Today’s telecom news includes announcements on BSNL, Airtel, Reliance Jio, MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroon, Nokia, Fibertime, among others.
BSNL Surges Ahead in Rural Subscriber Growth, Outpacing Airtel
In August 2025, BSNL added 1.4 million mobile subscribers, surpassing Airtel, which added 0.5 million. Rural markets accounted for 1 million of BSNL’s new subscribers. Reliance Jio added 1.9 million subscribers, while Vodafone Idea lost 0.3 million. Overall, BSNL’s active subscriber base decreased by 0.5 million. The telecom industry is expanding network coverage in rural areas to increase subscriber growth, Economic Times reports.
Cameroon Boosts Telecom Services Through Operator-Regulator Collaboration
Cameroon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) is working with telecom operators to enhance service quality. The collaboration includes coordination with neighboring countries on frequency management and the transition to 4G networks. Operators such as MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon are investing in network infrastructure renewal and expansion. ART has proposed a biannual monitoring framework to track progress, ensure transparency, and maintain accountability. Operators are aligning their network upgrades with regulatory guidelines to ensure seamless service delivery. Investments include upgrading existing towers, expanding coverage in under-served regions, and enhancing mobile broadband capacity.
Nokia and Fibertime Bring Fiber Broadband to 400,000 Homes in South Africa
Nokia and Fibertime are collaborating to extend fiber broadband access to 400,000 homes in South Africa as part of Fibertime’s plan to connect 2 million homes by 2028. Nokia is providing infrastructure including Lightspan access nodes, Wi-Fi 6-enabled fiber access points, and the 7750 Wireless Access Gateway to support the rollout. The service will operate on a prepaid model, offering uncapped internet for R5 per day. The deployment uses Nokia’s ONT Easy Start to automate fiber modem activation and accelerate installations. Network management integrates Nokia’s Altiplano and Network Services Platform, along with the Fiber Health Analyzer, to detect and resolve network issues.
Desktop in Preliminary Talks with Claro for Potential Acquisition
Brazilian fiber-optic internet provider Desktop has held discussions with telecom operator Claro regarding a possible transaction. Earlier media reports suggested Claro, owned by Mexican telecom giant America Movil, could take Desktop private. This follows prior acquisition interest from Telefonica Brasil in 2024. Separately, America Movil and Chilean firm Entel are considering a joint bid for Telefonica’s Chilean operations.
Shafana Fazal
