Bhutan could be deemed one of the world’s more insular countries, and the development of its telecommunications sector has been far from typical...

In spite of the worldwide economic downturn (during which India’s economy showed strong resistance compared to its western counterparts), the overall SMB channel partner universe in India has shown organic growth over the last two years...

As part of an ongoing spat with its Indian partner Essar, Vodafone has released a statement declaring its stance on the matter...

The availability and cost of finance is a key factor in the consolidation process now taking place amongst Communications Service Providers (CSPs) in emerging markets. Without access to finance deals cannot take place...

A new alliance has been formed between three major Asian operators – China Mobile, South Korean KT, and Japan’s NTT Docomo – aimed at providing “new experiences and greater convenience” to mobile subscribers in Northeast Asia...

In the past year there have been a number of changes of ownership and take-overs among communication service providers (CSPs) in emerging markets. This is part of the process of the network consolidation taking place across emerging regions as the realities of operating in low ARPU markets, such as increased competition and rising fuel and labour costs, begin to bear down on CSPs...

The chairman of TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has announced that the regulator is soon to publish proposed guidelines for the pricing of 2G mobile spectrum...

Although the original deadline for a final deal was 15^th January, Etisalat has stated that it will persist in its attempt to purchase a 46% stake in Zain although its initial offer has now expired...

Compared to many other Middle Eastern countries, Jordan’s telecommunications sector is flourishing, with a liberalised market and healthy competition...

VimpelCom and Telenor still appear to be at loggerheads over the former’s acquisition of the newly renamed Wind Telecom (previously known as Weather Investments), if official statements issued by the two operators are to be believed...

The Chennai-based Global Networks Solutions Centre operated by Nokia Siemens Networks is to be expanded and relocated to a new site in the same Indian city...

Sixteen WiMAX operators from across the globe gathered in Taipei this week to draft roaming agreements and bring consumers one step closer to true global roaming on 4G networks. The first WiMAX Forum Global Operator Summit served as an interactive working event for all service providers to gain a concrete understanding of the opportunity for roaming and how to build a best-in-class framework for execution...

Etisalat’s attempted acquisition of a 46% stake in Zain is facing more trouble in the form of competition from the Turkish conglomerate Cukurova, which is currently in talks with Zain shareholder Al-Fawares Holding...

Small and medium business (SMB) spending in India on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), a key component of cloud computing, is anticipated to rise by a sizable 43% in 2011...

Thailand’s state-owned operator TOT is inviting bidders for a contract to build its 3G network infrastructure, and the auctions have thus far attracted four consortia of vendors...

A new research centre is to be established in Bangalore, India, by The International Data Corporation (IDC). The centre will be wholly owned by IDC, signalling the end of the firm’s long-standing relationship with Cyber Media (India) Limited, which served as IDC's partner and representative in India...

Costa Rica’s state-owned operator is set to face competition for the first time, as the Latin American country has awarded mobile operating licences to Telefonica and America Movil. The two firms won licences with bids of US$95 million and $75 million respectively...

Going into 2011, new reports on the telecommunications sectors of two Middle Eastern countries detail the past year’s progress and potential future developments...

A new acquisition could see the early deployment of 3G services by Thailand’s third-largest operator. True Corp, which owns the operator True Move, has confirmed that it will purchase the entirety of Hutchison Telecommunications International’s local CDMA business, complete with associated firms...

A new network-sharing agreement in India between two private operators and state-owned operator MTNL will see extended 3G services in two of the country’s major cities, Delhi and Mumbai...

Russia’s largest operator Mobile TeleSystems has filed a case against Turkmenistan’s regulatory authorities, following the latter’s decision to suspend the licence of Barash Communications Technologies – a subsidiary of MTS – for one month...

Nokia Siemens Networks has announced that it has completed the closing of the agreement to acquire all shares of IRIS Telecom. IRIS is a telecom and engineering services firm headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey...

New information on the telecommunications sectors in two West African countries details the successes of privatisation in Mali, as well as the problems faced by Senegal’s Internet market...

The board of VimpelCom has approved the proposed merger with Weather Investments, the parent company of Egypt’s Orascom. Two thirds of the nine board members voted in favour of the deal, with opposition coming from the three representatives of Norwegian firm Telenor...

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Indian operator Reliance Communications and the China Development Bank Corporation which will see the former receive funding of US$1.93 billion...

Following a recent conference in London on financing telecoms in emerging markets, Developing Telecoms Publisher Alec Barton reflects on the recent spate of mergers and acquisitions amongst mobile network operators in emerging markets, particularly in Africa. He looks at some of the causes and considers whether the trend towards consolidation will continue...

One of Zain’s shareholders has initiated legal proceedings in an attempt to prevent the sale of a 46% stake in the company to rival operator Etisalat, in a move that threatens the proposed US$12 billion deal between the two Middle Eastern firms...

The Indian regulator TRAI has announced that it will publish a consultation paper that focuses on the country’s VAS market which it hopes will “see how to bring VAS into the active mainstream”...

The GSMA has elected Franco Bernabè, Chief Executive Officer of Telecom Italia, as its new Chairman for a two-year term, from January 2011 through December 2012...

 India’s 2G spectrum licensing scandal has provoked many observers into giving their opinions on the country’s telecoms sector, and now the chairman of Tata Group, Ratan Tata, has commented on the events...

Developing Telecoms recently examined some of the factors that have led to mobile banking’s success across many African markets. Mobile money transfers in particular represent a far more secure alternative to handling devalued currency in a cash economy, and for this reason adoption has been widespread. However, the informality of mobile banking infrastructure in Africa can appear challenging to the developed world, and raises serious questions about the potential impact of fraud in the mobile finance sector...

One of the key bones of contention in the VimpelCom – Orascom merger has been the Algerian government’s claim that it was promised ownership of Orascom’s Algerian operations, branded Djezzy...

In a bid to attract subscribers, China Unicom has halved the monthly fee that it charges for its 3G service. The operator’s cheapest monthly 3G tariff – formerly CNY96 – has now been reduced to CNY46...