Earlier this year, it was revealed that Denis O’Brien—the Irish businessman who founded international telecom group Digicel in 2001—could lose up to 90% of the company to U.S.-based investment firms.
These firms are poised to seize control of the business in exchange for writing off up to $1.8 billion of Digicel’s debt.
The revelation that O’Brien could lose his empire follows a tumultuous period for Digicel. Today we take a look at the rise and fall of a Caribbean communications kingpin.
According to the latest data from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database Service, as of March 2023, 18 countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region are served by commercial 5G services.
This includes eight in the Middle East and 10 in Africa.
Mobile network operators around the world continue to close legacy 2G and 3G networks in order to migrate valuable spectrum resources to more widely used 4G and 5G technologies.
Following up on our August 2021 piece covering 3G sunsets in Europe, today we have a look at how the situation has developed since then and which markets will be next to wave goodbye to 2G and 3G.
Back in 2018, the Panamanian government rubber-stamped long-gestating plans to reduce the mobile market from four players to three, seeking to make better use of the country’s spectrum resources.
Despite multiple meetings, no breakthroughs were achieved, and all four operators were unwilling to concede ground.
Five years later, multiple international telecom groups have exited Panama and the authorities find themselves in the unusual position of trying to attract a new operator to fill the void.
Today, we track the key events that led to this point.
U.K.-based Vodafone Group has agreed to leave the Hungarian telecom market after more than 20 years of competing in the country’s mobile and fixed sectors.
South Africa’s MTN Group has announced the end of a decade-long legal battle centered on its Iranian subsidiary, MTN Irancell.
The second most populous nation in the world, India, also boasts the world’s second-largest mobile market, with almost 1.15 billion subscriptions at the end of June 2022, according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database.
The country’s mobile customers are getting access to 5G services for the first time this month following the widely anticipated launch.
Africa’s mobile communications market continues to grow at a steady pace. And take up shows no signs of slowing.
Subscription numbers were up 5% in 2021, following growth of 7% the year before and 6% in 2019.
According to figures from our GlobalComms Database, at the end of 2021 the continent was home to 1.22 billion mobile subscriptions, up from 1.16 billion 12 months earlier.
Last month, it was revealed that South Africa’s MTN Group received a $31 million offer from an unnamed buyer for 100% of the shares in its Afghanistan subsidiary. The deal means that MTN is another step closer to exiting the Middle East.
Today, we take a look at how MTN set about dismantling its Middle Eastern portfolio and examine its exit strategy.
China has a new player in the 5G mobile market.
We’re talking about China Broadnet—but it’s been around for some time, under different guises.
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