SAMENA Daily News - SAMENA Telecommunications Council

'SAMENA Daily' - Archive

SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
May 8, 2026

Featured Member News

Omantel launches AI Centre of Excellence to accelerate Oman’s digital innovation ecosystem

The centre brings together an integrated digital ecosystem spanning advanced infrastructure, innovation, and skills development, enabling Omani startups to build scalable, market-ready solutions with the potential to expand globally...

Member News

•

Cisco to participate in May & June events with the financial community

Cisco will engage investors across major global technology conferences in May and June 2026, highlighting its leadership in networking, security, and digital infrastructure...

Recent Developments

•

AT&T has the fastest upload speeds in America

•

Huawei unveils the upgraded Xinghe Intelligent Network powered by secure intelligent connectivity

•

Mediafon Joins SAMENA Council to Deliver Centralized Regulatory Telecom Systems Across the SA-ME-NA Region

•

AT&T celebrates small business owners with the launch of the 2026 AT&T Small Business Contest

Policy and Regulation

•	CST publishes the annual DRA report for 2025 The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) has published the 2025 annual report for the Digital regulatory Academy (DRA), which aims to introduce the academy, its inception and objectives, explain its...

•	Digital risks: New report maps critical vulnerabilities in the world’s interconnected systems Joint expert report by ITU, UNDRR, and Sciences Po highlights resilience as the cornerstone of digital infrastructure stability...

South Asia

•	Jazz targets 1,000 5G sites by August as Pakistan begins commercial rollout Pakistan’s largest telecom operator Jazz says it will begin a phased rollout of 5G services, targeting 1,000 network sites by mid-August and 2,500 sites by the end of 2026 as the country moves closer to commercial...

•	Robi posts record quarterly profit as data revenue drives telecom growth in Bangladesh Bangladeshi telecom operator Robi has reported a record quarterly profit, driven largely by strong growth in data revenue as digital consumption continues to rise across the country...

3G, 4G and 5G Networks

•	Three Ireland completes 4G & 5G upgrades across major high-footfall locations This long-term investment has focused on delivering a high-capacity, resilient network built for data, ensuring Three can support growing demand across the economy...

•	AIS launches 5G-A with downlink/uplink carrier aggregation Thai telco AIS has launched its 5G-Advanced service that leverages the 3GPP Release 18 standard, as well as carrier aggregation for faster downlinks and uplinks...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Warner Bros Discovery posts higher streaming revenue as HBO Max expands abroad Warner Bros Discovery's streaming unit posted better-than-expected quarterly revenue growth, as HBO Max's expansion overseas boosted subscriber growth and engagement...

•	MasOrange creates low-cost offer for local operators The service gives local cable operators access to a TV platform with more than 90 linear channels and over 50,000 on-demand titles, available without a set-top box for €6.99 per month...

Global Telecom Update

•	AI use surges globally but rich-poor divide widens, Microsoft says Generative artificial intelligence is being used by 17.8 percent of the world’s working-age population, but the gap between wealthy and developing nations continues to widen, according to a report published by...

•	Thailand’s BOI greenlights TikTok data centre project plus two more Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) said on Wednesday it has approved three data centre projects – the biggest one involving TikTok – with a combined investment value of THB913 billion (US$27 billion)...

•	China grants first trial license for satellite IoT operations to Guodian Gaoke Beijing Guodian Gaoke Technology has received China's first two-year trial license for satellite Internet of Things operations, marking a significant step in the country's efforts to advance commercial space...

Middle East

•	Ooredoo Group and du to land FIG subsea cable in the UAE, expanding high-capacity data flows Across the region Ooredoo Group has announced a partnership with du, the leading telecom and digital services provider, to land the Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system in the UAE, marking further progress in the development of a...

•	Saudi Arabia and UN discuss launch of global digital government centre in Riyadh Saudi Arabia’s Digital Government Authority (DGA) is in discussions with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) to establish a UN-affiliated digital government centre in Riyadh,...

•	Dhamani advances digital health insurance with 11.2m transactions Dhamani, Oman’s national health insurance platform, has become a key driver of digital transformation in the financial services sector, reshaping the health insurance ecosystem through a fully integrated model that...

•	Tawazun and Lockheed Martin sign strategic agreement to establish UAE's chiplet design and assembly facility The UAE has entered the execution phase towards building a national microelectronics capability, following the signing of an agreement on the sidelines of the Make it in the Emirates 2026 between Tawazun Council for Defence...

North Africa

•	Tunisia launches ‘TunPay’ label to accelerate mobile payment adoption Tunisia has introduced the “TunPay” label as part of efforts to accelerate mobile payment adoption and strengthen the country’s digital financial ecosystem...

Satellite & Internet

•	SpaceX provides satellite internet service to towns hit by wildfires Residents in Washington state recovering from the wildfires are remaining online, thanks to SpaceX’s satellite broadband network...

•	Bay Area fiber internet provider takes on Dallas market A San Francisco Bay Area fiber internet provider has chosen North Texas to rollout a new national expansion, marking the latest addition to the region’s ongoing fiber technology infrastructure rush...

About SAMENA Council

• History

• Profile

• Board of Directors

• Working Groups

Industry Matters

• ELITE FWA Club

• 5G Development

• Digital Services

• Industry Fees & Taxation

• Latest Open Consultations

• Industry Issues

• Position Papers

• Articles & Industry Views

SAMENA Trends & Media

• SAMENA Trends

• Industry Updates

• SAMENA Council in Media

• Video Content

Please add [email protected] to your E-mail Safe List.

If you received this news update from a colleague and are interested in receiving your own copy, please contact us here »

Disclaimer: Information contained herein has been obtained from sources, which we deem reliable. SAMENA Telecommunications Council is not liable for any misinformed decisions that the reader may reach by being solely reliant on information contained herein. Expert advice should be sought.

To unsubscribe, click Manage Your Subscription below.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council