Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Robi Axiata has pulled out of Bangladesh’s 700 MHz spectrum auction after a strategic review, citing timing and network priorities. The move leaves Grameenphone as the only bidder, prompting the regulator to revise auction rules to limit spectrum concentration and maintain competition.
Ethiopian operators Ethio Telecom and Safaricom have raised tariffs in response to currency depreciation, rising costs, and heavy infrastructure investment. Safaricom announced a 44 percent increase in mobile data prices as both operators seek to stabilise operations amid macroeconomic pressures.
Cassava’s new CAIMEx platform gives African mobile operators a single, locally compliant gateway to the world’s top AI and LLM models, unlocking new digital services, operational efficiency, and AI-powered innovation at scale.
AMTOB supports Bangladesh’s proposed 2025 Telecom Licensing Reform Policy, calling it a vital modernization effort. The association refutes concerns of bias, highlights inefficiencies in the current fragmented system, and welcomes the new licensing structure. AMTOB stresses that reform is essential for sector growth, better service quality, and national digital progress.
The Bangladesh government expects mobile operators to reduce internet prices soon after wholesale price cuts at key distribution layers. Policy support and infrastructure improvements, including access to Dark Fiber and DWDM, aim to lower costs for consumers. Mobile operators are urged to pass on these benefits to ease inflationary pressures.
PTA has taken strict action against mobile operators for poor service, issuing fines and warnings. Telenor received the most warnings, followed by Zong, which was fined 68 million rupees. Jazz and Ufone also faced penalties. In response, companies have filed appeals, and PTA has frozen 32 million rupees in bank guarantees.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has proposed stricter quality of service benchmarks for mobile operators, aiming to protect user interests and improve service quality. The draft includes tighter call setup and drop rate standards, higher upload speed requirements, and caps on mobile data latency, alongside new broadband sector regulations.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has released its Q2 2024 Quality of Service Survey, revealing that Zong and Jazz excelled in network speed and latency, while Ufone and Telenor lagged behind. The survey assessed key performance metrics across 23 cities, including data speeds and call connection times.