Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
The UAE leads globally in mobile internet speed with 584.97 Mbps, followed by Qatar and Kuwait, while Singapore tops fixed internet speeds at 386.96 Mbps. In the Balkans, North Macedonia leads in mobile, Serbia in fixed, and Bosnia and Herzegovina trails with the slowest internet.
Egypt and India are exploring stronger ICT cooperation in offshoring, AI, and digital skills development. Ongoing projects under their MoU cover e-government, innovation, and cybersecurity, with both sides aiming to boost investment and expand bilateral ties in the technology sector.
Egypt’s MCIT has launched a six-month Digital Egypt Youth training program for recent engineering graduates, combining soft skills, telecom fundamentals, and advanced network training. Delivered with industry partners, the initiative equips participants with hands-on expertise in 5G, security, and spectrum management to meet job market demands.
Beyon has partnered with Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior to launch an AI-powered traffic monitoring system, deploying 500 smart cameras to enhance road safety and discipline. The project aligns with Bahrain Vision 2030 and reinforces the Kingdom’s role as a regional hub for digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
Telecom Egypt and Jordan’s NaiTel have completed the Coral Bridge subsea cable across the Gulf of Aqaba. The 48-fiber-pair system provides over 1 petabit of capacity, linking Egypt and Jordan directly for the first time in 25 years and enabling seamless onward connectivity between Africa, Asia, and Europe.
ECM Blockchain, founded by Bangladeshi entrepreneur Tanvirul Islam Prince, is the country’s first blockchain initiative with global scale. With a mainnet launch in Q4 2025, live ecosystem projects, and an active ICO, ECM aims to deliver scalable, low-cost infrastructure for trade, supply chains, finance, and Web3 innovation.
ARY Zap has secured exclusive digital streaming rights for the UK-hosted Tri-Nation T20 Series featuring Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UAE from 29 August to 7 September. The tournament offers fans live coverage and brands unique advertising opportunities targeting South Asian audiences.
Algeria has launched its UNCTAD-backed eTrade Readiness Assessment to support MSMEs, strengthen e-commerce, and advance AfCFTA integration. With e-commerce rapidly expanding, the roadmap aims to address logistics barriers, promote competitiveness, and align with Algeria’s economic diversification and regional trade ambitions.
Kenya has launched its broadband mapping system under the Africa-BB-Maps initiative, supported by the ITU and EU. The system will guide policy and investment, identify connectivity gaps, and accelerate universal digital access while linking broadband to socio-economic priorities like education, health, and commerce.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Cisco have launched Indonesia’s first sovereign SOC, powered by Splunk Cloud, to deliver AI-driven threat detection while keeping national data under local jurisdiction. The initiative also supports training one million Indonesians in cybersecurity and networking by 2030.