Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Nepal’s 4G users have reached 2.59 crore, with mobile broadband penetration rising to 89%. NTC and Ncell continue to drive growth, adding over 1.11 lakh users in a month. Carrier aggregation and nationwide 4G coverage fuel adoption as Nepal prepares to sunset legacy networks and move toward commercial 5G services.
Hub71 has partnered with Australia-based Entersoft to provide cybersecurity services—including smart contract audits, penetration testing, and threat monitoring—to startups in Abu Dhabi. The partnership strengthens the ecosystem’s security posture and supports early-stage companies in building resilient digital-asset and tech solutions. Entersoft says the UAE’s security-first approach sets a global standard.
Safran.AI and the UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute are partnering to develop an agentic AI geospatial intelligence platform that goes beyond traditional analytics by offering autonomous reasoning and decision support. The system merges French and Emirati expertise, supports all-weather monitoring, uses sovereign data models, and will be deployable within existing military C2 systems in 12 months.
FuturePlay has become the first Korean VC to partner with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment, supporting Korean startup expansion into the Kingdom and enabling joint investments in AI, fintech, and deep-tech fields. The partnership aligns with Vision 2030 and strengthens Korea–Saudi innovation ties as both nations accelerate cross-border tech collaboration.
Saudi Arabia ranks third globally in AI model development and AI job growth, according to the Stanford AI Index. With strong performance in language model progress, talent attraction, and scientific citations, the Kingdom’s AI ecosystem is rapidly advancing under Vision 2030 and national initiatives such as SAMAI.
Ahya Technologies, operating across Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, won the UN’s 2025 AI for Climate Action Innovation Award for its AI-driven emissions tracking and carbon market platform. The firm supports climate compliance, partners with major regional institutions, and aims to reduce 150 million tons of CO₂e by 2030 while expanding climate-tech opportunities in MENAP.
Mindanao is expanding digital collaboration with Qatar through talks on ICT investments, tech talent development and innovation programs. The MinDA–MCIT partnership could bring startup support, digital skills training, innovation hubs and smart-tech solutions to local communities, advancing Mindanao’s competitiveness and aligning with national goals for AI readiness and digital transformation.
Vodafone Qatar and Hytera have signed a new MoU to enhance mission-critical communications across sectors such as public safety, healthcare, utilities and transport. By combining Vodafone’s network strength with Hytera’s professional communications technologies, the partnership supports Qatar’s broader digitalisation goals and strengthens operational resilience across key industries.
PTA has proposed strict rollout obligations for Telecom Infrastructure Provider licensees, requiring minimum yearly deployment of fiber, towers, Earth Stations or landing stations. The plan targets inactive licensees and aims to drive nationwide infrastructure expansion, improve network resilience and increase accountability. Stakeholders can submit feedback before the rules are finalized.
Telenor Pakistan and Data Vault have partnered to launch Pakistan’s first sovereign AI cloud, offering GPU-as-a-service and locally hosted AI infrastructure for enterprises. Fully compliant with national data and AI regulations, the platform enables secure model training and industry-specific AI solutions, strengthening Pakistan’s capacity to produce — not just consume — advanced AI technologies.