Telstra has teamed up with the Australian Government to acquire Digicel's business in the South Pacific region for US$1.6 billion (A$2.14 billion), plus an additional US$250 million depending on how the business fares over the next three years.



Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo, part of the giant B.B.K. Electronics group, is set to start designing its own chips for its high-end smartphones, the Nikkei Asia website claims, adding that this was understood to be a bid to rid itself of dependence on suppliers like Qualcomm and MediaTek.

Security firm Emsisoft has lost the ability to produce keys that could decrypt files encrypted by the BlackMatter Windows ransomware gang, something it has been doing for a while.

Sydney Fish Market is poised to transform the way it trades its product by launching a new digital platform that has the potential to shake up how the $3 billion Australian seafood industry operates.

Pressure is being ramped up on the US as the date approaches for Washington's appeal on Wednesday and Thursday at the High Court in London against a ruling denying its request to extradite WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange.

Telstra's decision to acquire Digicel Pacific is a political decision, Australia's top independent telecommunications analyst Paul Budde says, adding that it would never have happened without the involvement of the government.

And as always there's plenty more today, so for all the news please visit www.itwire.com.

Stephen Withers, newsletter editor, iTWire

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