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Issue 131<br />
November<br />
2016<br />
AfricaCom<br />
Special<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>limit</strong><br />
Stephen Spengler, CEO Intelsat<br />
speaks to Teletimes
11<br />
11<br />
November 2016<br />
11 th year of publication<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Nasreen Akhtar<br />
info@teletimesinternational.com<br />
Ass<strong>is</strong>tant Editors<br />
Technology Writer<br />
Ken Herron<br />
Haroon Rashid, Camilla Urdahl<br />
Farwa Al Khayal, Fakher Dawar<br />
Scan to download PDF version<br />
TELETIMES MEDIA LLC.<br />
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A Teletimes Media LLC Publication
12 16<br />
Omantel Wholesale connects<br />
Africa to Asia with <strong>the</strong> G2A and SRG-1 Cable Systems<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group reports net profit of<br />
AED 6.2 Billion for <strong>the</strong> first nine months of 2016<br />
Interviews<br />
13 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>limit</strong><br />
Stephen Spengler, CEO - Intelsat<br />
23 Our v<strong>is</strong>ion <strong>is</strong> to make Dubai <strong>the</strong> happiest city<br />
Dr. A<strong>is</strong>ha Bin B<strong>is</strong>hr, Director General, Smart Dubai Office<br />
31 Specializing in Wireless Mobile Access Network Solutions<br />
Moonsik Kim, Senior Vice President - SOLiD<br />
34 Re-defining collaboration in <strong>the</strong> Workplace<br />
Marco Landi, President - Polycom EMEA<br />
36 <strong>The</strong> journey towards a global data economy<br />
Bocar A. BA, CEO - SAMENA Telecom Council<br />
39 <strong>The</strong> one-stop shop for SMS<br />
Mohammad Bani Hani, GM - Viahub<br />
Telecom, IoT and AI<br />
21 Dr. Khaled Biyari, STC Group CEO<br />
named Teletimes’ CEO of <strong>the</strong> Year during GITEX<br />
30 Huawei sees 5G as <strong>the</strong> road to connectivity<br />
43 Ericsson’s Board names Börje Ekholm<br />
new President and CEO<br />
49 Batelco and Ericsson bring 5G and IoT<br />
use cases to Bahrain<br />
Re-defining collaboration in <strong>the</strong> Workplace<br />
Marco Landi, President - Polycom EMEA<br />
34
Letter to Readers<br />
Dear Reader<br />
Welcome to <strong>the</strong> latest edition of Teletimes International.<br />
First of all, I would like to take th<strong>is</strong> opportunity to once again,<br />
congratulate Dr. Khaled Biyari, CEO – STC Group on becoming<br />
<strong>the</strong> Teletimes’ CEO of <strong>the</strong> Year 2016. Empowered by one of <strong>the</strong><br />
best teams in <strong>the</strong> industry, Dr. Khaled Biyari has led STC Group<br />
into a new era of commendable success.<br />
<strong>The</strong> journey towards a global data economy<br />
Bocar A. BA, CEO - SAMENA Telecom Council<br />
28<br />
28<br />
Thuraya, Ooredoo Maldives sign deal<br />
to provide f<strong>is</strong>heries with satellite connectivity<br />
Andrew Jordan appointed new<br />
President and CEO of AsiaSat<br />
36<br />
29 Yahsat’s v<strong>is</strong>ion for region-wide satellite<br />
connectivity fur<strong>the</strong>red by signing of Eutelsat<br />
multi-year capacity agreement<br />
As we head towards <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> year, I can safely say th<strong>is</strong><br />
year has been a fantastic year for Teletimes and <strong>the</strong> industry.<br />
We have taken many leaps forward as move into a Smart Future<br />
filled with Smart Cities and broadband economies. Taking<br />
<strong>the</strong> lead in Smart Cities, Dubai has been at <strong>the</strong> forefront of<br />
technology implementation. Dr. A<strong>is</strong>ha Bin B<strong>is</strong>hr, Director General<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai Office was kind enough to give an exclusive<br />
interview to Teletimes in which she spoke about <strong>the</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion behind<br />
th<strong>is</strong> Smart City and where it’s currently heading.<br />
Taking <strong>the</strong> prom<strong>is</strong>e of broadband beyond <strong>the</strong> reach of traditional<br />
networks – Intelsat has emerged as a leader in satellite<br />
communications worldwide over <strong>the</strong> past years. With <strong>the</strong> recent<br />
launch of two satellites, it was <strong>the</strong> right time to catch up with<br />
CEO Stephen Spengler about Intelsat’s current operations<br />
and future plans. I would like to tell you that Stephen seldom<br />
speaks out in such details, and hence th<strong>is</strong> feature <strong>is</strong> definitely<br />
recommended for all.<br />
As always, you will find <strong>the</strong> latest news & updates inside. Please<br />
enjoy reading th<strong>is</strong> edition of Teletimes International.<br />
Your feedback <strong>is</strong> welcome on info@teletimesinternational.com<br />
29<br />
Yahsat appoints Farhad Khan as CCO<br />
Event Reports<br />
08<br />
10<br />
17<br />
20<br />
41<br />
45<br />
Africa Com 2016: Economic Development<br />
and social Empowerment through<br />
digital connectivity<br />
ITU Telecom World 2016: Connectivity and<br />
collaboration in <strong>the</strong> ICT industry<br />
GITEX gets Bigger and Better !<br />
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan launches UAE AEO program<br />
GSMA announces keynote speakers for MWC 2017<br />
World Space R<strong>is</strong>k Forum<br />
Scan to download PDF version<br />
Follow @TeletimesIntl on Twitter
EVENT<br />
18519 Africa Com 4pp Brochure v2_Layout 1 17/08/2016 12:42 Page 1<br />
19th Annual<br />
Festival: 14 - 18 November 2016<br />
Exhibition: 15 - 17 November 2016<br />
Cape Town International Convention<br />
Centre, South Africa<br />
Platinum Media Partner<br />
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT<br />
AND SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT<br />
THROUGH DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY<br />
A BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR FOR THE ARCHITECTS OF AFRICA’S DIGITAL FUTURE<br />
10,000+<br />
For those in th<strong>is</strong> African tech and telco<br />
sectors, however, November <strong>is</strong> clearly<br />
designated as AfricaCom month.<br />
For <strong>the</strong> past 19 years, AfricaCom has<br />
been <strong>the</strong> highlight of <strong>the</strong> telco and tech<br />
professional’s calendar, both here and<br />
abroad, and <strong>is</strong> undoubtedly <strong>the</strong> biggest and<br />
leading event of its kind on <strong>the</strong> continent.<br />
Like <strong>the</strong> region and sectors it serves,<br />
AfricaCom has gone through a massive<br />
transformation in recent years, looking to<br />
remain at <strong>the</strong> forefront of <strong>the</strong> most unique<br />
and dynamic markets and trends in <strong>the</strong><br />
world.<br />
350+<br />
AfricaCom <strong>the</strong> largest and has grabbed <strong>the</strong> attention of <strong>the</strong> world’s<br />
most influential Africa<br />
greatest tech leaders, from Zuckerberg 375+ to<br />
ENGAGED, focused ENTHUSIASTIC tech event in <strong>the</strong> INSPIRATIONAL, Gates. VISIONARY<br />
EXHIBITORS<br />
ATTENDEES<br />
world – a meeting place for SPEAKERS<br />
those driving Africa’s digital Africa <strong>is</strong> proving to be fertile ground where<br />
tmt.knect365.com/africacom<br />
transformation.<br />
opportunity, investment and innovation<br />
are concerned and <strong>the</strong> African telco sector<br />
<strong>The</strong> event <strong>is</strong> now a week-long festival of alone <strong>is</strong> projected to be worth $65bn by<br />
thought provoking content, immersive 2018. AfricaCom <strong>is</strong> looking to elevate <strong>the</strong>se<br />
satellite events, and unique networking sectors fur<strong>the</strong>r, showcase successes and<br />
experiences.<br />
growth, debate solutions and best practice<br />
and enable a more cohesive ecosystem for<br />
collaboration between both private and<br />
public entities.<br />
To th<strong>is</strong> end, <strong>the</strong> event has been extended<br />
and revolution<strong>is</strong>ed from <strong>the</strong> usual two-day<br />
model, to a week-long festival of informative<br />
sessions, immersive satellite events and<br />
unique networking opportunities which <strong>the</strong><br />
African tech space has never seen before.<br />
<strong>The</strong> setting for th<strong>is</strong> year’s AfricaCom <strong>is</strong> <strong>The</strong><br />
Telegraph’s Best City in <strong>the</strong> World, Cape<br />
Town, South Africa - it’s <strong>the</strong> African Mo<strong>the</strong>r<br />
City with <strong>the</strong> international reputation and<br />
<strong>is</strong> also home to <strong>the</strong> continent’s highest<br />
number of tech hubs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event will see over 10,000 attendees<br />
walk through its doors to hear over 350<br />
v<strong>is</strong>ionary speakers deliver <strong>the</strong>ir keynote<br />
addresses, insights, d<strong>is</strong>cussions and<br />
showcases centring around Africa’s most<br />
pressing topics, challenges and CLICK trends. HERE<br />
<strong>The</strong> agenda <strong>is</strong> a thorough exploration of<br />
all <strong>the</strong> sector has to offer <strong>the</strong> region, from<br />
embracing IoT and Smart Cities in an African<br />
context, to <strong>the</strong> potentials of monet<strong>is</strong>ing<br />
data through analytics and customer<br />
insights.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event will also serve to shine a light<br />
on greater financial inclusion through<br />
mobile innovations and digital<br />
transformation and agile IT for enterpr<strong>is</strong>es.<br />
<strong>The</strong> development of engaging digital<br />
entertainment content in an African context,<br />
from telev<strong>is</strong>ion to music, gaming and apps,<br />
will also be d<strong>is</strong>cussed through a host of case<br />
studies and keynote panels. AfricaCom also<br />
sees a dedicated SDN and NFV Proof of<br />
Concept stream focussing on key solutions<br />
for African connectivity service providers,<br />
<strong>the</strong> essential phases of migration to NFV, as<br />
well as leveraging <strong>the</strong> synergies of SND and<br />
NFV.<br />
Africa has been <strong>the</strong> home to a multitude of<br />
home-grown and perfected innovations that<br />
has sown <strong>the</strong> seeds for <strong>the</strong> region to become<br />
a truly digital continent. Already termed <strong>the</strong><br />
‘Mobile Continent’, Africa has developed<br />
in leaps and bounds in <strong>the</strong> areas of mobile<br />
money, M-Health initiatives, apps and local<br />
digital entertainment, and in <strong>the</strong> process<br />
Taking place between <strong>the</strong> 14th-18th of<br />
November 2016 at <strong>the</strong> world renowned<br />
Cape Town International Convention Centre,<br />
<strong>the</strong> focus of th<strong>is</strong> year’s event <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> economic<br />
development and social empowerment of<br />
Africa through digital connectivity and seeks<br />
to be a bolder event that encompasses <strong>the</strong><br />
entire tech ecosystem.<br />
One of <strong>the</strong> most exciting additions to<br />
th<strong>is</strong> year’s event <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> AFest, a one-day<br />
festival with performances by Africa’s most<br />
prominent musicians and bands. Taking<br />
place at Shimmy Beach Club on Cape Town’s<br />
V&A Waterfront on <strong>the</strong> 15 November 2016,<br />
AFest <strong>is</strong> an evening of networking and a<br />
celebration of African technology.<br />
8 November 2016
EVENT<br />
ITU Telecom World 2016<br />
Connectivity and<br />
collaboration in <strong>the</strong><br />
ICT industry: <strong>The</strong> key<br />
to socio-economic<br />
development<br />
Why <strong>is</strong> it so important<br />
to ensure that as<br />
many people in <strong>the</strong><br />
world as possible have<br />
access to information<br />
and communication<br />
technologies? And why does collaboration<br />
within and across <strong>the</strong> ICT industry matter<br />
so much in driving socio-economic<br />
development?<br />
<strong>The</strong>se questions are at <strong>the</strong> very heart of ITU<br />
Telecom World 2016, <strong>the</strong> annual platform<br />
for governments, corporates and small<br />
and medium enterpr<strong>is</strong>es (SMEs) within<br />
<strong>the</strong> ICT industry. Organized by ITU, <strong>the</strong><br />
United Nation’s specialized agency for<br />
ICT matters, and taking place th<strong>is</strong> year in<br />
Bangkok, Thailand, from 14 – 17 November,<br />
ITU Telecom World features an international<br />
exhibition of digital solutions, a worldclass<br />
forum of debates, a programme of<br />
targeted networking activities and an<br />
Awards programme recognizing <strong>the</strong> best in<br />
innovative ICT solutions with social impact.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> agenda in <strong>the</strong> forum, on <strong>the</strong> stands<br />
and pavilions in <strong>the</strong> exhibition and amongst<br />
<strong>the</strong> networking leaders of governments and<br />
businesses big and small, <strong>the</strong> focus will be<br />
on working toge<strong>the</strong>r to speed up innovation<br />
in ICTs to improve lives everywhere.<br />
ICTs are <strong>the</strong> cross-cutting enablers behind<br />
sustainable development throughout<br />
<strong>the</strong> world, in emerging and developed<br />
markets alike. Th<strong>is</strong> means, quite simply,<br />
that ICTs are <strong>the</strong> essential backbone, <strong>the</strong><br />
infrastructure behind development in<br />
economies, businesses, societies and homes<br />
everywhere. <strong>The</strong> transformative potential<br />
for ICTs <strong>is</strong> unprecedented: from e-health<br />
to e-education, digital financial services to<br />
e-government, agriculture and transport,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> not one vertical sector or field of<br />
activity which does not both rely on and<br />
benefit from ICTs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Sustainable Development Goals,<br />
adopted by <strong>the</strong> global community in<br />
September 2015, set a new international<br />
agenda for <strong>the</strong> period up to 2030 – and<br />
recognize <strong>the</strong> enormous potential of ICTs<br />
in improving development outcomes<br />
worldwide. Not just by measuring progress<br />
and enhancing <strong>the</strong> effectiveness of<br />
initiatives designed to meet <strong>the</strong> SDGs, but<br />
by providing access to a whole range of new<br />
digital products and services which can grow<br />
local economies, build on local innovation<br />
and streng<strong>the</strong>n local communities.<br />
Millions of children currently without access<br />
10 November 2016
to primary level schooling; millions of deaths<br />
from easily-preventable non-communicable<br />
d<strong>is</strong>eases; millions of unbanked or underbanked<br />
living outside national economies; those<br />
without adequate basic sanitation, without<br />
access to water or electricity, let alone to<br />
government services – innovative ICT-based<br />
solutions can meet all of <strong>the</strong>se challenges.<br />
Getting everyone connected, however, <strong>is</strong> not<br />
so straightforward. More than half <strong>the</strong> world’s<br />
people are still offline, and <strong>the</strong> ICT sector’s<br />
commitment to connecting an additional<br />
1.5 billion by 2020 <strong>is</strong> highly ambitious. It<br />
calls for innovative approaches to universal<br />
connectivity to tackle <strong>the</strong> multiple barriers of<br />
access, affordability, education and relevance.<br />
<strong>The</strong> importance of collaboration<br />
in <strong>the</strong> digital economy<br />
What’s <strong>the</strong> future for <strong>the</strong> connected car, for<br />
digital financial services, or for smart and<br />
sustainable cities in <strong>the</strong> new industrial reality?<br />
How are innovations and technical<br />
developments in 5G, <strong>the</strong> Internet of Things<br />
and spectrum management impacting on<br />
future networks and future businesses?<br />
And if meaningful, affordable connectivity<br />
<strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> single best bet for accelerating socioeconomic<br />
development and meeting <strong>the</strong><br />
UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs),<br />
how can we ensure we reach <strong>the</strong> billions of<br />
unconnected most in need?<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are some of <strong>the</strong> key questions at <strong>the</strong><br />
heart of <strong>the</strong> agenda at ITU Telecom World<br />
2016, four days of debate, networking and<br />
exhibition on <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>me of “Collaborating in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Digital Ecosystem”. In an industry and era<br />
of intense transformation, collaboration <strong>is</strong><br />
essential to make sense of <strong>the</strong> possibilities –<br />
and make a success of it for us all.<br />
Rapid technological developments, societal<br />
changes and radical new business models are<br />
enriching and enlarging <strong>the</strong> ICT ecosystem.<br />
Never before has connectivity offered so much<br />
potential for economic growth and social<br />
development in <strong>the</strong> digital economy. And<br />
never before have <strong>the</strong> challenges of extending<br />
that connectivity to all been so pressing, from<br />
providing universal access to technology<br />
to meaningful local content, fair and open<br />
competition, up-to-date regulation, security<br />
and education.<br />
More and new stakeholders are involved in<br />
making it happen. Governments decide policy<br />
and shape regulation. Major ICT companies<br />
face competition from new internet players<br />
and innovative small and medium enterpr<strong>is</strong>es<br />
(SMEs). New technologies open up new<br />
markets, often involving new partners in<br />
vertical sectors such as transport, health or<br />
agriculture. <strong>The</strong> borderless world of <strong>the</strong> digital<br />
economy opens up business in developed and<br />
emerging markets across <strong>the</strong> globe.<br />
A good example <strong>is</strong> 5G. As <strong>the</strong> technology<br />
evolves and develops to meet <strong>the</strong> growing<br />
demands of societies and economies, so does<br />
<strong>the</strong> potential for new opportunities. Delivering<br />
on <strong>the</strong> prom<strong>is</strong>e of effective future networks<br />
won’t be possible, however, without some<br />
form of collaboration on <strong>the</strong> standards that<br />
take solutions to scale and at speed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mix of players, establ<strong>is</strong>hed and new,<br />
manufacturers, vendors and application<br />
developers, may lead to interesting joint<br />
ventures to streamline investment. <strong>The</strong> longheralded<br />
convergence of fixed broadcast<br />
and mobile may be given a boost by <strong>the</strong> new<br />
technology. But <strong>the</strong>n again, competition and<br />
entrenched mindsets may kill off any new form<br />
of shared investment or working toge<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
Launchpad for SME<br />
success: <strong>The</strong> ITU Telecom<br />
World Awards 2016<br />
A small Japanese business focused<br />
on producing an innovative, very<br />
niche product; a large establ<strong>is</strong>hed<br />
log<strong>is</strong>tics firm with national reach<br />
and a long tradition, also based<br />
in Japan; and an international<br />
ICT event in Budapest, Hungary.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se are <strong>the</strong> ingredients for<br />
just one of <strong>the</strong> success stories<br />
to emerge from a new awards<br />
scheme launched last year.<br />
Flexible, adaptable, scalable<br />
and responsive, SMEs are a<br />
fundamental source of new jobs in<br />
<strong>the</strong> knowledge economy. Small,<br />
micro and local businesses are<br />
critical to ensuring economic<br />
growth that <strong>is</strong> sustainable and<br />
inclusive in both developed and<br />
emerging markets. But <strong>the</strong>y also<br />
face a number of specific, ongoing<br />
challenges, from access to funding<br />
to <strong>the</strong> urgent need for human<br />
capacity building, from regulatory<br />
barriers to lack of business skills.<br />
Drawing on <strong>the</strong> expert<strong>is</strong>e,<br />
experience and connections of<br />
ITU, and its own success as a<br />
leading international networking<br />
event, ITU Telecom World <strong>is</strong><br />
ideally positioned to bring SMEs<br />
to <strong>the</strong> table as important new<br />
stakeholders in <strong>the</strong> ICT ecosystem<br />
alongside min<strong>is</strong>ters, regulators,<br />
consultants, international<br />
organizations, and CEOs from<br />
establ<strong>is</strong>hed major companies.<br />
Which <strong>is</strong> just what it did last<br />
year, with <strong>the</strong> introduction of<br />
<strong>the</strong> inaugural ITU Telecom World<br />
Awards.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Awards are designed to<br />
recognize and reward <strong>the</strong> best in<br />
innovative SMEs using ICTs with<br />
a clear social impact – celebrating<br />
<strong>the</strong> critical role of creative ICTbased<br />
applications and initiatives<br />
in improving lives around <strong>the</strong><br />
world.<br />
November 2016<br />
11
NEWS<br />
Omantel Wholesale connects Africa to Asia<br />
with <strong>the</strong> G2A and SRG-1 Cable Systems<br />
<strong>The</strong> cable systems connect some of <strong>the</strong> fastest growing markets<br />
in <strong>the</strong> world with robust and geographically diverse terrestrial<br />
and undersea cable infrastructure.<br />
Omantel Wholesale, <strong>the</strong> world-leader<br />
in ultra-low latency networking, <strong>is</strong><br />
interconnecting <strong>the</strong> Gulf to Africa (G2A)<br />
and Silk Road Gateway - 1 (SRG-1) cable<br />
systems to deliver ultra-low latency<br />
networking between Asia and Africa. <strong>The</strong><br />
cable systems connect some of <strong>the</strong> fastest<br />
growing markets in <strong>the</strong> world with robust<br />
and geographically diverse terrestrial and<br />
undersea cable infrastructure.<br />
Omantel Wholesale has deployed <strong>the</strong>se<br />
cable systems to create new ultra-low<br />
latency route options for customers and<br />
offer global connectivity in <strong>the</strong>se rapidly<br />
developing regions. It <strong>is</strong> supporting <strong>the</strong><br />
economic growth of Central Asia and Africa<br />
while finding new ways to connect end users<br />
around <strong>the</strong> globe. SRG-1 connects Oman<br />
to Pak<strong>is</strong>tan with onwards connectivity to<br />
Afghan<strong>is</strong>tan, China, Iran, Turkmen<strong>is</strong>tan and<br />
Tajik<strong>is</strong>tan. G2A connects Oman to Somalia<br />
via two redundant landing stations in<br />
Puntland (Bosaso) and Somaliland (Berbera).<br />
<strong>The</strong> system provides onward connectivity to<br />
Ethiopia and will connect Kenya, Mogad<strong>is</strong>hu<br />
and South Africa in later phases.<br />
“We are <strong>the</strong> only provider in <strong>the</strong> world that <strong>is</strong><br />
able to offer rapid access between Asia and<br />
Africa via geographically diverse routes. <strong>The</strong><br />
development and interconnection of G2A<br />
and SRG-1 demonstrates our commitment<br />
to delivering ultra-low latency networking<br />
in unique and challenging markets. We are<br />
supporting <strong>the</strong> growth of trade between<br />
China and Africa with new diversity and high<br />
performance networks,” said Talal Said AL<br />
Mamari, CEO of Omantel.<br />
G2A and SRG-1 add to Omantel Wholesale’s<br />
more than 20 undersea cable investments.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y support its v<strong>is</strong>ion for ultra-low latency<br />
networking, leveraging Oman as a natural<br />
meeting point for global cable systems.<br />
Oman <strong>is</strong> one of <strong>the</strong> most connected places<br />
on earth with five redundant landing<br />
stations and four terrestrial networks<br />
Talal Said AL Mamari<br />
Cheif Executive Officer - Omantel<br />
We are <strong>the</strong> only provider<br />
in <strong>the</strong> world that <strong>is</strong><br />
able to offer rapid access<br />
between Asia<br />
and Africa via<br />
geographically diverse<br />
routes”<br />
Talal Said AL Mamari,<br />
CEO – Omantel<br />
connecting it via border crossings.<br />
“Users in high-growth markets in Central<br />
Asia and Africa gain access to global<br />
connectivity. End users will experience<br />
more robust and reliable communications<br />
services, accelerating local development<br />
and support <strong>the</strong> growth of <strong>the</strong>ir digital<br />
economies,” said Sohail Qadir, Vice<br />
President, Omantel Wholesale. “We’re<br />
excited to be a part of delivering greater<br />
connectivity to <strong>the</strong>se regions and changing<br />
how <strong>the</strong>y experience mobile, broadband and<br />
Sohail Qadir<br />
VP - Wholesale Business Unit - Omantel<br />
End users will experience<br />
more robust and reliable<br />
communications<br />
services, accelerating<br />
local development and<br />
support <strong>the</strong> growth of<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir digital economies”<br />
Sohail Qadir, VP<br />
Omantel Wholesale<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r communications services. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a big<br />
step forward.”<br />
Omantel Wholesale already provides<br />
a unique high-speed link between<br />
Singapore and Frankfurt with only 160ms<br />
via <strong>the</strong> Bay of Europe Persian Express<br />
Gateway (EPEG) and Bengal Gateway<br />
(BBG) cable systems. It <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> only operator<br />
with two landing stations in two different<br />
countries on <strong>the</strong> Asia Africa Europe – 1<br />
(AAE-1) cable systems (Marseille, France<br />
and Muscat, Oman).<br />
12 November 2016
INTERVIEW<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>limit</strong><br />
Stephen Spengler<br />
CEO Intelsat speaks to Teletimes<br />
Exclusive Interview - Khalid Athar<br />
Khalid Athar: Over <strong>the</strong> past few years,<br />
we have seen major changes in <strong>the</strong><br />
global satellite industry space that are<br />
reflected in <strong>the</strong> changed strategies of<br />
many satellite companies. Can you please<br />
talk us through Intelsat’s evolution and<br />
growth over <strong>the</strong> past few years and <strong>the</strong><br />
v<strong>is</strong>ion you have for <strong>the</strong> future?<br />
Stephen Spengler: <strong>The</strong> satellite industry<br />
<strong>is</strong> in transition right now as it moves from<br />
simply offering wideband capacity to a<br />
focus on building infrastructure to support<br />
<strong>the</strong> data environment of tomorrow. It<br />
<strong>is</strong> estimated that <strong>the</strong>re will be over 12<br />
billion connected devices by <strong>the</strong> end of<br />
th<strong>is</strong> decade. <strong>The</strong> monthly internet traffic <strong>is</strong><br />
expected to multiply three times to reach<br />
21 Gbps for every man, woman and child<br />
on <strong>the</strong> planet. I have worked in <strong>the</strong> satellite<br />
sector for many years, but I can’t remember<br />
a time when our prospects were more<br />
prom<strong>is</strong>ing — it <strong>is</strong> a great opportunity for all<br />
of us that provide connectivity solutions.<br />
At Intelsat, we anticipated <strong>the</strong>se changes,<br />
and <strong>is</strong> why we are introducing highthroughput<br />
satellites (HTS), known as<br />
Intelsat EpicNG, that use spot beams to<br />
cover high-traffic areas. <strong>The</strong> traditional<br />
boundaries of fixed and mobile satellite<br />
services have d<strong>is</strong>solved, and our customers<br />
need broadband everywhere.<br />
We launched our first two Intelsat EpicNG<br />
satellites in 2016 and we have five more in<br />
production that will launch in <strong>the</strong> next few<br />
years. At <strong>the</strong> same time, we are investing<br />
to support innovation in o<strong>the</strong>r parts of<br />
<strong>the</strong> sector. New antennas are coming to<br />
market, such as <strong>the</strong> flat-panel arrays from<br />
Kymeta and Phasor. As <strong>the</strong>se innovations<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>rs become commercially available,<br />
we will experience simplified network<br />
access to enable applications involving <strong>the</strong><br />
connected car, <strong>the</strong> Internet of things and<br />
machine-to-machine communications with<br />
mobile platforms.<br />
KA: Congratulations on <strong>the</strong> successful<br />
launch of Intelsat 33e and 36. How <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
feedback so far?<br />
SS: Intelsat 36 has entered service and<br />
<strong>is</strong> operating as expected — meaning<br />
Africans are already enjoying more high<br />
definition content! <strong>The</strong> satellite’s Kuband<br />
transponders primarily provide<br />
broadcasting and direct-to-home (DTH)<br />
services for Africa’s MultiChoice, <strong>the</strong> leading<br />
DTH platform in South Africa. <strong>The</strong> C-band<br />
payload on Intelsat 36 provides backup<br />
for Intelsat 17 and Intelsat 20, giving<br />
resilience to our media customers in <strong>the</strong><br />
Indian Ocean region from Africa to western<br />
Australia.<br />
Intelsat 33e, our second EpicNG satellite,<br />
will enter service in early 2017. It will<br />
offer HTS spot-beam services to our<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>e and wireless operator customers<br />
throughout Africa and <strong>the</strong> Middle East.<br />
Intelsat 33e will open up a range of services<br />
and capabilities that were not possible<br />
before by offering higher-performance<br />
data connectivity at lower cost per megabit<br />
than previous spacecraft. Our technology <strong>is</strong><br />
designed to ‘close <strong>the</strong> business case’ for our<br />
customers — whe<strong>the</strong>r deploying 3G wireless<br />
services in sparsely populated regions or<br />
new broadband networks for businesses<br />
and governments. Customer tests of our<br />
first Intelsat EpicNG satellite, IS-29e, found<br />
November 2016<br />
13
that bandwidth efficiency improved 165%<br />
using ex<strong>is</strong>ting ground equipment, and up to<br />
330% using <strong>the</strong> next generation of ground<br />
antennas. Th<strong>is</strong> same benefit will be available<br />
to our African and Middle East customers on<br />
IS-33e.<br />
KA: Would you like to comment on <strong>the</strong><br />
Financial Results of Third Quarter 2016?<br />
SS: On 27 October 2016 we reported our<br />
financial results, including $543 million<br />
in revenue and $405 million in Adjusted<br />
EBITDA, on track with our guidance<br />
for 2016. Operationally, an important<br />
accompl<strong>is</strong>hment in <strong>the</strong> third quarter was<br />
our successful dual launch of Intelsat 36 and<br />
Intelsat 33e—it was a critical milestone in<br />
our year, and also essential to positioning to<br />
meet our 2017 goals.<br />
KA: How does Intelsat plan to tackle <strong>the</strong><br />
increasing competition in Africa as a result<br />
of factors such as oversupply environment<br />
and fiber alternatives?<br />
SS: <strong>The</strong>re <strong>is</strong> not a single answer to th<strong>is</strong><br />
question given <strong>the</strong> vast size and diversity<br />
of <strong>the</strong> African continent. We have some<br />
regions in Africa where customers can get<br />
<strong>the</strong> bandwidth <strong>the</strong>y need, and o<strong>the</strong>rs where<br />
<strong>the</strong> right service with <strong>the</strong> right price point <strong>is</strong><br />
not available.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Intelsat EpicNG satellites are <strong>the</strong> first to<br />
market with continent-wide HTS capability.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se satellites are backward compatible<br />
with ex<strong>is</strong>ting ground equipment, so our<br />
customers don’t have to make additional<br />
investments to use Intelsat 33e once it goes<br />
into service early next year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> transition will be seamless. And while<br />
more fiber will be installed to serve African<br />
customers, <strong>the</strong> complexity of <strong>the</strong> continent<br />
– more than 50 countries, people speaking<br />
hundreds of languages and dialects – means<br />
no single technology or company can reach<br />
all <strong>the</strong> possible markets.<br />
Communications solutions going forward<br />
will increasingly be a hybrid solution<br />
combining fiber, wireless networks and<br />
satellite. Add to th<strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact that less than<br />
half of Africans have mobile phone service,<br />
and we see tremendous opportunity to bring<br />
satellite services to enterpr<strong>is</strong>e, wireless<br />
and mobility customers on <strong>the</strong> continent,<br />
typically in conjunction with terrestrial<br />
technology.<br />
Of <strong>the</strong> innovative solutions coming to market,<br />
we made a strategic dec<strong>is</strong>ion to invest in OneWeb<br />
because we believe in its technological and business<br />
approach”<br />
KA: Google, SpaceX, Facebook and<br />
OneWeb plan to launch satellites, drones,<br />
balloons and o<strong>the</strong>r Internet-delivery<br />
platforms. How will <strong>the</strong>se developments<br />
evolve <strong>the</strong> satellite broadband market<br />
as it <strong>is</strong> today and how does Intelsat plan<br />
to become part of <strong>the</strong>se development<br />
worldwide?<br />
SS: We certainly have seen a lot of<br />
announcements of plans to use many<br />
different types of technology to deliver <strong>the</strong><br />
Internet to underserved markets. Some of<br />
<strong>the</strong>se plans will come to fruition, and some<br />
probably won’t.<br />
I think it’s easy to underestimate <strong>the</strong><br />
complexity of starting a connectivity<br />
business from scratch. Just <strong>the</strong> process of<br />
getting regulatory rights in every country<br />
where a company wants to deliver a signal <strong>is</strong><br />
very challenging. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> one of <strong>the</strong> reasons<br />
why we strive to build on our relationships<br />
with over 60 wireless operators serving <strong>the</strong><br />
region — we think <strong>the</strong>y are in an excellent<br />
position to connect <strong>the</strong> unconnected. But<br />
because of <strong>the</strong> vastness of <strong>the</strong> challenge,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re will be many solutions required.<br />
Of <strong>the</strong> innovative solutions coming to<br />
market, we made a strategic dec<strong>is</strong>ion to<br />
invest in OneWeb because we believe in its<br />
technological and business approach. <strong>The</strong><br />
OneWeb constellation will use Ku-band<br />
and be ano<strong>the</strong>r layer of capability on top of<br />
our network. Once launched, <strong>the</strong> OneWeb<br />
satellites will be fully inter-operable with<br />
ours, meaning customers will be able to<br />
access both <strong>the</strong> Intelsat and OneWeb<br />
satellites from <strong>the</strong> same ground terminal.<br />
OneWeb’s focus of leveraging consumerscale<br />
technology for <strong>the</strong>ir satellite-based<br />
solution <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> right direction, and why we<br />
are working alongside <strong>the</strong>m to capture<br />
innovation for <strong>the</strong> sector.<br />
KA: Please tell us about your relationship<br />
with Saudi Telecom Company.<br />
SS: Saudi Telecommunication Company<br />
<strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> largest telecom operator in Saudi<br />
Arabia and has long been an Intelsat<br />
customer. <strong>The</strong>y are noted for <strong>the</strong>ir highly<br />
reliable networks and expert<strong>is</strong>e in delivering<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>e-grade solutions to far-flung<br />
locations. STC recently expanded its<br />
relationship with us and entered into a new<br />
contract for satellite services on our Intelsat<br />
10-02 satellite. <strong>The</strong> additional connectivity<br />
supports <strong>the</strong> private data network that STC<br />
provides for <strong>the</strong> largest oil and gas producer<br />
in <strong>the</strong> Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.<br />
KA: Please tell us about your services in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Aviation and Maritime sector? How do<br />
you see <strong>the</strong> potential in <strong>the</strong>se verticals?<br />
SS: If you’ll pardon my pun, <strong>the</strong> sky <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>limit</strong> for <strong>the</strong>se applications. Today, 80%<br />
of commercial flights have no broadband<br />
connectivity, and only a fraction of <strong>the</strong><br />
50,000 ships in <strong>the</strong> maritime sector have<br />
broadband connectivity. Our serviceprovider<br />
customers are focused on giving<br />
consumers a broadband experience that<br />
rivals what <strong>the</strong>y get at home. Beyond<br />
that, machine-to-machine applications<br />
in <strong>the</strong> aeronautical and maritime sectors<br />
offer much, much more potential for<br />
providers of connectivity solutions. For<br />
example, a new Pratt Whitney engine has<br />
5,000 sensors that can generate up to 10<br />
gigabytes of data per second. <strong>The</strong> capture,<br />
transm<strong>is</strong>sion and analys<strong>is</strong> of th<strong>is</strong> data can<br />
cut fuel consumption by as much as 10-15%<br />
and allow predictive maintenance — which<br />
means fewer delayed flights, and more time<br />
in <strong>the</strong> air. <strong>The</strong>se potential cost savings dwarf<br />
that of <strong>the</strong> consumer-based connectivity.<br />
Intelsat recognized <strong>the</strong> need for broadband<br />
mobility services back in 2011, so we built<br />
an early lead in <strong>the</strong>se sectors — at <strong>the</strong> end<br />
of 2015, a 60% share in aero and 31% share<br />
in maritime, based upon market data. We<br />
were first to market with a mobility solution.<br />
When we started building our satellites and<br />
<strong>the</strong> beams, we assumed it would be for <strong>the</strong><br />
maritime mobility sector, but by <strong>the</strong> time we<br />
marketed <strong>the</strong> services, aeronautical mobility<br />
providers were demanding connectivity<br />
14 November 2016
as well. We quickly achieved a very high<br />
utilization of our global mobility network<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n followed quickly with <strong>the</strong> Intelsat<br />
EpicNG fleet, for which <strong>the</strong> anchor orders<br />
are highly weighted to <strong>the</strong> mobility sector.<br />
For instance, Intelsat’s service providers<br />
already deliver satellite connectivity to 298<br />
of <strong>the</strong> world’s 316 largest cru<strong>is</strong>e ships — and<br />
a growing number of those are serviced<br />
from <strong>the</strong> Intelsat EpicNG beams.<br />
High-throughput satellites alone will<br />
not be <strong>the</strong> magic that unlocks <strong>the</strong>se two<br />
opportunities. We are introducing managed<br />
services that provide aeronautical and<br />
maritime services providers <strong>the</strong> flexibility<br />
to use our high-throughput spot beams<br />
and wide beams depending upon routes<br />
and seasonality of demand. Our managed<br />
services simplify <strong>the</strong> complex networking<br />
considerations, but still allow for <strong>the</strong> basics<br />
of enterpr<strong>is</strong>e-grade solutions, such as <strong>the</strong><br />
ability to provide a service level agreement<br />
(SLA) or contract to specific Quality of<br />
Service commitments.<br />
KA: Strategically, what will be your focus<br />
in terms of service and geographical<br />
markets for <strong>the</strong> coming years?<br />
SS: We operate <strong>the</strong> world’s first Globalized<br />
Network—from our inception, we have<br />
been a fully global company. We don’t focus<br />
on any one geographic market, but we do<br />
seek to provide regionalized services that<br />
address <strong>the</strong> most important needs in <strong>the</strong><br />
geographies we serve.<br />
Our move toward managed-service models,<br />
such as IntelsatOne Flex and IntelsatOne<br />
Pr<strong>is</strong>m, will expand hybrid network solutions<br />
that include satellite, wireless and fiber<br />
infrastructure. Th<strong>is</strong> approach will allow<br />
our customers to reduce <strong>the</strong>ir capital<br />
expenditures and redirect resources and<br />
manpower toward application development<br />
that will bring new traffic on <strong>the</strong>ir networks.<br />
As we roll out more managed services in our<br />
product lineup, and access <strong>the</strong> innovations<br />
in ground hardware and new antennas, we<br />
will be able to address <strong>the</strong> opportunities in<br />
<strong>the</strong> sector such as Internet of Things and <strong>the</strong><br />
connected car.<br />
KA: How do you think will satellite<br />
communications contribute to <strong>the</strong><br />
Internet of Things? Are you planning to<br />
target th<strong>is</strong> market with any solutions?<br />
SS: We are investing and collaborating on<br />
As we roll out more managed services in our product<br />
lineup, and access <strong>the</strong> innovations in ground<br />
hardware and new antennas, we will be able to<br />
address <strong>the</strong> opportunities in <strong>the</strong> sector such as<br />
Internet of Things and <strong>the</strong> connected car”<br />
developing services for <strong>the</strong> Internet<br />
of Things. Start with connected<br />
vehicles, which include cars, trucks,<br />
trains and any moving platform. We<br />
believe that <strong>the</strong> billions of dollars spent<br />
each year by car manufacturers to recall<br />
vehicles for software upgrades could<br />
be avoided by implementing broadcast<br />
software updates via satellite. We think<br />
broadcast capabilities, and <strong>the</strong> vastly<br />
superior security aspects, give satellite a<br />
real edge in delivering both operating and<br />
navigation software updates that will be<br />
essential as we move into <strong>the</strong> next decade.<br />
Earlier th<strong>is</strong> year, we participated in a<br />
demonstration of <strong>the</strong> technology<br />
with Toyota and Kymeta at <strong>the</strong> Detroit<br />
Auto Show. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> an exciting application<br />
to develop.<br />
KA:Would you like to comment<br />
on Teletimes International (which<br />
<strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> only magazine focused<br />
towards <strong>the</strong> satellite and telecom<br />
sectors of <strong>the</strong> Middle East,<br />
Asia and Africa)?<br />
SS: Publications like Teletimes International<br />
play a vital role in our business. We have<br />
become a data-driven global economy,<br />
and publications like yours help people<br />
better understand <strong>the</strong> role that satellite,<br />
as well as all communications networks,<br />
play in keeping us connected. By profiling<br />
different technologies and companies,<br />
you open <strong>the</strong> d<strong>is</strong>course on some of <strong>the</strong><br />
biggest challenges and opportunities<br />
facing <strong>the</strong> sector - and th<strong>is</strong> ultimately<br />
provides better solutions for our end<br />
markets<br />
November 2016<br />
15
NEWS<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group reports net profit of<br />
AED 6.2 Billion for <strong>the</strong> first nine months of 2016<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group announced its consolidated<br />
financial statements for <strong>the</strong> nine months<br />
ending 30 September 2016.<br />
Eng. Saleh Al Abdooli, CEO, Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group<br />
has said that <strong>the</strong> robust and constant<br />
growth of Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group <strong>is</strong> underpinned<br />
by our continued investments in nextgeneration<br />
services and solutions that add<br />
tremendous value to <strong>the</strong> communities<br />
we serve and enhance <strong>the</strong> customer<br />
experience. He said, “As a leading ICT<br />
provider in emerging markets, we are<br />
pushing our boundaries cons<strong>is</strong>tently,<br />
by not only responding swiftly to digital<br />
advancements, but also in proactively<br />
delivering cutting-edge services and<br />
solutions to our customers. Our first-mover<br />
accompl<strong>is</strong>hments set us apart and make<br />
us <strong>the</strong> go-to overall service provider for<br />
customers, businesses and governments.”<br />
“We understand <strong>the</strong> aspirations of our<br />
customers, and that drives us to deliver<br />
innovative solutions to meet <strong>the</strong> demands<br />
of today’s digital age. Today, we deliver <strong>the</strong><br />
fastest speeds in <strong>the</strong> region through our<br />
4G LTE network, and we are contributing<br />
to transforming <strong>the</strong> UAE as a global<br />
leader in Fibre-To-<strong>The</strong>-Home deployment<br />
by delivering high quality, high-speed<br />
connectivity for nearly 90 percent of <strong>the</strong><br />
country’s populated homes. We have also<br />
made good progress on trials of our 5G<br />
network in <strong>the</strong> UAE, an investment that<br />
will enable our nation and our businesses<br />
to achieve transformational growth by<br />
leveraging <strong>the</strong> Internet of Things and <strong>The</strong><br />
Cloud,” he added.<br />
Mr. Saleh Al Abdooli fur<strong>the</strong>r said, “Investing<br />
in state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art infrastructure for <strong>the</strong><br />
future and building intellectual capital,<br />
we are honored to be one of <strong>the</strong> partners<br />
contributing in delivering <strong>the</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion of our<br />
leadership. We are demonstrating our nextgeneration<br />
capabilities through our role<br />
as Premium Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai,<br />
making <strong>the</strong> Expo site one of <strong>the</strong> fastest,<br />
smartest and best-connected places in <strong>the</strong><br />
world. We will continue to focus on creating<br />
<strong>the</strong> world’s best networks in all <strong>the</strong> markets<br />
that we operate, and in delivering long-term<br />
value for all our stakeholders.”<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group aggregate subscribers as at<br />
30 September 2016 reached 162 million. In<br />
<strong>the</strong> UAE, <strong>the</strong> active subscriber base grew<br />
to 12.2 million subscribers, representing<br />
a year on year growth of 5%. Subscriber<br />
growth continued to be driven by strong<br />
performance of mobile and eLife segments.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mobile subscriber base grew year on<br />
year by 7%. Maroc Telecom subscriber<br />
base reached 52.3 million customers,<br />
representing a year over year growth of<br />
3%.Et<strong>is</strong>alat Group’s consolidated revenue<br />
for <strong>the</strong> third quarter of 2016 amounted<br />
to AED 13.2 billion with growth of 3% in<br />
compar<strong>is</strong>on to <strong>the</strong> same period last year.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> UAE, revenue in <strong>the</strong> third quarter<br />
increased year on year by 4% to AED<br />
7.5 billion. Maroc Telecom consolidated<br />
revenue for <strong>the</strong> third quarter of 2016<br />
amounted to AED 3.3 billion representing a<br />
year over year growth of 2%. Consolidated<br />
net profit after Federal Royalty reached<br />
AED 1.9 billion in <strong>the</strong> third quarter of 2016.<br />
Adjusted consolidated net profit for <strong>the</strong> sale<br />
of Canar increased by 16% year on year.<br />
Earnings per share (EPS) amounted to AED<br />
0.22 in <strong>the</strong> third quarter of 2016.<br />
Consolidated EBITDA amounted to AED<br />
6.8 billion, representing an increase of<br />
3% year on year and resulting in EBITDA<br />
margin of 51%. In <strong>the</strong> UAE, EBITDA in <strong>the</strong><br />
third quarter of 2016 was AED 4.1 billion<br />
leading to an EBITDA margin of 55%. Maroc<br />
Telecom’s consolidated EBITDA for <strong>the</strong><br />
third quarter of 2016 amounted to AED 1.7<br />
billion, an increase of 1% year over year and<br />
resulting in EBITDA margin of 51%. EBITDA<br />
of International consolidated operations<br />
increased year over year by 3% to AED 2.5<br />
billion.<br />
16 November 2016
EVENT<br />
GITEX gets Bigger and Better !<br />
Huawei held its inaugural ME Innovation Day<br />
<strong>The</strong> Gulf Information Technology<br />
Exhibition, hosted at <strong>the</strong> Dubai<br />
World Trade Center, gets bigger<br />
and better every year. Th<strong>is</strong> year’s<br />
36th GITEX Technology Week<br />
hosted <strong>the</strong> Global Startup Movement, in<br />
response to <strong>the</strong> need for an industry hub<br />
for investors, incubators and accelerators to<br />
identify <strong>the</strong> world’s next great startups<br />
and support youth empowerment.<br />
Dubai’s Crown Prince and Chairman<br />
of Dubai Executive Council, H<strong>is</strong> Highness<br />
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin<br />
Rashid Al Maktoum, opened GITEX<br />
2016, which ran for five days from 16 to<br />
20 October. Sheikh Hamdan stopped at<br />
<strong>the</strong> stand of UAE telecoms heavyweight<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat, as well as o<strong>the</strong>r leading tech<br />
companies from <strong>the</strong> region and around<br />
<strong>the</strong> world, to kick-start <strong>the</strong> most highly<br />
anticipated technology event in <strong>the</strong> Middle<br />
East.<br />
November 2016<br />
17
Setting off GITEX 2016 on a high note,<br />
Huawei held its inaugural Middle East<br />
Innovation Day on October 16. It was a<br />
conference organized on <strong>the</strong> sidelines of<br />
GITEX, which saw participation of key<br />
dec<strong>is</strong>ion makers from <strong>the</strong> local, regional<br />
and international ICT and enterpr<strong>is</strong>e<br />
organizations who came toge<strong>the</strong>r to d<strong>is</strong>cuss<br />
how ICT <strong>is</strong> shaping <strong>the</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> region.<br />
Under <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>me ‘Leading New ICT - Shape<br />
David Harmon<br />
VP Global Public Affairs - Huawei<br />
<strong>the</strong> Future’, industry leaders d<strong>is</strong>cussed<br />
<strong>the</strong> role of ICT innovation in driving <strong>the</strong><br />
digital transformation agenda, supporting<br />
<strong>the</strong> development of key sectors and<br />
contributing to <strong>the</strong> achievement of national<br />
initiatives and v<strong>is</strong>ions across <strong>the</strong> region.<br />
<strong>The</strong> event began with a welcome address<br />
by David Harmon, vice president of Global<br />
Public Affairs at Huawei, in which he pra<strong>is</strong>ed<br />
GCC governments for setting a clear<br />
priority to encourage an entrepreneurial<br />
society that helps drive GDP growth, job<br />
prosperity and innovative services that<br />
solve everyday problems for <strong>the</strong>ir citizens.<br />
Huawei ME Innovation Day also saw <strong>the</strong><br />
launch of Huawei’s Smart City Index,<br />
which was developed in collaboration<br />
with Navigant Research and provided an<br />
assessment on <strong>the</strong> state of smart readiness<br />
across Gulf States. <strong>The</strong> study looked at ICT<br />
infrastructure in major cities and evaluated<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir readiness for <strong>the</strong> next level of smart<br />
city adoption.<br />
Smart Dubai highlighted its smart city<br />
progress at GITEX, where it showcased<br />
more than 300 smart city innovations,<br />
across 11 experiences and six smart city<br />
dimensions, in line with <strong>the</strong> Happiness<br />
Agenda. “Smart Dubai participation at<br />
GITEX Technology Week th<strong>is</strong> year sets a<br />
new standard in showcasing our efforts to<br />
transform Dubai to a smart city to a large<br />
audience of dec<strong>is</strong>ion makers, businesses<br />
and government representatives from all<br />
over <strong>the</strong> world,” said Her Excellency<br />
Dr. A<strong>is</strong>ha Butti bin B<strong>is</strong>hr, Director General<br />
of Smart Dubai.<br />
V<strong>is</strong>itors experienced Smart Dubai’s<br />
innovations across land, sea and air outlets,<br />
public services, smart homes, smart<br />
shopping, health, education, business and<br />
judicial services - from connected cars to<br />
augmented reality homes. For example,<br />
at Saeed Hall, a ground-breaking artificial<br />
intelligence service for <strong>the</strong> commercial<br />
sector, launched in collaboration with<br />
Smart Dubai, <strong>the</strong> Dubai Smart Government,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Dubai Department of Economic<br />
Development and IBM. <strong>The</strong> Dubai Health<br />
Department launched a new smart<br />
ambulance system, while Dubai Police<br />
launched 15 new smart services including an<br />
interactive fingerprint.<br />
One of <strong>the</strong> most exciting developments at<br />
GITEX 2016 was when Dubai World Trade<br />
Center successfully achieved a Guinness<br />
World Record for most participants riding<br />
18 November 2016
in a virtual reality roller coaster in one hour,<br />
putting Dubai on <strong>the</strong> map as a global hub<br />
for VR innovation and earning a place in<br />
<strong>the</strong> h<strong>is</strong>tory books. VR was a hot topic at<br />
th<strong>is</strong> year’s event. Powered by Samsung,<br />
461 GITEX participants strapped on<br />
Samsung’s Gear virtual reality headsets<br />
powered by Oculus, while being thrilled<br />
by a v<strong>is</strong>ual roller coaster presented in a<br />
4DX <strong>the</strong>atre. Organizers had expected 250<br />
people, and smashed through <strong>the</strong> record<br />
overwhelmingly with nearly double <strong>the</strong><br />
number.<br />
“Virtual reality has rapidly advanced to<br />
enter <strong>the</strong> mainstream in transforming<br />
experiences in entertainment, education<br />
and healthcare. Attempting th<strong>is</strong> virtual<br />
reality world record underlines Dubai’s<br />
commitment to innovation and GITEX<br />
Technology Week as one of <strong>the</strong> world’s<br />
leading events for immersive technologies,”<br />
said C. Purushothaman, head of marketing<br />
(Smartphones & Tablets), IT & Mobile<br />
Div<strong>is</strong>ion at Samsung Gulf Electronics.<br />
Carrying on <strong>the</strong> virtual reality movement<br />
at GITEX, Nokia and UAE-based<br />
telecommunications service provider, du,<br />
demonstrated <strong>the</strong> Middle East’s first 4K 3D<br />
360 virtual reality video streaming using a<br />
5G-ready network. Nokia and du used Nokia<br />
AirScale Radio Access to showcase 360<br />
degree virtual reality (VR) video streaming.<br />
KSA recognized for its largest-ever participation at GITEX<br />
Eng. Ahmed bin Jamil Al-Maiman, VP of <strong>the</strong> superv<strong>is</strong>ing committee of Saudi<br />
Min<strong>is</strong>try of Interior’s participation at GITEX 2016 and <strong>the</strong> PR and Media Director of<br />
<strong>the</strong> National Information Centre (left) receiving trophy from Ahmed Al Khaja, SVP,<br />
Dubai World Trade Centre (right) in recognition of <strong>the</strong> Kingdom’s largest-ever Saudi<br />
participation as <strong>the</strong> Official Country Partner for GITEX Technology Week 2016.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> demonstration, 3D 360 VR content<br />
created with <strong>the</strong> Nokia OZO VR camera was<br />
streamed to head-mounted d<strong>is</strong>plays using<br />
Nokia’s 5G-ready network, delivering a fully<br />
immersive VR experience for attendees. <strong>The</strong><br />
demonstration was yet ano<strong>the</strong>r milestone<br />
for du on its path to 5G technology and<br />
taking 5G beyond speed and connectivity by<br />
demonstrating real 5G use cases.<br />
“Smart cities of tomorrow would require<br />
high speed and low latency connectivity<br />
to connect internet of things applications.<br />
<strong>The</strong> demonstration of 3D 360 VR video<br />
streaming over a 5G-ready system<br />
provides a glimpse into <strong>the</strong> future of one<br />
such application,” said Saleem Al Blooshi,<br />
executive vice president - Network<br />
Development and Operations, du. “It<br />
underscores our commitment to go beyond<br />
connectivity and speed and providing end<br />
to end real use cases for 5G. Nokia <strong>is</strong> our<br />
partner for UAE 5G innovation Gate (U5GIG)<br />
that will enable UAE to participate in <strong>the</strong><br />
development and standardization of 5G<br />
system. Nokia will continue to be a strategic<br />
partner for 5G network that we will offer in<br />
Dubai Expo 2020.”<br />
Artificial intelligence (AI) was ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
hot topic showcased at th<strong>is</strong> year’s GITEX<br />
Technology Week. For instance, v<strong>is</strong>itors to<br />
Microsoft’s stand were surpr<strong>is</strong>ed to learn<br />
just how far cognitive reasoning, naturallanguage<br />
processing and bot AI have<br />
come, as <strong>the</strong>y wandered through specially<br />
constructed Experience Zones at Microsoft’s<br />
stand.<br />
November 2016<br />
19
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan launches UAE AEO program<br />
Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive<br />
Council, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin<br />
Rashid Al Maktoum, has officially launched <strong>the</strong><br />
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program during<br />
Gitex 2016. <strong>The</strong> AEO program will connect UAE with<br />
<strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> world in terms of trade and customs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> CEO and Chairman of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs<br />
and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem,<br />
gave H.H. Sheikh Hamdan a closer insight into <strong>the</strong> program, as H.H.<br />
toured <strong>the</strong> PCFC stand, in <strong>the</strong> presence of H.E. Comm<strong>is</strong>sioner Ali Al<br />
Kaabi, Head of <strong>the</strong> Federal Customs Authority, Mohammad Juma<br />
Buossaiba Director-General of <strong>the</strong> UAE Federal Customs Authority,<br />
and Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs.<br />
Designed under <strong>the</strong> superv<strong>is</strong>ion of <strong>the</strong> Federal Customs Authority,<br />
<strong>the</strong> AEO program delivers a comprehensive set of benefits to<br />
certified partners, including faster clearance, preferential customs<br />
treatment and a dedicated Key Account Manager.<br />
Operators could include manufacturers, importers, exporters,<br />
brokers, carriers, consolidators, intermediaries, ports, airports<br />
terminal operators, integrated operators, warehouses and<br />
d<strong>is</strong>tributors.<br />
H<strong>is</strong> Excellency Comm<strong>is</strong>sioner Ali Al Kaabi, Head of <strong>the</strong> Federal<br />
Customs authority, pra<strong>is</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> initiatives being showcased by Dubai<br />
Customs at Gitex 2016. He said “Dubai Customs <strong>is</strong> a world-class role<br />
model in Customs work, particularly when it comes to facilitating<br />
trade and plugging security gaps internationally.”<br />
H.E. Al Kaabi affirmed that <strong>the</strong> Authorized Economic Operator<br />
program <strong>is</strong> a quantum leap in Customs work, as such platform will<br />
efficiently serve trade flow in <strong>the</strong> UAE bringing global and home<br />
companies real added value in terms of r<strong>is</strong>k record and security<br />
profile. “<strong>The</strong> UAE, represented by <strong>the</strong> FCA, has recently signed a<br />
Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with South Korea during a<br />
federal delegation v<strong>is</strong>it to <strong>the</strong> country.”<br />
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, said, “<strong>The</strong> pilot phase proved to be a<br />
huge success. We know that we are ready to take th<strong>is</strong> into <strong>the</strong> next<br />
level. Certified AEOs will be able to make inroads into new markets<br />
thanks to <strong>the</strong> Mutual Recognition Agreements.<br />
Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, said “<strong>The</strong><br />
AEO program will back nationwide integrated efforts towards<br />
marking h<strong>is</strong>tory in Expo 2020.”<br />
He fur<strong>the</strong>r noted that <strong>the</strong> new facility provides local and<br />
international businesses a strong competitive edge as author<strong>is</strong>ed<br />
economic operators (AEOs), which positively impacts on <strong>the</strong><br />
national economy and increases growth.<br />
Dubai Customs showcased 8 out-of-<strong>the</strong>-box, smart initiatives at<br />
th<strong>is</strong> Gitex including Author<strong>is</strong>ed Economic Operator (AEO) Program,<br />
Smart Workspace, Smart Inspection Glasses, Smart Inspection Lab,<br />
Smart Virtual Agent, Endangered Species Exhibit, Smart Customs<br />
Route, and Bags Smart Customs Inspection System.<br />
20 November 2016
EVENT<br />
Dr. Khaled Biyari, STC Group CEO<br />
named Teletimes’ CEO of <strong>the</strong> Year during GITEX<br />
Dr. Khaled Biyari, Group CEO of STC has<br />
been awarded <strong>the</strong> title of Teletimes’ CEO<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Year 2016 by Teletimes International<br />
on <strong>the</strong> inaugural day of GITEX Technology<br />
Week in Dubai.<br />
<strong>The</strong> award was presented to Dr. Khaled<br />
by Mr. Bocar Ba, CEO of SAMENA Council<br />
along with Mr. Khalid Athar, Chief Editor,<br />
Teletimes International during a ceremony<br />
at GITEX Technology Week.<br />
Dr. Khaled H. Al Biyari joined STC in May<br />
2013 as Senior Vice President of Technology<br />
and Operations, and <strong>the</strong>n served as COO<br />
as well. Currently, Dr. Biyari also serves as<br />
<strong>the</strong> Vice Chairman of VIVA Kuwait amongst<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r positions he holds in addition to h<strong>is</strong><br />
role at STC. He <strong>is</strong> a member of a number<br />
of professional organizations and has<br />
lectured and publ<strong>is</strong>hed numerous papers on<br />
communication and information systems.<br />
Dr. Biyari has also lectured on technology<br />
management and innovation as well as<br />
<strong>is</strong>sues related to <strong>the</strong> ICT industry. Dr. Biyari<br />
holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from<br />
<strong>the</strong> University of Sou<strong>the</strong>rn California and<br />
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical<br />
Engineering from KFUPM.<br />
Since h<strong>is</strong> appointment as CEO in early<br />
2015, Dr. Biyari has led STC into a new era<br />
of success. H<strong>is</strong> initiatives have included a<br />
key focus on expansion, introduction and<br />
incubation of new technologies as well as<br />
CSR amongst o<strong>the</strong>r things. He has led <strong>the</strong><br />
company towards increasing its customer<br />
base, introducing new solutions for <strong>the</strong>se<br />
customers and achieving greater overall<br />
customer sat<strong>is</strong>faction. H<strong>is</strong> vigilant and dynamic<br />
leadership has also helped create an<br />
environment and culture that grooms talent<br />
and innovation to create value.<br />
Speaking on <strong>the</strong> occasion, Mr. Bocar Ba<br />
said, “I am honored to present <strong>the</strong> Teletimes’<br />
CEO of <strong>the</strong> Year award to Dr. Khaled<br />
Biyari. <strong>The</strong> award comes as a recognition<br />
of h<strong>is</strong> great services to <strong>the</strong> company and<br />
<strong>the</strong> telecom industry at large. H<strong>is</strong> dynamic<br />
leadership has led STC to huge success and<br />
we w<strong>is</strong>h that he will continue h<strong>is</strong> great work<br />
in <strong>the</strong> coming future”.<br />
While receiving <strong>the</strong> award, Dr. Biyari said,<br />
“I am grateful to <strong>the</strong> Teletimes team for<br />
th<strong>is</strong> honor. I want to share that th<strong>is</strong> journey<br />
has always been a team effort and <strong>the</strong><br />
successful results are <strong>the</strong> outcome of a<br />
great performance by <strong>the</strong> great team at<br />
STC. <strong>The</strong> entire team deserves credit for <strong>the</strong><br />
outstanding performance and I am glad to<br />
receive th<strong>is</strong> award on behalf of <strong>the</strong>m.”<br />
November 2016<br />
21
NEWS<br />
STC, SAP partner to empower public sector and SME scalability<br />
clouds running on STC’s data centers in <strong>the</strong><br />
Kingdom. SAP <strong>is</strong> seeing strong interest for<br />
<strong>the</strong> S/4HANA real-time business suite, <strong>the</strong><br />
Digital Boardroom, Business Intelligence,<br />
and Customer Relationship Management.<br />
“With STC’s world-class network<br />
infrastructure and a cloud-based<br />
subscription model, Saudi organizations of<br />
all sizes and industries can easily adopt <strong>the</strong><br />
solutions that will drive Saudi V<strong>is</strong>ion 2030’s<br />
digital transformation goals,” said Ahmed<br />
Al-Faifi, Managing Director, SAP Saudi<br />
Arabia, Yemen and Bahrain.<br />
Dr. Sultan Bin Saeed, CEO of STC Advanced Solutions (left) and Ahmed Al-Faifi,<br />
Managing Director, SAP Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Bahrain (right) announce a<br />
partnership on cloud solutions.<br />
Cyber security partnerships<br />
keep smart cities safe, say<br />
GITEX experts<br />
STC and SAP announced a strategic<br />
partnership agreement at GITEX to<br />
cooperate on <strong>the</strong> prov<strong>is</strong>ion of cloud-based<br />
subscription model enterpr<strong>is</strong>e software<br />
solutions to organizations of all sizes in<br />
<strong>the</strong> public and private sector in <strong>the</strong><br />
Kingdom.<br />
As per <strong>the</strong> agreement and arrangements<br />
between STC and SAP, most SAP solutions<br />
and workloads are now supported on<br />
<strong>the</strong> STC Cloud, allowing new and ex<strong>is</strong>ting<br />
customers to rollout or expand current<br />
SAP based solutions without <strong>the</strong> need for<br />
CAPEX based investments in hardware or<br />
software.<br />
“Saudi organizations need smooth running<br />
digitized services to scale and remain<br />
competitive and contribute effectively to<br />
meeting <strong>the</strong> objectives of <strong>the</strong> National<br />
Transformational Program 2020, key to<br />
achieving on V<strong>is</strong>ion 2030. Applying SAP<br />
based solutions structured on STC’s cloud<br />
gives dec<strong>is</strong>ion makers at public and private<br />
sector organizations real-time insights<br />
for faster and higher impact dec<strong>is</strong>ions<br />
needed to scale up quickly,” said Sultan Bin<br />
Saeed, CEO of STC Solutions, <strong>the</strong> national<br />
operator’s system integration focused arm.<br />
<strong>The</strong> solutions will run on <strong>the</strong> SAP HANA<br />
in-memory platform via secure private<br />
Global Smart Cities will be kept safe<br />
by public-private partnerships in cyber<br />
security, agreed tech players during GITEX<br />
Technology Week.<br />
Fa<strong>is</strong>al Al Bannai, CEO of DarkMatter,<br />
an international cyber security firm<br />
headquartered in <strong>the</strong> UAE, and <strong>the</strong> event’s<br />
official Cyber Security Innovation Partner,<br />
launched <strong>the</strong> first-of-its-kind Cyber<br />
Resilience Platform to v<strong>is</strong>ual<strong>is</strong>e cyber<br />
security readiness, and <strong>the</strong> first-of-its-kind<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>e-ready blockchain offerings for<br />
Smart Cities and smart systems.<br />
Protecting citizen data, DarkMatter<br />
announced partnerships with NetApp for<br />
secure storage and Big Data analytics, and<br />
with vArmour for end-to-end data centre<br />
and cloud security.<br />
22 November 2016
INTERVIEW<br />
Our v<strong>is</strong>ion <strong>is</strong> to make Dubai <strong>the</strong> happiest city<br />
Dr. A<strong>is</strong>ha Bin B<strong>is</strong>hr, Director General, Smart Dubai Office<br />
Interview: Gulraiz Khalid<br />
H.E. DR. A<strong>is</strong>ha Butti Bin B<strong>is</strong>hr <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> Director General of <strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai Office, <strong>the</strong> government entity charged with overseeing<br />
Dubai’s citywide smart transformation, engaging with leadership in <strong>the</strong> public and private sector to make Dubai a global benchmark<br />
smart city.<br />
Prior to that, Dr. A<strong>is</strong>ha worked as Ass<strong>is</strong>tant Director General of <strong>the</strong> Executive Office of H<strong>is</strong> Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al<br />
Maktoum, Prime Min<strong>is</strong>ter and Vice President of <strong>the</strong> United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. <strong>The</strong> Executive Office role <strong>is</strong> to implement<br />
<strong>the</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion of HH (to make Dubai #1 globally) as well as to be <strong>the</strong> source of <strong>the</strong> best futur<strong>is</strong>tic initiatives. Part of her role was leading<br />
<strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai task force team from <strong>the</strong> time of <strong>the</strong> announcement of <strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai initiative in March 2014, to <strong>the</strong> formation of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai Office.<br />
Dr. A<strong>is</strong>ha also worked in <strong>the</strong> Min<strong>is</strong>try of Labor as an Ass<strong>is</strong>tant Undersecretary for support services responsible for developing and<br />
implementing strategic management, partnership development and change management policies. She holds a PHD in Management,<br />
Science, Technology and Innovation and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Policy and Research on Engineering, Science and Technology<br />
from Manchester Business School. A Bachelor of Science (BS) in Applied Science (Business Information Technology) from Higher<br />
Colleges of Technology , and a degree in Public Finance Management from Dubai School of Government as well as a graduate of<br />
Orchestrating Winning Performance Diploma from IMD.<br />
November 2016<br />
23
What <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai initiative?<br />
Is it about connectivity, <strong>is</strong> it about<br />
applications or <strong>is</strong> it about better<br />
infrastructure?<br />
For us, <strong>the</strong> Smart Dubai initiative <strong>is</strong> not<br />
about applications, it’s about experiences<br />
and hence what we really want <strong>is</strong> to create<br />
happier experiences for people. Our v<strong>is</strong>ion <strong>is</strong><br />
to make Dubai <strong>the</strong> happiest city on earth.<br />
We already have<br />
achieved more than 100<br />
initiatives and more<br />
than 100,000 smart<br />
services covering all<br />
dimensions in our city”<br />
Dubai has been a world leader with<br />
reference to its smart city initiative.<br />
Please share with us <strong>the</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion and<br />
objective behind th<strong>is</strong> program.<br />
We started in 2014 when we launched Smart<br />
Dubai with <strong>the</strong> mandate to make Dubai<br />
<strong>the</strong> smartest and <strong>the</strong> happiest city in three<br />
years and to develop 100 initiatives and<br />
1000 smart initiatives across six dimensions<br />
that are Mobility, Economy, Living,<br />
Environment, Governance and People.<br />
Our main goal <strong>is</strong> to develop a seamless,<br />
impactful, safe and efficient smart city<br />
experience and within two and a half years,<br />
we have already managed to achieve most<br />
of our goals. Very soon we will have <strong>the</strong><br />
Smart Dubai Platform up and running which<br />
will also be known as <strong>the</strong> digital backbone<br />
in Dubai.<br />
When we talk about government entities,<br />
for <strong>the</strong> last 15 years <strong>the</strong>y have developed<br />
many smart solutions, so what we are<br />
doing at Smart Dubai <strong>is</strong> eliminating all silos<br />
across all verticals, ranging from Health<br />
to Energy to Education by opening and<br />
sharing data across <strong>the</strong> government. We are<br />
working with different, specialized players<br />
so that we are smart in every vertical but<br />
hol<strong>is</strong>tically we need to bring th<strong>is</strong> toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
as one connected ecosystem. That <strong>is</strong> why<br />
we are working on every level to ensure<br />
we have <strong>the</strong> infrastructure as a backbone<br />
ready for such transformation. Governing<br />
data initiatives and policies around data<br />
are in place and a full city roadmap for our<br />
city transformation <strong>is</strong> also in place already.<br />
I think we are right on time and very well<br />
prepared to take <strong>the</strong> next step.<br />
What <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> timeline for th<strong>is</strong> project and<br />
where do we stand today?<br />
Our planned timeline, which spanned over<br />
three years will reach its end in March 2017.<br />
We call <strong>the</strong>se 3 years “<strong>The</strong> Enablement<br />
Years” and have already achieved more than<br />
100 initiatives and more than 100 thousand<br />
smart services covering all dimensions<br />
in our city. We are leading <strong>the</strong> Smart City<br />
movement globally with ITU. <strong>The</strong>y have<br />
selected Dubai to be <strong>the</strong> Pilot City to design<br />
and implement <strong>the</strong> first International Smart<br />
City KPIs so we are talking progress that <strong>is</strong><br />
beyond our basic plans, and that too well<br />
beyond <strong>the</strong> end of th<strong>is</strong> project.<br />
As we move forward in a connected<br />
environment full of IoT devices powered<br />
by AI and more, <strong>the</strong>re are certain<br />
concerns ra<strong>is</strong>ed regarding security, legal<br />
responsibility and privacy, a very possible<br />
example could be a driverless car getting<br />
into an accident. How do you plan to<br />
tackle <strong>the</strong>se concerns?<br />
Actually that’s something our strategic<br />
partners in Dubai are working on. We are<br />
building a comprehensive strategy for<br />
<strong>the</strong> mobility dimension of Smart Dubai.<br />
By 2030, 25% of our cars will be driverless<br />
cars and that puts a lot of pressure on not<br />
only transferability but also on <strong>the</strong> Police<br />
Department and Insurance companies to<br />
24 November 2016
ensure <strong>the</strong> proper framework to manage<br />
and govern <strong>the</strong>se aspects, whe<strong>the</strong>r it<br />
be traffic management or catering to<br />
accidents. Our partners plan to come<br />
back to us with a proper framework which<br />
defines how <strong>the</strong>y will tackle all <strong>the</strong>se<br />
challenges that include security, policies<br />
around insurance, policies around <strong>the</strong> traffic<br />
and more.<br />
<strong>The</strong> privacy <strong>is</strong>sue from a data perspective<br />
<strong>is</strong> being handled by <strong>the</strong> Dubai Data<br />
Establ<strong>is</strong>hment. We have a set of around<br />
31 policies that tackle privacy, security,<br />
commercialization, sharing, opening and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r aspects that fall under th<strong>is</strong> domain.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> from a governing perspective but<br />
when we look from a physical perspective<br />
we make sure that security <strong>is</strong> a priority<br />
on every level of infrastructure. Our Chief<br />
Security Officer at <strong>the</strong> Dubai Electronic<br />
Security Centre <strong>is</strong> helping us ensure that we<br />
are covering <strong>the</strong> security and privacy of data<br />
completely.<br />
Which initiative <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> current on-going<br />
focus of <strong>the</strong> project?<br />
Currently, we are piloting a “City Leader<br />
Dashboard” wherein city leaders can see<br />
different data sets put toge<strong>the</strong>r. <strong>The</strong> idea<br />
<strong>is</strong> to have two dashboards; one <strong>is</strong> for city<br />
leaders so that <strong>the</strong>y can see all activity<br />
happening live in <strong>the</strong> city and <strong>the</strong> second<br />
one <strong>is</strong> for people so that <strong>the</strong>y can manage<br />
transactions and services around <strong>the</strong>m<br />
in <strong>the</strong> most efficient manner. We plan<br />
to launch <strong>the</strong> City Leader Dashboard by<br />
March. As for <strong>the</strong> Personal Dashboard, we<br />
have already launched our first beta version<br />
for Dubai in which you can access over 55<br />
services from 24 public and private entities<br />
via one application, more commonly known<br />
as Dubai Now.<br />
As you move forward ahead of your<br />
timeline and we are not looking forward to<br />
any delays, what <strong>is</strong> your plan for after <strong>the</strong><br />
achievement of <strong>the</strong> initial goal? Is <strong>the</strong>re a<br />
United Arab Emirates will be 50 years old as a nation<br />
in 2021 and before we reach that time, we w<strong>is</strong>h to<br />
reach our goal of making Dubai <strong>the</strong> happiest city for<br />
people around <strong>the</strong> world”<br />
plan beyond <strong>the</strong> Enablement Years?<br />
We have already started to develop a plan<br />
for <strong>the</strong> next phase. Smart Dubai <strong>is</strong> not a<br />
project with an end to it, it’s a journey.<br />
Our first phase was to enable <strong>the</strong> city, our<br />
second phase <strong>is</strong> to make sure that <strong>the</strong> city<br />
<strong>is</strong> impacted once it <strong>is</strong> enabled, and <strong>the</strong> next<br />
phase <strong>is</strong> where we start to see how all <strong>the</strong>se<br />
layers will impact different experiences.<br />
We have already identified several KPIs and<br />
our KPI for <strong>the</strong> city <strong>is</strong> “Happiness”. Earlier<br />
th<strong>is</strong> year we measured <strong>the</strong> city’s happiness<br />
levels to be at 89% and we want to increase<br />
it to 95% by 2021. Our next phase <strong>is</strong> for<br />
five years where we will celebrate our<br />
targets with our country’s Golden Jubilee<br />
Anniversary. United Arab Emirates will be 50<br />
years old as a nation in 2021 and before we<br />
reach that time, we w<strong>is</strong>h to reach our goal<br />
of making Dubai <strong>the</strong> happiest city in <strong>the</strong><br />
world.<br />
November 2016<br />
25
Arabsat BADR-7 @ 26˚E, with<br />
unparalleled market specific beams<br />
covering <strong>the</strong> Middle East and Africa<br />
with unrivaled Ku and Ka-band payload and a special<br />
Ka-band m<strong>is</strong>sion tailored to deliver broadband services<br />
from satellite.<br />
26 November 2016
30<br />
November 2016<br />
27
NEWS<br />
Thuraya, Ooredoo Maldives sign deal<br />
to provide f<strong>is</strong>heries with satellite connectivity<br />
Thuraya Telecommunications and Ooredoo<br />
Maldives have announced an agreement<br />
to supply resorts and f<strong>is</strong>heries with mobile<br />
satellite products and services across <strong>the</strong><br />
archipelago in <strong>the</strong> Indian Ocean. <strong>The</strong> initial<br />
phase of <strong>the</strong> agreement will prov<strong>is</strong>ion<br />
f<strong>is</strong>heries and anglers with voice products<br />
and broadband connectivity over Thuraya’s<br />
satellite network.<br />
<strong>The</strong> agreement addresses a mandate <strong>is</strong>sued<br />
by <strong>the</strong> Maldives government, progressively<br />
requiring commercial f<strong>is</strong>hing operators to fit<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir vessels with satellite communication<br />
equipment and to supply anglers with<br />
satellite phones. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> in line with <strong>the</strong><br />
approach adopted by o<strong>the</strong>r f<strong>is</strong>heries<br />
management authorities throughout <strong>the</strong><br />
world. By equipping <strong>the</strong>ir f<strong>is</strong>hing vessels<br />
with Thuraya’s products, operators will have<br />
access to monitoring systems and services<br />
that address multiple requirements such as<br />
<strong>is</strong>sues of d<strong>is</strong>tress and safety.<br />
Commencing from October 19, Ooredoo<br />
Maldives will sell Thuraya SatSleeve+ and<br />
SatSleeve Hotspot devices as well as data<br />
packages at <strong>the</strong>ir retail outlets and through<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir enterpr<strong>is</strong>e account teams.<br />
Thuraya SatSleeve+ and SatSleeve<br />
Hotspot are sleek adaptors that transform<br />
smartphones into satellite phones. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
offer fast, simple connectivity on <strong>the</strong> move,<br />
especially in remote areas where terrestrial<br />
networks have become unavailable or<br />
unreliable. <strong>The</strong>y allow <strong>the</strong> user to make<br />
calls, use messaging applications, send and<br />
receive email and SMS, and access apps.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y also come with an additional safety<br />
feature - a programmable SOS button<br />
that works even if <strong>the</strong> smartphone <strong>is</strong>n’t<br />
connected.<br />
Bilal El Hamoui, Chief Commercial Officer<br />
at Thuraya said, “F<strong>is</strong>hing <strong>is</strong> one of <strong>the</strong><br />
most dangerous occupations in <strong>the</strong> world,<br />
and more stringent safety measures<br />
are required. Up until now, <strong>the</strong> lack of<br />
accessibility and affordability have placed<br />
reliable satellite communications outside<br />
<strong>the</strong> reach of many f<strong>is</strong>hermen. It’s time<br />
to re-evaluate, because we are offering<br />
unprecedented value. Thuraya equipment<br />
<strong>is</strong> small, and <strong>is</strong> quick and easy to install. We<br />
offer un<strong>limit</strong>ed data plans, fast speeds and<br />
access to a reliable network. Thuraya can<br />
drive your communication costs down by an<br />
average of 40%. More affordable technology<br />
means it’s easier to keep satellite equipment<br />
onboard even on <strong>the</strong> smallest vessel,<br />
making it safer for f<strong>is</strong>hermen to do <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
jobs and stay in touch with shore. Thuraya’s<br />
purpose <strong>is</strong> to save and improve lives, and<br />
th<strong>is</strong> agreement will allow f<strong>is</strong>hermen to be<br />
connected when and where <strong>the</strong>y need it.”<br />
Andrew Jordan appointed new President and CEO of AsiaSat<br />
AsiaSat announced that William Wade has<br />
retired as Executive Director, President and<br />
CEO from November 1, and will remain as<br />
Senior Adv<strong>is</strong>or until 31 March 2017.<br />
Andrew Jordan has been appointed by<br />
<strong>the</strong> Board to succeed Mr. Wade as<br />
Executive Director, President and CEO<br />
with effect from 1 November 2016. Mr.<br />
Jordan, aged 56, has over 25 years of<br />
experience in <strong>the</strong> satellite industry. He<br />
was <strong>the</strong> General Manager in <strong>the</strong> Marketing<br />
Department of AsiaSat from 1991 to 1993.<br />
Mr. Jordan has held executive positions<br />
with several satellite operators, and has led<br />
complex deal negotiations in China, Hong<br />
Kong SAR, Australia, Italy and <strong>the</strong> United<br />
Kingdom. He obtained a Bachelor’s<br />
degree in Chinese from London University’s<br />
School of Oriental and African Studies.<br />
AsiaSat’s Chairman, JU Wei Min, said, “On<br />
behalf of <strong>the</strong> Board of Directors, I would<br />
like to express my sincere gratitude<br />
to William Wade for h<strong>is</strong> many years<br />
of dedicated and exceptional service.<br />
AsiaSat’s solid reputation in <strong>the</strong> industry<br />
and its strong commitment to quality and<br />
reliability are a credit to h<strong>is</strong> leadership.<br />
We look forward to h<strong>is</strong> contributions as<br />
Senior Adv<strong>is</strong>or to ass<strong>is</strong>t in <strong>the</strong> leadership<br />
transition.”<br />
“I would like to welcome back Mr. Jordan,<br />
who <strong>is</strong> an industry veteran with extensive<br />
experience, knowledge and contacts across<br />
<strong>the</strong> satellite communications, broadcast<br />
and telecom industries. We are confident<br />
that he has <strong>the</strong> strategic v<strong>is</strong>ion and<br />
experience to drive AsiaSat’s next phase of<br />
growth,” Mr. Ju added.<br />
28 November 2016
NEWS<br />
Yahsat’s v<strong>is</strong>ion for regionwide<br />
satellite connectivity<br />
fur<strong>the</strong>red by signing<br />
of Eutelsat multi-year<br />
capacity agreement<br />
Yahsat and Eutelsat Communications have<br />
signed a multi-year capacity agreement<br />
giving Broadband for Africa, Eutelsat’s<br />
African broadband venture, access to<br />
high-performance commercial Ka-band<br />
capacity for broadband services across<br />
Sub-Saharan Africa. <strong>The</strong> move represents<br />
a significant milestone for Yahsat as<br />
<strong>the</strong> company actively seeks to fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
industry collaboration to expand satellite<br />
connectivity region-wide.<br />
Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of<br />
Yahsat said, “Th<strong>is</strong> agreement <strong>is</strong> important<br />
to our overall v<strong>is</strong>ion of providing global<br />
satellite connectivity solutions for unserved<br />
and underserved communities. At Yahsat<br />
we firmly believe that by partnering with<br />
our industry peers, <strong>the</strong> satellite community<br />
will be able to jointly help connect markets<br />
that face infrastructure and connectivity<br />
challenges. Our collaboration with<br />
Broadband for Africa <strong>is</strong> a great example<br />
of how partnerships can work for <strong>the</strong><br />
greater good of regional socio-economic<br />
development.”<br />
According to <strong>the</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong> agreement,<br />
Broadband for Africa will use capacity on<br />
up to 16 Ka-band spotbeams on <strong>the</strong> Yahsat<br />
1B satellite to roll out broadband services<br />
during <strong>the</strong> first half of 2017. Fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
expansion will be supported later in <strong>the</strong><br />
year using capacity on 18 spotbeams on<br />
Yahsat’s Al Yah 3 satellite, scheduled for<br />
launch in early 2017.<br />
Both Yahsat 1B and Al Yah 3 are equipped<br />
with high powered spotbeams with<br />
Sub-Saharan African coverage, ideal for<br />
community and Direct-to-User Internet<br />
access using affordable, off-<strong>the</strong>-shelf<br />
customer prem<strong>is</strong>es equipment.<br />
Laurent Grimaldi, Chief Executive Officer<br />
of Broadband for Africa, said: “We are<br />
delighted to initiate th<strong>is</strong> relationship with<br />
Yahsat and fully share <strong>the</strong>ir conviction in<br />
<strong>the</strong> long-term role satellites will play in<br />
wireless connectivity and in <strong>the</strong> need for<br />
high-quality infrastructure to transform<br />
Africa’s broadband landscape.”<br />
In addition to Yahsat’s collaboration with<br />
Eutelsat to drive connectivity across<br />
Africa, <strong>the</strong> company also provides costeffective<br />
satellite broadband services via<br />
its YahClick satellite broadband internet<br />
service .Currently <strong>the</strong> number one satellite<br />
broadband service in Africa, subscribers<br />
including government, businesses and<br />
individuals are able to gain access to<br />
uninterrupted, high-speed internet across<br />
<strong>the</strong> continent.<br />
Yahsat appoints Farhad Khan as CCO<br />
Yahsat has appointed Farhad Khan as its<br />
chief commercial officer (CCO). Farhad will<br />
assume <strong>the</strong> position and will be responsible<br />
for <strong>the</strong> overall customer operations,<br />
marketing and sales management activities<br />
of Yahsat<br />
Commenting on <strong>the</strong> executive appointment<br />
Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, chief executive<br />
officer said: “After careful selection, we are<br />
pleased to have found <strong>the</strong> best individual for<br />
<strong>the</strong> job. Farhad has a proven record in <strong>the</strong><br />
telecommunications industry combined with<br />
strong leadership skills and deep industry<br />
knowledge. I w<strong>is</strong>h Farhad every success in<br />
h<strong>is</strong> new role and have full confidence that<br />
with h<strong>is</strong> leadership we will continue our<br />
growth trajectory.”<br />
Farhad Khan, newly appointed chief<br />
commercial officer, Yahsat said: “I am<br />
delighted to be joining Yahsat at such an<br />
exciting time. Yahsat’s achievements in<br />
less than five years of operations, with <strong>the</strong><br />
launch of two satellites and serving many<br />
communities across <strong>the</strong> Middle East, Africa,<br />
Central and South West Asia, has been<br />
nothing short of remarkable. During th<strong>is</strong><br />
next critical growth phase I will concentrate<br />
on establ<strong>is</strong>hing new partnerships, work on<br />
<strong>the</strong> launch of Yahsat’s third satellite Al Yah<br />
3 and drive <strong>the</strong> business as we enter more<br />
than 20 additional markets.”<br />
November 2016<br />
29
NEWS<br />
GSMA Mobile 360 ME Conference<br />
Huawei sees 5G as <strong>the</strong> road to connectivity<br />
Huawei shared its v<strong>is</strong>ion for a future of<br />
connected possibilities that will be made<br />
real with <strong>the</strong> advent of 5G technology<br />
during <strong>the</strong> GSMA Mobile 360-Middle East<br />
Conference, which was held on <strong>the</strong> sidelines<br />
of GITEX 2016.<br />
Addressing an audience of regional ICT<br />
professionals at <strong>the</strong> event, Huawei’s<br />
President of Wireless Marketing Operations<br />
for Wireless Network Product Line, Qiu<br />
Heng, highlighted a future where <strong>the</strong><br />
impact of 5G will extend beyond <strong>the</strong><br />
traditional ICT industry to touch on every<br />
aspect of modern life as we know it,<br />
with everything mobile and everything<br />
connected.<br />
“5G <strong>is</strong> being developed at just <strong>the</strong> right<br />
time, when <strong>the</strong> world <strong>is</strong> demanding better,<br />
faster, higher capacity connectivity to<br />
accommodate <strong>the</strong> explosion of connected<br />
devices that are po<strong>is</strong>ed to help us power<br />
everything from autonomous cars and<br />
industrial facilities, to enabling connected<br />
education, healthcare and smart cities.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> demand <strong>is</strong> driving real innovation<br />
in <strong>the</strong> telecoms space and has led to a<br />
collaborative approach by global players to<br />
define a new global network technology led<br />
by 4 key success factors – unified standards,<br />
spectrum availability on a global level,<br />
key technologies development and global<br />
collaboration,” said Heng.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> development of 5G will enable a<br />
host of advanced and new technologies<br />
to become a part of everyday life,” Heng<br />
added. “With speeds of up to 10Gbps,<br />
Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) will<br />
affect every aspect of modern day life, from<br />
augmented and virtual reality to self-driving<br />
vehicles, from smart homes and buildings,<br />
to m<strong>is</strong>sion critical applications and smart<br />
city technologies.”<br />
Heng stressed <strong>the</strong> importance of adding<br />
more connections and enabling digital<br />
transformation prior to <strong>the</strong> introduction of<br />
5G.<br />
Huawei continues to work closely with<br />
various operators across <strong>the</strong> region, in an<br />
effort to drive 5G development forward in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Middle East.<br />
Huawei revolutionizes TV viewing with video cloud in <strong>the</strong> ME<br />
During its participation at <strong>the</strong> TV Connect<br />
MENA conference and exhibition held on<br />
October 31-November 1 in Dubai Huawei,<br />
showcased its Much TV solution, a video<br />
ecosystem that enables streaming of TV<br />
content through Huawei’s video cloud.<br />
Much TV has already been rolled out by five<br />
telecom operators across <strong>the</strong> Middle East<br />
and <strong>is</strong> expected to reach over 3 million users<br />
by year’s end, and a forecast user base of<br />
8 million by end of 2017. <strong>The</strong> plug & play<br />
solution enables telecom operators across<br />
<strong>the</strong> region to launch TV platforms quickly<br />
and at a low r<strong>is</strong>k.<br />
“Video consumption across <strong>the</strong> world has<br />
changed drastically, with users consuming<br />
more and more TV content online. <strong>The</strong><br />
MENA region ranked second globally in<br />
YouTube viewership with daily views of<br />
over 310 million videos . It <strong>is</strong> no surpr<strong>is</strong>e<br />
that telecom operators are increasingly<br />
launching internet-based TV services to<br />
keep up with th<strong>is</strong> growing demand,” said<br />
Wang Bin, Chief Expert of Huawei Middle<br />
East Video Service and keynote speaker<br />
at Connect TV MENA. “As part of its new<br />
video strategy, Huawei <strong>is</strong> collaborating<br />
with industry players across <strong>the</strong> region to<br />
help <strong>the</strong>m achieve new revenue streams by<br />
providing TV services as part of <strong>the</strong>ir core<br />
offering. End-user will enjoy an unparalleled<br />
TV viewing experience that allows <strong>the</strong>m<br />
to watch <strong>the</strong>ir favorite shows on-demand<br />
which <strong>is</strong> possible thanks to Huawei’s video<br />
cloud ecosystem.”<br />
30 November 2016
INTERVIEW<br />
We are a purely R&D based company special<strong>is</strong>ing in<br />
Wireless Mobile Access Network Solutions<br />
Moonsik Kim, Senior Vice President - SOLiD<br />
Interview - Gulraiz Khalid<br />
Please give us a background on Solid.<br />
Solid <strong>is</strong> an 18 year old company that was<br />
started in South Korea during 1998, and<br />
has grown into an international provider of<br />
services through success in its local market<br />
where it has been supplying its main solution<br />
to major operators like KT and SKT for<br />
some years now. SOLiD helps people stay<br />
connected and safe in a rapidly changing<br />
world through a portfolio of RF Amplifier,<br />
RF Radio and Optical Transport solutions.<br />
SOLiD enables indoor and outdoor cellular<br />
and public-safety communications at<br />
some of <strong>the</strong> world’s best-known and most<br />
challenging venues including; leading<br />
hospitals, professional, and college sports<br />
venues, government, university and Fortune<br />
500 corporate buildings and campuses,<br />
international airports and metropolitan<br />
subways, and o<strong>the</strong>r high-profile sites.<br />
Our company <strong>is</strong> purely based on R&D which<br />
enables us to provide <strong>the</strong> best services and<br />
technologies. Our area of special<strong>is</strong>ation <strong>is</strong><br />
providing Wireless Mobile Access Network<br />
solutions.<br />
November 2016<br />
31
What are your main products & solutions?<br />
Our main products include <strong>the</strong> DAS system,<br />
indoor connectivity solutions and <strong>the</strong> ICS<br />
system which <strong>is</strong> useful in rural areas that<br />
cannot be reached via base stations. We are<br />
also providing our solutions to domestic<br />
Korean and Japanese players for front-haul<br />
and backhaul WDM based FTTx solutions as<br />
well.<br />
In<br />
Our main products<br />
include <strong>the</strong> DAS system,<br />
indoor connectivity<br />
solutions and <strong>the</strong> ICS<br />
system which <strong>is</strong> useful in<br />
rural areas that cannot<br />
be reached via base<br />
stations”<br />
terms of geographical markets, in <strong>the</strong> past<br />
we have focused on our domestic market in<br />
Korea, but now we are expanding to North<br />
America, CALA, Europe and o<strong>the</strong>r Asian<br />
countries. We are working with Interconnect<br />
Solutions in <strong>the</strong> Middle East and are also<br />
expanding to Africa and parts of West Asia.<br />
Could you please elaborate on your “In-<br />
Building” solutions?<br />
We are providing Wireless Mobile Access<br />
Network solutions where <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> a need for<br />
“In-Building” connectivity such as hotels,<br />
shopping malls, health care, university<br />
campus, stadiums and metro which are large<br />
venues with high mobile traffic.<br />
SOLiD In-building DAS provides <strong>the</strong> multicarriers,<br />
multi-band and sector service,<br />
with high efficiency and versatile of power<br />
module. Embedded POI and small form<br />
factor are attractive to users and it <strong>is</strong> easy to<br />
install and can be simply upgraded without<br />
interruption of service.<br />
How do you see Middle East market as a<br />
potential market for your product and how<br />
has your journey been so far?<br />
We see ourselves as new entrants in <strong>the</strong><br />
Middle East market. Before we entered <strong>the</strong><br />
Middle East market, <strong>the</strong>re was only one<br />
Before we entered <strong>the</strong> Middle East market, <strong>the</strong>re<br />
was only one major, global and dominant, player in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Middle East. Many customers wanted to have<br />
a good second option and some were not sat<strong>is</strong>fied<br />
with <strong>the</strong> current service. Th<strong>is</strong> naturally created room<br />
for us to enter and we came in just at <strong>the</strong> right time”<br />
major, global and dominant player in <strong>the</strong><br />
Middle East. Many customers wanted to<br />
have a good second option and some were<br />
not sat<strong>is</strong>fied with <strong>the</strong> current service. Th<strong>is</strong><br />
naturally created room for us to enter and<br />
we came in just at <strong>the</strong> right time. Now we<br />
feel that <strong>the</strong> customers enjoy having <strong>the</strong><br />
option which means we will stay active and<br />
expand within <strong>the</strong> Middle East.<br />
On a regional level, th<strong>is</strong> area has been<br />
affected by <strong>the</strong> drop in oil prices and <strong>the</strong><br />
slowing down of <strong>the</strong> growth rate in <strong>the</strong><br />
construction industry. However, we still<br />
believe that <strong>the</strong> area has a lot of potential<br />
for telecom services. We feel <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> a<br />
strong room for growth and will do our best<br />
to capital<strong>is</strong>e on <strong>the</strong> opportunity that ex<strong>is</strong>ts in<br />
th<strong>is</strong> region with our solution that <strong>is</strong> perfectly<br />
tailored for present needs.<br />
We plan to take our experience from th<strong>is</strong><br />
area to o<strong>the</strong>r regions as well. So far, we have<br />
been very successful due to our supportive<br />
customers and our highly experienced<br />
local<strong>is</strong>ed technology partner namely<br />
32 November 2016
“Interconnect Solutions Ltd”, a leading<br />
provider of network infrastructure and<br />
power back-up solutions.<br />
Please tell us about <strong>the</strong> key factors that<br />
have played a role in your successful entry<br />
into th<strong>is</strong> market?<br />
To successfully penetrate th<strong>is</strong> market, we<br />
had to focus on ensuring <strong>the</strong> highest quality<br />
of products & solutions, a very competitive<br />
price and instant on-site support, amongst<br />
To successfully<br />
penetrate th<strong>is</strong> market,<br />
we had to focus on<br />
ensuring <strong>the</strong> highest<br />
quality of products<br />
& solutions, a very<br />
competitive price and<br />
instant on-site support,<br />
amongst o<strong>the</strong>r things”<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r things. A key factor in our customer<br />
sat<strong>is</strong>faction <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> partner-like relationship<br />
we have built with <strong>the</strong>m, where we provide<br />
continuous technical training to our<br />
customers and also <strong>the</strong> system integrators<br />
who are handling new equipment. Our<br />
focus <strong>is</strong> to ensure that <strong>the</strong> customer’s needs<br />
are met with a price that really reflects<br />
positively in a cost benefit analys<strong>is</strong>.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r reason <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> advantage of having<br />
a technology partner like Interconnect<br />
Solutions. With <strong>the</strong>ir strong d<strong>is</strong>tribution<br />
network and in-country warehouses,<br />
supplied from <strong>the</strong>ir regional inventory hub in<br />
<strong>the</strong> UAE, <strong>the</strong>y provide efficient supply chain<br />
solutions and “just in time” deliveries which<br />
help manage inventory costs.<br />
Please tell us about your local technology<br />
partner Interconnect Solutions Ltd?<br />
Interconnect Solutions <strong>is</strong> our local partner<br />
in <strong>the</strong> region and plays a strategic role<br />
in helping us develop our business.<br />
Interconnect Solutions has a solid foothold<br />
in <strong>the</strong> GCC region and has a strong and<br />
trustworthy relationship with customers and<br />
system integrators.<br />
We must say, Interconnect Solutions has<br />
played a key role in our success in th<strong>is</strong><br />
region, as to be successful you always need<br />
to have <strong>the</strong> best partners and we feel that<br />
Interconnect Solutions has played that role<br />
day in and day out. Our competencies are<br />
highly complementing and with a strong<br />
alliance toge<strong>the</strong>r, we feel that we can<br />
increase our market share and become one<br />
of <strong>the</strong> biggest players in th<strong>is</strong> market heading<br />
into <strong>the</strong> future.<br />
November 2016<br />
33
INTERVIEW<br />
Re-defining collaboration<br />
in <strong>the</strong> Workplace<br />
Polycom’s Marco Landi, President,<br />
EMEA and Glynn Jones, VP, EMEA<br />
Channels & Advanced Technology<br />
Group speak to Teletimes in<br />
an exclusive interview at GITEX<br />
Technology Week 2016<br />
Please tell us about <strong>the</strong> background of<br />
Polycom and its v<strong>is</strong>ion?<br />
Marco: Basically we started with video<br />
conferencing many years ago, our platform<br />
was invented in a garage and that was<br />
for conferences. I will fast forward 10-<br />
15 years, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> company invested in<br />
voice, like voice conferencing and <strong>the</strong>n<br />
in video conferencing. We used to call it<br />
video conferencing or voice or unified<br />
communications. What we are talking about<br />
now <strong>is</strong> simply “Collaboration” - so all of our<br />
strategies are based on collaborating.<br />
<strong>The</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion behind th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> way people<br />
work - you have got different people,<br />
people who are young that have more<br />
flexibility or older generations that stay<br />
longer at work, you have got people that<br />
don’t go into office to work, you have got<br />
global companies that operate in different<br />
regions, you have got faster response time<br />
because you know <strong>the</strong> dec<strong>is</strong>ion <strong>is</strong> to be<br />
taken quickly and a lot of more data <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong>re<br />
- so overall, it’s fair to say that <strong>the</strong><br />
way people work <strong>is</strong> changing. And people<br />
at work really collaborate in a different<br />
environment.<br />
Our strategy really works around enabling<br />
that collaboration so that <strong>the</strong>y can<br />
collaborate better, and if people can<br />
collaborate better you know that <strong>the</strong>y can<br />
produce more, you can use resources better,<br />
you can design products faster, you can train<br />
people faster and you can educate people<br />
better, etc.<br />
Previously, we used to talk video in<br />
particular, and by video you don’t need<br />
to travel and that would save <strong>the</strong> travel<br />
cost. Now it’s no longer <strong>the</strong> same case -<br />
now it’s how do I communicate with more<br />
people easily and how can we be <strong>the</strong> most<br />
proactive in a meeting and hence we need<br />
video, voice, content sharing and data<br />
management altoge<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
Which areas are you currently covering<br />
from a Geographical point of view?<br />
Glynn: Globally, I am trying to think of <strong>the</strong><br />
areas we are not in, and I can’t name one<br />
place. If you look at Europe for example,<br />
Polycom <strong>is</strong> present everywhere and I think<br />
we have fur<strong>the</strong>r presence through <strong>the</strong><br />
representation from our partners as well. We<br />
are pretty well covered from a geographical<br />
point of view on a global level.<br />
Please tell us about <strong>the</strong> solutions you have<br />
d<strong>is</strong>played at GITEX Technology Week,<br />
Dubai.<br />
Glynn: Some of <strong>the</strong> solutions we have<br />
exhibited at GITEX include <strong>the</strong> following.<br />
• Polycom® RealPresence Trio <strong>is</strong> a solution<br />
transforms <strong>the</strong> iconic three-point conference<br />
phone into a voice, content-sharing and<br />
video system that can fit into any team<br />
environment. Easy to deploy, RealPresence<br />
Trio technology has broad interoperability<br />
and deep integration across multiple UC<br />
platforms including <strong>Sky</strong>pe for Business and<br />
Microsoft Lync, BroadSoft and o<strong>the</strong>rs.<br />
• Polycom® RealPresence Centro <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
first solution purpose-built to put people<br />
into <strong>the</strong> centre of collaboration, will be<br />
available for demonstration during <strong>the</strong><br />
show. <strong>The</strong> RealPresence Centro solution<br />
introduces a brand new paradigm for group<br />
conferencing that drives deep engagement<br />
and highly productive meetings by bringing<br />
34 November 2016
people to <strong>the</strong> centre of collaboration.<br />
• Polycom® RealPresence® Debut brings<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>e grade video collaboration to<br />
<strong>the</strong> huddle room with a focus on simplicity<br />
and affordability. RealPresence Debut has<br />
an easy, elegant design that enables high<br />
quality v<strong>is</strong>ual collaboration for huddle and<br />
smaller room environments, as well as for<br />
small or medium sized businesses with<br />
<strong>limit</strong>ed IT resources.<br />
• Polycom® RealPresence® Media Suite <strong>is</strong><br />
an enterpr<strong>is</strong>e recording, webcasting and<br />
portal solution that makes <strong>the</strong> creation and<br />
delivery of higher quality videos possible.<br />
A central management console enables<br />
simple workflows to manage media nodes<br />
remotely.<br />
• Polycom® RealPresence ClaritiTM <strong>is</strong> a<br />
collaboration infrastructure that delivers<br />
Polycom’s powerful HD voice, content, video<br />
and web collaboration to businesses of any<br />
size <strong>is</strong> also available for demonstrations<br />
during GITEX.<br />
Please tell us about <strong>the</strong> RealPresence<br />
Centro in more detail?<br />
Glynn: <strong>The</strong> whole genes<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> design of <strong>the</strong><br />
Centro that supports video collaboration and<br />
audio web collaboration in a way that people<br />
already use to collaborate which <strong>is</strong> sitting<br />
around in a table whereas <strong>the</strong> traditional<br />
video conferencing tends to be hanging on<br />
<strong>the</strong> wall in one room while everybody <strong>is</strong> up<br />
to that moment so it really does support<br />
th<strong>is</strong> concept that people can collaborate<br />
in a more natural way. <strong>The</strong> video <strong>is</strong> end to<br />
end - with th<strong>is</strong> solution you collaborate with<br />
people with you as well as on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r end<br />
of <strong>the</strong> video and supports several systems.<br />
From a technology perspective, its touch<br />
screen and works with <strong>Sky</strong>pe. Every product<br />
that we have whe<strong>the</strong>r its mobile plans,<br />
desktop solutions, Immersive studios which<br />
you have seen in <strong>the</strong> past are all supporting<br />
<strong>Sky</strong>pe for business. So it gives <strong>the</strong> customers<br />
<strong>the</strong> option to decide which way <strong>the</strong>y want<br />
to go or both ways. But again, like all of<br />
our o<strong>the</strong>r solutions when you use <strong>the</strong><br />
conjunction for our infrastructure you can<br />
bring o<strong>the</strong>rs into that collaboration on oneto-one<br />
bas<strong>is</strong> from smart phones, to tablets<br />
to desktops or <strong>the</strong> room systems. So you<br />
can actually use <strong>the</strong> opportunity to draw<br />
in during a d<strong>is</strong>cussion for a subject of your<br />
interest and <strong>the</strong>n leave while rest of <strong>the</strong><br />
conference continues. With <strong>the</strong> full touch<br />
screen, you have got options for data as<br />
well, you can use high quality LED d<strong>is</strong>plays<br />
that you can use to draw in, presenting and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r services.<br />
Bandwidth plays a very important role in<br />
Video Collaboration – could you please tell<br />
us about your expert<strong>is</strong>e in th<strong>is</strong> area?<br />
Marco: We constantly work to optimize<br />
quality of <strong>the</strong> video and <strong>the</strong> audio to make<br />
it better but we always use less and less<br />
bandwidth so that we can reach more<br />
possibilities. You can do video conferencing<br />
on a phone in a 3G area. For example,<br />
earlier an employee was in South Africa<br />
he literally stopped on <strong>the</strong> roadside to do<br />
video conferencing and even when he <strong>is</strong><br />
travelling by road, I am getting good quality<br />
from an IPhone using RealPresence video<br />
conferencing on 3G. So basically, without<br />
getting into too much technical detail, what<br />
we have <strong>is</strong> our own technology embedded<br />
in our software and we are using end point<br />
power so you will always get good quality<br />
and high definition audio irrespective of<br />
regular packet loss.<br />
One of your key partners <strong>is</strong> Microsoft who<br />
have <strong>Sky</strong>pe for Business – with <strong>Sky</strong>pe<br />
providing video conferencing on its own,<br />
where does Polycom come in?<br />
Marco: It goes down to where we started<br />
- it goes down to <strong>the</strong> quality of <strong>the</strong> video<br />
and <strong>the</strong> flexibility we offer. We can connect<br />
more devices and we can connect <strong>the</strong>m with<br />
higher quality so Microsoft needs us <strong>the</strong>re.<br />
And with such integrated software <strong>the</strong>y can<br />
reach more consumers. We bring in a lot of<br />
specific expert<strong>is</strong>e into th<strong>is</strong> scenario. A lot<br />
of things that add on to <strong>the</strong> basic video call<br />
function – as I have said before, we are more<br />
about Collaboration and video <strong>is</strong> just a part<br />
of it.<br />
Polycom recently conducted research on<br />
“Examining Video Collaboration at <strong>the</strong><br />
Workplace”. Could you please tell us about<br />
<strong>the</strong> findings?<br />
Marco: <strong>The</strong> Polycom comm<strong>is</strong>sioned YouGov<br />
survey highlights that employees across<br />
<strong>the</strong> UAE have a positive outlook towards<br />
video collaboration as it allows <strong>the</strong>m to work<br />
more effectively from anywhere and derive<br />
<strong>the</strong> benefits of strong internal and external<br />
business collaboration.<br />
Employees in <strong>the</strong> UAE also believe that <strong>the</strong><br />
option of video collaboration in a workplace<br />
allows for flexible working and working from<br />
anywhere. 90% of employees say that <strong>the</strong><br />
ability to video helps <strong>the</strong>m enjoy <strong>the</strong> main<br />
benefits of flexible working, which includes<br />
<strong>the</strong> ability to balance work and family<br />
responsibilities, be more productive and be<br />
more sat<strong>is</strong>fied with <strong>the</strong>ir jobs.<br />
How <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> company evolving overtime<br />
with respect to strategy?<br />
Glynn: We have been acquired by a private<br />
organization called Sir<strong>is</strong> Capital Group LLC<br />
on September 27th and from <strong>the</strong> strategic<br />
perspective we are still focusing on growing.<br />
<strong>The</strong> key drive <strong>is</strong> to continue to develop our<br />
relationship with Microsoft.<br />
We are aiming to bring new audio, content<br />
and video innovations to <strong>the</strong> market so we<br />
can bring <strong>the</strong> collaboration capability closer<br />
to a much wider audience. If you look at<br />
video collaboration market from a few years<br />
ago, everything was very much positioned to<br />
sell it as a boardroom solution. <strong>The</strong> need for<br />
th<strong>is</strong> boardroom solution <strong>is</strong> still streng<strong>the</strong>ning<br />
and in addition, we are making sure we<br />
extend <strong>the</strong> video collaboration outwards<br />
and downwards so it’s available to anybody,<br />
whoever <strong>the</strong>y are and wherever <strong>the</strong>y are so<br />
<strong>the</strong>y can work from any location and at any<br />
time. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> future of work as work <strong>is</strong> no<br />
longer a place you got to but a thing you do<br />
and you should be able to do th<strong>is</strong> thing from<br />
anywhere.<br />
November 2016<br />
35
INTERVIEW<br />
<strong>The</strong> journey<br />
towards<br />
a global data<br />
economy<br />
Bocar A. BA<br />
CEO - SAMENA Telecom Council<br />
Teletimes Interview<br />
Given SAMENA Council’s standing as an<br />
international non-profit organization and,<br />
practically, an advocacy body for telecom<br />
operators in <strong>the</strong> SAMENA region, how has<br />
its role evolved over <strong>the</strong> past decade?<br />
SAMENA Council, while retaining its role<br />
as an advocate for Telecom Operators,<br />
has now also assumed <strong>the</strong> role of sector<br />
development partner to private and<br />
public sectors. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> evident from our<br />
engagement with regulatory bodies and<br />
min<strong>is</strong>tries, and through CRO Meetings<br />
of <strong>the</strong> ITU, which SAMENA Council has<br />
been globally chairing since <strong>the</strong> 4th CRO<br />
Meeting, held through out <strong>the</strong> world during<br />
major ITU events.<br />
However, SAMENA Council’s originally<br />
env<strong>is</strong>ioned role as that of an advocacy<br />
body for telecom operators, facilitating<br />
constructive communication and<br />
collaboration with regulatory bodies,<br />
and ass<strong>is</strong>ting in both assessing realities<br />
of <strong>the</strong> regional marketplace and aligning<br />
stakeholder priorities with grander goals,<br />
remains integral to SAMENA Council’s<br />
ex<strong>is</strong>tential identity.<br />
What <strong>is</strong> SAMENA Council aiming to<br />
achieve and what drives your purpose and<br />
m<strong>is</strong>sion in th<strong>is</strong> very complex and everevolving<br />
industry?<br />
It <strong>is</strong> an imperative for us to define as<br />
an industry, all toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> roadmap<br />
for Data Economy. Ultimately, a major<br />
requirement for <strong>the</strong> human society <strong>is</strong><br />
to benefit from <strong>the</strong> positive changes in<br />
ICT policy and regulations in view of <strong>the</strong><br />
emerging digital life, to enjoy <strong>the</strong> benefits<br />
of <strong>the</strong> digital dividend, for example. It <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
responsibility of <strong>the</strong> stakeholders to pave<br />
<strong>the</strong> most efficient paths for fostering and<br />
developing knowledge-based economies<br />
for <strong>the</strong> future generation as a legacy. For<br />
that, we all agree that we need connectivity<br />
and ubiquity of <strong>the</strong> network. Hence we<br />
must enable, facilitate, and maintain<br />
sustainability in <strong>the</strong> way telecom operators<br />
do <strong>the</strong>ir business while remaining within<br />
reasonable policy and regulatory bounds.<br />
It <strong>is</strong> of importance that such bounds be<br />
conducive to doing business. As a sector<br />
development partner, SAMENA Council<br />
extends its resourcefulness and availability<br />
to policy makers and regulatory bodies,<br />
to help fulfill <strong>the</strong>ir own KPIs and national<br />
agenda requirements.<br />
SAMENA Council also drives its sense of<br />
achievement by centering its focus on<br />
playing an industry-wide accepted role of<br />
enabling digitization and digital economic<br />
development, encouraging broadband<br />
investment, facilitating transparency and<br />
good governance, and fostering mult<strong>is</strong>takeholder<br />
cooperation.<br />
Please tell us about some of SAMENA<br />
Council’s major contributions to <strong>the</strong><br />
industry.<br />
For SAMENA Council to be perceived,<br />
and be trusted, by policy makers and<br />
regulators as a resource <strong>is</strong> a privilege.<br />
Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, to lead ITU’s Chief Regulatory<br />
Officers Meetings, with <strong>the</strong> aim of better<br />
articulating and representing <strong>the</strong> private<br />
sector worldwide, <strong>is</strong> a major milestone<br />
in SAMENA Council’s young h<strong>is</strong>tory. In<br />
<strong>the</strong> near future, SAMENA Council will be<br />
engaging in more collaborative initiatives<br />
with regional governments, and we also<br />
look forward to contributing to leading<br />
global initiatives, such as <strong>the</strong> global<br />
m-Powering Development Initiative, which<br />
aims to promote <strong>the</strong> benefits of mobile<br />
communication technologies to help<br />
increase digitization and accelerate <strong>the</strong><br />
attainment of <strong>the</strong> Sustainable Development<br />
Goals (SDGs), which have been defined as<br />
global KPIs for stakeholders across sectors,<br />
across continents.<br />
In addition to being an industry advocate,<br />
SAMENA Council has repeatedly called<br />
for openness and collaboration among<br />
36 November 2016
stakeholders. In many incidences,<br />
SAMENA Council’s intervention and efforts<br />
to fill communication gaps have been<br />
instrumental in bringing stakeholders<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r on unified platforms. An example<br />
of th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> first-time closed-door meeting<br />
of telecom operators’ CEOs and <strong>the</strong><br />
ITU’s leadership, which SAMENA Council<br />
facilitated earlier th<strong>is</strong> year in order to<br />
elevate <strong>the</strong> private sector’s viewpoints to<br />
Admin<strong>is</strong>tration level consideration.<br />
What do you consider to be <strong>the</strong> greatest<br />
challenges that <strong>the</strong> telecom industry<br />
currently faces?<br />
<strong>The</strong> telecom industry has a lot to look<br />
forward to, if we are able to address some<br />
fundamental <strong>is</strong>sues promptly and with<br />
stakeholders’ much-needed cooperation<br />
and collaboration with each o<strong>the</strong>r. SAMENA<br />
regional countries need to quickly adapt to<br />
<strong>the</strong> new broader data-centric ICT world that<br />
<strong>is</strong> rapidly replacing <strong>the</strong> narrowly focused<br />
telecoms environment.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re <strong>is</strong> a dire need to re-evaluate<br />
<strong>the</strong> traditional regulatory approach to<br />
communications services in view of<br />
asymmetries that ex<strong>is</strong>t between telecom<br />
services and over-<strong>the</strong>-top services. To<br />
th<strong>is</strong> effect, <strong>the</strong> wholesale and <strong>the</strong> retail<br />
economic market structure has to be<br />
revamped, which need to be backed up<br />
by hol<strong>is</strong>tic ICT based national broadband<br />
v<strong>is</strong>ions, policies and initiatives.<br />
All stakeholders also need to ensure<br />
confidence in <strong>the</strong> industry’s use of data.<br />
Similarly, confidence needs to be ensured<br />
on spectrum resources, which should be<br />
made accessible as promptly as possible<br />
and at moderate costs. Both <strong>the</strong> pricing and<br />
<strong>the</strong> timing of <strong>the</strong> release of new bands for<br />
4G and 5G are of paramount importance.<br />
Lastly, among <strong>the</strong> most importat industry<br />
<strong>is</strong>sues, it <strong>is</strong> crucial to understand <strong>the</strong><br />
consequences of excessive taxation and<br />
to take steps to reduce taxes, lessen <strong>the</strong><br />
burden on telecom-only industry, and<br />
eliminate redundant regulatory fees.<br />
So <strong>the</strong>n what would you describe <strong>the</strong><br />
industry should really be focusing on at<br />
<strong>the</strong> moment and over <strong>the</strong> foreseeable<br />
future?<br />
First of all, <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> an urgency for removing<br />
ambiguities of laws concerning data<br />
management an aligning with <strong>the</strong> realities<br />
<strong>The</strong>re <strong>is</strong> a dire need to re-evaluate <strong>the</strong> traditional<br />
regulatory approach to communications services in<br />
view of asymmetries that ex<strong>is</strong>t between telecom<br />
services and over-<strong>the</strong>-top services”<br />
of <strong>the</strong> cross-border data world. Doing so <strong>is</strong><br />
necessary for economic growth and costreduction<br />
efficiencies. Secondly, despite <strong>the</strong><br />
use of <strong>the</strong> acronym ICT, regulations remain<br />
telecom – centric in an ever-converging<br />
industry, causing an asymmetric effect:<br />
that <strong>is</strong>, regulated (telecoms) versus nonregulated<br />
(IT-based OTTs, IoT, etc.).<br />
In our view, digital services, regulation of<br />
data, spectrum, and taxation are <strong>the</strong> <strong>is</strong>sues<br />
that will have significant impact on how<br />
<strong>the</strong> industry evolves and how it <strong>is</strong> enabled<br />
by <strong>the</strong> stakeholders to play its ever-more<br />
central role toward achieving <strong>the</strong> desired<br />
digital economic impact. <strong>The</strong> market<br />
must remain sustainable and fair both<br />
for <strong>the</strong> largest investors of infrastructure<br />
-- that <strong>is</strong> telecom operators -- and for <strong>the</strong><br />
smallest innovative d<strong>is</strong>ruptors. Addressing<br />
<strong>the</strong>se priority <strong>is</strong>sues could also provide<br />
good opportunities for both private<br />
and government sector stakeholders<br />
to refine <strong>the</strong>ir relationships with each<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r, overcome traditional gaps in<br />
communication and standpoints, and pave<br />
a path for both industry growth and human<br />
progress.<br />
Is <strong>the</strong> industry prepared to truly benefit<br />
from <strong>the</strong> IoT environment and bring <strong>the</strong><br />
benefit to <strong>the</strong> end-user?<br />
Individually speaking, <strong>the</strong>re are companies,<br />
which are aggressively pursuing and making<br />
good progress on IoT. However, for it to<br />
succeed as a proper ecosystem, IoT requires<br />
standardization, and, at th<strong>is</strong> initial stage,<br />
it may mean more to manufacturers and<br />
vendors ra<strong>the</strong>r than to telecom operators.<br />
Business models have to surface for<br />
telecom operators to v<strong>is</strong>ualize real value<br />
in IoT. In any case, we have to understand<br />
IoT beyond what may simply meet <strong>the</strong> eye.<br />
It <strong>is</strong> an entirely new paradigm shift within<br />
<strong>the</strong> technological norms and capability that<br />
we currently possess. IoT will be <strong>the</strong> most<br />
complex ecosystem that we will have ever<br />
witnessed, and it requires complex and<br />
constructive stakeholder cooperation.<br />
One of <strong>the</strong> immediate steps to accelerate<br />
growth and foster development would be<br />
to address <strong>the</strong> scarce resources challenge.<br />
Many of <strong>the</strong> regional markets have opaque<br />
or low grade spectrum management<br />
planning. Spectrum policies need to be put<br />
in place and applied in a timely manner<br />
November 2016<br />
37
to enable availability of sufficient and<br />
appropriate frequencies to meet r<strong>is</strong>ing user<br />
demand and face our upcoming data-driven<br />
economies.<br />
Given SAMENA Council’s eye on global<br />
industry affairs, which parts of <strong>the</strong> world<br />
will see <strong>the</strong> highest growth in <strong>the</strong> coming<br />
years?<br />
With no bias toward <strong>the</strong> region of SAMENA<br />
Council’s presence, <strong>the</strong> markets of <strong>the</strong><br />
SAMENA region, and some markets of<br />
Africa, are destined to experience very<br />
strong growth. Th<strong>is</strong> in part <strong>is</strong> due to large<br />
young populations, global focus on bringing<br />
connectivity and advanced digital services<br />
to <strong>the</strong> masses, and to new digital v<strong>is</strong>ions<br />
being set by governments. Regional<br />
initiatives and consensus on driving growth<br />
through collaboration and on exploiting<br />
commonalities that ex<strong>is</strong>t between <strong>the</strong><br />
markets support th<strong>is</strong> assessment. <strong>The</strong><br />
markets of Asia-Pacific are already doing<br />
well, and markets where regulatory<br />
environments and <strong>is</strong>sues like taxation will<br />
be managed properly, we can expect to see<br />
good levels of growth.<br />
How do you see <strong>the</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> GCC<br />
markets and SAMENA Council’s potential<br />
contributions to new policy or regulatory<br />
frameworks, or in establ<strong>is</strong>hing best<br />
practices?<br />
SAMENA Council <strong>is</strong> working very closely<br />
with key stakeholders in <strong>the</strong> regional<br />
government sectors, including with TRAs,<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>r government bodies across<br />
regional markets. With far-reaching ICT<br />
v<strong>is</strong>ions set forth by <strong>the</strong> governments of <strong>the</strong><br />
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, to name<br />
a few, <strong>the</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> GCC <strong>is</strong> indeed smart<br />
hyper-connectedness. We see a digital<br />
society developing before our eyes, and are<br />
excited that SAMENA Council’s involvement<br />
<strong>is</strong> being sought by <strong>the</strong> government sectors<br />
in <strong>the</strong> early planning stages, especially with<br />
regard digital development enablement in<br />
<strong>the</strong> modernized communications industry.<br />
<strong>The</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> GCC markets also appears<br />
bright, because policy-makers and regional<br />
stakeholders are proactively seeking means<br />
and ways to achieve collaboration, with<br />
<strong>the</strong> purpose of utilizing ICT resources as<br />
development generators for sustainable<br />
development. <strong>The</strong> recently held 20th<br />
Session of <strong>the</strong> Council of Arab Min<strong>is</strong>ters<br />
of Communication & Information has<br />
<strong>The</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> GCC markets also appears<br />
bright, because policy-makers and regional<br />
stakeholders are proactively seeking means and<br />
ways to achieve collaboration, with <strong>the</strong> purpose of<br />
utilizing ICT resources as development generators<br />
for sustainable development”<br />
amply supported th<strong>is</strong>, and helped reiterate<br />
<strong>the</strong> importance of bringing telecom<br />
operators on board in order to successfully<br />
fulfill national digital development and<br />
connectivity goals.<br />
What role has ITU’s Telecom World<br />
played in global telecommunication<br />
development, and what are your<br />
expectations th<strong>is</strong> year in Bangkok?<br />
<strong>The</strong> ITU must first be congratulated on<br />
having establ<strong>is</strong>hed Telecom World as <strong>the</strong><br />
forum where <strong>the</strong> best minds, <strong>the</strong> most<br />
far-reaching v<strong>is</strong>ions, and <strong>the</strong> synerg<strong>is</strong>tic<br />
engagement of multiple stakeholders meet<br />
<strong>the</strong> realities of life -- of <strong>the</strong> business, of<br />
living standards of <strong>the</strong> citizens of <strong>the</strong> world,<br />
and of <strong>the</strong> environment in which we want<br />
ourselves and our children to thrive.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> major ITU forum, for nearly five<br />
decades, has been accelerating ICT<br />
innovation for social and economic<br />
development through exhibiting solutions,<br />
sharing knowledge and networking.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> year, we expect to d<strong>is</strong>cuss ways<br />
to define new imperatives in collaboration<br />
for growth, define new pathways to<br />
success, address spectrum needs for <strong>the</strong><br />
industry’s transition from 4G to 5G,<br />
d<strong>is</strong>cuss ways to monetize SDGs, witness<br />
<strong>the</strong> launch of Smart Africa, d<strong>is</strong>cuss<br />
incentives for investment, and set new<br />
thresholds for reaching more people and<br />
bringing digital financial services to <strong>the</strong><br />
unbanked.<br />
SAMENA Councils w<strong>is</strong>hes <strong>the</strong> ITU, Secretary<br />
General Houlin Zhao and h<strong>is</strong> entire team<br />
much success in ITU Telecom World.<br />
38 November 2016
INTERVIEW<br />
<strong>The</strong> one-stop shop for SMS<br />
Viahub’s General Manager Mohammad Bani Hani<br />
speaks to Teletimes International<br />
Please tell us about <strong>the</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion and idea<br />
behind <strong>the</strong> company?<br />
Viahub provides SMS and Voice services<br />
to mobile operators and enterpr<strong>is</strong>es<br />
worldwide. With one single point of<br />
connection we enable our clients with<br />
reliable and secure connection to over 900<br />
MNOs and MVNOs in over 200 countries<br />
across 6 continents. Our high quality,<br />
reliability and around <strong>the</strong> clock support<br />
makes us number one choice when it comes<br />
to SMS and Voice services.<br />
Viahub holds <strong>the</strong> credibility of being <strong>the</strong><br />
most trusted and reliable SMS hubbing<br />
and A2P monetization service provider in<br />
<strong>the</strong> world, that strives to enhance MNO’s<br />
subscribers experience and Mobile Operator<br />
business performance at all times. Viahub<br />
suite of products enables mobile operators<br />
to offer seamless customer experience to its<br />
subscribers.<br />
With deep industry and technology<br />
knowledge, Viahub provides <strong>the</strong> very best<br />
consulting talent to monetize A2P traffic.<br />
Viahub focused on working with Mobile<br />
Operators to transform <strong>the</strong>ir network to be<br />
a premium network provides its subscribers<br />
with <strong>the</strong> highest sat<strong>is</strong>factions standards and<br />
experience.<br />
Viahub V<strong>is</strong>ion <strong>is</strong> to be <strong>the</strong> globally preferred<br />
supplier of <strong>the</strong> SMS services platform by<br />
2020.<br />
Our M<strong>is</strong>sion <strong>is</strong> to be a single source to<br />
our clients and to provide one solution to<br />
all <strong>the</strong>ir SMS services needs in a reliable,<br />
responsible and efficient manner that will<br />
meet and exceed <strong>the</strong>ir expectations.<br />
Please d<strong>is</strong>cuss a real world problem faced<br />
by mobile users which <strong>the</strong> company aims<br />
to address.<br />
<strong>The</strong> problem that operators face in <strong>the</strong> SMS<br />
business divided into two parts;<br />
1. Subscribers protection from unwanted<br />
and unsolicited SMS, that without <strong>the</strong> right<br />
tool and control of <strong>the</strong> SMS traffic, will<br />
result to deliver <strong>the</strong> unwanted massages<br />
to subscriber, such as Sharing undesired<br />
or excessive content (Sexting), unsolicited<br />
text containing a unwanted commercial<br />
message, for <strong>the</strong> purposes of advert<strong>is</strong>ing,<br />
ph<strong>is</strong>hing, spreading malware..etc.<br />
2. A great deal of Leak in revenues for<br />
operators due to <strong>the</strong> lack of control on <strong>the</strong><br />
SMS traffic in <strong>the</strong> network<br />
That lead to Fraudulent traffic flow,<br />
Uncharged SMS, Network congestion,<br />
Potential loss of revenue and Lack of SMS<br />
traffic control.<br />
ViaGuard technology <strong>is</strong> a tool that will<br />
enable operators to control and to have<br />
complete insight into what’s going on<br />
in your network, find all <strong>the</strong> loopholes,<br />
block grey routes, fraud attempts and<br />
all unwanted traffic from <strong>the</strong>ir network,<br />
Harness monitoring and filtering to<br />
regain control over <strong>the</strong>ir network and<br />
eventually to Boost <strong>the</strong>ir network<br />
revenues with traffic just <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong>y<br />
want it to be<br />
Having our system integrated in <strong>the</strong> MNO<br />
network, will result in blocking all fraudulent<br />
traffic, SMS traffic charged correctly, normal<br />
network load, maximum revenue achieved<br />
and most importantly, provide total SMS<br />
traffic control.<br />
How does Viahub solve th<strong>is</strong> problem?<br />
ViaGuard <strong>is</strong> a state of <strong>the</strong> art technology<br />
provided by Viahub to GSM operators, it <strong>is</strong><br />
an End-to-End protection platform that <strong>is</strong><br />
responsible to control and monitor <strong>the</strong> SMS<br />
traffic and able to enhance <strong>the</strong> revenue of<br />
<strong>the</strong> SMS and <strong>the</strong> A2P messages.<br />
November 2016<br />
39
Without such an essential tool, operators<br />
and subscribers, will be facing fraudulent<br />
traffic flow, uncharged SMS, network<br />
congestion, potential loss of revenue and<br />
Lack of SMS traffic control.<br />
With th<strong>is</strong> platform and its technology, it<br />
will enable operators to control and to<br />
have complete insight into what’s going<br />
on in <strong>the</strong>ir network, find all <strong>the</strong> loopholes,<br />
block grey routes, fraud attempts and all<br />
unwanted traffic, complete monitoring and<br />
filtering to regain control over <strong>the</strong> network<br />
and eventually to boost <strong>the</strong>ir network<br />
revenues<br />
Having our system integrated in <strong>the</strong> MNO<br />
network, will result in blocking all fraudulent<br />
traffic, SMS traffic charged correctly,<br />
normal network load, maximum revenue<br />
achieved and most importantly total SMS<br />
traffic control<br />
Please d<strong>is</strong>cuss <strong>the</strong> monetary costs and<br />
benefits of using Viahub to solve th<strong>is</strong><br />
problem?<br />
Our solution platform <strong>is</strong> designed on<br />
<strong>the</strong> philosophy of Transparency, No<br />
network exposure, No Re – configuration/<br />
engineering.<br />
<strong>The</strong> solution <strong>is</strong> deliberate to support certain<br />
mandatory actions to control <strong>the</strong> traffic<br />
such as ALLOW, BLOCK and MONITOR.<br />
In general, different rule cases can have<br />
different actions.<br />
Our business model <strong>is</strong> based on that<br />
we will also consumes all ROI (Return<br />
of investment) delays in revenue, thus<br />
enabling <strong>the</strong> operator to book new net<br />
revenues immediately. In general, we aim<br />
to offer highly competitive service that<br />
combines technology and know-how, in<br />
order to capture maximal market potential<br />
of <strong>the</strong> SMS services.<br />
Does Viahub provide any o<strong>the</strong>r solutions<br />
besides th<strong>is</strong>?<br />
Viahub provides SMS and Voice services<br />
to mobile operators and enterpr<strong>is</strong>es<br />
worldwide. With one single point of<br />
connection we enable our clients with<br />
reliable and secure connection to over<br />
900 MNOs and MVNOs in over 200<br />
countries across 6 continents.<br />
Our high quality, reliability and around <strong>the</strong><br />
clock support makes us number one choice<br />
when it comes to SMS and Voice services.<br />
Voice: Premium quality voice with advanced<br />
features such as CLI and Fax over IP or TDM<br />
networks.<br />
SMS: Single connectivity access point to<br />
P2P and A2P SMS market, providing global<br />
reach to Mobile operators, OTT providers<br />
and enterpr<strong>is</strong>e clients with real-time<br />
monitoring and reporting capabilities.<br />
Network Security and Revenue Assurance:<br />
Viahub’s SMS Firewall <strong>is</strong> a soph<strong>is</strong>ticated<br />
filtering system which allows <strong>the</strong> Operator<br />
to monitor, detect, report and block on<br />
SMS spam and fraud. Viahub SMS solution<br />
provides Revenue Assurance to MNO’s.<br />
Our solution platform<br />
<strong>is</strong> designed on<br />
<strong>the</strong> philosophy of<br />
transparency, No<br />
network exposure,<br />
No re – configuration/<br />
engineering”<br />
Which markets are you currently<br />
working in?<br />
Our Head Office <strong>is</strong> located in New York,<br />
USA, and we have branches operating<br />
from Germany, Croatia and Middle East, in<br />
addition to our representative offices from<br />
<strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands and Jordan. We are serving<br />
different clients/ Operators in MEA, Europe<br />
and East A<strong>is</strong>a.<br />
Please talk about <strong>the</strong> importance of SMS<br />
in a growing market of OTTs and Internet<br />
messaging.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first SMS was in December 1992,<br />
Brit<strong>is</strong>h mobile engineer Neil Papworth<br />
sent <strong>the</strong> first ever text message: a quick<br />
“Merry Chr<strong>is</strong>tmas” to Vodafone’s Richard<br />
Jarv<strong>is</strong>. <strong>The</strong> technology has been growing in<br />
popularity ever since, until now it became<br />
<strong>the</strong> first choice of millions of people across<br />
<strong>the</strong> world.<br />
SMS has changed <strong>the</strong> world, and <strong>the</strong> stats<br />
prove it. Almost 7.5 trillion texts were sent<br />
in 2014 according to Portio Research, –<br />
that’s <strong>the</strong> equivalent of almost 1,000 for<br />
every person on <strong>the</strong> planet.<br />
OTT <strong>is</strong> a new challenger has entered<br />
<strong>the</strong> messaging market, that resulted a<br />
considerable drop in <strong>the</strong> SMS, any search<br />
for <strong>the</strong> reasons behind th<strong>is</strong> decline will be<br />
short. Over <strong>the</strong> past couple of years, we<br />
have witnessed real growth in <strong>the</strong> use of<br />
over-<strong>the</strong>-top (OTT) messaging services.<br />
<strong>The</strong> r<strong>is</strong>e of OTT has been driven once again<br />
by <strong>the</strong> evolution of mobile technology, and<br />
most of <strong>the</strong>se programs are free, meaning<br />
users only have to pay for <strong>the</strong>ir internet<br />
connection and <strong>the</strong> device <strong>the</strong>y use.<br />
As with most technologies, however, <strong>the</strong>re<br />
are downsides. <strong>The</strong> many different internetbased<br />
messaging applications availability<br />
out <strong>the</strong>re and <strong>the</strong> market <strong>is</strong> expanding<br />
rapidly with new players and applications<br />
<strong>is</strong>n’t necessarily a good thing, as very few<br />
– if any – of <strong>the</strong> platforms out <strong>the</strong>re are<br />
compatible with o<strong>the</strong>rs; instead, <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
in competition. That means one group of<br />
friends <strong>is</strong> likely to use one platform, while<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r group will be relying on something<br />
else completely.<br />
Being <strong>the</strong>se applications are internet-reliant<br />
technologies, security <strong>is</strong> also an <strong>is</strong>sue to<br />
consider. Most messages will be encrypted<br />
but flaws have been exposed in even <strong>the</strong><br />
biggest applications. With <strong>the</strong>se programs<br />
often given access to full contact l<strong>is</strong>ts as<br />
well, it’s not just <strong>the</strong> main user at r<strong>is</strong>k – it<br />
could be <strong>the</strong>ir friends and family members<br />
too.<br />
Whereas <strong>the</strong> SMS have been around much<br />
longer, it solves all of <strong>the</strong> <strong>is</strong>sues mentioned<br />
above, while also offering users and<br />
marketers plenty of o<strong>the</strong>r benefits.<br />
SMS <strong>is</strong> a standard service which <strong>is</strong><br />
different from services offered by different<br />
companies. It’s used in handsets made by all<br />
manufacturers, and doesn’t require <strong>the</strong> user<br />
to download any applications. Th<strong>is</strong> opens<br />
<strong>the</strong> audience up massively.<br />
OTT still has a long way to go before it can<br />
match <strong>the</strong> reach of SMS. Mainly because<br />
messaging apps can only be used on<br />
smartphones with internet connectivity.<br />
Text messaging, can be carried out on any<br />
standard mobile phone. Th<strong>is</strong> means it’s<br />
possible to reach <strong>the</strong> demographic groups<br />
and emerging markets.<br />
40 November 2016
EVENT<br />
GSMA announces first keynote speakers for MWC 2017<br />
Teletimes Report<br />
Chang-Gyu Hwang Arnaud de Puyfontaine Eugene Kaspersky John Stankey<br />
José María Álvarez-Pallete<br />
Mats Granryd<br />
John Hanke<br />
Rajeev Suri<br />
<strong>The</strong> GSMA has provided an update on <strong>the</strong><br />
2017 Mobile World Congress, including <strong>the</strong><br />
first keynote speakers for <strong>the</strong> conference,<br />
as well as new programmes, events and<br />
sponsors. Mobile World Congress will be<br />
held 27 February – 2 March 2017 at Fira Gran<br />
Via in Barcelona, with events also taking<br />
place at Fira Montjuïc.<br />
“We are focused on continually evolving<br />
Mobile World Congress to reflect <strong>the</strong><br />
transformative impact that mobile has<br />
on individuals, economies and societies<br />
around <strong>the</strong> globe,” said Michael O’Hara,<br />
Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “As part<br />
of th<strong>is</strong> evolution, we have developed<br />
focused initiatives to better address <strong>the</strong><br />
requirements of specific audiences, such<br />
as <strong>the</strong> new Women4Tech programme that<br />
we are launching, or <strong>the</strong> Youth Mobile<br />
Festival. We’re excited about <strong>the</strong>se new<br />
programmes and look forward to engaging<br />
with attendees through <strong>the</strong>se platforms.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> GSMA has announced <strong>the</strong> first<br />
confirmed keynote speakers for <strong>the</strong> fourday<br />
Mobile World Congress conference<br />
programme, including:<br />
• John Stankey, CEO–AT&T Entertainment<br />
Group, AT&T Services Inc.<br />
• Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA<br />
• Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO,<br />
Kaspersky Lab<br />
• Chang-Gyu Hwang, Chairman and CEO,<br />
KT Corporation<br />
• John Hanke, Founder and CEO, Niantic<br />
• Rajeev Suri, President and CEO, Nokia<br />
• José María Álvarez-Pallete López,<br />
Chairman and CEO, Telefónica<br />
• Arnaud de Puyfontaine, CEO of Vivendi<br />
Group<br />
Across <strong>the</strong> keynotes and track sessions,<br />
<strong>the</strong> conference will examine topics such<br />
as connecting <strong>the</strong> unconnected, digital<br />
commerce, digital content, d<strong>is</strong>ruptive<br />
technologies, enterpr<strong>is</strong>e mobility, financial<br />
services, IoT and connected living, mobile<br />
identity and privacy, next-generation<br />
networks and security, among o<strong>the</strong>rs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> GSMA unveiled an important new<br />
programme designed to address <strong>the</strong><br />
pers<strong>is</strong>tent gender gap in <strong>the</strong> mobile<br />
industry: Women4Tech (W4T). Compr<strong>is</strong>ing<br />
a series of events and activities over <strong>the</strong><br />
four days of Mobile World Congress,<br />
Women4Tech focuses on increasing<br />
<strong>the</strong> inclusion of women in <strong>the</strong> mobile<br />
industry and showcasing best practices<br />
and industry action for female leadership<br />
in <strong>the</strong> digital age. Women4Tech supports<br />
<strong>the</strong> UN Sustainable Development Goals,<br />
particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality).<br />
A central element of <strong>the</strong> programme <strong>is</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Women4Tech Summit, which <strong>is</strong><br />
scheduled for Thursday, 2 March and<br />
will explore four key <strong>the</strong>mes: “Women<br />
Empowering Technology”, which looks at<br />
gender equality and career development;<br />
“Women Encouraging Technology”, which<br />
centres on mentoring and youth education;<br />
“Women Transforming Technology”, which<br />
focuses on women in communication<br />
and vertical sectors; and “Women<br />
Innovating in Technology”, which examines<br />
women as entrepreneurs and innovators.<br />
Accenture has been confirmed as <strong>the</strong><br />
Headline Sponsor for <strong>the</strong> W4T<br />
Summit.<br />
November 2016<br />
41
NEWS<br />
GSMA elects new Chairman and Deputy Chair<br />
GSM Association has elected Sunil<br />
Bharti Mittal, Founder Chairman, Bharti<br />
Enterpr<strong>is</strong>es, as Chairman of GSMA for <strong>the</strong><br />
period of two-years from January 2017<br />
through December 2018.<br />
As GSMA Chairman, Mittal will oversee<br />
<strong>the</strong> strategic direction of <strong>the</strong> organ<strong>is</strong>ation,<br />
which represents nearly 800 of <strong>the</strong> world’s<br />
mobile operators, as well as more than<br />
300 companies in <strong>the</strong> broader mobile<br />
ecosystem. Bharti Airtel was <strong>the</strong> host of <strong>the</strong><br />
inaugural GSMA Mobile 360 India event in<br />
New Delhi recently, as well as a meeting of<br />
<strong>the</strong> GSMA Board.<br />
GSMA Chair-elect Mittal led <strong>the</strong> GSMA<br />
Board delegation at a meeting with <strong>the</strong><br />
Indian Prime Min<strong>is</strong>ter, Narendra Modi.<br />
In a broad-ranging d<strong>is</strong>cussion, <strong>the</strong> meeting<br />
highlighted <strong>the</strong> pivotal role of mobile in<br />
delivering <strong>the</strong> government’s Digital India<br />
v<strong>is</strong>ion of broadband as a utility for every<br />
citizen, bringing digital and financial<br />
inclusion to every corner of <strong>the</strong> country.<br />
<strong>The</strong> GSMA also elected <strong>the</strong> new members<br />
of <strong>the</strong> 26-member Board and re-elected<br />
Mari-Noëlle Jego-Lave<strong>is</strong>siere, Executive<br />
Vice President, Innovation, Orange Group as<br />
Deputy Chair for <strong>the</strong> two-year period.<br />
Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “I am delighted<br />
to be elected as Chairman of <strong>the</strong> GSMA,<br />
and look forward to working closely<br />
with <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> Board, <strong>the</strong> GSMA<br />
leadership team and our entire membership<br />
to address <strong>the</strong> critical <strong>is</strong>sues facing our<br />
industry and our customers.<br />
In a relatively brief period of time, mobile<br />
has had a transformational impact on<br />
individuals, businesses, industries and<br />
societies, contributing significantly to<br />
local economies and improving <strong>the</strong> lives of<br />
billions around <strong>the</strong> world. I am excited about<br />
what <strong>the</strong> next chapter holds for us, as we<br />
work to connect everyone and everything to<br />
a better future.”<br />
“In my new global role, I am excited to<br />
support <strong>the</strong> ongoing mobile broadband<br />
revolution in India to boost <strong>the</strong><br />
Government’s Digital India Program and its<br />
v<strong>is</strong>ion of broadband access for all”, added<br />
Mittal.<br />
Sunil Mittal<br />
<strong>The</strong> first Indian to be elected as Chairman<br />
of <strong>the</strong> prestigious global telecom industry<br />
board, Sunil Bharti Mittal took over as<br />
Chairman of <strong>the</strong> International Chamber<br />
of Commerce (ICC) early th<strong>is</strong> year.<br />
He already serves on <strong>the</strong> Boards and<br />
Councils of several reputed international<br />
bodies and think-tanks like <strong>the</strong> World<br />
Economic Forum (WEF), Telecom Board<br />
of International Telecommunication Union<br />
(ITU), <strong>the</strong> Broadband Comm<strong>is</strong>sion, Harvard<br />
University’s Global Adv<strong>is</strong>ory Council – Board<br />
of Dean’s Adv<strong>is</strong>ors at HBS, International<br />
Adv<strong>is</strong>ory Panel of <strong>the</strong> Monetary Authority of<br />
Singapore and Prime Min<strong>is</strong>ter of Singapore’s<br />
Research, Innovation and Enterpr<strong>is</strong>e<br />
Council. He <strong>is</strong> also a Trustee of <strong>the</strong> Carnegie<br />
Endowment for International Peace and on<br />
<strong>the</strong> Board of Qatar Foundation Endowment.<br />
<strong>The</strong> GSMA Board has 26 members, including<br />
25 operator representatives from <strong>the</strong><br />
world’s largest operator groups as well<br />
as smaller, independent operators with<br />
global representation. <strong>The</strong> GSMA’s Director<br />
General Mats Granryd also serves on <strong>the</strong><br />
GSMA Board. <strong>The</strong> GSMA Board for <strong>the</strong> 2017-<br />
2018 term compr<strong>is</strong>es:<br />
•Juan Carlos Archila, EVP, International<br />
Relationships, América Móvil •Bill Hague,<br />
EVP-Global Connection Management, AT&T<br />
Mobility •Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and<br />
Chairman, Bharti Enterpr<strong>is</strong>es<br />
Mari-Noëlle<br />
•Sha Yuejia, Executive Director and VP,<br />
China Mobile •Sun Kangmin, Executive<br />
Director and EVP, China Telecom<br />
•Lu Yimin, President and Vice Chairman,<br />
China Unicom •Wolfgang Kopf, SVP, Public<br />
and Regulatory Affairs, Deutsche Telekom<br />
•Hatem Dowidar, CEO International, Et<strong>is</strong>alat<br />
•Mats Granryd, DG, GSMA •Chr<strong>is</strong>tian<br />
Salbaing, Deputy Chairman, Europe,<br />
Hutch<strong>is</strong>on •Takashi Tanaka, President, KDDI<br />
•Eelco Blok, CEO, KPN •Chang-Gyu Hwang,<br />
Chairman and CEO, KT Corporation<br />
•Mauricio Ramos, CEO, Millicom<br />
•Phuthuma Nhleko, Chairman and Acting<br />
CEO, MTN Group •Andrei Dubovskov,<br />
President, MTS •Kazuhiro Yoshizawa,<br />
President and CEO, NTT DOCOMO<br />
•Mari-Noëlle Jego-Lave<strong>is</strong>siere, EVP,<br />
Innovation, Orange Group •Dong-Hyun<br />
Jang, President and CEO, SK Telecom<br />
•Julio Linares López, VP of <strong>the</strong> Board,<br />
Telefónica •Sigve Brekke, President and<br />
CEO, Telenor Group •Johan Dennelind,<br />
President and CEO, Telia Company<br />
•Kaan Terzioğlu, CEO, Turkcell •Roy<br />
Chestnutt, CSO, Verizon •Serpil Timuray,<br />
Group CCO and Strategy Officer, Vodafone<br />
•Scott Gegenheimer, CEO, Zain Group<br />
GSMA Chairman Jon Fredrik Baksaas will<br />
step down from <strong>the</strong> Board at <strong>the</strong> end of<br />
2016, after holding th<strong>is</strong> position for <strong>the</strong><br />
past three years. Baksaas was elected as a<br />
member of <strong>the</strong> GSMA Board in 2008.<br />
42 November 2016
NEWS<br />
Ericsson’s Board names Börje Ekholm<br />
new President and CEO<br />
Ericsson’s Board of Directors has<br />
appointed Börje Ekholm President<br />
and CEO, effective January 16, 2017.<br />
Börje Ekholm will also remain a member<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Board of Directors of Ericsson.<br />
Chairman of <strong>the</strong> Board Leif Johansson<br />
says: “I am very pleased to announce<br />
<strong>the</strong> appointment of Börje Ekholm. He<br />
has a solid understanding of both <strong>the</strong><br />
technology and business implications of<br />
<strong>the</strong> ongoing convergence of telecoms, IT<br />
and media. Having served on Ericsson’s<br />
Board of Directors for <strong>the</strong> past ten years,<br />
Börje Ekholm has full understanding of <strong>the</strong><br />
challenges and <strong>the</strong> opportunities Ericsson<br />
currently faces.”<br />
Börje Ekholm joins Ericsson from h<strong>is</strong> current<br />
position as CEO of Patricia Industries, a<br />
div<strong>is</strong>ion within Investor. Prior to assuming<br />
th<strong>is</strong> position in 2015, Börje Ekholm held <strong>the</strong><br />
position as President and CEO of Investor<br />
AB between 2005 and 2015. Previous<br />
positions also include President of Investor<br />
Growth Capital Inc., as well as positions with<br />
Novare Kapital AB and McKinsey & Co Inc.<br />
Johansson continues: “In <strong>the</strong> middle of<br />
a significant company transformation I<br />
am confident that Ericsson will benefit<br />
from Börje Ekholm’s world-class ability to<br />
forcefully execute on strategic direction<br />
and plans. Börje Ekholm brings years of<br />
experience from leading a publicly l<strong>is</strong>ted<br />
company with a strong track record of<br />
driving shareholder value.”<br />
Börje Ekholm says: ”I am very excited about<br />
th<strong>is</strong> opportunity. As <strong>the</strong> networks and<br />
applications become even more important<br />
in a 5G connected world, our customers,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> industry, look for continuous<br />
innovation. I look forward to joining <strong>the</strong><br />
great team at Ericsson and work closely<br />
with ex<strong>is</strong>ting and new customers around <strong>the</strong><br />
world in shaping <strong>the</strong> future of our industry.”<br />
Jan Frykhammar will remain interim CEO<br />
until January 16, 2017.<br />
Ericsson’s Rafiah Ibrahim recognized<br />
as “Woman Game Changer” of <strong>the</strong> year<br />
Women in Leadership (WIL) Achievement<br />
Awards have selected Rafiah Ibrahim,<br />
Ericsson’s Head of Region Middle East and<br />
East Africa, as <strong>the</strong> ‘Woman Game Changer’<br />
of <strong>the</strong> year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> award recognizes Ibrahim’s leadership<br />
and achievements in <strong>the</strong> Information<br />
and Communication Technology (ICT)<br />
sector. Throughout her career journey,<br />
Ibrahim believed in <strong>the</strong> positive power<br />
that technology has on people, business<br />
and society. As a change maker and a<br />
leader, she believes that in times of digital<br />
transformation, where both companies<br />
and industries are transforming, leaders<br />
have to engage <strong>the</strong>ir teams and drive <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
customers’ transformation agenda.<br />
Ibrahim has always been an advocate<br />
for women in leadership, believing that<br />
women are resourceful enough to tackle<br />
any challenges. <strong>The</strong> award ceremony<br />
highlighted Ibrahim’s leadership, talent and<br />
forward-thinking attitude to technology and<br />
business presenting her as a true role model<br />
for aspiring young leaders everywhere.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 18th Global WIL Economic Forum<br />
ga<strong>the</strong>red around 500 global male and<br />
female business leaders, policy makers, as<br />
well as young female professionals<br />
and entrepreneurs, to d<strong>is</strong>sect <strong>the</strong><br />
challenge of diversity, share experiences<br />
and produce actionable strategies to<br />
strive for women’s economic<br />
empowerment.<br />
During <strong>the</strong> event, an awards ceremony<br />
took place under <strong>the</strong> title of Women in<br />
Leadership awards and Ibrahim received<br />
<strong>the</strong> ’Woman Game Changer’ award which<br />
recogn<strong>is</strong>es a leading business leader for<br />
her advocacy in supporting and developing<br />
women talent and women in business.<br />
<strong>The</strong> awards was presented by Mohammed<br />
Al Shihhi, <strong>the</strong> Undersecretary for Economic<br />
Affairs, Min<strong>is</strong>try of Economy for <strong>the</strong> UAE.<br />
November 2016<br />
43
NEWS<br />
Expresso Group and Et<strong>is</strong>alat’s EDCH to bring<br />
mobile financial services to West Africa<br />
Expresso Telecom Group (ETG) and<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat’s Emirates Data Clearing House<br />
(EDCH) announced <strong>the</strong> imminent launch<br />
of a new family of mobile financial services<br />
for its customers in West Africa; Senegal,<br />
Mauritania and Guinea Conakry.<br />
ETG’s rollout of Mobile Financial Services<br />
<strong>is</strong> not only aimed at improving financial<br />
inclusion levels and providing a complete<br />
system for <strong>the</strong> unbanked, but also delivering<br />
non-traditional transformational services<br />
to <strong>the</strong> banked population and businesses<br />
requiring more flexible services.<br />
EDCH was granted multiple awards from <strong>the</strong><br />
GSMA, FT/IFC and GTB innovation awards<br />
for delivering truly innovative services in th<strong>is</strong><br />
field and its award-winning Mobile Financial<br />
Services systems have been deployed across<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat and Maroc Telecom subsidiaries in<br />
more than 14 countries.<br />
ETG will be providing customers with a<br />
variety of services including:<br />
• m-wallets (cash-in, cash-out services)<br />
• m-payments (merchants, utility,<br />
transportation, etc)<br />
• money transfer (domestic and<br />
international remittances)<br />
• bank accounts/payment cards<br />
management<br />
• secure access and ticketing<br />
• merchant payment acceptance.<br />
Most importantly, customers will be able<br />
to use <strong>the</strong> ETG’s Mobile Financial Services<br />
outside <strong>the</strong> ETG network, for example,<br />
<strong>the</strong>y will be able to recharge <strong>the</strong>ir mobile<br />
accounts via o<strong>the</strong>r networks when <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
abroad.<br />
In particular, ETG <strong>is</strong> anticipating that <strong>the</strong><br />
ability to transfer money between countries<br />
will be very popular due to <strong>the</strong> widespread<br />
diaspora in West Africa and growing crossborder<br />
trade.<br />
Eng. Tarig Zain Elabdein, Chairman of<br />
ETG said: “We know that <strong>the</strong> majority of<br />
our customers in West Africa are unbanked.<br />
We are investing heavily in our mobile<br />
money service because it will help <strong>the</strong>m<br />
better manage <strong>the</strong>ir finances, save and<br />
invest.”<br />
He continued: “Our partnership with EDCH<br />
provides us with a market-proven back-end<br />
that will enable us to roll out <strong>the</strong> service<br />
rapidly over <strong>the</strong> next few months. Toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
we will ensure that <strong>the</strong> people of West<br />
Africa have <strong>the</strong> tools needed for sustained<br />
economic growth - and that th<strong>is</strong> region has<br />
<strong>the</strong> capability to be Africa’s gateway to <strong>the</strong><br />
world.”<br />
Mr. Nasser Salim, CEO of EDCH, said: “ETG<br />
will help West Africa emulate <strong>the</strong> success<br />
of Mobile Financial Services across East<br />
Africa. ETG’s customers and regulatory<br />
bodies can be assured that our systems have<br />
been developed to address all security and<br />
identity <strong>is</strong>sues.”<br />
QuarkSe and Et<strong>is</strong>alat demonstrated eSIM-enabled car at GITEX<br />
QuarkSe, an eSIM solutions and niche<br />
application provider for <strong>the</strong> Internet<br />
of Things (IoT), has launched <strong>the</strong> first<br />
eSIM enabled electric car in <strong>the</strong> world in<br />
partnership with Rimac and Et<strong>is</strong>alat in UEA.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> will also be <strong>the</strong> first time a supercar<br />
has been eSIM-enabled too. <strong>The</strong> supercar<br />
with <strong>the</strong> eSIM download and its activation<br />
process was demonstrated at GITEX 2016.<br />
“Et<strong>is</strong>alat <strong>is</strong> a market innovator and <strong>is</strong><br />
pleased to work with partners such as<br />
RIMAC and QuarkSe to develop <strong>the</strong> new<br />
generation of connected cars.<br />
Et<strong>is</strong>alat <strong>is</strong> always in <strong>the</strong> forefront of<br />
innovation” said Rashed Majed Al Abbar,<br />
Vice President Consumer Innovations<br />
of Et<strong>is</strong>alat.<br />
eSIM will gradually replace <strong>the</strong> classic<br />
physical SIM card. It will enable a quick<br />
and easy activation process for a much<br />
wider array of devices than before – such<br />
as wearables, smart metering, smart city<br />
elements and cars as well as mobile phones,<br />
laptops and tablets.<br />
“By adopting <strong>the</strong> new eSIM Phase 2<br />
GSMA standard of, Et<strong>is</strong>alat, QuarkSe and<br />
Rimac are leaders in <strong>the</strong> next generation<br />
of mobile services. We are in <strong>the</strong> frontiers<br />
of technology adoption aiming to deliver<br />
outstanding customer experience with<br />
our local profile ass<strong>is</strong>tant (LPA) software<br />
module” said Luiz C. G. Silva, CEO of<br />
QuarkSe.<br />
44 November 2016
Unlocking Business In Space<br />
World Space R<strong>is</strong>k Forum 2016 ends on ‘High’ Note<br />
<strong>The</strong> World Space R<strong>is</strong>k Forum (WSRF<br />
2016) concluded yesterday in Dubai<br />
with wide-ranging d<strong>is</strong>cussions related to<br />
innovation within <strong>the</strong> space sector and r<strong>is</strong>k<br />
management with an emphas<strong>is</strong> on learning<br />
from <strong>the</strong> past, sharing ideas and looking to<br />
<strong>the</strong> future.<br />
<strong>The</strong> conference also coincided with Dubai<br />
becoming <strong>the</strong> ninth nation on <strong>the</strong> planet<br />
with a m<strong>is</strong>sion to explore Mars as per <strong>the</strong><br />
final design endorsed by H<strong>is</strong> Highness<br />
Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,<br />
Vice-President and Prime Min<strong>is</strong>ter of <strong>the</strong><br />
UAE and Ruler of Dubai.<br />
As <strong>the</strong> leading global forum for space<br />
r<strong>is</strong>ks, WSRF brought toge<strong>the</strong>r under<br />
one roof nearly 400 satellite operators,<br />
manufacturers, launch providers, space<br />
agencies, r<strong>is</strong>k managers, insurance brokers,<br />
underwriters, lawyers, and capital providers<br />
in an atmosphere that was creative and<br />
cordial and lent itself to in-depth d<strong>is</strong>cussion<br />
and networking.<br />
<strong>The</strong> space insurance sector has played<br />
a major role in <strong>the</strong> growth of <strong>the</strong> space<br />
industry by facilitating investment capital.<br />
As <strong>the</strong> industry has evolved, <strong>the</strong> nature<br />
of r<strong>is</strong>ks has also changed. High on <strong>the</strong><br />
agenda at th<strong>is</strong> global space industry meet,<br />
now in its 4th edition, was <strong>the</strong> need to<br />
understand and mitigate <strong>the</strong>se evolving<br />
r<strong>is</strong>ks, share thoughts on promoting business<br />
development and exploration in Space. Th<strong>is</strong><br />
year <strong>the</strong> WSRF was fur<strong>the</strong>r streng<strong>the</strong>ned by<br />
strategic partnerships with <strong>the</strong> Mohammed<br />
Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and<br />
Euroconsult, <strong>the</strong> leading global consulting<br />
firm specializing in space markets.<br />
“With space changing so rapidly, it <strong>is</strong><br />
essential that r<strong>is</strong>k <strong>is</strong> handled <strong>the</strong> right way.<br />
And not just from an insurance perspective<br />
but technical, financial and regulatory<br />
elements are equally important. Evaluation<br />
<strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> key and points of view from all along<br />
<strong>the</strong> value chain have to be considered<br />
to syn<strong>the</strong>size a v<strong>is</strong>ion that will promote<br />
successful programs for <strong>the</strong> future,” said<br />
WSRF 2016 Chairman Chr<strong>is</strong> Kunstadter.<br />
One of <strong>the</strong> highlights of th<strong>is</strong> year’s forum<br />
was <strong>the</strong> special awards that were presented<br />
to <strong>the</strong> industry over <strong>the</strong> course of <strong>the</strong> three<br />
days. John Celli, President of SSL was<br />
recognized for Outstanding Service to <strong>the</strong><br />
Industry, whilst Eutelsat received <strong>the</strong> award<br />
for Industry Innovation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre<br />
(MBRSC) was honoured for Industry<br />
Inspiration, a timely accolade on a day when<br />
<strong>the</strong> final design of <strong>the</strong> Hope Probe, <strong>the</strong><br />
region’s first-of-its-kind m<strong>is</strong>sion to explore<br />
Mars, has just been approved,<br />
“What’s impressive <strong>is</strong> that <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong> such a<br />
strong focus on getting young people to<br />
get involved in <strong>the</strong> sector. Th<strong>is</strong> seems to<br />
be unique to <strong>the</strong> UAE and <strong>the</strong> MBRSC in<br />
particular has found a way to ignite interest<br />
in <strong>the</strong> sector in a way that <strong>is</strong> great for <strong>the</strong><br />
future of <strong>the</strong> satellite industry,” added<br />
Kunstadter.<br />
Day one of <strong>the</strong> three-day conference set<br />
<strong>the</strong> stage. Keynote speeches included <strong>the</strong><br />
2016 WSRF Chairman’s opening speech on<br />
mitigating r<strong>is</strong>ks and Dr. Michael Menhart,<br />
Munich Re Chief Econom<strong>is</strong>t’s keynote<br />
address on <strong>the</strong> global economic outlook.<br />
Day two and three were equally in-depth<br />
with keynote speeches from John Celli,<br />
President of SSL on <strong>the</strong> forces that drive<br />
today’s commercial satellite market, Dr.<br />
Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX VP M<strong>is</strong>sion<br />
Assurance on <strong>the</strong> future of re-using rockets<br />
and Stéphane Israël, Chairman and CEO<br />
of Arianespace on leveraging a culture<br />
of experience, reliability and gradual<br />
innovation at Arianespace.<br />
Day 2 also included <strong>the</strong> CEO Future<br />
Panel, moderated by Car<strong>is</strong>sa Chr<strong>is</strong>tensen,<br />
managing partner at <strong>the</strong> Tauri group.<br />
Along with John Celli and Stéphane<br />
Israël, Mark Spiwak, President of Boeing<br />
Satellite Systems International Inc. and<br />
Khaled Balkheyour CEO of Arabsat shared<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir thoughts on <strong>the</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> space<br />
industry. <strong>The</strong> panel d<strong>is</strong>cussed <strong>the</strong> challenges<br />
<strong>the</strong>y foresee and <strong>the</strong>ir responses, in<br />
addition to <strong>the</strong> innovations <strong>the</strong>y plan to<br />
employ to stay competitive, all making for<br />
an interactive and engaging session.<br />
In keeping with its innovative approach, <strong>the</strong><br />
WSRF launched a new dynamic short talk<br />
lecture series th<strong>is</strong> year. With a duration of<br />
less than 15 minutes and on topics ranging<br />
from “<strong>The</strong> Mean <strong>is</strong> Meaningless” to “Is <strong>the</strong><br />
Moon still <strong>the</strong>re if we close our eyes?” Space<br />
Powwows!, hosted by Sw<strong>is</strong>s Re Corporate<br />
Solutions were incredibly well-received by<br />
<strong>the</strong> delegates.<br />
<strong>The</strong> next edition of <strong>the</strong> conference will<br />
take place in Dubai in 2018. Looking to <strong>the</strong><br />
future Kunstadter concluded, “<strong>The</strong> world<br />
will be a different place by 2018. Space<br />
activity will be well beyond where it <strong>is</strong> now<br />
and it would be safe to say that many of our<br />
current dreams will be a reality by <strong>the</strong>n. It’s<br />
exciting to anticipate that by <strong>the</strong>n we will be<br />
d<strong>is</strong>cussing things such as space mining and<br />
new rockets as realities.”<br />
November 2016<br />
45
NEWS<br />
Veeam reports 49 percent<br />
year-over-year growth in<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>e deals<br />
Veeam named leader<br />
in Data Availability<br />
and Protection for <strong>the</strong><br />
Cloud Era<br />
Veeam® Software, has announced a 31<br />
percent year-over-year (YoY) growth in total<br />
bookings revenue for Q3 2016.<br />
With 71 percent of Fortune 500 and 51<br />
percent of <strong>the</strong> Global 2000 now Veeam<br />
customers, <strong>the</strong> company reported a<br />
49 percent YoY increase in new license<br />
bookings from large enterpr<strong>is</strong>e deals,<br />
solidifying <strong>the</strong> increasing demand for<br />
24.7.365 Availability as enterpr<strong>is</strong>es embrace<br />
digital transformation.<br />
Exponential growth in applications and<br />
data, and advances in cloud and mobile<br />
technologies are all propelling enterpr<strong>is</strong>es<br />
to transform from organizations that simply<br />
use digital technology, to full-fledged digital<br />
organizations.<br />
IDC has predicted that digital<br />
transformation initiatives will more than<br />
double by 2020, and will act as a primary<br />
driver for IT spending worldwide.<br />
“Digital transformation <strong>is</strong>n’t just a trend.<br />
It’s a do-or-die business reality to transform<br />
<strong>the</strong> customer experience and unlock new<br />
levels of enterpr<strong>is</strong>e productivity which <strong>is</strong><br />
now at <strong>the</strong> top of <strong>the</strong> agenda for CIOs and<br />
IT dec<strong>is</strong>ion-makers,” said Peter McKay,<br />
President and COO at Veeam. “Veeam <strong>is</strong><br />
playing a key role in th<strong>is</strong> transformation, as<br />
our strong Q3 results demonstrate. Without<br />
24.7.365 Availability, all <strong>the</strong> advantages<br />
received by digital transformation are<br />
lost. Enterpr<strong>is</strong>es are rapidly embracing our<br />
Availability solutions and abandoning legacy<br />
technologies that cannot provide an alwayson<br />
environment.”<br />
Veeam has also appointed Paul Mattes,<br />
most recently General Manager of Cloud<br />
and Enterpr<strong>is</strong>e Sales, Americas with<br />
Microsoft, as its Vice President of Global<br />
Cloud Group. Enterpr<strong>is</strong>e adoption of cloud<br />
technologies continues to accelerate as<br />
businesses capitalize on <strong>the</strong> costs savings,<br />
flexibilty and scale that it offers. To fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
meet <strong>the</strong> demands of customers, Veeam<br />
recently introduced <strong>the</strong> next generation<br />
of comprehensive Availability: Veeam<br />
Peter McKay<br />
Availability Platform for <strong>the</strong> Hybrid Cloud.<br />
Th<strong>is</strong> solution enables businesses and<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>es of all sizes to ensure Availability<br />
for virtual, physical, and cloud-based<br />
workloads in <strong>the</strong> Hybrid Cloud. Mattes will<br />
fur<strong>the</strong>r develop Veeam’s rapidly growing<br />
presence in <strong>the</strong> Cloud market and support<br />
its position as <strong>the</strong> leading vendor of Backup<br />
as a Service (BaaS) and D<strong>is</strong>aster Recovery<br />
as a Service (DRaaS) solutions for Cloud and<br />
Service Providers.<br />
“A hybrid cloud infrastructure offers<br />
organizations <strong>the</strong> best of both on-prem<strong>is</strong>es<br />
and cloud, enabling IT to choose <strong>the</strong> best<br />
platform to meet <strong>the</strong> needs of<br />
each workload,” Mattes said. “Veeam<br />
recognizes, however, that <strong>the</strong>se<br />
advantages are of little use if <strong>the</strong> hybrid<br />
cloud infrastructure <strong>is</strong> not Always-On.<br />
In today’s fast-paced environment,<br />
nothing less than 24.7.365 access to data<br />
<strong>is</strong> acceptable, and Veeam <strong>is</strong> enabling<br />
organizations to meet that challenge.<br />
Our goal <strong>is</strong> to define <strong>the</strong> BaaS and DRaaS<br />
markets by offering <strong>the</strong> best solutions our<br />
customers are requesting.<br />
With a 100 percent channel focused<br />
strategy, we’ll provide Veeam Cloud and<br />
Service Providers (VCSPs) and our channel<br />
partners with <strong>the</strong> technology platform to<br />
build and deliver those services to our joint<br />
customers.”<br />
Veeam® Software has announced<br />
industry analyst Ovum’s latest report<br />
ranks Veeam <strong>the</strong> top provider for<br />
Cloud era availability and protection<br />
technology.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ovum Dec<strong>is</strong>ion Matrix: Data<br />
Availability and Protection Solution<br />
for <strong>the</strong> Cloud Era, 2016-17 <strong>is</strong> a highly<br />
respected evaluation of future-looking<br />
business challenges and <strong>the</strong> technology<br />
solutions that underpin today’s 24.7.365<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>es. <strong>The</strong> report focuses on how<br />
non-stop access to data and applications<br />
<strong>is</strong> central to <strong>the</strong> digital enterpr<strong>is</strong>e<br />
transformation made possible by <strong>the</strong><br />
wide adoption of cloud-based computing<br />
strategies.<br />
<strong>The</strong> criteria for inclusion in <strong>the</strong> latest<br />
Ovum Dec<strong>is</strong>ion Matrix <strong>is</strong> based on a<br />
number of factors: global footprint;<br />
ability to offer data availability and<br />
protection capabilities that enable<br />
management of data across all different<br />
types of media; having more than 500<br />
customers (a mixture of mid-sized<br />
enterpr<strong>is</strong>es and large enterpr<strong>is</strong>es).<br />
Based on th<strong>is</strong>, Veeam <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> market<br />
leader in terms of market impact and<br />
technology innovation, with a mean<br />
score of 8/10, out-scoring all o<strong>the</strong>rs in<br />
th<strong>is</strong> area. Ovum recognized Veeam’s<br />
specific strength in operational<br />
management, security, backup and<br />
recovery, performance and scalability,<br />
and reporting and integration, and called<br />
th<strong>is</strong> out in <strong>the</strong> report.<br />
“One of <strong>the</strong> most significant<br />
developments made by Veeam <strong>is</strong> how<br />
it <strong>is</strong> supporting organizations with<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir digital transformation,” said Roy<br />
Illsley, Analyst at Ovum. “In expanding<br />
its portfolio to include agent-based<br />
technologies for Windows and Linux<br />
server instances, ei<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> cloud or<br />
on-prem<strong>is</strong>es, Veeam perfectly rounds out<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir solution to cover virtual, physical<br />
and cloud-based workloads.”<br />
46 November 2016
NEWS<br />
TRA Bahrain hosts<br />
strategic workshop<br />
on <strong>the</strong> future of<br />
mobile markets<br />
<strong>The</strong> Telecommunications<br />
Regulatory Authority (TRA),<br />
Kingdom of Bahrain held a<br />
one-day workshop for its staff<br />
members at its headquarters<br />
in Seef area on <strong>the</strong> mobile<br />
market competition, in collaboration with<br />
SAMENA Telecommunication Council, “TRA<br />
<strong>is</strong> very much involved at <strong>the</strong> international<br />
level and collaborates with industry experts<br />
on d<strong>is</strong>cussions regarding <strong>the</strong> market’s future<br />
needs. Sharing perspectives with industry<br />
groups such as SAMENA Council <strong>is</strong> key to<br />
bridging <strong>the</strong> gap between regulatory and<br />
operator viewpoints, as SAMENA represents<br />
<strong>the</strong> voice of operators not only in Bahrain<br />
but also across <strong>the</strong> whole region” said TRA’s<br />
Deputy General Director, Sh. Nasser bin<br />
Mohamed Al Khalifa. He continued, “<strong>The</strong><br />
workshop aimed to d<strong>is</strong>cuss what has been<br />
accompl<strong>is</strong>hed regionally and internationally.<br />
We have also d<strong>is</strong>cussed matters related<br />
to aspects <strong>the</strong> of future of mobile market<br />
competition, technologies and services<br />
from an operator standpoint and how <strong>the</strong><br />
industry regionally and internationally <strong>is</strong><br />
dealing with digital services, big data, future<br />
technologies such as 5G and <strong>the</strong> use of<br />
mobile radio spectrum.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> workshop aimed at familiarizing TRA<br />
staff with <strong>the</strong> industry’s international<br />
developments in <strong>the</strong> mobile market,<br />
focusing on services such as machine-tomachine<br />
communications, Smart Cities, and<br />
advances of telecommunications to support<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r sectors such as Finance, Education,<br />
Transportation, Health, and Energy. Future<br />
technologies and services such as 5G and<br />
<strong>the</strong> management of mobile radio spectrum<br />
were also d<strong>is</strong>cussed during <strong>the</strong> workshop.<br />
Bocar BA, CEO of SAMENA Council<br />
stated that “Th<strong>is</strong> workshop provided an<br />
opportunity to understand <strong>the</strong> v<strong>is</strong>ion of TRA<br />
Bahrain and how its esteemed leadership<br />
views <strong>the</strong> TRA’s transforming role in leading<br />
digital development both in Bahrain as well<br />
as in <strong>the</strong> SAMENA region. All stakeholders<br />
realize that potential ex<strong>is</strong>ts to enable public<br />
and private telecom sectors to support<br />
each o<strong>the</strong>r by leveraging, combining and<br />
capitalizing on each o<strong>the</strong>r’s complementary<br />
strengths and capabilities.<br />
<strong>The</strong> workshop between TRA Bahrain<br />
and SAMENA Council has set a new example<br />
of synergy created through constructive<br />
collaboration of both sectors.<br />
SAMENA Council shall remain closely<br />
attentive to <strong>the</strong> TRA’s strategic needs and<br />
priorities, to fur<strong>the</strong>r help bring privatesector<br />
perspectives to <strong>the</strong> regulatory sight,<br />
and shall continue to serve TRA Bahrain as<br />
a reliable sector development partner. We<br />
extend our thank-you to <strong>the</strong> TRA team for<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir warm welcome and collaboration with<br />
SAMENA Council.”<br />
November 2016<br />
47
NEWS<br />
TRA honours partners in <strong>the</strong> government<br />
sector on <strong>the</strong> conclusion of GITEX 2016<br />
<strong>The</strong> Telecommunications Regulatory<br />
Authority (TRA) has concluded its<br />
participation at GITEX 2016 by honoring<br />
its partners from government entities that<br />
also participated in <strong>the</strong> event under <strong>the</strong> UAE<br />
mGov platform, including <strong>the</strong> government<br />
entities that participated in WSIS, which was<br />
held in <strong>the</strong> Switzerland, Geneva earlier th<strong>is</strong><br />
year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TRA participated under <strong>the</strong> UAE mGov<br />
platform during GITEX 2016, which included<br />
22 government entities. It signed various<br />
agreements to support <strong>the</strong> education sector<br />
worth around AED 100.600.000, as well as<br />
agreements to promote cyberspace security,<br />
and many of meetings and o<strong>the</strong>r events.<br />
H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director<br />
General, TRA, highlighted <strong>the</strong> importance of<br />
partnership to achieve <strong>the</strong> country’s v<strong>is</strong>ion<br />
and goals of global leadership, as well as<br />
<strong>the</strong> happiness and prosperity for <strong>the</strong> UAE<br />
society. He expressed h<strong>is</strong> thanks to <strong>the</strong><br />
government entities that supported <strong>the</strong><br />
TRA in promoting <strong>the</strong> UAE global presence<br />
especially in implementing <strong>the</strong> smart<br />
transformation, which improves our services<br />
and people’s quality of life while advancing<br />
<strong>the</strong> electronic lifestyle and ensuring<br />
customers’ happiness.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 22 government entities were honoured<br />
during a ceremony organized at <strong>the</strong><br />
Dubai World Trade Center for giving due<br />
importance to cooperation between various<br />
government entities to achieve <strong>the</strong> UAE<br />
V<strong>is</strong>ion 2021 and promote <strong>the</strong> electronic<br />
lifestyle and smart transformation in <strong>the</strong><br />
country, and achieve happiness for people in<br />
<strong>the</strong> UAE and enhance <strong>the</strong>ir quality of life.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TRA also commended 11 government<br />
entities in a separate ceremony on <strong>the</strong> same<br />
day for <strong>the</strong>ir contribution in WSIS 2016 and<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir role in promoting <strong>the</strong> UAE’s global<br />
presence, which helped boost <strong>the</strong> country’s<br />
innovation indicators as awarded to <strong>the</strong> UAE<br />
delegation. <strong>The</strong> TRA featured 12 innovative<br />
projects during its participation in GITEX<br />
which presents a comprehensive d<strong>is</strong>play of<br />
ICT’s role in serving <strong>the</strong> society, being <strong>the</strong><br />
vital nerve that enables o<strong>the</strong>r sectors to<br />
improve <strong>the</strong> quality of life, attain happiness<br />
and prosperity for <strong>the</strong> society<br />
and consolidate <strong>the</strong> smart transformation<br />
in <strong>the</strong> UAE.<br />
Al Jazeera and ONEm tie up to reach millions of people<br />
ONEm Communications <strong>is</strong> teaming up with<br />
Al Jazeera Media Network to create a new<br />
interactive channel for <strong>the</strong>ir news content<br />
over ordinary mobile.<br />
Al Jazeera Media Network already reaches<br />
over 305 million households in over 140<br />
countries and will be now be available as a<br />
valuable source of Arabic and Engl<strong>is</strong>h<br />
content on <strong>the</strong> ONEm platform.<br />
Al Jazeera <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> first media conglomerate<br />
from <strong>the</strong> ME to join <strong>the</strong> ONEm ecosystem.<br />
ONEm enables Al Jazeera Media Network<br />
content consumers access up-to-date news<br />
through SMS and audio in both Arabic and<br />
Engl<strong>is</strong>h. ONEm provides a new internet-style<br />
interactive experience for mobile users by<br />
repurposing ex<strong>is</strong>ting SMS and audio. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong><br />
available on both smartphones and basic<br />
feature phones.<br />
<strong>The</strong> user begins by texting, “#news or #aljazeera”<br />
to <strong>the</strong> ONEm platform. <strong>The</strong> platform<br />
responds by starting a menu-driven SMS<br />
dialogue with <strong>the</strong> user whereby <strong>the</strong> user<br />
can select an option to read or l<strong>is</strong>ten to an<br />
article. Users can also search and sort by<br />
categories and view <strong>the</strong> top trending stories<br />
using fuzzy search terms.<br />
ONEm <strong>is</strong> a continuously growing global<br />
mobile ecosystem cons<strong>is</strong>ting of mobile<br />
operators, content providers and mobile<br />
users. Content providers such as Al Jazeera<br />
see <strong>the</strong> need to reach <strong>the</strong> masses with a<br />
systematic interactive approach that <strong>is</strong> global<br />
and not dependant exclusively on data<br />
enabled devices.<br />
Chr<strong>is</strong>topher Richardson, CEO of ONEm<br />
Communications, said, “Having lived in<br />
Qatar, I l<strong>is</strong>ten regularly to Al Jazeera on <strong>the</strong><br />
radio. I used to sit in <strong>the</strong> car in <strong>the</strong> parking<br />
lot to fin<strong>is</strong>h l<strong>is</strong>tening to a documentary report<br />
before going to work. Today it <strong>is</strong> a great<br />
pleasure for me to have <strong>the</strong> opportunity to<br />
bring <strong>the</strong>se great documentaries to o<strong>the</strong>rs<br />
through our audio services over voice. I look<br />
forward to having Al Jazeera available to<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir global audience.<br />
48 November 2016
NEWS<br />
Batelco and Ericsson bring 5G and IoT use cases to Bahrain<br />
Batelco Bahrain and Ericsson have joined<br />
forces to collaborate on <strong>the</strong> development<br />
of 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) use cases.<br />
<strong>The</strong> agreement will help drive innovation<br />
and early IoT applications on 5G mobile<br />
network technology based on <strong>the</strong> market<br />
requirements in Bahrain.<br />
Under <strong>the</strong> new agreement, Batelco Bahrain<br />
and Ericsson will jointly recognize and<br />
develop proof of concepts for feasible<br />
use cases to meet <strong>the</strong> needs of industries<br />
in Bahrain. <strong>The</strong> two companies will also<br />
collaborate on corresponding vertical use<br />
cases and will implement narrowband<br />
IoT (NB-IoT) for massive machine-type<br />
communication while advancing cloud<br />
architecture to enable 5G and NB-IoT<br />
technologies. <strong>The</strong> aim <strong>is</strong> to trial 5G capable<br />
radio technology and 5G Plug-in software in<br />
<strong>the</strong> ex<strong>is</strong>ting 4G networks.<br />
Muna Al Hashemi, CEO, Batelco Bahrain,<br />
says: “Part of our commitment to <strong>the</strong><br />
people and industries in Bahrain <strong>is</strong> to<br />
create new possibilities by continuously<br />
upgrading our platforms and offering<br />
cutting-edge technology. Through th<strong>is</strong><br />
collaboration with Ericsson, we aim to<br />
take significant steps into <strong>the</strong> future of<br />
connected devices, as a technology leader<br />
that empowers <strong>the</strong> transformation of<br />
Bahrain’s industries and society.”<br />
Ericsson 5G Radio Prototypes are <strong>the</strong> first<br />
products designed to enable operators<br />
to conduct live field trials in <strong>the</strong>ir own<br />
networks. Ericsson enables operators<br />
to move beyond <strong>the</strong> 5G hype of labbased<br />
speed tests and gain a greater<br />
understanding of <strong>the</strong> potential for 5G in <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
own network environments and markets.<br />
Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Ericsson Region<br />
Middle East and East Africa, says: “As 5G<br />
technology expands and evolves over <strong>the</strong><br />
coming years, collaboration amongst <strong>the</strong><br />
industry players <strong>is</strong> key to set <strong>the</strong> foundation<br />
for <strong>the</strong> Networked Society, where anything<br />
that can benefit from a connection, will be<br />
connected. We are happy to collaborate<br />
with our partner Batelco to empower<br />
people, business and society in Bahrain to<br />
pave <strong>the</strong> way for advanced and innovative<br />
technologies that 5G will enable.”<br />
CIS to provide<br />
data services<br />
to UNMOGIP<br />
COMSATS Internet Services (CIS) has<br />
signed an agreement with United Nations<br />
Military Observer Group in India and<br />
Pak<strong>is</strong>tan (UNMOGIP) for establ<strong>is</strong>hment<br />
of communication links for use of interoffices<br />
communication, VPN, VC through<br />
broadband internet services from COMSATS<br />
Internet Services.<br />
Agreement signing ceremony was held at<br />
CIS Technology Park, Islamabad. Under th<strong>is</strong><br />
services agreement CIS will also become<br />
partner for keeping <strong>the</strong> commination’s lines<br />
up and working for efficient peace keeping<br />
process.<br />
November 2016<br />
49
GLOBAL ICT, TELECOM & SATCOM EVENTS<br />
ITU Telecom World<br />
November - December 2016<br />
14 - 17 November Bangkok, Thailand<br />
AfricaCom 2016 (19th Annual) 15 - 17 November Cape Town, South Africa<br />
Bakutel 29 Nov - 02 Dec Baku, Azerbaijan<br />
InfoComm MEA 2016 06 - 08 December DWTC, Dubai, UAE<br />
CeBIT India 08 - 10 December Bengaluru, India<br />
MEET ICT Bahrain & BITEX 2017<br />
January & February 2017<br />
07 - 09 February Manama, Bahrain<br />
Convergence India 08 - 10 February New Delhi, India<br />
Milsatcom 21 - 22 February Abu Dhabi, UAE<br />
GSMA Mobile World Congress 27 Feb - 02 March Barcelona, Spain<br />
March & April 2017<br />
Satellite 06 - 09 March Washington Dc, USA<br />
Capacity Middle East 07 - 09 March Dubai, UAE<br />
CeBIT Germany 20 - 24 March Hannover, Germany<br />
CABSAT 21 - 23 March Dubai, UAE<br />
NAB Show 22 - 27 April Las Vegas, US<br />
Expo Comm Russia 25 - 27 April Moscow, Russia<br />
5G MENA 30 April - 02 May Dubai, UAE<br />
May to September 2017<br />
Cloud MENA 01 - 02 May Dubai, UAE<br />
<strong>The</strong> Mobile Show ME 01 - 02 May Dubai, UAE<br />
GISEC & GEMEC 21 - 23 May Dubai, UAE<br />
Casbaa Satellite Industry Forum 22 May Singapore<br />
CommunicAsia 2017 23 - 25 May Singapore<br />
5G World 13 - 15 June London, UK<br />
GSMA Mobile World Congress 28 June - 01 July Shanghai, China<br />
IBC 14 - 19 September Amsterdam, Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands<br />
50 November 2016
BETTER<br />
SOONER<br />
Accelerating ICT innovation<br />
to improve lives faster<br />
ITU Telecom World 2016 <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> global platform<br />
to accelerate ICT innovations for social and<br />
economic development. It’s where policy makers<br />
and regulators meet industry experts, investors,<br />
SMEs, entrepreneurs and innovators to exhibit<br />
solutions, share knowledge and speed change.<br />
Our aim <strong>is</strong> to help ideas go fur<strong>the</strong>r, faster to<br />
make <strong>the</strong> world better, sooner.<br />
V<strong>is</strong>it telecomworld.itu.int to reg<strong>is</strong>ter your interest.<br />
#ituworld<br />
telecomworld.itu.int<br />
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