Bharti Airtel has increased its stake in Wireless Business Services (WBSPL) to 93.45 per cent.

The company was established by Qualcomm to bid for BWA licences, and paid just over US$1 billion in the 2010 spectrum auction.

"As per the revised equity structure, Bharti Airtel holds 93.45 per cent and Qualcomm Asia Pacific holds 6.55 per cent equity in the company," sources told the Financial Express, citing a communication from WBSPL to India’s telecom department.

Qualcomm sold a 49 per cent stake in the holding company to Bharti Airtel for around US$165 million in May 2012. Since then the Indian telco has steadily increased its holdings, and has a long-term plan to take full ownership of the company.

The company has BWA licences that cover Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala, while Bharti has BWA licences in four circles – Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra – and 3G licences in thirteen circles in India.

Zimbabwe’s telecom regulator has sent notices to the mobile networks advising them that it wants to introduce mobile number portability (MNP) next year.

The notice warned the networks that they need to consider support for MNP in their network upgrade plans over the next year.

In the notice Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ): "The inability of subscribers to retain their respective mobile telephone numbers when they change service providers presents an obstacle to competition and an inconvenience to the customers."

The expected launch of MNP in the country is still not clear though.

BlackBerry has placed adverts in major broadsheet newspapers seeking to reassure its customers that the company will continue to provide services to them.

"To our valued customers, partners and fans, you’ve no doubt seen the headlines about BlackBerry," the letter, published as an advert starts. "You’re probably wondering what they mean for you as one of the tens of millions of users who count on BlackBerry every single day. We have one important message for you: You can continue to count on BlackBerry."

The letter adds that the company has "substantial cash on hand," "a balance sheet that is debt free," and that the restructuring or layoffs will cut expenses by 50 per cent.

The advert being placed in broadsheets is likely to be aimed more at the lucrative corporate IT managers than the consumer BBM user base.

The company is currently subject to a speculative US$4.7 billion takeover by a private equity group, although it could still be broken up by rival bidders.

Global Telecom Holding says that its Algerian subsidiary Orascom Telecom Algerie (OTA) has been awarded one of the three provisional 3G licences offered in Algeria.

Final licences with the relevant coverage obligations are expected to be granted after payment of fees, satisfaction of the conditions indicated in the tender documents, and receipt of clearances and approvals from various governmental authorities. The 3G licence will cost DZD3 billion (US$40 million) and will be valid for 15 years, after which successive renewals will be in five year fixed terms.

OTA also received an exceptional approval from the Bank of Algeria allowing it to make foreign payments to acquire equipment exclusively dedicated to 3G technologies.

Two mobile phones produced in Nigeria should be launched shortly, the local Phone and Allied Products Dealers’ Association (PAPDAN) has disclosed.

The Made-in-Nigeria phone brand is the outcome of a joint venture among 20 Nigerian investors that have jointly invested in manufacturing a phone specifically designed for the local market.

Godfrey Iyke Nwosu, president of PAPDAN revealed that the two new phone brands will be called iQ and MaxTel, but did not elaborate on their specifications.

The new phones should go on sale in November.