Backbase, builder of the AI-native Banking OS, has announced that it has been selected by Wahda Bank, one of Libya's largest banks to build a new digital banking platform for its business and retail customers.
India’s smartphone shipments fell 26% year on year to 35.8 million units in the third quarter of 2026, their lowest level for the period since 2016, as higher prices and cautious consumer spending weakened replacement demand despite the start of the festive season.
Iraqi telco Asiacell says it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Samsung Electronics Levant to provide consumers and businesses with broader access to Samsung devices, services and technology solutions.
Global smartphone shipments fell 20% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026 as rising memory chip costs pushed up device prices and weakened consumer demand, according to Counterpoint Research.
While many markets worldwide – and particularly in Africa – face a connectivity gap, the issue is particularly acute in Somalia. Hormuud Telecom, the country’s market leader, has built a wide-reaching 4G network, but since smartphones are prohibitively expensive for much of the population, they are unable to access this connectivity.
The Smart Africa Secretariat, an alliance tasked with driving Africa’s digital agenda, and Kitsoft, an international govtech company with Ukrainian roots, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on public sector digital transformation.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has opened a smartphone assembly plant in Algeria as it looks to increase its local manufacturing presence and tap into the country's growing demand for devices.
India is set to see the launch of locally designed smartphones from three companies within the next 10-14 months, as the government pushes manufacturers to develop original devices rather than copy existing products.
Smartphone shipments in Latin America fell 10% year-on-year in Q2 2026, marking the region's largest annual decline since Q3 2023, as the ongoing memory shortage pushed up component costs and weighed on demand.
Research group Omdia says the Africa smartphone market is expected to decline 26% in 2026 following its first contraction in three years, blaming rising device prices for a fall in shipments of about 7%.
The Algerian government has reportedly warned Meta that all WhatsApp accounts in the country must be linked to a valid mobile phone number registered with an Algerian telco, and instructed it to ban all WhatsApp accounts that aren’t.
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.
A recent investigation by Global Witness has highlighted how conflict minerals sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to find their way into the supply chains of companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Vodafone.
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.
Meta’s introduction of usernames for WhatsApp has hit a snag in India, as the government seeks to crack down on anonymous messaging as part of a wider campaign against fraud on global technology platforms.
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.
Last week, we examined how Orange Group is building ecosystems across its MEA footprint through its Digital Centres initiative – but these training spaces are not the only pillar of Orange’s strategy in the region.
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.
ZTE Corporation, a global leading provider of integrated information and communication technology solutions, announced the debut of its groundbreaking Linkpro plus Wi-Fi 8 home networking solution at MWC Barcelona 2026.
nubia unveiled its nubia Neo 5 series at MWC Barcelona 2026, led by nubia Neo 5 GT - the only device in its class featuring a built-in fan and a completely flat design, alongside the more accessible nubia Neo 5 and nubia Neo 5 Max boasting a 7.5-inch large display.
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.
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