Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) fined Orange Liberia LRD4 million (US$20,000) after finding the operator liable for the unauthorised issuance of a customer’s SIM card to a third party, resulting in a privacy and communications breach.

According to the regulator, the case involved customer Zelah Johnson, whose mobile number stopped working in February 2024 after the SIM card was allegedly reassigned without her consent. The third party later gained access to accounts linked to the SIM card, permanently locking her out.

The LTA said its investigation found Orange Liberia improperly issued the SIM card in violation of company procedures and licence conditions.

The regulator ruled that the operator failed to adequately protect customer information and breached provisions of Liberia’s Telecommunications Act of 2007 relating to customer confidentiality, data protection and unauthorised access to telecoms systems.

As part of the ruling, the LTA ordered Orange Liberia to disclose the identities of both the employee involved and the individual who obtained the SIM card.

The authority said the case highlights the importance of protecting consumer privacy and warned that operators would be held accountable for actions that compromise customer security.

Vietnamese operator Viettel has reportedly approved plans to launch telecoms operations in the Dominican Republic, a move that would make it the country’s fourth mobile operator.

According to Viet Nam News, Viettel’s board approved a $560 million investment on April 17 to build and operate telecoms and digital infrastructure across the Caribbean nation.

The expansion will lead to the creation of a new unit, Viettel Dominicana, although the company’s final corporate structure and local partnerships have yet to be confirmed.

The operator is expected to focus initially on mobile services, fixed broadband and mobile money during its first two years of operation. It then plans to expand further into areas including data centres, cloud computing, cybersecurity, IT services and digital logistics.

The Dominican Republic telecoms market is currently dominated by América Móvil-owned Claro, Altice and local operator Viva.

Claro reported 8.1 million mobile subscribers across its Caribbean operations, including the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, in the fourth quarter of 2025. Altice had around 1.5 million consumer mobile subscribers in the same period, while regulator Indotel reported Viva had approximately 450,000 subscribers.

The Dominican Republic has a population of around 11.5 million people and the largest economy in the Caribbean, with GDP reaching $124 billion in 2024, according to World Bank data.

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PLDT Group’s data centre arm Vitro said on Thursday it has partnered with BBIX Philippines to establish a direct peering connection between BBIX and its Vitro Internet Exchange (VIX) in a play they say will strengthen the country’s digital ecosystem.

To that end, Vitro has deployed an initial 100G network-to-network interconnection at its Makati 2 data centre to start. Vitro expects to expand that capacity over time in line with traffic growth and evolving demand.

Vitro said the partnership with BBIX aims to enable more efficient traffic exchange through direct peering, allowing enterprises connected to both BBIX and VIX to benefit from improved routing, reduced latency, and enhanced access to content and digital services.

VIX’s local ecosystem includes access to over 98 million internet users in the Philippines, alongside a growing base of enterprises, carriers, and hyperscalers hosted within Vitro’s carrier-neutral data centres.

BBIX said it brings its global peering expertise to the table, as well as a rich and massive ecosystem of content from cloud service providers, content platforms, content delivery networks and other technology solution providers.

Direct peering between BBIX and VIX will reduce connectivity gaps and optimise traffic routes, enabling efficient traffic flow, reduced latency, and improved access to both regional and international content, said Vitro’s chief commercial officer Gary F. Ignacio.

“By strengthening how traffic is exchanged between networks, we are improving access to content, enhancing performance, and enabling businesses and communities to better participate in the digital economy,” he said in a statement.

“Through our direct peering with VIX, we are able to deliver more efficient and reliable connectivity that supports the growing demand for digital services in the country,” added Toya Oba, GM of BBIX.

Global digital operator Veon announced on Wednesday that Ukrainian ride-hailing platform Uklon – which is owned by Veon’s Kyivstar – has started testing autonomous vehicle technology for a planned robotaxi service in Ukraine.

The pilot project – which is being conducted in partnership with Boryspil International Airport – leverages core autonomous vehicle technologies and operational components, including onboard sensors, LiDAR, real-time connectivity, vehicle telemetry and remote operations infrastructure. Remote human operators will serve as a control layer during the pilot.

Veon said the test is part of Uklon’s strategy to position itself as the operating partner for Ukraine’s future autonomous mobility and robotaxi ecosystem as it works with regulators and Boryspil Airport.

Veon Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu said the autonomous vehicle pilot illustrates how Veon’s US$1.3 billion investment in Ukraine’s digital infrastructure between 2023 and 2026 is now generating homegrown next-gen services.

“Today’s launch puts Uklon at the center of Ukraine’s future robotaxi ecosystem and shows that VEON’s US$1.3 billion investment in rebuilding the country’s connectivity and digital infrastructure is generating exactly the kind of next-generation services we said it would,” Terzioglu said in a statement.

The pilot comes a little over a year after Kyivstar bought Uklon in a deal valued at US$155.2 million to expand its digital consumer services portfolio.

“As part of the Veon group digital operator strategy, we are developing a digital ecosystem where communication technologies become the basis for new services.” said Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov. “This project confirms that the synergy of the telecom and IT sectors within the Kyivstar group of companies, which includes Uklon, creates unique solutions and opens new opportunities for the country.”

The Uklon pilot also marks Veon’s first autonomous mobility initiative across its operating footprint.

Veon criticised the high rate of taxation on the telecoms sector in Bangladesh and Pakistan, warning it risks slowing digital and economic growth in both countries.

The Dubai-based operator group, which owns Banglalink in Bangladesh and Jazz in Pakistan, pointed to new research from Frontier Economics arguing that lower mobile-specific taxes would ultimately generate greater long-term government revenues.

The report, titled Unlocking Digital Growth by Reducing Sector Taxation in Bangladesh and Pakistan, found the two countries impose some of the world’s highest telecoms-specific taxes. Mobile sector taxes account for 47% of service revenues in Bangladesh and 37% in Pakistan, far above regional and global averages.

According to the analysis, reducing combined sales and turnover taxes on mobile services to 23% in Bangladesh and 17% in Pakistan would increase mobile penetration, boost digital adoption and accelerate GDP growth.

Frontier Economics estimated Bangladesh’s annual GDP per capita growth rate could rise from 6.6% to 7.2%, while Pakistan’s could increase from 4.2% to 4.5% in the medium term.

The report also argued that although governments would initially see lower tax receipts from the telecoms sector, broader economic growth would offset the losses, with total tax revenues surpassing baseline levels by 2030 in Bangladesh and by 2031 in Pakistan.

Veon said the findings reinforce the importance of mobile connectivity in both markets, where smartphones and mobile networks remain the primary route for millions of people to access banking, digital services and the formal economy.

Group CEO Kaan Terzioglu said reducing barriers to mobile adoption would help expand digital financial services, support small businesses and strengthen long-term economic participation.

PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications announced on Tuesday it will bundle AI-powered glasses with native access to Google Gemini with two postpaid plans starting this Friday.

The offer is the result of an exclusive partnership between Smart and Chinese tech firm Rokid, which Smart said marks its expansion into next-generation devices, particularly AI wearables.

Rokid’s AI glasses are powered by native Google Gemini integration, enabling users to access Google’s AI assistant directly. Gemini supports natural voice conversations, real-time language translation, intelligent search, content generation, task management, and contextual assistance, all accessible through the Rokid glasses.

Smart noted that the international version of Rokid’s AI glasses was recently updated to support other large language models, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Alibaba’s Qwen. Smart said this will give users more flexibility in accessing a range of AI-powered assistance and services through a single device.

Smart will offer the Rokid glasses via its Smart Postpaid and Infinity plans. Smart Postpaid customers will have to pay an extra PHP28,800 (US$467.30) for the glasses (which is somewhat cheaper compared to retail prices in local electronics stores), but will also get 40GB open-access data, unlimited 5G data for 12 months, and unlimited SMS and voice calls (mobile and landline). Smart Infinity members on Plan 8000 can get the glasses free of charge.

“By making Rokid AI Glasses available on Smart Postpaid and Infinity Plans, we are enabling more Filipinos to experience the future of connectivity today,” said Marjorie Garrovillo, first VP and Co-OIC at Smart.