Devices & Platforms

Global smartphone shipments fell 7% year-on-year in 2Q26 as the ongoing memory shortage pushed up device prices and weakened consumer demand.

India has proposed extending tax exemptions for foreign companies supplying machinery to electronics contract manufacturers until 2041, in a move to strengthen the country's position as a global manufacturing hub and provide a significant boost to Apple's expanding production operations.

Payments technology company ACI Worldwide and dLocal, a payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, have announced a strategic partnership that gives global merchants immediate and seamless access to leading local payment methods in parts of Latin America.

Indonesia's mobile services market is forecast to grow from US$10.2 billion in 2025 to US$12.1 billion by 2030, driven by increasing demand for mobile data and the continued rollout of 5G services, according to new research from GlobalData.

China’s smartphone market fell 4.3% year-on-year to 66 million shipments in the second quarter of 2026, marking a fifth consecutive quarter of decline as rising memory and component costs pushed up device prices, according to IDC.

India has increased its policing of online technology platforms as it has reportedly demanded messaging services Telegram and Signal explain their safeguards around users keeping their phone numbers hidden, after WhatsApp saw its usernames rollout paused.

Ericsson said on Monday it’s forecasting Sub-Saharan Africa to be the fastest-growing region for 5G subscriptions over the next five years, from around 30 million in 2025 to roughly 370 million by 2031.

Wego, which claims to be the number one travel app and the largest online travel marketplace in the MENA region, has announced a strategic partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

The Republic of the Congo could unlock FCFA870 billion (US$1.5 billion) in additional economic value, create more than 144,000 jobs and connect over 540,000 new mobile internet users by 2030 if it implements targeted digital policy reforms, according to a new report from the GSMA.

Telegram is challenging an Indian government order blocking access to its messaging platform, arguing the move violates constitutional protections for free speech and access to information.

Proof perhaps that AI and satcoms can have practical applications in everyday situations comes from Mexico where Google and Fester, a building material company, which have together launched a platform in Mexico that uses AI to help support efforts to make cities cooler.

The Latin American smartphone market recorded 34.8 million smartphone shipments in Q1 2026, representing 3% year-on-year growth, defying broader global declines driven by rising memory component costs.

The Southeast Asian smartphone market declined 9% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, as vendors raised device prices to protect margins amid rising memory chipset costs.

Chinese device OEM Honor announced on Thursday it is partnering with Netherlands-based digital mobile service provider OWN eSIM to enable smartphone users in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to access digital services internationally.

Smartphone financing is back in the news again – this time via a smartphone credit scheme launched across parts of Somalia.

Nigerian finance firm Credit Direct says it has signed an MoU with Chinese handset maker Vivo Nigeria to make the company’s smartphones more affordable.

ZTE revealed on Monday it has signed a strategic cooperation MoU with Kazakh telco Kcell covering smartphones and fixed wireless access (FWA) terminals, which also marks a major push by the Chinese vendor into the Kazakhstan market.

The GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition signed an MoU with the Africa Group of Six (G6) operators on Tuesday to introduce US$40 entry-level 4G smartphones in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda this year.

Mobile connectivity solutions specialist SIMO has announced the expansion of its carrier enablement strategy to power resilient, multi-network enterprise fixed wireless access (FWA) deployments for both primary and backup applications.

Red Hat, a leading provider of open source solutions, has announced during MWC that operator Vodafone Oman is further advancing its digital transformation by standardising its IT infrastructure on Red Hat’s cloud-native platform.

Wind River, a leading name in software for the intelligent edge, has announced at WMC26 that it is collaborating with semiconductor company AMD on AI and RANs.

The global smartphone market is forecast to decline by 13% in 2026, as a prolonged memory chip shortage weighs heavily on production and margins, according to analyst house IDC.

New research from consulting group Omdia shows Africa’s smartphone market closed 2025 on a strong note. But will this trend continue into 2026? The news there is less positive.

The Indian government has granted international companies, including Apple, a tax break allowing them to supply machinery to contract manufacturing partners without triggering tax liabilities at selected sites for up to five years.

Global smartphone revenues climbed to a record US$135 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, rising 7% year-on-year as higher prices and strong demand for premium devices offset ongoing pressure on shipments.

Technology company Cassava Technologies and intelligent network platform company AXON Networks have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop, deploy and manage what is described as Africa’s first end-to-end operator-as-a-service (OaaS) platform.

India’s smartphone market contracted by 7% in the fourth quarter of 2025, shipping 34.5 million units, as rising prices and sluggish demand weighed on consumer purchases, according to analyst house Omdia.