Page 40 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2024

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

across dozens of industries. Thirdly, China Mobile is actively organizations must undergo profound transformations to stay
advancing digital intelligent capabilities for global partners, competitive and deliver exceptional experiences," said Rashid
providing high quality products and empowering partners in Ali Al Ali, Senior Vice President International Data of e&. "By
areas such as 5G private networks and industry applications, to embedding a true customer-centric mindset into our business
create shared success. The keynote addresses delivered by China strategy, operations, and culture, we are able to anticipate and
Mobile, Orange Wholesale International, Singtel, e& and TIM Brasil meet the changing needs of our customers, driving sustainable
provided a powerful vision for the transformation required for the growth for our company.” Alberto Griselli, CEO of TIM Brasil, further
telecoms industries to thrive in the hyper-connected, technology- explored how telecom operators can expand beyond connectivity-
driven landscape. Emmanuel Rochas, CEO of Orange Wholesale centric offerings to unlock new revenue streams and transform the
International, set the tone by emphasizing the critical importance future. “Developing innovative, value-added solutions that address
of forging strategic partnerships and collaborative ecosystems. evolving customer needs and pain points will position telcos as key
He asserted, "Strategic collaboration has become crucial for enablers of the digital economy. Promoting digital transformation,
traditional carriers in fast-paced business environment. By drawing we have an opportunity to contribute to building a more inclusive
on the expertise of partners from diverse industries, operators and diverse society and moving towards a more circular, low-
can stay ahead of new technologies, adapt to evolving markets carbon future,” he said. Under the theme "Collaborate to Innovate,
and effectively serve their customers high expectation towards Shape the Intelligent Future" leading telecom operators from
connectivity services – achieving significant business impact." around the world gathered for an exclusive ceremony to celebrate
Echoing this sentiment, Anna Yip, Deputy CEO of Singtel Singapore, their shared commitment to "Going Global". This prestigious
underscored the pivotal role that the telecommunications sector event featured distinguished guests from companies such as e&,
plays in enabling the emergence of new strategic industries Singtel, TIM Brasil, CTM, and SmarTone to strengthen existing
through the transformative power of 5G and AI. She stated, "The partnership and forge new alliances that will shape the intelligent
telecom industry plays a pivotal role in the emergence of new future of telecommunications. With a vision to chart the course
strategic industries based on transformative technologies like for the future of international partnerships, through this event,
5G and artificial intelligence. By forging impactful partnerships, China Mobile aims to infuse new energy into the global telecom
we unlock new opportunities for businesses and help economies ecosystem and showcase the power of collaboration in leaping
and communities tackle complex global challenges." "As customer forward in the intelligent future.
expectations continue to rapidly evolve in our digital-first world,

Cisco Launches $1bn Fund for AI Startups

Cisco has announced that it has launched a $1 billion fund to aligns with the company strategy “to connect and protect the AI
invest in AI startups in a push to become more dominant in the era.” According to the press release, related investments in more
AI sphere. At the company’s “Cisco Live” event in Las Vegas, CEO established AI companies have already begun, with almost $200
Chuck Robbins said that despite a billion-dollar investment being million having been invested in companies including:
considered small in the AI world, “part of our investment thesis is – Mistral AI, which specializes in generative artificial intelligence
that there are unique co-development activities that we can enter – Scale AI, which provides end-to-end platform providing training
into with [startups] to bring you more innovative solutions and help and validation for AI applications
you navigate the AI transition.” The firm also say that the investment – Cohere, which provides security-focused frontier large language
models (LLMs) for businesses
“At Cisco, we believe we are well positioned to be the best strategic
partner for our customers in the AI era as they look to build, secure,
and power AI,” said Mark Patterson, Cisco’s Chief Strategy Officer.
“In addition to building essential technology to connect, secure
and advance AI, Cisco is committed to investing in the broader
AI ecosystem to more effectively meet our customers’ needs,” he
continued. The company are not just investing in startups, but
partnering with larger firms too. Again, at the “Cisco Live” event in
Las Vegas, the two companies announced an AI cluster solution
the data center that “transforms how customers build, manage
and optimize infrastructure and software.” The companies say
that it is designed so that customers can focus on AI innovations
and new revenue streams instead of IT management.

40 MAY-JUNE 2024