Dubai: The SAMENA Telecommunications Council confirmed that its Leaders’ Summit 2026 will take place as scheduled on 1st April at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, under the patronage of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and in collaboration with Huawei.

This confirmation follows a review of the summit’s timing with UAE-based stakeholders and the broader SAMENA Council community, and maintaining the original date also reiterates an operational requirement for the market. In practice, convening leadership at this juncture supports clarity in direction, continuity in execution, and confidence across the market.

Positioned as the first regional leadership dialogue following Eid Al Fitr, the summit provides a timely forum for stakeholders across the UAE and the wider GCC to re-engage on shared priorities. As a result, discussions are expected to focus on sustaining investment momentum, reinforcing infrastructure resilience, and advancing coordinated approaches to digital development.

Under the umbrella theme, titled “Intelligent Networks for Sovereign & Sustainable Futures”, the 2026 agenda of the Leaders’ Summit will focus on forward-looking priorities with direct implications for operators, regulators, and investors. These include policy dialogue on the 6 GHz band and early preparations toward WRC-27, emphasising spectrum as a strategic enabler of future capacity and services.

The agenda will also cover artificial intelligence applications, moving from experimentation to scaled deployment across networks and industries, as well as telecom operator business transformation, including new private-centred monetisation models that leverage operator network data in a privacy-compliant manner, platforms, and differentiated service capabilities.

Additional focus areas include emerging hybrid connectivity paradigms that integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, alongside the evolving role of space infrastructure.

Parallel discussions will address space sustainability and orbital governance, driven by increased satellite deployment and the need for coordinated frameworks. Leadership sessions will explore shifts in the technology and international business landscape, including investment flows, supply chain considerations, and cross-border collaboration models.

The summit 2026 will include focused dialogue on infrastructure protection, network resilience, and continuity planning, considering the growing interdependence across cloud systems, data centres, terrestrial networks, and satellite infrastructure.

Held in the UAE, the summit benefits from a market environment characterised by strong institutional coordination between regulators, operators, and technology partners. This coordination demonstrates sustained policy direction and disciplined execution. Therefore, the summit is expected to strengthen the collaborative model that builds confidence across the UAE and the regional ICT ecosystem.

Participants from across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia will engage in discussions on policy alignment, investment priorities, and ecosystem development. Sustained engagement, driven by the need to manage both opportunity and external pressures.

“Maintaining leadership dialogue is essential to ensuring that the region’s digital infrastructure continues to function and evolve in a stable and forward-looking manner,” said Bocar BA, CEO of the SAMENA Council. “The Leaders’ Summit aims to enable alignment across sectors on priorities that are both immediate and long-term in their impact.”

The SAMENA Council has made dedicated arrangements with AMH Tourism as the Smart Destination Partner. These arrangements are designed to facilitate travel, accommodation, and on-ground coordination for attending leaders, ensuring ease of access and streamlined participation in the Leaders’ Summit.

The SAMENA Telecommunications Council invites stakeholders across telecommunications, technology, digital services, and ICT-enabled sectors to participate in the Leaders’ Summit 2026. Engagement at this stage reflects a shared responsibility to support continuity and reinforce market confidence in the UAE and the region.