Page 17 - SAMENA Trends - January 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Etisalat EMIX Supports Transitioning to a New Normal by Building a Path

to Autonomous Networking

Etisalat announced that it is building the change automation. With the support of immediate and long-term benefits to
region’s first open and autonomous and intelligent ‘capacity planning’ application, transform our infrastructure and deliver
secured network. Cisco AI/ML automation Etisalat will manage to quickly scale the the best-in-class customer experience.”
is used to simplify Etisalat Emirates Internet infrastructure which will translate into “We opted for Cisco solution due to the
Exchange (EMIX) operations with a set of being able to maintain service levels when outcome driven approach in automation
innovative use cases aimed at providing an traffic levels are in flux. While predicting that will have a major impact on network
intent-based and closed-loop automation network capacity demands based on the capacity management,” said Saeed Al
solutions to EMIX network. As Etisalat recent usage patterns and trends, which Zarouni, Senior Vice President - Mobile
advances in the automation journey, the can be very unpredictable during peak Network, Etisalat. “The next-generation
network intelligence and refined analytics utilization times, and maintaining a high networks that we're driving supports our
will improve operational decision making level of the service quality by automatically customers stay ahead of the curve and
and reduce time-to-outcomes, which routing the critical applications using create new, ground-breaking experiences
is critical in preparing the network for AI to predict the best network paths for for their customers and end users for
future 5G capacity demands and service high applications quality and customer decades to come,” said Adam MacHale,
agility to deliver always-on connectivity experience. “Advanced automation is at VP of Service Providers in EMEAR region,
to EMIX customers and partners. The the heart of Etisalat’s strategy in every Cisco. “We worked closely with Etisalat to
new automation framework is built on the corner in the network. It is critical to realize their vision for open, autonomous
proven foundation of open APIs in Cisco 5G success for improving operational and secure EMIX network that can
Network Services Orchestrator (NSO), efficiency and driving new services,” said proactively handle upcoming demands,
Cisco’s WAN Automation Engine (WAE), Haitham Abdulrazzak, Chief Technology improve operational decision making and
and Cisco AI/ML Platform to incorporate Officer, Etisalat. “We are focusing on reduce time-to-outcomes, to deliver the
big data consolidation, machine learning, service performance metrics and the real best-in-class customer experience.”
event correlation, and closed-loop time experience of our customers with

Mobily and KAUST Tie to Upgrade Internet
Connectivity

KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and 200 Gbps to Singapore, connects it art, data processing resources, such as
and Technology) has launched a new 400 to major research and education network the supercomputer Shaheen II. Before the
Gbps international connectivity upgrading hubs in Europe and East Asia. These upgrade, it could take more than 24 hours
from the previous 10 Gbps connection connections will provide researchers to transfer a 100 Terabyte data set. With
speed to help researchers collaborate with fast, efficient data transmission and the new 400 Gbps bandwidth capacity, this
with their international peers at super-fast reliable access to scientific resources would take only 37 minutes. For example,
speeds. The Saudi telecommunications and cloud service providers anywhere on all nine Blu-ray disks of Star Wars: The
services company Mobily, has signed a the planet. The upgraded links will enable Complete Saga could transfer from KAUST
long-term contract to supply the institution high-performance science applications, to a university in California in approximately
with four 100 Gbps dedicated circuits including high-volume bulk data transfer, 10 seconds. KAUST CIO Jason Roos
and submarine optical fiber network remote experiment control and data said: “This new capability will transform
cables, enabling KAUST to build direct visualization. With this capability, a KAUST the scientific landscape for KAUST by
connections into the SURF, NORDUnet, and researcher will be able to collaborate providing a technological ecosystem that
GEANT research and education networks with peers anywhere on earth without will truly enable researchers to easily
in Europe, and the SingAREN network in geographical limitations. Leveraging this collaborate with peers located at any the
Singapore. The new capacity, comprising capacity will allow researchers in realizing top tier research institutes across the
200 Gbps from KAUST to Amsterdam the full potential of KAUST’s state-of-the- globe

17 JANUARY 2021