Page 12 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

COVID-19 VS TELECOM INDUSTRY SAMENA TRENDS

Isolation vs Connectivity: Fifth Generation
Technology Response to Next-generation
Challenges
For the Telecom Industry, given the
central role that Telecom Operators have
in spearheading this age of meaningful
connectivity across geographical regions,
our response to the COVID-19 pandemic
should be equally pan-regional. Just as
we established early February 2020 during
SAMENA Council’s Convergence to Bahrain
2020 conference that 5G Operators can
no longer just sell connectivity but must
proactively explore with vertical partners
how 5G-enabled systems can be effectively
leveraged beyond simple connectivity,
it now merits emphasizing that 5G may
have found its first, full-fledged real-life using high bandwidths, supporting massive complex socio-economic and demand
global use-case and it just may be the best connections, and providing low-latency in and supply structure, timely put effective
technology response to SARS-CoV-2. data transmission for real-time services. communication, data exchange, and all
Similar to how the spread of COVID-19 available 5G-based tools and technologies
5G-enabled systems can demands global cooperation among to use to deal with the health crisis. This is
be effectively leveraged governments, international organizations primarily so, because China was among the

beyond simple connectivity, and the private sector decision-makers, 5G first nations to complete required policy,
technology deployment and business use-
too requires the same level of stakeholder
it now merits emphasizing engagement, urgency, decision-making case frameworks to adopt 5G last year.
that 5G may have found its momentum, overcoming regulatory, policy, China has pushed for broadband (Mobile
and Fiber) adoption for years, and had set
and investment sustainability hurdles
first, full-fledged real-life and, release of 5G development funds clear strategic goals for 5G to boost next-
global use-case and it just on war footings, as recently done by the generation digital infrastructure by 2025.
World Bank Group and governments of
may be the best technology several UN Member States to fight the new 5G could have served as a
response to SARS-CoV-2. Coronovirus spread.
much speedier mechanism

Whereas COVID-19 has isolated us all, ICT The country initially and most affected by for connecting medical
infrastructure has emerged among the COVID-19 was the first to use 5G to bring
most important reliability pillars for the a sense of hope in a highly distressful scientists, virologists, mol-
society, with 5G technologies allowing for situation. China, with its vast area, world’s ecular geneticists, medical
various applications to be deployed swiftly, largest and highly mobile population, providers, pathologists,
and remote specialists
to find cure in even more
record time than it has
taken to develop and trial
the current COVID-19
vaccination.

At the pace in which patients are being
admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 all
around the world, with 5G we can realize
innovative medical use-cases, such as
Remote Collaboration, Remote Diagnosis,
Remote Protection, and new services for
the public during the pandemic.

12 MARCH 2020