Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Airtel Uganda has expanded 4G services to Kassanda District, improving network reliability and speed. The operator’s community engagement includes digital literacy efforts like data management education, supporting nationwide digital inclusion and economic participation.
Nokia, e& UAE, and MediaTek demonstrated the Middle East’s first six-component carrier aggregation on 5G Standalone networks, achieving 5.8 Gbps speeds across multiple mid-band spectrum bands. This breakthrough advances 5G performance in the UAE, enabling ultra-fast connectivity and supporting the region’s digital transformation.
Saudi Arabia’s government ICT contracts grew 18.75% to SR38 billion in 2024, driven by health, military, and infrastructure sectors. Investments focus on AI, cloud, and emerging tech, supporting Vision 2030. The Kingdom leads globally in digital government rankings and ICT spending share.
Pakistan’s IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja spotlighted satellite internet’s role in bridging the digital divide, praised key organizations expanding connectivity, and called for unified investor strategies and digital literacy to advance Pakistan’s digital future.
Mobile phone imports in Pakistan declined by 16.31% in July-May 2024-25, with a sharp 35.83% drop in May 2025 compared to last year. Despite this, overall merchandise exports rose by 5.15%, while total imports increased by 7.50% in the same period.
COMEX 2025, Oman’s flagship tech exhibition, returns with a focus on eGovernment, enterprise ICT, startups, gaming, and fintech. The event offers global pavilions, hackathons, and awards, drawing leaders and investors to explore opportunities in Oman and the GCC.
Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning launched a digital platform for instant property title deed issuance, cutting service time and reducing in-person visits significantly. The initiative supports Oman’s digital transformation and Vision 2040 goals, with plans to expand accessibility nationwide through kiosks and service halls.
Brookfield Asset Management is close to acquiring a stake in an Omani telecom operator, marking its first investment in Oman’s telecom market. The deal highlights increasing foreign interest amid Oman’s telecom liberalization and digital growth initiatives.
TikTok’s Family Academy in Morocco provided parents with digital literacy tools and insights to support teens’ healthy social media use. Experts emphasized dialogue over control and highlighted culturally relevant resources to foster better parent-teen communication about digital habits.
Maroc Telecom and Inwi have created joint ventures to accelerate Morocco’s FTTH and 5G expansion, investing $486 million initially. Uni Fiber targets millions of fiber connections, while Uni Tower aims to build thousands of telecom towers, fostering open infrastructure access and national digital growth.
