Industry organisations Fibre Connect Council MENA (FCC MENA) and the FTTH Council Europe have inked what is described as a significant agreement aimed at fostering collaboration and synergy between the two organisations.

Qatar-based multinational telecommunications company Ooredoo Group has partnered with Nokia to “upgrade connectivity and drive 5G enterprise innovation”, as the two companies put it.

The anticipated merger of Bayanat, an AI-powered geospatial solutions provider, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite operator, is now close to completion.

e& UAE will use cloud interconnect solutions from Nokia to deliver services for hyperscalers in its home market.

Saudi Arabian operator Zain KSA and network security specialist Enea have announced a collaboration to pilot the world’s first mobile network signalling overlay technology, which, they say, significantly extends signalling firewall capabilities.

The UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) unveiled on Wednesday its roadmap to not only implement 6G in the country, but to contribute heavily to the technology’s global development.

In a move it says is  set to “boost the transition towards a cashless economy and support the national digitalisation agenda”, UAE operator du has announced the launch of du Pay, offering what it calls transformative fintech solutions for UAE residents.

Two recent announcements from Saudi Arabia highlight the growing momentum in that country behind smart city development.

UAE telco du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global internet provider Expereo to help it provide network connectivity to global enterprises with a local presence.

Egypt’s National Telecommunication Institute (NTI) has partnered with Arab Security Consultants (ASC), a distributor of the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) in Egypt, to bolster collaboration in network security and cybersecurity.

Oman fixed broadband provider Awasr announced that it has officially launched the "Oman-IX" internet exchange point in collaboration with regional digital infrastructure services provider Alliance Networks and internet exchange provider AMS-IX.

This week saw a potentially highly significant signing ceremony take place when representatives of Iraq’s Informatics and Telecommunications Public Company (ITPC) and the Kuwaiti service provider Zajil Telecom signed a strategic collaboration agreement to create a communications route from the Gulf to Europe.

Technology giant Huawei has been busy with information and communication technologies (ICT) education initiatives in recent weeks – in Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt.

Orange and online learning company Coursera are launching a free certification training programme for young people in Africa and the Middle East, to provide them with key skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Saudi oil giant Aramco has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GCT Semiconductor Holding, a leading designer and supplier of advanced 5G and 4G semiconductor solutions.

Ericsson and Orange Egypt announced on Monday that they have signed a multi-year deal to collaborate on accelerating the telco’s digital transformation by fortifying its backend and building a resilient architecture across its network.

Network International, an enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, says it has entered into a strategic partnership with fintech solutions provider Souhoola to enable merchants with the capability to offer buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) payments at its networkpay point-of-sale terminals in Egypt.

UAE-headquartered technology group operator e&, in partnership with communications and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi ME, has launched the mobile version of its Wider Web Extension tailored for autistic individuals.

Thuraya, the mobile satellite communication arm of UAE satellite player Yahsat, announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its partnership with Algérie Télécom Satellite to become the authorised distributor of Thuraya’s new direct-to-device (D2D) satellite smartphone in Algeria.

The Saudi Arabian market is to welcome a new player in the cybersecurity solutions field through a venture established by a Public Investment Fund-owned company alongside Korean security solutions business AhnLab. 

Saudi Arabian telco stc Group says it has partnered with Huawei Technologies to complete what they claim is the first long-haul 800G-per-channel trial on a live network in the MENA region.

Following yesterday's news that companies in Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire are being enabled to digitally boost their businesses, there’s news of another business-focused digital offering in Africa – this time in Morocco.

Global smartphone shipments are expected to rebound 3% to 1.2 billion units year-on-year in 2024, with emerging markets driving this growth according to analyst company Counterpoint Research. 

Nokia announced on Wednesday that Pakistan Tier-1 carrier Transworld Associates (TWA) will use its optical transport solution to build a new optical network connecting Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

Telecom Egypt and Indian telecoms vendor Tejas Networks announced on Monday they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost telecoms R&D and manufacturing facilities in Egypt, as well as train up local skillsets.

Ericsson and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company (EITC), announced on Monday that they have leveraged carrier aggregation to achieve a download speed of up to 16.7 Gbps on du’s 5G standalone (SA) network.

Turkcell, the largest mobile operator in Turkey, has said it aims to ramp up investment this year as it plans for a new data centre and infrastructure for 5G services.

Nokia announced on Sunday it has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Bahrain operator Batelco, part of the technology-focused Beyon Group, to deliver mission-critical private 5G networks across Bahrain.

Telecom Egypt says it has added European fibre backbone and transatlantic subsea cable infrastructure provider EXA Infrastructure to its WeConnect ecosystem in its latest move to establish Egypt as a major regional interconnection hub.

A roadmap for a 5G launch and the system for granting licenses and marketing the service were announced by Tunisa’s Minister of Communication Technologies Nizar Ben Neji earlier this week.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s satellite solutions provider Yahsat, is partnering with data compression specialist Niflink to provide customisable telemedicine and e-learning solutions across its network using Niflink’s video compression technology.

Ooredoo Group and e& Carrier & Wholesale announced that they have partnered to deploy the Gulf Gateway Cable (GGC1) subsea system to improve capacity, reliability and latency between data centres in Abu Dhabi and Doha.