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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
May 1, 2026

Featured Member News

AT&T celebrates small business owners with the launch of the 2026 AT&T Small Business Contest

AT&T has opened applications for its 2026 Small Business Contest, offering a US$50,000 grand prize and expanded tools, cybersecurity support, and visibility to help small businesses grow and drive community impact...

Member News

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ZainTECH named a Leader in IDC MarketScape: Gulf Countries AI Professional Services

ZainTECH has been named a Leader in IDC’s Gulf AI services assessment, highlighting its strength in delivering secure, scalable, industry-focused AI solutions across the GCC...

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National implementation of the EU AI Act: a snapshot of AI laws, regulatory bodies and penalties

EU countries are progressing unevenly on AI Act implementation, with few having designated authorities and most opting for decentralised enforcement, raising concerns over consistent regulation across the bloc...

Policy and Regulation

•	The ITU Council Members have unanimously appointed the Kingdom as Vice-Chair of the ITU Council in 2026 Saudi Arabia has been appointed as Vice-Chair of the ITU Council, represented by Eng. Mansour Alqurashi, the Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Partnerships at the Ministry of Communications and Information...

•	Direct to device services: Poised for the leap to 6G Direct-to-device satellite networks are set to close the final connectivity gap by enabling near-total global coverage and integrating seamlessly with 5G and future 6G systems, despite regulatory and spectrum challenges...

Middle East

•	Ooredoo reports Q1 revenue growth as data demand and digital services drive performance Ooredoo has reported a 6% increase in revenue for the first quarter, with net profit rising 4.7% to approximately US$274 million, reflecting steady operational performance across its markets...

•	Beyon's Q1 revenue soars to US$313 million Beyon has recorded solid revenue growth for Q1 hitting BD119 million (US$313 million), up 1% from last year's figure of BD117 million (US$307 million), primarily driven by growth in digital services and international...

•	NextEra opens its headquarters in King Abdullah Financial District to support Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation Through its advanced technology solutions, the company contributes to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, particularly in building a sustainable and thriving digital economy...

North Africa

•	Visa expands “She’s Next” in Egypt, doubles down on women-led SMB digitisation Visa has launched a new round of its “She’s Next” initiative in Egypt, alongside fresh insights into the digitisation of women-led small and medium businesses, as the country’s fintech and SME...

Satellite & Internet

•	Viasat successfully launches ViaSat-3 F3 satellite for Asia-Pacific capacity expansion Viasat, global leader in satellite communications, announced the successful launch and initial signal acquisition of the ViaSat-3 Flight 3 (F3) satellite...

•	4iG, Grid Telecom sign MoU to develop Albania–Greece fiber corridor Hungarian operator 4iG Group and Greece’s Grid Telecom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore joint development of cross-border telecommunications and digital infrastructure across the Balkans and...

South Asia

•	Pakistan telcos propose higher call and data package prices amid rising cost pressures Telecom operators in Pakistan have submitted revised pricing data to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), signalling potential increases in call and internet package rates as cost pressures intensify across the...

•	Dialog surpasses 1,000 5G sites, strengthening nationwide 5G coverage Dialog Axiata has surpassed 1,000 5G sites ahead of schedule, accelerating nationwide coverage and reinforcing its leadership in driving Sri Lanka’s digital transformation...

Global Telecom Update

•	AirTrunk to develop two new data centres in Malaysia Hyperscale data centre platform AirTrunk has announced plans to invest about US$3 billion to develop two new data centres in Malaysia, to be called JHB3 and JHB4...

•	Ethio Telecom, British International Investment (BII) explore strategic collaboration on digital economy During the meeting, the CEO briefed participants on Ethio telecom’s transformational journey and its pivotal contribution to Ethiopia’s socio-economic advancement and digital transformation...

•	Nationwide switch to digital landlines less than a year away BT has launched a new campaign highlighting less than a year to go before the nationwide switch to a digital landline...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Simplestream brings local TV channels to Freely Simplestream is supporting the launch of a group of UK local TV channels on Freely, providing fully managed IP channel distribution and server-side ad insertion...

•	Netflix introduces “Clips” vertical video feed to boost mobile content discovery Netflix is making a major move in mobile content discovery with the introduction of a new feature called “Clips,” a vertical video feed designed to surface short, engaging highlights from its original...

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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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