SAMENA Daily News - SAMENA Telecommunications Council

'SAMENA Daily' - Archive

SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
April 6, 2026

Featured Member News

Cisco Report: Strategic wireless investments are driving higher ROI for enterprises in the AI era

Driven by the rise of AI, IoT, and high-bandwidth applications, four out of five organizations increased wireless investment in the past five years, with a similar number forecasting continued budget increases....

Algeria and Niger reaffirm telecom cooperation with focus on fiber expansion and cross-border interconnection

The discussions centred on expanding fiber-optic networks between the two countries and strengthening cross-border interconnection to improve service quality and reliability for both populations...

Member News

•

Nokia wins new 5G RAN deal with Virgin Media O2 to accelerate its mobile transformation plan

Nokia announced that it has been selected by Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) for a major new multi‑year 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) deployment and modernization program across the UK...

•

ZTE empowers MiFibra to accelerate into the all-Optical 10G era

As part of this network evolution, MiFibra has leveraged ZTE's XGS home network solution to upgrade its primary offering from 800 Mbps/1 Gbps to a robust 2 Gbps ultra-broadband package...

Recent Developments

•

Nahyan bin Mubarak inaugurates the SAMENA Telecommunications Council Leaders’ Summit 2026

•

SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2026 Advances Industry Coordination, Reinforces Infrastructure Continuity, and Aligns Public and Private Sector Priorities

•

e& and Khalifa University launch white paper for AI-native 6G networks, contributing to global standardisation

•

AT&T and Boldyn Networks complete cellular service in additional tunnel segments of the MTA’s 4/5 and G Lines

Policy and Regulation

•	Saudi Digital Government Authority and World Bank launch global cloud innovation workshop The Saudi Digital Government Authority (DGA), in partnership with the World Bank Group, has launched an international workshop titled “Empowering Progress: A Transformative Collaboration on Cloud...

•	Qatar’s MoCI launches five intellectual property e-services bringing digital copyright and licensing platform to seven total Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched five new intellectual property e-services, bringing the total number of digital services in this area to seven...

Middle East

•	Ooredoo Qatar adds Starlink LEO satellite as enterprise resilience layer in B2B connectivity portfolio Ooredoo Qatar has become an authorised Starlink reseller, integrating SpaceX’s low-earth orbit satellite connectivity into its business-to-business portfolio as a backup and continuity solution for enterprise customers...

•	Six Palestinian startups to showcase AI and IoT solutions at GITEX Africa 2026 A delegation of six Palestinian startups specializing in artificial intelligence, IoT, and digital payments will participate in the fourth edition of GITEX Africa, commencing this Tuesday in...

South Asia

•	SCT and City Tech Group partner to launch integrated FinPOS payment solution in Nepal SmartChoice Technologies (SCT), Nepal’s first integrated shared switching payment network, has announced a strategic partnership with CityTech Group Pvt. Ltd. to revolutionize the country’s digital payment...

North Africa

•	Algeria and Niger reaffirm telecom cooperation with focus on fiber expansion and cross-border interconnection The discussions centred on expanding fiber-optic networks between the two countries and strengthening cross-border interconnection to improve service quality and reliability for both populations...

3G, 4G and 5G Networks

•	Kenya’s mobile data users hit 61.9 million as usage jumps 32.9% Kenya is seeing a rapid shift toward high-speed connectivity as 4G subscriptions climbed to 44.2 million while 5G grew by 15.9%, with 5G users notably leading data consumption at an average of 46.4 GB per month...

•	5G to boost APAC mobile market to US$347 billion by 2030 The growth, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.3%, will be driven by the expansion of 5G networks and a rise in mobile subscribers...

Satellite & Internet

•	Viasat expands ‘Space for Good’ challenge to inspire global student innovators Viasat, a global communications company, announced the global expansion of the Viasat: Space for Good Challenge, its premier global STEM initiative designed to inspire university students to develop sustainable space...

•	California just launched the country's largest public broadband network California just launched the largest public broadband network in the country — and its serving Indigenous communities first...

Global Telecom Update

•	Microsoft to invest US$10 billion for Japan AI data centers Microsoft said that it will invest US$10 billion in Japan over the next four years to build artificial intelligence data centers and related...

•	Samsung takes its browser beyond mobile, extending agentic AI across devices Samsung recently announced the official launch of Samsung Browser for Windows, extending its popular mobile browser experience to PC with seamless cross-device continuity and new agentic AI capabilities designed to make the...

•	Cloudflare introduces EmDash Cloudflare has announced the developer preview of EmDash, a new open-source content management system (CMS) designed to reimagine how websites are built, secured, and scaled in the modern internet era...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Sony eyes AI for gaming & content creation Sony is exploring AI integration for gaming and content creation, focusing on practical applications to enhance player experiences and creator workflows...

•	URC TV cuts streaming costs with Eluvio migration United Rugby Championship has reported sharply lower streaming costs and higher revenues after migrating its direct-to-consumer service URC TV to Eluvio’s Content Fabric platform...

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