Investment

The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) has established the Neo Space Group (NSG), a wholly owned PIF company whose mission will be to become a national champion in the Saudi satellite and space sector.

Malaysia is apparently targeting an estimated US$107 billion – or more – in investment for its semiconductor industry, an industry in which it is already well established, accounting for 13% of global testing and packaging, according to some reports.

Following news earlier this week of major UK development investments in telecoms  in Senegal and Tanzania come announcements from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) of support for projects in two Asian countries.

Three investment groups have partnered to support operator Sonatel’s telecoms expansion in Senegal. The combined €87 million (about $94.5 million) financing package aims to help the company expand telecoms infrastructure, including towers and cables, in rural areas and provide reliable and affordable mobile and internet services to people in Senegal.

TOA (TowerCo of Africa) Tanzania has signed a US$30 million financing agreement with UK development investor British International Investment (BII).

Vietnam’s biggest technology firm, FPT, has announced what it calls a comprehensive strategic partnership with technology giant Nvidia, aiming to offer what it calls a one-stop shop for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea's much heralded Rs18,000 crore (about US$ 2.2 billion at current exchange rates) follow-on public offer (FPO), India’s biggest, was fully subscribed by its third day, according to local news reports.

The Malaysian government has announced some ambitious investment plans to raise the country’s profile in digital technology in the coming years.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea’s Rs 5,400 crore (about $645.5 million) offer of shares to anchor investors was fully subscribed on Tuesday.

South Africa's Blue Label Telecoms has received approval from the country's Competition Commission (CompCom) to take control, via a subsidiary, of operator Cell C.

Zegtel, a new Nigerian mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), has announced plans to invest about US$21.8 million over the next five years to expand mobile connectivity across the country.

Actis, a global investor in sustainable infrastructure, has signed an agreement to sell leading South African fibre network operator Octotel to a consortium of investors.

Turkcell, the largest mobile operator in Turkey, has said it aims to ramp up investment this year as it plans for a new data centre and infrastructure for 5G services.

Private equity firm KKR & Co will invest US$400 million in telecoms tower operations in the Philippines, according to an announcement made by the US Department of Commerce this week.

TowerCo of Africa Uganda has procured funding of US$40 million to boost coverage in rural areas of the country.

Could the fortunes of Indian operator Vodafone Idea be about to change? That’s probably too optimistic an assessment at this stage, but recently announced plans to raise Rs45,000 crore (about US$5.5 billion) via equity and debt signal that a much-needed funding boost may finally be on the way for Vodafone Idea.

ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin has announced over US$9 billion in investment commitments from mobile operator groups to extend global connectivity. The announcement was made yesterday at MWC 2024.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix is, according to a number of news outlets, planning to invest US$390 million in building data centres in Africa over the next five years.

Could the long delayed partial sell-off of Ethio Telecom finally be taking place? Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has indicated this week that his government is discussing selling 10% of the state-owned telecoms company.

There’s been a strong statement from GSMA Latin America, a regional division of industry association the GSMA, on the GSMA website, under the heading A Call to Action to Ensure the Development of the Internet and the Digital Future of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) has unveiled what it calls  a pioneering initiative aimed at facilitating global access to cutting-edge technology solutions: the ATRC Global Tech R&D Platform.

Telecel Group, an Africa-focused provider of digital and communications services, has announced a major investment in its wholly owned subsidiary Telecel Global Services (TGS), a leading telecommunication service provider for operators and enterprise clients globally with a particular focus on Africa.

A consortium led by Actis, a global investor in sustainable infrastructure, says it has acquired the macro tower portfolio of Telekom Srbija a leading operator across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

Taiwan's Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, has announced that it will partner with Indian multinational information technology consulting company HCL Group to establish a semiconductor assembly and testing facility in India.

Two new facilities, recently opened by Pixxel and Apple, underline the continuing attraction to technology companies of the Indian market in general and the city of Bengaluru in particular.

As promised in November last year, Kenyan operator Safaricom, mobile payment giant M-Pesa Africa and global trading and business investment company Sumitomo Corporation have now announced calls for tech start-ups looking to join the Spark Accelerator programme.

The Government of Gabon and the World Bank, one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, have signed a US$68.5 million loan for the Digital Gabon Project.

Short video app TikTok plans to take a controlling stake in an e-commerce unit of a major Indonesian technology firm, PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia.

Blue Label Telecoms, a 49.5% shareholder in South African operator Cell C is, through its subsidiary The Prepaid Company (TPC), moving to acquire control of Cell C.