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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
June 29, 2026

Featured Member News

SAMENA Council Welcomes MTN Group to its Membership of Operators, Tech Providers, and Ecosystem partners

As a Pan-African digital operator, MTN Group brings practical experience from markets where infrastructure investment, digital inclusion, regulatory certainty, cross-border connectivity, and trusted platforms are closely linked...

Member News

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Forbes Middle East recognizes Omantel among MENA's Top 5 Most Profitable Telecom Operators in Q1 2026

Omantel has been recognized as one of MENA's Top 5 Most Profitable Telecom Operators in the first quarter of 2026, according to Forbes Middle East, reinforcing the company's position as one of the region's...

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Huawei launches AI-OTN and AI-FAN solutions, empowering operators to upgrade business models

Industry leaders, regulatory bodies, global top operators, and vertical pioneers convened at the summit to explore how to turn AI and broadband convergence into measurable business advantage in the age of intelligent...

Recent Developments

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Huawei unveils GigaUplink solution to advance mobile AI

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stc Bahrain hosts Smarter Cloud, Stronger Defenses executive event in partnership with AWS, Fortinet, and StrikeReady

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TM Forum and Huawei jointly release the white paper on AI talent and skill matrix

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Opensignal’s analysis shows AT&T Fiber wins twice as much as the next closest competitor when it comes to home internet performance

Policy and Regulation

•	ITU: Saudi Arabia is a strategic pioneering partner in shaping a sustainable digital future for more than 77 years The ITU also emphasized the Kingdom’s leadership, represented by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), and its pioneering initiatives, such as the establishment of the Digital Regulation Network...

•	Egypt puts freelancers at core of offshoring push Egypt is sharpening its push into the global offshoring market, placing digital freelancers at the center of a broader strategy to scale cross-border digital services and expand export-driven growth, as competition for...

Middle East

•	Jordan accelerates digital transformation under Crown Prince’s technology agenda Industry collaboration with universities and technology companies is expected to play an increasingly important role in developing future-ready professionals...

•	Qatar’s ICT market projected to surpass over US$37 billion by 2031 The expansion is expected to be underpinned by the rapid rollout of 5G networks, sovereign cloud investments, and the development of Arabic large language models (LLMs), alongside the implementation of Qatar’s National...

•	KERNO Enterprises opens first IT hardware manufacturing facility in DSO KERNO Enterprises inaugurated its headquarters and first enterprise IT hardware manufacturing facility at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the special economic zone for knowledge- and innovation-driven companies and a member of...

•	Iraq partners with Qatar’s GBI to expand cross-border internet capacity By expanding international internet capacity, Iraq is laying the groundwork for future investments in data centers, cloud services and next-generation digital applications...

South Asia

•	Bangladesh adds 2.65 million internet users in May As internet penetration continues to rise, attention is increasingly shifting from basic connectivity toward improving digital literacy and service quality...

•	SLT-MOBITEL unveils ‘Lankakonect’ App with Ministry of Foreign Affairs as digital bridge for Sri Lankans overseas SLT‑MOBITEL, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism, has officially launched the Lankakonect mobile application. Unveiled recently at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, the app...

3G, 4G, 5G/5G-A, Cloud, AI, Energy

•	Telstra upgrading 4G/5G coverage in Bowral Telstra will be upgrading its mobile base station that services Bowral Burradoo Road to bring a better 4G and 5G user experience...

•	Mozambique clears path for 5G services Mozambique has joined a growing list of African countries deploying 5G networks after awarding spectrum licences for the rollout of 5G services and the expansion of 4G networks to its three mobile operators...

•	Kyivstar partners with Ukrainian govt to build sovereign AI data centre Ukrainian telco Kyivstar announced that it has signed an MoU with the country’s Ministry of Economy to establish a sovereign AI-ready data centre in Ukraine...

Global Telecom Update

•	Viva expands digital ecosystem with convergent services in Armenia Viva continues to successfully expand not only the geographical reach of the “RED” tariff plan, but also its network of partners...

•	Mobile-based UNESCO project to train women teachers in South Sudan UNESCO has launched the rollout of a new mobile-based teacher professional development initiative in South Sudan that focuses on empowering women school leaders and teachers...

North Africa

•	Maroc Telecom surpasses 76 million customers as regional growth strengthens digital connectivity This evolution reflects a broader industry shift toward becoming integrated digital technology providers rather than connectivity companies alone...

Satellite & Hybrid Networks

•	SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites The mission is aimed at expanding the Starlink satellite network, improving high-speed internet coverage, particularly in remote areas, and supporting the future rollout of direct-to-cell connectivity without the need for...

•	Orange Belgium expands gigabit broadband access through last mile connectivity program Orange Belgium is proud to have actively contributed to the successful completion of the Last Mile program, one of the most significant public-private initiatives to strengthen digital inclusion and broadband connectivity in...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Antenna Group and DAZN launch streaming-first news partnership in Italy Antenna Group and DAZN have formed an exclusive partnership to launch a daily news service on DAZN Italia, marking the sports streaming platform’s expansion into general news programming in Italy...

•	UCN launches new IPTV service With the launch of IPTV, UCN aims to offer television, broadband and OTT services through a single platform at affordable prices...

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