Bahrain
Batelco and Qareeb sign Head of Terms contract
In November 2024, Batelco and Qareeb Data Centres signed an MoU to develop the first White Space Data Centre in Bahrain. Fast forward to this week, the two operators met at Capacity Middle East to discuss plans for their collaborative project and sign a Head of Terms contract. Qareeb Data Centres, the Middle East’s first edge data centre provider, and Batelco, part of the Beyon Group, highlighted this key milestone for the Kingdom of Bahrain. The new data centre, located at Beyon’s Data Oasis, is ‘’in line to be the biggest technology hub in the Kingdom’’ and will offer ‘‘in-demand services for major customers across the Middle East and beyond’’, commented Hani Askar, Batelco Chief Global Business Officer, and Annemarie van Zadelhoff, Qareeb Chief Strategy Officer, respectively…Read more
UAE
Emirati government eyes federal data centre policy
The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) has established a national team to assess the impact of data centres on the domestic energy sector and to develop a federal policy regulating data centre operations. The team will also conduct a geographical study of the distribution of current and future data centres to ensure optimal infrastructure placement, compare global best practices through benchmarking, and explore innovative solutions to balance technological development with energy sustainability in alignment with national goals…Read more
e& launch edge data centre at UAE SmartHub campus
UAE-based telecom company e& has launched a new edge data centre at its Fujairah SmartHub campus. The facility, located near a major subsea cable landing station, will add 1.5MW of capacity, bringing the campus’ total to 4MW. To meet the growing demand for data centres in the Middle East, e& has been making significant investments across the UAE, with a particular focus on the hyperscaler and AI markets…Read more
e& and DE-CIX India partner to create India-UAE internet corridor
UAE-based telecom company e& has reaffirmed its partnership with global internet exchange operator DE-CIX to establish an internet corridor between the UAE and India. The collaboration reinforces e&’s goal of transforming the UAE into a major internet interconnection hub, while also strengthening the broader Middle East IX ecosystem. Nabil Baccouche, e&’s Group Chief Carrier and Wholesale Officer, stated that the ‘’UAE-India corridor would drive the growth of internet traffic across the Middle East and India, while also providing e&’s customers with enhanced network coverage and peering performance’’…Read more
Oman
Oman to release new AI policies
The Omani government is set to release a revised national AI policy in Q1 2025. First launched in 2021, the updated policy will outline a framework for the governance, use, and development of AI, while safeguarding national interests. This follows the launch of the AI executive programme in Q4 2024, which aims to increase the digital economy’s contribution to GDP from 2% to 5% by 2030, and 10% by 2040. Additionally, Oman’s government plans to develop an Omani Large Language Model (LLM), as well as establish an AI studio and an open data platform…Read more
Middle East
Ooredoo to build new submarine cable connecting seven Gulf nations
Ooredoo Group has partnered with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to develop a new submarine cable system connecting Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. This new system, called Fibre in the Gulf (FIG), will feature up to 24 fibre pairs with a total capacity of 720 Tbps. It aims to enhance regional connectivity between the Gulf and Europe, offering lower latency and a more secure route for data traffic. FIG will significantly benefit telecom operators, data centres, government agencies, and businesses relying on cloud services and AI applications, supporting the digital transformation of Gulf economies…Read more