From the UAE's first commercial 5G network slicing launch to hyperscale data center investments and pioneering trials in network slicing and BSS transformation, the telecommunications and technology sectors in the Middle East and Africa are witnessing rapid advancements. Below are key highlights from recent initiatives driving innovation and connectivity across the region.
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1. E& UAE Launches Region's First Commercial 5G Network Slicing for Businesses
E& UAE has become the first operator in the region to launch a commercial 5G network slicing product for business customers, leveraging its standalone 5G network. This solution delivers dedicated, ultra-reliable 5G to meet the evolving needs of industries and organisations across the public and private sectors, e& UAE announced on May 20, 2025.
Through 5G network slicing, the physical network is divided into multiple virtual networks (slices), each with dedicated resources to guarantee consistent performance and security. This enables sectors such as manufacturing, public safety, and logistics to run mission-critical applications with precision and reliability.
Oscar Garcia, Senior Vice President of Business Marketing and Product Innovation, e& UAE, said: "By introducing 5G network slicing, e& UAE is delivering on its commitment to building innovative connectivity products and solutions that drive digital transformation across industries. With 5G network slicing, organisations can leverage on end-to-end reserved capacity to achieve guaranteed performance for critical operations. The solution is set to enable industry-specific use cases with the reliability and flexibility required for essential applications."
Businesses can select from bandwidth-based packages and deploy dedicated industrial 5G Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), ensuring integration and consistent performance. Despite using the same physical infrastructure, traffic and data remain isolated between slices, safeguarding performance and data integrity, the company explained.
"As the region's first operator to launch a 5G network slicing solution with predefined bandwidths and plans, e& UAE is unlocking the full potential of reliable connectivity across the UAE," the company said.
With this launch, e& UAE aims to bridge the gap between Standard 5G and complex private networks, providing a flexible, cost-effective alternative that accelerates digital transformation across sectors and fuels the UAE's vision of a smart, connected future.
2. Ericsson and Zain Jordan Launch Cloud-Native BSS Transformation to Accelerate Digital Innovation
Ericsson and Zain Jordan have announced a Business Support Systems (BSS) transformation project, aimed at elevating digital services, enhancing customer experiences, and boosting operational agility across Jordan's telecom sector. The initiative will modernise Zain Jordan's BSS architecture into a cloud-native model.
Under the new agreement, Ericsson will upgrade Zain Jordan's existing Ericsson Charging platform with its latest software and enhanced capabilities, deployed on the Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure. This transition supports a catalog-driven business model, enabling more personalised service experience for its prepaid customers.
The transformation will empower Zain Jordan to enhance service agility, improve time to market, optimise costs, and introduce greater operational flexibility and 5G monetisation opportunities, the companies said in a joint statement on May 19, 2025.
Wesam Abu Hashhash, Technology and Digital Innovation Director at Zain Jordan says: "By digitalising our prepaid customer service experience with Ericsson's monetisation and core commerce portfolio, we are setting the stage for a more agile and customer-centric approach. This transformation will enable us to meet the evolving needs of our customers."
Kevin Murphy, Vice President and Head of Ericsson North Middle East and Africa, added: "Through this cloud-native transformation, we are enabling Zain Jordan to enhance customer service experiences, improved time to market and agility, streamline operations, and unlock new opportunities in the digital economy. As Zain continues to evolve its service offerings in Jordan, this transformation will pave the way for future innovations that enhance connectivity and service experiences across the Kingdom."
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3. Nokia and Stc Group Complete Saudi Arabia's First GPON Network Slicing Trial
Nokia and Stc group have completed Saudi Arabia's first Proof of Concept (PoC) for network slicing over a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) infrastructure, using Nokia's Altiplano Access Controller – a software solution for automating and controlling broadband access networks.
The trial, held at stc's Riyadh lab, demonstrated how multiple virtual network slices can be dynamically managed within a single GPON network to meet diverse service requirements — such as low latency for cloud gaming or high reliability for government operations.
This capability allows faster service deployment, and optimised resource use, and opens new revenue streams in wholesale, B2B, and smart city sectors. Nokia's Altiplano platform also supports multi-vendor and multi-PON environments, simplifying operations and ensuring consistent gigabit speeds.
Once deployed, the solution will enable stc group to offer high-performance, SLA-backed services, allowing the network to serve multiple users and industries simultaneously, the companies said in a joint statement on May 13, 2025.
"This GPON slicing trial marks a significant step in transforming our network capabilities. Nokia's solution allows us to deliver tailored services with speed, precision, and scalability, advancing our vision of a smarter digital infrastructure for the kingdom," said Bader Allhieb, VP of Network Infrastructure at stc.
"Altiplano empowers service providers to automate and optimize network management, resulting in faster service delivery, improved efficiency, and superior user experiences. By working with pioneers like stc group we're able to redefine what is possible in network automation," added Ibrahim Al-Abbas, Head of stc Group Sales Unit for Network Infrastructure at Nokia.
4. Airtel Africa and MTN Explore Infrastructure Sharing Deal in Additional African Markets
Africa's telecommunication companies Airtel Africa and South Africa's MTN Group are exploring opportunities to share network infrastructure in Congo, Rwanda and Zambia to lower capital and operational costs, and enhance the quality of service to customers.
Network sharing in Uganda and Nigeria
In March, Airtel Africa and MTN Group signed agreements to share network infrastructure in Uganda and Nigeria. These sharing agreements target improved network cost efficiencies, expanded coverage and the provision of enhanced mobile services to millions of customers, particularly those in remote and rural areas who do not yet fully enjoy the benefits of a modern connected life.
"Following the conclusion of agreements in Uganda and Nigeria, MTN and Airtel Africa are exploring various opportunities in other markets, including the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Zambia. Among the types of agreements considered are RAN sharing and those aimed at establishing commercial and technical agreements for fibre infrastructure sharing and, if necessary, the construction of fibre networks," Airtel Africa disclosed in its latest audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2025.
5. Du Signs Hyperscale Data Center Deal with Microsoft
The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du) announced a USD 544.54 million hyperscale data center deal with Microsoft on April 22, 2025.
"The hyperscale data centre to be built and operated with a cost valued around 2 billion AED. The data center capacity will be delivered in tranches with Microsoft as the main tenant," du said in a statement.
Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of du, said: "Exceeding traditional infrastructure boundaries, the data centre will be established as a critical infrastructure that will underpin a wide array of future technologies, it reflects the immense potential of this sector in our region, driven by surging demand for AI capabilities, sovereign cloud, and increased capacity needs."
Currently, du operates five data centers across the UAE, forming a foundation for digital applications and services. Du said with its infrastructure, organisations are able to migrate their systems more effectively to the cloud while providing greater control over operations, location, and security to help support digital sovereignty.
"At Dubai AI Week, I witnessed an announcement from du to launch a groundbreaking AED 2 billion hyperscale data centre, in collaboration with Microsoft. This marks a significant investment in digital infrastructure, reinforcing Dubai's leadership in adopting the latest technologies, innovations, and digital services," Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in a LinkedIn post.
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6. Du and Nokia Release Joint Vision Paper on 5G Cloud RAN for Enterprise and Industrial Use Cases
du, in collaboration with Nokia, has released a vision paper on 5G Cloud RAN for enterprise and industrial use cases. The two companies in a statement on April 25 said the paper outlines du's strategic approach to explore and advance the vision for 5G CloudRAN use cases, leveraging cutting-edge virtualisation and cloud-native technologies.
"du aims to enhance network flexibility, efficiency, and scalability, enabling innovative applications such as AI-driven automation, immersive XR experiences, and next-generation enterprise solutions. By integrating CloudRAN, du is driving the evolution of intelligent, high-performance 5G networks that support the UAE's digital vision," Du said in a statement.
