Zain KSA’s board of directors has approved the binding offer submitted by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) led consortium to acquire a 80% majority stake in the telco’s 8,069 passive tower infrastructure for a value of SAR 3.026 billion (USD 807 million).

Wholesale and Capacity
Tonga: A case of natural disaster disrupting connectivity
International and domestic communications were severed due to the damage sustained by the submarine cables connecting Tonga to the rest of the world.
stc announces launch of new data center in Qassim
stc has announced the inauguration of a new data center in the Qassim region, on their social media pages.
Console Connect brings on-demand global connectivity to Aqaba Digital Hub
Console Connect has extended its collaboration with NaiTel, the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub, to enable on-demand global connectivity access in the Middle East.
stc’s TAWAL expands reach with Pakistan’s AWAL acquisition
TAWAL, the leading Saudi ICT infrastructure company and one of stc Group subsidiaries, has announced its entry into Pakistan’s market via a full acquisition of Awal Telecom. The move, which is TAWAL’s first foray outside Saudi Arabia, is an initial step in the company’s international expansion roadmap.
GBI boosts submarine network performance with Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme
Gulf Bridge International (GBI), a global cloud, connectivity and content enabler, is deploying Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme, to increase GBI’s smart network capacity and performance. This upgrade will help GBI meet the demanding internet traffic requirements between the gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries, Europe and India. This will also help prepare the region for major upcoming sporting events – including the world’s largest football competition – in Qatar and the wider region.
stc launches $1 bln MENA Hub to enable KSA’s economy growth
On the sideline of LEAP, stc announced the launch of its initiative to establish a major digital hub “MENA Hub” for the Middle East and North Africa with an investment of $1 billion. This ensures the leading position of KSA across the ICT sector and stc’s role as leading player in the region, aiming to enable the Kingdom's economy growth and gross domestic product.
Two new data centers would support UAE’s digital ecosystem
Dubai Internet City, the region’s largest hub for technology companies and talent, has announced a deal with Khazna Data Centers, one of the largest wholesale data center providers in MENA, to establish two state-of-the-art data centers.
New $100 million Ethiopian data center set to open
Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, previously known as the Global Partnership for Ethiopia who received the sole license to operate telecom services in Ethiopia, has invested $100 million in their first data center in the country’s capital.
Huawei, DEWA pioneer the largest solar-powered data center in MEA
Steven Yi, president of Huawei Middle East & Africa, and HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), have broken ground the first phase of the largest solar-powered data center in the Middle East and Africa.