Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Viva provides free roaming Internet, calls, and SMS for subscribers in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE until further notice, including local calls and calls to Armenia.
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.
Middle East smartphone shipments rose 13 percent to 54.8 million units in 2025, driven by flagship launches and Gulf upgrade cycles. Samsung strengthened its premium and mid-range leadership alongside Apple, while HONOR posted rapid growth. The market is expected to moderate in 2026 amid tighter supply conditions.
The modernization of the FOG infrastructure reflects ongoing regional efforts to strengthen digital backbone networks capable of supporting cloud adoption, enterprise services, and next-generation digital applications across the Gulf.
e& and TNS Global launch a new terrestrial fiber corridor linking Kazakhstan and the UAE, enhancing regional connectivity, improving resilience through route diversity, and supporting growing hyperscale, cloud, and carrier-grade demand across Central Asia and the Middle East.
Tencent Cloud plans to expand its Middle East data centre footprint over the next 12–18 months, capitalising on surging regional demand for cloud, AI, and digital infrastructure driven by government-led transformation agendas.
Primark is expanding rapidly across the Middle East, opening three stores in Dubai in 2026 and confirming new locations in Qatar and Bahrain by year-end, building on its Kuwait debut and tapping into strong regional demand for value-driven fashion.
Network International has appointed former Careem CFO Ashish Jain as Group Chief Financial Officer. Jain will lead financial strategy, capital allocation, and operational excellence as the fintech accelerates growth across the Middle East and Africa, bringing deep experience in scaling businesses and navigating complex, high-growth environments.
Over 90% of organisations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia plan to deploy AI agents, but Cisco warns security frameworks are lagging. As agentic AI gains autonomy, risks shift to the AI supply chain and enterprise tools. Cisco urges lifecycle protection through vulnerability scanning, runtime guardrails, and zero-trust controls.
ai security, middle east, cisco
Telefónica and stc have expanded their partnership into satellite communications, developing multi-orbit connectivity solutions for the Middle East. The collaboration targets aviation, maritime, emergency services, and rural coverage, supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals and enabling secure, high-performance connectivity beyond terrestrial networks.