October 17 – Dubai, UAE: SAMENA (South Asia-Middle East-North Africa) Telecommunications Council held its SAMENA ACCELERATOR on 10 Gigabit digital infrastructure on October 17th at the One & Only Royal Mirage, Dubai, UAE. Held in collaboration with Huawei Technologies, the Council organized the 2024 edition of its SAMENA ACCELERATOR to continue the dialogue initialized in the 2023 edition of the 10 Gigabit ACCELERATOR, which established a compelling case for ultra-broadband or “10Giga” network development by utilizing advancements in Fiber and IPv6 innovations. The 2024 edition delved into deepening consensus on accelerating 10 Giga network development and exploring future-oriented broadband infrastructure upgrades, enhancing user experiences, enabling digitalization of various industries, and, as an ultimate goal, accelerating the development of the digital economy in the Middle East and Central Asia.
The SAMENA ACCELERATOR 2024 was organized into four sub-segments: In the Regional Visions segment, the audience was debriefed about ICT visions and national ICT development plans from the UAE, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. Experience-Sharing from du and Omantel provided perspectives on how optical networks serve at the core of digital foundation as seen from Operators’ eyes. Technology Readiness segment provided perspectives from the World WLAN Applications Alliance (WAA) - China, ETSI Industry Specification Group (ISG) for Fixed 5G, and Huawei Technologies, demonstrated advancements in F5G-A to achieve new service delivery and user experience milestones, technologically speaking. In the last half, a discussion, focusing on key drivers of advanced infrastructure development, enablers and impediments in network implementation, and new approaches required on the policy, regulatory, and sustainability fronts, were discussed.
Bocar BA, CEO & Board Member of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, in his opening keynote stated that "Observations and advancements necessitate that both Government sector and the Private sector work closely together and exchange priorities and capabilities on the fixed network fronts, more closely, and be empowered by each other."
BA, in the opening of the SAMENA ACCELERATOR, also received recognition from Director General of TDRA, HE Engr. Majed Al Mesmar, for his contributions to the Industry and for his relentless efforts in bringing industry leaders together, fostering impactful cooperation, and for catalysing industry initiatives locally, regionally, and internationally.
During the ACCELERATOR, a meaningful 10Giga Acceleration Ceremony was also held, with its distinct symbolism to mark continuity of dialogue on developing optical networks and to harness the power of fiber, to accelerate 10Gigabit Society into Reality. “For ICT maturity to manifest, for societies and economies to thrive, Gigabit capabilities must be attained”, read the backdrop.
In his closing remarks, BA emphasized on policy requirements: "We need to advance the necessary fixed-line infrastructure, unlock new capital, and new ways of sharing responsibilities to develop that infrastructure, and develop human capital for the digital age, and make broadband connectivity and quality-of-service affordable, with bare minimum speeds set as benchmarks." BA further remarked that "I would like to congratulate Huawei for drawing attention to various aspects of digital transformation as assessed through the Huawei Global Digitalization Index (GDI) – which is an excellent way forward to measure and help accelerate ICT maturity in and across our region.”
SAMENA Council recognizes that with advancements in fifth-generation fixed networks, and integration of AI and emerging technologies, Gigabit networks can significantly accelerate digital economic development, fulfil ambitious national ICT visions, and drive industrial and societal transformation, particularly in the GCC markets, where there is a need to enhance broadband speeds and accelerate optical-fiber coverage.
"SAMENA Council's partnership with Huawei is a strategic step towards fostering digital innovation in the region", BA had remarked earlier.
SAMENA Council observes that the region, particularly, and neighbouring regions, generally, need to come at par with more digitally advanced economies. However, to achieve this, drastic steps are necessary to further broadband development, in particular, through optical networks, using latest technologies, such as F5G-A. Moving towards “gigabit” infrastructure is an essential element in such steps, and it is critical that regional economies achieve ICT maturity in order to thrive in the age of gigabit connectivity.
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