News

Dubai-Based Noon Has Eliminated 10% Of Its Workforce

Employees in the marketing and advertising departments were laid off.

Published

3 years ago

April 24, 2023

Nour Nasir

Noon

After an initial surge during the height of the pandemic, many tech companies are now announcing cutbacks as the global economy continues to slump. Despite a generally buoyant digital economy, many Middle Eastern companies are also beginning to feel the strain as profits decline. One of those companies, Noon, recently issued a statement announcing layoffs of around 10%.

According to founder Mohamed Alabbar, Noon recently reduced its workforce to minimize costs, noting that the marketing and advertising departments of the Middle Eastern rival to Amazon were targeted for cuts.

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“We’ve been cutting costs and reducing staff for the past year and a half,” said Alabbar.

In 2021, Noon hoped to raise $2 billion from investors to aid further expansion across the Gulf e-commerce market. In February, the company acquired fashion e-retailer Namshi in a bid to expand its digital products and services with new fashion and lifestyle brands.

News

For etisalat, More Bandwidth Is A Matter Of Digital Sovereignty

The etisalat group plans to expand its international capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, with new routes designed for speed and resilience.

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

for etisalat, more bandwidth is a matter of digital sovereignty

Emirates News Agency

By 2030, etisalat group plans to lift its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps), more than 25 times the 20 Tbps it has today. The group presented the expansion as preparation for rising AI demand and an important move for the UAE’s digital sovereignty.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch of the project, which covers the UAE and international markets. Sheikh Mansour is also Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, etisalat group’s main shareholder.

He emphasized the role of coordinated national efforts in advancing the UAE’s AI and digital economy ambitions. “AI is a central pillar in our development journey moving forward,” he said, adding that developing the country’s digital capabilities would empower every institution, public and private, to build and innovate with AI “at the scale the coming decade will demand”.

“This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it,” said H.E Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group. “That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future”. He cast greater international connectivity as a strategic answer to the challenges of processing and moving data globally.

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Beyond raw bandwidth, the expansion will introduce new connectivity routes intended to improve reliability and efficiency, and Alzaabi tied them directly to the sovereignty goal. “Delivered through diversified routes and low-latency design, the project is set to keep the country’s connection to the global digital economy fast, direct and resilient, while ensuring the UAE’s digital sovereignty,” he said.

He also linked the plan to the group’s 50-year commitment to building infrastructure for the nation. The announcement didn’t mention what the expansion will cost. Nor did it name the new routes or say who will build them, the details that would show what digital sovereignty means in practice.