E& UAE, Ankabut Expand AI-Ready Education Network

e& UAE, the flagship telecom arm of e&, and Ankabut, the UAE’s national research and education network, have renewed their strategic agreement to expand and modernise the country’s high-performance digital infrastructure for universities and research institutions. The next phase of the partnership focuses on creating a secure, resilient and ultra-high-capacity network capable of supporting artificial intelligence workloads, advanced research and large-scale data collaboration.

The renewed collaboration aims to transform the academic landscape by providing institutions with dedicated digital pipelines that go far beyond conventional commercial internet connections. Academic and research centres across the UAE will gain access to a private education network designed specifically for compute-intensive AI tasks, including model training, deep learning inference and complex data modelling.

By reducing the effects of network congestion, bandwidth limitations and latency, the infrastructure functions as a 'digital expressway' that links campuses directly to local AI hyperscalers and large-scale cloud environments.

Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, Chief Government & VVIP Relations Officer at e& UAE, emphasised the strategic importance of the initiative. “True digital transformation in education requires us to look beyond traditional network solutions. We are proud to serve as the trusted architect of this secure, scalable, and resilient AI-ready foundation. By integrating Ankabut’s educational network with e&’s world-class connectivity and local AI hyperscalers, we are creating a powerful catalyst for home-grown innovation. This private education network will ensure that our academic institutions have sovereign, secure access to the world’s most advanced AI tools and collaborative platforms.”

The partnership arrives at a time when AI adoption is accelerating rapidly across the education sector. Traditional connectivity is no longer sufficient for the data volumes and processing demands of modern research. The AI-enabled private network addresses these requirements by delivering high-capacity, low-latency links that enable researchers to run intensive workloads and process complex datasets with greater speed, reliability and security. Institutions will also benefit from improved access to sovereign computing resources, reducing dependence on external commercial networks for sensitive or high-volume research activities.

Tarek Jundi, CEO of Ankabut, highlighted the broader evolution underway in research infrastructure. “We are witnessing the next evolution of research. With high-performance computing and data-intensive collaboration becoming central to modern knowledge, we need to move beyond just connecting institutions and become the digital backbone that enables secure and sovereign data research. This collaboration with e& UAE marks Ankabut’s progression in the ecosystem that helps strengthen the country’s capabilities for years to come.”

A key element of the agreement is the extension of connectivity to leading international research and education networks. Through Ankabut’s National Research and Education Network (NREN), UAE institutions will be able to exchange data at high performance with global partners while maintaining secure and dedicated links among domestic universities and research centres. The NREN will also orchestrate connectivity to UAE-based cloud service providers, creating a cohesive ecosystem that supports both local and international collaboration.

The initiative aligns closely with the UAE’s National AI Strategy and wider digital transformation agenda. By modernising campus networks and establishing a sovereign technical framework, e& UAE and Ankabut are helping to position the country as a global centre for AI, research and innovation. The partnership supports not only the technical requirements of advanced computing but also the broader goal of fostering home-grown innovation and ensuring that academic institutions can operate with greater agility and resilience in a digital-first environment.

e& UAE brings decades of network leadership to the collaboration, combining fixed and mobile connectivity with digital platforms, AI-enabled solutions, cloud services, cybersecurity, IoT and entertainment. As a leading AI-powered telco and digital enabler, the company focuses on delivering secure, high-performance connectivity for individuals, homes, businesses and government entities while supporting the country’s digital economy through smarter communities and future-ready infrastructure.

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Ankabut, as the UAE’s trusted education technology partner and national research and education network, continues to drive digital transformation across schools, universities and research institutions. Its role as the digital backbone of the academic ecosystem enables scalable solutions that promote innovation, connectivity and collaboration. By integrating AI and advanced technologies, Ankabut aims to empower institutions, educators and learners with seamless access to the tools needed for the next generation of research and learning.

Together, the two organisations are building more than improved campus connectivity. They are establishing the foundational infrastructure required for secure, high-capacity research collaboration and AI-driven discovery. The dedicated network will help ensure that UAE academic institutions remain competitive on the global stage while safeguarding data sovereignty and supporting the nation’s long-term ambitions in artificial intelligence and advanced research.

As demand for AI capabilities and data-intensive research continues to grow, the renewed partnership between e& UAE and Ankabut provides a clear pathway for institutions to scale their digital capabilities. The focus on resilience, security and performance positions the UAE education and research sector to meet emerging challenges and seize new opportunities in an increasingly connected and computationally intensive world.

The agreement underscores a shared commitment to creating an environment where innovation can flourish securely and at scale, reinforcing the UAE’s leadership in digital infrastructure and its vision for a knowledge-driven future.