Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Syria is negotiating with Gulf telecom firms for a $300 million fibre optic upgrade to boost connectivity and establish a strategic digital corridor. This follows growing foreign investment interest after U.S. sanctions easing, as Syria aims to rebuild critical infrastructure after years of conflict.
Mohamed Al Hakim left a career in London to nurture Iraq’s digital startup ecosystem through EQIQ, a venture capital fund investing in fintech, e-commerce, logistics, and edtech. Despite regulatory challenges, Iraq’s improving stability and growing entrepreneurship scene offer promising prospects for diversifying the economy beyond oil.
Egyptian startup Turuq offers SMEs a tech-enabled last-mile delivery platform combining automation, transparency, and operational efficiency. With strong customer retention and delivery success rates, Turuq is enhancing logistics reliability and helping e-commerce businesses focus on growth.
Egypt will launch 5G services on June 4 with four major operators investing USD 2.7 billion in licenses and spectrum. The move supports smart cities, healthcare innovation, and IoT growth, marking a pivotal step in Egypt’s digital transformation and strengthening its ICT global position.
AMTOB supports Bangladesh’s proposed 2025 Telecom Licensing Reform Policy, calling it a vital modernization effort. The association refutes concerns of bias, highlights inefficiencies in the current fragmented system, and welcomes the new licensing structure. AMTOB stresses that reform is essential for sector growth, better service quality, and national digital progress.
Bahrain’s joint team from Bahrain Polytechnic and the University of Bahrain won first place in the Network Track of the Huawei ICT Competition 2024–2025 Global Finals. The victory highlights Bahrain’s commitment to developing ICT talent and the Polytechnic’s role in delivering practical, industry-aligned education. Huawei’s partnership supports skill development aligned with its Intelligent World 2030 vision.
Bahrain’s iGA hosted a delegation from Oman’s Foreign Ministry to share best practices in digital transformation. The visit highlighted Bahrain’s innovative eGovernment services and the Global Digital Twinning Initiative, strengthening GCC collaboration for smarter, citizen-focused governance across the region.
Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority received the 2025 Quality Choice Prize from ESQR, celebrating its outstanding regulatory practices and digital transformation efforts. The award underscores TRA’s dedication to quality and transparency and bolsters Bahrain’s status as a leader in telecom regulation and innovation in the Middle East.
Africa’s mobile landscape is booming with about 855 million cellular connections in 2025, often exceeding total population numbers due to multiple device ownership. Nigeria leads with 150 million connections, followed by South Africa and Egypt. This surge is driven by affordable smartphones, expanding 4G/5G networks, and mobile money innovations, positioning mobile technology as a key driver for communication, economic growth, and digital inclusion across the continent.
Telecom regulators and industry leaders from across the Middle East and Africa convened in Cairo to discuss leveraging crowdsourced data and AI-driven analytics to improve network quality and accelerate digital inclusion. The summit highlighted the shift to user-centric regulatory models and emphasized collaboration to support economic growth and enhanced connectivity across the region.