Iran internet blackout estimated to cost $37M+ daily, crippling businesses and society The ongoing digital disconnection is severely stalling commerce, draining millions of dollars daily and pushing many businesses toward collapse. Iran
Interview Qualcomm sees growing demand for edge AI in the Middle East The Middle East's young population is increasingly adopting AI through mobile devices rather than data center-based solutions, Wassim Chourbaji, Qualcomm's president for the Middle East and Africa, told Al-Monitor. Wassim Chourbaji Qualcomm president for the Middle East & Africa
Iran plans to create closed internet network offering tiered access: Report The shift heralds a new era in which internet access is no longer a right but a government-granted privilege, according to FilterWatch, a US-based group that monitors internet freedom in the Middle East. Iran
Tehran jams Starlink as Iranians take risks to skirt internet blackout Iranians have turned to the US internet provider to get online amid a government-imposed network blackout that began Jan. 8. Iran
Interview Youth, strong AI adoption make MENA leading region for smartphones: OPPO Lay Ren President of OPPO MENA
What's behind Elon Musk's visit to Israel, meeting with Netanyahu? On a visit to Israel, American billionaire Elon Musk called for a halt to the hate propaganda that he said enabled the Oct. 7 attack and also expressed willingness to help reconstruct Gaza. Israel
Business & Tech Briefing: Dubai gears up for COP28 By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
What does OpenAI firing Sam Altman mean for the Middle East? Altman was reportedly seeking new investment from the region at the time of his firing and had built relations with Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Legacy: Gulf
Interview Fear shouldn’t overtake rationality in approach to artificial intelligence, says UAE AI minister In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, UAE AI Minister Omar Sultan Al Olama discusses how states should govern the technology and whether fears about machine intelligence are founded. Omar Sultan Al Olama UAE Minister of State
Drones can help fight climate change, says Abu Dhabi environment agency The government department is looking to plant 10 mangroves in Abu Dhabi for every visitor to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai in November. United Arab Emirates
Twitter/X erases thousands of Israel-Hamas posts after EU disinfo warning The 27-nation bloc has also issued similar ultimatums to Meta and TikTok, imploring the companies to take fake posts about the conflict off their social media platforms. Israel
Israel, Azerbaijan announce landmark deal for sale of two satellites Israel Aerospace Industries and Azeri space agency Azercosmos announced the signing of an agreement for the sale of two Israeli-developed satellites. Israel
Israel, Germany sign $3.5B Arrow 3 deal Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed a letter of commitment in Berlin for the sale of the advanced Arrow 3 air defense system, signaling a strengthening of ties between Israel and Germany. Israel
China's Huawei to invest $430M in North African cloud center, developer training The Chinese tech firm has been increasing its footprint in the Middle East and North Africa. North Africa
UAE places technology at top of COP28 agenda in Dubai The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Space Agency and COP28 signed an agreement in July to coordinate on technology-focused sustainable solutions ahead of the major climate change conference in Dubai later this year. United Arab Emirates
China’s Huawei opens cloud data center in Riyadh to grow MENA footprint The Chinese telecoms giant said in February it would invest $400 million in Saudi Arabia's cloud region over the next five years. Saudi Arabia
US denies it had 'blocked' AI chip sales to some Middle Eastern countries The US Commerce Department was quick to distance itself from the reports — but it did not directly address imposing license restrictions on certain types of chips. Legacy: Gulf
