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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
June 16, 2026

Featured Member News

MTN One TV launched to expand digital entertainment access across Africa

Introduced in line with MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy, MTN One TV brings together local storytelling, live channels, international programming, and market-specific viewing options tailored to how customers across the continent access and pay for digital entertainment...

Member News

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New Splunk research reveals downtime is a systemic business crisis

Cisco has announced the release of Splunk’s latest research, The Hidden Costs of Downtime, revealing the aggregate cost of unplanned downtime for Global 2000 companies has surged to $600 billion annually – a 50%...

Recent Developments

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Zain Esports powers one of MENA’s biggest PUBG MOBILE championship platforms across 7 countries

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The High-Frequency Content Trap: Vodafone vs. Ooredoo Qatar Facebook Campaigns

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Omantel in partnership with Port of Salalah launch first-of-its-kind 5G private network

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stc Bahrain opens applications for the 2026 inspireU program

Policy and Regulation

•	SDRPY, CST hold training program for Yemeni telecommunications personnel The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), in partnership with the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), held a two-day training program in Aden Governorate for personnel from...

•	Telecom Egypt, NTRA and Arab Academy launch Egypt’s first cybersecurity innovation lab The initiative represents a significant step in Egypt’s broader efforts to build a secure digital economy as cybersecurity becomes an increasingly critical component of national digital transformation strategies...

Middle East

•	Saudi Arabia invests SAR32 Billion (US$8.53 Billion) in digital government services to accelerate public sector transformation The investment was highlighted during the launch of the Digital Government Authority’s (DGA) annual report, which outlined the progress achieved in government digitization, service modernization and the expansion of...

•	Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy supports successful launch of 32 new applications through create apps accelerator programme The achievement underlines the impact of the initiative in transforming ideas into fully developed digital apps and strengthening Dubai’s innovation ecosystem...

•	Oman’s digital economy gains momentum as electronic payments continue rapid growth According to recent figures, electronic payment activity across the Sultanate has continued to rise, reflecting changing consumer behavior, greater acceptance of digital financial services and ongoing efforts to build a more...

South Asia

•	Alibaba.com brings AI-powered trade tools to help Pakistani SMEs expand global export reach As global buyers increasingly source products online, SMEs that can effectively leverage digital platforms are likely to gain a competitive advantage in reaching international customers...

•	Nepal’s 4G user base surpasses 26 million The growth of Nepal’s 4G subscriber base demonstrates the central role mobile broadband continues to play in driving digital inclusion and economic development...

3G, 4G and 5G Networks

•	More than 2,000 global organisations deploy private mobile networks Private mobile network sector continues to show growth in enterprise LTE and 5G customer deployments, with research showing 2,003 organisations deploying networks across 88 countries by end of Q1 26...

•	5G subscriptions top three billion as uplink gains momentum The number of commercial differentiated connectivity service offerings based on 5G SA network slicing from CSPs continues to grow globally...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	FOX to acquire Roku in US$12.5 billion deal Fox Corporation has agreed to acquire Roku in a deal valued at approximately US$12.5 billion, bringing together one of the largest television content owners in the US with a major connected TV platform...

•	FanConnect and Extreme Networks announce IPTV integration for large venue deployments FanConnect has announced a partnership with Extreme Networks integrating FanConnect’s IPTV platform with Extreme Fabric Attach to automate network provisioning for large venue IPTV deployments...

Middle East

North Africa

•	Egypt approves US$400 million data center project to strengthen cloud and digital infrastructure The project, approved by the Egyptian government, is expected to play a key role in meeting rising demand for cloud computing, data storage and digital services as businesses, government agencies and technology providers...

Satellite & Internet

•	SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into space The company added that the launch marked its 71st crewed and uncrewed mission since the beginning of 2026, and the 652nd mission in the history of the Falcon 9 rocket...

•	Liberia advances regional fiber optic expansion strategy By leveraging the TRANSCO CLSG network's available fiber capacity, Liberia aims to establish terrestrial redundancy links through Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea, strengthening the resilience of its communications...

Global Telecom Update

•	Ooredoo Fintech enables PayPal integration in the Maldives through mFaisaa, allowing users to seamlessly receive USD payments Ooredoo Fintech has extended PayPal services in the Maldives through an integration with mFaisaa, Ooredoo’s digital wallet, announced at a ceremony held at Barcelos Nasandhura...

•	First WATT and MTN Nigeria launch renewable energy infrastructure programme Sustainable development company First WATT Renewable and operator MTN Nigeria have announced a strategic renewable energy infrastructure partnership designed to reduce diesel dependence and improve operational resilience at...

•	Telia launches critical IoT connectivity using 5G standalone in Sweden Telia has launched Telia Critical IoT Connectivity, the first commercially available service in Sweden to use 5G standalone (SA) technology...

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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.

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