Telecom Review Summit 11th Edition - Dubai

THE T E L E CO M S I ND U S T RY M E D I A P L ATFORM

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS’ SUMMIT 2018 - S86

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

CONTENTS

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T HE TELE CO MS I N DUSTRY M EDI A PL ATFORM

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25 The Middle East embraces artificial intelligence: Strategies and initiatives

The largest ICT gathering is back in its 11th edition

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Adopting a new approach for a productive cloud migration 6

Digital innovation to drive the future of 5G networks

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du’s ICT journey brings innovative solutions to life

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5G inspiring the future: Building a fully connected, intelligent worlds

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5G is now: Leading industry development in 2018

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A customer-focused strategy puts Ericsson back on track

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Global tech leaders move to develop DX platforms, but NXN remains market leader in ME

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The automation of society and the centrality of networks

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MYCOM OSI: Enabling automated operations of a digital telco

Outlook to 2019: What should we expect?

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Hengtong Group and PCCW Global committed to providing low latency connectivity by adopting shortest direct route connectivity and enhancing route diversity between Asia, Europe and Africa

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Alfa: Spearheading sustainable development

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CommScope will help operators provide connectivity to buildings

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Our solutions are helping operators transform network economics, says Mavenir’s Virtyt Koshi

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“We strongly believe in our mission to build a connected world”- Elias Saab

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Redefining the ICT industry in KSA: Towards Vision 2030

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IPv6 deployment and why it matters

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

EDITORIAL

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Editor in Chief & Senior ICT Analyst Toni Eid toni.eid@tracemedia.info

Toni Eid, founder editor in chief Telecom Review International

Senior Journalists Mark Forker mark@tracemedia.info Christine Ziadeh christine@tracemedia.info Editorial Team Christine Ziadeh (Lebanon), Hadeel Karnib (Lebanon), Jeff Seal (USA), Jennifer Saade (Lebanon), Lacinan Ouattara (Ivory Coast), Mark Forker (UAE), Martha Kassouf (Lebanon), Shelley Beyak (Canada), Toni Eid (UAE), Zane Small (New Zealand), Copy Editor Shelley Beyak Advertising Enquiries Mohammed Ershad ershad@tracemedia.info Graphic Designer Tatiana Issa Responsible Manager Joseph Bou Daher News Provided in cooperation with AFP, the global news agency Published by

Trace Media Ltd. Zouk Mikael, LEBANON Kaslik Sea Side Road, Badawi Group Building, 4th Floor, P.O. Box 90-2113, Jdeidet el Metn Tel. +961 9 211741 M. +961 70 519 666 Trace Media FZ.LLC. Dubai Media City, UAE Building 7, 3rd Floor, Office 341 P.O. Box 502498, Dubai, UAE Tel. +971 4 4474890 M. +971 55 639 7080 Printing

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Telecom Review Summits:

From one success to another A truly global event!

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elcome to the 11th edition of the Telecom Review Summit, held on December 10 and 11, 2018.

We are proud that the Telecom Review Summits have become an important event marked upon the agendas of most ICT leaders spanning the Middle East to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

Each year, the industry’s most influential leaders and speakers attend the Summit and share insights on the latest trends and developments in the ICT industry.

Over the next two days, we will discuss the latest in 5G, data traffic increases and prominent cyber security challenges for public and private clouds. We will examine important topics such as key technologies for smart cities; how operators can find common understanding for technology; the future of smart cities; the need for data management and protection; and how to build a resilient smart city.

On this occasion, allow me to invite you all to the 12th edition of the Telecom Review Summit, which will be held in Beirut on March 29, 2019, at the Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel. Enjoy the Summit. Enjoy Dubai.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

ABOUT

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The largest ICT gathering is back in its 11th edition Once again, international and regional VIP leaders will meet at the 11th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit held on December 10 – 11, 2018, at the Meydan Hotel, Dubai, UAE. The two-day event is the perfect occasion for networking and ICT discussions.

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he 11th Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit will tackle trending topics facing the telecom and ICT industry today, including: on day 1, the future of telecom operators, 5G strategies, cybersecurity and data traffic; whereas, day 2 will focus on smart cities with topics like the role of infrastructure in smart cities, smart healthcare, artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital identity.

The first day, organized under the theme, “It’s All About SMART

Networking”, will conclude with the traditional Telecom Review Excellence Awards ceremony where companies and leaders will be recognized for their contribution to the industry. An independent panel of industry veterans will determine the winners. This year, two awards will be dedicated to the best global and regional smart city.

Winners of the best smart city award have been chosen following an online voting operation which was announced months prior to the summit.

On December 11, the second edition of “Building the SMART Future” will address every aspect of smart

cities. Panels will revolve around the characteristics of leading smart cities, smart healthcare, AI and blockchain’s impact on the industry’s ecosystem and sectors, organizing and utilizing data as a fuel for smart cities, the elements that enhance smart cities’ resilience and the future of smart cities.

The success of the 11th edition will be echoed in the 12th edition which will be held on March 29, 2019, at Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon.

ICT leaders and experts are invited to attend this next highly-anticipated edition of Telecom Review Summit.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

OPINIONS

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Digital innovation to drive the future of 5G networks

Digital innovation is what intrigues the industry, the world and companies like Etisalat today. But, if you go back centuries, the inception of what you see today is due to the constant need to innovate. This need to bring change to make an impact in our daily lives has given rise to some revolutionary ideas and inventions.

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t Etisalat, we take digital innovation seriously, and as a result, pursue ideas and opportunities to make the digital future a reality. It is challenging to pen down a single idea that has intrigued us, as we work with various partners on futuristic technologies to bring digital

innovations and solutions to our consumers and to make it part of their lifestyle.

modernization and our multiple steps to support the innovating environment in the UAE.

Digital innovation is central to Etisalat’s journey to transform from a traditional telco into a digital telco.

Our digital innovation initiatives are manifested through our diverse product portfolio, digital experience, internal digitization, network

Investing in innovation Etisalat believes in investing in a future that will lay the foundation for ideas.

This has led to investment in our next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. Our partnership with the government-supported accelerator

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

OPINIONS

program, Dubai Future Accelerators, is a testament to the company’s belief and philosophy that we have to work hand in hand with the next generation, and give them the building blocks to create and innovate to make the digital future a reality.

The launch of the innovation program, Future Now by Etisalat Digital, was another step in this direction, which will open doors for more collaboration with startups, IoT developers, government entities, enterprises and their end users. Future Now has four key pillars: Scale-ups Program, Cocreation Lab, IoT Partner Ecosystem and Innovation Center.

Francisco Salcedo, SVP, Etisalat Digital, said: “The future is taking shape from our actions today, and we believe that the best way forward is to collaborate and innovate in the way we work with our partners and clients.

Future Now by Etisalat Digital will open doors for these collaborations to happen, and with Etisalat’s digital platforms and wide reach, we are committed to supporting innovators to bring their disruptive technologies to reality.”

The Scale-ups Program of Future Now opens doors to tech startups and companies from across the globe to accelerate their business in the UAE and partner with Etisalat to bring new solutions to the market. Startups will get access to workshops and mentorship sessions, opportunities in the UAE market, in addition to coworking spaces where they can work closely with key stakeholders from Etisalat.

The Future Now Co-creation Lab enables customers to “co-construct” feasible and viable solutions using a sharpened design thinking process and human-centered approach to generate fresh ideas for solving complex problems to enhance business results. Future Now includes, as well, an IoT partnerships ecosystem, where it invites developers and innovators ranging from IoT companies to talented university students, to build, test and integrate their applications

Digital innovation is central to Etisalat’s journey to transform from a traditional telco into a digital telco

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TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

utilizing Etisalat digital solutions and platforms. With developers being part of Etisalat’s IoT ecosystem, they will have access to hands-on IoT workshops, hackathons and events.

OPINIONS

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Etisalat Network Coverage

5G to be a game changer 5G will be a game changer for the telecom industry with its rich potential, an evolution that would elevate services, performance and enablement. Such new technologies are one of the gateways enabling UAE’s digital aspiration/vision, market trends and Etisalat’s long-term strategy.

Saeed Al Zarouni, senior vice president, Mobile Network, Etisalat, highlighted: “Etisalat has taken the lead in 5G this year and this is a testimony to our long-standing efforts in bringing growth and innovation to the country, laying the foundation for smart city development. We believe 5G technologies and services will deliver capacity and connectivity along with opportunities for economic growth, education, healthcare, transportation and more.”

Etisalat launched 5G in the UAE in May this year with a limited number of sites in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and are now in collaboration with telecoms vendors worldwide to have 600 basestations before the end of 2019.

“This will give coverage to all the main cities in the UAE. We are now pushing the mobile handset makers to speed up their side of production to ensure the 5G service is well used,” said Zarouni.

Etisalat customers will have access to 5G internet speeds in homes and on mobile devices by September next year. With speeds of up to 100 gigabits a second, 5G could be 35 times faster than 4G. Latency, or delay, will also be a game changer for mobile technology.

Etisalat aims to reduce latency to less than 10 milliseconds on the new 5G network, which a third of the lag time on 4G. The new network is also likely to be cheaper to use, and health care is considered the most likely to unlock new profits.

5G will be a game changer for the telecom industry

At GITEX Technology week this year, Etisalat’s RoboPharmacy, an unmanned futuristic pharmacy system and an automated system, was a 5G showcase that can use a 5G connection between the hospital and pharmacy.

The automated system uses a 5G connection between the hospital and pharmacy to send data on prescriptions for patients that can then be collected.

Operations could also be done remotely using 5G and special haptic gloves worn by surgeons from hundreds of kilometers away.

“These solutions are aimed at creating a more efficient and reliable healthcare system and transforming the health care of tomorrow,” said Dr. Ahmed bin Ali, a senior vice president at Etisalat.

“By creating these telemedicine networks where caregivers can collaborate, patients can have easy access to the best care possible regardless of where they live.”

Etisalat’s investment in 5G technologies is a prime example that has gained relevance because it is considered a major enabler for the next generation of broadband service and the internet of things, which is growing exponentially due to the global adoption of connected devices.

With its implementation, 5G will provide opportunities for economic growth and massive developments in the areas of ICT infrastructure, education, employment, transportation and more.

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TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

INTERVIEW

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continue to drive this new ecosystem in a connected world, the measure of success will be primarily defined by new technologies, innovative new solutions, platforms and partnerships that will enable a transformation agenda.

Artificial intelligence has become an important pillar in enterprises’ strategies, notably in the UAE. How is du using AI to improve customer experience?

AI is part of du’s key strategic pillars for driving change and is part of our ongoing commitment to the UAE AI Strategy 2031. With new technologies on the horizon that will disrupt the future, our customer-centric business objectives seek to make the customer experience as seamless and even more natural than ever before.

du’s ICT journey brings innovative solutions to life

Artificial intelligence, blockchain and smart cities are some of the technologies defining du’s ICT journey. In an interview with Telecom Review, Jihad Tayara, vice president ICT Business Development, du, and Marwan Bindalmook, SVP ICT Solutions & Smart City Operations, du, talked in depth about the operator’s journey to improve customer experience and to position Dubai as a leading smart city.

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ITC reported strong growth in the first nine-month period. What are the elements that enabled this growth?

When we first launched our business back in 2007, we were dedicated to offering “choice” to our customers. We also sought to be seen as the preferred telecom operator in the UAE. However, today that mission has evolved and we now seek to integrate into people’s lifestyles and to become the preferred lifestyle operator of choice. Transformation

Du signed MoUs in April 2017 with Ultimate AI from Finland, and Polish Quantum Lab, to enable enhanced customer experiences and interactions.

In partnership with Dubai Future Accelerators, du is integrating its partners’ AI messaging capabilities into its network. Through the implementation of this AI-specific engagement, customers will be able to communicate with du’s customer care and services, and devices in their smart homes and offices via text and/or voice messaging on the channels of their choice – all in real time.

has remained at the forefront of our business objectives. We have come a long way in a short period, but our success is defined by continually striving to challenge our capabilities in the telco sector.

Most recently, we formalized an ongoing collaboration with Microsoft for an artificial intelligence program designed to empower employees, engage customers, optimize operations and streamline the delivery of products and services. Microsoft’s technologies, such as Cognitive Services and Facial Text Speech, are being evaluated to strengthen our overall customer experience through intelligent customer care.

On the enterprise front, we’ve found success in moving beyond connectivity.

Today we are offering an entire value stack of solutions – from basic connectivity, to security, datacenters and cloud, all the way to breakthrough technologies. We aim to be an ICT solutions provider and the partner of choice for our customers. As we

Providing a seamless customer experience will continue to drive the market, and the value of our services and offerings will definitely be offset by the experience factor. Additionally, AI technologies are being showcased at the EITC Idea Hub to demonstrate technological developments that focus on the digital services of the future.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

Dubai is ranked among the world’s top smart cities. What role does du play in keeping Dubai among the world’s leading smart cities?

Du is a proud strategic partner with the Smart Dubai Office and is playing a crucial role in powering the Smart City 2021 vision. The Smart Dubai platform unites city services, IoT, cloud services, big data and digital identity to build a comprehensive point of exchange for government and private sector services.

As the strategic partner for the Smart Dubai Platform, du brings a thorough know-how of Dubai’s landmark approach to smart cities, exemplified by the company’s ongoing smart city initiatives, continuing investment in smart infrastructure and long-standing support of entrepreneurship and fostering innovation.

Examples of du’s role in making the smart city vision a reality can be seen through the next generation Dubai Pulse operating system and dashboard. Through Dubai Pulse, du is working to help offer city services, big data, digital identity, cloud and IoT capabilities. Being the strategic partner for the Smart Dubai Office, we will be playing an important role of deploying this central operating system for the city. The end goal is to make Dubai the happiest city on earth through technological innovation and implementation, and to set the benchmark for cross-sector partnerships for smart cities across the globe.

How is EITC contributing to the achievement of the UAE blockchain strategy that was launched in April 2018? According to your expert opinion, how can blockchain help businesses?

EITC has taken large strides towards recognizing the UAE blockchain strategy that was launched in April 2018 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.

In light of this, du is partnering with ConsenSys to build the first blockchain platform as a service (BPaaS) in the UAE. BPaaS is a cloud native blockchain infrastructure that can provision private

INTERVIEW blockchain networks with a high level of customization, support multiple consensus algorithms with monitoring, managing capabilities and smart contract capabilities on the ethereum blockchain, and will support multiple blockchain frameworks in the near future.

Additionally, our smart concierge is a smart identity platform that utilizes blockchain technology to ensure a secure and comprehensive digital presence and engagement solution.

Du has also partnered with NMC Healthcare in the UAE to implement electronic health records with the use of blockchain technology. This is an initiative from du, as a member of the Global Blockchain Council, which was established by the Dubai Future Foundation, to test and accelerate the implementation of blockchain technology in the country.

The transformation agenda for blockchain realization is no longer in the distant future; it’s happening all around us. Reliable data is needed in our ever-growing digitalized world, and blockchain innovations hold the key for next generation technologies to enhance our country’s role as a global innovator. Discussions around blockchain are now becoming a reality, and the opportunities these solutions can provide for businesses are immense as they offer companies massive scalability, compatibility and better software with low-cost access to required technology.

In your opinion, which stage has du reached in its ICT journey?

Du is passionately committed to its ICT agenda, working on several new emerging technologies to enable the futuristic smart city in the UAE. We have come a long way in the ICT space, positioning ourselves as a smart ICT partner’ rather than just a traditional telecommunication provider.

Today, what differentiates us from the current ICT players in the market is our delivery as a systems integrator for major projects in this space, whereas others are still working on pilots. We have been able to deploy more than 400 data sets for Dubai Pulse, the Smart

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City Platform by the Smart Dubai office - the digital backbone of Dubai. We are the system integrator for Silicon Park in Dubai Silicon Park where more the 25 smart services have been deployed this is the first Smart District in the UAE. While offering our wide range of IoT solutions, we also focus on the wellbeing of the community and are proudly working on a fire safety solution where we have installed more than 1000 sensors. We are also deploying the National CRM program for the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. Our ICT solutions portfolio comprises of a good mix of solutions including: IoT solutions, cloud and security solutions, infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, blockchain platform and AI platform as a service, data science and analytics, and smart cities and smart district solutions.

As du, we are embracing new disruptive technologies and will continue our ICT journey by bringing new innovative solutions, platforms and partnerships to life.

We seek to integrate into people’s lifestyles and to become the preferred lifestyle operator of choice

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TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

COVERAGE

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5G inspiring the future: Building a fully connected, intelligent world The 9th Global Mobile Broadband Forum – “5G Inspiring the Future” – which was held in London, gathered more than 2,200 leaders and analysts from mobile telecom operators, vertical industries and standards organizations around the world. At the event, Huawei’s rotating chairman, Ken Hu, announced the shipment of Huawei’s first 10,000 5G basestations, outlining the company’s vision for the future of 5G. 5G will start a technology revolution,” he said. “It will bring new power to all ICT technologies, and trigger sweeping changes in business. There will be new opportunities the likes of which we’ve never seen.”

He encouraged industry partners to adopt a fresh mindset as they define new devices, develop new applications and make new breakthroughs in experience.

This, he said, is key to maximizing the value of 5G. He went on to outline the five fundamental changes that 5G will bring: • 5G will turn connectivity into a platform.

With 5G, wireless access networks will go beyond pipe, providing seamless, ubiquitous, and limitless connectivity for all people and all things.

• Everything will go online. Right now, most things are offline by default, and most electronic devices are not connected. With 5G, being online and connected will become the default for everything.

• The world will go all cloud.

Supercharged with 5G, the cloud will provide massive computing power with instant transfer speeds and nearzero lag. This will make intelligence on demand available for everyone, everywhere. New business models like Cloud X – where devices are boosted by inexhaustible cloud-based resources – will begin to emerge.

• Devices will be redefined. With AI support across devices, network, and the cloud, devices will go from plug and play to plug and think. They will understand users better – able to actively predict our needs, not just

passively respond to commands – and interact with us in more natural ways.

• Experience will flow seamlessly.

With existing networks, our online experience is fragmented from one scenario to another. When all things are online and cloud-based, experience and content will flow seamlessly through time, space, and devices for a truly holistic experience across all scenarios.

“From all angles, 5G is ready,” Hu said.

“It’s ready to use, it’s affordable, and most importantly, demand is real. Of course, there are still some barriers to 5G deployment.”

Ken Hu went on to discuss challenges with spectrum allocation and site deployment. Specifically, mobile operators lack spectrum resources.

To help speed up deployment, Hu recommended that governments accelerate the process of harmonizing and releasing continuous bands of largebandwidth 5G spectrum, and at a total cost lower than 4G. “In the meantime,” he pointed out to mobile operators in the audience, “in addition to C-band, all bands can and will eventually be used for 5G, including 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands.”

“As for sites, deploying networks is expensive business,” he continued.

“We encourage governments to make more public resources available for site deployment. Shared utility infrastructure, such as rooftops and light poles, can help carriers cut costs and time, and can even open up new revenue streams for public utilities.”

He summed up his keynote by highlighting Huawei’s four main innovation targets for 5G. “We believe 5G will make an important and lasting contribution to society. At Huawei, we are working hard to make 5G networks stronger, simpler, more intelligent, and more secure.”

This year’s Global Mobile Broadband Forum keynotes tackled a range of topics, including deep dives into new network technology and best practices in commercial 5G deployment. Breakout sessions covered topics like connected services on LTE networks, digital indoor systems, connecting the unconnected in emerging markets, network automation, and cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) networks.

In addition to keynotes and breakout sessions, the forum featured a 2,700 square meter indoor convention hall where Huawei showcased breakthrough network technologies like SingleRAN Pro and next generation applications that use the Cloud X model. Outside the convention hall, an outdoor setup featuring the largest 5G trial network in Europe, gave attendees the opportunity to experience a live, continuous 5G experience in a moving vehicle. In the trial zone, all four of the UK’s major operators – BT/EE, Three UK, Vodafone and O2 – were working side by side to showcase 5G solutions for WTTx (wireless for home broadband), the internet of things and connected vehicles.

The Global Mobile Broadband Forum has been held every year since 2010. The purpose of the forum is to encourage more in-depth discussion and collaboration between global telecom operators, vertical industries and other stakeholders across the value chain.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

OPINIONS

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5G is now: Leading industry development in 2018

Over 2,000 of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry’s most influential players gathered in London for Huawei’s 9th annual Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF). The event was a platform to showcase the rapid strides 5G has made in the past year. In addition to the outfield demonstration of the largest 5G commercial demo site in Europe, 10 operators and 36 vertical industry partners jointly displayed their industry-leading technologies.

Representatives from the telecommunications sector, vertical industries and standards organizations witnessed firsthand innovative 5G applications across fields from the internet of things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), connected vehicles (V2X) and more.

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he displays we saw in London, and the overall 5G industry progress made in 2018, lead me to state with confidence that 5G is here. While we are still at an early stage for this cutting-edge technology, there is an undeniable acceleration of 5G adoption globally.

Currently, 154 operators from 66 countries and regions have conducted 5G tests. According to GSMA figures, 110 markets in the world will deploy 5G facilities by 2025. We have moved from a stage where many of us questioned the technology’s added value, to a stage where everyone accepts the need to consider an early adoption of 5G, or at least strategic modernization

in order to quickly adapt the technology’s services, at the risk of being left out of all the benefits these new networks will bring.

As our rotating chairman Ken Hu eloquently said in London, “5G will start a technology revolution.

It will bring new power to all ICT technologies, and trigger sweeping changes in business. There will be new opportunities the likes of which we’ve never seen.”

5G’s impact will be deep and widereaching, bringing new power to ICT and transforming industries and vertical sectors. And we are not far from this new reality. Ken Hu announced that Huawei shipped over 10,000 5G basestations in 2018, evidence that 5G progress

5G will drive continuous developments in cloud and AI, leading to innovative new use cases

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

OPINIONS

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is accelerating much faster than expected.

The important milestones announced at MBBF reinforce this view. The chief technology information officer of BT Group announced the launch of a live 5G trial in Canary Wharf, to be followed by 16 other cities across the UK in 2019. Deutsche Telekom declared their ambition to provide 5G coverage to 99.3 percent of household by 2025.

Huawei is proud to say we now have 23 commercial contracts worldwide, and over 50 operators globally have already deployed commercial 5G tests using our technology. The Middle East is also leading the way: over seven countries and 14 operators in the region have launched 5G trials and field trials using our E2E 5G systems, effectively promoting the development of 5G in the region. In a groundbreaking global milestone, in the first half of 2018, we supported leading operators in the region to launch the world’s first 5G commercial network.

At Huawei, we are passionate advocates of the great potential of 5G. This is why we offer a full E2E 5G portfolio ready to be deployed. We have launched the Huawei Single RAN Pro, designed to unleash powerful network capabilities, transform all services to “wireless first” and increase revenue growth and save OPEX through artificial intelligence (AI). And this year at MBBF, we truly felt our customers’ awareness and appreciation for the solutions we provide, and for the industry ecosystem we have built through collaboration with other leading players.

We were honored by the recognition we received in London for all the efforts we have made in 5G. We were particularly touched by a statement from BT Group chief architect commenting that, “There is only one true 5G supplier right now and that is Huawei – the others need to catch up.” The chief technology officer of Deutsche Telekom also highlighted the support we have given in driving the commercial 5G ecosystem and laying the foundation for 5G rollout in Germany. This comes in light of our longstanding collaboration, most

Our aim at Huawei is to continue to focus on establishing an open, collaborative and win-win ecosystem

recently when Deutsche Telekom deployed 5G NR clusters integrating our 64T64R Massive MIMO antennas into a live network in Berlin, which is now successfully up and running.

There is still further progress to be made. 5G will drive continuous developments in cloud and AI, leading to innovative new use cases.

We need to deeply integrate AI into mobile networks to deliver superior user experience, increase operating efficiency, and ultimately make autonomous driving mobile networks a reality. Autonomous driving is a prime example of the need for a digital ecosystem: it depends not on the innovation of a single product, but innovation across the system

architecture and vertical industries.

Our aim at Huawei is to continue to focus on establishing an open, collaborative and win-win ecosystem, through which we can help our partners meet customers’ needs through enhanced connectivity, and improve user experience across business scenarios. Our vision is to bring digital to every home, person, and organization for a fully connected and intelligent world. As we saw at MBBF, this world is not far off. As we move into 2019, we look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners so that consumers, organizations, and nations can profit from the fruits of 5G.

By Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East

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TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

INTERVIEW

24

A customerfocused strategy puts Ericsson back on track Ericsson appointed a new CEO and executive team 18 months ago which has led to the adoption of a new strategy that the company calls ‘the Focused Business Strategy’ because it is more customer-oriented.

Telecom Review had the opportunity to speak to Helena Norrman, senior vice president, chief marketing and communications officer and head of marketing & corporate relations at Ericsson, to know more about the vendor’s new strategy and get an update on what to expect in 2019.

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orrman explained that Ericsson’s focused strategy is built on customers’ needs. 5G holds the potential of increasing revenues, while operators need to have the best technology to be able to fulfill the high demand on

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

data at the lowest cost and also offer a pleasant end user experience. We have done investments into gaining insights for 5G for both consumers and industry digitalization, bringing operators some initial answers on what business potential there might be in industry digitalization by 5G, including what are the top use cases and how to capture this potential. If the networks are not performing, they will not deliver the use cases, and if the operators are not set up to be a modern digital organization, they will not be able to offer a good customer experience.

Ericsson’s new strategy, which was launched 14 months ago, has brought Ericsson back on its feet again. The vendor registered growth in the third quarter of this year for the first time since 2014 and achieved profitability for the first time since 2016.

Norrman highlighted that the appetite for data services has increased among customers and consumers which has posed a challenge to industry players that have struggled to leverage that demand into good business. In order for operators to be able to address the demand without affecting the network’s quality, they need to find a way to reduce the cost of liberating the data. This is what Ericsson is trying to tackle to support operators through its strategy.

In terms of 5G, Ericsson’s CMO mentioned that 5G technology is already a reality in North America and will become a reality in more advanced markets in 2019, especially that networks are getting ready for the technology and 5G-compatible devices will be launched soon.

Consumers will be able to use the technology and benefit from the limitless opportunities it offers.

Ericsson is one of the world leaders in the telecoms industry. How do you see marketing playing a role within the company’s strategy?

It all comes back to the business and how it is developing. The takeoff of 5G is what we are talking about now. Since 5G is different in

INTERVIEW character and is more of a platform for innovation, it will bring many use cases. Of course it will be important to our customers, but it will also have the possibility of creating new businesses for our customers and bringing more applications, industries and enterprises to the network.

All of this means that the role of marketing is changing as well because it will not only be about how we are interacting with customers and attracting talent, but also it is becoming a broader discussion with the ecosystem. It’s about showcasing the technology’s possibilities to our customers’ customers. It’s about sparking the interest and showing the possibilities so that our customers can start engaging with other players. It’s not only a relationship between us and our customers, but also an ecosystem play because you will need a lot of different components in place in order to fully leverage the technology.

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What are the key pillars of Ericsson’s marketing strategy?

Our marketing strategy is built on three pillars. The first pillar is supporting the business, improving customer experience, and showcasing our technologies and the value of our solutions to our customers to make sure that they select us and value working with us.

The second pillar is to position Ericsson for future growth, which is not about selling today but also making sure that our customers see us as a relevant partner for the future. So, it’s about technology leadership, innovation and understanding not only our customers’ business today but also making them feel that we have a good direction for the future.

The final pillar is about restoring trust and confidence in the company because if you go through a difficult patch, you have to be humble, prove your value and show your stakeholders and customers that

Therefore, we have to broaden our horizons and be part of a bigger discussion. This is the shift that we’re undertaking.

Strategies evolve over the years to cope with the emerging trends and developments. Can you explain the evolution of Ericsson’s brand strategy?

We did a big strategic change in April 2017 when this focused business strategy was launched.

Since then, we’ve been executing on that strategy that is bearing fruit. In connection with that, we developed a new brand strategy and aligned our marketing strategy with our new business strategy.

We are now more focused on the customer experience and customer value, and it’s more specific to the value we create for our customers.

So, we developed a new brand strategy as part of our business strategy development, and we have adopted the marketing strategy to make sure that it is a very strong support.

We have to broaden our horizons and be part of a bigger discussion

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INTERVIEW

you’re back and you can be trusted because you have what it takes.

2019 will still be about 5G but it won’t be the buzzword anymore

5G was the buzzword in 2018. What will be the main focus in 2019?

2019 will still be about 5G but it won’t be the buzzword anymore. It is the year of the real 5G. Commercial launches were made before the end of this year, but the majority of the early commercial launches will happen next year.

We should expect to see networks coming into play and a lot of developments will happen in order for us to start using the networks.

In 2019, 5G will be a reality in more markets; we will start to see real business and use cases. That will spark the conversation about

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innovation and use cases, because it is only when a technology is in a place that people can actually start to understand what they can use it for. That process will start happening in 2019.

How do you describe your role within Ericsson?

My role allows me to work with everyone in the company at all the levels of the portfolio. I work closely with strategy development, financial performance and strategy execution. I work at the intersection of everything we do. My job is to make sure that we understand what we’re doing and what we want to do so we can position the company for success and engage in a relevant way.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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The Middle East embraces

artificial intelligence: Strategies and initiatives

The adoption of artificial intelligence has been rapidly accelerating across the regions that embraced its impact on industries, economies and lives. The Middle East has seen a significant increase in the technology’s adoption and parts of the region have already embraced the new digital age.

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study conducted by the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated that spending on cognitive and artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region will grow from $37.5 million in 2017 to over $100 million by 2021,

representing a growth rate of 32% a year.

The Middle East has chosen to be part of the technological disruption and shift towards advanced technologies, namely artificial intelligence. The latter will have a huge impact on the region, notably at the economic level given the benefits of AI in generating revenues and

increasing countries’ GDP. In fact, a study by PwC estimates that the Middle East is expected to accrue 2% of the total global benefits of AI in 2030, which is equivalent to US$320 billion. In absolute terms, the largest gains are expected to accrue to Saudi Arabia where AI is expected to contribute over US$135.2 billion in 2030 to the economy, equivalent to 12.4% of GDP. In relative terms,

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

the UAE is expected to see the largest impact of close to 14% of 2030 GDP. The KSA and UAE have been largely investing in artificial intelligence which puts them on top of the countries in the region aiming to adopt the technology and leverage it. Governments and businesses are striving to strengthen their AI capabilities and are committing to strategies they have elaborated in this regard. Infrastructure and access to skilled labor are also two factors that enabled the development of AI in these two countries, in particular, compared to a slower development in other Middle Eastern countries.

The UAE’s strategy for AI launched in October 2017 reflects the government’s commitment to technologically enhancing the nation.

In addition, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, appointed H.E. Omar Bin Sultan Al Olama as the first Minister of State for AI. In this context, The UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Invest India have signed in July a Memorandum of Understanding for the India-UAE Artificial Intelligence Bridge, which is dedicated to spur discussion and explore options for both countries to grow their artificial intelligence economies. This partnership will generate an estimated $20 billion USD in economic benefits over the next decade. The UAE-India collaboration will seek to evaluate the dynamic nature of innovation and technology by convening a UAE-India AI Working Committee (TWG) between the UAE Ministry for Artificial Intelligence, Invest India and Startup India. The TWG will meet once a year with the mandate to increase investment in AI startups and research activities in partnership with the private sector.

“How a country chooses to embrace artificial intelligence will have a tremendous impact on a country’s ability to innovate and prosper. In the coming years, data and processing will be a catalyst for innovation and business growth and serve as the

ICT FEATURE backbone of more effective and efficient service delivery systems,” said His Excellency Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence for the United Arab Emirates on the occasion.

Furthermore, UAE-based telecommunications service provider, EITC (du), has formalized an ongoing collaboration into a strategic partnership with Microsoft on an artificial intelligence program designed to empower employees, engage customers, optimize operations and streamline the delivery of products and services.

Over the past 10 months, du has been working closely with Microsoft on identifying ways to incorporate digitally transformative technologies such as AI and machine learning into the company’s ICT infrastructure, and to train du employees on ways to leverage them. Some of Microsoft’s technologies and platforms, such as its cloud services platform Azure, as well as its cognitive services and facial recognition platforms, are currently being showcased at EITC’s newlyopened Idea Hub in Dubai.

UAE operator, Etisalat, has also been focusing on AI in several initiatives, most importantly in its partnership with the government-supported Dubai Future Accelerators. Dubai Future Accelerators was launched in 2016

by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the chairman of Dubai Future Foundation under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai. The program is a government initiative that aims to bring the world’s most exciting and transformative technology startups to Dubai, to collaborate with local entities and find solutions for future challenges.

This partnership is part of the Etisalat Digital strategy to bring the latest technologies and innovations to enable a smart ecosystem. The 5th cohort of Dubai Future Accelerators is focusing on creating smart innovative solutions based on emerging technologies like AI and blockchain. The technology

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themes for the challenges under the fifth cohort of this program revolve around using AI and blockchain to address key areas of any smart city.

Saudi Arabia has also been very active in the development of AI-based technologies in a bid to achieve digital transformation. To that end, it has established Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020 that identify digital transformation as a key goal.

Saudi Arabia was the first country in the world to grant citizenship to a robot. Sophia, the female robot built by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, was introduced at a large investment conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The purpose of presenting the robot was to give an example of how robot technology and artificial intelligence will make machines more human-like in the future.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 recognizes the important role that development of advanced technology, AI and industrial automation will play in the future of society, particularly as an economic diversification tool.

Saudi telecom operator, STC, has adopted a new strategic approach which will help accelerate its digital transformation through its new DARE strategy, which is based on the following four pillars: Digitizing STC, Accelerate performance of core assets, Reinvent customer experience and Expand aggressively scale and scope. The DARE strategy is well aligned with the information revolution that is taking place globally through technologies such as internet of things, information security, data analysis and artificial intelligence.

AI has the potential to fundamentally disrupt markets in the Middle East through the creation of innovative new services and new business models. Leaders should explore the possibilities and set their strategies in order to grasp the endless opportunities provided by artificial intelligence in the region.

Nokia 5G Future X Unleashing the potential of 5G

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Global tech leaders move to develop DX platforms, but NXN remains market leader in ME Digital transformation is fundamentally reshaping how every industry all over the world operates. Enterprises and organizations that resist digital transformation or are slow to embrace digitalization ultimately fall behind and struggle to remain competitive.

its approach to digital transformation is NXN. The company, formerly known as NeXgen, decided to rebrand its operations and launched its new DNX digital platform two years ago. Under the dynamic vision and leadership of its CEO, Ghazi Atallah, NXN has now become the go-to player for digital transformation with its tried and trusted DNX platform.

NXN has enjoyed phenomenal success with the DNX platform, and what ultimately differentiates the platform from its competitors is the fact that it is now mature and is already achieving the digital transformational objectives and goals for governments, enterprises and organizations all over the GCC region.

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he advent of revolutionary new technologies such as AI, machine learning, internet of things, big data and 5G will help accelerate the global movement towards digital transformation even further by 2020.

Moreover, global technology companies like Microsoft, Huawei and SAP are now developing their

NXN identified the emerging trend of digital transformation much earlier than any of its global competitors, thanks to the innovative vision of Atallah. He recognized that enterprises and organizations would need to embrace digital transformation in order to stay relevant and maintain growth in a new era, which has been dubbed by ICT experts as ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution’. own digital platforms in an effort to establish a foothold in what it is fast becoming a hugely lucrative market worldwide. However, those technology thought-leaders are at the very formative stages of the development of their digital platforms.

These technology leaders, in many ways, are being reactive to the emergence of digital transformation, which has completely engulfed major industries globally. However, one company which has been proactive in

When NXN rebranded in 2016, the company decided to change course.

NXN moved beyond consulting services, as part of its efforts to become a fully-fledged digital services provider. It has enjoyed phenomenal success over the last number of years, sought after by enterprises and organizations seeking to implement digital transformation into their existing operations.

It has also become a pioneer and trailblazing figure in the smart city

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movement all across the GCC region.

NXN is spearheading a number of smart city initiatives all over the GCC region, and signed a notable strategic partnership agreement with telecommunications operator, Zain, which is aligned with Kuwait’s Vision 2035 government development plan.

The critical component in the success of NXN in terms of leading the ME region to embrace digital transformation has been the creation of its innovative and cutting-edge digital platform, DNX. Its flagship solution is a smart, open, digital platform enabling all individual services to run in a cohesive environment.

It synergizes across applications, fusing data and analysis to provide a 360 degree platform view for digital service development, management and operations. DNX provides a horizontal interoperable platform to deliver vertical use cases efficiently with collaborative ecosystems throughout the value chain.

Global consulting colossus, IDC, is currently examining the phenomenon of digital transformation and is compiling detailed research into digital platforms, which are also known as DX. IDC recently produced a comprehensive whitepaper which examined the role NXN’s DNX platform has played in helping deliver the digital transformation goals for the organizations, enterprises and stakeholders it has partnered with all over the GCC region.

As mentioned above, its strategic partnership with Zain has created smart city technology solutions as a service - which includes design and integration for applications such as smart living in smart districts, smart safety and security, smart utilities, smart healthcare and smart education - and has been described as groundbreaking, whilst other ICT experts have labelled the DNX platform as a game changer.

In IDC’s report, it claims that NXN is well placed to continue the success it has enjoyed in leading digital

NXN has now become the go-to player for digital transformation

transformation in the Middle East because its DNX platform is now mature and can easily integrate new technologies into the platform as they emerge.

IDC wrote, “The DNX platform has artificial intelligence and blockchain modules with the flexibility to add more emerging technologies. By adopting the ‘as a service’ approach, DNX allows organizations to start working almost immediately on projects that have a meaningful impact on customers, while controlling expenses and ensuring flexibility. The platform is architected around functional blocks with well defined capabilities and integration

boundaries, so they are open and swappable, and can be developed and sized independently, as warranted.”

The whitepaper also highlights the collaborations NXN has embarked upon with global technology leaders which significantly enhances the platforms capabilities. In addition to this, it illustrates how the DNX platform enables organizations to improve their decision-making processes through its data analytics and technology dashboard.

IDC writes, “The DNX platform sits on top of existing systems and acts as an intelligent platform that allows the

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free flow of data within the organization and turns data into insights, as well as builds new digital services. These digital services can be pre-built or custombuilt based on the unique requirements of the organization. The DNX platform is built in cooperation with well-known technology leaders including DELL EMC, SAP, Esri, Microsoft, Vidsys and others. The technology has been architecturally orchestrated and integrated in a way that allows NXN to provide organizations with dashboards and data analytics that add value to decision-making processes.”

Digitization is the conversion of analog or traditional data into digital data and putting it into a platform for specific services. Digital transformation is the process of using digitization to change the processes of an organization to foster transformation. This process, DX, is where the term DNX arose from for NXN’s digital platform.

In a previous interview with Telecom Review, NXN’s chief business officer, Labib Matta, explained the thought process behind the platforms creation and highlighted the capabilities it brings to enterprises seeking change.

Matta said, “It’s about changing the culture of an organization to be more agile and efficient. In order to achieve that, you need to tackle issues within the organization piece by piece so that you’re able to manage it. To address that, we came up with our platform DNX – an enabler for digital transformation across industries. It’s a platform that enables the development and rollout of digital services across multiple verticals in a structured and cohesive way.”

The sentiments expressed by Matta were echoed by Khaled Charif, director of technology and innovation at NXN, who reiterated his belief that the best way to integrate and harmonize transformative technologies was through a digital platform.

Charif said, “We believe that a digital platform is the best way to effectively harness the benefits that many emerging technologies promise to deliver on - the resulting landscape

What differentiates NXN’s digital platform from its competitors is the technology behind it

is a perfect example where the total is greater than the sum of the parts.

Artificial intelligence applications, for example, can only strive when they feed on large and heterogeneous data sets; an underlying big data platform brings those data sets into the picture and facilitates their consumption, while enablers such as M2M and IOT facilitate the process of connecting and tapping into relevant data sources.

This is a good example where we can think of these technologies as individual building blocks that form part of a common digital platform.”

According to IDC, what differentiates NXN’s digital platform from its

competitors is the technology behind it.

IDC wrote, “The DNX platform is built in cooperation with well-known technology leaders including DELL EMC, SAP, Esri, Microsoft, Vidsys and others. The technology has been architecturally orchestrated and integrated in a way that allows NXN to provide organizations with dashboards and data analytics that add value to decision-making processes.” *IDC White Paper, sponsored by DNX, “Embracing Digital Transformation through DX Platforms,” IDC, November 2018.

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The automation of society and the centrality of networks

Kamal Ballout, head of TEPS MEA & Global Energy Segment, Nokia

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or example, 75 percent of the workforce in the US works in asset-intensive organizations such as manufacturing, power utilities, mining and transportation. But these industries have seen very little growth in comparison to the digital sector, which has seen four times the level of growth since 2000. These industries have employed digital point solutions, such as robots in manufacturing and mining, smart grid technologies in the power sector and advanced signalling systems for railways. While effective, these isolated systems could be much more productive if integrated across the organization using high performance networks, cloud technologies and cognitive analytics.

IoT, the key for optimal productivity For all of these sectors, the availability

In comparison to the Industrial Revolution, the Information Revolution has been disappointing from a productivity perspective. But all of that is set to change with automation trends such as smart cities and Industry 4.0. The digitally driven automation of our infrastructure will have very productive results in many areas of life, including manufacturing, energy, transportation and many more. IoT married with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive/machine learning and machine-to-machine communications will finally enable us to harvest the fruits of our digital data for real-world results. Many things are coming together to make this possible, but at the center of it all is the network, which is the real driver of this revolution. of IoT sensors connected to the network is a key part of the shift.

Take, for instance, asset monitoring, which is critical to controlling costs and ensuring reliability and up-time of systems. Current maintenance techniques, which use statistical measures such as mean time between failures (MTBF), can be much more accurate using networked sensors and machine learning. Instead of relying on historical data and average statistical models, machine learning uses the real-time data from embedded sensors to spot anomalies. This allows for predictive maintenance (PdM), which is much more accurate, thus saving time and resources that are either being spent on over-maintenance or reactive maintenance. Employed across the cloud, these PdM systems can learn from thousands of similar machines being used anywhere in the world, making them even better at predicting failures.

Since many of these organizations have complex and distributed functions and processes, communication between functions is critical to improving overall performance. In the era of renewable energies, as an example, energy grids are now much more complex and are required to do more than simply distribute electricity to users. With solar panels on their roofs, households are also now electricity producers. In telecom terms, the energy grid is now “full duplex� and, as a result, far less predictable. Integrating the diversity of distributed energy resources and dynamically maintaining consistent, predictable power for everyone now requires more intelligence and better communications.

In manufacturing, robots have been heavily employed on assembly lines for years. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) follow pre-set magnetic tape to deliver goods between different

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

parts of the line. But there is little or no communication between them.

Re-tooling is very manual and can take months and years instead of days and weeks. To become more flexible and responsive to rapid shifts in consumer demand, leading-edge factories are creating greater autonomy and mobility for robots, arming workers with augmented reality headsets and smart tools, and employing selfdriving AGVs that flexibly collaborate with others to meet shifting needs.

Sensors are everywhere, monitoring manufacturing processes for quality and the local environment for hazards.

Networks are the nerve centers Getting all of this to work as a coordinated whole depends on mission-critical mobile communications that replace WiFi and ethernet with LTE (and 5G in the future). The results are dramatic: more flexible and faster re-tooling, better safety and increased productivity as all the parts of the factory now communicate in real-time. AI and machine learning analyze this streaming data and use it to suggest better ways to organize flows, spot anomalies that might lead to hazards or quality issues, and provide augmented intelligence to on-floor personnel to improve performance.

Fields as diverse as mining, retail and financial services are also experiencing this shift, as are intelligent transport systems (ITS), health care and public safety, which are all part of the much larger and growing field of smart cities.

The need for integrated platform for automation and smart cities Cities are a good example of the automation trend. Like industrial environments, they are assetintensive and face many of the same challenges. They need to be able to predict mechanical problems within municipal infrastructure of all kinds, from waste-water processing plants to traffic management systems to street lighting installations. Managing these vital processes requires enormous quantities of data from a vast number and variety of sensors, actuators, video cameras and other connected devices. Interconnected with a high

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capacity, secure and reliable network and utilizing localized computing resources or edge computing to provide rapid processing capabilities, these sensor and camera networks not only provide meaningful information to city managers to respond quickly and intelligently when issues arise, but they can also help to automate much of the routine maintenance and many daily operational tasks, creating time for municipal staff to focus on other priorities.

supported by a high performance network and distributed cloud infrastructure. The adoption of video is driving the need for much higher bandwidth, and the mission-critical nature of many of these functions demands telco-grade reliability. Many automated functions require low latencies that only edge computing can provide. Many cities and highly distributed enterprises will turn to partners to provide them with these capabilities.

Smart cities make for an interesting example of how this smart network fabric, connecting sensors, cloud processing and cognitive analytics, operates best as an integrated platform. For instance, cognitive analytics capabilities that are used for PdM can be shared across many diverse functions. Today, the transit system probably uses a different management system for asset maintenance than the waste-water facility or parks and recreations. But the cognitive analytics capabilities can be shared. Similarly, sensor and device management are probably siloed today, but can be shared by multiple functions.

We are on the cusp of a revolution that will utterly transform life as we know it. The results will be profound across virtually every sector of society. The joining of information technologies, the cloud, IoT and various forms of automation is all being made possible by the network. That makes for an enormous opportunity for today’s network operators.

This integration is about more than sharing the cost of these complex systems. The data from all of these integrated functions is much more valuable when combined than as separate data lakes. The real power of AI and machine learning is the ability to process vast amounts of data and make correlations in real-time that lead to valuable and actionable insights about how to improve city services as a whole.

An integrated platform can also be opened to partners and citizens to encourage innovation. Smart cities, like many public institutions, are both budget-constrained and tend not to be good at innovating. Many of them are pursuing open data initiatives that expose selectively the data they collect and analyze making it available to others to innovate better services for everyone.

This platform approach to IoT, data and analytics only works when it is

By Kamal Ballout, head of TEPS MEA & Global Energy Segment, Nokia

We are on the cusp of a revolution that will utterly transform life as we know it

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Adopting a new approach for a productive cloud migration In light of new digital ecosystems, lowering costs and building a modern IT environment have become an objective that companies seek to achieve in order to develop their operations. One of the elements leading to achieve this is migrating data to the public cloud.

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he challenges that come with migration to public cloud has limited its adoption.

In fact, a survey by McKinsey shows that 60% of companies have migrated last year less than 10% of the companies that migrated last year, less than 10% put their workloads into the public cloud. That is why a convenient solution for this issue will be the progressive blending of public and private cloud solutions.

For instance, the company still has to perform maintenance activities even if it’s using an nfrastructure as a service instead of a private infrastructure.

Companies can highly benefit from public cloud platforms given the access they provide to a range of services and innovative offerings such as advanced analytics, machine learning and virtual reality - without having to develop their own. On the other hand, private cloud platforms can offer some of the same automation features with more control over the security of the applications and data. In order to bring together the capabilities of the public cloud with the security of private cloud, companies can adopt a progressive approach to combine both.

• dependencies on other applications • security controls required by the application • services consumed by the application • data required by the application • the underlying technology architecture • the effort required to rewrite code, configurations and conduct testing • the costs of cloud deployment options • the business risks of performing a migration

If companies are to adopt the progressive hybrid cloud configuration, they have to take into account the cost. According to a financial services company stated

by McKinsey, input/output-intensive (or I/O-intensive) applications - those that read or write a lot of data - were costly to host in the public cloud because the CSP charged hefty egress fees whenever web applications made data calls to the company’s private datacenter.

Technology costs aside, migration to the cloud will result in daily expenses.

In addition to the financial considerations, companies should prioritize the data and applications they want to migrate because it wouldn’t be very efficient to undertake a complete migration of all data and applications to the cloud at the same time. That is why, before initiating the process, McKinsey advises to assess and explore several elements:

One important challenge that companies can face when it comes to cloud migration is talent. In fact, some might consider the cloud as an infrastructure service and thus assign their existing infrastructure team to operate the services. However, the infrastructure team will face difficulties in performing this task due their incapacity to operate new support processes and deal with the right technologies.

Therefore, companies should have a dedicated cloud delivery team to ensure that the migration efforts are successful.

Its main duties are to design, build and maintain the platform and train developers, in addition to the technical

side of the job that encompasses the elements of the process of migration itself such as managing firewall, testing, writing code, etc.

A recent study conducted by McKinsey found that companies with a dedicated cloud team migrated 52% of applications on average (from a minimum of 20% to a high of 95%), whereas companies without a dedicated cloud team migrated 29% of applications on average (between 8% and 55%).

Automation appears to be a key element for the cloud team to be most productive.

Cloud teams can write scripts that perform virtually every task involved in operating cloud platforms. They can build tools and application programming interfaces that let software developers deploy cloud services on their own.

Cloud delivery teams that follow these approaches write more code than conventional system administration teams, so they find it advantageous to follow agile methods.

Migrating to public cloud platforms is very beneficial; however, comes with many real challenges that can hamper the company’s digital journey. Hybrid cloud platforms appear to be a great alternative for companies to optimize their performance and productivity while taking into account the cost, the migration process and the need to have a dedicated cloud team capable of completing the migration in the most rapid and productive way.

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YCOM OSI seems to be riding a wave this year and making multiple headlines.

What’s going on?

Yes, we have created something the market is really craving now: a solution which is genuinely disrupting the market at a time when operators absolutely need to rethink and behave differently in the way they manage and provide assurance around their network and services.

As CSPs embrace digital transformation, the emphasis is shifting to innovative on-demand, realtime consumer and enterprise digital service opportunities. This demands new ways of launching, monitoring, managing and ensuring the quality and performance of services as well as the networks they run. We play directly to that need with an intelligent, integrated solution for visualizing, automating and optimizing digital experiences, as well as service and network quality.

We cater for this, end-to-end, across hybrid physical and virtual telco and IT networks, providing integrated, real-time assurance with closed-loop automation and analytics driven by AI/ machine learning.

Enabling automated operations of a digital telco 2018 has proven to be a busy year for MYCOM OSI as the global CSP community wakes up to the instrumental role cloud-based service quality assurance can play in realizing autonomic networks. In this interview, Mounir Ladki, MYCOM OSI’s president and CTO, sets out his vision and describes the transformations his company has already made.

Our solution is different than anything that has gone before. We provide assurance as a cloud offering what can be consumed via a software-asa-service (SaaS) subscription model.

We integrate and augment open source environments like ONAP, OSM and ONF, and embrace open APIs and big data. It all adds up to a solution that’s highly scalable, can harness the latest technologies, including smart analytics and self-management techniques, and which increases the quality of service (and SLA options) for customers, while simultaneously reducing complexity and cost for service providers.

This approach has now attracted a number of prestigious industry awards, hasn’t it?

Yes. We won a significant TM Forum award for operational transformation

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

and agility, for championing a solution built on a modern architecture that’s designed specifically to be delivered via a cloud environment. It is genuinely transformational for our customers because it enables the automation of very complex operational processes, taking CSPs closer to being able to realize dark, zero-touch and even no-NOC networks. We’ve also been recognized as a ‘Top 10 company to watch’ by Stratecast|Frost & Sullivan, and been covered by Ovum’s On The Radar.

What are you offering that is so different and disruptive?

Just as Salesforce disrupted sales management and CRM by moving everything into the cloud and making it accessible through a different purchasing model (SaaS), we offer an ‘assurance cloud’ for CSPs harnessing the same delivery model. In doing this, we have overturned 30+ years of traditional cumbersome approaches to OSS and reinvented the service assurance market based on cloud benefits, technologies and commercial models. Nobody else has done this with the real, large-scale commercial project success that we have.

The fact that our solution is cloud native means it is infrastructureagnostic, so it can be run in any telco-optimized cloud environment – and we have strong partnerships with AWS and Red Hat – in addition to traditional datacenters and bare metal if necessary. We use DevOps to reduce deployment and operations efforts as well as cost associated with assurance systems by 75% versus traditional OSS approaches. It also means massively reduced headaches in infrastructure acquisition and management by CSPs, which can be a major reason for project delays. Our subscription business model option, meanwhile, accelerates deployment and helps map assurance costs better to CSPs’ capex and opex needs and challenges.

We approach service assurance and quality holistically and have collapsed the traditional silos of service assurance – performance, fault and service management – into

INTERVIEW a single integrated, real-time system enhanced by automation and AI/ ML-driven analytics. So, we look after every aspect of quality assurance, not just the performance of the underlying network, but also how services are experienced by every customer.

Automation is key and we offer fully programmable open- or closedloop solutions that monitor, detect, analyze, make recommendations, and fully self-heal and self-optimize CSPs networks end-to-end. We also enable the launch of digital services much faster thanks to automatic onboarding and closed-loop integration of assurance and fulfilment.

Tell us about some of the CSPs already using your cloud-based solutions.

Well, we have two of the largest and most innovative operators in the Middle East deploying our cloud platform, but one of the earliest public success stories is Three in the UK. It carries about a third of the UK’s data traffic and is deploying the world’s first telco cloud with its fully integrated, cloud-native core network.

Our assurance cloud will manage Three’s entire IT and telco network from RAN to core, both on the physical and virtualized parts of the network, all in one place. This has never been done before. Our solutions are also deployed in one of the top five largest CSPs in the world with 300+ million subscribers. Beyond the sheer scale of operations and the two hundred billion data records per hour we are crunching, an interesting point is that the CSP has set out to automate 95% of its network and service quality management with our platform and catalogue of automation solutions.

And we just very recently signed up one of the largest European operators to transform their network and service operations.

Finally, what does the future hold, where do you see the next priorities?

We talk about the complete transformation of the service assurance function from a tactical solution to a ‘digital brain’ that helps make the network of the future autonomic – i.e. automated and

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driven by AI. This is about taking experience, performance and quality indicators across all networks, services, customers and devices, IoT or subscriber, and continuously monitoring them in real time. It’s about detecting or predicting degradations or anomalies, figuring out root causes or optimization recommendations, and then orchestrating changes in the network and services as needed.

And all of this is powered by closedloop automation, and driven by self-learning. Once you can get to this point, then service and quality assurance can provide additional strategic value - taking the wealth of assurance data and intelligence and using this to automatically govern networks as well as monetize digital services.

All of these capabilities will soar up the agenda with 5G and IoT, where new use cases require even higher focus on QoE, QoS and guaranteeing SLAs - for example, driverless vehicles, remote robotic control and latencyor mission-critical applications. One of 5G’s killer benefits – and key to monetization – is to allow QoS to be differentiated through network slicing across different customers, applications, use cases, locations and times. Each individual network slice, provisioned dynamically and on demand, will need to be quality assured, while at the same time hundreds of slices will need to be quality assured as a whole. Our solution is deployed on the 5G test network at the University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre in UK, and we are engaged in several 5G proof of concepts with TM Forum to progress our developments in these areas.

Finally, AI/machine learning is a particularly promising area, specifically how it will provide predictive and problem-solving capabilities that are too complex, too large in scale or too dynamic in speed for humans to comprehend and act on. Some of our customer proof-of-concepts in this area are yielding some very interesting results.

For more information on MYCOM OSI, visit www.mycom-osi.com.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

INTERVIEW

Hengtong Group and PCCW Global committed to providing low latency connectivity by adopting shortest direct route connectivity and enhancing route diversity between Asia, Europe and Africa Adopting the right business model in the subsea communications industry is a challenge that Hengtong Group and PCCW Global were capable of identifying and is working on overcoming it with its PEACE undersea cable project. In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Sun Xiaohua, COO of PEACE Cable, Hengtong Group and Sameh Sobhy, Vice President, Middle East and North Africa, PCCW Global emphasized how PEACE has created a new business model in the submarine cable industry that PCCW Global is leveraging to further achieve its goals.

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s the major investor, Hengtong provides infrastructure and operates the system while PCCW Global acts as the commercial arm of the high-speed PEACE cable system. The PEACE system will offer the shortest routes from China to Europe and Africa, interconnecting three of the world’s most populous continents whilst at the same time dramatically reducing latency, delivering a superior connectivity experience which will be ideal for a vast array of commercial and consumer applications.

The backbone of the project will connect Pakistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya and France, providing critical interconnections to key Asia, Europe, and Africa economic corridors, while other routes and connection agreements will stretch to South Africa, with planned landing points on route.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

Mr. Sameh Sobhy, how do you describe the state of the subsea communications industry today?

The subsea communications industry promising. Demand is growing, new data centers are launched and demand for OTTs is constantly increasing.

Finding the right business case to reach common ground with the OTTs might be a challenge for carriers, however, some carriers like PCCW Global were able to find creative co-existing and partnering models in order to establish successful subsea systems.

Mr. Sun Xiaohua, if you had to identify one key challenge that the industry is facing, what would it be?

The key challenge we see in the industry is adopting the right business model, especially with the OTTs building their own infrastructure and the carriers becoming rather reluctant to invest.

We have noticed the challenge and identified the opportunity and this is how we came up with PEACE. PEACE is privately owned 12,000 km long cable system that provides an open, flexible and carrier-neutral service for its customers. It is targeted for completion in Q1, 2020.

The system’s design will adopt the latest 200G technology and WSS technology, which provide the capability to transmit over 16 Tbit/s per fiber pair, servicing growing regional capacity needs.

INTERVIEW

PEACE Cable which is investing the trunk from Pakistan to Marseille and Kenya, has created a new business model in the submarine cable industry.

However, this has also posed a challenge for us. Thanks to the WSS technology in Branching Units, we will be able to provide modifications in the future as the demand might change with time. PEACE is positioned as an open system, so it could be upgraded to be adapted with any supplier and with the new technologies introduced to the market. The upgrade would be defined by the market demand and need with more flexible process compared to the consortium cable systems.

Mr. Sameh Sobhy, what are the opportunities and benefits that PEACE brings to other carriers and markets?

PEACE is a private investment deploying system within a system configuration which gives each party the required flexibility to design its own subsystem. That being said, PEACE can connect to any country along the route.

Once completed, PEACE will connect the three largest continents having more than 80% of the population: Asia, Africa and Europe. PEACE Cable will be the carrier’s carrier to serve incumbent telcos and OTTs. Mr. Sun Xiaohua, what are your thoughts on the increasing number of cable projects forgoing the cable

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landing station and connecting directly into the data center? Do you see this trend continuing?

As a cable developer, we’d like as much networks, carriers and users to connect to our cable, which requires the presence in open access facility. By experience cable landing stations tend to have restrictions on connectivity to different networks and also commercial challenges. Being in a carrier neutral data center overcomes such commercial challenges to certain limit. However, we need to emphasize that data centers don’t replace the cable landing station, we still need to have cable landing station to host certain equipment like the power feeding and optical switches, for technical limitations and depending on the proximity of data center from the landing point, the data center will not be always a replacement for the cable station, but at least the terminal equipment shall be hosted in the data center. Having said that, it worth mentioning that the concept of carrier neutral data center is not mature in many territories, and it has no meaning in some countries to search for a data center to terminate the system capacity, and there is no value of doing so in those countries. The trend will continue for sure, and with more carrier neutral data centers expansions in new countries, we will see more cables terminating there.

Mr. Sameh Sobhy, how do you see the industry evolving over the next 5 years? How can PEACE be a model for other submarine cables?

The industry is evolving into a partnership model of co-building, fiber and spectrum ownership. A small group of harmonized parties is rather more effective than a big consortium of parties which is difficult to manage and has a longer decision making, notably in terms of upgrades, modifications, decommissioning, or some critical decisions.

We believe that PEACE model is ideal for this era of development. The model gives each party the autonomy and freedom, and allows it to invest according to its actual requirements, flexibility in upgrades, open access, and agile decision-making process.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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Alfa: Spearheading sustainable development Lebanese leading operator, Alfa, has embarked on a sustainability journey to transform social beliefs into tangible actions, says CEO and chairman, Marwan Hayek, in an interview with Telecom Review.

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lfa launched Voice over LTE for the first time in Lebanon.

How important was this step for the Lebanese telecommunications sector and for Alfa in particular?

This is a major milestone in Alfa’s journey to fully transform our operations to a digital service provider, or what we call at Alfa, as a Happiness Provider (HP). The VoLTE launch, coupled with the first live 5G trial done in April 2018, paves the way for the materialization of Alfa’s vision for the future of telco.

This will be elemental in Lebanon’s digital economy growth and IoT endorsement, knowing that we are the first operator in Lebanon and the eighth in MENA to roll out the service.

Alfa never fails to express its commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Why is it important for a telecoms operator to be involved in such initiatives? And how is this commitment reflected on the ground?

We have engineered our sustainability journey around a vision to transform all of our social beliefs into tangible actions, and to fully integrate sustainable development principles in all of our operations. We have been members of Global Compact Network Lebanon (GCNL) since 2015, fully committing to UN’s 2030 Agenda.

In 2017, I joined the GCNL SDG Council as Goal Leader of SDG 9: Industrial

Innovation and Infrastructure. Alfa fully committed to this goal and we are championing it nationally. We have done a lot in terms of advancing the SDGs agenda, especially SDG 9.

On the technology side, we are leaders in bringing the latest technologies to Lebanon and sometimes ahead of global and regional operators. The advancement achieved has put Alfa and Lebanon in the top rankings in terms of 4G speeds, where we currently rank 3rd in the region and 27th worldwide. Our objective remains to be #1 in the region.

As an active community partner, and as our commitment to SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, one of our main focuses remain the cause of “People with Iron Will”, which is deeply rooted in our DNA as part of our CSR program, Alfa 4-Life. I am very proud to say that we have championed this cause on an international level - and from the United Nations precisely - where I recently took part in the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit 2018. From this platform, I reiterated the call for the use of ‘people with iron will’ designation instead of ‘people with special needs’. This was welcomed by global leaders and peers who endorsed this initiative and congratulated Alfa for it.

Another significant milestone in the context of adhering to the UN SDGs’ agenda and our firm commitment to it, was our e-Waste initiative launched recently, in partnership with Ericsson. A total amount of 460 tons of electronic waste, from obsolete network equipment that had reached end-of-life, was collected from our warehouses, packed in alignment with the highest standards, and exported to Sweden to be recycled as per global international environmental

standards. We are proud to say that this was one of the largest e-Waste projects globally.

2018 was a great year for Alfa, including important initiatives and achieving significant milestones. What should we expect in 2019?

Since we made the very bold promise to become a Happiness Provider and not just a mere Digital Provider, all of our current activities are geared towards fulfilling this promise.

As we gear towards IoT, the possibilities are immense. We are eyeing 5G launch in early 2019 and our teams are fully focused on accomplishing this goal.

A major milestone in our journey to transform our business and move it into content, was the launch of the Alfa Sports app. This is a first of its kind initiative and we are the exclusive broadcaster for Alfa Lebanese Basketball Championships, enabling customers in Lebanon and worldwide to watch the games through the app from their mobiles and smart TVs. We seek to expand the role of Alfa Sports to fully endorse content-based partnerships within the sports industry and beyond, any content that brings joy to consumers in Lebanon. Through such milestones, we are introducing a new innovative business model influenced by 5G and IoT. We are catering to the new emerging consumer culture which is becoming increasingly dependent on paid videos - knowing that streaming now constitutes 50 percent of the overall mobile consumption on our network.

We look forward to making 2019 a new star in our journey, where we continue to change destinies and be a source of happiness to our customers and community.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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CommScope will help operators provide connectivity to buildings

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hat cutting-edge innovations and solutions did CommScope showcase at GITEX? CommScope is focusing on helping customers meet the continuous growth of bandwidth. The adoption of disruptive technologies like AI, blockchain and cloud will only grow in prevalence and is yet another reminder that network operators will be faced with an unlimited appetite for capacity and data. In support of the Middle East’s network operators, CommScope is developing innovative fiber optic solutions to transport large amounts of data very quickly and reliably.

With the mass proliferation of IoT sensors/devices and other advanced technologies, building owners are laying the groundwork for further developments in data analytics and connectivity infrastructure needed to make building smart. In-building delivery of 5G service will be a major opportunity for operators to own the user experience, differentiate from over-the-top service providers and monetize service offerings.

CommScope exhibited its enhanced OneCell small cell solution which is uniquely positioned to make indoor 5G an enabler of enterprise business opportunities. CommScope also presented the all-digital CommScope ERA which upends the economics of indoorbuilding wireless with major space and fiber cable savings. The technology is a key enabler for network densification in LTE Advanced, Gigabit LTE and 5G. Existing ION-E systems can be softwareupgraded to be interoperable with ERA.

CommScope is a global leader in providing wireless solutions and innovations to the telecommunications industry. During GITEX Technology Week, Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with Femi Oshiga, vice president of service providers in the Middle East & Africa.

With CommScope’s High Speed Migration solutions, the company is able to help datacenter managers accelerate the growth of their datacentre capacity and the speed of their digital transformation initiatives. The industry is quickly moving from 10Gb/s and 40Gb/s to 100Gb/s, 400Gb/s and beyond. The more data consumers and network users need, the more services they expect, the more critical speed becomes. This is a global phenomenon and one of the top challenges that datacenter managers will face.

Customers continue to ask about powering connectivity which can sometimes be overlooked as more devices are connected to the network.

It doesn’t make sense to place sockets, plugs and cables’ everywhere - they’ve got to be powered over Ethernet. Next to data transport, power over ethernet (PoE) is the most important enabler of devices that use structured cabling in enterprise buildings today. In its new research and development (R&D) lab in Greensboro, North Carolina, CommScope will trial next generation PoE applications to verify the performance and safety of the structured cabling systems that support them, especially regarding thermal performance in different real-world installation conditions.

CommScope has enhanced its One-Cell C-RAN to define new levels of in-building wireless. How important is in-building wireless for operators seeking to create new value added services for enterprises?

The road to 5G is paved with fiber.

In-building delivery of 5G service will be a major opportunity for operators to

own the user experience, differentiate from over-the-top service providers and monetize service offerings. Data essentially is created from the inside the building, meaning every building is a hotspot and will require its own mininetwork.

So what are these solutions that you need to cater for that use case and challenge?

That is where One-Cell comes in. It is a self-optimizing and low touch smart solution that you can plug-in to buildings that provides a high capacity solution dedicated for each building at a time. The operators are going to need solutions like this to cover thousands of buildings every year as oppose to a couple of hundred.

The exponential increase in the use of consumer technology is fueling the need for bandwidth. However, what other trends are shaping the region’s need for more fiber?

GITEX is buzzing about new smart city technologies and our customers across the Middle East and Africa are seeing an appetite for unlimited network capacity not only for video consumption, but also across industries like construction and high tech. All of this connectivity will certainly depend on network densification, which is increasing available network capacity through adding more cell sites including radio access networks, macro sites, in-building wireless and small cell deployments. At some point, all of the traffic has to land on a fiber network. That smart city trend coupled with cameras and sensors has to come into a central office, be processed and sent to the right location. That ‘come to’ is the big word because that is a fiber network and that’s a key strength for CommScope.

Always anticipating.

Always ahead.

What do you see when you look at the future of your network, your business, your industry?

CommScope sees endless potential, ready to be unleashed. We’ve made a science of innovating the network solutions that can help you realize the incredible potential of your network. With our vast range of breakthrough solutions in your corner, there’s no limit to how far you can take your business. We’re always anticipating, so you can always be ahead.

Learn more at commscope.com

© 2018 CommScope, Inc. All rights reserved. AD-113193-EN

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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Our solutions are helping operators transform network economics, says Mavenir’s Virtyt Koshi Open RAN Partner Ecosystem was launched by Mavenir to allow for a greater flexibility for operators to optimize the investments, says Virtyt Koshi, senior vice president and general manager, EMEA, Mavenir. In an interview with Telecom Review, Koshi highlighted the importance of this ecosystem as well as some of Mavenir’s flagship solutions.

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avenir has formed an Open RAN Partner Ecosystem.

Why did you establish such an ecosystem and where does its importance lie?

Mavenir has teamed up with a number of known telecom vendors to launch the Open RAN Partner Ecosystem providing greater flexibility for operators to optimize the investments.

We believe open interfaces in RAN will enable a variety of architectures and deployment scenarios to meet ever increasing data demand. As one of the founders of ORAN concept, Mavenir’s role is end-to-end systems integrator simplifying the engagement for operators who want to deploy a flexible cloud-based Open RAN solution.

How will this ecosystem pave the way to 5G deployment?

Operators need to demonstrate profitable business growth, speed of launching new products, agility, and optimal network design. Therefore, solutions can only be software-based, running on commodity hardware in cloud computing data centers and at the cell edge. ORAN opens door to innovation and lower cost of ownership in contrast to hardware-centric RAN

solutions designed for 2G/3G and voice-centric architectures. This approach is being favored by operators who want to embrace Open RAN as it allows the deployment of open market (whitebox) remote radio units (RRUs) to interwork with the virtualized cloud base band unit (vBBU) over ethernet fronthaul (FH).

Mavenir was recently recognized for Cloud RAN. How will vEPC (Virtual Evolved Packet Core) and Cloud RAN change network dynamics for operators?

Together, Cloud RAN and vEPC provide unparalleled flexibility for operators to deploy network intelligence more effectively. First step to enabling new business models is control and user plane separation (CUPS) allowing the different functions to scale independently. This gives operators more flexible deployment options and better tools for coping with increasing volume and dynamic variations of network traffic. Second step is vEPC functionality at different network nodes, cell edge, hubs, local and regional datacenters, ensuring service excellence and customer experience for a variety of applications and operator offerings.

Mavenir offers a wide range of revenue generation solutions. How important is it for telcos to generate new revenue streams especially that emerging technologies have changed the ICT scene?

We believe it is critical to help operators transform network

economics through cost savings and innovative revenue-generating solutions such as Multi-ID virtual lines, mobile-first unified communications, RCS Business Messaging (RBM) capabilities, etc.

Mavenir recently announced its RCS Business Messaging solution. How is this benefiting operators?

Mavenir’s RCS Business Messaging solution provides a seamless evolution path for operators to offer enterprises full multimedia messaging capabilities to deliver A2P and P2A communications to their consumers over a clean and trusted channel with global reach.

Contrary to what other RCS cloudbased solutions do, Mavenir’s RCS Business Messaging solution allows the operator to remain in control of the brand relationship and guarantees the messages between the brands and the consumers are kept confidential, including the metadata to allow them to position RCS as a trusted, clean channel.

How does Mavenir help operators to transform network economics?

We view everything from the radio to the core as virtualized software running on generally available, commodity off the shelf (COTS) hardware. We’re challenging the business models which are too old for the web-scale needs and introducing new ideas and flexibility that add value to operators’ bottom line performance so they can succeed in the all-connected world.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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“We strongly believe in our mission to build a connected world”- Elias Saab Customer experience, people, change and innovation are the main pillars of digital transformation, according to Elias Saab, managing director, Sofrecom Middle East.

In an interview with Telecom Review, Saab explained those four pillars in addition to the importance of mobile money in fostering financial inclusion.

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n your opinion, what are the main pillars of digital transformation?

Today, digital is omnipresent, leading companies to reshape their traditional organization into new agile models but simultaneously to rethink their business approach in an ever changing market.

They must adapt with nimbleness to disruptive consumer behaviors in order to fit with new customer expectations.

The customer experience is, thus, the first pillar of digital transformation: companies must first and foremost understand the customer journey and new needs before investing in technology. This customer acumen should drive the strategy of investment.

People should be, therefore, at the heart of digital transformation. Leaders need to place employees first, to emphasize the nurturing of people.

Companies which invest in their people and encourage their development will succeed more quickly, and management changes will be be more agile, and every employee will feel included in the process. The key is to use this technology to create meaningful experiences that reach employees, customers and others on a deeper level – connecting human to human.

One cannot force change unless you encompass your employees and providing them with the working environment and necessary means.

Companies should foster this digital acculturation and help their employees

to build capabilities to embrace and have a successful change.

The last pillar of digital transformation must be innovation. Innovative thinking from the top management throughout the whole organization is key to success.

To do so, companies should leave a space for open communication, team collaboration and freedom to create.

Innovation should drive the digital transformation in response to the customer’s new aspirations.

One of Sofrecom’s main fields of expertise is mobile money. According to you, how can it promote financial inclusion? And how are you promoting this type of service in the MENA region?

The digital sector benefits microfinance and contributes to dual financial and social inclusion. The implementation of more favorable regulatory frameworks will enable the sector to continue to develop. This involves reaching more customers in remote areas at a lower cost, as well as securing transactions and improving transparency.

The growth of mobile financial services (MFS) sector makes day to day life easier and helps households and businesses to anticipate how to finance long-term objectives and to handle unforeseen events. Digital mobile money can, therefore, secure transactions, improve transparency and, if driven by government with an enabling regulatory framework, it can easily become a factor of inclusion and an undeniable source of economic growth and development.

For several years, Sofrecom has developed strong expertise in the main areas of MFS: marketing and distribution,

regulatory, partnerships, process, organization and technical solutions.

Through our support of governments, our experts share the best practices of MFS as a vector for financial inclusion. We cooperate and assist several international institutions in promoting MFS solutions and deploying them to the MENA region.

Sofrecom has been expanding its footprint. How important is it to expand your operations? Are you planning on expanding to new regions in the near future?

Sofrecom settled in the United Arab Emirates back in 2008 to address the Gulf Countries. Since then, Sofrecom has been continuing to expand its footprint in the Middle East region including Pakistan, Egypt and most recently the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because strongly believe in our mission to build a connected world by providing advice and operational solutions to our customers. We mainly do this by helping them benefit from the expertise of our 2,500 consultants and experts, as well as from Orange Group innovation.

Our completed and ongoing projects in the region are opening up many opportunities. For instance, we are proud to announce that Sofrecom has opened, last month, a new office in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to be closer to its Saudi customers and to contribute to the Vision 2030 transformation program.

In 2019, Sofrecom will continue to expand its footprint by mutualizing its major affiliates’ resources and services centers from Morocco, Tunisia and Indonesia, in order to support its clients with its international experts through their digital transformation strategy.

Discover our news on our website www.sofrecom.com

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

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Redefining the ICT industry in KSA: Towards Vision 2030 Established in 2005, ITC (Integrated Telecom Company) was able to grow into one of the leading telecom providers in Saudi Arabia and Middle East that offers next generation broadband, connectivity, cloud computing, managed services, satellite services and internet services for businesses, wholesale and consumers segments. technology (ICT) service providers in KSA, thus enhancing its capability to provide the best services which suit the government and business sectors in the Kingdom.

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he company has been very active across all ICT and telecomrelated segments, namely FTTH, 5G, security, smart infrastructure, IoT solutions and intelligent systems.

FTTH As part of the National Transformation Program 2020 and the Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi government awarded ITC the FTTH project to enhance the digital infrastructure in the Kingdom by providing fiber optic infrastructure and services to dense and urban areas. In 2017, ITC started its FTTH rollout plan across the country with the aim to connect 640,000 homes, at a cost of 3.5 billion riyals ($930 million). In January 2018, ITC launched the service in the Kingdom.

Afterward, ITC generated a financing deal of 180 million USD from China’s ICBC Bank driven by trust in the Saudi economy and telecommunications sector. ITC is committed to continue the FTTH rollout plan till 2022 and deliver innovative services to meet

customer demand to power to digital economy.

5G In terms of 5G, ITC recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Nokia to do experimental trials to develop and measure the 5G applications. ITC is willing to contribute in a strategic vision, to develop 5G in favor of the new advanced broadband.

ITC is working on fulfilling the goals of one of the Kingdom Vision 2030’s axes which states that Saudi Arabia is working on increasing high speed internet coverage in all of its regions and improving the quality of connectivity. For that, ITC is in the middle of signing several memoranda with Nokia and other companies with a history in launching advanced technologies in telecom towers.

Security ITC works with a number of IT specialized partners to provide communication solutions, managed services and cloud services, which rank it at the forefront of the information and communications

The step comes as a quick response to the Saudi government’s strategic initiative of establishing the new National Cybersecurity Authority.

ITC is positioning itself as a key player in achieving the objectives of the Authority in terms of protecting the government and business organization infrastructure network, data and their business continuity.

This is as well as assisting in the implementation of compliance policies, security procedures and raising awareness of cybersecurity in the Kingdom.

Smart Infrastructure We aim to achieve the best customer experience through the provision of high quality services based on integrity, value creation and superior standards. ITC helps many public and private sector entities to transform their legacy infrastructure into smart intelligent facilities.

IoT solutions and intelligent systems ITC can fulfill all requirements under one umbrella with vast technology partners which enable us to provide end-to-end solutions.

ITC offers next generation smart solutions to reduce energy costs, improve maintenance, prevent downtime and enhance comfort. The expansion of the ‘building internet of things’ promises more gains in the future.

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

OPINIONS

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IPv6 deployment and why it matters

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ith only 4.2 billion addresses in IPv4 - the “legacy” IP protocol that today’s internet was built and still largely runs on - it’s long been known that exhaustion of the IPv4 address pool would become an issue. That’s why the Internet Engineering Task Force developed Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). But IPv6 was developed 20 years ago, and today, we still find ourselves urging networks to deploy the updated protocol. IPv6 is crucial because it takes us from only 4.2 billion addresses (most of which are already in use) to 340 trillion, trillion, trillion addresses – enough to secure the growth of the internet, allowing unique addresses for each of the billions of internet-enabled devices that are added to the internet each year.

The pressure to deploy IPv6 has been offset in part by network address translation (NAT), which involves sharing one public IP address between many customers on the same network.

NAT bought the IPv4 internet time, but while it’s a rational short-term strategy for growing networks, it brings significant costs and complexity with it.

More importantly, it is doubtful that NAT can scale forever.

A global shortage of unused IPv4 addresses is a serious problem affecting the internet today. We generally don’t think about it when we look at our smartphones or computers, but these devices rely on a massive communications infrastructure that depends on a system of globally unique addresses. Computers need to know which device or webserver we’re asking them to connect to, and routers need to know where to forward the data traffic that crosses a network. This crucial role of signifying a unique destination for internet traffic is performed by IP addresses.

According to figures released by Google, around 20 to 22 percent of the world is accessing the company’s services over IPv6 today. While there is still some way to go, this is actually rapid progress – only five years ago, this figure was less than one percent.

But global statistics also conceal some stark regional disparities.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are leading the pack in terms of IPv6 implementation.

This is largely due to governmentled digital transformation efforts, as described in the Saudi Vision 2030 and UAE Vision 2021, as well as other national economic frameworks. The projects in these countries are part of national IPv6 strategies that aim to secure internet growth and ensure they are able to fully leverage emerging technologies for their economic development. Two telecom operators in the UAE, Etisalat and du, have scaled up their initiatives to provide faster and more robust internet services. This includes wider deployment of IPv6 on their networks and working closely with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to secure the necessary infrastructure and technical support in the country.

IPv6 deployment is part and parcel of the TRA’s mission to build a sustainable internet infrastructure in the UAE, and

complements the country’s smart transformation process, which aims to provide the highest standards of security, reliability and speed through applications and smart devices. IPv6 will also be key to the UAE’s efforts to harness the power of the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence to make Dubai the smartest city in the world.

Ensuring timely and wide-scale IPv6 deployment has never been more important. We are seeing exponential growth in mobile-only internet access, which relies on IP networks for voice, messaging and data. Not only does IPv6 safeguard the future growth of the internet, it can also handle packets more efficiently, avoiding the performance issues associated with NATs. Ultimately, IPv6 uptake will depend on the technical and business decisions made by individual network operators. But there is an opportunity here for forward-thinking governments, ISPs and telecom operators to take a leading role in securing the internet’s future. IPv6 is a matter of when, not if, and those that stand to gain the most from the global transition to IPv6 will be the ones that have a clear strategy and approach.

By Chafic Chaya, regional communications manager, RIPE NCC

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

ICT FEATURE

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Outlook to 2019: What should we expect?

trends that emerged a couple of years ago and that require high-capacity, lowlatency network connections.

Year 2019 has been linked with the rollout of fifth generation technology (5G). Industry experts have embarked on their 5G journey and are aspiring to see their efforts bear fruit in 2019. However, other trends are expected to impact the telecommunications industry.

Technological advances have created what is dubbed the ‘digital era’ and are paving the way for significant IT and network architecture changes in 2019.

Investing in 5G According to Ericsson’s 2018 Mobility Report, there are strong indications that indoor customer-provided equipment (CPE) and pocket routers for mid-band will be available by the end of 2018 and 5G-compatible smartphones are forecasted to be launched in Q2 2019. Second-generation chipsets are expected by the end of 2019, which will enable more 5G-capable devices with enhanced architectures and lower power consumption.

recent study by S&P Global Ratings forecasted global telecom revenue growth of 2%-3% through 2019 driven primarily by broadband as demand for high

Chinese colossus Huawei has been heavily investing in 5G with the aim of becoming the industry’s pioneer in this field. In fact, at Huawei’ 9th Global mobile Broadband Forum which was held in London, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu, announced the shipment of Huawei’s first 10,000 5G

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speed data continues to increase. In fact, the revolution of increased data consumption will persist in 2019 with even greater volumes of data generated by new technologies. Streaming video on ultra-high-definition TV screens, virtual reality applications, real-time online gaming, and smart homes are

TELECOM REVIEW LEADERS SUMMIT 2018

base stations, outlining the company’s vision for the future of 5G. “5G will start a technology revolution,” he said. “It will bring new power to all ICT technologies, and trigger sweeping changes in business. There will be new opportunities the likes of which we’ve never seen.”

Hu emphasized that governments should accelerate the process of harmonizing and releasing continuous bands of large-bandwidth 5G spectrum in order to speed up deployment, and at a total cost lower than 4G. “We believe 5G will make an important and lasting contribution to society. At Huawei, we are working hard to make 5G networks stronger, simpler, more intelligent, and more secure”, he said.

In 2019, investment in capital and wireless spectrum for 5G is expected to be substantially higher than prior generations of wireless deployments because carriers need new wireless spectrum, deeper fiber backhauls, particularly in key urban markets, and substantially more cell sites to deliver the benefits of 5G. In this context, network element virtualization, improved spectrum efficiency, and the use of fiber optics will generate potential cost benefits. S&P Global Ratings predicts, “Despite the excitement and promise of 5G, we have a cautious view on its timing, and our ratings don’t yet fully incorporate 5G-specific cost or revenue assumptions. High 5G investment could raise cash flow and balance sheet risk for telecom operators, although there will clearly be new revenue opportunities in the long term. With modest 4G returns still in mind and 5G use cases likely several years from maturity, we believe telecom operators will take a measured, economically-focused approach that results in a slower global rollout than we saw with 4G.” 5G deployment’s timeline will vary by markets and regions because it is bound to policies, financial resources, regulatory frameworks and demand on technology. The deployment is also expected to be initially limited to denser urban and suburban markets.

ICT FEATURE Revolutionary AI use cases Artificial intelligence is said to be driving the growth of the telecoms industry.

CSPs are nowadays harnessing the power of AI to process and analyze the huge volumes of data in order to provide better customer experiences, improve operations, and increase revenue through new products and services. Forward-thinking CSPs will focuse their efforts on four main areas where AI has already made significant inroads in delivering tangible business results: Network optimization, preventive maintenance, Virtual Assistants, and robotic process automation (RPA).

Artificial intelligence applications in the telecommunications industry use advanced algorithms to track patterns within the data in order to detect and predict network anomalies, and allow operators to proactively fix problems before customers are negatively impacted. In the short-term, network automation and intelligence will enable better root cause analysis and prediction of issues. On the long term, these technologies will allow creating new customer experiences and dealing efficiently with business demands.

According to a survey by Deloitte, 40% of telecom, media and tech (TMT) executives say they have reaped “substantial” benefits from cognitive technologies, with 25% having invested $10 million or more. More than threequarters expect cognitive computing to “substantially transform” their companies within the next three years.

Blockchain networks Blockchain investments are growing at a CAGR of 73%, with a projected total spending of $11.7 billion by 2022, according to IDC. Equinix predicts that enterprises will start to participate in multiple blockchain networks (e.g., food safety, financial services, global container shipment), thus creating a network of networks—something that allows them to simultaneously interact with multiple blockchain ecosystems.

Blockchain performance will become a more important requirement within the enterprise space, driven by the need to accommodate more than simple transaction data or as an

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element in applications where realtime performance and linkage with other data sources matter. Examples of performance-sensitive blockchain applications include track & trace (supply chain), machine-to-machine (IoT) communication/exchange, and cross-border currency settlement, just to name a few.

The hybrid cloud approach A hybrid cloud offers enterprises the A hybrid cloud offers enterprises the scalability and cost benefits of a public cloud with the security and privacy of a private cloud. It is estimated that in approximately 75% of businesses choose hybrid cloud for the flexibility it provides.

Enterprises are now accessing SaaS, IaaS and PaaS solutions from multiple providers. Equinix anticipates that 2019 will see the next level of challenges associated with hybrid cloud and multicloud approaches.

Equinix believes enterprises will struggle with expanding their security perimeters, as well as integration and management issues as they pursue hybrid multicloud architectures. These predicted trends indicate that enabling capabilities such as security, analytics and data exchange in close proximity to the cloud is a must for seamless cross-border data flow, and the right interconnection partner can help organizations navigate through the complexity of cloud.

5G will make an important and lasting contribution to society