Competition in India’s 3G market is set to increase, as the major Indian operator Bharti Airtel has declared its aim to launch 3G services by the end of 2010. If it begins 3G operations by this deadline, Bharti will become the second privately-owned operator in India to do so...

 A new framework agreement between MTN Group and Cambridge Broadband Networks is set to provide microwave backhaul and access equipment across all 21 countries covered by MTN. Cambridge Broadband Networks’ VectaStar solutions have already been successfully deployed in several of MTN’s African markets...

 The collaboration between the Mexican media company Grupo Televisa and the mobile operator NII Holdings (Nextel) has come to an abrupt end, with GT scrapping its agreement to purchase a 30% stake in Nextel...

Thailand’s 3G auction process has become an ongoing saga within the telecommunications industry, and a legal dispute from the state operator hasn’t improved the situation. James Barton takes a look at the delays in the context of Thailand's political situation...

 In a move seemingly aimed at clearing its name in the Middle East with regard to security concerns, BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has announced a strategic alliance with mobile operators and regulators in the UAE...

Telecom Italia’s bid to increase its stake in Telecom Argentina’s controlling company has been approved by the Argentinean regulator. TI now has full control of Sofora Telecommunications after increasing its 50% stake to a majority 58%...

 China’s Zhenjiang city is set to undergo a transformation project by which it will support services such as remote healthcare, intelligent transport and e-energy solutions via wireless communications...

ITU welcomed new Directors of its Radiocommunication and Telecommunication Development Bureaux as François Rancy of France and Brahima Sanou of Burkina Faso were elected at the Plenipotentiary Conference taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico...

With only a few days left before it was due to be instated, the UAE’s proposed ban on BlackBerries has been cancelled...

Member States of the International Telecommunication Union have elected Dr Hamadoun Touré of Mali as Secretary-General of ITU for a second four-year term...

Developing Telecoms takes a look at the market potential of MVNOs in Latin America, where the model faces numerous difficulties despite the massive potential for growth in this burgeoning region...

The recent news of a merger between Orascom and VimpelCom has not dampened the Algerian government’s desire to nationalise Djezzy, Orascom’s Algerian branch...

Etisalat’s bid for a 46% stake in Zain could be a step closer to becoming a reality – and help has come from an unlikely source. Qatar Telecom (Qtel), a regional rival of Etisalat, has expressed an interest in purchasing Zain Saudi Arabia – a move which could facilitate Etisalat’s planned acquisition...

VimpelCom and Weather Investments – the owner of Orascom Telecom – have confirmed a merger between the two firms. The resulting entity will be the world’s fifth-largest mobile operator group...

Having recently looked to acquire a controlling stake in its Indian joint venture, the UAE operator Etisalat has now attempted to acquire a 46% stake in Kuwait’s Zain...

Due to a rigorous market regulatory policy and the 2009 economic slowdown, the value of the telecommunications market in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania) decreased by 14 per cent...

A fresh licensing dispute has arisen in India – but rather than the newer 3G, it concerns the country’s 2008 issue of 2G licences...

As an apparent reaction to the state-owned operator BSNL reporting its first ever annual loss earlier this year, the government of India has reneged on plans for an initial public offering (IPO) of shares in the firm...

Bharti Airtel has confirmed Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei as the equipment suppliers for its upcoming 3G network, with the Swedish vendor appearing to have landed the role of main supplier...

Thailand’s beleaguered 3G auctions have now stalled indefinitely, following a decision by the country’s Supreme Administrative Court to uphold a complaint made by the state-owned operator CAT Telecom, which alleged that the Thai regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission, was not authorised to oversee the auctions...

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré today challenged global leaders to ensure that more than half of all the world’s people have access to broadband networks by 2015, and make access to high-speed networks a basic civil right...

India’s mobile market may soon be opened up to MVNOs as the country’s government considers ways of bailing out the eight operators which won bids for mobile licences two years ago...

Thailand’s long-delayed 3G auctions have met with yet another setback, with the state-owned operator CAT Telecom filing a legal complaint in which it claims that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) does not have the requisite authority to hold the 3G auctions...

Vodafone has announced an agreement to sell its entire 3.2% interest in China Mobile, clarifying that the two companies will continue their commercial and technology cooperation. Vodafone expects the cash consideration to be approximately £4.3bn before tax and transaction costs...

The Indian government’s security concerns regarding the telecoms industry have been well publicised in recent weeks, with rumours of a ban on the import of telecoms equipment causing a stir amongst foreign vendors...

A new registration system has been put into effect by operators across China as part of a drive to combat the increasing use of mobiles for the purposes of spam and telecoms services fraud...

Russia’s largest operator VimpelCom and Egyptian operator Orascom have confirmed that they are holding talks to discuss the possibility of a US$25 billion merger...

Strong growth in the Asian telecommunications market has seen a correspondingly strong development of infrastructure. Research and Markets have conducted an in-depth examination of the telecoms infrastructure in each of the region’s economies...

Two of Thailand’s biggest telecoms operators will be allowed to bid in the country’s upcoming 3G auctions, even though they should be disqualified due to restrictions on foreign ownership...

 A new report from Research and Markets details the growth and popularity of mobile services in the Philippines, examining why mobile has eclipsed fixed-line across the archipelago...

New Q310 information on the telecoms markets of Qatar and the UAE is now available, and the results, while mixed, indicate positive growth and a bright outlook for the future...

Two new entrants to the Russian telecoms market may be awarded LTE spectrum this week – a potentially controversial development since both Osnova Telecom and RusEnergoTelekom (RET) are backed by the Russian government...

Huawei’s continued attempts to break into the US market have hit another setback as US authorities move to stymie a potential contract between the Chinese vendor and the American operator Sprint Nextel...