Page 14 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

FEATURED SAMENA TRENDS

industrialisation, and foster innovation. in IoT, AI and big data analytics, which ecosystem in MENA, where IoT applications
It also seeks universal and affordable can in turn support digital transformation are often focused on smart city solutions,
internet access in less developed countries programmes. as governments aim to improve the quality
to support economic development and of urban living and environmental impact of
wellbeing. For example, in Turkey, 72% of enterprises cities. As of February 2022, seven mobile
are deploying IoT as part of a wider digital operators in five countries – Israel, Qatar,
Mobile’s catalytic effect on adjacent sectors transformation agenda, compared to 63% Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE – had
also helps explain the high score for SDG globally. launched commercial low-power widearea
9 in MENA. The connectivity provided by (NB-IoT and LTE-M) networks. (Source:
mobile operators enables verticals to take Mobile operators are playing an increasingly GSMA)
advantage of technological advancements prominent role in the rapidly expanding IoT

Case in Point: IoT in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Vision 2030 has allocated a great deal of support to spendings, and the adoption of Emerging technologies (Artificial
the IT sector and affirmed full support for creative and innovative Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data,
thinking to motivate the Saudi youth. IoT is emerging now and etc.).
Saudi Arabia is taking the lead in the region with this mega
event for enabling infrastructure or increasing the infrastructure Saudi Arabia Internet of Things (IoT) market was valued at
capacity for the Internet in line with Saudi Vision 2030. (Source: USD2016.86 million in 2021 and is projected to grow around
GSMA) USD5391.15 million by 2027 owing to the proliferation of
technologies such as ZigBee, rising NFC demand and increasing
This further complements the government plan to expand the usage of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Moreover, rise in cloud platform
broadband Internet services to 70 percent of the remote areas adoption, development of wireless networking technologies like
by 2020 and to all citizens subsequently, thus becoming a digital 5G is likely to propel Saudi Arabia Internet of Things (Internet of
nation with an efficient Internet connectivity, and reaching the Things (IoT)) market during forecast period.
cornerstone for the IoT, he added.
stc Group are strong believers in the IoT as a key element of
This primary program in achieving the Kingdom's vision 2030 the complete digital ecosystem they are operating. stc Group
promotes digital transformation in the Kingdom. It provides know that that adopting and integrating advanced technologies
strategic guidance, expertise, and supervision through will boost the Kingdom’s prospects and bolstering its economy.
cooperation with government and private agencies to raise the Ultimately, it aims to help realize the country’s considerable
Kingdom’s index globally. It aims to realize the highest digital potential and achieve its Vision 2030 goals by accelerating
development through sustainable economic development, the digital transformation of its burgeoning and thriving
enhancing innovation and values through investing in young industries. To this end, stc has focused on modernizing the
talent. nation’s industrial landscape, spurring the shift from traditional
factories to automated facilities powered by robots and artificial
The Digital Transformation in the Kingdom is supported by intelligence.
the adoption of the necessary legislation and regulatory
framework. It aims to regulate the key aspects of the digital By surveying more than 328 organizations from a broad cross-
transformation, such as digital identity, digital signatures, data section of industries and sectors, the Communication and
exchange and interoperability, data protection, cybersecurity, Information Technology Commission concluded that 57%
open data, freedom of information, transparency of Government of these entities have already adopted IoT solutions or are in
the process of conversion to it. According to the study, 25%
of organizations are actively working to implement plans to
adopt these technologies over the course of the next two years.
Subsequently, stc Group has diligently set about becoming the
Kingdom’s leading digital enabler in IoT.

Leveraging its resources, expansive network, ecosystem and
advanced infrastructure, the group has pioneered novel ICT
solutions and digital services that have stimulated the growth
and development of the Kingdom’s diverse range of sectors. For
instance, stc has played a key role in the development of leading
technical products, such as “hologram doctor” and healthcare
and telemedicine technologies.

14 JULY-AUGUST 2022