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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
September 21, 2026

Featured Member News

stc celebrates Saudi National Day 96 with exclusive offers and benefits

In celebration of the Saudi National Day 96, stc group has announced a range of exclusive offers and benefits for customers across the Kingdom, spanning connectivity, home internet, loyalty, entertainment, gaming and devices...

Member News

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MTN One TV launches search for bold African Stories

MTN One TV is opening new doors for African storytellers, inviting producers from across the continent to pitch bold, authentic and commercially compelling film and culturally relevant projects directly to the platform...

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Huawei Unveils Five New Solutions and the Intelligent Evolution of O3 Platform Services, Enabling Industries Advancing the Agentic World

At the "ICT Services & Software Enable Industries Advancing the Agentic World" summit held during HUAWEI CONNECT 2026, Huawei unveiled five new solutions and the intelligent evolution of O3 platform services, enabling new AI...

Policy and Regulation

•	Riyadh hosts Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability Events Under the patronage of H.E. Eng. Abdullah AlSwaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of CST’s Board, the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) in partnership with the...

•	TRA launches pilot coverage request service for governorates The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has launched, on a pilot basis, a Coverage Request Service within the Quality System...

Middle East

•	Kuwait partners with Microsoft to advance AI, cloud and cybersecurity under Vision 2035 Kuwait's technology and communications authorities have signed a strategic partnership with Microsoft covering artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and digital skills, with the government also...

•	Qatar launches e-commerce licence for 194 business activities The initiative is aimed at supporting the growth of Qatar’s e-commerce sector while providing entrepreneurs with a regulated framework..

•	Saudi fintech sector grows to 371 companies as digital payments expand Saudi Arabia's fintech ecosystem expanded to 371 companies by the end of August 2026, putting the Kingdom more than 70% of the way toward its target of 525 active fintech companies by 2030 as digital payments continue to...

•	Batelco by Beyon teams up with Procural to expand SME participation Batelco by Beyon has signed a partnership with Procural, a Bahrain-based e-procurement platform, to accelerate the digital transformation of its procurement operations...

South Asia

•	SCO begins 5G trial in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan 5G technology will create significant new opportunities across sectors such as tourism, education, healthcare, business, and public services...

•	Robi launches AI Space in Bangladesh with access to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and DeepSeek Bangladesh's Robi Axiata has launched Robi AI Space within the MyRobi app, giving customers access to multiple global AI models, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and DeepSeek, through a single operator-led platform...

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

•	Hutchison Telephone to surrender 4G licence in Macao Hutchison Telephone (Macau) has formally notified the Macao Special Administrative Region government that it intends to surrender its 4G mobile licence, marking a change in the operator's participation in the...

•	Elisa expands 5G across Estonia’s Ida-Viru County and completes Hiiumaa rollout Elisa Estonia has expanded its 5G network across Ida-Viru County by upgrading 22 base stations between June and August, while completing a separate network development programme that has brought 5G to all of its base...

•	Companies with trustworthy AI record higher returns, says study The IDC report is based on a survey of 2,699 decision-makers with knowledge of or influence over their organizations' data and AI initiatives across 28 countries and four industries...

Global Telecom Update

•	Dell’Oro Group: AI and Data Center Investments Lift Telecom Equipment Revenues 5% in 1H26 The positive momentum that shaped the telecom equipment market in 2025 extended into the first half of 2026. Preliminary findings suggest that aggregate worldwide telecom equipment revenues across the six programs tracked by...

•	Cybastion to support Senegal's digital transformation plans Cybastion, a US company that delivers digital and infrastructure solutions in Africa, reportedly plans to mobilise about US$300 million for several projects supporting Senegal's digital transformation...

North Africa

•	Egypt drives $12B tech push with AI, data centers, and infrastructure overhaul Additionally, the state aims to grow its electronics design footprint to 120 companies by 2030.Sisi ordered officials to ramp up investment in hyper-scale data centers, cloud computing, and nationwide 5G network...

Satellite & Hybrid Networks

•	China launch satellites for global internet network from sea for first time The launch marked the world’s first mobile sea-based launch of a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation for the deployment of a broadband internet network...

•	Safaricom crosses one million fixed internet mark as broadband race intensifies Safaricom has crossed the one-million mark in fixed internet subscriptions, strengthening its position as Kenya’s largest provider as competition and demand for high-speed connectivity intensify...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	AGF to integrate HbbTV return-channel data into German TV measurement German TV ratings provider AGF Videoforschung is to integrate HbbTV-based return-channel data into its national audience measurement system, marking a major change to the methodology used to measure TV viewing in the...

•	Dotscreen powers RMC+ rollout across around 20 connected TV platforms Dotscreen has developed the connected TV applications for CMA Media's new RMC+ streaming service, giving the platform distribution across around 20 device environments, including France's four major telecom...

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