++Activeport Group (ASX: ATV)++ has launched its network-to-network interconnect (NNI) exchange in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, enabling seamless connection between telco networks, data centres, and the Cloud.
Prospective customers including Etisalat, Saudi Telecom, Zain, Ooredoo, and Omantel will now be able to utilise the company’s software to automate connections between networks, streamlining their operations, integrating billing and reducing time-to-live for new services.
These companies – which currently dominate the region’s communications markets, and have been seeking faster ways to cross-connect with each other and with new AI infrastructure and data centres – are working with Activeport to plan their integration to the NNI gateway when it comes online in the second half of 2026.
Data Centre Growth
The NNI launch capitalises on MENA’s explosive growth in hyperscale data centres, which is projected to triple to 3.3 gigawatts over the next five years as tech giants including Amazon commit more than $10 billion to the region.
The $112b MENA telecommunications market is also forecast to grow rapidly, driven by rising demand for cross-border enterprise connectivity and AI workloads alongside increased hyperscale data centre capacity.
Activeport chief executive officer Peter Christie expects the new NNI exchange will capture a substantial share of the region’s growth by providing automated connectivity solutions for carriers.
“As the Middle East digital economy surges, the need for seamless inter-carrier connectivity and cloud on-ramps is set to explode,” he said.
“Our NNI gateway will be an important asset linking carriers from Asia, India, Africa, and Europe to AI cloud infrastructure in the Middle East.”
Asia Exchange Gateway
Activeport plans to eventually connect the MENA gateway with its new ++Asia exchange++ to enabling linking between telcos in both regions.
The exchange will be the first of its kind in Asia when it goes live in mid-2026 and will allow carriers to leverage the company’s advanced application programming interfaces (APIs) to automate virtual circuit provisioning, extend their networks globally, and increase revenue opportunities.
It will integrate with network operator Megaport’s high-speed NNI product and extend Megaport’s services beyond traditional locations to more than 1,000 data centres in 165 cities throughout 26 nations.
The company anticipates new recurring revenue from this service to begin in the second half of FY26, then accelerate quickly as carriers throughout the region take up capacity on the service.
