stc Bahrain has launched a 5G Standalone network which it claims marks a first for the Kingdom.

Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) Consortium, owner of one of the largest consortium cable systems in the world, has selected the ICE6 coherent 800G solution from optical networking solutions company Infinera to increase its submarine network capacity and provide diverse, resilient connectivity across European, Asian, African and Middle Eastern markets.

Two Israeli technology firms, Telrad and Cellwize, are in the headlines after news of acquisitions – agreed or planned – by African technology company Liquid Intelligent Technologies and wireless tech innovator Qualcomm.

Lebanon state-owned operators Touch and Alfa have called for the government to mandate an increase in tariff prices, a move they said is required to curb their dwindling revenues to “ensure the continuity” of the telecoms sector.

Arabsat, a leading regional satellite operator in the Middle East and Africa, and satcoms solutions provider Thales Alenia Space have signed a contract to build Arabsat-7A, a fully flexible software-defined satellite (SDS) based on the Space Inspire (INstant SPace In-orbit REconfiguration) platform by Thales Alenia Space.

Nokia has expanded its 4G and 5G base station manufacturing capabilities by signing a partnership with Turkish electronics manufacturer Karel.

Zain Jordan has announced the launch of Western Union digital money transfer services through the Zain Cash mobile wallet.

Africa and the Middle East continue to be Orange Group’s bright spots as the majority of countries in those regions reported double-digit increases to maintain overall group sales.

STC, Nokia and MediaTek have revealed a joint effort to verify 3 Component Carrier Aggregation (3CC-CA) in a 5G standalone network for the first time in the Middle East, a method to optimally combine spectrum assets to enhance 5G experiences.  

Bahrain-headquartered technology solution provider Kalaam Telecom has announced the completion of its acquisition of Kuwaiti ISP and ICT services company Zajil International Telecom Co (KSCC).

Batelco and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on next-generation 5G technologies.

The rapid growth of mobile money-based services continues. Ooredoo Money Services, part of Qatar-headquartered operator Ooredoo, has announced a partnership with Thunes, a global payment services platform based in Singapore, to provide instant money transfers to multiple mobile wallets internationally.

Global communications company Viasat and Batelco, the leading digital solutions provider in Bahrain, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to engage in several regional business-to-business (B2B) service opportunities.

Two of the world’s biggest names in digital payments have announced major agreements in significant African markets: Visa in Egypt with operator Orange Egypt and Mastercard in Kenya with digital payment solution provider PesaLink.

Zain Global Connect (ZGC), its wholly-owned subsidiary of Zain Global, has announced that it’s investing in the development of a submarine cable that will connect the Middle East with Europe through the J2M (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Marseille, France).

Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region, has announced that EG-IX, the first open access internet exchange in Egypt, is live and available for customers.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix has announced plans to build a brand-new data centre in the city of Salalah on the south coast of Oman.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of at least $500 billion, and Saudi telecommunications company STC Group have signed a joint venture agreement to establish a new company specializing in the Internet of Things (IoT).

Israel’s Ministry of Communications (MoC) has overhauled fixed broadband laws separating infrastructure and internet service provision.

Bahrain Telecommunication Company, trading as Batelco, has partnered with e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) to connect Manama Internet Exchange (MN-IX) with SmartHub Internet Exchange (SH-IX) to provide a seamless peering experience for customers, enabling a two-way data path utilising the robust global network remotely.

Israel’s Ministry of Communications has approved Amphissa Holdings’ acquisition of a 27% stake in Partner Communications for US$300 million.

UAE’s telecom major e& (formerly known as Etisalat) has announced a strategic partnership with Meta, the entity that houses Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Satellite operator Intelsat has been part of two very different deals recently, both underlining the diverse uses of satellite communications. One involves extending video connectivity in Brazil. The other aims to improve maritime connectivity across an area that includes Africa and the Middle East.

Nokia has signed an agreement with Etisalat UAE to deploy 5G private wiles networks to various industries in the region.

Cloud networking provider GTT Communications has partnered with Arc Solutions to consolidate and expand its service reach across the Middle East.

London Internet Exchange (LINX), one of the world’s largest internet exchange points (IXPs) and Saudi Arabian operator STC have announced the expansion of interconnection services to new internet exchange points in Riyadh and Dammam.

Netcracker and NEC Corporation announced that e& (formerly Etisalat Group) has deployed Netcracker edge orchestration to innovate with 5G and new edge services in vertical markets.

Telecom Egypt has penned an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to secure a loan of €150 million (US$164m) to expand its broadband network, the largest loan from the bank for a mobile network upgrade in Africa.

Vodafone Oman and Ericsson have announced the deployment of a 5G indoor system at the Vodafone Experience Hub in Muscat’s Mall of Oman as well as the Vodafone Oman headquarter offices.

Orange is planning to use satellites to plug coverage gaps in one of its African markets, with a successful trial resulting potentially in a full rollout of the technology across its footprint.