PNG province sets out AI-led digital govt plan with PNG DataCo and Oracle
PAPUA NEW GUINEA 00:45

PNG province sets out AI-led digital govt plan with PNG DataCo and Oracle

Papua New Guinea's Morobe provincial government has outlined plans to become what it describes as the Pacific's first fully AI-enabled sub-national administration, under a proposed partnership with PNG DataCo and Oracle. The initiative, known as the Morobe Digital Government Project – MMU, would see PNG DataCo and Oracle act as technology and solutions partners, delivering a cloud-based platform to support the province's digital transformation. 

Iliad CEO says French mega data centre project held up by environmental regulations
FRANCE 3 MRT

Iliad CEO says French mega data centre project held up by environmental regulations

Thomas Reynaud, CEO of the Iliad Group, has denounced the impact of administrative formalities on a multi-billion euro data centre project unveiled in late 2025 to meet growing demand for AI applications. Iliad is investing in the facility via data centre venture OpCore, co-owned with InfraVia Capital Partners, on a site that previously housed a coal-fired power station. The project is being held back by a compulsory "four-season" assessment, Reynaud stated in an opinion piece published by Les Echos, descri

Egypt launches Wa3i.net platform offering safe Arabic content
EGYPT 3 MRT

Egypt launches Wa3i.net platform offering safe Arabic content

Egypt's ICT ministry has launched the Wa3i.net Platform under the digital citizenship and online safety initiative. The platform aims to support state efforts to build a safe digital society where all groups, particularly children and youths, can use technology safely and responsibly, with protection from online risks and threats. Wa3i.net is one of the first integrated Arabic platforms dedicated to digital citizenship and online safety.

DRC president orders strengthening of social media oversight
CONGO, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE 3 MRT

DRC president orders strengthening of social media oversight

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi has instructed the government to strengthen oversight of social media in order to prevent abuses, Ecofin reported. He told relevant ministries to introduce measures in consultation with relevant services to promote responsible, ethical and rational use of social media. They may include, where appropriate, proportionate restrictive measures compliant with the law, while respecting fundamental freedoms.

Singapore unveils LaunchPad masterplan including Kampong AI at One-North
SINGAPORE 3 MRT

Singapore unveils LaunchPad masterplan including Kampong AI at One-North

JTC, Singapore's state-owned industrial infrastructure developer, has announced a refreshed masterplan for LaunchPad @ One-North, centred on the creation of Kampong AI, described as Singapore's hub for AI startups, alongside new infrastructure and policy measures to support the wider startup ecosystem. The updated masterplan is structured around three pillars: enhanced infrastructure for industry clusters, facilitative policies for startups at different stages of growth, and new community programmes to stre

Korea proposes USD 300 mln AI Fund with Singapore by 2030
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 3 MRT

Korea proposes USD 300 mln AI Fund with Singapore by 2030

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung said the country will work with Singapore to establish a global investment fund in the city-state by 2030 aimed at attracting USD 300 million for startups and the AI sector, according to Yonhap, citing government sources. Speaking at the Korea-Singapore AI Connect Summit in Singapore, Lee said the two countries would seek closer cooperation in AI research and investment. The event brought together government officials, companies and sector experts from both sides.

South Korea to allocate 4,000 GPUs to industry, academia and researchers
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 3 MRT

South Korea to allocate 4,000 GPUs to industry, academia and researchers

South Korea's ministry of science and ICT has announced that it will begin allocating approximately 4,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) from March, as part of a broader programme to strengthen national AI capabilities. The GPUs form part of a total of 10,000 units secured under a 2025 supplementary budget. Of these, around 4,000 are currently available for distribution. The ministry said the initiative is designed to provide large-scale GPU resources rapidly and stably to industry, academia and research

Dutch govt plans 'House of Cyber' in The Hague
NETHERLANDS 2 MRT

Dutch govt plans 'House of Cyber' in The Hague

The Dutch government announced plans to create a 'House of Cyber', pooling expertise and resources in cybersecurity to improve national protection. Expected to be fully formed over a number of years, the aim is to accelerate information sharing in the public sector.

Galaxy Backbone declares over 150,000 active official government email accounts
NIGERIA 2 MRT

Galaxy Backbone declares over 150,000 active official government email accounts

Digital infrastructure provider Galaxy Backbone (GBB) has announced that more than 150,000 official government email accounts are currently active at federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as part of efforts to deepen digital governance and strengthen secure communication within the public service. The organisation referred to the availability, maturity and expansion of the government's official email infrastructure, known as Govmail.

CRTC publishes updated strategic plan for 2026-2027
CANADA 2 MRT

CRTC publishes updated strategic plan for 2026-2027

The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecoms Commission (CRTC) has published an updated plan to connect Canadians through technology and culture. It will continue to focus on promoting investment and competition for broadband and mobile phone services; modernising the country's broadcasting framework; and strengthening the CRTC to serve Canadians better. 

Irish govt publishes new National Digital and AI Strategy
IRELAND 2 MRT

Irish govt publishes new National Digital and AI Strategy

The Irish government has published a new National Digital and AI Strategy. The 'Digital Ireland - Connecting our People, Securing our Future' strategy includes 90 deliverables across multiple government agencies and departments. These include the target of having all key public services digitalised by 2030, with 90 percent consumed online; the establishment of a new AI Advisory Unit for the public service; a new National AI Fellowship programme for the public sector; a new GovTech 2026 Challenge; a new targ

Ghanaian cabinet approves National AI strategy
GHANA 2 MRT

Ghanaian cabinet approves National AI strategy

Ghana's Cabinet has approved the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, which ICT minister Samuel Nartey George said seeks to build local AI capability while embedding fairness, transparency and accountability in the design and deployment of AI systems. He said work is progressing on an Emerging Technologies Bill to provide structured oversight for AI systems, advanced analytics, digital assets and new digital platforms. The framework emerged from an extensive consultative process that included thr

UNITED KINGDOM 2 MRT

UK govt opens consultation on social media ban for children

The UK government has formally opened a consultation on social media use for children. It will see examine measures to keep children safe online, from gaming sites to social media sites. It will also consider whether to introduce a social media ban for children, overnight curfew or restrictions on AI chatbot features, and examine the effects of gaming on children. The 3-month consultation goes live at 10.30am on 02 March and closes on 26 May 2026. It is open to young people, parents, carers, those working w

UNITED STATES 2 MRT

Ericsson sets up over-the-air 6G trial at Plano headquarters

Ericsson said it has completed the world's first pre-standardised 6G trial to utilise over-the-air infrastructure at its US headquarters in Plano, Texas. The session was conducted on a pre-standardisation 6G system built on a trusted, end-to-end architecture designed to be AI and cloud native. As part of the demonstration, Ericsson was able to validate radio systems and RAN compute capabilities, as well as software-defined air interfaces and cloud platforms, targeting elements considered to be 6G building

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 2 MRT

Korea approves Google's overseas transfer of high-res map data

South Korea has conditionally approved Google's request to transfer government-supplied high-precision map data to its overseas facilities, according to Yonhap, citing government sources. The ministry of land, infrastructure and transport said the approval is subject to supplementary security measures, including masking sensitive facilities, restricting the exposure of precise coordinates and processing raw data at a domestic data centre operated by Google's Korean partner.

UNITED STATES 2 MRT

Linux Foundation launches OCUDU foundation for open RAN software

The Linux Foundation announced the formation of the Open Centralized Unit Distributed Unit (OCUDU) Ecosystem Foundation, a public-private initiative intended to accelerate development of open source software for centralised and distributed units in open RAN architectures. Unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the foundation is designed to build, scale and sustain the OCUDU technical project and establish a reference platform for 5G and early AI-native 6G networks. 

BELGIUM 26 FEB

Proximus loses court appeal against mandatory compensation for service disruptions

The Constitutional Court in Belgium has rejected a case brought by Proximus against a law requiring telecom operators to compensate customers for long service disruptions. The court found that the law, in effect since May 2024, does not violate EU laws nor can it be considered disproportionate. 

NETHERLANDS 26 FEB

IBM takeover of Solvinity cleared by competition agency

IBM has received clearance from the Consumer and Market Authority in the Netherlands to acquire the Dutch IT services provider Solvinity. The ACM said the deal raised no competition concerns. 

UNITED KINGDOM 26 FEB

UKRI invests GBP 76 million in new national compute resources

A new GBP 76 million investment has been announced by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) to establish four new national compute resources (NCRs). This is the first stage in delivering the government's UK Compute Roadmap, launched in summer 2025 to make the UK a world leader for high-tech research. The four new NCRs will be fully operational by 2026/2027, with at least two launching in summer 2026. 

KENYA 26 FEB

Kenyan govt hosts visit from Romania's Safetech Innovations

The Kenyan government is cooperating with Romania to strengthen its national cybersecurity posture and safeguard digital transformation gains. ICT cabinet secretary William Kabogo Gitau has received a delegation from Romanian cybersecurity specialist Safetech Innovations and from Gentiana Serbua, who is the Romanian Ambassador to Kenya. Gitau said discussions centred on cybersecurity as a critical priority for Kenya, particularly as the government accelerates digitisation.

GHANA 26 FEB

Ghana and Nigeria strengthen cooperation to combat cybercrime

Ghana's ICT minister Samuel Nartey George held a meeting with Nigerian High Commissioner Ifedayo Moses Adeoye to discuss strategies for addressing cybercrime involving Nigerian nationals in Ghana. The discussions focused on reviewing the outcomes of Ghana's recent crackdown on cybercrime and identifying ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in securing the digital space. Adeoye expressed concern over the arrests and pledged to address the root causes of cybercrime, while emphasizing the need to protect law-

UNITED KINGDOM 26 FEB

Mumsnet supports UK social media ban for under 16s

London-based online forum Mumsnet is calling on members to write to their MP in support of a UK social media ban for under 16s. This follows the launch of the group's 'Rage Against the Screen' campaign in 2025 to support parents worried about the impact of social media and screentime on their children's sleep, mental health and well-being. The UK government has announced a consultation on implementing a social media ban for under 16s. 

KENYA 26 FEB

Kenya holds talks with Amazon on LEO satellite internet services

Kenya's ICT ministry officials held a meeting with the team from Amazon's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network to explore collaboration opportunities aimed at advancing universal connectivity across Kenya. John Kipchumba Tanui, principal secretary in the ministry said the discussions focused on expanding fast, reliable and affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities through LEO satellite technology. 

AUSTRALIA 26 FEB

AusAlert cell broadcast system to begin national testing in 2026

The Australian government has announced that its new national cell broadcast emergency messaging system will be known as AusAlert and will begin testing this year, with full operational readiness expected by October 2026 ahead of the 2026-27 high-risk weather season. AusAlert will use cell broadcast technology to enable authorities, including state and territory governments, to send geographically targeted emergency messages to compatible mobile devices with an accuracy of up to 160 metres. The government s

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