Press Release

Regional series of high-level meetings will bring together governments, regulators, technology leaders, investors and international institutions around the infrastructure, intelligence and investment priorities shaping the next digital era.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council is announcing a new series of high-level leadership gatherings across the Middle East during the second half of 2026, bringing together some of the most meaningful voices in government, regulation, telecommunications, technology, infrastructure, investment and international cooperation.

The series will be convened in partnership with leading national institutions across the region and will unite regional and international leaders together to examine issues of growing global importance for digital development: the future of critical connectivity, the protection and continuity of digital infrastructure, the evolution toward 6G, sovereign AI and compute, integrated terrestrial, submarine and satellite systems, and the mobilization of investment for the next generation of digital development.

The first series of gatherings currently being developed will take place in the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman, with each country providing leadership around a distinct but connected set of priorities.

In the UAE, the Digital Continuity Forum 2026 under the Patronage of the TDRA is being developed as an international platform focused on trusted and resilient connectivity for the intelligence-led era and 6G Ecosystem Roadmap. It will convene leaders around critical ICT infrastructure protection, mission-critical networks, private 5G, future wireless systems, standards, talent and the foundations required for the transition toward 6G.

In Oman, AXIS 2026 under the Patronage of TRA Oman and Leadership of Omantel is being developed as a top-level platform focused on integrated digital infrastructure and investment. It will bring together policymakers, operators, infrastructure providers, Hyperscalers, investors, datacenter and cloud leaders, satellite and submarine connectivity players, and AI infrastructure stakeholders around Oman’s growing role as a regional digital and economic hub.

Together, this first series of gatherings will form part of a wider regional leadership movement.

The objective is not simply to hold conferences; it is to host a sequence of high-level engagements designed to bring regional perspectives into the international dialogue on digital development, on the infrastructure, investment, policy and institutional foundations of the AI era.

Mr. Bocar BA, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, said:
“The Middle East is entering a new phase of digital leadership. The region is investing in connectivity, artificial intelligence, cloud, data centers, sovereign compute, cybersecurity and future networks at a scale that will accelerate Digital Transformation.

What is now required is a meaningful leadership conversation around how these capabilities connect, how they are protected, how they are financed and how they contribute to long-term national and regional development.

During the second half of 2026, SAMENA Council will bring together leaders across several carefully designed platforms to advance this conversation. Each gathering will have its own purpose, its own national context and its own strategic contribution. Taken together, they will reflect a region that is helping to define the digital future rather than simply responding to it.”

The series is expected to bring significant contribution from international organizations, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and wider international markets.

Invited participants will include ministers, regulators, CEOs, telecommunications and infrastructure leaders, international organizations, standards bodies, research institutions, technology companies, sovereign and institutional investors, development-finance organizations and global thought leaders.

The series will focus on key priorities driving regional digital transformation, including:

• Critical connectivity and digital continuity
• Infrastructure protection and resilience
• Autonomous future networks and 6G
• AI infrastructure and sovereign compute
• Terrestrial, submarine and satellite integration
• Data centers and cloud
• Infrastructure investment and innovative financing models
• Local capability talent
• Standards and international cooperation

Further announcements will be issued separately regarding the UAE and Oman gatherings, including their programs, host institutions, strategic partners and participating leaders.

Additional regional initiatives are also expected to be announced soon as part of SAMENA Council’s second-half 2026 leadership agenda.