Turk Telekom, P.I. Works partner on AI-based 5G network slicing assurance
TURKEY 3 MRT

Turk Telekom, P.I. Works partner on AI-based 5G network slicing assurance

Turk Telekom and P.I. Works have announced their collaboration on AI-driven 5G network slicing assurance during GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2026. Turk Telekom has trialed P.I. Works' AI-powered 5G RAN Slice Assurance service at its R&D Innovation & Test Center, to support the delivery of differentiated and performance-assured 5G services.

ITU Partner2Connect scheme receives over USD 2 bln pledges from Mobily and Ooredoo
MIDDLE EAST 3 MRT

ITU Partner2Connect scheme receives over USD 2 bln pledges from Mobily and Ooredoo

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has declared new industry pledges to its Partner2Connect Digital Coalition that boost total commitments to the internet access scheme beyond USD 82 billion​. The pledges announced at MWC 2026 by ITU secretary-general Doreen Bogdan-Martin include USD 1.72 billion from Mobily to invest in data centres, submarine cables and 5G and next-generation network infrastructure, and a USD 500 million investment in submarine and terrestrial optical fibre infrastructure by

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.

E& Egypt provides laboratories for Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport
EGYPT 3 MRT

E& Egypt provides laboratories for Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport

E& Egypt had signed an agreement with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT) to establish wired and wireless telecommunication laboratories covering every mobile network standard (2G, 4G, and 5G), to support academic studies with labour market needs in the ICT sector. The company will provide AASTMT's four branches in Cairo, Alexandria and South Valley with the required equipment for establishing and operating the laboratories. This will ensure access to educational and train

Turk Telekom, ZTE complete integrated 1.6 Tbps live network trial
TURKEY 3 MRT

Turk Telekom, ZTE complete integrated 1.6 Tbps live network trial

Turk Telekom and ZTE have jointly completed a C+L (12 THz) full-band integrated 1.6Tbps live network trial in Istanbul. The trial boosted system capacity, reduced spare part types, and enabled 400GE/800GE service transmission, Turk Telekom said.

Egypt's NTRA plans parental control SIMs within a month
EGYPT 2 MRT

Egypt's NTRA plans parental control SIMs within a month

Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) plans to launch dedicated mobile SIM cards for children within a month, Ahram Online reported. They would be designed to block explicit and inappropriate content and create a safer digital environment for younger users. The cards will employ activation codes to enable strict controls on access to pornographic websites, violent material and even tools designed to bypass such restrictions, including VPN applications. The initiative will encompass regulatory

Ericsson and Oman TRA host enterprise summit
OMAN 2 MRT

Ericsson and Oman TRA host enterprise summit

Ericsson and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) have hosted the Oman Enterprise Summit for industry leaders, regulators and technology partners to explore how advanced connectivity can accelerate the country's digital and industrial transformation. It served as a platform to discuss the regulatory, technological and operational foundations required to scale 5G in key sectors in Oman. There were plenary sessions, expert-led discussions and live demonstrations to showcase secure, resilient and

NTRA grants automotive IoT licence to Mercedes-Benz Egypt
EGYPT 2 MRT

NTRA grants automotive IoT licence to Mercedes-Benz Egypt

Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has signed new licences enabling Mercedes-Benz Egypt to offer automotive Internet of Things (IoT) services. These can provides drivers with navigation systems, tracking features, and emergency assistance tools in a secure, regulated environment, while ensuring robust protection of user data and privacy. The NTRA has already approved automotive IoT operations for seven smart vehicle manufacturers. The regulator said it continues to open the door for other

Vodafone Oman migrates IT infrastructure to Red Hat cloud platform
OMAN 2 MRT

Vodafone Oman migrates IT infrastructure to Red Hat cloud platform

Red Hat has announced that Vodafone Oman is standardising its IT infrastructure on Red Hat's cloud-native platform. The operator's modernisation strategy is based on open source technologies that provide flexibility, long-term architectural control and the ability to integrate services in different cloud environments. By unifying its disparate layers into a consistent open source platform delivered by Red Hat OpenShift, Vodafone Oman cuts the total cost of ownership (TCO). It maximises hardware efficiency a

BroadForward works with E& on secure 5G roaming
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2 MRT

BroadForward works with E& on secure 5G roaming

E& UAE announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona that it has selected BroadForward's Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) to enhance the security of its 5G and international roaming capabilities. Implemented in collaboration with Emircom, the deployment supports secure interoperability with roaming partners and strengthens protection against evolving security threats.

NTRA signs agreements with Telecom Egypt and E& Egypt to foster investment
EGYPT 2 MRT

NTRA signs agreements with Telecom Egypt and E& Egypt to foster investment

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has signed agreements with Telecom Egypt and E& Egypt to attract national and international investments while enhancing the quality of mobile phone services. ICT minister Raafat Hendy  said the agreements reflect the ministry's support for state's efforts to resolve challenges facing investors. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) also aims to open new avenues for cooperation among ICT companies. The agreements were signed by NTRA

AWS services disrupted after Dubai data centre hit by fire
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2 MRT

AWS services disrupted after Dubai data centre hit by fire

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said its data centre was struck on 01 March in the attacks on the UAE, resulting in service disruptions in one of its availability zones in the UAE when it lost power after catching fire. This was possibly due to Iranian air strikes in Dubai. According to posts on the AWS health dashboard, the mec1-az2 Availability Zone in AWS' ME-Central-1 Region experienced a "localized power issue" that knocked out access to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud services, including EC2 Instances, DB Inst

MIDDLE EAST 27 FEB

Truecaller partners with AnyMind Group to expand ad sales in MENA and Southeast Asia

Truecaller announced a direct sales reseller partnership with AnyMind Group, a Business-Process-as-a-Service company for marketing, e-commerce and digital transformation. The collaboration is aimed at accelerating the growth of Truecaller's direct advertising business across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) regions. Under this partnership, AnyMind Group will serve as the exclusive intermediary for Truecaller's advertising inventory across Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Isra

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 27 FEB

UAE-IX upgrades to support 800 Gigabit Ethernet access

The UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX and partner Datamena, Du's open data centre and connectivity platform, said the exchange is now technically capable of supporting 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) access. The upgrade also made 400 GE ports available, making it the only IX in the Middle East to offer such access bandwidths. In addition, cloud-on ramps are being built which will provide direct access to both the Alibaba and Google clouds in the coming months.

EGYPT 26 FEB

Telecom Egypt revenue rises 31% in 2025

Telecom Egypt said its revenue increased 31 percent to EGP 106.7 million in 2025, led by a 46 percent jump in data revenue, 30 percent increase in international incoming calls revenue, and 31 percent increase in cable projects. The customer base increased across mobile, fixed broadband, and fixed voice by 10 percent, 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively. EBITDA witnessed a 46 percent increase, reaching EGP 47.5 billion, and recording a 45 percent margin.

MIDDLE EAST 26 FEB

Space42 revenue falls 8% in 2025

Space42 said its revenues decreased by 8 percent to USD 577 million for the full year of 2025, reflecting the transition underway in Smart Solutions alongside continued investment in the company's transformation. Full year results include one-off impairment charges of USD 129 million relating to pre-merger Smart Solutions. Excluding one-off items, Space42 delivered a normalised EBITDA of USD 224 million, down 19 percent and generating a margin of 39 percent. Reported EBITDA declined by 72 percent to USD 90

ISRAEL 26 FEB

Arad Group hits 1 mln LoRaWAN smart meters deployed in Israel

Arad Group, a global provider of smart water metering, has reached over one million active LoRaWAN-based smart water meters and sensors deployed across Israel. Deployed in less than three years, Arad's LoRaWAN network now covers dozens of cities, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashdod, Modi'in and Nesher. Initially rolled out for smart water metering, the network is designed to support a wide range of massive IoT and smart city applications, including smart parking, energy efficiency optimization, air-quality mo

EGYPT 26 FEB

Emirates NBD Egypt launches Apple Pay

Emirates NBD Egypt, a financial services provider in the MENA region, has launched Apple Pay for its customers, letting them make payments via an iPhone or Apple Watch without handing over a physical card, touching buttons, or exchanging cash. Every transaction is protected through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, combined with a unique, one-time dynamic security code. To mark the launch, Emirates NBD is offering 50 percent cashback for all cardholders using Apple Pay. 

MIDDLE EAST 26 FEB

Beyon Group net profit rises 17% in Q4

Beyon Group said its net profit increased by 17 percent year-on-year to BHD 19.3 million for the fourth quarter ended December 2025 compared with BHD 16.6 million in the same period in 2024. Earnings per share (EPS) expanded to BHD 0.117 from BHD 0.100. EBITDA rose by 1 percent to BHD 50.1 million from BHD 49.6 million in Q4 2024. Revenues climbed by 3 percent to BHD 130.4 million from BHD 126.9 million.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 26 FEB

Khazna receives Uptime Institute Tier III certification for Ajman data centre

Khazna Data Centers, a global leader in hyperscale digital infrastructure, has achieved Uptime Institute Tier III Certification of Design Documents (TCDD) award for its 100 MW data centre in Ajman, QAJ01. This will be the first certified AI data centre with liquid cooling in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Uptime Institute Global Digital Infrastructure Authority said the facility has 20 data halls, each delivering 5 MW of IT capacity, purpose-built to meet the demands of next-generation artific

CYPRUS 26 FEB

France, Cyprus, Greece to develop optical communications system for Hellas Sat 5 satellite

Hellas Sat, the French Space Agency (CNES), Thales Alenia Space, and Safran have teamed up to develop a next-generation optical communications system to be hosted on the future Hellas Sat 5 geostationary telecommunications satellite and the associated optical ground station to be deployed in Cyprus. The partners aim to deliver high-throughput data transfer services from geostationary orbit, enabling satellite communications for critical applications.

JORDAN 26 FEB

Orange Money Jordan sponsors UNDP digital payments forum

Orange Money, the electronic wallet owned by Orange Jordan, sponsored the digital payments forum hosted by the United Nations Development Programe (UNDP) in partnership with the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) and the Better Than Cash Alliance, in the presence of ten financial and technology service providers. As part of its sponsorship, Orange Money highlighted its key role in promoting digital financial inclusion by integrating financial technology into sustainable development pathways, which is one of the m

EGYPT 25 FEB

Egypt's NTI and OpsEra sign training pact

Egypt's National Telecommunication Institute (NTI) has signed a cooperation protocol with OpsEra to enhance the skills of NTI graduates and better prepare them for the labor market. The cooperation aims to develop a talent pipeline aligned with evolving labor market needs by linking academic preparation with practical application. Graduates will gain hands-on experience across ICT disciplines, including through a one-month on-the-job training at OpsEra, alongside applied projects. The two sides will also ho

OMAN 25 FEB

Ooredoo Oman launches Ramadan Nights offer of 30 GB for OMR 4

Ooredoo Oman introduced Ramadan Nights, a limited-time prepaid and postpaid data offer for customers during the holy month. Ramadan Nights offers 30 GB of mobile data for only OMR 4 for seven days. This is split to match Ramadan routines with 25 GB of night data from 23:00 to 08:00 hrs and 5 GB during the day, from 08:00 to 23:00 hrs. 

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Background

1 MRT 13:21

The week in telecoms: Paramount tops bidding for WBD, Samsung S26 kicks off MWC showcase

23 FEB 00:28

The week in telecoms: Liberty Global tackles cable vs fibre question, Orange promises dividends and MEA market goes wholesale

16 FEB 00:17

The week in telecoms: Cisco rides AI investment wave and European telcos invest in South America

9 FEB 01:54

The week in telecoms: hyperscalers vie for capex crown, Telenor and Vodafone profit from smaller footprints