Egypt has long been the cultural and informational centre of the Middle East and North Africa, and Cairo is the region's largest publishing and broadcasting centre.
Telecommunications in Saudi Arabia have evolved early in the Kingdom since the establishment the Directorate of Post, Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) in 1926.
Communications in Somalia encompasses the communications services and capacity of Somalia. Telecommunications, internet, radio, print, television and postal services in the nation are largely concentrated in the private sector. Several of the telecom firms have begun expanding their activities abroad. The federal government operates two official radio and television networks, which exist alongside a number of private and foreign stations. Print media in the country is also progressively giving way to news radio stations and online portals, as internet connectivity and access increases. In 2012, a National Communications Act was also approved by Cabinet members, and 2 October 2017, the president of Somalia Finally signed the National Communications Law, and became the official Law that regulated the ICT industry. Under that Law, National Communications Authority (NCA) of the federal Republic of Somalia has been established, with board of directors and a general manager. Somalia currently is ranked first in Africa for most affordable mobile data per gigabyte and 7th in the world.
The Syrian Ministry of Communications retains governmental authority over the internet in Syria. Prior to the Syrian civil war, telecommunications in Syria were slowly moving towards liberalization, with a number of licenses awarded and services launched in the Internet service provision market. The initiative reflected the government's change in attitude towards liberalization, following its promise to the European Union to liberalize markets by 2010. All other forms of fixed-line communications are provided by the state-owned operator, Syrian Telecom (STE).
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for voice calls for the delivery of voice communication sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet.
Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC, doing business as etisalat and, is a UAE state-owned telecommunications company. It is the 18th largest mobile network operator in the world by number of subscribers.
Dubai Internet City (DIC) is a neighborhood and an information technology and business park created by the Government of Dubai as a free economic zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Ahmad Abdullah Juma Bin Byat is an Emirati firmly established in the UAE’s business environment, holding directorial positions in several prominent Dubai organisations.
Human Rights in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are substantially restricted. The UAE does not have democratically elected institutions and citizens don't have the right to change their government or form political parties. Activists and academics who criticize the government are detained and imprisoned, and their families are often harassed by the state security apparatus. There are reports of forced disappearances of foreign nationals and Emirati citizens, who have been abducted, detained and tortured in undisclosed locations, and denied the right to a speedy trial and access to counsel during investigations by the UAE government. Human Rights Watch states that Emirati laws maintain capital punishment and discriminate against women, migrants and LGBT individuals.
Dubai Media City (DMC), part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company P.J.S.C., commercially rebranded as du (دو) in February 2007, is one of the two main telecom operators in the United Arab Emirates. du offers fixed line, mobile telephony, internet and digital television services across the UAE. It also provides carrier services, a data hub, internet exchange facilities and satellite service for broadcasters. It expanded its services in support of economic and social transformation of UAE and operates subsidiaries such as EITC Investment Holdings Limited, Edara, Smart Dubai Platform Project Company LLC and EITC Singapore PTE. LTD.
Dubai is a media hub for the Middle East region and is home to many television and radio channels.
Telephone numbers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) follow a closed telephone numbering plan. The UAE is assigned an international dialing code of +971 by ITU. Telephone numbers are fixed at seven digits, with area codes fixed at two or three digits.
Use of the Internet in Qatar has grown rapidly and is now widespread, but Internet access is also heavily filtered.
Internet in Afghanistan is available in all of its 34 provinces, and is used by over 9 million people as of 2022. The internet officially became available in 2002 during the presidency of Hamid Karzai. Prior to that year, it was prohibited because the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believed that it may be used to broadcast obscene, immoral and anti-Islamic material, and because the few internet users at the time could not be easily monitored as they obtained their telephone lines from neighboring Pakistan.
Human rights in Dubai are based on the Constitution and enacted law, which promise equitable treatment of all people, regardless of race, nationality or social status, per Article 25 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates. Despite this, Freedom House has stated: "Extreme forms of self-censorship are widely practiced, particularly regarding issues such as local politics, culture, religion, or any other subject the government deems politically or culturally sensitive. The Dubai Media Free Zone (DMFZ), an area in which foreign media outlets produce print and broadcast material intended for foreign audiences, is the only arena where the press operates with relative freedom."
Mass media in the United Arab Emirates is subject to government control and censorship. Media freedom is severely curtailed in the UAE. Most UAE media is owned by the government or by groups that have ties to the government. UAE law permits the government to censor content critical of the government. Journalists and writers who criticize the government are subject to repression.
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority is the federal telecommunications regulatory agency of the United Arab Emirates since 2003.
Several countries have interfered with or banned access to the telecommunications application software Skype. The use of the website has also been restricted in other ways.
