Internet connectivity in West Africa is in a fragile state due to substantial damage to critical undersea cables resulting in limited or non-existent service in regions including Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Benin. The impact is reportedly extreme, with ripple effects reaching as far as South Africa. Telecom giants MTN and Vodafone linked the disruptions to these cable issues.
In an ambitious move, the Indian government has announced its plans to hold a mobile spectrum auction in May, eyeing a starting bid of nearly US$12 billion. Despite the high hopes tied to this event, experts remain skeptical about its success, given the tepid interest expected from the country’s telecom operators.
Austrian mobile operator, Spusu, underscores its commitment to human-led customer service, asserting the decision as a response to positive customer feedback. Meanwhile, contrasting strategies are evident, as Vodafone pioneers AI-based customer service technology.
In a significant move to ensure the smooth transition of landline services to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the UK government has announced an expansion in the roster of telecommunications companies committed to safeguarding vulnerable customers. The initiative, led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), now includes Openreach, CityFibre, and several others, alongside initial participants like BT and Virgin Media O2.
Dish Network’s financial struggles have intensified, leading to the likelihood of not completing a significant spectrum purchase from T-Mobile US. The satellite TV provider, aspiring to expand into mobile networks, disclosed its precarious financial situation, hinting at potential challenges in continuing operations.
Vantage Data Centers, a large-scale data center specialist, has achieved a pioneering financial transaction in Taiwan, acquiring a $64 million loan from CTBC Bank and Cathay United Bank. This monumental move, to establish a significant data center in Taipei, underscores a transformative shift for Taiwan into a crucial digital infrastructure hub.
In a significant move at the Mobile World Congress this year, Orange has taken a step further in its environmental initiatives by enhancing its partnership with Cisco. This collaboration is not new, as Orange Business has been distributing Cisco solutions for over two decades. However, the addition of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) brings a fresh focus on environmental transparency and the shared goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
Enreach, Europe’s leading provider of converged contact solutions, announced that it has unveiled its new Enreach Contact App Suite solution to partners and customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Latvia. The solution delivers the robust capabilities available within the Enreach Contact cloud communications platform, providing users with a seamless and consistent communications and collaboration experience across disparate mobile and desktop environments. Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Latvia are the first markets to receive this new technology. Enreach plans to introduce the App Suite in other European markets throughout the year.
Vodafone has announced its intention to sell its Italian branch to Swisscom for a total of €8 billion in cash, signaling a significant shift in the telecom landscape. This revelation came on Wednesday, following intense speculation in the media regarding such a transaction. The two companies have entered into exclusive discussions concerning Vodafone Italy, though a definitive agreement has yet to be finalized.
Dish Network’s ambitious expansion of its 5G voice services has been announced, asserting coverage of over 200 million households in the United States. While the telecom giant has invested almost $6 billion since 2019 in establishing its nationwide 5G network, the new reach seems disproportionate to its current customer base of just 7.5 million. Recent executive exits and the impending pressure of extensive debt add another layer of turmoil.
