Page 4 - SAMENA Trends - February 2022
P. 4

EDITORIAL  SAMENA TRENDS











        5G, Cloudification and Network Transformation






        As we speak, 5G  exists  in more than 175   the network.  Already we  see that  5G  is
        countries,  serving over 500  million users.   bringing major changes to cloud computing
        5G is not only providing  a new mobile   and cloud  communications.  With 1 billion
        experience  for end-users,  we see multi-  5G  end-users  expected  earlier  than the
        industry  empowerment  taking  place  next two years, such 5G plus cloudification
        before our eyes.  In some cases,  the pace   capabilities will  prove to  be a  true game-
        of adoption and  impact of 5G has  been   changer,  allowing for new applications
        faster than expected, and, in part, this may   across  industries  to  come into existence,
        have also to do with early discussions   making use  of Internet-of-things  and
        on 5G  enablement,  as  done  by  SAMENA   Artificial  Intelligence,  and  triggering  an
        Council and likeminded industry bodies on   altogether new wave of investments in the
        their respective platforms. Among other   cloud business.
        requirements,  such  platforms, including
        the SAMENA Council  Leaders’  Summit   The process of making  5G  a  mainstream
        (which will  be held on 9th  May  this  year   technology  is  well on its  way  to catching
        in Dubai as  a  fully physical industry   further speed  and, in  so  doing, several   Bocar A. BA
                                                                                      Chief Executive Officer
        meeting),  have successfully  highlighted   network,  infrastructure,  and  terminal  & Board Member
        the need  for an  enabling  regulatory   standardization milestones  have to be   SAMENA Telecommunications
        environment.  Furthermore, stakeholders   achieved  first.  Nonetheless,  5G  strategy   Council
        and decisionmakers have been called  on   encompassing  cloudification  and  cloud
        to  timely capitalize on new opportunities   enablement  at  its  heart  must  be adopted
        relating to Industry 4.0, smart-city projects,   by  Telecom  Operators, enterprises, and   bring access to advanced connectivity,
        and proliferating  5G applications across   any existing and emerging businesses that   make use of cloud  technologies,  and
        education,  healthcare,  oil and gas, port   will depend on cloudification for scalability,   other allied technologies  that  are
        operations,  and other  verticals of most   efficiency, and innovation. From healthcare   transforming  the network, should  be
        relevance  to  the  economic  diversification   to  financial  services;  from  IoT,  remote   driven with full cognizance of the new
        efforts of the countries  of the SA-ME-NA   working, to latency-free applications of 5G   market and societal realities, and
        region.                               at  the network edge,  the future of mobile   sustainability of the evolving digital
                                              cloud  applications  will  materialize quickly   ecosystem,  with cloud  taking center
        Granted 5G development is an investment-  with widespread expansion of 5G networks,   stage.  Moreover,  investment in  new
        intensive undertaking, making best use of   particularly standalone 5G networks.  infrastructure,  including  cloud
        5G is in major part driven  by the freedom                                  infrastructure,  may no  longer  follow
        to  innovate,  achieve  efficiency  in  capex,   In the larger interest of the region’s Telecom   traditional  approaches. A  technology
        reduce  opex,  and scalability of networks   Operators, enterprises, and socio-economic   such as 5G, which improves integration,
        to offer new digital services and customer   empowerment goals of individual countries   innovation, cloud-dependence,  and
        experiences  by  leveraging  the new cloud   as well as the region, we need to align our   inclusion  of  multiple  industries
        technologies  as  well other  technologies   business  and regulatory  priorities and   particularly requires new approaches
        that  dramatically transform and optimize   programs to advance in synch. The way we   across all layers.













                                                                                                     4   FEBRUARY 2022
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9