Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Morocco Telecom plans to launch a new share buyback programme worth up to 255 million dirhams, covering 1.5 million shares over 18 months. The initiative aims to enhance liquidity and stabilise trading without altering capital structure, pending shareholder approval at the March 26 AGM.
Jordan launches a €1.83 million EU-backed ReTour initiative to enhance digital readiness and resilience among tourism SMEs across six Mediterranean countries. The 30-month project will introduce AI, blockchain, smart tools, and training to support sustainability and business continuity.
The Iraqi-UAE World Link project is a US$700 million hybrid subsea and terrestrial fiber network linking Asia and Europe through Iraq and Turkey. Designed for hyperscale traffic with sub-100ms latency, it supports AI workloads and cloud services, diversifies global data routes, and positions Iraq as a key Eurasian connectivity hub.
Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has launched Wa3i.net, an Arabic platform promoting digital citizenship and child online safety. The launch coincided with an MoU signing with NCCM to strengthen child protection, awareness, and training programs across the country, benefiting thousands of teachers, students, and parents.
Egypt’s telecom regulator has instructed mobile operators to grant five free international minutes to subscribers calling six Arab countries, helping families stay connected during regional tensions. The Foreign Ministry has also launched a WhatsApp hotline to assist Egyptians abroad.
Globe Telecom has rolled out a free roaming package for customers in several Middle Eastern countries, offering 1GB of data, 15 call minutes and 15 SMS for seven days. The initiative aims to support Filipinos abroad amid rising regional tensions.
UNICEF has launched a continent-wide procurement initiative to connect up to 500,000 schools and child-focused institutions across Africa. The programme will prequalify service providers through a Request for Expression of Interest, with a competitive tender planned for Q2 2026.
Amdocs has partnered with Microsoft, Google Cloud and AWS to deliver AI-powered application modernisation and automation solutions for telecom operators. The collaborations aim to accelerate cloud migration, streamline operations and support large-scale digital transformation, with solutions to be showcased at MWC 2026.
Vodafone has partnered with Amazon’s LEO satellite network to expand 4G and 5G coverage in remote areas across Europe and Africa. The deal will improve rural connectivity, strengthen network resilience, and support Vodacom’s long-term growth strategy, with the first sites set to go live in 2026.
Huawei and African telecom operators launched the Northern Africa Digital Operation Transformation Pioneer Club 2.0 at OTF 2026 in Barcelona, focusing on AI-driven digital transformation, intelligent operations, and new growth opportunities for the region’s telecom sector.