The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says that its Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition has now reached US$73 billion in pledges for universal connectivity, including fresh commitments this week from South Africa’s MTN Group and LEO satellite operator Globalstar.

From the legendary Maasai warriors to the annual great migration of wildebeest and zebra, Kenya has no lack of cultural and natural wonders. One thing the country does lack, however, is the application of digital technologies. According to data from the Communications Authority of Kenya, just 58% of Kenyans were connected to the Internet in 2024.

Satellite operator Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) to supply satellite connectivity for the NGO’s operations, while separately announcing it has hit its ITU Partner2Connect target of connecting 1 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa well ahead of schedule.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said on Monday it has launched the AI Skills Coalition, an initiative to bridge the global AI skills gap that has the backing of 27 organizations, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, the East Africa Community and Cognizant.

Ufone 4G, the mobile unit of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), said on Thursday it has partnered with local assistive technology startup ConnectHear for a GSMA-funded project that will use AI to improve disaster-response communications for deaf people.

Satellite operator Sateliot, which says it is the first company to operate a  constellation of 5G NB-IoT satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), has formalised a collaboration agreement with UNESCO Santiago, the regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Recently in the news for a strategic partnership with Jaza Energy to deploy solar-powered hubs at 250 towers in underserved communities across Nigeria, IHS Nigeria, a subsidiary of the IHS Towers group, has now made headlines with another solar-related contribution: the donation of four solar-powered boreholes to support victims of recent floods in Maiduguri, Borno State.

American Tower (ATC), a provider of digital communications infrastructure, and ProFuturo, a digital education programme promoted by the Telefonica Foundation and Spanish not-for-profit banking foundation la Caixa Foundation, have jointly announced the expansion of their alliance to Nigeria to foster digital inclusion in schools in Africa.

According to industry body the GSMA, 43% of the global population still does not use mobile internet, highlighting device affordability and digital skills as the main barriers.

Somalian operators Hormuud Telecom, Golis Telecom, and the GSMA have moved to deepen their collaboration with NGOs by developing a strategy to fully harness mobile technology for humanitarian efforts.

Vietnamese telco VNPT said in Thursday it has commenced work to install a cellular base station in Lao Cai province to serve a new resettlement area for Lang Nu residents displaced by Super Typhoon Yagi earlier this month.

The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) for Sudan reports that it has installed a new dedicated subsea fibre connection in Port Sudan to boost internet connectivity for humanitarian operations in the war-torn country.

The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) announced on Wednesday the launch of its second competitive funding round for enterprises to develop and scale solutions that can narrow the gender digital divide in developing countries.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has announced the launch of the Africa Broadband Maps project, which aims to establish broadband mapping systems in 11 sub-Saharan African countries to help narrow the digital divide.

Around 2.6 billion people are still not connected to the Internet, but artificial intelligence may be the key to changing that, according to a new report from the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

Malaysian satellite operator MEASAT announced on Thursday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with local healthcare tech company Mudah Healthtech to bring telehealth services to remote communities.

A coalition of humanitarian NGOs in Sudan has warned that the shutdown of telecoms services in the midst of the country’s civil war is making a massive humanitarian crisis even worse, and urged all stakeholders – including Starlink – to restore services as soon as possible.

Over 1.5 billion women used mobile internet in 2023 in developing nations, as women are adopting connectivity faster than men, according to the GSMA.

UAE-headquartered technology group operator e&, in partnership with communications and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi ME, has launched the mobile version of its Wider Web Extension tailored for autistic individuals.

LEO nanosatellite operator Sateliot revealed that it has finalised an agreement with South African NGO Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to deploy 5G IoT sensors on vultures as part of a broader effort to combat poaching in Africa.

Mobile industry grouping the GSMA has announced the launch of its newest GSMA Innovation Fund, in partnership with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), to address humanitarian challenges.

PLDT and its mobile arm Smart Communications have partnered with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) to develop digital solutions for cacao farmers in the Philippines.

On the sidelines of COP 28, weather intelligence and climate adaptation leader Tomorrow.io has joined forces with MTN Group for an initiative aimed at providing life-saving early warnings and critical weather information to at-risk populations of more than 300 million people across Africa.