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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
September 11, 2026

Featured Member News

DeepAstra and Z.AI Announce Strategic Partnership at LEAP 2026, supported by Omantel

Omantel Innovation Labs portfolio company DeepAstra partners with Z.AI to bring advanced AI capabilities to Oman and advance sovereign AI development and Arabic AI capabilities...

Member News

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stc Group and Astranis Advance Saudi Arabia’s Connectivity with Dedicated Satellite

stc Group, a leading digital enabler, and Astranis has announced an agreement to deploy a dedicated satellite serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The satellite, part of Astranis' Block 3 scheduled to launch in 2026,...

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Closing Digital Literacy Gap Could Unlock Trillions of Dollars in Global GDP Growth

More than one in three (38%) people remains offline despite being covered by mobile broadband – and a lack of digital literacy skills is often to blame, according to new research published...

Policy and Regulation

•	Radio astronomy at the regulatory crossroads: WRC-27 and beyond The rapid expansion of non-geostationary satellite constellations and mobile-satellite services is putting growing pressure on radio astronomy spectrum, prompting the International Telecommunication Union to examine new...

•	Kenya proposes standalone licence for colocation data centres The Communications Authority of Kenya has opened a consultation on a proposed standalone licence for colocation data centres, aiming to give the sector a regulatory framework better aligned with the infrastructure it...

Middle East

•	Zankore secures up to $3.1 billion to fund Nvidia-powered AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia AI infrastructure platform Zankore has signed a senior term loan facility of up to $3.1 billion to finance the acquisition and deployment of Nvidia-powered GPU and cloud-computing infrastructure, as it expands AI capacity in...

•	KSA discusses boosting AI partnerships in Silicon Valley The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha has held a series of meetings with leaders of global technology and investment firms during the first day of his visit to Silicon Valley in...

•	Oman’s telecom subscriptions rise 1% to 8.44mln Oman’s total mobile telecommunications subscriptions rose 1 % year-on-year to 8,435,420 at the end of July 2026, compared with the corresponding period last year...

•	Bahrain reaches 150 mobile subscriptions per 100 people as broadband penetration climbs Bahrain recorded 150 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people by the second quarter of 2025, while broadband penetration reached 163 subscriptions per 100 people, highlighting the high level of connectivity across the...

South Asia

•	Pakistan makes telecom equipment standards mandatory under new PTA regulations The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has notified new regulations making compliance with prescribed technical standards mandatory for telecom equipment manufactured, imported or deployed in the country, with a PTA-issued...

•	Bangladesh plans regulatory shift for private cable investment Bangladesh is set to introduce regulatory changes that would allow for increased private and international investment in new submarine cable systems, as reported...

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

•	Ethio Telecom to expand 4G network to 11,014 Sites in 2026/27 The expansion is expected to raise 4G population coverage from 82.23% to 95%, while geographic coverage will increase from 36.3% to 54%...

•	Ghana: Deployment of 5G to begin before the end of 2026 Ghana plans to begin deploying 5G before the end of 2026, following the allocation of new frequencies by the regulator...

•	NEC-UNDP MoU positions AI as force for sustainability This MoU promotes cooperation towards the conservation and restoration of the natural environment and the realisation of sustainable local communities by combining UNDP's knowledge and networks in development assistance...

Global Telecom Update

•	DAMAC Digital and Vodafone Türkiye inaugurate 4MW data centre in Izmir The Izmir data centre spans 7,500 square metres and accommodates over 650 cabinets and is designed with a scalable architecture capable of supporting advanced AI workloads and next-gen GPU technologies...

•	Ekinops supports 1&1 Versatel with next-gen managed services EKINOPS has announced that 1&1 Versatel GmbH, the Düsseldorf-based German B2B telecommunications provider with nationwide fiber reach, has begun rolling out the Ekinops connectivity portfolio...

North Africa

•	Egypt prepares GovTech AI competition as ICT sector growth reaches record 24.3% Egypt is preparing a competition that will allow startups and entrepreneurs to pilot AI-powered solutions within government ministries, as the country seeks to translate its expanding technology ecosystem into deployable...

Satellite & Hybrid Networks

•	Polish high-speed trains to test satellite internet with passengers on board Poland’s state-owned long-distance rail operator, PKP Intercity, will begin testing satellite internet on board its trains, with passengers taking part in the trials...

•	New coastal cable system planned for Kenya The LuLu Coastal Cable System the Kenyan coast’s first fully protected coastal cable system, has been announced at this week’s ITW Africa digital infrastructure and connectivity event, held in Nairobi...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Orange Polska extends Viaccess-Orca partnership with multiyear deal Orange Polska has signed a new multiyear agreement with Viaccess-Orca (VO), extending a technology partnership that began in 2013 as the operator continues to modernise its television platform...

•	DTG publishes interoperability framework for IP-delivered TV advertising The DTG Interoperability & Transition Framework for IP-Delivered Television Advertising was developed over eight months with input from more than 50 organisations...

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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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