The global gender gap in mobile internet adoption narrowed slightly in 2025 according to new figures from the GSMA, but low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain behind the curve, with 810 million women still offline, compared to 595 million men.

Digital infrastructure provider Vertiv announced on Monday it has signed a framework agreement to develop AI-ready data centre infrastructure across the GCC region, starting with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

A number of important initiatives have been announced in recent days aimed at enhancing digital connectivity in West and North Africa.

Financial brand Telda and payments giant Mastercard have joined forces to introduce a new integrated solution in Egypt, seamlessly connecting everyday payments and investment wallets within the Telda app, marking what they call a major step towards a fully unified digital ecosystem.

Ooredoo announced its latest spinoff on Thursday with the launch of Al Abraj, a new standalone company that will independently operate and manage Ooredoo Qatar’s passive tower infrastructure assets in the country.

Orange announced on Wednesday that the France-to-Tunisia route of the Medusa Submarine Cable System – dubbed “ViaTunisia” – is now operational, establishing a new digital link between Europe and North Africa.

Ooredoo Qatar announced on Sunday it has established what it claims is the first quantum-safe communications link in Qatar in collaboration with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HKBU) and the Ministry of Defense.

Global operator Sparkle announced on Thursday it has signed three new capacity agreements to expand the reach of European research and education network operator GÉANT across Europe, Africa and MENA.

Bahrain-headquartered global technology group Beyon has announced the signing of a public private partnership (PPP) commitment agreement with the Ministry of Communications in Kuwait and the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP).

Arab Financial Services (AFS), a leading digital payments and fintech enabler in the Middle East and Africa region, has announced a strategic partnership with Libyan Islamic Bank (LIB) to accelerate the modernisation of Libya’s payment landscape.

Global digital infrastructure company Colt Technology Services said on Monday it has added a new point of presence (PoP) in Istanbul, Turkey, to meet growing demand for infrastructure capacity to support AI workloads and enterprise digital transformation plans.

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has approved a commitment of up to $100 million to invest in Africa-focused technology fund managers, as the institution looks to accelerate the continent’s digital industrialisation.

Chinese device OEM Honor announced on Thursday it is partnering with Netherlands-based digital mobile service provider OWN eSIM to enable smartphone users in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to access digital services internationally.

Telecommunications and technology provider Ooredoo Kuwait has announced a strategic partnership with Hadi clinic, an acute care and general medical and surgical hospital.

Global operator Sparkle say it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NaiTel, the telecom arm of the digital ecosystem known as Aqaba Digital Hub, and international consultancy and advisory firm iLevant, to extend the GreenMed submarine cable system through Jordan.

Turkcell, Turkey’s leading telecommunications and technology company, and 5G IoT satellite constellation operator Sateliot say they have successfully completed a field demonstration of 5G NTN IoT connectivity via satellite both in Barcelona and Istanbul.

UAE-based satellite player Space42 revealed on Monday it is ready to launch direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services via its geostationary Thuraya-4 satellite via a partnership with non-terrestrial network (NTN) firm Skylo Technologies.

Iraqi telco Asiacell announced on Monday it will collaborate with local OTT and streaming platform 1001 to bundle entertainment content into its subscriber packages.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is strengthening Jordan’s position as a regional digital hub with a US$14.1 million loan to digital ecosystem Aqaba Digital Hub (ADH) in Aqaba, a coastal city located on the Red Sea.

Pan-African operator Airtel Africa has announced a delay to the planned initial public offering (IPO) of its mobile money business, initially planned for the first half of 2026. Reuters reports that the IPO will now take place in the second half of 2026.

Qatar’s Ooredoo Group announced on Thursday it has signed a partnership deal with du to land Ooredoo’s planned Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system in the UAE.

Algerian telco Djezzy has signed a strategic partnership deal with startup accelerator Algeria Venture and tech startup Taubyte to launch a full-stack AI development workspace for startups, developers, young talent and project leaders.

The continuing drive to use smart data analytics to improve network performance has again been in the news, this time thanks to telecommunications and ICT provider Ooredoo Qatar, which has announced the launch of a service called Smart Wi-Fi Analytics.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said on Thursday that it will take several months to fully restore services for its Middle East (UAE) Region (ME-CENTRAL-1) after its data centres in the UAE and Bahrain sustained damage due to the war between the US, Israel and Iran.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council has reportedly approved a temporary scheme for businesses to access the global internet with fewer restrictions. The authorities had imposed a blackout since the start of the war against the US and Israel.

Saudi Arabian telco Zain KSA announced on Sunday its digital platform Yaqoot is partnering with Huawei to upgrade Yaqoot’s BSS to boost operational efficiency and make its digital services more competitive.

Digital transformation is a key phrase in many modern telecoms initiatives – and is clearly a driver for two recent strategic partnerships involving major North African operators.

Two recent announcements, from smart devices provider Honor and smart mobility specialist Valeo, have underlined the strategic important of Egypt to Middle Eastern and African ITC by growing their presence in the country.

Ooredoo Qatar announced on Sunday it has launched what it claims is Qatar’s first LTE-M service, enabling its 4G network to support large-scale IoT applications.

Following yesterday's Hughes-Air India news, another partnership has been announced for in-flight connectivity (IFC). This initiative is designed to support the evolving connectivity needs of airlines and aviation customers across Europe, Turkey and the Middle East Africa (MEA) region.

Ooredoo and DE-CIX have connected Doha IX - Qatar’s first commercial Internet Exchange (IX) – to DE-CIX Marseille.

Viasat Aviation, Turksat and SkyFive Arabia announced plans on Tuesday to enable seamless roaming for in-flight connectivity (IFC) services across Europe, Turkey and the Middle East-Africa (MEA) region.