play Age Signals API is programmed to automatically retrieve age data supplied by the parent or guardian in Google's existing Family Link console, a parental control dashboard that supports supervised app usage.

Clydestone Ghana sues MTN over mobile money patent dispute
GHANA 12:29

Clydestone Ghana sues MTN over mobile money patent dispute

Clydestone Ghana has begun High Court proceedings against MTN Ghana and Mobile Money Fintech, it has disclosed in a regulatory filing with the Ghana Stock Exchange on 29 July. Specific legal grounds were not detailed in the brief disclosure but Clydestone asserted its legacy in the Ghanaian financial technology sector, noting its 37-year history of building local payment infrastructure since 1989. According to ITWeb, the legal proceedings centre on a 2007 commercial engagement that the fintech firm alleges

Samsung, Apple strengthen lead as global smartphone market contracts 6% in Q2
GLOBAL 12:27

Samsung, Apple strengthen lead as global smartphone market contracts 6% in Q2

Omdia has downgraded its estimate for global smartphone shipments in the second quarter, putting the market drop at 6 percent year-on-year compared to an estimated 4 percent decline announced earlier this month. In total 272.0 million units were shipped in Q2 2026, according to the market researcher. Demand seen in Q1 in anticipation of memory price hikes has disappeared, and the impact of the higher chip costs is now flowing through the market. Samsung and Apple have done best at withstanding the market ef

Altron HealthTech gets new MD in September
SOUTH AFRICA 12:16

Altron HealthTech gets new MD in September

South African multi-platform IT services provider Altron has announced the appointment of Collin Govender as managing director of Altron HealthTech from 01 September. Govender succeeds Leslie Moodley, who announced his early retirement earlier this month. Govender currently serves as Altron's Group chief operating officer, overseeing strategy execution, human capital, ESG, enterprise IT and real estate across the group's operating model.

Mobile Vikings offers EUR 5 monthly discount with Dazn subscription
BELGIUM 12:14

Mobile Vikings offers EUR 5 monthly discount with Dazn subscription

Belgian provider Mobile Vikings has started an offer with Dazn, the sports streaming service. Customers who sign up for the Dazn Total plan at Vikings pay EUR 30 per month and receive a EUR 5 credit on their Mobile Vikings bill. This makes Dazn the same price as subscribing directly from the sports streamer.

Amazon debuts Family sharing programme for Prime members in Italy
ITALY 12:12

Amazon debuts Family sharing programme for Prime members in Italy

Amazon Italia has announced the launch of Amazon Family, a free programme that allows one Prime member to share shipping, streaming and shopping benefits with another adult and up to four children in the same household. Each participant retains a separate Amazon account with their own order history and personalised recommendations, while the administrator controls the shared payment method and receives notifications of purchase totals.

Telecel Ghana runs M'ahitti prize draw
GHANA 12:08

Telecel Ghana runs M'ahitti prize draw

Telecel Ghana has is offering a total of GHS 5 million in prizes in its M'ahitti Promo to to reward 12,000 customers over the next three months. Customers should dial star 500 hash to enrol and then use Telecel services as normal by topping up airtime, purchasing bundles or using Telecel Cash to earn points that qualify them for the Telecel prize draws. Sales and distribution director Samuel Sarpong said that 100 customers will receive GHS100 daily, while weekly winners in every region will share GHS 20,000

Rwanda to switch off 3G by June 2027 for 4G, 5G expansion
RWANDA 11:58

Rwanda to switch off 3G by June 2027 for 4G, 5G expansion

The government of Rwanda has announced that the nationwide 3G mobile network will be switched off on 30 June 2027 as it aims to phase out legacy technology, expand 4G coverage and lay the groundwork for widespread 5G adoption. According to the ICT ministry, retiring older networks will free up valuable radio spectrum and resources, allowing mobile operators to focus investments on modern infrastructure. While 2G services are also due to wind down, authorities will only decommission 2G once coverage, network

Omani TRA opens public consultation on new telecom licensing regulations
OMAN 11:45

Omani TRA opens public consultation on new telecom licensing regulations

Oman's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is seeking comments by 27 August in a public consultation on a new draft regulation governing the licensing of telecommunications service providers. Under the draft rules, official permits will be required in core categories, namely manufacturing, systems integration and development, passive infrastructure services, and professional support services. The permit requirements will apply to equipment installation and maintenance, civil excavation for network

Italy's jobless rate stable at 5.1% in June
ITALY 11:43

Italy's jobless rate stable at 5.1% in June

Italy's official unemployment rate remained at 5.1 percent in June, unchanged compared with the previous month's figure, according to the latest provisional data from Istat. June saw a 131,000 monthly rise in the number of employed people, offsetting a 97,000 fall in the number of unemployed people.

Italy's GDP up 0.2% in Q2, 1.0% year on year
ITALY 11:31

Italy's GDP up 0.2% in Q2, 1.0% year on year

Italy's gross domestic product climbed by a better-than-expected 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the previous quarter and by 1.0 percent on an annual basis, according to preliminary data from state statistics agency Istat. The sequential growth was above all due to an increase of value added in services, offsetting a contraction in industry and agriculture.

Du and Huawei publish guide to boost UAE SME digital maturity
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 11:26

Du and Huawei publish guide to boost UAE SME digital maturity

Du and Huawei UAE have brought out a guide for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the title 'From Set Up to Set for Growth'. It offers practical strategies to help start-ups and SMEs maximize the value of their existing digital tools and drive sustainable growth. It is based on a study after face-to-face interviews with 648 SMEs in all seven emirates and five key industry sectors. It found that 81 percent of respondents use laptop or desktop computers, 77 percent use point-of-sale systems and 63

GLOBAL 11:13

Broadband access equipment market to grow little through 2030 on higher component costs - Dell'Oro

The worldwide market for broadband access equipment will achieve annual sales growth of about 0.5 percent on average from 2026 to 2030, according to Dell'Oro Group forecasts. The estimate has been upgraded slightly since the January forecast to factor in higher prices for access equipment in the coming year due to component cost inflation. Global revenues will peak in 2028 amid ongoing Docsis 4.0 spends in the cable broadband segment, as well as fibre infrastructure builds by both cable and fibre ISPs.

INDIA 10:52

Marvell earmarks USD 250 million investment to expand India R&D presence

Marvell Technology has announced a major expansion of its Indian engineering presence funded by a USD 250 million investment, including plans to build out R&D facilities in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Marvell expects the size of its Indian workforce to double within the next three years, injecting additional resources to guide its next-generation semiconductor projects, including communications components for cloud and AI data infrastructure.

SWITZERLAND 10:49

Swisscom starts selling Xplora X6Play eSIM smart watch

Swisscom has begun offering Xplora smart watches aimed particularly at children. The Xplora X6Play eSIM watch in black was available from CHF 209, or from CHF 5.80 on top of subscription costs, but is currently labelled as sold out. Swisscom's Blue Kids Watch subscription costs CHF 19.90 monthly for unlimited calls and texts within Switzerland and 1 GB of top speed domestic data, after which unrestricted use is possible at reduced speed. Blue Kids Watch also allows 30 mins of calls, 30 SMS and 300 MB of dat

EUROPE 10:14

Ceconomy sticks to FY outlook amid subdued consumer sentiment as Q3 sales rise 10%

Ceconomy, the parent company of MediaMarktSaturn, said it is maintaining is full-year outlook against the background of subdued consumer sentiment, after sales rose nearly 10 percent in the third quarter to 30 June. MediaMarktSaturn's online business expanded by 18.3 percent from Q3 last year and brick-and-mortar business grew by 4.8 percent, showing that the digital and stationary touchpoints complement each other "perfectly". CEO Remko Rijnder said it has successfully evolved from a traditional retailer t

GLOBAL 10:12

Qualcomm lands BMW deal to supply next-gen automotive compute

Qualcomm has clinched a ten-year deal to become BMW's main supplier of computing components enabling the automaker's upcoming digital cockpit, advanced driver assistant (ADAS), and automated driving systems. The agreement sees Qualcomm supply silicon system-on-chips (SoCs) and broader silicon solutions based on its Snapdragon Digital Chassis suite and the Snapdragon Elite automotive SoC platform. 

GLOBAL 10:11

SES confirms FY guidance despite 13% like-for-like revenue decline in Q2

Satellite operator SES reiterated the full-year financial outlook published in early March despite a "softer than expected" performance in the second quarter, which it attributed to delays in the timing of certain contracts. Following a "solid start" to the year, the company now expects sales to accelerate in the second half. Second-quarter revenue declined across all business segments on a like-for-like basis, resulting in an overall decrease of 12.8 percent to EUR 755 million.

CHILE 10:10

Movistar tops Chile 5G speed ranking in H1 2026

Movistar (Telefonica) once again led Ookla's ranking of 5G mobile networks in Chile in the first half of 2026, based on tests conducted over the Speedtest service. Ookla said Movistar achieved an overall Speed Score of 50.1 thanks to average download speeds of 172.4 Mbps, followed by Entel with 139.4 Mbps, Claro with 122.7 Mbps and Wom with 120.4 Mbps. Entel had the lowest average latency in the market, at 636.0 ms, closely followed by Movistar with 646.1 Mbps.

JORDAN 09:30

Zain Jordan backs 40th Jerash festival as official telecom partner

Zain Jordan has announced its sponsorship as the official telecommunications partner for the 40th edition of the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, running from 23 July to 04 August. Zain said its partnership aligns with its corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework to support national initiatives that enrich Jordan's creative scene and celebrate its historic heritage. Zain will provide comprehensive telecoms infrastructure and technical support throughout the event at the historic landmark with th

SPAIN 09:26

Digi Spain to add 10,000 VoD titles to TV service

Digi Spain said a total of 2,000 video-on-demand titles have been added to its Digi TV service, with a further 8,000 to be integrated in the coming weeks. The initial expansion includes VoD titles from Canal Hollywood, AMC, Comedy Central, MTV, BBC Player, Vin TV, History Channel, Canal Cocina, Sundance TV, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

IRAQ 09:23

Zain Mart offers instalment payments via Switch

The e-commerce platform Zain Mart has partnered with financial services provider Switch to offer flexible instalment payments for eligible bank customers when they shop online. Switch cardholders with salary domiciliation at Al-Rasheed Bank or the National Bank of Iraq (NBI) can make purchases on Zain Mart on instalments of up to twelve months, subject to Switch's eligibility terms. The financing option applies to a wide range of products, including smartphones, consumer electronics and home appliances.

POLAND 09:20

Swiatlowod Inwestycje revenues up 30% in H1

Revenues of Polish wholesale operator Swiatlowod Inwestycje totaled PLN 245 million in the first half of this year, according to a statement from the co-owners of the company submitted to the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The turnover grew by almost 30 percent year-on-year thanks to expanding take-up of its fibre services. EBITDA improved to PLN 101 million from PLN 70 million in January to June of 2025.

UZBEKISTAN 09:18

Uztelecom signs memorandum of cooperation with IT Education Association

Uzbekistan national operator Uztelecom said that its TMS Hub branch has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the IT Education Association. The document is aimed at developing modern competencies in the telecommunications and IT sectors, enhancing the professional potential of employees, and expanding opportunities for international education and certification. As part of the collaboration, educational programmes, seminars, and training sessions will be organised in areas of artificial intelligence, cyber

Just In

12:36

Google launches age check API for Play Store developers

12:29

Clydestone Ghana sues MTN over mobile money patent dispute

12:27

Samsung, Apple strengthen lead as global smartphone market contracts 6% in Q2

12:16

Altron HealthTech gets new MD in September

Commentary

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23 JUN 09:56

ACM blocks Delta/Glaspoort deal - what can KPN do?

5 MAY 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MAY 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

Background

26 JUL 23:19

The week in telecom: Samsung works on foldable challenge, US telcos try FMC

19 JUL 23:41

The week in telecom: OnePlus exits tough smartphone market and Apple takes on OpenAI

12 JUL 23:30

The week in telecom: European telcos take shape as Xavier Niel buys more of Vodafone, Telenor expands in Sweden

5 JUL 23:03

The week in telecom: Comcast gives up on vertical integration, BT and Verizon agree global alliance