Zong, ZTE to launch 5G smartphones, financing options in Pakistan
PAKISTAN 09:56

Zong, ZTE to launch 5G smartphones, financing options in Pakistan

Pakistani operator Zong has signed a partnership agreement with ZTE and its authorized distributor Siccotel, to expand access to 5G services across Pakistan. Under the terms of the deal, ZTE will launch a diverse lineup of 5G smartphones ranging from entry-level to high-end gaming devices specifically targeted at the youth and performance-driven market segments.

BSNL, Viasat to power Indian Navy's satellite communications upgrade programme
INDIA 08:53

BSNL, Viasat to power Indian Navy's satellite communications upgrade programme

Indian operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Viasat have announced they are supporting the next phase of the Indian Navy's satellite communications upgrade programme, scheduled for launch later this month. Under the terms of an agreement signed between BSNL and the Indian Defense Forces, Viasat's Ka-band satellite systems will be used alongside its existing L-band infrastructure to deliver secure connectivity for Indian naval platforms.

US, Taiwan strike USD 500 billion semiconductor trade agreement
TAIWAN 08:38

US, Taiwan strike USD 500 billion semiconductor trade agreement

The American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US have signed a trade deal designed to reshore America's semiconductor sector. The US Department of Commerce said it expects this commitment of investment from Taiwan to strengthen US economic resilience, create high-paying jobs, and increase national security. Taiwanese semiconductor and technology enterprises will make new, direct investments totaling at least USD 250 billion to build and expand semiconduct

Lionsgate sells streaming platform Lionsgate Play Asia to founder Rohit Jain
ASIA 08:12

Lionsgate sells streaming platform Lionsgate Play Asia to founder Rohit Jain

Lionsgate has sold the Lionsgate Play streaming platform in South Asia and Southeast Asia to Rohit Jain, founder and former president of Lionsgate Play Asia. Under the terms of this multi-year deal, Lionsgate will continue to license the 'Lionsgate Play' brand name to Jain and provide ongoing access to the studio's library of film and TV content.

CapitaLand India Trust inks second hyperscaler agreement for Mumbai data centre
INDIA 07:56

CapitaLand India Trust inks second hyperscaler agreement for Mumbai data centre

CapitaLand India Trust (Clint) has secured a second long-term agreement with a global hyperscaler for Tower 2 of its Navi Mumbai facility. This deal brings the Trust's pre-leasing total to 53 percent across its three active developments in Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

China smartphone market drops 1% in 2025, Huawei regains top spot after 5 years
CHINA 07:04

China smartphone market drops 1% in 2025, Huawei regains top spot after 5 years

China's smartphone market fell 1 percent year-on-year in 2025, with full-year shipments reaching 282.3 million units, according to a report from Omdia. With shipments of 46.8 million units, Huawei returned to the top spot, accounting for a 17 percent market share. Vivo ranked second with 46 million units shipped and a 16 percent market share.

Ready Server enters Japan with AT Tokyo data centre deployment
JAPAN 06:24

Ready Server enters Japan with AT Tokyo data centre deployment

Singapore-based hosting provider Ready Server has launched operations in Japan, deploying infrastructure at AT Tokyo's CC1 data centre in Tokyo. The move makes Tokyo the company's third live region, alongside Singapore and Hong Kong. The Tokyo deployment is hosted at AT TOKYO CC1, a carrier-centric facility that houses multiple telecommunications carriers, internet exchange points and network service providers. Ready Server said it will use the site to establish direct cross-connects with networks including

NTT business consortium launches private 5G autonomous bus trial
JAPAN 06:22

NTT business consortium launches private 5G autonomous bus trial

A consortium led by NTT Docomo Business has launched a large-scale autonomous bus demonstration in Yokohama, using private 5G and roadside infrastructure to support stable urban autonomous driving and remote vehicle monitoring. The trial, running from 17 to 22 January, covers a 10.6-km route between Tsurugamine Station on the Sotetsu Line and the north gate of Yokohama Zoo Zoorasia. Eight consortium members, including NTT Docomo Business, technology and automotive partners, a bus operator, and Yokohama City

NTT Docomo and Netflix launch spring promotion for d Point rebates
JAPAN 06:19

NTT Docomo and Netflix launch spring promotion for d Point rebates

NTT Docomo and Netflix have announced a new joint promotional campaign aimed at encouraging new Netflix subscriptions among Docomo mobile customers. The campaign, titled "Docomo × Netflix: Watch Now! Spring Points Cashback Festival," will run from 16 January to 31 March 2026. The promotion targets customers on selected Docomo plans, including Docomo Max, Docomo Poikatsu Max, Docomo Poikatsu 20 and ahamo. 

SKT advances to next phase of Korea's national AI Project
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:18

SKT advances to next phase of Korea's national AI Project

SK Telecom (SKT) has confirmed that its specialist team has progressed to the second phase of South Korea's national "Independent AI Foundation Model" project, following the successful evaluation of its large-scale language model, A.X K1. A.X K1 is a 519-billion-parameter model, making it the first domestically developed AI model in South Korea to exceed the 500-billion-parameter threshold. 

IFS and NEC to launch sovereign cloud and industrial AI services
JAPAN 06:15

IFS and NEC to launch sovereign cloud and industrial AI services

Sweden's IFS and NEC have announced a joint initiative to develop cloud and industrial AI services for the Japanese market, aimed at modernising core systems used by capital-intensive industries while addressing economic security and data governance requirements. The companies plan to begin service delivery during Japan's 2026 financial year. Under the collaboration, IFS will deploy its IFS Cloud platform on infrastructure hosted in domestic Japanese data centres, with NEC supporting the build and operation

Korea chooses three teams for next phase of AI foundation model project
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 06:13

Korea chooses three teams for next phase of AI foundation model project

South Korea's ministry of science and ICT has announced the results of the first-stage evaluation of its national "Independent AI Foundation Model" project, confirming that teams led by LG AI Research, SK Telecom (SKT) and Upstage will advance to the second phase. A fourth team is set to be selected through an additional call to maintain a four-team competition structure in 2026.

SINGAPORE 06:09

NCS CEO Ng Kuo Pin steps down as Sam Liew takes over

Singtel group's IT services arm NCS announced that Ng Kuo Pin will step down as chief executive officer on 1 April 2026 and be replaced by NCS deputy CEO and head of its government strategic business group Sam Liew, who has been appointed CEO-designate. The CEO transition follows seven years of leadership under Ng, during which NCS transformed into a "fast-growing, pan-Asia Pacific technology and digital services company".

JAPAN 05:58

NTT Docomo expands digital marketing footprint with Carta move

NTT Docomo has made Carta Holdings a consolidated subsidiary as part of its broader strategic alliance with Dentsu Group, strengthening its position in the digital marketing and advertising services market. On 15 January, Docomo increased its ownership stake in Carta Holdings to more than 50 percent, following a series of transactions that included a share split and the acquisition of treasury shares previously held by Dentsu Group. This move formally brought Carta Holdings into the Docomo Group as a consol

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 05:54

KT holds graduation ceremony for digital talent scholarship students

Korea Telecom (KT) has held a graduation ceremony for students at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The KT Digital Talent Scholarship Program shared the achievements of KT Digital Talent Scholarship students, including practical AI projects they had undertaken over the past year. The program is KT Group's flagship scholarship program, offering tuition assistance and hands-on, hands-on growth experiences to college students pursuing careers in IT and AI.

SINGAPORE 05:48

Kaytus launches integrated liquid-cooled data centre offering

Singapore-based Kaytus has introduced a one-stop, end-to-end liquid-cooled data centre solution aimed at operators and enterprises building infrastructure for AI workloads. The company said the offering is designed to address the complexity of deploying high-density, liquid-cooled facilities while improving energy efficiency. According to Kaytus, the solution supports power densities of up to 15 kW per node and 130 kW per cabinet, with a stated power usage effectiveness below 1.1.

MALAYSIA 15 JAN

Tourism Malaysia, Weixin Pay to offer cashless transactions for Chinese visitors

Tourism Malaysia has signed a partnership deal with Weixin Pay, to support the digital transformation of Malaysia's tourism industry while enhancing the travel experience for Chinese visitors. Tourism Malaysia and Weixin Pay have agreed to launch joint digital marketing initiatives, as well as support technology adoption, and offer integrated promotions to enhance Malaysia's visibility and engagement in the China market. The deal will also enable Malaysian merchants to use Weixin Pay's suite of digital tool

ASIA 15 JAN

Nozomi opens APAC and Japan headquarters in Singapore

Cyber security company Nozomi Networks has established its new Asia Pacific & Japan headquarters in Singapore. Nozomi's new regional headquarters will provide enhanced local support to a growing customer base across Asia Pacific and Japan. Additionally, Nozomi plans to collaborate with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) to support the country's Operational Technology Cybersecurity Masterplan 2024.

MALAYSIA 15 JAN

CelcomDigi deploys connectivity, tower infra across IOI plantation estates in Malaysia

CelcomDigi has completed a large-scale connectivity and tower infrastructure deployment across IOI's plantation estates in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia. This deployment is designed to support IOI's digital transformation and growth across its plantation operations, while extending coverage to surrounding rural communities.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 15 JAN

Globalstar deploys three new C-3 tracking antennas at Yeo Ju ground station

Globalstar has installed three new six-meter C-3 tracking antennas at its ground station in Yeo Ju, South Korea. For more than two decades, Globalstar has provided mobile satellite services across East Asia via its ground station located in Yeo Ju, South Korea, which has now been expanded to include three C-3 tracking antennas.

CHINA 15 JAN

Alibaba upgrades Qwen app beyond chat to AI-powered autonomous task completion

Alibaba has upgraded its AI application the 'Qwen App'. Qwen now features deep integration of core services from Alibaba's ecosystem, including Taobao, Taobao Instant Commerce, Alipay, Fliggy, and Amap. Alibaba says Qwen is designed to intelligently coordinate services across multiple platforms through a unified AI interface, allowing users to move from intent to completion. These new features are now available for public testing in China.

TAIWAN 15 JAN

Chunghwa Telecom retains AA and tw AAA credit ratings

Taiwanese operator Chunghwa Telecom reports that its 'AA' and 'tw AAA' long-term issuer credit ratings were reaffirmed by S&P Global Ratings and Taiwan Ratings Corporation, respectively, with an outlook that the long-term ratings will remain stable. Taiwan Ratings also expects Chunghwa Telecom to maintain its robust cash flow generation, and conservative financial policies over the next two years, while maintaining a net cash position during this period.

JAPAN 15 JAN

Sakura adds dedicated eight-GPU Nvidia H100 to cloud service

Japanese operator Sakura Internet has launched a new beta plan for its container-based GPU cloud service, Koukaryoku DOK, offering customers dedicated access to eight Nvidia H100 GPUs within a single task. The new plan allows multiple H100 GPUs to be used concurrently for large-scale workloads such as model training and inference, reflecting growing demand for high-density compute driven by large language models and other AI applications. Under the plan, GPU resources and NVMe storage are provisioned automa

JAPAN 15 JAN

NTT Data launches SOC and incident response service using CrowdStrike

NTT Data has launched a new security operations and incident response service based on CrowdStrike's next-generation log monitoring and analysis platform, integrating CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM into its global UnifiedMDR service portfolio. The service combines CrowdStrike's cloud-native SIEM technology with NTT Data's managed SOC and CSIRT operations, enabling centralised monitoring and analysis of logs across endpoints, cloud environments and networks. NTT Data said the integration is intended to str

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