Page 10 - SAMENA Trends - October 2021

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS

Regional Economies & Connectivity Goals
1. Connectivity is central to and is at the forefront of digital initiatives by the UN, the ITU and the Member States, and their priorities
2. Internet resources are key for all devices that are and will be connected online, and this will dictate the inevitable transition to IPv6
3. Three areas of ITU's work with regards to IPv6 and fiber include: Resolutions; Capacity Building; and Assistance to Member
States
4. In the UAE, fiber roll-out started early, and by adopting international standards, has propelled the UAE to the top of fiber,
globally, and it is key to the emergence of “Gigabit Society” in the region
5. In Saudi Arabia, visions and setting targets were key to drive fiber roll-out, and public and private sectors have invested total
value of 15 bn USD to achieve set targets.
6. Funds and other financial instruments are on the rise in the GCC region, supported by international ownership, better legal
processes, and better data protection policies
7. In Egypt, in line with the SDGs, the “decent life” project targets mainly people in rural areas to provide decent housing,
digital inclusion, high connectivity, different private and public services of education and health and create opportunities and
encourage SMEs , all of which can benefit from better fiber penetration
8. In Pakistan, major barrier has been removed through the introduction of the “Rights of Way Policy Directive”, and fast
track processes with rights of way, streamlined charging mechanism and expedited approval processes, common service
corridors, etc. have been implemented, resulting in 124,000 km of current fiber deployment
9. In Senegal, fiber connectivity is key to economic and socioeconomic progress, especially in view of the Digital Strategy 2025
for the Emerging Senegal Plan
10. Botswana’s increased ICT usage, deployment of IoT devices & smart solutions is demanding increased fiber penetration and
greater need for more IP digital space
11. Each Smart Africa country has flagship projects, including those based on fiber, but with a heterogenous approach to
technologies used for provisioning connectivity

finally achieving IPv6 only networks. The discussions connected
economic development and digital inclusion with the promotion of
IPv6 industry development and which, in the words of Bocar BA,
requires “The will and determination to plan ahead and accelerate
IPv6 transition. Not only will this open new door of opportunity
across business, society, security, and overall sustainability
of the ecosystem; it will literally help create the Intelligent
Internet of everything, which is the ultimate goal of digitalization
transformation." This message was complemented by Huawei's
Xipeng Xiao, Head of Standards & Industry Development for Data
Communications at Huawei Europe, that "the first step in IPv6
transitioning is to start early, as it takes three years to acquire
the necessary skills and capacity to fully implement IPv6." As

10 OCTOBER 2021