Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Google will deploy a new subsea cable called Dhivaru linking Oman, the Maldives, and Australia’s Christmas Island, alongside two regional connectivity hubs. The project will enhance resilience, performance, and regional reach across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Oceania through advanced switching, caching, and colocation capabilities.
Omantel has launched a regional Managed Optical Fibre Network using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 technology, offering up to 1.6 Tbps per wavelength for hyperscalers and cloud providers. With end-to-end management, automated provisioning, and multi-country reach via Zain and ZOI, the network strengthens Oman’s role as a regional digital connectivity hub.
Sri Lanka’s SLT-MOBITEL has set a new national 5G speed record exceeding 10Gbps, expanding trials to 18 districts ahead of commercial deployment and strengthening the country’s digital transformation agenda.
Ooredoo Qatar has strengthened its IoT leadership with a unified ecosystem enabling secure, scalable and intelligent device connectivity. The enhanced platform supports real-time management and operational efficiency, empowering businesses to accelerate digital transformation across Qatar.
Nepal Telecom’s Q1 results reflect persistent revenue pressure caused by OTT adoption and rising operational costs. Profitability remains strained, underscoring the need for aggressive financial and service reforms to restore growth in Nepal’s telecom sector.
Iran’s mobile connectivity saw measurable improvement in October, rising three spots globally with faster download speeds. However, fixed broadband lags significantly behind global averages, highlighting the need for continued investment to support growing digital service demand.
Pakistan has accelerated its digital reform agenda, aiming for nationwide 100 Mbps speeds, major fibre expansion, and leadership in AI and cloud services. The country is pushing digital inclusion, women’s participation, and strong governance reforms, while calling for more investment to ensure universal and affordable connectivity.
Oman’s new MOFN service with Ciena boosts data speeds up to 1.6 Tbps per wavelength, enhancing regional connectivity for AI and cloud infrastructure. The end-to-end managed service strengthens Oman’s status as a strategic digital hub linking Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe, while delivering secure, scalable bandwidth for hyperscalers and enterprise expansion.
Qatar Airways now has over half its wide-body fleet equipped with free gate-to-gate Starlink internet, enabling industry-leading high-speed connectivity across 200 daily flights as rollout accelerates ahead of schedule.
Oman is entering a critical phase of cybersecurity progress, with industry leaders stressing that the nation’s future resilience depends on consistent implementation of its strong strategic foundations. Speaking at the Cysec Oman Forum, specialists highlighted that while national frameworks, regulations, and the Cyber Defence Centre have advanced governance, gaps remain between planning and execution across key industries.