Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL) says it has raised US$400 million in debt financing to cover the cost of its planned acquisition of Telenor Pakistan.

The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh (AMTOB) has reportedly called on the government to lower taxes on telecoms companies, saying the current tax structure is limiting sector growth and hobbling the government’s own "Smart Bangladesh" strategy.

Nepali telco Ncell says it has boosted connectivity speeds for its 4G service in various districts of the Lumbini and Bagmati provinces as part of an ongoing drive to improve Quality of Service (QoS) for customers.

Bangladesh operator Banglalink has partnered with mobile financial service provider bKash and City Bank to finance 4G smartphone purchases for customers to make the devices more affordable and in turn boost 4G adoption.

Nokia announced on Wednesday that Pakistan Tier-1 carrier Transworld Associates (TWA) will use its optical transport solution to build a new optical network connecting Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

Select customers of Bangladesh state-owned telco Teletalk are reportedly now able to roam onto the network of rival telco Banglalink as part of a beta launch for a national roaming service to help Teletalk cope with availability problems.

Global digital operator Veon announced on Tuesday that it has signed a deal to sell its 50.1% indirect stake in mobile operator Beeline Kyrgyzstan to CG Cell Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of CG Corp Global.

The mobile money market matured as transaction value grew by 14% to US$1.4 trillion and total global registered accounts reached 1.75 billion in 2023, an increase of 12% year-on-year.

Bangladesh operators Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi Axiata and Teletalk have each received a unified licence from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to streamline their operations and 5G evolution paths.

Google’s in-app payment policies are once again under scrutiny from India’s competition authorities.

Echostar-owned Hughes Network Systems announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan’s Republican Center of Space Communication (RCSC) will deploy its Jupiter System ground platform to connect remote villages in the country.

Tower company  Edotco Bangladesh revealed on Thursday that it signed an MoU with Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) to collaborate on deploying a telecoms tower in Bangladesh made of fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP).

Bangladeshi operator Banglalink announced it will partner with SaaS platform company CSG to enhance its capacity to record daily call detail records (CDRs) to meet anticipated rising volume. 

Nokia announced it partnered with Indian optical and digital solutions company STL to develop enterprise and government-focused connectivity solutions. 

Ooredoo Group revealed on Sunday that it has partnered with Microsoft Azure and over-the-top (OTT) streaming solutions provider MediaKind to launch its first OTT streaming platform in six markets.

Nepalese telco Ncell revealed on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabian telco e& international to collaborate on delivering key digital services, products, and platforms in Nepal.

Global digital operator Veon announced on Tuesday that its digital operator in Pakistan, Jazz, has launched a new mobile service brand called ROX that targets digital natives with an “integrated lifestyle experience”.

Robi Axiata’s digital services subsidiary Axentec officially launched on Friday what it says is Bangladesh’s first prefabricated certified Tier-IV Commercial Co-Location Data Centre.

Ericsson and Telenor Microfinance Bank (TMB) have signed a multi-year extension of their existing partnership to expand TMB’s mobile wallet easypaisa and establish TMB as a full-fledged digital bank in Pakistan.

Global digital operator Veon announced on Wednesday that it has a launched a “Geolocation Gateway” that offers location-based APIs for enterprise developers , with its subsidiary Beeline Uzbekistan the first of its stable of operators to implement it.

The workers union of state-owned Indian operator BSNL said the operator is “sinking” into “crisis”, after claiming equipment from Tata Consultancy Services needed for its long-delayed 4G launch will take a year to be ready for commercial use.

India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) has made its official debut in Sri Lanka and Mauritius, with Nepal reportedly next on the list as India’s real-time payments system continues its international expansion.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata says it has released a new mobile app that serves as a single remote control point for its suite of smart-home devices.

IDC reported the Indian smartphone market was flat with a 1% uptick in shipments totalling 146 million units in 2023. 

Nokia and Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo reached a resolution and threw out their lawsuits from the Indian high court which was originally filed by the Finnish company. 

India’s smartphone market leader Xiaomi requested the Indian government to provide manufacturing incentives and lower import taxes, amid heavy scrutiny levied at Chinese companies in the country. 

Bangladesh operator Grameenphone has launched “AppCity”, which it says is the country’s first cross-platform app marketplace that serves as both an app store and an API hub.

Pakistan reportedly suspended mobile internet services across the country on Thursday just before voting got underway in the country’s contentious general election, ostensibly for security reasons.

Bangladesh-based operator Grameenphone opened its first 'Super Core' data centre in the Bangladeshi division of Sylhet.