Over the weekend, it was revealed that Amazon Web Services (AWS) temporarily shut its power at its data centre in the UAE after objects hit the site, causing sparks and a fire.
However, the technology giant has confirmed that two of its data centres in the region and another facility in Bahrain were hit by drone attacks, forcing the sites out of operation.
In a statement, AWS said: “In the UAE, two of our facilities were directly struck, while in Bahrain, a drone strike in close proximity to one of our facilities caused physical impacts to our infrastructure.
“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage.”
So, how are tech and telecom companies responding to keep the region connected?
Telia
Lithuanian telecom provider, Telia revealed it is offering free calls and SMS messages to the Middle East until midnight on Sunday.
The operator has made communication free with Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
Telia added the free service applies to both domestic communication within those countries and calls and messages from Lithuania, being available to private and business customers, as well as users of Ezio prepaid cards.
TPG Telecom
Australian telecom company, TPG Telecom Limited, formerly Vodafone Hutchison Australia has removed all costs and waiving daily roaming fees in selected destinations including Bahrain, Iran (roaming is not available), Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine,Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“Recent events in the Middle East have affected many Australians. We understand that customers across our brands have family and friends in the region and need to stay connected. To help, we are removing call costs and waiving daily roaming fees in selected destinations,” the company said in a statement.
Alongside this, Vodafone Postpaid customers can make free standard international voice calls from Australia to selected Middle East destinations. Customers in these destinations can also call Australia for free, with calls not being included minutes.
Vodafone is also waiving standard roaming fees in supported destinations for eligible Vodafone Postpaid customers.
“We are working as quickly as possible to extend free standard international voice calls to Vodafone Prepaid customers and to TPG, iiNet, felix, Lebara, and Kogan Mobile customers. We will provide an update as soon as this is available,” the company added.
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2)
The telecoms giant announced it will credit back the costs of calls, SMS messages and data to and from the UK to the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, until 7 March 2026.
However, these measures are inclusive to O2 Pay Monthly, O2 Pay As You Go and Virgin Home Phone customers.
“We want to help customers stay in touch with their loved ones who are affected by the current situation in the Middle East,” the company said in a statement.
“We appreciate this is a developing situation and we’ll continue to review the measures we have in place to support our customers,” it added.
T-Mobile
The telecoms company has provided all its customers residing in Middle Eastern destinations affected by the current conflict with free data for 30 days to connect with loved ones.
At this moment, the operator has approximately 3,800 customers in these locations.
As a result, a free 10 GB roaming data package will be activated for customers residing in Iran, Israel, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Oman.
Roaming data will be automatically activated for all end users and business customers, including prepaid card users (Twist, Kaktus), in the 10 designated regions.
Apple
Apple has temporarily shut down its corporate offices and all five retail stores in the UAE as a precaution.
The closures follow updated guidance from the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which stated: “private-sector companies [should] minimise employee presence in open areas, except for essential roles.”
The UAE administration also encouraged firms to “shift to remote working wherever possible.”
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has issued an urgent advisory to its employees across the Middle East, asking them to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel.
The company has also suspended all business travel to and from the region, including transit routes, amid rising geopolitical tensions.
More to follow…
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