The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was the biggest day ever for BBC Online with audiences consuming 11.9 petabytes (equivalent to nearly 3 billion photos on a phone with a 12 megapixel camera) of data, peaking at 2.8 terabits per second when people saw their first glimpse of the bride's dress.

Read more: Breaking world records with smarter connectivity

In the framework of its efforts aiming at confirming mobile phones’ compliance with legislations and international standards in Lebanon, and in order to protect consumers from counterfeit and counter customs tax and VAT evasion, the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications Jamal Jarrah announced new measures that the ministry will start implementing in cooperation with Lebanese operators touch and Alfa.

Read more: Lebanon adopts new mobile phones compliance measures

5G is expected to complement 4G technologies to improve standard of living for consumers and society as a whole, and open new revenue opportunities for enterprises across a wide spectrum of industries. Early commercial deployments are expected in 2019, and widespread deployment will still take a number of years - 5G is designed to deliver incredible data speeds, provide large capacity, low latency and energy efficiency to support innovation and services across industries.

Read more: Ericsson executive says it’s critical to address consumer 5G requirements

Oman's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is planning to roll out 5G networks in Oman with the help of a national level team it established. The 5G national team includes members from the TRA and mobile network operators in the Sultanate who will develop a 5G strategy that will facilitate the deployment of the 5G network in Oman and tackle challenges that could arise during the roll-out, according to H.E Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhi, chairman of TRA.

Read more: Oman commences its 5G journey

As the demand on data is exponentially growing, the importance of fiber has grown even more. Its positive outcomes are centered on the improvement of services, connectivity and living conditions, in addition to providing more access to information for more people and businesses. Its ultimate advantage is its ability to transfer vast amounts of data at the local and global levels. Fiber deployment visions and plans are seeing the light today in the MENA region as more telcos are investing in fiber technologies.

Read more: Fiber deployments on the rise in MENA region

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) entered into a cooperation and referrals agreement between the innovation teams of each authority. The agreement mainly echoes the commitment of both authorities to help design an environment that supports the sustainable development of financial services through emerging technology.

Read more: Dubai, Singapore partner on fintech development

Artificial intelligence (AI) is recognized by many within the ICT sector and beyond as an emerging technology that has the potential to completely reshape entire industries and organizations as we know them. AI is being embraced by enterprises, governments and manufacturers on a global basis who share a consensus that it represents the future in terms of technological advancement and progress. However, many influential and high profile figures in the IT and technology sector have voiced their skepticism regarding the impact it will have on society.

Read more: AI: It’s time to dispel the negativity and embrace the future

University students in the UAE are being given an opportunity to help shape the future through an Expo 2020 Dubai program that entrusts youth to develop creative solutions to global challenges that affect the region.

Read more: EXPO 2020 empowering UAE students to develop creative solutions to global challenges

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