Amazon Web Services (AWS) and UAE-based telco e& have signed a $1 billion cloud agreement in the Middle East.

The two companies will combine AWS' cloud infrastructure and solutions with e& networking capabilities.

Middle East
Dubai – Getty Images

AWS and e& aim to offer cloud services to customers in the public sector and heavily regulated industries including healthcare, finance, and oil and gas in the Middle East.

The agreement spans over the next six years, and will focus on cloud services including storage, computing, networking, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.

e& will deploy AWS technologies to expand its own AI capabilities, to use AWS services to modernize its TV streaming service Starzplay Arabia and Careem app, and to advance its Smart Home services, while AWS will enable small-medium-sized businesses to access its service with help from e&.

Hatem Dowidar, group CEO of e&, said: “This agreement with AWS demonstrates our shared long-term strategic goal to create an ecosystem that supports today’s digital needs and lays the foundation for future growth. We are enabling businesses across the region to lead in an AI-powered, data-driven economy. By investing in both critical infrastructure and talent development, we’re again supporting the region’s economy, digital resilience, and, most importantly, its people, who will be instrumental in realizing the UAE’s vision of becoming a world-leading digital powerhouse.”

Tanuja Randery, VP of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, AWS, said: “This collaboration marks another significant step in our ongoing investment in the UAE, which has emerged as an international force driving innovation. Our partnership with e& underscores AWS’s deep commitment to both the UAE and the wider Middle East, particularly in fast-tracking UAE Vision 2031.

"Our security infrastructure and expertise in AI and ML empowers public sector organizations, regulated industries, and enterprises with the tools they need to innovate securely and drive progress across the region.”

AWS launched a second cloud region in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2022, following the launch of its first Middle East region in Bahrain in 2019. The cloud giant launched a region in Israel in 2023.

Earlier this year, AWS announced it plans to launch a cloud region in Saudi Arabia in 2026, and will invest more than $5.3 billion in the region over the longer term.

e& was founded in Abu Dhabi more than 48 years ago. The company has a presence in 34 countries.