Will the price of 5G spectrum be set at what operators feel is a reasonable rate before the imminent Indian 5G spectrum auctions? Telecommunications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the government is working on a plan to resolve the industry’s concerns around the issue.

Data centre provider EdgeConneX has announced plans to enter the Indonesian market with the acquisition of the GTN Data Centre, a Tier III-certified data centre strategically located in Bekasi Cikarang, part of greater Jakarta, and in operation since 2016.

A new analysis of 5G across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has been published by industry association the GSMA. It has revealed wide disparities in 5G readiness across the region.

After last year’s announcement of plans for a scheme to support drone manufacture, five drone manufacturers and nine drone component manufacturers have now been selected as initial beneficiaries of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to boost drone manufacturing in India, the aviation ministry has announced.

Princeton Digital Group (PDG), a leading developer and operator of internet infrastructure headquartered in Singapore, and the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII), which supports internet development in Indonesia, have announced a collaboration to boost Indonesia's internet infrastructure.

PP Telecommunication (PPTEL), a leading network service provider based in Sarawak in Malaysia, has selected Juniper Networks, which describes itself as a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, to provide solutions to build a new core network that will support its growth plans.

Indian data centre growth – or proposals for such growth – continues. Late last week saw the news that Indian data management specialist VueNow is, according to local press reports, proposing to build dozens of edge data centres across the Indian state of Bihar, although this proposal is as yet some way from the approval stage.

Digital infrastructure services provider Summit Digitel has announced that it has signed an agreement with Indian operator Bharti Airtel to provide its tower infrastructure for Airtel’s wireless network rollouts.

The rapid growth of mobile money-based services continues. Ooredoo Money Services, part of Qatar-headquartered operator Ooredoo, has announced a partnership with Thunes, a global payment services platform based in Singapore, to provide instant money transfers to multiple mobile wallets internationally.

In a major boost for the TETRA radio standard, MacroAsia Corporation (MAC), a leading provider of aviation-related support services in the Philippines, says it has relied on Teltronic, a designer and manufacturer of mission-critical radio communications, to deploy a TETRA communication system that services six airports in the country.

As part of a diverse range of initiatives designed to move the country from developing to developed status by 2025, Malaysia has enabled and encouraged open competition in its telecommunications market.

Australian off-grid edge data centre operator Edge Centres has announced that it has begun building its first facility outside Australia and has more planned.

Next-generation broadband satellite operator, Kacific says it has introduced Asia-Pacific’s first HTS (high throughout satellite) Ka-band enterprise backup service, which is described as a service that protects organisations against outages that, it says, happen all too frequently.

Celcom Axiata, Digi Telecommunications, Maxis and U Mobile have confirmed that they are in continued discussions with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over the terms of access to the country’s wholesale 5G network.

Following hard on the heels of yesterday’s report that it is to roll out 112,000 mobile towers across India comes the news that state-owned Indian operator BSNL has appointed a partner with which it will roll out 6,000 of the 4G sites.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published its annual report. It contains a number of complaints about slow decision-making on the part of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).

Vodafone has reportedly entered a joint venture with Papua New Guinea operator Digitec and will begin rolling out services under the red banner later this month (April).

Asia Pacific spending on artificial intelligence (AI) systems will rise from $17.6 billion in 2022 to around $32 billion in 2025, said a study.

Only a day after we reported that the Indian government had approved a revival plan for the state-owned telecom companies Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), it seems that the planned merger of the two businesses has again been postponed.

The story of the recently reported US$100 million tax levy in Papua New Guinea that has so far targeted only two companies – one of which is operator Digicel Pacific – has now taken a rather dramatic turn. It appears senior Digicel staff have left the country.

Bharti Airtel, one of the leading operators in India, has announced the successful completion of what is described as India’s first open radio access network (open RAN)-based live 5G network validation in partnership with network software provider Mavenir.

The government of Papua New Guinea has passed an act imposing a tax liability on Digicel, an operator that is a major player in the Pacific and Australia.

Supported by the growing fixed broadband service adoption, particularly in the emerging markets of the region, fixed communications service revenue in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7% to reach USD 406.2bn in 2026.

Indian operator Bharti Airtel has bought from the UK’s Vodafone Group a 4.7% stake in Indus Towers, paying Rs2,388 crore for the stake – that’s about US$315.8 million. Airtel now owns 46.43% of Indus. Vodafone’s stake is now 21%, though it reportedly plans to sell this too.

Japanese telecommunications giant NTT and QD.TEK, one of the leading ICT distributors in Vietnam, have announced plans to establish a joint venture to develop a new data centre in Ho Chi Minh City, a major centre of the Vietnamese economy and home to many multinational companies.

Expect Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendations around pricing of 5G airwaves sometime in early April. TRAI secretary V Raghunandan has apparently told local press that the huge task will take another week or ten days.

Yondr Group, a, developer, owner operator and service provider of data centres, has announced its entry into the Malaysian market with a planned 200MW hyperscale campus.

Vietnam has highlighted several hurdles to spreading the popularity of mobile money among mobile phone users, but operators still back it for major growth.  

The total mobile communications services revenue in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% from US$320.9bn in 2021 to US$398.4bn in 2026, said a study.

Following a joint statement earlier this week from four Malaysian operators – Celcom Axiata, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile – that they welcomed the government’s planned single wholesale network and the opportunity to invest in the state 5G agency Digital Nasional Berhad, the four firms have said they are now planning to explore the government's offer of an equity stake in DNB.

The Philippines looks set to allow full foreign ownership of companies in critical industries including telecommunications.