GoTo, described as the largest digital ecosystem in Indonesia, and service provider Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) have announced the launch of a new, enhanced version of Sahabat-AI, an Indonesian large language model launched in mid-November last year.

Launch versions of Sahabat-AI offered a mere eight or nine billion parameters. Now upgraded to 70 billion parameters, Sahabat-AI offers enhanced accuracy, enabling the launch of the new Sahabat-AI chat service, which is built with strong reasoning capabilities, enabling users to ask questions and receive insightful, natural-language responses. It is one of the many use cases made possible by the more powerful model.

More importantly perhaps, the latest model can now operate across five local languages: national language Bahasa Indonesia, as well as Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese and Bataknese, in addition to a number of international languages.

As news service Forbes points out, this development is part of a drive to preserve local culture and dialects amid a global surge in AI development, currently led by models trained in the US and China.

Of course the term ‘local languages’ may imply modest numbers of speakers. However, local languages in Indonesia can boast tens of millions of speakers. This LLM therefore gives the new service access to many rural Indonesians that may not speak English or even Bahasa Indonesia.

There is, inevitably, a digital sovereignty angle to all of this. All data and GPU infrastructure used to serve the model are stored within Indonesian territory or on users’ own servers, ensuring compliance with national data regulations. By localising data storage and processing, its creators argue, Sahabat-AI also opens up new opportunities for the Indonesian government and public sector to build secure, sovereign AI-powered services.

Indeed, the model is optimised to run on locally accessible infrastructure, enabling a broader range of users, from early-stage startups and university labs to large-scale public service institutions, to integrate AI into their workflows.

For developers, the LLM can be freely downloaded, an open access approach that GoTo and IOH say empowers Indonesia’s broader AI ecosystem to build, experiment, and collaborate – encouraging the creation of AI applications tailored to local needs.

Real estate companies Greykite and White Star Real Estate say that their joint venture has successfully converted a former logistics facility in Warsaw into a state-of-the-art data centre, now known as Digital Ursus and claimed to be Poland’s largest data centre.

Launched last year, Greykite is an independent European real estate investment firm established and headquartered in London. White Star Real Estate is an international real estate company active in Central and Eastern Europe since 1997.

The two companies launched a US$339 million Polish logistics and data centre joint venture last year. It took over three sites (in Warsaw, Gliwice, and Strykow) that White Star had developed under its Diamond Business Park brand. The Ursus site was built by White Star between 2013 and 2019.

The reported site transformation includes a significant upgrade in power capacity, increasing from 18 MW to an anticipated 65 MW within the next year. This enhancement, the partners say, positions Digital Ursus as a critical node in Europe’s expanding digital landscape.

This 20,000 square metre facility, strategically located just eight kilometres from downtown Warsaw and six kilometres from Chopin Airport, has secured a long-term lease with a leading global data centre operator, believed to be EdgeConneX, which, the Data Centre Dynamic website reports, has signed a 15-year lease.

The site adds that EdgeConneX, in turn, is reportedly leasing the site for use by one of the ‘five largest tech companies’ globally and is to invest hundreds of millions of euros into the project. The company currently operates 2.5MW of capacity and 1,400 square metres of data centre space across three facilities in Warsaw.

Poland’s data centre market in general – and Warsaw in particular – is experiencing rapid growth, with projections indicating a tripling of power resources by 2030.

The latest spectrum licence auction in Thailand has apparently only attracted two bidders: True Corporation and Advanced Info Service (AIS) – and they do not seem interested in all the spectrum on offer. So what happens now?

The Bangkok Post reports that AIS and True submitted bid proposals to regulator the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) along with bank guarantees of 10% of the reserve price of each spectrum band for which they plan to bid, as required by the auction rules, after the NBTC opened the one-day period to submit licence bid applications on Thursday.

The NBTC plans to auction four spectrum bands on 29 June: 850MHz, 1500MHz, 2100MHz and 2300MHz. However, reports suggest that AIS and True will be targeting only the 2100MHZ and 2300MHz bands 

For the 850MHz band two 2x5Mhz lots are available at a minimum  bid per lot of 7.738 billion baht (about US$235.8 million). For 2100 MHz, the three lots (each 2×5 MHz) require a minimum bid per lot of 4.5 billion baht (US$137.1 million). For 2300 MHz there are seven 10Mhz lots priced at a minimum per lot of 2.596 billion baht (US$79.1 million).

Finally 1500 MHz will need to attract a bid per 5MHz lot of at least 1.057 billion baht (US$32.2 million); there are 11 lots.

Following the application period, the NBTC will review applicants’ qualifications from 30 May to 5 June, then submit results to its own board for consideration. We can expect announcements between 6-13 June. Appeals can be filed from 16-18 June.

Qualified bidders will be announced on 19 June. A mock auction will then take place on 23 June, followed by the real thing on 29 June.

It’s not clear what will happen to the unsold spectrum. In addition, according to the Bangkok Post, a group led by the Thailand Consumer Council recently submitted a joint petition to the Central Administrative Court seeking to scrap the auction, claiming it could affect consumer interests and will lead to a market monopoly.

Vitel Wireless claims to be the first Nigerian MVNO to achieve full interconnection with all major mobile network operators (MNOs), as it prepares for a nationwide launch later this year.

In a statement, Vitel said the milestone will allow its subscribers to make and receive calls with users on MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom (Glo), and 9mobile.

The interconnectivity was established through a combination of direct fibre connections and indirect routing via third-party providers.

This development follows several other firsts for Vitel. It was the first of 46 MVNOs licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission to be allocated a numbering plan, as well as national and international routing codes. Vitel also launched a location awareness network and was the first to announce a strategic nationwide rollout plan.

“We are gathering momentum for our big launch,” said Kenneth Emeka Nwabueze, MFR, Chairman and CEO of Vitel Wireless. “We are proud to be showing what’s possible for MVNOs, while also creating a path for others to follow. By leveraging our years of experience in Nigeria’s telecom industry, we are opening up new possibilities where there used to be none.”

Vitel plans to pilot its network in May 2025, with a full nationwide deployment scheduled for July, aiming to connect “millions across Nigeria.”

TerraPay, a global money movement company, has partnered with Wave Mobile Money, a mobile money provider, in what is described as a strategic move to enhance cross-border remittance services in West Africa – and specifically Mali.

This partnership enables Malians to receive money from family and friends abroad directly into their Wave mobile wallets, creating a faster, more accessible, and cost-effective way to access international remittances.

Not surprisingly. the collaborating companies have an established presence in the region. Wave Mobile Money, a fintech company founded in 2018, is a mobile money services provider operating in seven West Africa countries: Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Mali and Burkina Faso.

TerraPay simplifies global money movement, providing a single connection to one of the most expansive cross-border payment networks regulated in over 30 global markets.

Through this collaboration, TerraPay’s global payment network now facilitates remittance flows from multiple money transfer operators across the US, Canada and Europe to Mali, all through a single streamlined integration. This model ensures that all Wave users in Mali can instantly receive funds.

TerraPay explains that over 80% of Mali’s population uses mobile phones, with many using them for mobile money and digital wallets. 

The Orabank Group, a major financial player in West Africa, will also be a part of this initiative. Karamokho Badiane, Regional Head of Business Development at Wave Mobile Money explains: “This strategic collaboration allows us to harness TerraPay’s global payments infrastructure alongside Orabank Mali’s deep expertise in remittance services, empowering us to expand our reach and provide even greater value to our users.”

The Namibian government has set out ambitious plans to rapidly improve connectivity services as part of its strategy to stimulate economic growth.

According to Ecofin Agency, the government aims to increase minimum internet speeds to 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload – benchmarks recommended by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to support the region’s digital transformation goals.

To reach these targets, Namibia is moving away from legacy technologies such as 2G, 3G and WiMAX, and is instead prioritising the deployment of 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, fibre-optic networks and satellite services.

Discussions with stakeholders are currently ongoing, with deployment plans yet to be finalised. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia reported in February 2024 that approximately 360,000 people – around 12% of the population – remain outside 4G coverage areas. Additionally, 5G services are not yet commercially viable in the country.

Audrin Mathe, Executive Director of the Ministry of ICT, said: “In this rapidly evolving digital landscape, reliable and high-speed internet connectivity is no longer a luxury. It has become the essential foundation for information and entertainment, education, healthcare, innovation, commerce, governance, and virtually every aspect of modern life.”

Operators Maroc Telecom and Inwi have asked Morocco’s telecom regulator to approve a shared infrastructure plan first proposed earlier this year.

The joint proposal to the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) seeks approval to share telecommunications infrastructure. 

The proposal would involve the creation of two new companies. FiberCo, as it would be called, would focus on building and expanding the passive optical fibre network to accelerate fibre to the home (FTTH) deployment nationwide.

The second company, TowerCo, would be responsible for constructing and upgrading telecom towers to support 5G rollout and growing mobile demand.

The initiative, if approved, could significantly reshape Morocco’s digital development landscape, so, not surprisingly, ANRT has launched a public consultation, open until 30 May, inviting input from industry stakeholders. The regulator will evaluate whether the proposed collaboration might distort market dynamics.

The proposal includes making the shared infrastructure accessible to other operators. However, any terms, conditions, and pricing related to such access have not been detailed.

News agency Ecofin says that Maroc Telecom has previously faced scrutiny for restricting competitors’ access to its fixed-line infrastructure.

Of course, even if ANRT approves the initiative, this would not guarantee its implementation; there may be competitive implications involving other regulatory bodies.

As we noted in late March, the first phase of the project alone is valued at MAD4.4 billion (close to US$457 million) over three years.

Kenya’s National Treasury is widely reported to be preparing to sell part of its 35% stake in leading operator Safaricom.

The reason, it seems, is that the government needs the money and Safaricom is the only state-owned (or partly owned) asset that could generate the sort of funds it requires.

According to a Kenyan Times report, the shares are valued at approximately KES280.5 billion (US$2.2 million). The sale will be conducted before June 2026 with the aim of raising Ksh149 billion (US$1.15 million). 

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi is apparently quite blunt about the appeal of the sale, pointing out that other state-owned businesses that might have been targeted for privatisation would not be worth selling because they have been operating at a loss for years, have been mismanaged, or are not structured as limited liability companies.

At the moment both the Kenya government and pan-African operator Vodacom own 35% of Safaricom. Vodafone owns 5%. The remaining 25% is described by the Kenyan Times as free float.

The same news source suggests that any disposal of the government’s stake in Safaricom may take the form of a secondary initial public offering (IPO) or an auction to a high-net-worth investor for a block sale.

A previous share sale, in 2008, was massively oversubscribed, raising an estimated KES51.75 billion (US$400.7 million today).

The next sale, in theory, could be even bigger – possibly the single largest transaction in the region by deal size. Analysts apparently predict that selling a 5 to 10 percent stake in Safaricom could raise between KES39.8 billion (US$308.2 million) and KES79.7 billion (US$617.2 million) at the current share price of KES19.90 (about US$0.15).

The transaction is likely to attract global private equity firms looking to stake their claim in Safaricom. That’s not too surprising as Safaricom boasts stable revenues and reliable cash flows; these make it the most capitalised firm on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

Veon has relocated the headquarters of its Uzbekistan subsidiary to a government-backed innovation hub, aiming to accelerate the development of digital services across Central Asia and tap into rising demand.

Around 2,000 employees have moved to the Tashkent IT Park, Uzbekistan’s flagship government-funded technology and innovation centre, as part of the company’s strategy to support the country’s growing digital economy.

Veon stated that the relocation reflects its commitment to partnering with the government to advance this ambition. The inauguration of the new headquarters was attended by Sherzod Shermatov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies; Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO; and Andrey Pyatakhin, CEO of Beeline Uzbekistan.

“Through our Digital Uzbekistan 2030 strategy, we are laying the foundations for a thriving digital economy that empowers citizens, supports innovation, and attracts global investment. We welcome partners who, like VEON, share our vision and are helping us turn this vision into a reality through long-term investment, the provision of ambitious digital services, and cutting-edge technologies — all while creating meaningful job opportunities for our youth,” said Shermatov.

Terzioglu noted that demand for digital services in Uzbekistan is “expanding,” and praised regulators for “creating frameworks that support the digitalisation of the country.”

Beeline Uzbekistan currently has around 9.5 million active monthly digital users, who access services including its fintech app, Beepul.