Telecom Namibia said on Friday that it’s making progress in dealing with network service disruptions that plagued users during the latter half of last week due to international connectivity problems.

The telco said the disruption “was the result of a failure on external connectivity routes, which placed increased pressure on alternative network paths”, which in turn caused mobile data users to experience data-speed slowdowns and access problems.

Telecom Namibia said its technical teams has been busy implementing corrective measures, to include redirecting network traffic to maintain service availability, upgrading and reconfiguring critical network equipment, and boosting capacity at major network nodes to improve overall resilience.

“While the disruption originated from external connectivity routes, our teams acted swiftly to stabilise services and implement safeguards to minimise impact,” said Telecom Namibia CEO Dr. Stanley Shanapinda in a statement.

Telecom Namibia didn’t offer details on which international routes were experiencing problems or what caused them. Namibia is served by two international subsea cables running along Africa’s west coast – the West Africa Cable System (WACS) and Google’s Equiano cable system. Namibia also has a terrestrial link from Swakopmund to Johannesburg, South Africa via Paratus Group’s East-West fibre backbone.

Telecom Namibia said that “services are steadily stabilising, and customers should continue to experience noticeable improvements as restoration and optimisation work progresses.”

Millicom, a major international operator with a strong focus on Latin America, has officially introduced its Tigo brand in Uruguay and at the same time announced an investment initiative of US$600 million aimed at expanding the country’s digital infrastructure.

This capital injection follows the company’s acquisition of Movistar and brings Millicom’s overall financial commitment to the Uruguayan market to US$1.04 billion. News website BNamericas says that the investment plan will be implemented in the next four years. 

It also quotes Marcelo Benítez, CEO of Millicom, who says that the decision was driven by Uruguay’s unique regional conditions, including an advanced digital ecosystem and political stability. 

The acquisition of Telefonica’s Movistar-branded business operation in Uruguay was completed last year for US$440 million. As we reported at the time, the deal marked the latest in a series of Telefonica’s divestments from Spanish-speaking Latin American markets. Since then, Millicom has focused on modernising about two-thirds of its infrastructure.

The new investment phase will prioritise the expansion of 4G and 5G capacities, with a particular focus on improving connectivity in rural and inland areas to increase commercial penetration.

Millicom currently holds 29% of the local mobile market, serving about 1.6 million customers and operating two data centres. The other mobile operatirs are state-owned Antel, the operator with the largest market share, and Claro (America Movil).

The expansion in Uruguay is part of a broader regional strategy that includes recent acquisitions and consolidations in Ecuador, Chile and Colombia. Uruguay is apparently the first business unit to introduce the Tigo brand after these recent regional acquisitions.

Russia has recently hardened its restrictions on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which are a popular way of getting round state censorship and accessing banned news sites, Western services, social media platforms and messengers.

VPNs allow users to mask the websites they visit, making it difficult for telecoms networks or security services to access data.

The Russian government had already instructed telecoms operators and major services to block VPN users by 15 April. Indeed, on Wednesday, according to the AFP news service, the TASS state news agency reported that banks, video streaming sites, online retailers and search engines were blocking access where they detected the user had an active VPN connection.

In addition, 20 Russian telecom companies owning international communication channels have signed a moratorium freezing their expansion into Europe. As VPN usage registers on telecom networks as foreign traffic, bandwidth may be unable to cope, forcing operators to filter VPN usage or to increase the cost of accessing foreign services.

According to the TechRadar website, authorities also hope this manufactured bottleneck will force foreign digital platforms to set up local servers within Russian borders to avoid severe download speed drops.

Among other moves targeting VPNs Russia’s four major operators have, since the start of this month, disabled the ability to pay for Apple IDs via mobile bills to disrupt VPN subscriptions. Additionally, over 20 of the country’s most popular websites are now required to restrict access if a user has a VPN enabled.

Despite these aggressive measures, officials maintain that no outright VPN bans are in place. 

Other moves aimed at indirectly restricting internet access include fees imposed on mobile users consuming more than 15 GB of international data per month, a measure expected to be implemented by the start of May. The authorities have also been throttling Telegram and WhatsApp in recent months in an attempt to push users to use Max, an unencrypted super-app.

Moscow introduced strict censorship soon after it launched a military offensive in Ukraine in 2022.

This Industry Viewpoint was authorec by Bo Larsson, CEO of MatSing

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Malaysian telco YTL Communications said on Wednesday it is partnering with US-based identity and fraud prevention platform Shush to deploy network authentication APIs, starting with Number Verification and SIM Swap.

The CAMARA-standardised APIs enable businesses to verify user identities and prevent fraud through seamless, secure network checks, enabling enterprises to verify mobile numbers, detect SIM swap fraud, and authenticate users through secure, privacy-compliant network verification.

Shush says its Sherlock platfom enables telcos to expose secure APIs that deliver real-time signals for SIM swap detection, device validation, and other critical fraud indicators, while generating new revenue streams.

« Our partnership with Shush ensures that we can quickly and securely deploy the Network Authentication APIs, providing a trusted foundation for digital identity services that benefit the entire ecosystem, helping stamp out fraud and protect our customers,” said YTL CEO Wing K. Lee in a statement.

YTL said its collaboration with Shush aligns with an MoU signed by CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia and YTL in September last year to launch a federated network service under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative with standardized APIs to protect online businesses and consumers from fraud and digital identity theft.

Shush co-founder and CEO Eddie DeCurtis added that CAMARA’s Silent Authentication API will be included in the next phase of the rollout.

“Starting with CAMARA Number Verification, we’re enabling secure, programmable network capabilities that enterprises can integrate quickly and confidently,” said DeCurtis. “As additional APIs come online, YTL will be well-positioned to expand monetization opportunities and support Malaysia’s broader digital transformation.”

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Kazakh telco Transtelecom JSC says it has signed a partnership agreement with national postal operator QazPost to expand telecoms services to rural areas in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region.

Under the framework agreement announced on Tuesday, Transtelecom and QazPost aim to connect rural settlements and develop digital infrastructure of Kyzylorda, which sits in the southwest on the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border.

The agreement calls for QazPost employees to help residents in Kyzylorda connect to Transtelecom services.

Kanat Syrlybayev, MD of Transtelecom’s Kyzylorda branch, said the partnership will get people connected faster and make the Internet more accessible in remote areas, reducing the gap in telecoms services acces access between cities and the countryside.

« It is important for us that residents of rural settlements have the same access to communication as in cities,” Syrlybayev said in a statement. “Partnership with QazPost allows us to bring our services faster to people where it is really needed.”

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Amazon announced on Tuesday it will officially acquire LEO satellite operator Globalstar in a deal valued at up to US$11.5 billion as part of its strategy to enter the direct-to-device (D2D) satellite sector.

As part of the agreement – rumours of which have been circulating since the beginning of this month – Amazon will acquire Globalstar’s existing satellite operations, infrastructure and assets, including its mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum licenses with global authorizations.

Globalstar currently operates 31 LEO satellites, including seven HIBLEO-4 satellites licensed by the US and 24 HIBLEO-X satellites licensed by France. Globalstar is currently in the process of replacing its HIBLEO-4 fleet with 17 new satellites supplied by MDA Space.

Amazon said Globalstar’s existing satellite fleet and its new satellites with expanded MSS capabilities will operate alongside its LEO satellite constellation, enabling its Amazon Leo unit to add D2D to its service portfolio ahead of its own planned next-gen D2D satellite system, which is scheduled to start deploying in 2028.

Amazon said its D2D LEO system will offer substantially higher spectrum use and efficiency than existing D2D systems, which translates into faster speeds and better performance for customers. It will also integrate seamlessly with Amazon’s first- and second-generation LEO systems, combining fixed and mobile satellite services to support a wide range of customers and use cases.

Financial breakdown

The financial terms of the deal give Globalstar stockholders a choice between US$90.00 in cash per share of Globalstar common stock they own, or 0.3210 shares of Amazon common stock with a value capped at $90.00 per share. Amazon said Globalstar stockholders holding around 58% of the combined voting power of the outstanding shares of Globalstar common stock have approved the transaction in writing.

The transaction is expected to close in 2027, pending the usual regulatory approvals. The deal also hinges on Globalstar staying on track with its HIBLEO-4 replacement plan.

“By combining Globalstar’s proven expertise and strong foundation with Amazon’s customer-obsession and innovation, customers can expect faster, more reliable service in more places,” said Panos Panay, Amazon’s SVP of devices and services, in a statement.

“The combination [of Globalstar] with Amazon Leo will advance innovations in digital connectivity that will benefit our customers and advance us toward a more intelligent, continuously connected world,” added Globalstar CEO Paul Jacobs.

D2D satellite race

The acquisition essentially enables Amazon Leo to get into the D2D satellite game earlier, as rivals like Starlink have already launched commercial services in a handful of markets.

It also gives Amazon Leo access to MSS spectrum that is already allocated and licenced, which MSS satellite players argue gives them an edge in the D2D race over operators such as Starlink, Lynk Global and AST Spacemobile that use existing terrestrial mobile network spectrum.

D2D satellite has been pitched in the past couple of years as a way to bring mobile voice and data services to underserved and unserved areas, particularly in emerging markets.

However, mobile operators from emerging markets warned at this year’s Mobile World Congress that the regulatory environment has not kept pace with the rise of D2D, which creates risks for terrestrial mobile operators.

Satellite operators themselves have expressed similar concerns over regulatory readiness for D2D services.

Apple iPhones to stay connected

On a side note, Amazon also announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Apple to continue to provide satellite connectivity via the Globalstar network for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features.

That agreement is an extension of a current partnership established in 2022 between Globalstar and Apple to power satellite service on iPhone 14 or later, as well as Apple Watch Ultra 3, allowing users to text emergency services, message friends and family, request roadside assistance and share their location.

Apple currently owns a 20% equity stake in Globalstar, which it bought in November 2024 as part of a deal to invest US$1.5 billion in Globalstar to fund its new satellites.

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