UAE-based telco e& announced on Wednesday it has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Motorola Mobility to explore new market opportunities in the Middle East region, possibly including AI.

Mira Aerospace, the high altitude platform systems (HAPS) subsidiary of Space42, the UAE-based space technology company, has announced the successful completion of the first public test flight of its advanced, solar-powered HAPS model, ApusNeo18.

Meta has completed the core build of its 2Africa subsea cable system, marking a major milestone in one of the world’s largest connectivity projects, with further expansions already underway.

Omantel says it has launched a new regional managed optical fibre network (MOFN) in collaboration with Zain Group and Zain Omantel International (ZOI) with optical solutions from Ciena.

Google says it plans to deploy a new trans-Indian Ocean subsea cable system that will connect Oman, the Maldives Islands in South Asia, and Christmas Island, an Australian territory. It will be called Dhivaru after the line that controls the main sail on traditional Maldivian sailing vessels.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is set to sell around half of its stake in Ooredoo Group in a move to raise additional capital on the Qatar Stock Exchange.

Oman Airports has deployed Wi-Fi 7 technology, introducing next-generation connectivity at Muscat International Airport. It claims to be the first airport operator in the world to introduce the technology.

Technology giant Ericsson and Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), to reinforce collaboration over a three-year period and support the development of Egypt’s information and communications technology (ICT) and digital services industries.

The United Arab Emirates regulator, The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), has announced the launch of what it calls the 6th Generation (6G) Initiative in the country.

BENEFIT, a leading Bahrain company in fintech and electronic financial transactions, licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) as an ancillary service provider to the Kingdom’s financial services industry, has announced a deal that will help to enable real-time cross-border payments between Bahrain and India.

Morocco’s three main telcos – Maroc Telecom, Orange Maroc and Inwi – officially launched 5G services in the country on Friday, mainly in urban centres, four months after receiving their 5G licences.

Umniah by Beyon has signed a five-year agreement naming Ericsson as its exclusive radio access network (RAN) supplier for 3G, 4G and 5G technologies in Jordan.

UAE-based Space42 announced on Wednesday that its next-gen Thuraya-4 satellite is now globally available for customers in Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, with new markets including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia.

Ericsson announced on Tuesday that it has renewed its partnership with Bahrainian telco Batelco by Beyon, which will deploy Ericsson’s latest RAN solutions to expand coverage of its 5G network.

Bahrain-headquartered technology group Beyon has announced the establishment of its second fully green solar-powered data centre with the successful completion of Phase 3 of the Beyon Solar Park developed in partnership with solar solutions company Almoayyed Solar.

Orange submarine cable subsidiary Orange Marine announced the construction of two new cable ships to boost the resilience of digital infrastructure across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Two submarine cables – one linking the UAE and Kenya and the other linking Tunisia with France – have made news recently, the former thanks to a new launch, the latter because of a successful landing.

Smart utilities are again in the news after InfraX, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and technology giant Ericsson recently announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate the digital transformation of the utility sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Qatar-based Ooredoo Group announced it is collaborating with Ericsson-led open network API joint venture Aduna to make its open network APIs available to businesses across the MENA region and around the world via the Aduna platform.

Saudi Arabian telco stc Group announced on Wednesday it has signed a strategic agreement with LEO satellite operator AST SpaceMobile to develop direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity services across Saudi Arabia and select markets in the Middle East and Africa.

Safaricom has officially confirmed it is partnering with Meta subsidiary Edge Network Services to establish the Daraja subsea cable system that will connect Kenya and Oman.

Humain, a global artificial intelligence company based in Saudi Arabia building end-to-end AI capabilities, and AirTrunk, a data centre platform in the Asia Pacific region, have agreed to establish a strategic partnership to build data centres in Saudi Arabia.

As 5G applications continue to extend well beyond outdoor use, Ericsson and Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) are the latest companies to discuss 5G-powered rail operations after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing rail operations through 5G technology.

Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has inaugurated Oppo’s new smartphone factory, marking another milestone in the country’s expanding electronics manufacturing sector.

Syria has signed an agreement with Barcelona-based Medusa Submarine Cable System for the country’s first international subsea cable landing, state-run Ikhbariya TV reported.

Education and healthcare are the two sectors where artificial intelligence (AI) holds the greatest potential to deliver meaningful benefits for society, according to Frost & Sullivan’s Global ICT Practice Leader, Alexander Michael.

Technology giant Nokia has announced that Gulf Bridge International (GBI) a Qatar-headquartered global cloud, connectivity and content enabler, has selected Nokia’s optical networking solution to build a new high-capacity terrestrial network, also designed for subsea backhauling, enhancing connectivity between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Huawei has launched a new framework designed to help governments in the Middle East and Central Asia advance their digital transformation agendas, while underlining the role of technology as a catalyst for economic growth.

Saudi Arabia-based telecoms and digital infrastructure company Etihad Salam said on Tuesday it has entered into a strategic partnership with AFR-IX Telecom to be the primary landing and interconnection hub for the Medusa subsea cable system and extend the system’s reach to the Red Sea.

UAE-based digital solutions firm Yango Group and China Mobile International (CMI) have reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop technology solutions for businesses in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

It’s already proving a busy week for Bahrain-headquartered technology group Beyon, with a cybersecurity-related deal and a new brand identity launch, along with associated investment plans for Jordan, now making news for the company.

UAE telco du announced on Friday it has partnered with NextGenAI to launch an Nvidia-powered AI supercluster that more than doubles the capacity of du's existing supercluster.

UAE-based satellite firm Space42 says it has signed separate MoUs with e& UAE and South Korean autonomous driving company Autonomous A2Z to develop the UAE’s autonomous mobility services ecosystem.