The Middle East and North Africa region is stepping into a fresh chapter of mobile connectivity. 5G rollout is no longer only about building infrastructure. It opens up diverse commercial prospects for telecom operators and enterprises across the whole ecosystem. GSMA’s Mobile Economy MENA 2026 report released at MWC26 Doha lays out clear data to show the upward momentum of the regional mobile market. Mobile technologies and services contributed 380 billion US dollars to the regional economy in 2025, and this figure is forecast to reach 470 billion US dollars by 2030. The number of 5G connections is expected to rise from 67 million in 2025 to 350 million in 2030. Operators will also put 53 billion US dollars into 5G expansion and standalone network construction from 2026 to 2030.
New Growth Tracks Beyond Basic Coverage
Large scale investment and connection growth set the foundation, yet the next major growth driver lies in value creation instead of simple coverage expansion. Operators in MENA are exploring multiple revenue streams from three core directions. Fixed Wireless Access helps deliver broadband access to regions lacking wired network resources. Enterprise 5G and private networks offer reliable connectivity for factory digital upgrade and corporate business scenarios. IoT and AI services support a wide range of smart digital applications for vertical industries. These use cases help operators move away from pure traffic based revenue models.
Core Network as the Foundation for 5G Monetisation
The core challenge for regional operators has shifted. Deployment of 5G networks is no longer the primary goal. The real task is converting network capability into stable, long term business value. New services including FWA, private 5G and IoT demand flexible network architecture, fast service activation and stable scalable performance. A rigid core network will become a bottleneck when operators try to launch new vertical services quickly and adjust service policies for different customer groups.
IPLOOK delivers cloud native converged 5G core network solutions tailored for MENA operators. Our modular core network supports SA 5G deployment, FWA service enablement, enterprise private network and IoT access on a unified platform. It helps operators shorten the cycle of launching new services, simplify operation and maintenance, and support diversified monetisation strategies. With elastic scaling and standardised interfaces, the platform can keep pace with the fast growing market demand in MENA, turning 5G infrastructure into sustainable business returns. How do you see 5G monetisation evolving across the MENA region?
