Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund (SWF) Public Investment Fund (PIF) is selling a 5.01% stake in Saudi Telecom Co (STC) through a secondary share offering to raise as much as $3.1 billion.

Vodafone Qatar has announced its latest milestone in the development of its GigaNet 5G network, with the completion of Qatar’s first successful trial on the millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum.

French ICT group Atos , Siemens and the Moroccan Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) have announced a project to install 100,000 smart meters (smart grid) throughout the Kingdom.

Could a new partnership be a boost for the Internet of Things – or at least the LoRaWAN version of IoT – in the Middle East and North Africa?

Finnish multinational telecommunications major Nokia announced the successful completion of the first 25GPON trial in Turkey with Turk Telekom.

Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco) announced that its IP Transit service is now available on Manama-IX (MN-IX), the Bahrain-based internet exchange that interconnects global carriers, local and international operators.

Qatari multinational telecommunications firm Ooredoo Group and Nokia signed two agreements as part of a strategic partnership intended to drive Ooredoo’s digital transformation and enhance experiences for its customers.

A consortium of Israeli businesses has made an offer of US$300 million for S.B. Israel Telecom’s 27% stake in local operator Partner Communications.

Algeria’s telecoms regulator has issued additional spectrum in the 900MHz band to the country’s three mobile operators.

Telecom Egypt has deployed coherent optical technology from Ciena to maximise capacity along the Mediterranean segment of its Middle East North Africa (MENA) submarine cable system and Egypt’s mesh network.

Etisalat Misr, Telecom Egpyt and Vodafone Egypt have reportedly all been cleared to use additional spectrum by the country’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA).

Libyan provider Lnet has deployed Cambium Networks’ ePMP fixed wireless broadband technology to connect more than 60,000 residential, business and enterprise customers in Libya.

Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), the Sultanate’s incumbent telecoms operator, reported group revenue of RO 1,802.2 million (USD4.7 billion) for the first nine months of 2021, representing a decline of 3.1% compared to same period in 2020.

Qatari telecommunication operator Ooredoo has announced a major partnership with technology giant Ericsson that will see the two entities working together to ensure an unrivaled 5G experience for fans at the major football event in Qatar in 2022.

BNET, the national network responsible for providing broadband network services across Bahrain, has announced the launch and implementation of its new portability process for broadband Internet.

In-flight entertainment and communication systems company Panasonic Avionics Corporation has announced agreements with both Iraqi Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia). The Saudi national carrier also plans to offer a broadband solution from satcoms giant Inmarsat.

The vast telecommunications company Saudi Telecom Co (STC) has announced plans to invest $400 million in expanding its data centre rollout.

STL, an integrator of digital networks, has announced key initiatives to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, Africa (MEA) region by forming new partnerships, setting up a centre of excellence, and expanding its team.

Iraqi internet service provider Earthlink Telecommunication is using Nokia’s solutions to build a high-capacity IP metro transport network in 15 provinces in the country as part of the Iraqi National Backbone project.

Libya’s Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba has stated that his government will aim to open the country’s telecoms sector up to competition, bringing about the end of a longstanding state monopoly.

Zain Group, the mobile telecommunications services provider across the Middle East and North Africa, achieved growth in its net profits for the first nine months ended September 2021, increasing by 5% to 135 million dinars (450 million dollars).

Vodafone Group is transferring its 55% majority holding in Vodafone Egypt to its sub-Saharan Africa-focused unit Vodacom Group.

Ooredoo Oman, an Omani telecommunications company owned by Ooredoo, has announced the expansion of its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband service to additional locations in the Sultanate.

Two of the world’s leading telecommunications companies, Orange and Vodafone, have made major announcements in the regional press about planned undertakings in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital.

Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, is currently considering a deal to merge the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and Zain Saudi Arabia’s cellular infrastructure in a process that the media outlets Bloomberg and Al Arabiya.net said would create the kingdom’s largest cellular company.

Morocco has one of the more advanced telecommunications sectors in Africa. It has been supported by the government’s Maroc Digital 2020 strategy (which encourages the development of a digital economy) and the National Broadband Plan (which aims to provide the entire population with fixed or mobile broadband by the end of 2022).

Israel’s developed economy largely revolves around high technology products, primarily used in the medical, biotechnology, agricultural, materials, and military industries. The country also attracts investment in its cyber-security industry, and has established itself as a hub for thousands of start-up companies.

Saudi Telecom Company (STC), a Saudi Arabia-based digital company that offers telecommunications services, has selected Motorola Solutions to deliver a next-generation mission-critical Push-to-Talk (PTT) service to provide its customers with instant communication and collaboration capabilities.

Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has fined the country’s mobile operators a combined total of EGP25 million (USD1.6 million) after their services failed to meet minimum quality standards.

Turkey continues to develop its capabilities within its telecom sector, becoming one of the relatively few countries able to build and develop its own communications satellites. With the successful launch of the Turksat 5A satellite in January 2021, the Turksat 5B is expected to be launched by the end of the year, and will be joined by the Turksat 6A in early 2023.

STC is deploying Infinera’s ICE6 800G-capable technology on its submarine cable networks to enable new regional and international connectivity services and infrastructure development.