Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Asiacell has launched Iraq’s first VoWiFi service, enabling customers to make calls over Wi-Fi in areas with poor mobile coverage. The service, free of charge and app-free, improves indoor call quality while easing network congestion amid Iraq’s rapid urban expansion.
Iraq has launched Tasheel, its first electronic document authentication system, allowing citizens to certify documents securely and remotely. The initiative aims to cut bureaucracy, reduce corruption, and improve transparency, with officials framing it as a milestone in the country’s wider digital transformation agenda.
Iraq’s Federal Board of Supreme Audit has reported that Asiacell and Zain Iraq owe over 161 billion Iraqi dinars in accumulated debts to the state. The document highlights significant financial liabilities but provides no details on repayment mechanisms or potential government actions.
Southern Technical University, in partnership with Smart Cloud Group, has opened an IT and AI training lab to enhance digital skills, align education with labor market needs, and support Iraq’s innovation-driven development.
Iraq has signed two new submarine cable deals — one with Batelco by Beyon and another with UAE’s Breeze Investments — to land new systems at Al-Faw Peninsula. These projects, along with Ooredoo’s FIG cable, aim to transform Iraq into a strategic hub for regional and global data traffic.
The 9th International Scientific Conference on Arbaeen urged Iraq to integrate Arbaeen’s values into education, adopt AI and drones for crowd management, improve infrastructure, and promote sustainability. It also recommended global partnerships, research grants, and greater youth and women’s participation.
Boxy raises $1.5M pre-seed from EQIQ to unify Iraq’s last-mile delivery via an AI-driven logistics platform, aiming to simplify shipping for merchants and build a scalable digital infrastructure.
TikTok removed over 10 million violating videos in Iraq in Q1 2025 and banned thousands of live hosts. Despite governmental concerns about societal impact, experts emphasize TikTok’s role in supporting young entrepreneurs.
Iraq ranks 184th globally in technology advancement, trailing most Arab countries and facing critical challenges in digital infrastructure and innovation.
Turkey’s draft energy agreement proposal to Iraq seeks to renew cooperation amid the ending of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline deal in 2026. Despite arbitration disputes and pipeline shutdowns since 2023, both nations aim to revive oil flows linked to strategic regional infrastructure projects.