Page 48 - SAMENA Trends - October 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Rapid Digitization Must be Collaborative to Ensure Both Prosperity and

Sustainability in the Middle East

accelerated the advent of a digital sector would require advancing open,
world,” said Yi. The executive spoke on transparent, and secure networks. For
how that spirit of collaboration in the its part, in the past 30 years, Huawei
ICT domain can open new windows has not had any major incident related
of socio-economic progress in line to cybersecurity. “We call on all
with countries’ national development parties to cooperate in fields such as
agendas. Yet it will also take a governance architecture, standards,
concerted effort to drive digitalization and verification, sharing successful
in ways that will create value for all. practices so as to enhance the trust and
“Openness and globalization are confidence of the society as a whole,”
irreversible trends. Almost every added Yi. “Cybersecurity is a common
country has now formulated its challenge for the entire industry, for
national strategies, and the integration all companies and all countries. It is
of advanced technologies such as 5G, really a technical issue, and it needs
cloud, and AI will significantly serve the technical solutions based on verifiable
targets of building digital economies facts and objective methods.” The
and achieving these visions and launch of a 5G security working group
targets,” noted Yi. In this regard, earlier this year within the Organization
Huawei has openly collaborated with of the Islamic Cooperation – Computer
government entities to contribute to Emergency Response Team (OIC-
their national visions and develop CERT) is just one example of such
their ICT ecosystems. As a result, collaboration. In addition to being a
Yi confirmed that the company’s member of OIC-CERT, Huawei is one of
business has continued to grow in the the first telecommunication vendors to
region. “We are grateful to customers have its 5G equipment audited, tested,
and partners in the Middle East for and certified under GSMA’s NESAS/
As more industries across the Middle East their trust and support. We remain SCAS scheme, while contributing to
embrace digital transformation, a focus on committed to customer-centricity in developments of 3GPP’s security
collaborative development will be pivotal to the Middle East, for the Middle East,” specifications. Touching on 5G
extending the gains achieved to date, according he added. Though we are living in a specifically, Yi reaffirmed that 5G
to Huawei’s top executive in the region. Steven digital age, Yi acknowledged that some deployments have been “quite
Yi, the recently appointed President of Huawei are still left behind and are unable to successful” in the Middle East to date,
Middle East, spoke with journalists from around benefit from emerging technology with the number of 5G subscribers in
the region on the sidelines of the GITEX Global and the opportunities that it provides. GCC countries estimated to exceed 10
2021 summit held recently in Dubai, UAE. The Meanwhile, the UN has estimated million by the end of 2021. Globally,
executive noted how many governments and that 68% of the world’s population will 176 commercial 5G networks have
enterprises in the Middle East today have live in urban areas by 2050, putting been deployed. “Traffic is growing
benefited greatly from being at the forefront of pressure on cities themselves to move rapidly in the Middle East. Since the
emerging technologies—be it 5G commercial towards more intelligent management pandemic, industry digitization and
deployments, adopting cloud capabilities, and connectivity. “Talent is the online business have gained strong
designing intelligent city infrastructure, and more. cornerstone for a digital economy. momentum. The next important step
In cloud alone, approximately 81% of enterprises While each Middle East country has in 5G development is 5GtoB – applying
globally now use cloud-based applications, with different plans for different situations, 5G technologies to all industries,”
Yi wanting to extend these benefits to countries talent cultivation must be our long- concluded Yi. The benefits of
in the Middle East. Huawei recently announced term strategy,” commented Yi. The developing local talent, strengthening
investing USD15 million to support cloud- executive cited how Huawei alone cybersecurity frameworks, and
oriented ecosystem development in the region, plans to train 100,000 ICT talent across expanding 5G applications are further
with HUAWEI CLOUD having already developed the Middle East over the next three detailed in a new Huawei Intelligent
more than 100 local partners in the Middle East. years, working with local universities World 2030 report, which provides
HUAWEI CLOUD and partners are now covering 27 and relevant organizations and a glimpse of what the world will
regions and serve over 170 countries. “In the past governments. In addition to growing look like in 2030 in healthcare, food,
two years, the development of new technologies the local talent pool, Yi recognized how living spaces, transportation, cities,
and the new normal under the pandemic has the sustainable development of the enterprises, energy, and digital trust.

48 OCTOBER 2021