Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Islamabad’s new IT Park will open on August 14, featuring 120 offices, a startup incubator, a business support centre, and Pakistan’s first Tier III Data Centre. The park aims to boost collaboration across academia, industry, and policymakers, with plans underway for a similar facility near Karachi.
Pakistan’s Ignite freelance training programs have generated $1.65 billion and trained 4.6 million students, but lawmakers call for increased female participation to at least 50%. Ignite plans course expansions including AI, while oversight continues over PTCL’s leadership and sector developments.
Cyber fraud in Oman rose 35% in Q1 2025, fueled by fake websites, job scams, phishing, and cryptocurrency fraud. ROP urges public vigilance, reporting, and cybersecurity best practices while strengthening cooperation to combat rising threats targeting individuals—including children—and dismantling cross-border scam rings.
Huawei launches four intelligent networking solutions in Bangladesh—Xinghe Intelligent Fabric, Campus, WAN, and Unified Secure Access SASE—targeting core infrastructure challenges in finance, education, manufacturing, and public sectors to drive digital transformation and improve organizational communications.
Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) is collaborating with Starlink to launch satellite internet services, proposing to host Starlink gateways at key ground stations. Following successful terminal tests and regulatory progress, the partnership aims to boost connectivity nationwide, supporting underserved regions and advancing Bangladesh’s digital transformation.
Touch partners with Zain Omantel International to offer preferential roaming rates for Gulf subscribers, supporting Lebanon’s telecom sector revival. The deal expands coverage and improves roaming services, making Lebanon more accessible for regional travelers from multiple Middle Eastern nations.
Rakuten Symphony and Zain Kuwait have partnered to pilot Kuwait’s first cloud-native Open RAN deployment, utilizing advanced virtualized software to deliver 5G Standalone sites. This project marks a significant step toward network agility and scalability, supporting a wider Open RAN rollout across the Zain Group’s Middle East and North Africa operations.
Turkcell’s subsidiary TDC secured EUR100 million in interest-free murabaha financing from Emirates NBD to fund data center expansion and digital infrastructure projects. The agreement supports Turkcell’s growth strategy focused on eco-friendly, high-capacity data centers catering to cloud, AI, and big data demands in the MENAT region.
Veon and Engro have secured all regulatory approvals to combine their telecom infrastructure assets in Pakistan. Engro will acquire Deodar from Veon’s Jazz, enabling Jazz to operate as an asset-light company while maintaining service leases, supporting Pakistan’s digital transformation and infrastructure growth.
Saudi Arabia launches a new digital service enabling pilgrims to activate eSIMs instantly via app and biometric verification, ensuring seamless connectivity upon arrival. This innovation enhances the Hajj and Umrah experience by eliminating traditional SIM card activation delays and aligns with the Kingdom’s commitment to digital modernization.