MENA’s $470 Billion Mobile Economy: Modernizing the Core for 5G Growth

The mobile industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is entering a new phase of growth. According to the newly released GSMA Mobile Economy Middle East and North Africa 2026 report, mobile technologies and services generated $380 billion in economic value in 2025, a figure expected to reach $470 billion by 2030.

5G adoption is accelerating, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where its share of connections is forecast to rise from 49% in 2025 to 95% by 2030. Across the wider MENA region, 5G is expected to account for 40% of all mobile connections by the end of the decade.

Supporting this growth will require more than expanding radio networks. Operators must also modernize their underlying core infrastructure to deliver secure connectivity, reliable roaming, and seamless interworking between network generations.

Modernizing the Signaling Core

The GSMA forecasts that mobile operators will invest $88.9 billion in capital expenditure between 2025 and 2030. As networks evolve toward 5G Standalone (SA), operators must balance new technology investments with the continued operation of established 2G, 3G, and 4G services.

This creates several challenges:

• Legacy infrastructure: Replacing aging STP and DRA platforms while maintaining service continuity.
• 5G roaming: Enabling secure interconnection and interoperability between 5G Standalone networks and existing mobile infrastructure.
• Signaling security: Protecting international interconnects across SS7, Diameter, and 5G service-based architectures.
• Operational flexibility: Moving away from fragmented, hardware-dependent systems toward more flexible, software-based solutions.

A converged signaling architecture can help operators address these challenges while simplifying network management and reducing operational complexity.

BroadForward’s Growing Presence in MENA

BroadForward is supporting this transition through its intelligent signaling solutions and growing regional footprint.

Recent deployments and partnerships illustrate how operators are approaching core network modernization:

• e& UAE – Securing 5G roaming: In March 2026, e& UAE selected BroadForward’s Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), implemented in collaboration with Emircom, to strengthen 5G roaming security and international interconnects.
• Türk Telekom International – Routing and security: Together with partner Odine, BroadForward delivered STP, DRA, and signaling firewall capabilities for TTI, strengthening routing flexibility and security across its 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.
• Regional operator deployments: In November 2025, BroadForward announced an expansion across the Middle East and Africa, with deployments of its Unified Signaling Core supporting STP and DRA replacement, 5G roaming, and signaling security.

Building Toward 2030

As MENA’s mobile industry continues to expand, the ability to evolve core networks without disrupting existing services will become increasingly important.

A unified, software-based signaling platform supporting multiple network generations can help operators simplify infrastructure, strengthen security, and prepare for 5G Standalone and future network developments.

For MENA operators, modernizing the signaling core is an important part of turning the region’s growing mobile economy into sustainable, secure connectivity.