Telecom

Viasat granted suite of operating licenses in Nigeria

U.S.-based telecoms company Viasat Inc. announced on Tuesday that it has been granted a full suite of operating licenses in Nigeria by the country’s Communications Commission (NCC). According to the company, the operating licenses entail Internet Service Provider (ISP) license, VSAT license and three Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM) licenses, in a bit to bring […]

Emergency program to give people $50 off internet bill

Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic. The $3.2 billion program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package. The government is increasing spending on broadband as the pandemic made stark that millions of […]

Telco revenues to witness slow recovery in 2021, IDC reports

Telcos have evolved from merely supplying their customers with telephony or broadband services, but also look to provide a setlist of Internet-based services such Pay TV. While this offering has brought providers with new sources of revenue, during 2020, these services slumped with telco revenues totaling $1.53 trillion in 2020, representing flat year-over-year growth, according […]

Three Chinese telcos to be delisted from NYSE

Three major Chinese telcos said late last week that they will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after the latter denied their requests for appeal, Reuters reported. The delisting comes in line with the U.S.’ Communist Chinese military companies (CCMC) under the National Defense Authorization Act of 1999, enacted by the former […]

NY: Broadband cos paid for 8.5M fake net neutrality comments

The Office of the New York Attorney General said in a new report that a campaign funded by the broadband industry submitted millions of fake comments supporting the 2017 repeal of net neutrality. The Federal Communications Commission’s contentious 2017 repeal undid Obama-era rules that barred internet service providers from slowing or blocking websites and apps […]

UAE telco du raises $1 billion from banks to expand 5G efforts

Dubai-based telco du announced Tuesday that is has raised a long-term debt finance of almost one billion dollars from a consortium of banks, as it looks to heavily grow and expand within the 5G market. According to operator, the debt will be split a $539 million five-year revolving credit facility and a $484 million seven-year […]

Nokia Q1 earnings report exceeds expectations, aided by 5G sales

Finnish telecoms equipment vendor Nokia reported on Thursday a better-than-expected Q1 financial report, with revenue and profit bolstered by a growth in 5G equipment sales. According to the earnings report, quarterly revenues spiked at three percent to 5.08 billion euros ($6.16 billion), beating a consensus figure of 4.72 billion. “We expect our typical quarterly earnings […]

To gain a head start, Ethio Telecom to offer mobile money services in May

Ethiopia’s state-owned provider, Ethio Telecom, announced on Wednesday the rollout of its mobile money service TeleBirr, which will be made available to subscribers starting May 2021. The announcement comes just two days after two telcos – South Africa’s MTN and a consortium from Vodafone – made bids to enter the Ethiopian telecoms market, which is […]

China's Huawei says sales down 16.5% amid US sanctions

Embattled Chinese tech giant Huawei said Wednesday first-quarter revenue fell after it sold its lower-priced Honor smartphone brand, but profitability improved. Sales declined 16.5% from a year earlier to 152.2 billion yuan ($23.5 billion) due in part to lower revenue for its consumer unit, the company said. It gave no earnings but said its profit […]