Innovation 16 March 2026 Can Africa succeed where India failed with the $40 smartphone? Mobile operators and global groups are testing ultracheap 4G phones across six African countries, hoping to close the continent’s device affordability gap. By Ananya Bhattacharya
Tech Giants 11 March 2026 The Gulf built oil pipelines to avoid Hormuz. It’s now doing the same for data By Indranil Ghosh
Ideas 6 March 2026 Waiting for the check marks: The reality of connecting with family in Iran By Bahareh Sahebi
Tech Giants 4 March 2026 Big Tech’s Gulf megaprojects are trapped between two war choke points The U.S.-Iran conflict has closed the only two routes for data in and out of the region. By Indranil Ghosh
The Rise of AI 2 March 2026 Iranian strikes test the Gulf’s trillion-dollar AI dream The region sold itself as a safe harbor for the world’s data. Amazon’s burning data center in the UAE has upended that pitch. By Indranil Ghosh
Innovation 12 February 2026 How cheap Chinese phones catapulted Kenya into the global digital economy In his new book “Silicon Elsewhere: Nairobi, Global China, and the Promise of Techno-Capital,” writer Andrea Pollio charts the growth of Chinese investment and companies in the Kenyan capital. By Andrea Pollio
Innovation 28 January 2026 When war destroys the internet economy From Iran’s shutdown to Sudan’s civil war, conflict is making tech ecosystems go into survival mode — and pushing talent into exile. By Itika Sharma Punit and Damilare Dosunmu
Access & Connectivity 23 January 2026 Iran’s internet blackout may become permanent, with access for elites only The regime is testing a two-tier internet where access becomes a vetted privilege. Its economic cost could be staggering. By Indranil Ghosh
Tech Giants 21 January 2026 Big Tech is racing to own Africa’s internet Amazon has joined Starlink, Google, and Meta in the scramble to control how Africa goes online. By Damilare Dosunmu
Access & Connectivity 14 January 2026 Uganda shuts down internet two days before election As President Yoweri Museveni contests for the seventh term, regulators cite misinformation risks for internet shutdown. Rights groups say it undermines free and fair voting. By Damilare Dosunmu
Access & Connectivity 13 January 2026 Iran crippled Starlink and why the rest of the world should worry The service became synonymous with censorship-proof connectivity. Iran has just proved that assumption wrong. By Indranil Ghosh
Tech Giants 5 January 2026 The day the cloud went out Entrepreneurs and tech workers from around the world describe how they navigated the many cloud outages in 2025. By Damilare Dosunmu
