NEWS
CONTACTLESS PAYMENT ECOSYSTEM EMPAY LAUNCHES IN DUBAI
T
he Emirates Payment Services has announced the launch of Empay, the world’s first contactless instant credit lifestyle payment ecosystem. Empay, designed and developed within the UAE’s Smart Government program framework, is a payment application for secure and cashless transactions. Empay is also the region’s first national contactless mobile payment app developed for the UAE residents
from all walks of life. Empay provides multiple payment modes for people to use as per their convenience and lifestyle requirements. Empay is a culmination of government and private sector service payments including a wide variety of payments and lifestyle services such as Dubai Economic Department License Renewal, all types of bill payments, food ordering from restaurants, education fee payments, international remittance, P2P (Peer-to peer) micro payments and much more. UAE residents can download the free super app from the Google Play Store or iOS App Store and register in just two minutes, and avail a Mastercard powered digital card within the app. The next-gen mobile solution is set to revolutionise customer experience by enabling them to conduct their financial transactions in a simple, fast, smart, and secure way.
AVAYA TO MAKE EVERY EXPERIENCE MATTER AT GITEX 2020 Avaya has announced its participation at the 2020 edition of GITEX Technology Week, where the company will demonstrate solutions that address post-pandemic business challenges and prepare organisations for the new world of work. Avaya’s presence at GITEX Technology Week, the only in-person global technology exhibition of 2020, will be supplemented with a large footprint on GITEX Unlimited, a digital platform that enables remote visitors to experience the event from the comfort of their homes and offices. Under the theme ‘Every Experience Matters’, the technologies on display are based on Avaya’s multi-cloud application ecosystem that delivers effortless, seamless, and context-driven experiences across all touchpoints for customers and the employees who serve them. “The world is very much adapting 6
CXO INSIGHT ME
DECEMBER 2020
to new business models – a fact made obvious by GITEX Technology Week’s decision to adopt a hybrid approach for its 2020 edition. COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation by several years, and amid that shift, it’s become clear that increased focus needs to be placed on delivering incredible experiences across every touchpoint. We’ll be at GITEX to demonstrate how every experience matters, felt by a customer or employee and whether it’s online or in-person. And that prioritizing those experiences is the key to business success in the new future of work,” said Nidal Abou-Ltaif, President, Avaya International.
MORE THAN 1 BILLION PEOPLE TO HAVE 5G COVERAGE BY 2020 END: REPORT Ericsson projects that four out of every ten mobile subscriptions in 2026 will be 5G. This forecast is included in the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. Current 5G uptake in subscriptions and population coverage confirms the technology as deploying the fastest of any generation of mobile connectivity. The report estimates that by the end of 2020, more than 1 billion people – 15 percent of the world’s population – will live in an area that has 5G coverage rolled out. In 2026, 60 percent of the world’s population will have access to 5G coverage, with 5G subscriptions forecast to reach 3.5 billion. Ericsson has raised its yearend 2020 estimate for global 5G subscriptions to 220 million, as service providers continue to build out their networks. The increase is largely due to fast uptake in China, reaching 11 percent of its mobile subscription base. This is driven by a national strategic focus, intense competition between service providers, as well as increasingly affordable 5G smartphones from several vendors. North America is expected to end the year with around 4 percent of its mobile subscriptions being 5G. Commercialization is now moving at a rapid pace and by 2026, Ericsson forecasts that 80 percent of North American mobile subscriptions will be 5G, the highest level of any region in the world. Europe will end the year with around one percent 5G subscriptions in the region. During the year, a number of countries have delayed their auctions of the radio spectrum needed to support 5G deployment.
