Page 4 - SAMENA Trends - November 2020

EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS

The Demands of the Digital Economy

As a pre-requisite to building a sustainable governments and the private sector alike
Digital Economy, fulfilling the requirement that connectivity—at end-user, machine to
for increased network capacity and future- machine, and industrial levels—lies at the
proofing the communications networks with core of these aspirations
greater resilience is a daunting challenge
within the SA-ME-NA region, and various Fostering meaningful connectivity in the age
other developing regions. While there of the digital economy demands Telecom
now is an increased realization to expand Operators to exercise a multi-dimensional,
Fiber and Cloud-based infrastructure, and progressive role. This role through out
IPv6 is gradually transitioning into the the current year, since the pandemic, has
space so far occupied by IPv4, new digital been well-recognized. However, Operators
ecosystems, including IoT, are emerging, themselves are facing tremendous
and new socio-economic use-cases of the revenue-generation challenges, continued
Internet are multiplying, digital development regulatory restrictions, taxation regimes
requirements, however, are becoming and industry fees, all of which have a direct
ever more complex. Key factors that offer impact on how far, how much, and for Bocar A. BA
Chief Executive Officer & Board
potential solutions revolve around public- how long the Operators can continue with Member
private collaboration and revamping policy their voluntary offerings to help reduce SAMENA Telecommunications
and regulatory dynamics and frameworks, financial hardships for the end-users Council
which should become well-adapted to while living up to expectations. This merits
the burgeoning digitization trends. These the consideration of policy-makers and
trends point to a future where data flows regulators, who themselves face multiple
will be intense and where ensuring the challenges, to reduce financial pressures on
sustainability of the nascent Digital Operators and to help improve affordable
Economy will be a major challenge and an access to broadband services for the end-
opportunity. users, and to help expand the Fiber-based
infrastructure by addressing some major
SAMENA Council believes that public- underlying issues, which include but are
private-people cooperation is essential for not limited to Right of Way (ROW) issues in
addressing the digital inclusion imperative, the deployment of Fiber. As emerged during
which has been highlighted repeatedly since the recently held SAMENA Accelerator,
the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit and requirements for higher speeds, better
again, in the mostly recently held, SAMENA bandwidth and improved security over long
Accelerator roundtables, to bringing distances, which form the crux of newest
various industries closer to the Telecom socio-economic activities happening in the
Industry in order to create new cross- digital space have exceeded the capabilities
industry synergies for catalyzing a true of copper. Thus Fiber is essential and
digital renaissance in both socio-economic will become necessary as governments
activity and in industrial productivity. Such help accelerate 5G transformation in their
productivity will be central to building the respective markets and pressures mount
region's Digital Economy, and for which on building cross-industry 5G collaboration
availability of required ICT infrastructure, efforts to create viable use-cases and
especially Fiber, is foundational. Already, business models.
there is consensus and recognition by

4 NOVEMBER 2020