Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Bangladesh’s mobile subscriber base fell by 17 lakh in 2025 after the government reduced the SIM ownership limit from 15 to 10 per person. The move aimed to improve transparency and security. Total users dropped to 18.59 crore, while Grameenphone retained market leadership despite a slight decline.
M-Pesa Ethiopia and Gebeya have launched the Dala AI Bundle, enabling Ethiopians to access and pay for localized AI creation tools via mobile wallets. The service supports app building, AI agents, and content in local languages, expanding inclusive digital innovation and empowering creators nationwide through trusted mobile payments.
Beyon reported $189.1 million net profit for 2025, slightly down due to new taxes and acquisition costs, while revenues rose 8% driven by telecom and digital growth. Q4 profit jumped 17%. The company maintained strong margins, solid assets, and proposed dividends, advancing AI and regional brand unification.
Egypt grants Mercedes-Benz Egypt IoT licences for vehicles, supporting digital transformation, road safety, and advanced connected services.
Orange Egypt, in partnership with GIZ and Aswan University, has launched its first Digital Centre in Upper Egypt to train youth in software development, cybersecurity, data analysis, embedded systems, and hardware prototyping. The initiative aims to bridge academic education with labor market needs, foster innovation through events and hackathons, and expand digital skills opportunities across the region.
Chief Executive Abdulwahed AlJanahi described the launch as a key milestone in enhancing Bahrain’s electronic payments infrastructure and enabling the country’s digital economy ambitions.
The initiative forms part of Algeria’s national digital transformation strategy through 2030, supported by efforts to establish an updated legal and regulatory framework — including a draft digitalization law — and reinforced cybersecurity measures to safeguard data and information systems.
The leadership transition comes as e& reported strong full-year 2025 financial results. Consolidated net profit rose 33.6% year-on-year to AED14.4 billion (US$3.8 billion), while revenues increased 23.1% to AED72.9 billion (US$19.9 billion). EBITDA climbed 21.1% to AED32 billion (US$8.7 billion), and the group’s global subscriber base expanded 31.3% to 245 million.
U Mobile, which is continuing its nationwide 5G rollout, said it remains ahead of schedule in targeting 80% population coverage by the second half of 2026.
Khazna said the milestone reflects its commitment to delivering resilient, high-performance digital infrastructure tailored to the accelerating demands of AI-driven computing. The company’s UAE portfolio currently includes 30 data centres, with 22 already achieving Tier III Certification of Constructed Facility status.