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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
October 13, 2026

Featured Member News

SAMENA Council Leaders’ AXIS 2026 Advances Oman’s Digital Investment, Infrastructure, and Innovation Ecosystem Opportunities

The SAMENA Telecommunications Council Leaders’ AXIS 2026 concluded in Muscat today, bringing together Omani and international stakeholders to examine how the Sultanate can create greater economic and commercial value from its digital infrastructure, international connectivity, technology capabilities, innovation activity, and investment opportunities...

Member News

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stc Bahrain partners with ila Bank to elevate travel connectivity with exclusive discounts on the ‘rova’ app

tc Bahrain, a digital enabler, has entered into a strategic partnership with ila Bank, Bahrain’s leading digital mobile-only bank, to offer ila Bank cardholders exclusive discounts on rova, stc’s groundbreaking...

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Cisco advances scalability and openness at OCP 2026

Cisco and NVIDIA plan to develop an open industry specification for a next-generation 400G-per-lane pluggable optics design, increasing bandwidth density while preserving serviceability and customer choice...

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Nokia to sell Enterprise Campus Edge business to AURELIUS

Nokia announced that it has signed a definitive agreement regarding the proposed acquisition by AURELIUS of Nokia Enterprise Campus Edge (ECE) business...

Policy and Regulation

•	On the platform of the Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability Events 2026 CST and SSA Announce the Qualifying Companies in the Conclusion of the global SpaceUp Competition The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and the Saudi Space Agency (SSA), in partnership with the NeoSpace Group, announced the qualifying companies at the end of the SpaceUp global competition, held on the...

•	MDASH implementation moves to next phase The UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC), Core42, Microsoft, and Open Innovation AI have announced the next implementation phase of their collaboration around Microsoft’s MDASH...

Middle East

•	Mobile service subscriptions in Oman rise by 9.6% to 8.51 million The total number of mobile phone subscriptions in the Sultanate of Oman rose to 8.51 million by the end of August 2026, registering a growth of 2.5 percent compared to the same period in 2025...

•	11 Dubai-based companies pledge to integrate Agentic AI into their operations The pledge reflects the private sector's commitment to advancing the adoption of Agentic AI under Dubai's private sector Agentic AI transformation programme, launched in May this year...

•	Qatar expands digital access to business and investment opportunities The platform provides users with access to data and insights that can assist in exploring commercial activities, analyzing markets, identifying suitable business locations...

South Asia

•	PTA inspects 115 telecom sites in one week to improve mobile service quality The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) continues to strengthen field monitoring and inspections of mobile network infrastructure across the country to improve service quality, coverage, and availability...

•	Nepal Telecom invites bid for 1600 2G 4G Swap & Expansion Project Nepal Telecom published the Ntc 1600 tender for a 2G and 4G network expansion on October 13, 2026, with bids due by November 20, 2026...

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

•	Bouygues Telecom switches off over 2,800 4G sites on 2.1GHz band as 5G network expands Bouygues Telecom switched off more than 2,800 4G cell sites operating on the 2.1GHz frequency band during September 2026, while expanding its 5G presence on the same spectrum...

•	U Mobile teams with HLGY Energy to develop 5G solar farms Malaysian 5G operator U Mobile announced that it has signed an MoU with renewable energy developer HLGY Energy to develop 5G-connected smart solar farm solutions in Malaysia...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Xbox moves further into television with new entertainment division Microsoft’s Xbox is expanding its ambitions beyond gaming with the creation of XP, a new division that will develop its franchises across film, television, consumer products and live entertainment...

•	BT and ITV launch creative brand collaboration across two iconic UK soaps BT is bringing its new brand platform, ‘Behind Brilliant Things’, into the heart of British culture through a creative partnership with ITV that will see the brand woven into the worlds of Coronation Street and...

North Africa

•	FiveNines joins Nexus project to build AI data centre in Morocco International data centre infrastructure firm FiveNines Group says that it is partnering with AI infrastructure specialist Nexus Core Systems to oversee development of a planned 20MW AI data centre in Morocco...

Satellite & Hybrid Networks

•	Vodacom Lesotho launches Starlink-powered satellite internet for businesses By integrating satellite broadband with existing connectivity infrastructure, Vodacom Lesotho aims to support organisations across sectors including financial services, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, education, tourism...

•	Flow Jamaica removes underground copper to boost fiber network resilience Flow Jamaica has completed the removal of its legacy underground copper network, freeing up capacity to move more vulnerable fiber transmission routes underground and protect them from severe weather...

Global Telecom Update

•	Universiti Malaysia Sabah gets 1,010 new Wi-Fi access points The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has added approximately 1,010 Wi-Fi access points at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to expand internet coverage on the campus...

•	Telenor IoT strengthens automotive connectivity strategy through 5GAA membership Telenor IoT has joined the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), a global cross-industry organization that brings together automotive manufacturers, technology companies, telecom operators, and mobility stakeholders to advance...

•	PDG sells Indonesian enterprise data centre business Princeton Digital Group (PDG), a pan-APAC developer and operator of hyperscale data centres, has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its enterprise data centre business in Indonesia to PT SMPlus...

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