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.

Service provider Orange Egypt says it has signed an exclusive money transfer partnership with Enjaz Payment Services, one of the largest fintech companies in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Whish Money, a Lebanese fintech company, has collaborated with payments giant Mastercard to enable inbound and outbound remittance flows for consumers in Lebanon.

NaiTel, a licensed telecommunications service provider in Jordan and the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub (ADH – Jordan's largest carrier-neutral data centre), and telecom services provider Telecom Egypt, have announced the completion of the laying of the 15-kilometre express subsea cable Coral Bridge connecting Egypt and Jordan, the first direct subsea cable between the two countries in over 25 years.

Turkey is officially going ahead with 5G spectrum auction plans. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced earlier this week that the 5G frequency tender would take place in October.

Chinese technology company Lenovo has announced plans to establish a regional headquarters (RHQ) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, along with the appointment of its executive leadership team for the country, marking what Lenovo describes as a key milestone in the company’s regional growth strategy.

The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and e& money, the fintech arm of technology group e&, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide wage protection services via the e& money platform. This enables individuals to manage salary payments for domestic workers in line with applicable legislation and regulatory frameworks.

Data centre news is still pouring in from the Middle East, including recent announcements of significant developments in Dubai and coastal Oman.

e& UAE says it has launched a new business continuity service – billed as "monitoring-as-a-service (MaaS)" – that it says provides enterprises complete observability over their infrastructure environments.

Hytera Communications, a provider of professional communications technologies and solutions, says it has successfully deployed its SmartOne Unified Communication Platform to support the Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MoI) in overhauling Baghdad’s emergency services.

Operator and global technology group e& UAE has deployed what is described as the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC’s) first dual band 64T64R MetaAAU (active antenna unit), an advanced radio unit from technology vendor Huawei, on its live 5G network, a new technology that not only improves how 5G networks perform but also uses less energy and reduces the amount of equipment needed.

UAE telecoms operator du says it has partnered with Microsoft, Nokia, Khalifa University’s 6G Research Center, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to launch what it says is the first AI model that serves critical telecom functions related to customer service in Arabic. 

Kalaam Telecom Group, a regional provider of digital infrastructure and ICT solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Silah Gulf, a customer experience and business process outsourcing provider, to jointly advance digital innovation and elevate service delivery standards across the region.

Orange has raised its full-year targets after its Africa and Middle East unit was once again recognised as the group’s primary growth engine.

Morocco’s telecommunications regulator, the ANRT, has awarded 5G licences to the country’s three main operators - Maroc Telecom, Inwi, and Orange Morocco - raising MAD2.1 billion (US$210 million) for state coffers and marking a major step forward in the country’s national digital transformation agenda.

Nokia announced on Monday that it is supplying its subsea optical solutions for the Medusa Submarine Cable System owned by AFR-IX Telecom that aims to connect North Africa and Europe when it goes live later this year.

Oman Investment and Finance Company (OIFC), a.k.a. Khedmah, announced on Sunday it has launched an international mobile recharge service in collaboration with Prepay Nation that allows mobile customers to top up their prepaid mobile accounts in 16 countries.

Saudi Arabia-based Etihad Salam Telecom Company announced on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Technology to develop and expand access to digital infrastructure in Syria.

Saudi Electric Company – National Grid, the entity responsible for the transmission of power to different categories of customers in all locations in Saudi Arabia, has awarded Wipro, an AI-powered technology services and consulting company, a multi-year strategic contract involving smart metering.

Algerian operator Algerie Telecom, which offers a wide range of fixed-line, internet and enterprise solutions and Sparkle, an Italian international service provider, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a new subsea cable linking Italy and Algeria.

UAE-based satellite company Space42 announced on Wednesday that it has signed a US$695.5 million Export Credit Agency (ECA)-backed financing facility to fund the development of its next-generation geostationary satellites, Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5.

Operator Ooredoo Kuwait has partnered with tech giant Ericsson to modernise its charging system, paving the way, the partners say, for new business opportunities and competitive marketing strategies.

UAE-headquartered technology company e& and 4iG Group, a provider of integrated telecommunications services in Hungary and the Western Balkans, have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration across key areas of digital infrastructure.

Bahrain-headquartered technology group Beyon has announced the signing of an agreement to develop Khaleej North, an 800-kilometre submarine cable system that will further expand the planned Al Khaleej Cable, expected to be in service by Q2 2026, by connecting Bahrain with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.

Zain KSA says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cisco to develop AI infrastructure and GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) for the Saudi Arabian market.

Morocco’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) has officially invited telcos to submit tenders for 5G licences that will enable them to launch commercial services by November.

Saudi Arabian VSAT integrator and ISP First Gulf Company (FGC) said on Monday it has signed an agreement with Arabsat to collaborate on delivering exclusive VSAT and satellite data services across Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia-based telco stc revealed on Sunday that the 2Africa Pearls cable system has landed in Bahrain, next to Seef District, which it says will reinforce the country as a significant ICT hub in the MENA region.

Two recently announced projects in Indonesia and Morocco underline the continuing drive to power data centres in a sustainable manner.

Beyon Money Business, part of the Bahrain-headquartered techonology company Beyon Group, has signed a strategic partnership with EazyPay, a point of sale (POS) and online payment gateway acquirer and payment services provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain.