UAE-based telco du launched two new sovereign AI offerings at GITEX Global 2025 on Monday – an AI Park in Dubai, and a National Hybrid AI platform via its ICT solutions arm, du Tech – that it said will position the UAE as an AI innovation hub.

Ericsson announced on Monday it has signed a multi-year agreement with global technology group e& to upgrade e& UAE’s 5G core network to support new services such as immersive gaming and mission-critical IoT services.

Wireless solutions company Comba Telecom Limited, and Nedaa Professional Communication Corporation, a provider of mission-critical communications and secure technology platforms, have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing next-generation telecommunications solutions in the UAE and beyond.

Omani operator Omantel has partnered with Decoil, an Omani AI startup described as a graduate of Omantel Innovation Labs – the company’s innovation arm dedicated to nurturing startups and accelerating technological breakthroughs – to co-develop Enterprise Brain, an AI-powered knowledge platform designed to enhance enterprise intelligence.

Medusa, the submarine fibre optic cable system owned by AFR-IX Telecom, an infrastructure and licensed telecommunication operator that delivers internet and data services across Africa, has landed at a cable landing station in Marseille, France.

Nokia and UAE telco du announced on Wednesday that they have successfully completed a trial of Nokia’s AI and GPT-powered automation assistant designed to simplify and accelerate optical network expansions and operations, and improve network efficiencies.

e& UAE announced on Tueday it has signed a performance partner program agreement with Honeywell to deploy pre-configured, mobile-first 5G and AI-enabled solutions tailored for the UAE’s private sector.

Operator e& UAE says it has enabled a technology called Reduced Capability (RedCap) on its 5G standalone (5GSA) network, activating a smartwatch as the first live RedCap use case in the UAE.

IT infrastructure and data centre solutions company ByteBridge, has signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the past week, one targeting the Middle East with Naizak Global Engineering Systems, a Saudi-based engineering and technology solutions provider, the other addressing the Asia-Pacific market with FuriosaAI, an AI semiconductor company.

Telecom Egypt has appointed Tamer El Mahdi (pictured) as its new CEO and managing director, succeeding Mohamed Nasr.

Ooredoo Group, the international communications company operating across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, has announced the rollout of advanced cybersecurity services across its markets, in partnership with software development company Innovatix Systems.

Orange Egypt has partnered with Egyptian online gold trading platform mnGm to launch what they say is the country’s first digital platform for gold trading services using mobile wallets.

In a busy week for the payments giant, Mastercard has announced an extended digital identity partnership in Africa and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to a national payments ecosystem in Syria.

Subsea cable provider Seacom revealed on Thursday it will build a new subsea cable system, Seacom 2.0, that will provide AI-level capacity across the Indian Ocean Basin, Middle East, Mediterranean, and Southern Europe.

Telecom Egypt says it has established a new point of presence (PoP) in Jordanian Tier III carrier-neutral data centre Aqaba Digital Hub that it says will enhance connectivity across the Middle East for businesses and hyperscalers.

The Iraqi government has announced plans to construct the country’s first data centres in partnership with Nokia.

The Tunisian government has reportedly announced plans for a staggering 138 projects to accelerate the digital modernisation of government administration over the period 2025–2026.

The latest government attack on internet connectivity – and one of the most drastic so far – comes from Afghanistan, where ruling group the Taliban this week imposed an internet ban on the northern Balkh province, where a Wi-Fi shutdown was confirmed on Tuesday. The Taliban has said that the fibre optic internet ban will eventually be nationwide.

Saudi Arabian telco Zain KSA is set to make a play in the insurtech space via its financial investment arm, Al Sayra Holding Company, which has formed a JV with global insurance specialist Prevensure to buy a stake in Saudi-based brokerage firm Green Shield Insurance Brokers Ltd (GSIB).

In what is proving to be a busy week for digital payments news in the Middle East and North Africa, a fintech and a major bank have recently announced a partnership to accelerate digital payments in Libya.

There’s been a flurry of digital payments news this week from Saudi Arabia involving a wide variety of major names in the market, notably Ant International, Google Pay and Thunes.

SLA Digital, a global provider of direct carrier billing, has announced a partnership with VUZ, which describes itself as an immersive video platform revolutionising digital experiences. The collaboration, say the partners, will enable a seamless mobile payment option for VUZ customers across the Middle East and Asia.

Vodafone Oman and digital financial service platform developer Software Group said on Monday they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing digital financial services in Oman.

Ericsson announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement with Zain Bahrain to supply RAN gear to the operator’s network capacity and enhance coverage of its 4G and 5G networks.

Iraqi telco Asiacell says it has launched the country’s first Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) service that enables users to make and receive voice calls in spaces with Wi-Fi coverage in areas – especially indoors – where cellular signal quality is poor.

Orange has appointed Thierry Millet (pictured) as CEO of Orange Money Group, replacing Aminata Kane.

Qatar-headquartered telecommunications and ICT provider Ooredoo and airline Qatar Airways have announced a strategic partnership to enhance artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and cybersecurity capabilities in Qatar.

Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), and VentureOne, ATRC's venture builder, in collaboration with technology group e&, say they have launched QuantumConnect, a next-generation hardware-based encryption solution, in the UAE.

There’s been a flurry of submarine cable deals in Iraq recently, including two contracts announced this week, one with Batelco and the other involving a company called Breeze Investments.

Smartphone shipments in Africa climbed 7% to 19.2 million units in Q2, continuing an upward trend fuelled by easing inflation and currency stability in key markets.

Kuwait Airways announced on Monday it has signed a joint cooperation protocol with stc Kuwait to explore ways to integrate digital services in the telecoms and aviation sectors in ways that can benefit customers of both companies.