Dispatches from Rest of World: March 12

Here are this week's biggest stories in tech from the regions that we cover. For more exclusive content, sign up for Rest of World's weekly global newsletter.

Image source: How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town

Africa

The Ugandan Parliament has unanimously approved a proposal for a single SIM card policy to ensure users don’t own more than one number. The development is expected to increase competition between telecom companies, leading to improved network accessibility and a reduction in the cost of connectivity. It will also allow subscribers to keep their numbers when switching networks or moving locations. The Parliament has urged the Uganda Communications Commission to expedite the implementation of the policy, even though a significant infrastructure upgrade is required from both the government and telecom providers. —?Damilare Dosunmu from Lagos

China

Recently, DeepSeek executives have restricted some of their AI research and development employees from traveling abroad. This follows earlier reporting that Chinese authorities are advising AI entrepreneurs and experts to avoid visiting the U.S. due to concerns over sensitive information leaks. While exit bans are typically used against political dissidents, this approach is relatively new for tech workers. The reasons behind the measures remain unclear, whether driven by genuine security concerns or efforts to promote national pride in China's AI prowess. —?Joanna Chiu from Vancouver

South Asia

For its India debut, Starlink has partnered with the biggest telcos in the country. Elon Musk’s satellite giant announced agreements with behemoths Airtel and Reliance on March 11 and 12, respectively. Starlink devices will retail at Airtel and Jio stores, and Jio will also provide customer service, installation, and activation support. Both the deals are subject to SpaceX receiving the regulatory nod from the Indian government. Members of Parliament had raised concerns about national security and Starlink potentially having monopoly status. —?Ananya Bhattacharya from Mumbai

Southeast Asia

In places like Bangkok, Dubai, and Hong Kong, buyers can get a Huawei phone with Google apps pre-installed by a third party. That’s despite U.S. sanctions, which forbid American companies from doing business with Huawei. Many customers are Chinese tourists, who can then use apps like Gmail and Google Chrome back home with a VPN. Huawei briefly topped global smartphone shipments in 2020, but its overseas sales tumbled after Washington blocked it from sourcing 5G chips. The company made a global comeback in Malaysia in February with the launch of a trifold smartphone. —?Lam Le from Hanoi