With the patronage of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and in legacy collaboration with Huawei, the SAMENA Telecommunications Council confirms that its Leaders’ Summit 2026 will take place as scheduled on April 1st at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.
This confirmation follows a review of the Summit’s timing with UAE-based stakeholders and the broader SAMENA Council community, and maintaining the original date also reiterates an operational requirement for the market. Digital infrastructure continues to function as a critical layer across economies, requiring uninterrupted coordination among policymakers, operators, and technology stakeholders. In practice, convening leadership at this juncture supports clarity in direction, continuity in execution, and confidence across the market.
Positioned as the first regional leadership dialogue following Eid al-Fitr, the Summit provides a timely forum for stakeholders across the UAE and the wider GCC to re-engage on shared priorities. This timing, driven by the need to align post-holiday institutional and commercial agendas. As a result, discussions are expected to focus on sustaining investment momentum, reinforcing infrastructure resilience, and advancing coordinated approaches to digital development.
Under the umbrella theme, titled “Intelligent Networks for Sovereign & Sustainable Futures”, the 2026 agenda of the Leaders’ Summit will focus on forward-looking priorities with direct implications for operators, regulators, and investors. These include policy dialogue on the 6 GHz band and early preparations toward WRC-27, emphasizing spectrum as a strategic enabler of future capacity and services. The agenda will also cover artificial intelligence applications, moving from experimentation to scaled deployment across networks and industries, as well as telecom operator business transformation, including new private-centered monetization models that leverage operator network data in a privacy-compliant manner, platforms, and differentiated service capabilities.
Additional focus areas include emerging hybrid connectivity paradigms that integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, alongside the evolving role of space infrastructure. Parallel discussions will address space sustainability and orbital governance, driven by increased satellite deployment and the need for coordinated frameworks. Leadership sessions will explore shifts in the technology and international business landscape, including investment flows, supply chain considerations, and cross-border collaboration models.
Given current global conditions, the Leaders’ Summit 2026 will include focused dialogue on infrastructure protection, network resilience, and continuity planning, considering the growing interdependence across cloud systems, data centers, terrestrial networks, and satellite infrastructure. For operators and policymakers, this highlights the need for aligned strategies that ensure operational stability while advancing long-term innovation.
Held in the UAE, the Summit benefits from a market environment characterized by strong institutional coordination between regulators, operators, and technology partners. This coordination demonstrates sustained policy direction and disciplined execution. As a result, continued engagement through the Summit is expected to strengthen the collaborative model that builds confidence across the UAE and regional ICT ecosystem. Participants from across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia will engage in discussions on policy alignment, investment priorities, and ecosystem development. Sustained engagement, driven by the need to manage both opportunity and external pressures. In practice, the Summit serves as a working platform to align actions that carry long-term implications for digital economies.
“Maintaining leadership dialogue is essential to ensuring that the region’s digital infrastructure continues to function and evolve in a stable and forward-looking manner,” said Bocar A. BA, CEO of the SAMENA Council. “The Leaders’ Summit aims to enable alignment across sectors on priorities that are both immediate and long-term in their impact.”
To support international participation, the SAMENA Council has made dedicated arrangements with AMH Tourism as the Smart Destination Partner. These arrangements are designed to facilitate travel, accommodation, and on-ground coordination for attending leaders, ensuring ease of access and streamlined participation in the Leaders’ Summit.
The SAMENA Telecommunications Council invites stakeholders across telecommunications, technology, digital services, and ICT-enabled sectors to participate in the Leaders’ Summit 2026. Engagement at this stage, reflecting a shared responsibility to support continuity and reinforce market confidence in the UAE and the region. As a result, active participation will contribute to ensuring that the region’s digital ecosystem remains coordinated, resilient, and positioned for sustained growth.
Source: SAMENA Council Press Release
