Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
ZTE and GO Telecom have achieved Saudi Arabia’s first long-distance 5G-A mmWave trial, covering 6 km with nearly 1 Gbps speeds. The trial supports Vision 2030 by enabling enterprise-grade connectivity, smart industries, and FWA solutions, positioning the partners at the forefront of Saudi digital transformation.
Thousands of Pakistani women are leveraging foodpanda’s home chef platform to turn kitchens into businesses, marking a major step for women’s financial inclusion. While commissions remain high, success stories like Lo-Kal Bites and Kausey Extreme show how digital tools are reshaping entrepreneurship and empowering women in Pakistan’s economy.
Bangladesh plans to expand its fibre optic network to 500,000 km, shifting from overhead to underground systems to boost resilience. With Bakshi as a key manufacturer, the government aims to modernise infrastructure, unify networks, and position fibre optics as a growth sector for digital transformation.
Omantel has announced a major rebrand to become Oman’s flagship national technology powerhouse. Building on 5G, fibre, and subsea cables, it aims to transform Oman into a regional hub for AI, cloud, and smart city innovation, supporting Vision 2040 with new digital services, global partnerships, and hyperscaler investments.
Nokia will modernize INX-ZA’s Internet Exchange Points in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, introducing 400GE and expanded 100GE services. The upgrade expands JINX to ten data centers, improves scalability, reduces latency, and enhances South Africa’s digital infrastructure, enabling ISPs, enterprises, and cloud providers to meet rising demand.
NaiTel and Telecom Egypt have completed the Coral Bridge subsea cable, the first direct link between Jordan and Egypt in over 25 years. The 15-km system, equipped with 48 fibre pairs, delivers 1 Petabit capacity, ultra-low latency, and cost efficiency, enhancing regional connectivity across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Zong and Huawei’s joint launch of GigaAAU FDD Massive MIMO has boosted Pakistan’s 4G capacity by over 150% in downlink traffic and 330% in user experience. With advanced beamforming, dual-band support, and near-zero off-peak power usage, this collaboration enhances performance, efficiency, and sustainability in the telecom sector.
The massive internet blackout in Pakistan once again exposed the fragility of the country’s digital infrastructure. With connectivity dropping to just 20 percent and vital services crippled, WISPAP termed the outage a “national failure.” The association urged reforms, diversification, and redundancy to secure Pakistan’s digital future.
Kuwait has launched 5G Advanced (5.5G) technology through a Huawei–Knetco partnership, delivering ultra-fast speeds, low latency, and massive connectivity. The nationwide rollout supports Vision 2035, enabling smart cities, AI-powered industries, and next-gen digital services, while setting the stage for 6G development.
The EU and BTRC have held talks on data protection, cybersecurity, and the digital economy. The EU reaffirmed its support for Bangladesh’s broadband, 5G, and connectivity goals, pledging technical expertise under its Global Gateway strategy to help build a secure and inclusive digital future.