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SAMENA Daily - Industry News Briefing

Industry News Briefing
April 16, 2026

Featured Member News

Churchill downs designates Cisco as official enterprise networking and Network Infrastructure Partner of the Kentucky Derby

This partnership represents a significant investment in the future of connectivity at Churchill Downs, designed to support next-generation fan experiences at future Kentucky Derby Weeks and other year-round events...

Member News

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Nokia and Cinia partner to secure Finland’s critical infrastructure with advanced DDoS protection

Nokia announced that it is partnering with Cinia, a leading Finnish provider of critical connectivity and cybersecurity services, to deliver an advanced Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection solution...

Recent Developments

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Omantel Innovation Labs launches Cohort 7: Shaping the future of entrepreneurship and innovation in Oman

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Zain Kuwait clinches triple titles from Ookla® Speedtest®

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UAE Launches World’s First Commercial U6GHz Network, Advancing Path to 10Gbps Connectivity

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SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2026 Advances Industry Coordination, Reinforces Infrastructure Continuity, and Aligns Public and Private Sector Priorities

Policy and Regulation

•	ITU Journal explores enhanced underwater communications Key applications of underwater sensing and communications range from environmental monitoring for climate science and early warnings of tsunami to offshore infrastructure inspection, maritime security, and operating...

•	Ofcom approves VodafoneThree to launch satellite based UK mobile service The telecoms regulator Ofcom has approved a second licence variation to enable mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) to provide Direct-to-Device (D2D) services using its licensed spectrum in the 900MHz band...

Middle East

•	UAE ranks among leading global AI hubs in AI Index 2026 The United Arab Emirates has been ranked among the world’s leading artificial intelligence hubs in the AI Index 2026, reinforcing its position as a key player in the global AI landscape...

•	stc pay partners with GPS to power the next generation of digital payments in Bahrain This collaboration is part of stc pay’s ongoing investment in building a secure, scalable, and world-class digital payment infrastructure for the Kingdom of Bahrain...

•	Ooredoo and DE-CIX connect Doha IX to Marseille for global interconnectivity Ooredoo has partnered with DE-CIX to connect the Doha Internet Exchange (Doha IX) to DE-CIX Marseille, enhancing international connectivity and expanding interconnection capabilities for Qatar and the wider region...

North Africa

•	Egypt, Oracle explore expanded cooperation on digital transformation and skills development Egypt is exploring expanded collaboration with Oracle to accelerate digital transformation and strengthen technology skills development across the country...

3G, 4G and 5G Networks

•	Cirpack and Summa implementing VoLTE for Vodafone Polynésie The agreement will allow Vodafone Polynésie to modernise its voice infrastructure and deliver a high-quality, standards-compliant VoLTE experience to its approximately 150,000 subscribers...

•	LG Uplus upgrades Busan metro to 5G LG Uplus announced it's working with the Busan Metro Corporation to upgrade the Wi-Fi service on Busan Metro trains to a 5G-based system to improve wireless internet for customers...

Content & Immersive Technologies

•	Spectrum TV app expands reach on Google TV devices and Android TV OS streaming The Spectrum TV App is now available on Google TV and other Android TV OS devices, broadening access to the industry-leading pay TV streaming app and giving Spectrum customers even more ways to watch their Spectrum TV...

•	Roku tops 100 million streaming households worldwide Roku has passed 100 million streaming households worldwide, marking a new milestone for the connected TV platform as it continues to expand its international footprint and advertising scale...

South Asia

•	Alibaba enters Pakistan’s financial sector as SECP grants license to COCO Tech Alibaba has entered Pakistan’s financial services sector following the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) granting a license to COCO Tech, a fintech entity backed by the Chinese tech giant...

•	Dialog Finance launches next-generation virtual debit card, elevating digital payments in Sri Lanka Dialog Finance PLC, Sri Lanka’s leading fintech innovator, announced the launch of its Virtual Debit Card, the first in Sri Lanka to enable customers to generate multiple virtual cards for different purposes within a...

Satellite & Internet

•	Hughes to bring Wi-Fi to Air India widebody fleet Hughes Network Systems has announced that Air India has selected the Hughes In-Flight connectivity solution to deliver what is described as a consistent Wi-Fi experience using a common connectivity platform across its mixed...

Global Telecom Update

•	Nedbank and Mastercard to enhance digital payments across Southern Africa Digital payment deals continue to makes headlines across Africa. This time Nedbank and Mastercard have announced what is called a landmark agreement to transform digital payments across Southern Africa...

•	Cloudflare partners with Wiz to secure the global AI attack surface, eliminating blind spots caused by shadow AI By integrating the power of Cloudflare’s AI Security for Apps directly into the Wiz Security Graph, organizations will gain access to the most comprehensive map of their entire AI footprint, and the tools needed to...

•	Vodafone introduces real-time AI-based scam call detection as part of secure net mobile Working automatically in the background and built directly into the Vodafone network, the feature analyses incoming calls in real time, spotting suspicious behaviour and flagging high-risk numbers to the customer...

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