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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
September 1, 2026

Featured Member News

stc Group at LEAP 2026: Advancing Saudi Arabia’s AI Ecosystem through Digital Innovation

stc Group, Saudi Arabia's leading digital enabler and strategic partner of LEAP for the fifth consecutive year, is showcasing its latest digital solutions, secure infrastructure, and high-performance networks at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, supporting the digitalization of the Kingdom's vital sectors and major national projects...

Member News

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Elisa, Nokia and Foundation PS collaborate to strengthen AI skills among primary school pupils

Elisa, Nokia and Foundation PS are launching a collaboration to strengthen children’s understanding of artificial intelligence in Finland. During the first year, the initiative aims to reach approximately 19,000...

Recent Developments

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SAMENA Council Emphasizes Knowledge and Capability Exchange across Leading and Emerging Digital Markets

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stc Group showcases its innovative solutions as Strategic Partner of LEAP 2026 for the fifth consecutive year

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Cisco expands secure AI factory with NVIDIA for the rack-scale era

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SAMENA Council Welcomes Zetrix AI to Advance Telco-Led AI Services and New Digital Revenue Opportunities

Policy and Regulation

•	TDRA grants Starlink license to provide satellite internet services in UAE The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has granted Starlink Satellite Communications a 10-year General Space Services License, authorising the company to establish, operate, and manage a...

•	Evolving radio astronomy and its impact on Africa Radio astronomy is becoming an AI- and data-driven global science, with Africa playing a growing role through SKAO, international collaboration and advanced digital infrastructure...

Middle East

•	HPE to showcase sovereign AI, autonomous networking and hybrid cloud at LEAP 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise will use LEAP 2026 in Riyadh to showcase sovereign AI, autonomous networking, hybrid cloud and high-performance computing technologies as it deepens its focus on Saudi Arabia’s expanding...

•	Vodafone Qatar announces establishment of Infinity Signal Services Vodafone Qatar has launched wholly owned subsidiary Infinity Signal Services to manage and develop its telecom tower and passive infrastructure assets, supporting network expansion and operational efficiency...

•	DEWA showcases AI-powered asset management and smart grid technologies in Dubai Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has highlighted a series of artificial intelligence, automation and advanced inspection technologies designed to improve the reliability, efficiency and sustainability of the...

•	Saudi AI firms Humain, DataVolt partner for data center on kingdom's Red Sea coast Humain and DataVolt will develop around 100 MW of AI data centre capacity at NEOM’s Oxagon by 2028 as part of DataVolt’s planned 1.5 GW AI campus...

South Asia

•	PTA orders uniform 180-day prepaid balance validity policy across Pakistan The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has directed all mobile operators to implement a uniform policy requiring prepaid recharge balances to remain valid for at least 180 days, following complaints that some operators...

•	SLT Group PAT accelerates 54.4% in H1 2026 to LKR 6.6 billion on 11.1% revenue growth SLT Group’s H1 2026 profit rose 54.4% to LKR 6.6 billion as strong broadband, enterprise and Mobitel growth offset rising operating costs...

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

•	Lifecell disconnects 3G in several sites to transfer frequencies to 4G Lifecell will shut down 3G across parts of 17 Ukrainian regions from September 3, reallocating spectrum to 4G/LTE to improve mobile internet speeds...

•	BTC sets October target for 5G commercial launch in Botswana The deployment will bring BTC into direct competition with Mascom Wireless and Orange Botswana, which launched commercial 5G services in the country in 2022...

•	New AI solution targets Saudi enterprise users The partners say the turnkey solution for entry-level use cases brings accessible AI compute to organisations across industries including oil and gas, financial services and manufacturing...

Global Telecom Update

•	Claro Colombia invests US$25.5mn in data centres as AI demand grows Claro Colombia is investing US$25.5 million in 2026 to expand and upgrade its Triara data centre in Bogota and Megacenter facility in Medellin, as demand for cloud, AI and data processing capacity increases...

•	Infobip launches SIM-based number verification for telecom operators The initiative helps mobile network operators (MNOs) create new authentication revenue opportunities while enabling enterprises to move beyond traditional OTP toward more secure, lower-friction authentication experiences...

North Africa

•	Digital twin technology to be expanded across Egypt’s irrigation network Egypt plans to expand digital twin technology, AI, drones and real-time monitoring from the Ismailia Canal to major canals nationwide to improve water allocation and irrigation management...

Satellite & Hybrid Networks

•	Indosat launches Garuda Spark Innovation Hub in Jayapura Indonesia’s Komdigi and Indosat have launched the Garuda Spark Innovation Hub in Jayapura to develop digital talent, expand AI and gaming skills, and connect young Papuans with the national technology ecosystem...

•	Maxis appointed to upgrade tower backhaul in Melaka to fiber Maxis and MICTH will invest about MYR30 million to fibre-connect 151 telecom towers in Melaka, strengthening 4G/5G backhaul and supporting the state’s smart-city ambitions...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Yospace launches new Ad Presentation solution Yospace has unveiled its new Ad Presentation solution, a technology designed to help broadcasters deploy non‑linear ad formats at scale and unlock new advertising inventory across live, VOD and FAST streaming...

•	Sony and VITEC integrate IPTV, digital signage on BRAVIA displays Sony and VITEC have partnered globally to integrate VITEC’s IPTV and digital signage platform directly into Sony BRAVIA professional displays, simplifying deployment and reducing hardware costs...

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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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