Mobile Finance Zain Cash Iraq adds Western Union to its mobile money offering Electronic financial service ZainCash Iraq has announced the launch of Western Union international money transfer services through the ZainCash mobile application, enabling customers in Iraq to connect to more than 200 countries and territories.
Revenue & Billing Ooredoo Kuwait works with Ericsson to upgrade billing system Operator Ooredoo Kuwait has partnered with Ericsson to implement Ericsson Billing across its network. The billing system upgrade has, Ericsson says, enabled 5G evolution across Ooredoo Kuwait’s network and supported it in developing competitive marketing strategies for a variety of 5G...
Data Centres & Networks Asiacell taps LigaData for data governance program Iraq’s Asiacell has appointed data analytics and AI specialists LigaData to implement a new Data Governance Framework and Data Governance Centre of Expertise.
Devices & Platforms Turkcell upgrades Ericsson Mediation platform to support BSS evolution Turkish operator Turkcell has upgraded to the Ericsson Mediation platform, supporting its ongoing business support systems (BSS) evolution.
Wireless Networks Kuwait’s Mada turns to Nokia for transport network upgrade Nokia has announced that Mada Communications, a Kuwait-based telecommunications service provider offering enterprise solutions and services, will deploy its Wavence microwave solutions.
Mobile Finance TOD and TPAY partnership targets Egypt’s mobile content subscribers TOD, described as the fastest growing streaming platform for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has struck a strategic partnership with TPAY, a leading payments company in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META).
Satellite Networks SES and du demo satellite-enabled 5G backhaul Satellite operator SES and du from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), a leading telecom operator in the United Arab Emirates, say they have successfully demonstrated the first satellite-enabled 5G backhaul in the Middle East utilising SES’s medium earth orbit (MEO)...
Vendors Ericsson sets aside $220m for US DOJ Ericsson announced that it would put aside SEK2.3 billion (US$220m) as part of a potential resolution with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), regarding its alleged breaches under a deferred prosecution agreement.
Business Zain Iraq announces tower sale and leaseback deal Zain Group, a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa, has announced that its operation in Iraq has entered into a 15-year agreement to sell and lease back the passive physical infrastructure of its 4,968 tower portfolio in Iraq to TASC Towers Iraq for US$180...
Satellite Networks Es’hailSat and AXESS Networks join forces to support MENA satcoms Qatar’s Es’hailSat and AXESS Networks have announced a strategic partnership agreement to provide teleport and VSAT services for multiple sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Operators Zain seals tower sale to PIF Saudi operator Zain KSA sealed the sale of tower assets to the Saudi Public Investment Find (PIF) for SAR3.02 billion (US$803.5 million), a move to cut debt for the company.
Cloud & Virtualisation Kuwait partners Google Cloud for digital transformation Google Cloud has announced a strategic alliance with the government of Kuwait to roll out a comprehensive digital transformation roadmap across government entities and key state-owned enterprises.
Optical & Fixed Networks MEA record PON speed demo’d by Nokia in UAE Nokia has announced that, in collaboration with operator Etisalat UAE, (aka etisalat by e&), it has demonstrated the fastest passive optical network (PON) speed in the Middle East and Africa region.
Business MTN rumoured to be considering exit from smaller West African operations A so far unconfirmed report from Bloomberg suggests that MTN Group may be looking at divesting some of its smaller operations in West Africa.
Optical & Fixed Networks Egypt – Greece subsea system collaboration agreement signed Following up on its announcement in February of a memorandum of understanding, Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom...
Operators NGO investigation unearths links between Syria’s Wafa Telecom and Iran Syria’s newest operator Wafa Telecom has been linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by an investigation conducted by the NGOs OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption and Reporting Project) and OPENSyr (Observatory of Political and Economic Networks).
Operators Vodacom acquires majority stake in Vodafone Egypt Vodacom acquired a 55% stake in Vodafone Egypt from the wider company after clearing regulatory and procedural hurdles, putting an end to the much-delayed sale which saw STC ending its interest two years prior.
Optical & Fixed Networks Helios Towers wraps up Omantel assets Helios Towers closed the acquisition of 2,519 passive infrastructure sites from Omantel for US$495 million, its first in the Middle East as part of wider plans to expand in the region.
Regulation Israel wants smart city planning ahead of 5G spectrum auction The Israeli government appears to be keen to encourage operators to make plans for the next 5G spectrum auction with a call for smart city-focused rollout.
Regulation Turkcell vs MTN: could there be a sequel? The near-decade long legal dispute between Turkcell and South Africa’s MTN about shares in an Iranian operator may not be over yet.
Business DIEZ, Durq and du partner for 5G-powered smart city solutions Smart cities are back in the news in Dubai, where du, part of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, has joined forces with Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) and Derq, a leading provider of AI analytics solutions for road safety and connected vehicles.
Consumer Ecosystems Algerie Telecom and Djezzy sign QoS agreement in Algeria Algeria’s state-backed operators Algerie Telecom (AT) and Djezzy have signed a new partnership agreement focused on boosting quality of service (QoS).
Operators Turkcell's corruption claim against MTN dismissed by South African court Allegations of impropriety by Turkish operator Turkcell and its subsidiary East Asian Consortium (EAC) against South African operator MTN over the award of the first private mobile telecommunications licence in Iran have been dismissed by the High Court of South Africa.
Regulation Bahrain's TRA makes spectrum available for private 5G Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has made part of the C-Band spectrum available for 5G private networks. The spectrum will be made available in the 3.8 to 4.2GHz band.
Data Centres & Networks Africa Data Centres plans its first data centre in Rwanda Africa Data Centres, Africa's largest network of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities, has announced that it is building its first data centre in Rwanda.
Vendors Ericsson launches 5G growth report for emerging markets A report from Analysys Mason commissioned by Ericsson highlighted the potential economic, consumer and environmental benefits from 5G connectivity in 15 emerging markets, stating these countries could see GDP growth between 0.3% and 0.46% through 2035.
Cyber Security Zain KSA and Starlink announce cybersecurity MoU Saudi Arabian telecommunications services company Zain KSA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with StarLink, a value-added distributor (VAD) in cybersecurity, secure cloud and secure networking in the Middle East and Africa, for cybersecurity and cloud computing...
Investment Helios makes data centre investments in Morocco and Kenya Africa-focused private investment firm Helios Investment Partners has announced plans for two landmark investments: the acquisitions of majority stakes in Maroc Datacenter (MDC), a carrier neutral data centre in Morocco, and in IXAfrica, a leading developer and operator...
Vendors Nokia announces new Saudi maintenance centre Nokia has announced the opening of a new regional maintenance hub in Saudi Arabia that will support its customers across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.
Optical & Fixed Networks GBI kicks off World Cup with extra capacity thanks to Infinera With the world’s biggest football competition only days away, Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has announced that it has deployed Infinera’s ICE6 800G optical engine to boost capacity ahead of the World Cup.
Devices & Platforms ASL19 and United for Iran launch Meidoon app to combat misinformation on Telegram Iran-focused technology group ASL19 has partnered with civil liberties NGO United for Iran to launch Meidoon, a platform that provides open and accessible data on trending Persian-language content on Telegram.
Service Management TeleYemen works with Linxa to enhance its international voice business TeleYemen, the sole licensed provider of international telecommunication services in Yemen, has chosen the Linxa Connect Voice Platform from wholesale telecom software platform company Linxa for its international voice business.
Enterprise Ecosystems LTT implementing network automation in Libya with PI Works Libya’s state-owned internet service provider LTT (Libya Telecom & Technology) has tapped P.I. Works to deploy its EXA automation solution across the ISP’s national radio access networks (RANs).
Data Centres & Networks Omantel and Ciena announce DCI first for Middle East Omani operator Omantel has launched what is described as the Middle East’s first 400GbE DCI service with networking systems, services and software company Ciena.
Operators Telenor eyeing US$1B sale of Pakistan business Telenor is pursuing the sale of its Pakistani operations, with invitations the first round of bids likely to be issued this month.
Wireless Networks Qatar and Infovista partner to monitor network quality Qatar Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has selected a solution to monitor mobile operators’ network quality supplied by network lifecycle automation expert Infovista.
Wireless Networks 5G network slicing to be assessed by Nedaa and Nokia in Dubai Nokia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nedaa, the security network provider of the Dubai government.
Vendors Ericsson deals in MEA, Brazil and Montenegro demonstrate its diversity A brief roundup of recent Ericsson news underlines the company’s diverse capabilities, encompassing cognitive software in the Middle East, uplink record-breaking in Brazil and, through an affiliate, network maintenance in Montenegro.
Investment Saudi wealth fund eyes majority stake in STC’s tower unit Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made a non-binding offer of nearly US$6 billion to acquire 51% of STC’s towers unit TAWAL.
Cloud & Virtualisation ZainTech to acquire managed cloud provider In yet another deal underlining the importance of cloud service provision, ZainTech, the one-stop digital and ICT solutions division of Zain Group has agreed to acquire managed cloud provider BIOS Middle East.
Regulation Iran plans drastic restrictions on internet access Iran is planning to criminalise the sale of virtual private networks (VPNs) used to bypass internet restrictions, a minister said this week.
Investment Qatari wealth fund angling for Vodafone Egypt stake The Qatar Investment Authority is reportedly in advanced negotiations with the Egyptian government to acquire around US$2.5bn of state holdings in various firms, including market-leading mobile operator Vodafone Egypt.
Customer Management Vodafone Oman extends partnership With Netcracker Vodafone Oman has added analytics, DevOps processes and an integration layer to its ongoing engagement with Netcracker. This latest expansion to the partnership will, says Netcracker, further add to the operator’s data-driven capabilities, allowing it to grow and enhance its business and...
Optical & Fixed Networks GBI upgrades optical network capacity with Nokia Gulf Bridge International (GBI) is increasing its international network capacity with optical upgrades from Nokia to enable high-speed connectivity between Doha, Qatar and Milan, Italy.
Satellite Networks e&, SES and Microsoft combine for cloud connectivity in UAE – and beyond The Carrier and Wholesale Services division of e& (formerly the Etisalat Group) has announced a partnership with technology giant Microsoft and satellite operator SES to host the co-located SES O3b mPOWER and Microsoft ground station at Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE.
Service Management Vodafone and Ericsson continue network optimization drive in Oman Continuing evidence of the growth in importance of artficial intelligence (AI) for operators comes in the form of a recent announcement from Ericsson and Vodafone Oman that they have partnered to, as they put it, “empower the telecom company’s network infrastructure development across...
Optical & Fixed Networks Oman-Australia cable ready for service The Oman-Australia undersea cable linking Perth and Muscat, is, according to the company that built it, ready for service.
Data Centres & Networks MoU targets Asian and Middle Eastern data centre markets Khazna Data Centers, one of the largest wholesale data centre providers in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed a memorandum of understating (MoU) with GDS IDC Services (GDS), a Chinese company that develops and operates high-performance data centres.
Operators Orange opens 5G lab in Jordan Orange expanded its 5G testbed programme into Jordan to explore new use cases using the new technology standard, as part of the operator’s long-term strategy to unlock more value from 5G before launching in the country.
Operators Ooredoo reportedly advances tower sale plan Qatar-based operator Ooredoo Group has apparently advanced a plan to sell off domestic and international towers, tapping up Morgan Stanley to facilitate a potential deal, reported Reuters.
