Telecom Review December 2018 by tracemedia

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

Etisalat driving the digital future to empower societies

Outlook to 2019: What should we expect?

Business leaders in Middle East express digital transformation fears in new report

NGMN Alliance explores the future of 5G mobile broadband in Vancouver

DECEMBER 2018

CONTENTS

THE TELEC OMS IND U ST RY M E D I A P L AT F O R M

10 Etisalat driving the digital future to empower societies

Huawei brings digital to every person for a fully connected and intelligent world

Beyond 5G - A catalyst for broader transformation in the communications infrastructure

Outlook to 2019: What should we expect?

MATRIXX Software enabling operators to achieve digital transformation on a global scale

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

EITC partnership with Amazon is enabling enterprises to move their services to the cloud

Online shopping is not a fad

TELUS’ journey to evolving society through 5G

Huawei outlines its revolutionary vision for 5G at Global MBB Forum in London

Nokia aiming to become leader in 5G as markets evolve towards next generation technologies

Technological advancements in education are bound by a shift in policies, says Dr. Eesa Bastaki

Technology will play a critical role in legacy aspirations of EXPO 2020

Business leaders in Middle East express digital transformation fears in new report

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

NGMN Alliance explores the future of 5G mobile broadband in Vancouver

MEF18 sheds light on the progress achieved since launching the MEF 3.0 framework

EDITORIAL

DECEMBER 2018

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 Shelley Beyak (Canada), Toni Eid (UAE), Mark Forker (UAE), Hadeel Karnib (Lebanon), Lacinan Ouattara (Ivory Coast), Jennifer Saade (Lebanon), Jeff Seal (USA), Zane Small (New Zealand), Christine Ziadeh (Lebanon) 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

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Shenzhen: “From a fishing city to the most innovative hi-tech hub” China: The future tech and innovation hub

uring the last week of November, I was in Shenzhen, China - a city I have visited many times and that has always shown great promise in the hi-tech opportunities it presents.

This city keeps surprising me. But this time, it was not because of the high-rise buildings or hotels (such as the St. Regis 100-stories), or even the infrastructure and imitation tech accessory manufacturers. At the Huaqiangbei Market in Shenzhen where all small companies (or large ones who started from there) and vendors are present. You can build a smartphone from scratch in a couple of hours. You can even build it with your own specs and add your name to it. Why not? Almost everything you could want is sold there, from mobile phones, cameras, motherboards, frames, screens, drones and accessories, etc. As per many sources during my visits there, the city used to be 15% innovation and 85% imitation. You will be surprised to know that now, innovation is 75% (including manufacturing) and 25% is imitation. The city has become the heart of global technology supply chains, with over 12 million residents and growing neighborhoods like the city of Dongguan where Huawei has built its new R&D center – it is a piece of high-end architecture representing most Europeans cities with over of 1.9 million m2, where the most talented engineers are working for the future of high-tech. The city is now home to the largest technology companies in the world, such as Huawei, Foxconn (the Apple manufacturer), DJI (the top maker of non-military drones), the Anker batteries manufacturer and much more. To be continued ….

For your connectivity, we climb mountains. Our business is trust.

DECEMBER 2018

Chinese giants jointly demonstrate first 5G-based 8K VR broadcast At the fifth World Internet Conference, China Mobile 5G Innovation Center worked closely with Huawei to unveil the first 5G network based 8K VR live broadcast. Compared with technically mature 4K VR live broadcast (requiring 50–80 Mbps data rate), 8K VR services require a higher data rate (100–160 Mbps) and wider bandwidth. The faster network speed and increased display resolution will allow users to benefit from a more detailed, true-to-life and immersive experience. 8K VR live broadcast was provided courtesy of a 5G network instituted by Zhejiang Mobile, which comprises Huawei developed 5G C-band sites and the core network. Owing to the favorable uplink and downlink transmission conditions (bandwidth over 100 MHz) in the 5G network, the 8K VR 360° camera captured picturesque South Lake views and then uploaded the compiled videos for cloud rendering in real time. The scenery videos were then downloaded at an ultra-high 5G speed to VR headsets. The 8K display effect is the key to offering virtualized reality to all users, and the advanced display technology requires an ultra-high transmission data rate enabled by 5G. The 5G network utilized in the demonstration deploys Huawei C-band base stations. Thanks to scenario-specific smart beams and 3D beamforming, Huawei 5G C-band AAUs boast flexible and precise cell coverage control and can deliver Gbps-level ultimate user experience. Dozens of base stations were deployed by Zhejiang Mobile and Huawei.

GLOBAL NEWS

Hong Kong adopts a ‘sandbox’ approach for crypto exchanges Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) CEO Ashley Alder disclosed that the commission will adopt a “sandbox” regulatory regime for crypto exchanges in the Asian financial hub in order to efficiently monitor digital assets and cryptocurrencies. “Those exchanges that want to be regulated by us will be set apart from those that don’t,” he said, adding that in the “sandbox” stage no formal regulatory approval will be given to any exchange. “This is essentially an opt-in approach

for exchanges and platform operators, and they will first explore the conceptual framework with us in a strict sandbox environment,” Alder added. All funds that invest more than 10% of a mixed portfolio in crypto assets, whether they are securities or not, have to comply with the new rules established by the SFC. These measures complement the regulator’s efforts announced last February to crackdown on unlicensed or illegal cryptocurrency exchanges.

Leading private equity firm seizes significant business growth opportunity with acquisition of MYCOM OSI MYCOM OSI, the Assurance Cloud Company™ and leading independent provider of assurance, automation and analytics solutions to the world’s largest communications service providers (CSPs), announced that it has been acquired by leading private equity firm Inflexion, to fuel its growth and capitalize on its leadership position in a market that is transforming from 30 years of traditional legacy OSS solutions to state-of-the-art cloudbased solutions. MYCOM OSI provides the industry’s first cloud-native service assurance solution - available on private and public clouds.

MYCOM OSI is assuring the world’s first end-to-end telco cloud network, and at one of the top 5 largest CSPs globally, where MYCOM OSI is automating up to 95% of its network quality management operations. MYCOM OSI’s solutions are also used to manage the world’s fastest mobile network, the world’s largest 4G network and the world’s largest VoLTE service. Along with its cloud-native technology, MYCOM OSI has also successfully introduced an innovative subscription-based commercial model option that provides increased flexibility and time-to-market, and leads the industry in its transition towards a SaaS (software as a service) model.

Qualcomm invests in 5G center in Taiwan Qualcomm has unveiled that it is planning to establish three technology and testing centers in Hsinchu, north Taiwan, which will help in the commercial development of 5G and advanced technologies and will be operational in 2019. The new facilities will cover 5G module research and design, mmWave testing and biometric sensing. The Centre for Operations, Manufacturing Engineering and Testing (COMET) will serve as

Qualcomm’s operations hub in Asia Pacific. This project is part of its plan to boost investment in Taiwan following a settlement agreement with the country’s antitrust regulator for TWD2.73 billion ($88.8 million) last August. In conformity with the agreement, the chipmaker agreed to invest in commercial initiatives covering the mobile and semiconductor sectors over the next five years.

DECEMBER 2018

GLOBAL NEWS

Nokia signs EUR 2 billion agreements with three Chinese operators Nokia has signed three separate frame agreements worth a combined value of more than EUR 2 billion with China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom. Under the agreements, Nokia will deploy technologies and services to improve performance in fixed and mobile broadband networks across China to meet ever-growing demand as operators transition towards 5G. Demand for the internet, particularly on a mobile device, continues to rise in China, the world’s most populous country. China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom are committed to delivering the highest quality service to their subscribers and will leverage products and services from across Nokia’s end-to-end portfolio, through to the end of 2019, to enhance speed, reliability and capacity in their networks. As per the agreements, Nokia will deliver technologies and expertise across China for China Mobile: radio access, core, passive optical networks, IP routing and optical transport, SDN, network management and professional services. Nokia will support China Telecom to improve country-wide 4G LTE coverage and

hot spot capacity. Nokia will provide its end-to-end portfolio and solutions for China Telecom including FDD-LTE radio access, home CPE solutions, core routers, multi-service edge routers and optics as well as its services expertise. Both parties will also enhance 5G cooperation and accelerate China’s 5G progress. As for China Unicom, it will get Nokia’s help to deploy technologies across the country including Nokia FDD-LTE radio access, multi-access edge computing, virtualized IMS, SDN, IP routing and optical transport and fixed network equipment. Working with Nokia, China Unicom aims to enhance network quality and capacity to grow its 4G LTE customer base, while researching and developing the expansion of IoT services and the evolution to 5G, including the use of artificial intelligence in networks. Nokia will provide its services expertise under the frame agreements, including network planning, implementation, systems integration, maintenance and performance optimization.

ZTE announces exciting new partnership with Italian mobile player ZTE, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, announced, together with Wind Tre, leader of the mobile market in Italy and one of the main operators for fixed-line telecommunications, a demonstration of 5G network-based UAV HD and Panorama VR live streaming at ZTE Wireless User Congress and 5G Summit in L’Aquila, Italy. ZTE, in partnership with Wind Tre and Open Fiber, accomplished Europe’s first pre-commercial 5G network in October 2017, symbolizing a major step forward

for the commercial deployment of 5G in Europe. The demonstration adopted ZTE’s commercial-oriented ultra-bandwidth and low latency 5G mobile system, making it possible to simultaneously perform UAV HD and 360 Panorama VR live streaming. By means of the 5G network, the 4K Panorama videos captured by the UAV camera and panorama camera are transmitted to the cloud server and then to end users. Featuring ultra-high reliability, ultra-low latency and ultra-large broadband, 5G technology will accelerate the incubation and development of innovative services.

Vietnamese operators to begin 5G testing as of 2019 Vietnam will start testing 5G networks in January 2019. Four telecom companies: Vietnamobile, a joint venture of Hanoi Telecom and Hongkong based Hutchison Asia Telecommunications, and three state-owned entities, Viettel, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, MobiFone are expected to receive 5G testing licenses in January. Starting from the capital, Hanoi, the country aims to upgrade its mobile network along with the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. “Vietnam should be among the first nations to launch 5G services in order to move up in global telecom rankings,” said Nguyen Manh Hung, the country’s minister of information and communications. Hung, previously the chairman and general director of Viettel Group, wants to reacquire Vietnam’s rank among the top countries worldwide in terms of major exporter of 5G gear through boosting the development of local equipment. He also plans to make the licensing and approval process easier for Vietnam’s IT sector. Several partnerships have been made in order to facilitate the procedures: VNPT has teamed up with Nokia on 5G, while MobiFone signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics to cooperate on 4G and 5G networks earlier this year. In 2017, Ericsson held the first 5G demonstration in the country in partnership with the Vietnam Authority of Radio Frequency Management. While MobiFone and VNPT are on the list of state-owned companies slated for privatization by 2020, Viettel is to remain in government hands.

DECEMBER 2018

PCCW Global technology enhances business communication capabilities in the Philippines Following a successful launch in the Philippines, PLDT Enterprise is on track to roll out a suite of global Unified Communicationsas-a-Service (UCaaS) business communication services to multinational companies, using technology and international presence provided by PCCW Global. Operating out of Manila, PLDT Enterprise’s development roadmap for the new global UCaaS offering will enable the service provider to expand beyond its home market to serve multinational companies across multiple regions, while simultaneously capturing global revenues. By connecting to PCCW Global’s worldwide network and points of presence, PLDT Enterprise is able to serve 21 countries across four continents, providing access to over 73% of the global UCaaS telecommunications market. PCCW Global’s enterprise voice solutions enable knowledge sharing, faster circulation of information and improved decision-making processes leading to the quicker introduction of products and services to market. The global solution that PLDT Enterprise plans to roll out will enable businesses to scale their communications via an agile deployment, minimizing upfront capital expenditure while reducing overall time to provide services. Connectivity and access will be provided using PCCW Global’s resilient and international fiber network that spans over 3,000 cities in 150 countries, including relationships with over 200 operators.

GLOBAL NEWS

Vodafone NZ unveils agile and programmable network Vodafone New Zealand is unveiling an adaptable and agile network that can respond in real time to its customers’ changing demands by utilizing technologies from Ciena. Through a digital user interface (UI), business customers will easily be able to request additional network capacity from Vodafone in a faster, automated way.

require complex and unique network services.”

With an adaptive network, Vodafone can better support a growing enterprise customer base that requires high capacity connectivity as business applications and workloads increasingly move to public cloud services (SaaS/IaaS) and cloud datacenters both locally and internationally.

Additionally, with Ciena’s Liquid Restoration capability, the operator can significantly improve service availability with flexible adjustment of deployed coherent optical capacity and route affected services across any available path in the network.

Vodafone Technology Director Tony Baird says this deployment builds on a long-standing relationship. “Our long-standing collaboration with Ciena is a relationship we value greatly. The combination of top-echelon technology and impeccable customer service has put us in a winning position. As a result, we’re very comfortable in not only maintaining but also growing our customer base, particularly those that

Vodafone can also set customerdefined service policies and program its network to suggest the ideal capacity, hardware configuration and spectral placement for any channel, across any network path.

“To respond to changes in end user consumption and explosion in data usage, leading operators like Vodafone New Zealand must both automate and scale their networks,” said Rick Seeto, vice president and general manager, Ciena Asia Pacific & Japan. “They need a network that can adapt and respond, in real time, to their customers’ everchanging demands while transforming from a necessary capability to a strategic asset – that’s the basis of the adaptive network.”

Study forecasts Southeast Asia internet economy to exceed $240 billion by 2025 As more consumers use their smartphones to go online, the latest study by Google and Temasek Holdings changed its expectations for Southeast Asia’s internet economy. It is now forecasted to reach $240 billion by 2025, an increase by $40 billion which is more than previously estimated. Originally published in 2016, the study covered services such as ride-hailing, e-commerce, online travel and online media. However, the latest report deals also with new sectors such as online food delivery, as well as subscription music and video on demand. The region’s internet economy now, in 2018, stands at $72 billion in gross

merchandise value (GMV), rising 37% from the year earlier, and will rise more than four times to exceed $100 billion by 2025, boosted by increased consumer trust. It is noteworthy that the research covers Southeast Asia’s six largest economies: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The report highlighted that Southeast Asia’s growing internet user base might be the result of the increasing availability of affordable smartphones and the rollout of faster and more reliable mobile telecommunication services.

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DECEMBER 2018

COVER STORY

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. Within that context, we had a successful launch of the first 5G fixed broadband experience in the region. A commercial 5G network was deployed in certain locations within the UAE.

Etisalat driving the digital future to empower societies Etisalat’s futuristic vision is to provide solutions and services that will have a fundamental impact on people’s lives.

AE is witnessing an increased adoption of advanced technologies and Etisalat is taking a giant leap by launching the 5G network, investing in futuristic technologies and smart services. Traditional mobility ecosystems are getting diversified with various technological and social forces making an impact and bringing in a radical change in our way of life. This includes the emergence of connected technologies, which will have a profound impact on the way people interact in their daily lives. 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. 5G will play a key role in building next generation of smart city innovations and is relevant in driving that change to open doors to the future of urbanism. 5G and Expo 2020 Etisalat has demonstrated strong commitment to sustaining its technological leadership by investing in emerging and next generation technologies. Etisalat’s investment in 5G technologies is a prime example

This year, Etisalat had some significant initiatives that set global benchmarks in supporting UAE’s 2021 vision, which identified digital technology as one of the top seven primary national sector. Etisalat’s main objectives from 5G are to generate incremental 5G revenue via new use cases, adding value to shareholders and delivering worldclass customer experience. Expo 2020 is a testimony to our efforts in 5G, which became the first 5G major commercial customer in MEASA (Middle East Africa and South Asia) through its partnership with Etisalat. Such an implementation is a declaration of a new era of digital connectivity, and an acknowledgement of 5G’s rich anticipated potential. The fifth generation of network will deliver faster speeds and lower latency. It will be a critical building block in the economic competitiveness for the UAE. 5G service availability will provide high data rates with ultra-low latency, which will far exceed the current 4G, providing unlimited access to all kinds of applications and services and will drive innovation, efficiency and productivity to a wide range of business and industrial sectors of the UAE. For the enterprise segment, Etisalat is mainly focusing on IoT

DECEMBER 2018

COVER STORY

opportunities for 5G and will work closely with various verticals, including smart health, security, financial and transportation. While for consumers, Etisalat will be reviewing the evolution of a number of opportunity areas, including: AR/VR gaming, 4K streaming, smart homes, high quality content downloading etc. Vision for the future and keeping up with the rapid pace of change In the past few years, Etisalat has evolved into an ICT service provider by enabling an ecosystem with an advanced network and futuristic solutions like artificial intelligence and robotics. The UAE ranks number one in digital adoption among Middle Eastern countries having implemented core digitization initiatives. As a company our vision ‘Driving the Digital Future to Empower Societies’ is focused on making this digital future a reality by facilitating innovation, creativity and bringing technologies of the future to all our customers across our markets. Our infrastructure plays a key supporting role in the country’s ambitions to get digitally competitive and bring in digital transformation. UAE today leads in the global ICT competitive index mainly due to the continued development and increased adoption of digital strategies in various projects and initiatives implemented. Thanks to the vision and efforts of our leadership, UAE has achieved this global recognition due to the transformation of the country across different sectors. For instance, blockchain technology will transform the way services are delivered and the workplace will become completely paperless. The adoption of blockchain would help the government prepare for future challenges. Over 50 per cent of the UAE’s federal transactions would be powered by blockchain 2021. The UAE has chosen to adopt the development of the ‘future industry’ in various aspects as means of development. Artificial Intelligence

5G will play a key role in building next generation of smart city innovations

will also make a major impact in our way of living. Connectivity of people and things will be ubiquitous, and the use of robots and digital personal assistants will become commonplace. As part of our digital journey and strategy, we believe in investing in the future that will lay a foundation of ideas, this has led to an investment in our next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. Our partnership with government-supported accelerator programs is a testimony to the company’s belief and philosophy that we have to work hand in hand with the next generation by providing them the

building blocks to create and innovate to make digital future a reality. Etisalat is currently working with entrepreneurs to increase customer adoption of digital self-care channels thereby enhancing customer experience and reducing 50% calls to Etisalat customer care using artificial intelligence, analytics and insights, and machine learning. Artificial Intelligence is going to be the game changer in business contributing $96 billion to the UAE economy by 2030 — nearly 13.6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

DECEMBER 2018

It is most likely that automated transport will be the norm, and people will no longer differentiate between a ‘cloud’ and a ‘local’. As for play and leisure, the use of robots will become commonplace as with human augmentation. Changing role of telecom operators in today’s competitive scenario In today’s competitive scenario, Etisalat has focused on identifying new growth areas, combining the great potential of digitization and their existing core competencies to improve customer experience and generate new revenue opportunities. We have continuously re-invented ourselves to grow our presence with innovative technologies, adopt digital transformation strategies to streamline operations, and continue to make major investments in future network technologies. Etisalat’s overall corporate strategy has always enabled us to

COVER STORY

Etisalat has demonstrated strong commitment to sustaining its technological leadership

consistently push boundaries, by responding swiftly to the global digital advancements and proactively delivering cutting-edge services and solutions to our customers. Etisalat has maintained a diverse and effective business model, offering added value to our customers to meet and exceed expectations by

launching a variety of innovative offers and services. End-to-end digitization will both complement and enable our focus areas, which will center on key technologies, such as Big Data, artificial intelligence and robotics. Collectively, these efforts will yield a portfolio of stronghold operations that will maximize shareholder value.

DECEMBER 2018

COVER STORY

Strong financial performance leading to future investments and modernization of existing network Etisalat has laid a solid foundation the past year to invest in futuristic solutions and next generation technologies to deliver the best-inclass services while maintaining our focus on digital transformation, and making a significant impact on the overall customer experience. Etisalat has always believed in innovation and technology transformation with the backbone of a robust and one of the most advanced, fastest and widest network in the region. Infrastructure investments have been key to this growth and leadership in the market, in 2018 we have continued investing in the modernization of mobile and fiberoptic networks and infrastructure development through investments in future technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence and 5G. Our continuous investments over the years have led to major achievements like the 3G network coverage reaching 99.98% while 4G LTE covering 98.98%. Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) coverage has reached 94.3% of homes across the UAE, thus maintaining the UAE’s position as a global leader in FTTH, according to the latest international report from the FTTH council.

Etisalat has evolved into an ICT service provider by enabling an ecosystem with an advanced network and futuristic solutions

Etisalat’s network cloudification is considered one of the key innovation projects in the coming year. This will bring in efficiency as we will be able to deliver services in a more cost efficient manner compared to the current model. Role of private and public sector in enabling smart cities The government’s continuous endeavor to drive smart solutions across existing urban systems relies on integrated and interconnected strategies and systems to effectively provide better services and increase quality of life. Globally policy makers and business leaders have begun to recognize the need for more and better collaboration between public and private sector.

Over the past year, Etisalat has worked hand-in-hand with various government and non-government partners to launch initiatives that will enable them to achieve their smart city goals and empower people through technology.

Digital’s M2M Control Center solution will be used for an advanced metering infrastructure project backhauling and communication by incorporating M2M connectivity and enabling the M2M portal for thousands of smart meters.

As an example, Etisalat partnered with the Ministry of Interior to link homes and establishments in the country by connecting the fire alarm system to the civil defense control room reducing response time in emergencies. Etisalat

These endeavors targeted a wide array of critical social concerns. In the era of ‘Going Digital’, governments, businesses and consumers today are beginning to see the value of digitalization with the

DECEMBER 2018

COVER STORY

increasing presence of transformative technologies in their day-to day activities.

Etisalat’s network cloudification is considered one of the key innovation projects in the coming year

With the evolution of technology, today’s investments are focused on innovation to create dependable products that enables distinctive experiences and spread happiness in all segments of society. Our infrastructure plays a critical role in creating this collaborative framework focused on the values of giving, empowerment and actively working closely with the public sector. Role of cloud computing and data management for the economic marketplace of the future Cloud will provide the digital infrastructure for tomorrow’s cities, expected to have 6 billion of the

DECEMBER 2018

worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population by 2045. Smart services, autonomous driving and drone technologies, all will be better managed with the cloudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to store and analyse data. The UAE cloud service market will see increased adoption by financial services, hospitality, media and entertainment, oil and gas and retail sectors. In the past year, cloud has played a significant role in our business services as well, the new Secure Cloud Wi-Fi delivers the power of visibility and automation. Moreover, Etisalat made considerable progress on its path toward virtualisation, with the launch of the Etisalat Telco Cloud, becoming the first operator in the region

COVER STORY

to virtualise the mobile core for consumer data traffic, virtualising the customer premises equipment (CPE), and the Business CPE via the virtual service. This has planted seeds for the growth of agile products and services capable of self-care and auto-healing. With the 5G network, IoT and the Cloud will also facilitate digital growth and transformation for the company. Data management in this scenario will become a key basis of competition, underpinning new waves of productivity growth, innovationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as long as the right policies and enablers are in place. With the rapid growth of data and analysis, the rise of multimedia, social media and IoT will fuel exponential growth in data for the foreseeable future.

Cloud has played a significant role in our business services

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

Huawei brings digital to every person for a fully connected and intelligent world

uawei has established a comprehensive AI strategy, and has projected that by 2025, AI devices will be readily available on a global scale. In your expert opinion, how well-positioned is the Middle East for success in the new age of AI? Huawei predicts that by 2025, the world will see upwards of 40 billion personal smart devices, and 90% of device users will have a smart digital assistant. Data utilization will reach 86% and AI services will be readily available, as prevalent as the air we breathe. AI has become a new general purpose technology and will change all industries and organizations on earth. I firmly believe that the Middle East has all the ingredients it needs to be successful in the age of AI: a young,

Huawei’s AI portfolio is rapidly growing with new chips and solutions unveiled constantly with the aim of revolutionizing the industry. Telecom Review spoke to Alaa ElShimy, Managing Director and Vice President for Huawei Enterprise Business Group for Middle East, who shed light on Huawei’s newly announced Ascend series of AI chips and its contribution to 5G development in the Middle East.

talented population, visionary and forward-thinking leadership, and a drive to innovate and develop. Again and again we have seen that our partners and customers in the region recognize the value of adopting technology to drive growth, and we are confident that AI will bring nothing but continued progress and success to organizations in the region. How is Huawei accelerating the development of 5G in the Middle East? Huawei is a leader in 5G development globally as well as in the Middle East. In February this year, we unveiled the world’s first full range of end-to-end (E2E) 3GPP-compliant 5G product solutions. This release covered the core network, the bearer network, basestation and terminals, as well as the world’s first 5G chipset. We are also playing a leading role in 5G development in the Middle East.

To continue to foster the growth of 5G, at GITEX we hosted the 5G Ecosystem Conference. Under the theme “5G is Now, Sailing to New eMBB Horizons,” the conference promoted a 5G ecosystem in the Middle East by bringing together operators, regulatory agencies, industry leaders and other stakeholders to discuss 5G from a business, policy, and industry perspective. To give regional organizations a clear path forward to ushering the 5G economy, we also used the day as an opportunity to unveil a new research paper conducted in partnership with Analysys Mason, a global consulting and research firm specializing in telecoms, media and digital services. Titled “Unlocking Digital Opportunities with 5G”, the white paper digs deep into the economic impact 5G will have in the GCC, and identifies the top 50 use cases for 5G in both the short and long-term. We hope

DECEMBER 2018

this research will give organizations a clear blueprint on how to maximize the benefits of 5G. Huawei is a global pioneer in championing and developing new cutting-edge innovations and solutions in the telecommunications space. In your opinion, what is it that really differentiates Huawei from other vendors? We differentiate ourselves through our innovative and customer-centric approach to ICT. We aim to benefit from our position as one of the largest ICT companies in existence, while working with local partners all over the world to tailor our solution to regional needs. This unique combination of global expertise and local insight make Huawei an unrivaled vendor in the ICT industry. We aren’t happy to merely provide a portfolio of the world’s most advanced products and solutions – we design them for the convenience of our customers across each market. This drive to find solutions for each market’s unique needs has pushed us to become among the most innovative companies in the industry. Last year, our annual investment in research and development reached US$13.8 billion, up 17.4% compared with 2016. Our total R&D spend over the past decade has exceeded US$60.4 billion. How much of a key enabler is Huawei in driving government-led smart city developments and projects across the GCC region? Huawei is a key enabler in driving government-led smart city developments and projects in the GCC, particularly in the field of safe cities. Huawei is committed to building a fully connected, intelligent world, and safe city solutions are an integral part of this program. In this new world, safety should be as fundamental as air and water, nurturing everyone in every city, supporting the old and weak, and bringing peace and happiness to everyone. We are working with global industry leaders in the security field to create end-to-end public safety solutions using the platforms and solutions provided by new ICT innovations.

INTERVIEW We are a leading player in the global and Middle East public safety industry and we provide multiple AI-based solutions. One is the world’s first AI-enabled software-defined camera (SDC), the M/X series. This series of cameras can be applied to a vast range of scenarios and improve image processing capabilities by 25 times. We have also launched the Industry Enabling Platform to flexibly orchestrate AI services and introduce components from different partners, such as intelligent analysis, to quickly solve cases and establish a new intelligent policing process. This approach enables intelligent infrastructure, efficient and collaborative government services, visualized city operations and coordinated city emergency response. Through resource convergence, traditional siloed management transforms into integrated governance, and reactive city response transforms into active management. Can you outline to us what your primary objectives and goals are for the next 12 months? Huawei’s mission is to bring digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected and intelligent world. This will continue to be our priority for the next 12 months. We will tackle this monumental task through a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, continued investment in innovative technologies, particularly in the realm of AI, and on the other, educational initiatives to ensure the people of the Middle East are ready to be the first to adopt groundbreaking technologies. Openness and knowledge-sharing are deeply engrained in the Huawei ethos, and we are committed to contributing to the region’s economic growth by developing an ICT talent ecosystem in the Middle East. We work with government authorities, partners and universities to identify, support and grow the future leaders of the ICT industry, as well as promote innovation and creativity among the region’s students. An integral part of our approach to this is our ICT Competition, which is

currently going through its second iteration in the Middle East. The competition aims to increase the region’s ICT competitiveness and encourages the youth to contribute to the success of the leadership’s national vision for digital transformation and economic growth. Yet the ICT Competition is just one of many initiatives we have launched to develop the Middle East’s ICT talent ecosystem. We have implemented our global flagship CSR Seeds for the Future program to offer training and internships to promising students across the region. We also launched our Future Leaders Program this year, an initiative which provides Saudi students with three months of technical training and hands-on practice on ICT projects in order to prepare them to become engaged members of the workforce in line with Saudi Vision 2030. And this is just the start. We have just signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to provide the Kingdom with a variety of training programs over the next three years. The goal is to enhance the MCIT’s capabilities and assist in their efforts to build a knowledge economy and foster the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Plan 2020. The MoU also establishes an agreement between Huawei and MCIT to further develop our innovation center in the Kingdom to include artificial intelligence and internet of things (IoT) technologies designed to support Saudi entrepreneurship. As a natural evolution of our investment in ICT talent, we have pledged USD 140 million in AI talent education. Globally we just launched our AI Developer Enablement Program at HUAWEI CONNECT 2018, and we will import the program to the Middle East very soon. The program will help Huawei collaborate with developers, partners, universities and research institutions. We will use the program to build a better development ecosystem that can support AI resources, platforms, courses and joint solutions.

DECEMBER 2018

REGIONAL NEWS

The RIPE NCC brings its members in UAE together deployment. The meeting was part of the RIPE NCC’s strategy of closer engagement with its members in the Middle East.

The RIPE Network Coordination Centre (NCC) held its first lunch in Dubai for its members in the United Arab Emirates. The event, which brought together senior officials from Etisalat, CMC, AEServer.com and Expresso Telecom Group, among others, aimed at generating feedback for the RIPE NCC’s staff and identifying opportunities for local and regional cooperation to support IPv6

IPv6 is the next generation internet numbering protocol. Since the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses in many parts of the world, including the Middle East, networks that don’t adopt IPv6 will encounter increased pressure as they grow in size. The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) in UAE has been proactive in recognizing the need for IPv6 to safeguard its digital future. Paul Rendek, director of External Relations at the RIPE NCC, is convinced of the positive impact that these member lunches can have. “Bringing people together to

share ideas at the local and regional levels is incredibly valuable to our members. The member lunch helps us gain a deep understanding of the issues faced by our members in their IPv6 deployment journeys. We are continuously expanding our efforts to cater to our members in the Middle East.” Upgrading to IPv6 is one of the key challenges facing telecom operators and internet service providers today. RIPE NCC members recognize the importance of deploying IPv6 to maintain their business growth and keep pace with international standards. The RIPE NCC provides training and support to ensure that its members have the tools they need to deploy and leverage crucial internet technologies.

OSN appoints new CEO following the departure of Martin Stewart video technology firm EVS Broadcast Equipment last year. He has launched new pay TV services and repositioned existing broadcasters and also has experience in M&A transactions and dealing with banks and other financiers, according to his bio. “As member of the board it has been a privilege to witness firsthand the quality of OSN’s people and assets; I now look forward to steering OSN’s energy towards renewed growth and ever improved engagement with customers,” said Tillieux.

TV operator OSN (Panther Media Group) has announced the appointment of a new CEO following the departure of Martin Stewart after just two years. The Dubai-based firm has confirmed that Patrick Tillieux will become the new CEO. Tillieux, who has been on OSN’s board for two years, is the chairman of its executive committee. The board said it “is delighted that he has accepted to increase his

involvement with OSN and shares its vision for the company.” Tillieux, who has held several senior roles in European pay TV operators, is currently chairman of two companies and serves on other boards, mainly in the media space, across the world. Previously CEO of Red Bee Media Ltd and COO of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, he resigned from his position as the director and chairman of Belgian

OSN, which has the rights to broadcast into 24 countries all across the MENA region, is owned and operated by Panther Media Group and has two shareholders, KIPCO and the Mawarid Group Limited. Kuwait’s KIPCO has hired Goldman Sachs to advise it on the sale of its majority stake in OSN, sources told Reuters recently. The company, which has been facing subdued demand in its core markets due to piracy, geopolitical factors and increased competition, posted a 10 percent year on year drop in income for the three months to September 30.

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

MATRIXX Software enabling operators to achieve digital transformation on a global scale US enterprise MATRIXX Software is addressing the technology requirements of operators on a global scale, and is a key enabler for service providers who are seeking digital transformation in an effort to enhance operational efficiency, and create new business revenues and models.

ATRIXX has enjoyed phenomenal growth in the Middle East market over the last number of years, since entering the region in 2015. Its success in the Middle East is largely due to the role played by Ali Harfouche, vice president & head of sales, MEA. Under his dynamic and innovative leadership, MATRIXX has enjoyed rapid growth over the last two years, and has delivered digital transformation to a number of major operators all across the GCC. In a brilliant interview, the charismatic Harfouche explains how MATRIXXâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cutting-edge technology has enabled operators to transform their existing operating models, and outlines the key differentiators between the company and its competitors. He also illustrates

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the huge growth the company has enjoyed globally since 2017, his own roles and responsibilities within the company, and its strategic plans for the next 12 months. Can you tell us more about the history of MATRIXX Software and what services the company provides? MATRIXX software is a Silicon Valley company, and it’s a relatively new enterprise that was founded around 10 years ago. The CEO and founder of MATRIXX Software is Dave Labuda. He was the co-founder and CEO of Portal Software, which was the leading billing company in the 90s. In 2008, when the iPhone was launched, people realized that this device was going to change the world - and it did. So at that time, people in the industry knew that billing and CRM would no longer work in this new digital era. Portal Software was sold to Oracle in 2006, and Dave and his team decided they needed to build something different to address the new challenges. This digital transition is primarily where MATRIXX Software came from. The engineers started working to create a new product which became known as the MATRIXX Digital Commerce platform. This platform was built over patented technologies and introduced into the marketplace around seven or eight years ago. It has been evolving year on year, which provided MATRIXX with huge commercial success globally. MATRIXX Digital commerce platform is not an enhanced BSS that competes with legacy vendors on features and functions; it is just different. Digital transformation is disrupting and reshaping major industries all over the world. Can you outline to us how MATRIXX Software is helping telecommunication operators to reinvent themselves in order to become leaders in the new digital economy? Telecom providers have embarked upon a number of projects with legacy vendors over the last 10 years in an effort to address digital transformation, and to transform their architectures and business. However, this has proved to be very complex and expensive, and it hasn’t yielded the results the operators

INTERVIEW wanted. The legacy systems weren’t really designed to operate in such an environment. Traditionally, telecoms were designed to work with shops and call centers, and it’s difficult to change and transform it in a short period of time using the same technologies; you have to change people, processes and technologies. MATRIXX has a technology and vendor background, so we can address technology problems for service providers very efficiently and effectively. We’ve created a digital enablement platform, and we help operators deploy our platform using configurations to connect their network to their consumer screens, covering all journeys needed. We do it within a few months and with minimal integrations to the legacy architecture. So in a very short time, telecom providers can embark on the journey with us: launch their digital products and brands on MATRIXX, which is designed for a real-time digital experience that’s always on, always precise and always agile. This means one’s relationship with the operator becomes the mobile app. We think about it as ‘Uberizing’ the telecommunications industry in every way possible. MATRIXX has enjoyed phenomenal success in terms of creating a foundation to enable next generation IT architectures for rapid transformation. In your opinion, what is that differentiates MATRIXX from its competitors? If you look at our competition today, it’s mainly in the BSS space. Large and

very respectable companies have done a great job in the telecommunications industry. However, the point is that what they’ve done over the last 30 years doesn’t work in the new digital ecosystem. They’re still successful when it comes to traditional BSS, but by going digital, they have to redesign their products, which is very difficult at this stage. The difference between MATRIXX and the competition in the market today is that MATRIXX doesn’t look at competitors to try to create a better product; we create a different product. We didn’t create a billing system or a CRM system with new features, functions and flexibilities because we believe there would have still been the same problem. We came with a completely different approach, with a product that addressed market challenges. We somewhat gambled on our vision and took a risk with it, and it worked. We were selling to a market that didn’t exist. The market wasn’t there but we were trying to create the market. Telecom providers saw our achievements. Since telecom providers, specifically in the ME region, are very smart and want to be number 1, their competitiveness helped them to recognize the benefits of our product. An additional element was that many operators had already tried digital transformation, but were not very successful. The programs they embarked upon in the past had not gotten them to where they wanted to be; they had been too complex, expensive and taken far too long to implement.

We came with a completely different approach, with a product that addressed market challenges

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What sort of response did you get from operators when you first approached them with your product, bearing in the mind that the market at that stage did not exist? They were very defensive. You’re approaching operators and basically challenging the way they’ve done business for the last 20 years. It’s fair to say that no one easily accepts this. However, we now have over 20 customers globally. In the Middle East, we have four leading customers, which usually requires visionary CEOs and CCOs. It is a CEO initiative, not something a billing team decides on overnight. The telecom providers decide to change their business models, driven by the CEO and CCO. It has to be driven and sponsored by these executives. We have seen this trend globally as well as in the Middle East. Can you outline to us what your primary roles and responsibilities are as VP, and head of sales, MEA for MATRIXX? I started in this region about three and half years ago, and was the only person here in the Middle East. It was a oneman show at that time. It was a very exciting journey, and I was responsible for leading business development and sales. I developed relationships with new customers and then began to recruit people in an effort to expand our operations in this region. Today, we have over 30 people in this office, which means a year on year growth of around 500% - this is incredible. This region is the fastest growing market globally for MATRIXX Software. When the company first started, there were just over 50 employees, and it’s grown to over 200. It’s continuing to grow quickly because the market understands and values what MATRIXX is. In terms of my responsibilities in this region, I cover the Middle East and Africa. We have established a large sales team along with a strong regional delivery and support teams. We’re expanding quickly, but my primary responsibility is to look after the MATRIXX business in this region as a

INTERVIEW whole. I have to continue to grow the business and enter new marketplaces. Can you tell me about some of the global customers MATRIXX is working with? MATRIXX has over 20 telecommunication customers globally. The early adopters were Swisscom, Telstra in Australia, and Vodafone in New Zealand, about five years ago. Then, we built from there by evolving our product and listening to our customer base about what the market needed. The past two years have witnessed a huge demand and growth. We used to talk to a few customers per year, but then in 2017, these engagements grew exponentially. Some customer names today, starting with my region, are Ooredoo Oman, Zain KSA, Ooredoo Kuwait, Hutchison (five countries in Europe and Asia), Verizon USA, Teleena, plus many others. Years 2017 and 2018 were successful, and we’re very confident that 2019 will be another awesome year for MATRIXX in the MEA. What are the objectives and goals for MATRIXX Software in the next 12 months? MATRIXX began with heavy patents in the technology space, and we built a platform at the top. This is very unique in the market globally. We understand operators and the telecommunications environment. Going digital in telecommunications is not as easy as going digital with Uber, for example, because you’ve got millions of subscribers and billions of interactions from the mobile app. So, you need a

completely different way to address that, and you need high performance technology to achieve it, which is where MATRIXX comes in. We’ve done it well so far, but now we’re taking it to the next level. We are going to invest in other areas to make our platform as complete and as independent from legacy systems as possible, so that telecom operators will have an end-to-end platform for their mobile consumer and enterprise businesses, among others. From an organizational perspective, we’re continuing to grow in the region. We’re establishing offices in Morocco, Kenya, and later in South Africa. This means that the African market will be a big focus for MATRIXX in the next 12 months. The product that we work with is not designed for a few hundred thousand subscribers; it’s really designed for hundreds of millions of subscribers. There’s a huge need in Africa. Africa is obviously not as mature as the Middle East market, but there’s a huge demand there for the patented technology we have built. That region is sensitive to cost, and running those legacy systems costs a lot of money and they need to start looking for alternative solutions. The philosophy of MATRIXX is successful delivery. There is no way we can fail on a single project. We can’t afford that. We’re a small company and we are extremely focused. We do one thing, but we do it very well. We expand based on the successes we deliver.

We are going to invest in other areas to make our platform as complete and as independent from legacy systems as possible

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

EITC partnership with Amazon is enabling enterprises to move their services to the cloud The recent partnership between UAE telecommunications operator EITC, and US electronic commerce and cloud computing behemoth Amazon, is helping enterprises in the Middle East migrate their services to the cloud. Hany Fahmy Aly, executive vice president, Enterprise Business, du, said that the unique selling proposition provided by EITC and Amazon is in the pay-as-you-go model it has created for cloud solutions that also offers on-demand flexibility.

DECEMBER 2018

elecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with the EVP of the operator’s enterprise business, who has played a key role in the phenomenal success of EITC’s enterprise portfolio. Aly has spearheaded a number of major projects over the last number of years, and his dynamic leadership and innovative thinking has helped Datamena establish itself as the biggest exchange in the region. In a fascinating interview, Aly speaks openly about the importance of the recent partnerships it has announced with global thought leaders Cisco and Amazon, the benefits its new eSIM service offers to enterprises, the success of Datamena and what we can expect to see from the operator in the next 12 months. EITC has recently announced that it will introduce eSIM services to its individual and enterprise customers in an effort to simplify experiences. However, can you outline to us why you think the eSIM will accelerate the growth of IoT and M2M in the UAE? eSIM is a technology where the mobile chip is embedded in the device. So when you’re talking about handsets and phones it’s one thing, but when you’re talking about devices which are installed in cars, homes, factories, lampposts, it really is a different being. It makes it easy to really provision these things, as manufacturers can already embed this technology into devices because they’re already producing the devices anyway. Once they’re installed, it’s very easy to provision it from an operator perspective. The difficulty of setting this stuff up is a barrier that is gone now, which means the market is really opening up for people to really adopt this. As a consumer, if you’re going to buy a gadget and you’re going to put it in your home, but you have to go down and buy a SIM card for it, and

INTERVIEW then install it, and you don’t know how to install it, it then it becomes a challenge. The eSIM makes it easy. It’s almost as easy as subscribing to something online. It’s a very easy process which also means that we’re removing the technology complexity as a barrier for internet of things and machine to machine, which will ultimately make it grow exponentially in the market. It makes devices, which are not phones, easier to connect to the network. At GITEX, du and Amazon Web Services announced the launch of EITC’s new cloud solution. Can you elaborate on the benefits this new solution will have for your enterprise customers? The whole idea of a cloud solution is that it gives you on-demand flexibility. That’s the real selling point of cloud solutions. It’s on-demand flexibility with a pay-as-you-go model. You don’t need to commit to a specific monthly fee; you just pay for what you use. However, in order for that to work, you need to have the capacity, the bandwidth and the reliable infrastructure to make this happen. The paradigm shift is one thing, but if I have something traditional that is installed in my premises, then my networking cables for simplicity are stuck. If you want to run your business-critical applications on the cloud, then there is an element of fear and uncertainty and doubt. Yes, I want to move to the cloud because I pay less and I can be more efficient, but how can I ensure the connectivity is going to be as guaranteed as I had it in my traditional premises? That’s why having a strong network and a cloud service go hand in hand. That’s where the partnership with Amazon came in. We have the most advanced network and when you look at the tests we conducted with the TRA, you can see the incredible technology we have. We provide very fast bandwidth, with guaranteed quality and service levels, and that again gives comfort to enterprises to move their services to the cloud,

whether it’s with Amazon or any other cloud provider. EITC also announced an extension to its partnership with Cisco with the launch of a new connectivity solution at GITEX. Can you tell us more about this innovative solution and what impact will it have on businesses that introduce it into their existing operations? We’ve talked about on-demand flexibility in relation to cloud. But what about the network, what if I want to do on-demand network? What software-defined networks are to the traditional network is what cloud is to traditional computing. Similarly to cloud, SD-WAN enables you to pay depending on how much you consume, so you don’t need to over invest or under invest. The flexibility is there because it is software-defined, but it’s not physically defined. You don’t have physical wires defining the capacity, it is software-defined. So you’re able

The whole idea of a cloud solution is that it gives you on-demand flexibility

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

to use your router depending on your destination and the capacity you use you can efficiently manage your network.

The key core principle is that we provide an excellent service to our customers

By efficiently managing your network, you can also pay as much as you need - a new business model has been created which is like pay-asyou-go. With Amazon, we can provide customers with 10MB of connectivity all the way up to 10GB of connectivity, which allows them to avail of new flexibility opportunities. Cisco is the market leader in this, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve partnered with them and enjoy an excellent professional relationship with the company, so moving into SD-WAN with Cisco was a logical and practical approach for us.

Datamena has enjoyed incredible success since its inception in 2012 and it has become the fastest growing datacenter and connectivity platform that facilitates cloud enablement and digital transformation in the UAE. In your opinion, what is it that differentiates Datamena from its competitors? From a technology point of view, there are a number of competitors out there for Datamena, but we have amazing connectivity through the region, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s connectivity to other operators, cloud providers or content providers. Datamena is almost like a marketplace, where people come together to interconnect. What differentiates one market from another one is based on location, the governance framework

DECEMBER 2018

and the cost of being in that market. There’s a huge difference in being in a small community mall and being in a flagship mall like The Dubai Mall. But it’s the same concept - you’ve got a lot of tenants which are very diverse, which means when you are there, you can connect to anyone. This is possible because of the legal framework and laws governing this end. The physical investment we’ve put in this, whether it’s in terms of datacenters or connectivity, or cable systems which are connected to Datamena create that ecosystem and allow it to be very competitive. We’ve got over 100 tenants now in Datamena which makes it the biggest exchange in the region. UAE-IX managed in partnership with Global Internet and cloud Exchange operator DE-CIX, delivers a local alternative for regional traffic exchange by localizing internet content. Attaining 100Gbps live traffic within the UAE-IX; has benchmarked our capabilities far beyond expectation and this most recent accomplishment truly highlights UAE-IX as a more than competent player in the exchange market. With latency being reduced by up to 80 percent and costs being reduced by up to 70 percent, UAE-IX is making gallant strides towards realizing the needs of interconnected global networks, network operators, content providers and cloud providers in the region. Early last year, Verizon selected Datamena as part of its Middle Eat expansion strategy. How has that partnership progressed over the last 18 months? Verizon is planning on leveraging its global relationships with clients, and they want to serve their clients everywhere. Being in Datamena is one of the ways they can do that, by giving their clients access to our ecosystem - whether it’s with software providers or content providers. So fundamentally, if a large global operator needs to serve its

INTERVIEW clients worldwide, it makes sense for it to be in the places where it can have its PoPs in order to be able to serve its clients. I think our partnership with Verizon has been working very well for them, and I think they’ve been able to leverage the location and the service very successfully with us. How much of a success has the launch of the Business Mobile Center been for EITC? We have our traditional retail which serves any du customer. But of course, as we’ve realized, we’ve got large enterprises and SMEs that require a differentiated level of service. It made sense for us to create business centers in key business locations to serve these clients. These business centers can either be permanent, or if there’s an activity in a big company we can put a temporary setup there to serve their customers depending, for example, if we’re signing them on. For example, we have a permanent business center in Jebel Ali which we opened last year and one we opened in DIFC a number of months ago. These are examples of business centers that serve a number of different companies which are in these business zones. At the same time, we have companydedicated centers such as Emirates Airlines. Because we’ve got such a huge client base at Emirates, we’ve got a business center that is open for the entire year. In addition to this, we also have a dedicated business center with Dubai Police. In summary, in the case where we have something which has a limited life space activity, we can open a temporary one, or we have the concept of a mobile one. This has been working very well with the Dubai Health Authority. The key core principle, which is part of our core DNA, is that we provide an excellent service to our customers. The whole range of essential services is there within our business centers, and it’s very convenient for our customers to access.

Can you outline to us what your primary goals and objectives are for the next 12 months? Recently, we announced the combination of what we call the ICT business and the telco business. The whole idea behind this is to bring synergies between all of our B2B businesses. The major focus for us next year will be how to leverage all of the assets we have in the telco with all the great innovation that is currently occurring in the ICT businesses. So we want to put them together and create something really, really powerful. The strategy for next year is how we take these two organizations that have been traditionally separate, and not combine them completely because if you combine them completely then you lose a lot of the flexibility, but know how we can leverage and synergize in a way which makes it easy for us.

The major focus for us next year will be how to leverage all of the assets we have

DECEMBER 2018

COVERAGE

Huawei outlines its revolutionary vision for 5G at Global MBB Forum in London 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.

t 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 triggersweeping 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, it is critical 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 near-zero 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.” 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 large-bandwidth 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.”

DECEMBER 2018

OPINIONS

Beyond 5G - A catalyst for broader transformation in the communications infrastructure

In times when headlines are making the most of technology buzzwords, it is essential to filter some of the noise and to focus on key drivers behind the ongoing transformation in our industry. Without a doubt, 5G has a primary position within the rank of current buzzwords, but its importance and impact go beyond wireless services and expand to the entire telecom/datacom infrastructure. In other words, 5G is the catalyst accelerating evolution and connecting different spaces in our industry.

t is not uncommon for industry representatives to refer to 5G as a fixed wireless solution, or a millimeter wave technology, or an IoT framework, or even a low latency enabler. Although all of these are indeed elements of 5G, this next generation of wireless is better defined simply as a QoS (quality of service) that meets several KPIs (key performance indicators) as currently determined by members of our industry with the 3GPP organization. These KPIs outline performance requirements like 100 Mb/s user experience, 10 Mb/s per m2, latency <1ms, etc. The reality behind these targets is that they will not be met simultaneously and everywhere as 5G starts. Even more important is the fact that carriers will have to use a combination of architectures and technologies that can be very

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different depending on both the services that will be initially targeted, as well as the characteristics of the specific deployment. For instance, the 5G capability to incorporate higher frequencies, including millimeter waves, can enable a carrier to provide short distance, high capacity direct wireless links, which can help replace the copper bottleneck in some final connections to subscribers. A different scenario may instead leverage the 5G ability to support lower radio network latency to enable fast interactive services like remote driving in geofenced areas. These are a few of the examples for exciting new services potentially enabled by the 5G QoS, and it will take a while until we see all these potential services being enabled and offered simultaneously. Even with some people questioning how solid the business case for these new services may be, carriers across the world are consistently moving towards more investments in infrastructure to minimize any risk of the network as a bottleneck for this exciting future. From a high-level perspective, in order to meet the 5G requirements, service providers have essentially three knobs to use: • Increased and better utilization of spectrum • Equipment with higher spectral efficiency (or how many bits per second of data can be modulated in a Hz of spectrum) • Network density (or number of antennas per unit of area) Once again, different carriers and different deployments will optimize these knobs in different ways, but historically the densification has been by far the most efficient contributor for wireless capability, with an impact roughly 100 times higher than the other two. Even with today’s improvements on wireless equipment’s spectral efficiency and current actions by many governments to make more spectrum available, the gap in performance expectation from 4G to 5G is such that it is widely accepted in the industry that a significant increase in network density is required to bring true 5G to reality.

OPINIONS In addition, carriers across the globe are realizing that this need to deploy more antennas (both macro and small cells) and antennas closer to customers makes it almost an obvious choice to build an optical access network with capacity and architecture optimized to handle all traffic independently, if final connection will be through a fixed or a wireless connection. This convergence of optical + wireless in the access network is a trend that is now being significantly accelerated by the 5G catalyst. It is true, however, that while steady expansion of fiber coverage is observed in many countries, barriers still exist including the lack of policy on access to poles in high density areas, and the high cost of deploying infrastructure in geographically challenging areas. Moreover, there are ongoing debates on the optimum approach to bring the optical signal to all these new radios. In some cases, carriers and system vendors are trying to leverage the evolution of the PON (passive optical network) architecture broadly used in FTTx deployments (in particular NGPON2), even if that ends up requiring a reduction in the split ratio. Another line of thought that seems to be dominating the initial deployments is realizing that in locations where there is no fiber installed yet and new cable has to be deployed anyway, a point-topoint architecture may provide a more robust optical infrastructure. This is less dependent on the evolution of the electronics and capable of bringing that optical capacity to the edge of the network, not only for 5G radios, but also for what may come next. It is becoming clear for carriers that this is a unique opportunity to make the last investment in network infrastructure, thus reducing the risk of more civil work cost for future upgrades. These are key focus areas where the industry needs breakthrough innovation. Solutions should not be adapted, but instead designed from the beginning with a converged architecture in mind, even enabling the co-deployment of PON and Pt-to-Pt such that cost and speed of installation are significantly reduced. Moving even further into this concept

of 5G as a catalyst for broader transformation of the telecom infrastructure, we can now see that this new converged optical-wireless access network is also the high capacity fabric connecting the computing infrastructure being built in the hyper scale datacenters. It is with the capable computers we carry in our pockets and the edge computing capabilities that are starting to be implemented by carriers. This combination of centralized and distributed computing capabilities is a silent evolution with potential to be historically even more impactful than the transition from mainframe computers to personal computers from few decades ago - a transition that created industries and changed the world. Ubiquitous high speed reliable connectivity is emerging as the currency of growth. Operators and governments particularly in the Middle East are looking at this not only as an opportunity to leapfrog and skip evolution stages, but even more importantly, as a mechanism to create sustainable business and social value to the people. By Dr. Claudio Mazzali, senior vice president & CTO – Corning Optical Communications

Solutions should not be adapted, but instead designed from the beginning with a converged architecture in mind

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

Nokia aiming to become leader in 5G as markets evolve towards next generation technologies

etri provided us with a detailed and comprehensive overview of Nokia’s strategy in the MEA region, its approach towards the implementation of 5G, how it is aiming to improve mobile broadband, and some of the key MoUs the company has signed in relation to the acceleration of next generation technologies. What is Nokia’s sales strategy for its Mobile Networks Business Group in the Middle East and Africa market? MEA market is unique in some ways. While we see more than 60% of the spending for mobile networks (MN) coming from the top eight countries, we see a lot of potential from other countries as well. Similarly, while the top operator groups represent almost 70% of the spending, we see consolidation in the market driven by OPEX and CAPEX challenges. In this context, a seamless technology transition towards 5G becomes a

Finnish telecommunications colossus, Nokia, is aiming to become a leader in 5G as the markets continue to evolve and prepare for the advent of next generation technologies. The vendor is also positioning itself to be a leader in providing the best value to customers migrating their networks towards the cloud. These were the sentiments expressed by Petri Moilanen, head of Sales for Mobile Networks, Nokia MEA, when he sat down for an exclusive interview with Telecom Review. major challenge for operators. To help operators with this, Nokia focuses on two main goals - Customer Perceived Value and Return on Investment While we aim to be a leader in 5G, we strive to provide the best value to our customers and evolve their networks towards cloud infrastructure. In addition, we observe that a good part of the MEA region is still focusing on major 4G rollouts for mobility and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), as 4G network coverage in this region is only 30%. So, the foundation of Nokia’s perceived value relies on its end-toend portfolio and its global expertise to deploy 4G, with its clear evolutionary path towards 5G. From the broader strategy perspective, Nokia Mobile Networks’ strategy for Middle East and Africa is focused around three main pillars: leading in high performance end-toend networks with communication service providers (CSPs), expanding network sales into select verticals with carrier-grade needs, and

building a strong, standalone software business. We build on our current leading position with CSPs through our superior portfolio, and a strong go-to market approach. With our leading position in LTE and 5G-ready AirScale radio, we are supporting to create an evolutionary path to 5G for our customers in the region. We help CSPs make use of the capacity opportunities of new unlicensed spectrum and we drive core network evolution with our cloud portfolio. We also focus on leveraging our strengths to expand into carefully chosen adjacencies. This strategy is ambitious but it is also attainable because we are already well-positioned to lead in new segments such as public sector and enterprises. The plan builds on our core strength of delivering large, high performance networks by methodically expanding our business to targeted, higher growth and higher margin verticals. We are

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

not exiting our core business with communications service providers who will remain the clear majority of our business for the foreseeable future. The plan is to use our main competitive advantage – the industry’s most complete end-to-end networks portfolio – to capture new customers. Our ambition is to increase our share of revenue that comes from non-CSP customers.

spectrum availability. In this context, we have signed a 5G MoU with key operators including Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Zain KSA and Mobily, du, Vodacom South Africa and Alfa. As part of these agreements, we have been working with the operators in conducting 5G-NR demonstrations and pilots within 2018, and we aim to extend the activities as the market evolve towards 5G.

For the public sector, we build on our strengths in public safety and transportation and leverage our LTE solutions. In the technological, extralarge enterprise segment, we intend to disrupt with carrier-grade offerings in wireless connectivity solutions, private LTE and microwave. Leading in connectivity for IoT will see Nokia engaging with CSPs to evolve their networks leveraging LTE and cloud core technology. And, selectively, we will work with verticals, like automotive, to stimulate LTE network upgrades.

Can you share some of Nokia’s developments with 5G and how Nokia is working towards early implementation of the technology? Nokia recently launched 5G Future-X as a framework for development of 5G (including 5G-NR technologies). With the launch of the Nokia 5G Future X solution, we have taken another major step forward in helping CSPs to roll out their initial 5G networks. Our approach spans all network domains and is built on three pillars:

How is Nokia working towards making mobile broadband better for public sectors and enterprises in MEA? As mentioned previously, one of our strategies is to focus on maintaining the strong business that we have today in more than 40 countries in MEA, and expanding it to new customer segments and technologies. After our recent Q3 results, we communicated the creation of a new Enterprise Business Group that consolidates a range of existing, fast-growing activities into one focused organization which tackles high-growth, highmargin opportunities with a set of companies needing telco-grade networks. The strong results from our previous efforts in public sectors and enterprise have validated this approach and we are taking steps to build even further on our progress. Can you tell us about some of the strategic framework agreements that Nokia has signed in a bid to pave the way for 5G adoption across the Middle East and Africa? In MEA, Nokia is working closely with the most advanced 5G markets. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and South Africa are ahead, supported by their regulators and governments to ensure

• Pre-design: Nokia 5G solutions take advantage of the cloud native and open 5G Future X architecture to leverage the latest technology developments and the cross-domain design services from global services. • Pre-integration: Nokia 5G products feature comprehensive pre-deployment integration for faster time to market and lower implementation costs. • Pre-validation: Use case testing, performance evaluation and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis are performed jointly with the CSP at the Nokia 5G Future X Lab. By completing nearly all integration and testing of the network infrastructure before it is deployed in a live network, Nokia can reduce the amount of time and cost CSPs expend on their 5G rollout. This helps them to meet tight budget and extreme customer performance requirements, while bringing customized services to market quickly to win a competitive advantage. How will Nokia ensure that operators benefit from their 4G infrastructure spending when 5G comes into play? Reducing the amount of time CSPs spend on tests and trials, reduces costs and allows faster time to

market. It’s essentially de-risking the deployment. Nokia’s 5G end-to-end capabilities give operators a unique opportunity for transitioning towards 5G seamlessly. Radio, Core and Transport platforms are ready for 5G, while the major changes in network topology to enable 5G use cases are fully embraced by our telco cloud and cloud RAN solutions. Can you outline to us what your primary roles and responsibilities are as head of Sales for Nokia in the MEA region? As head of Sales for Mobile Networks Business Group, my responsibility is the business management from mobile networks perspective in MEA. This responsibility covers technical and commercial strategy, as well as business development for mobile networks. Organizationally, head of Sales manages the sales and presales team in MEA which is distributed across the MEA region.

We aim at being a leader in 5G, as well as providing the best value to our customer

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

Technology will play a critical role in legacy aspirations of EXPO 2020

The hype and excitement surrounding EXPO 2020 is gathering momentum following a number of major announcements made by the organizers, who predict that the event in Dubai will be the greatest ever held.

he UAE is globally recognized for its pioneering and progressive approach to emerging new technologies – and Dubai is the perfect illustration of this ambition. The city serves as a benchmark to other cities all over the world and is the encapsulation of technology, vision and modernity. When you take the UAE’s unblemished track record into consideration, it’s easy to see why so many are expectant when it comes to the EXPO 2020 in Dubai. Legacy is an extremely important factor for EXPO 2020 organizers, and the establishment of a ‘smart city’ in the form of District 2020 after EXPO 2020 is over, has caught the imagination worldwide.

Mohammed Alhashmi, senior vice president – Innovation and Future Technology, Expo 2020 Dubai

To find out more about EXPO 2020, Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with Mohammed Alhashmi, senior vice president – Innovation and Future Technology, Expo 2020 Dubai. In a brilliant interview, the dynamic and charismatic executive

DECEMBER 2018

highlighted the legacy aspect of EXPO 2020, becoming Etisalat’s first commercial customer of 5G, and discussed what the next 12 months has in store. Expo 2020 Dubai was the first major commercial customer to access 5G services in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, thanks to its partnership with Etisalat. Can you outline the role Etisalat will play in helping Expo achieve its goal of delivering a seamless and unrivalled digital experience for its visitors? Etisalat’s 5G networks will allow Expo 2020 Dubai to provide the most advanced digital and telecom services to its visitors, serving an expected 300,000 users on peak days and supporting our goal to be one of the most connected places on Earth, both physically and virtually. At approximately 20 times the speed of today’s 4G network, 5G technology will enable users to stream live 4K-resolution video anywhere at any time, with virtually no lag. It will be a key component of the Expo 2020 ‘smart site’, which will deliver a unique and memorable experience for millions of visitors and international participants, while also enabling businesses and raising public awareness of sustainability. Is the deployment of 5G going to be the main differentiator for Expo 2020? Access to Etisalat’s 5G services is an important differentiator and represents a vital component of our immersive visitor experience, but there will be many other aspects that will make the next World Expo unforgettable for everyone who comes. Our team is working with a number of Expo’s commercial partners to seamlessly integrate countless innovative technologies within Expo 2020’s smart site, while laying the foundation for what is to come. It is this futureproofing that makes a site truly smart. After all, who knows what novel technologies will emerge between now and 2020? For example, Expo is collaborating with MasterCard to reimagine the future of cashless payments, while Siemens’

INTERVIEW MindSphere system will collect data from across the site, providing a resource to stakeholders, SMEs and educational institutions in the wider Expo ecosystem. We are also working with other partners, including Accenture, Cisco, Etisalat and SAP, to deliver an unforgettable visitor experience. We expect more than 200 participants, including more than 180 nations as well as multinational organizations, NGOs, educational institutions and businesses, to take part in Expo 2020 Dubai. For the first time in World Expo history, each participating country will have its own pavilion. National pavilions will also be organized according to Expo’s key subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, rather than geographically – another World Expo first. With a diverse program of activities and entertainment ranging from live music and dance to delicious food and cultural performances – and everything in between – Expo 2020 will feature something to suit every taste. How would you describe the position of senior vice president for innovation and future technology at Expo 2020 Dubai, compared to your previous roles? I see my current role as the highlight of my career for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has allowed me to collaborate with some exceptional people. There is a wealth of experience on offer at Expo 2020, with many of our team members having helped deliver large-scale events such as previous World Expos, the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup™. This role also enables me to contribute to the UAE’s long-term development. Expo 2020 Dubai is a historic national event and an opportunity to trigger a lasting and tangible impact on humanity for future generations to carry forward. Expo 2020 runs from October 20, 2020, to April 10, 2021. What role will technology play in achieving a lasting impact? Technology will play an important role in the realization of Expo 2020’s legacy. In addition to allowing us to create a

rich and unique digital record of the visitor experience, it will also leave high performance infrastructure that will continue to offer benefits long after the next World Expo. Expo 2020’s smart site will continue to facilitate innovation after the six months of the event, serving as a foundation for a smart city in the form of District 2020 – a world-class integrated hub that will become one of the most connected and tech-enabled destinations for working, living and exploring. District 2020 will reuse 80 percent of Expo 2020’s built environment. To maximize longevity and minimize the need for additional investment, we are designing a flexible, scalable and future-proof network infrastructure that will facilitate an efficient post-Expo transition. Expo 2020’s smart buildings will become offices, educational facilities, and a Children and Science Centre, while built-in systems such as sensors and smart car parking will also be repurposed. We also expect technology to be a significant drawcard in the long-term development of an innovation-driven business ecosystem. Two of our Official Premier Partners, Accenture and Siemens, have already committed to establishing a permanent presence in District 2020. Siemens will establish its global headquarters for airports, cargo and ports logistics at the site, and Accenture will open a digital hub. By embracing innovation in all its forms, we aim to create a permanent, digitallyenabled environment in which the companies of tomorrow can thrive. Expo 2020 recently celebrated its ‘two years to go’ milestone. What are your priorities for the next 12 months? The Innovation and Future Technology team’s priorities for the year ahead include shifting our focus from design to delivery, establishing an effective support infrastructure that can serve Expo before, during and after 2020, integrating our application landscape to deliver an exceptional service to our visitors and participants, and delivering on the promise of innovation.

DECEMBER 2018

OPINIONS

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.

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. 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 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Fourth Industrial Revolutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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 own

digital platforms in an effort to establish a foothold in what it is fast becoming a hugely lucrative market worldwide. However, those technology thoughtleaders 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 its approach to digital transformation is NXN.

When NXN rebranded in 2016, the company decided to change course. NXN moved beyond consulting services, as part of its efforts to become a fullyfledged 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 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,

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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 cuttingedge 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 white paper 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 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

OPINIONS

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

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 white paper 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.

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.

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

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 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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INTERVIEW

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We strongly believe in our mission to build a connected worldâ&#x20AC;?- 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.

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 ffit 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

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and encourage their development will succeed quicker and with more agility, because 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 if you don’t encompass your employees by providing them with the working environment and necessary means. Companies should foster this digital acculturation and help their employees to build their capabilities to embrace and succeed in this change. The last pillar to digital transformation must be innovation. Innovative thinking from the top management throughout the whole organization is key to success. To do so, companies shall 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?

INTERVIEW

The digital sector benefits microfinance and contributes to its 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 their transparency. The growth of the mobile financial services (MFS) sector makes day-today life easier and helps households and businesses to anticipate the financing of long-term objectives and to handle unforeseen events. Digital mobile money can, therefore, secure transactions and improve their transparency and, if driven by government with an enabling regulatory framework, 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 and 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 is continuing to expand its footprint in the Middle East region including Pakistan, Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia more recently, because we strongly believe in our mission to build a connected world by providing advice and operational solutions to our customers mainly 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 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 to support its clients with its international experts through their digital transformation strategy.

DECEMBER 2018

OPINIONS

Online shopping is not a fad

As technology continues to be part of our everyday lives, online shopping is becoming the norm. White Friday, popularly known in the United States as Black Friday, draws thousands of people to shop both online and in stores.

hite Friday was created by SOUQ. com, the world’s largest e-commerce platform in the Arab world, giving consumers across the region up to 70 percent discounts on mobile phones, TVs, appliances, cameras, groceries, toys and fashion among other consumer goods. According to Forbes, most companies tripled their sales in 2017 vs 2016, and SOUQ.com logged the biggest shopping event in history with one million deals in a four-day period. In the US, Cyber Monday is also becoming popular - the Monday after Black Friday when people do most of their Christmas shopping online. Many online sites offer similar discounts that brick and mortar stores do, and you don’t have to get up early on Black Friday and fight off a sea of people for the latest gadget. Record sales are on the rise Let’s be honest, online shopping is not a fad. In 2016, Cyber Monday had record sales and was the biggest day in the history of US e-commerce. Consumers spent $3.45 billion that day alone, an increase of more than 12 percent from the previous year. This trend seems to mirror what’s happening in other regions outside the US, including China. On November 11, Alibaba, the creator of the world’s biggest online shopping event National Singles’ Day, smashed its own record with sales topping $30 billion in only 24-hours, soaring past last year’s record of about $24 billion. Two years ago, a record 100,000 vehicles were sold online within 24 hours on Singles’ Day. In China, online shopping has also taken a new form on Tencent’s WeChat. As the Chinese market becomes a strong growth driver for global luxury brands, many established foreign brands are launching new products solely on the social media platform. For instance, Dyson, a

OPINIONS

DECEMBER 2018

British household electronics brand, tapped into the potential of social e-commerce, resulting in its hairstyling product selling out within a minute. Online retailers are more optimistic as social e-commerce gains prominence. National Singles’ Day isn’t the only shopping festival being created to satisfy consumer appetite for consumption. Global luxury brands Dior and Michael Kors sold limited editions on WeChat’s mini programs during July’s Chinese Valentine’s Day (known as Qixi Festival) to boost their sales. Mobile shopping across the globe Ninety percent of Alibaba’s National Singles’ Day sales came from mobile phones last year, while US citizens opted to use their mobile devices on Black Friday. With high rates of mobile penetration, online shoppers are increasingly opting to make purchases on their mobile devices. Research by PayPal revealed 76 percent of shoppers had used smartphones to make cross-border purchases online, while 35 percent have used tablets and 18 percent have used smart TV/consoles in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

exponentially as users embrace the convenience of the internet. In fact, sixty percent of Gen Z will not use an app or website if it’s too slow to load, and two-thirds are interested in purchasing via social media directly, according to, “Generation Z: The study of tech intimates.” A simple projection from Statista estimates that there will be 2.5 billion smartphone users in 2019 and this number will continue to grow steadily - this is not counting the servers and computers that the phones and tablets are connected to and all other devices which create data. As a result, global datacenter traffic is expected to triple by 2021, according to industry reports. This exponential increase in bandwidth demand raises a key question for online retailers, “Is there enough capacity to deliver the required bandwidth and speeds before the next shopping festival?” The road to 5G is paved with fiber The explosive and seemingly insatiable growth in mobile data traffic has made fiber the backhaul connectivity of choice to serve not only today’s requirements, but also to meet the following expectations that 5G promises:

This trend will only continue to increase because the younger generations: Millennials and Generation Z (13-22 year olds) are always on the go and rely on their mobile devices for everything. Being connected is important to them.

• • • • •

In fact, three out of four Millennials agreed that they could not survive one full day without their smartphone. The same goes for Gen Z where more than 60 percent of them find it difficult to live without their smartphones. Gen Z currently make up 25 percent of all consumer spending, and that is expected to grow to 40 percent in the next decade.

Network operators that have invested in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks over the past 20 odd years have unwittingly being laying the foundation for 5G. Most FTTH networks today are using just two or three wavelengths: one for gigabit passive optical network (GPON) downstream, one for GPON upstream and one for video overlay. The vast spectrum of Coarse /Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (C/ DWDM) wavelengths remains unused, and hence can be utilized for wireless applications.

Delivering higher bandwidths and speeds for the future Data is consumed or transmitted whenever a user connects his mobile phone to the internet, and the global demand for data is growing

Up to 10Gbps per subscriber Up to 100 x connected devices 1000 x more bandwidth 5 x location density Ultra low latency less than 5 milliseconds

These network operators can use the same fiber strand but keep cell site

traffic and residential GPON traffic on different wavelengths. Passive C/ DWDM modules are put at both ends of the fiber to combine/separate the different wavelengths. Alternatively, you can keep traffic on separate fiber strands and design the connectivity at the hubs and closures to appropriately route the traffic. An additional driver for more fiber will be 5G fixed wireless access, which is being utilized by some operators as another option for delivering broadband to consumers in their homes and small business. Whilst fixed 5G broadband access will be quicker and simpler to deploy than FTTH, the rate that bandwidth can be turned up is accelerated, which will exacerbate bandwidth pressures on all parts of the network. This means that more and more fiber will be required in order to handle this. Essentially all metro, long haul and transcontinental networks today are fiber-based, and they have proven that they can scale to meet the growth in bandwidth by utilizing the latest generation of optical transmission technologies. The access network, though, still has a significant amount of copper, wireless and microwave technology deployed. Areas targeted for 5G coverage require lots of fiber to be successful, and not just for capacity reasons. It must also meet other rather formidable 5G performance goals related to network diversity, availability, and coverage since all three of these goals are achieved through a greater number of interconnected paths of fiber. The digital economy depends upon ‘always available’ fast and timely mobile connectivity. Users desire it and companies must deliver this service and go beyond being a provider. To truly innovate, they must harness the power of digital mobile technology. In order to achieve the performance goals promised by 5G, the adage “lots of wires in wireless” is stronger every day - and those wires are fiber. By Femi Oshiga, vice president of Service Providers for MEA, CommScope

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

Dr. Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer, TELUS

TELUS’ journey to evolving society through 5G

Canadian telecommunications operator TELUS is recognized as a pioneer of championing emerging new technologies and is leading the way in its effort to commercially deploy 5G networks in the country. The operator is progressive and ambitious in its approach to next generation technologies and its shrewd investment in healthcare is set to transform the industry.

pivotal figure in this journey has been TELUS’ Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Ibrahim Gedeon, a dynamic and innovative leader who consistently advocates that his team push the boundaries on what’s possible. Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with the TELUS CTO at the NGMN Alliance conference which was held over two days in the beautiful city of Vancouver. In a fascinating and insightful interview, Gedeon outlined why TELUS is such a strong advocate for NGMN, its strategy on the future of 5G, the significant investment it has made in the healthcare sector, forthcoming projects and programs in the next 12 months, and what differentiates the operator from its competitors.

DECEMBER 2018

How important was it for TELUS to support the NGMN conference in Vancouver? I think it’s two-fold. NGMN has always looked at the art of the possible. And to leverage the transformation of new technologies, you have to look at the possibilities, which is a sort of incrementalism. That makes the work with NGMN worthwhile for us because it looks at adjacencies and what can go together. In addition to this, the conference is being held in Vancouver, which is the home of TELUS’ headquarters. Yes, we have worthy competitors, but this is our hometown. We’re members of the NGMN and Vancouver has been a testing ground for 5G since 2014. It was very critical for us to show our support for 5G and NGMN. TELUS has been a pioneer in terms of championing 5G technologies. What is it that differentiates TELUS from its competitors in relation to 5G? I think it’s a DNA thing. I don’t think pioneers think of themselves as pioneers, it’s just how they approach things. I’m not saying we’re pioneers at TELUS, but the way we approach things is different. In relation to 5G, we posed the question: what more can happen if 4G had 5G attributes? However, we realized things like multiple industries, first responders, have toppled on their feet, and it’s not just bandwidth and QS. The idea of actually enabling customers with tools for self-install is a brand new phenomenon. We’re showcasing a lot of our 5G use cases here at NGMN and we’ve invested significantly in relation to healthcare. But again, we don’t see ourselves as pioneers, we just approach things differently. We’re also not shy at looking at what we call adjacencies. A lot of people are incremental - if I can run a mile, then I’m going to have to run 1.1 miles the next time, and we said well maybe we should start swimming. If you look at the world, Airbnb is the largest hotel in the world and it doesn’t own a single property. Everybody says look at the cool technology, but there’s really no technology in Airbnb or Uber. It really is

INTERVIEW the business model that is impressive. These businesses are born out of adjacencies, and as a company, we’re a firm believer in leveraging adjacencies. When we built the 5G corridor ‘living lab’ in Vancouver, any startup could come and experiment and leverage technologies. A lot of people talk about open source, but actually we have TELUS as a box. TELUS is a service, and that’s where we think a lot of the technology is headed. What was the strategy behind the large investment TELUS made in healthcare? We firmly believe that healthcare needs a redefinition, and we’ve invested significantly in healthcare. Every other telecommunication operator bought content, but it was expensive and we felt in the end that it would be over the top. Instead of investing in content, we decided to invest in healthcare as part of our effort to redefine the healthcare industry. We’re all getting older and we’re living longer - and in first world countries like Canada, the price is proportional. We need to find a way to make the cost of care not be proportional to the amount of people. Essentially, we’ve got to do more with less. So that’s why we started investing in healthcare. Of course, as people live longer, they’re also eating more food, so we’re starting to look at the food supply chain as well. What sort of response did you have from SMEs and startups when you allowed them access to the 5G Living Lab?

I think the response has been very positive. But to be fair to a lot of these startup communities, their number one priority is a purchase order. Getting it going is really cool for them and they can demonstrate it, but we’re not going to keep it up for them for the rest of their lives so they can sell it. So when things are aligned they do very well, but when they’re not aligned it’s basically a science experiment for them. It shows our commitment to the startup community because anyone can give you money to do something which is really important, but not everybody can enable you to take that service and put it out on the network, which is what we’ve done with them. Can you tell us what new projects or programs TELUS is going to be looking at over the next 12 months? The reason why I talked about adjacencies and transformation earlier is because we’re going to find out exactly how we manage network slicing. I’ll give you a small example. Network slicing is the next thing, but is it per community or per enterprise? Let’s say the airport is a TELUS client and they have five network slices. The airline is also a TELUS customer and they have three network slices. Well, are they the same? I think we’re trying to work with our partners to find out how all these cool features come together without compromising reliability and client experience. But it’s complex, so we’re going to work with our clients on seeing how this ecosystem gels together.

We don’t see ourselves as pioneers, we just approach things differently

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

Technological advancements in education are bound by a shift in policies, says Dr. Eesa Bastaki Technology has disrupted almost every sector, but has it disrupted education? Dr. Eesa Bastaki, President, University of Dubai, highlighted, in an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, all about how technology has impacted the education sector.

r. Eesa Bastaki has been a truly influential figure in the technological sector and has pioneered several initiatives and projects that aimed at positioning the UAE as the region’s leading country. Former CEO of ICT Fund, Director of Education, Training and Research and

Development for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), Consultant and IT Project Manager for Al-Ain Municipality; and Chairman and Partner of Barajeel Engineering Consultants, are some of the roles he has played in the educational and technological fields. In addition, he is a member of 7 academic boards, Honorary Chair of IEEE, Chairman of Emirates Science Club, Board member of the Cultural

and Scientific Association, Board member of KHDA’s UQAIB, Board member of Ankabut (UAE’s NREN) and many more. The President of the University of Dubai recently participated in the 11th Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit which was held on December 10-11, 2018 at the Meydan Hotel, Dubai. Dr. Bastaki delivered the official opening keynote in which he highlighted the

DECEMBER 2018

history of technology in education and how it evolved in the UAE. In his keynote, he highlighted the need for techno-edutainment to be introduced into learning in an effort to better stimulate students. He also said that Silicon Valley was a perfect example of a tech hub that aligned itself with academic institutions to drive change. In addition to your role as the President of the University of Dubai, you have an impressive background in the technological field. Can you tell us more about your previous roles as a technology advocate? I have been involved in technology since university. I always loved technology that’s the reason I studied telecommunication engineering until I finished my PhD. When I go to any conference I am invited to, I always talk about future technologies and what’s coming in the next five to twenty years. Technology is an ongoing trend. So, we have to make sure that whatever we do today goes hand in hand with technological development in the world, otherwise, we will stay behind, and the UAE is not here to stay behind. UAE leaders want us to be number one in everything in the world. That’s why, we see today in the UAE and especially in Dubai, all kinds of initiatives and endeavors aiming to achieve the vision of becoming number one. Technology is very dear to my heart. I was one of the founders of Dubai Silicon Oasis, we were working on technology, chip design and manufacturing, and even education in technology. Then, I was the CEO of ICT fund. The main idea behind this fund is to grow the technology awareness, application, design, and implementation in the country in all senses. The fund gives scholarships to universities, for communication and IT, they build labs for electrical engineering department and they support research and business development, research centers, technological incubation centers, in addition to so many national projects

INTERVIEW like smart education and smart government. All of these are part of the ICT Fund. I was the first employee at the ICT Fund and I was a CEO there. Then, I moved to University of Dubai. The University didn’t have engineering, it just had IT. So, last year we launched telecommunications engineering mainly to drive that momentum of telecommunication and IT in Dubai and in UAE and we are trying to make sure that we are the first in the world. This is the reason why we have signed many R&D agreements with entities in Dubai like Dubai Electronic Security Center. We also have a research center in the University of Dubai like Mohammed bin Rashid space center. Being involved in the educational and technological field, in your opinion how has technology disrupted education? Technology has not yet disrupted education, but it will soon. In less than five years, there will be technologies that will help a student learn from wherever he or she is, in whatever situation he or she is, and from any sector of the world. This means I could be in a driverless car and I could learn, from any profession in the world directly connected as long as I meet some requirements. What are the requirements? Any student who graduated from university has to fulfill course learning outcomes plus program learning outcomes. If they fulfill these requirements, they can get the degree, and they do it in four years. If I am learning anywhere, in any situation, anytime, from any instructor who is ready to teach, at the end, I will fulfill my learning objectives in the program or course. This means that the semester can finish in one month so I can finish a four-year degree in one year and even less. Not only that, even in schools, you can finish in nine years instead to twelve years because you’re constantly learning. It makes the student love to learn, I call it L2L. Once you embed that kind of culture in student, you have met

your objective that is for him or her to learn. So, the disruption comes in when you can get the degree in a very reduced period of time. A fifteen -year old student will be able to have a degree in electrical engineering, in business administration, in law, etc. This is disruption. The student is not yet a grown up, but he is mature enough to learn and just needed training to become one of others at work. The disruption is in the fact that time is irrelevant anymore. The curriculum is also adaptive and will change every day. In your opinion, will it be easy to change educational curricula? What are benefits will this change bring? We can do that as long as the ministry puts in place the right policies. Once we’re be adaptive, we’ll get used to being adaptive so, we’ll know exactly when to change and how to change. In addition, we can use artificial intelligence, cognitive intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, augmented reality. We could also use blockchain.

Technology has not yet disrupted education, but it will soon

DECEMBER 2018

INTERVIEW

If I learn from a professor from anywhere in the world, automatically I could pay that person through blockchain. Internet of things can also play an incredible role. I could call my home and tell one of the devices “please teach me as I am driving”. IoT will allow learning 24 hours a day. This will make sure that we can get degrees in a much reduced period of time. This I what the disruption is all about. Until we reach this point, how can education and universities in particular contribute to digital transformation today? Research comes from universities most of the time, so we need to have research centers that meet the requirements of the future industry. I will teach our students future technology not technologies that have been invented or have been implemented, I have to teach them the future. Then, the students and the researchers will implement that. Every research in the world comes from universities, but they do research for five to ten years. When I present the paper or publish it in one of the journals, they won’t implement it before 3 or 5 years. I need it to be implemented now, and university will be a main thing. So university should have all the kinds of degrees in technology and in addition to all other majors. In your opinion, do universities need to introduce new majors that focus more on achieving the technological goals in the future? Of course, there are a lot of majors that will be introduced in the future because many majors that universities offer today will lose their relevance in the years to come. Robots and AI will take care of many tasks that needed certain degrees to be executed. Therefore, universities should try to introduce new majors allowing students to develop the new technologies and not just implement them. Programing and AI will be more powerful, and security will be one of

We need to have flexible laws and policies that will help universities to progress

the most important jobs in the world because everything requires security. For example, treating a person from any disease will be so much easier with NEMS (Nanoelectromechanical systems). A small capsule enters the body and can do so many things and it’s all connected wirelessly. If a hacker hacks this capsule, it could either kill the person or worsen the disease. Security is highly important, that’s why there’s a new thing coming called Cognitive Early Warning Predictive Systems (CWEPS). It is an early prediction tool that gives machines the same vaccination given to bodies. That machine will be immune to any hacking. Thus, we will have services

such as vaccination-as-a-service in the cloud. Therefore, security will be one of the main pillars along with programming, coding and AI where robotics will have a great role. What is the main obstacle that is currently hampering technological progress in education? The only thing that’s stopping the progress of technologies in education are the policies and laws. We need to have flexible laws policies that will help universities to progress. I can’t get a one-year degree instead of four years until the ministry says you can. So, policymakers need to changes the policies, laws, and rules. Once they do, then I think we can accelerate progress and go towards the future.

WELCOME TO THE ERA OF

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DECEMBER 2018

ICT FEATURE

Outlook to 2019: What should we expect?

trends that emerged a couple of years ago and that require high capacity, low latency 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

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

DECEMBER 2018

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.” 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 volume of data in order to provide better customer experiences, improve operations, and increase revenue through new products and services. Forwardthinking 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. In 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 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 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

DECEMBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

China Mobile selects EITC as its datacenter provider in the UAE Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) and China Mobile International Limited (CMI) have strengthened bilateral ties between the UAE and China following the announcement that CMI will house its Point of Presence (PoP) at EITC’s worldclass Datamena Data Center facilities. EITC’s Datamena services will enable CMI’s PoP to access the UAE and GCC regions, as well as act as a hub point to reach the African market. This partnership intensifies the growing diplomatic relations between the UAE and China – especially in the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent three-day visit to the UAE in July, 2018, in which 13 agreements and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) were signed between the two nations to strengthen partnerships across various sectors. Furthermore, bilateral similarities between the two countries further

compliment their visionary leadership objectives, most obviously through their aligned aspirations towards achieving happiness and improving the lives of citizens through government-led visions and sector-driven technological innovations. Osman Sultan, CEO of EITC, said: “We are extremely pleased that China Mobile International has put its trust in EITC to house its mission critical PoP at our Datamena Data Center. Customers are at the heart of what we do and our partnership with China Mobile International further enables us to simplify how we connect customers and create new efficiencies in our business. Through this partnership, we intend to create a new benchmark in world-class services and to serve the evolving needs of our customers. We also look forward to utilising our unique relationship with China Mobile International to better serve the Smart City 2021 agenda to create a seamless, safe, efficient and personalised

city experience for all residents and visitors.” The Datamena partnership builds upon many other initiatives that EITC and CMI have taken together to connect the communications infrastructure between China and the UAE to support the economic cooperation between the two countries by enhancing the quality of telecom services provided to Chinese enterprise customers and retail consumers in UAE and China. The Voice Interconnect Agreement aims to provide superior and preferential international voice calling services between the UAE and China. The IPX Agreement will provide better quality of services for roaming customers accessing data services on roaming. Lastly, the machine to machine data connectivity (M2M) MoU allows both parties to further explore connected devices’ opportunities in the UAE and China.

du launches cloud-based ICT infrastructure for UAE Enterprises policy and operational automation framework for risk and compliance management capabilities to meet regulatory obligations. However, ensuring comprehensive compliance is a challenge requiring a solution to not only continuously monitor compliance but also manage compliance across the private, public and hybrid cloud architectures.

Du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has announced the addition of continuous andreal-time risk and compliance management services for its managed cloud and datacenter offering, courtesy of a new partnership with Caveonix Solution.

This relationship will ensure that proactive ICT and cloud workload protection for complex compliance and regulatory requirements are met with ease for large enterprises, especially government and financial institutions in the UAE. Government, financial and banking institutions require robust

Du has combined leading technologies with its highly skilled services operations, risk and compliance team to offer compliant zones based on the global risk management framework in its private, public and hybrid cloud and datacenter services ensuring cyber risk and industry and regulatory compliance needs are met. With du’s in-country enterprise class cloud services and matured managed services offering, the risk foresight real-time service stack offering creates a powerful value to our enterprise customers to enable a digital transformation journey with greater confidence.

DECEMBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

Virgin Mobile launches eSIM for its UAE customers

Virgin Mobile, the second brand operating under Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), recently launched eSIM technology as a new addition to its innovative digital mobile offering; eSIM is now available for

new and existing customers that have a compatible handset. The eSIM is meant to eventually replace the physical, plastic SIM card all current smartphones use with a virtual embedded equivalent that have been pre-built in some compatible devices. This new technology allows a simpler device connection and a better customer experience due to its simplified user journey, building on Virgin Mobile’s promise to fit seamlessly into the lives of its customers. This is a perfect match for the UAE’s only digital mobile offering.

In an effort to continuously offer more choice and flexibility, the introduction of the eSIM technology to Virgin Mobile supports the brand’s vision to deliver a truly digital experience for customer across the UAE. Completely app-based, with no contracts or commitments, you can join Virgin Mobile in only a few minutes. To get hold of your new eSIM simply visit any Virgin Megastore across the UAE and activate your eSIM with the help of one of our promoters at no extra cost.

UAE operator partners with oil and gas EPC contractor to implement artificial intelligence solutions Etisalat announced its strategic partnership with National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), part of SENAAT Abu Dhabi, to implement artificial intelligence solutions for remote sensing, real-time data, autonomous vehicles and predictive analytics improving response time with all their consumers. NPCC, a leading international EPC contractor, provides engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning services to offshore and onshore oil and gas sectors. It is headquartered in Abu Dhabi with offices around the region. SENAAT, which represents the government of Abu Dhabi, owns 70 percent and Consolidated

Contractors Company owns 30 percent. The MoU was signed by Sultan Mohamed Al Dhaheri, general manager, Etisalat Abu Dhabi, and Eng. Ahmed Salem Al Dhaheri, CEO of NPCC. Al Dhaheri, CEO of NPCC, said: “Technology and digitalization are driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, bringing much needed efficiencies to oil and gas production. It is transforming the sector with remote sensing, real-time data, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, giving companies a better chance to anticipate and respond. We are pleased to sign this agreement with Etisalat as a service provider of choice to enhance

our ICT and digital performance by implementing global best practices and standards.” Al Dhaheri, general manager, said: “Our partnership with NPCC, a leading Abu Dhabi-based oil and gas EPC contractor, mirrors Etisalat’s corporate strategy of focusing on ‘Driving the digital future’. At Etisalat, we understand the importance of digital transformation in the oil and gas sector. Today, the oil and gas industry has the opportunity to redefine its boundaries through digitalization. We at Etisalat are working closely with all our customers and partners to transform their businesses by investing in digital services and solutions.”

Telecom Egypt enhance high speed broadband offering through new partnership with Nokia European telecommunications vendor Nokia has announced a new partnership with Egyptian mobile operator Telecom Egypt. The new partnership will help enhance the broadband capabilities Telecom Egypt can offer its customer base. Nokia’s cutting-edge Photonic Service Engine (PSE) technologies will double the backbone capacity on its Delta Region (DWDM) network. In June, the first commercial deployment of the new high speed service was launched and it represents

the very first 200G long distance, single carrier transmission service in Africa. With growth in demand for mobile video and ultra-broadband services, Telecom Egypt worked closely with its partner Nokia to upgrade its current Nokia 1830 PSS backbone network. The network capacity increase brings higher-rate broadband services to fixed customers, as well as higher data rates for LTE mobile subscribers. Upgrading its existing Nokia PSS 1830 switches with Nokia’s PSE technology

enables Telecom Egypt to double its capacity while reducing operating costs. Telecom Egypt is upgrading its backbone network using the Nokia 500G DWDM Muxponder, a programmable card that provides wavelength capacities from 50G to 250G per line port. Based on Nokia’s Photonic Service Engine (PSE) coherent digital signal processor, this programmability will allow Telecom Egypt to provision and tune the wavelength capacity per optical route to ensure that its network is operated at peak performance, capacity and lowest cost per gigabit.

DECEMBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

Etisalat offers cloud managed wireless connectivity across ENOC retail outlets retail customer experience at ZOOM stores, as it provides simple network management tools, accessible via the cloud, with 24/7 support and monitoring as an Etisalat fully managed service.

Etisalat recently signed an agreement with ENOC to provide its retail outlets with cloud managed WiFi solution. The project will start with WiFi coverage across ZOOM convenient stores and expand to other retail outlets within the ENOC retail network. The service is based on Cisco Meraki’s cloud solution hosted locally by Etisalat and combined with Etisalat data analytic services. The new platform will greatly enhance the

cloud-based managed connectivity solutions and supporting the Group’s ambition to offer a rewarding journey to customers through smarter ICT solutions.”

Abdullah Al Mana, general manager, Dubai Region, Etisalat, said: “We are proud to offer a cutting-edge technology solution that provides ENOC retail outlets better customer behavior analytics, enabling improved business decisions, including stepchanges to the customer journey for customers.

H.E. Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, ENOC, said: “We are deeply committed to digitizing the retail experience for our customers; a movement we believe is gradually transforming their experience at our retail outlets. By embracing new technologies, we are well on our way towards supporting Dubai’s 2021 plan to become a smart city.”

At Etisalat, we understand that ubiquitous connectivity and peace of mind in management of the wireless LAN for staff and guests is vital to any retail business. The agreement offers ENOC retail outlets the ability to leverage Etisalat’s advanced

He added, “Our collaboration with Etisalat will enable us to keep our customers connected when they visit our retail outlets, and we will continue to innovate and integrate cuttingedge technologies to offer a seamless customer journey.”

Nokia and Alfa define the path to 5G with 4.5G Pro technology deployment ultra high definition video streaming, e-health and e-education, and can support millions of smart devices connected for internet of things (IoT) and smart cities.

Nokia and Alfa, Lebanon’s first mobile operator managed by Orascom TMT, will deploy 4.5G Pro technology using the Nokia AirScale 5G-ready radio platform following a recent successful test of the technology. With this, Alfa will be able to introduce Gigabit LTE speeds for its subscribers. The deployment follows the MoU signed in MWC 2018 and is an important step for Alfa to prepare its network to eventually offer innovative 5G services to its subscribers. This kind of higher speed broadband will enable them to enjoy data-hungry applications and services such as

Alfa will use Nokia’s 5G-ready, commercially available AirScale radio, three-carrier aggregation technique, 4x4 Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) and 256 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) to achieve higher throughput, along with Category 16 (Cat 16) capable devices. Such capabilities are critical for operators facing relentless demand for datadriven services and preparing for the advent of 5G networks and services. Nokia has defined a clear path to 5G through 4.5G Pro and 4.9G. The company already announced 4.5G Pro and 4.9G in September 2016 to enable operators such as Alfa to meet the ever increasing data demands of their subscribers.

Marwan Hayek, chairman and CEO of Alfa, said, “The road to 5G was laid long ago in Lebanon with the launch of the country’s first 4.5G network by Alfa. We continue this evolutionary path toward deploying the first 5G network in the country planned in 2019 through this 4.5G Pro deployment with our long-term partner Nokia. This deployment maintains our telecom leadership position and strengthens the foundation for eventual IoT services for smart cities in the country.” Roger Ghorayeb, customer team head for growth in West MEA at Nokia, said, “We are delighted to continue supporting Alfa to quickly move toward 5G technologies and provide pioneering high quality mobile broadband services. This deployment reiterates our commitment to modernize Alfa’s network infrastructure with Nokia’s latest technologies.”

DECEMBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

EITC signs MoU with vendor in effort to drive entrepreneurship amongst UAE youth technology to promote smarter and more sustainable living for citizens. On the other hand, the UAE Centennial 2071 program extends for five decades after 2021 and is focused on the four key pillars of education, economy, development of the government and cohesion of society. The collaboration between Nokia and du will help drive the UAE’s smart future by encouraging the youth to contribute to digital transformation.

Nokia and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate to enable the youth through key public and private institutions, including universities, to better understand and leverage technological trends and their impact. The collaboration will help drive innovation and entrepreneurship to

support the government in creating more sustainable living and making the UAE the best country in the world in line with the goals of UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Centennial Plan 2071. The UAE Vision 2021 was launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, and seeks to extensively use

The young talents of the universities and other institutions will get an opportunity to understand and benefit from the latest global technology trends which are bound to shape the future. The participants of the program will also benefit from handson training and certification on Nokia’s innovative products. In addition to the MoU, Nokia, in partnership with du, recently presented its insights to participants of the UAE Government Leadership Program to help achieve the objectives of the UAE government’s vision.

STC offers enhanced customer experienced with the inauguration of its first digital store The inauguration ceremony was attended by Eng. Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Nasser, STC Group CEO, as well as Eng. Ulaiyan Al Wetaid, VIVA Bahrain CEO, along with Eng. Emad A. Alaoudah, STC Channels chairman, and Eng. Faisal Alsaber, STC Channels CEO.

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Khalid Abdullah Al Faisal, STC chairman of the board, inaugurated the first innovative digital store of its kind in KSA, adopting the best international practices in this respect thus enriching the customer experience with a new identity.

On this occasion, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Khalid Abdullah Al Faisal described the new store as “a wonderful step taken towards achieving digitization, requiring a change in the way of interaction with customers in line with the consumers’ lifestyle witnessed in the digital age.” Hence, the store offers 24-hour selfcustomer services through dedicated

devices. In this respect, a digital pick-up service will also be made available through dedicated boxes. The inauguration of the store will, therefore, reinforce STC’s commitment to achieving digital transformation across multiple channels, such as the MySTC application. All STC services will also be provided, including the Smart Home, Jawwy TV, STC Pay and other services offered to individuals or companies, in addition to the organization of many educational workshops targeting customers in the technology fields, contributing to transforming the STC store into a dedicated platform in charge of meeting all the requirements and aspirations of its customers.

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ICT FEATURE

plan, or pay-as-you-go. However, the emergence of OTTs in the form of Facebook, Skype and WhatsApp has allowed people to stay connected for ‘free’ and has completely decimated the traditional business models and revenue streams for operators worldwide. The telecommunications industry isn’t isolated when it comes to disruption caused by new technologies. The global taxi sector has been turned upside down since the arrival of US ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

Business leaders in Middle East express digital transformation fears in new report

Technology has evolved at such a rapid pace over the last 10 years that it has caused severe disruption across almost every major industry globally. The general consensus is that enterprises need to embrace new technologies in order to remain competitive and relevant. Businesses that don’t adapt or evolve will simply not survive.

n the Middle East, there is a growing recognition across multiple industries that digital transformation is both critical and necessary as we enter into an era dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution by ICT thought-leaders.

technologies have the capability to completely transform society. A prime example of this was the introduction of the iPhone in 2008. The iPhone changed societal norms and how we communicated with each other, plus it triggered the mass adoption of smartphones on a global scale.

However, in a comprehensive new report compiled by Dell Technologies it has been claimed that many businesses in the UAE and KSA have expressed fears regarding the ‘barriers’ they’re going to be encountered with on their path to digital transformation, with many also saying they feared that after five years they would be left behind.

Technology has disrupted multiple industries and fundamentally reshaped how many businesses functioned and operated. Take the telecommunications sector, for instance. Mobile operators had a monopoly on how people stayed connected to each other when mobile phones first became affordable for the masses at the end of 90s.

Disruptive technologies Technology as aforementioned above can be a disruptive force - and new

In order to make phone calls or send text messages, mobile users had to either subscribe to a monthly payment

Uber is now the most profitable taxi company in the world without owning a single vehicle! Although, it’s worth noting that Uber describes itself as a technology company. However, that viewpoint from Uber angered taxi firms all over Europe, and eventually led to the European Union (EU) to rule in the High Court late last year that the company should be regulated like any other taxi company and that it is not a technology business. Airbnb has also enjoyed phenomenal growth in the hospitality space and is now one of the world’s most profitable hospitality businesses despite not owning a single property. Technology-driven entities like Facebook, Uber and Airbnb have caused huge disruption and have ultimately prompted industries to overhaul their existing traditional system of operations in order to survive. Industries that integrate these new technologies are embarking upon digital transformation. Digital transformation fears The UAE, and particularly Dubai, is a technologically-driven city that serves as a beacon of modernity. However, many business leaders both in the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have expressed real fears regarding their digital transformation journeys. Dell EMC recently published the findings of its report which was entitled Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index (DT Index), and some startling statistics were disclosed. Almost 90%

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of UAE and KSA businesses claimed that they’re facing major impediments to digital transformation, whilst 37% fear their organizations will get left behind within five years The DT Index, which was completed in collaboration with Intel, maps digital transformation progress of mid- to large-sized companies and examined the digital hopes and fears of business leaders. Based on responses from business leaders in the UAE and KSA, only 4% of these businesses see themselves as digital leaders, and 87% agree or strongly agree that digital transformation initiatives need to be even more widespread throughout their organizations. Barriers to digital transformation According to the research, 90% of businesses in the UAE and KSA are facing significant roadblocks to their digital transformation initiatives today. The top five barriers to digital transformation are: • Data privacy and cybersecurity concerns – 42% • Lack of the right in-house skill sets and expertise – 30.7% • Information overload – 29.3% • Regulation or legislative changes – 28.7% • Lack of budget and resources – 26.7% Mohammed Amin, senior vice president, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Dell EMC, said: “The inputs from the UAE and Saudi Arabia paint a picture of a region that is well-aware of the criticality of digital transformation and are vocal about the need for more widespread transformational initiatives across their organizations. While the challenges ahead are acknowledged and focus areas are prioritized accordingly, the overall view towards technology and its potential for the region remains optimistic.” Conquering their challenges The research compiled in the report by Dell EMC indicated that businesses are taking progressive measures and steps in an effort to overcome their barriers. However, despite this, only 32% strongly agree they’ll disrupt

ICT FEATURE Benchmark Digital Leaders

Digital Adopters

Digital Evaluators

Digital Followers

Digital Laggards

Description Digital transformation, in its various forms, is ingrained in the DNA of the business Have a mature digital plan, investments and innovations in place Cautiously and gradually embracing digital transformation, planning and investing for the future Very few digital investments, tentatively starting to plan for the future Do not have a digital plan, limited initiatives and investments in place

rather than being disrupted within five years. Two years after the DT Index’s initial launch in 2016, Dell Technologies and Intel have more than doubled the scope of the research, from 16 countries to 42, and benchmarked 4,600 businesses, using the following groupings: While there is minimal growth in the Digital Leadership group, the Digital Transformation Index has tracked dynamic movement across other groups. For instance, 27% of businesses now are categorized as Digital Adopters (a rise from 12% in 2016). These companies have advanced digital plans and innovations in place to power their transformation. However, the Digital Transformation Index also reveals that dozens of companies are in the bottom two groups, meaning they’re either moving too slowly or don’t even have a digital plan in place. Amin added that it was vital Dell became a key enabler for regional organizations that wanted to embark upon digital transformation initiatives. Amin said, “We’ve talked about being on the cusp of tremendous change for

2018 analysis

2016 analysis

27%

12%

31%

35%

29%

37%

11%

some time now. That’s no longer the case. The next digital era has arrived and it’s reshaping the way we live, work and conduct business. This means that time is of the essence; genuine transformation needs to happen now, and it needs to be radical. This is what we want to spotlight through the Dell Technologies Forum. We want to enable and support regional organizations – irrespective of size – to adapt and evolve, and become engines of human progress.” His viewpoints were backed up by Fady Richmany, senior director and general manager, UAE, at Dell EMC, who stressed that with technology evolving and changing so rapidly that it was imperative that enterprises make digital transformation the No.1 priority on their overall strategic approach. He said, “It’s an exciting time to be in business. We’re at a crucial intersection – where technology, organizations and mankind meet to create a better, more connected world. However, only technology-centered organizations will reap the rewards of a digital business model, such as the ability to move quickly, to automate everything and to delight customers. This is why digital transformation needs to be a critical priority.”

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COVERAGE

value creation towards customers and partners, through existing and emerging use cases, delivered with consistent experience, and enabled by sustainable business models.” In addition, at the conference in Vancouver, the Alliance announced the appointment of its new chairman, plus other additions were made to its board alongside the prioritization of several key projects leading into 2019.

NGMN Alliance explores the future of 5G mobile broadband in Vancouver

Telecom Review was honored to be the official media partner for the NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition 2018, which was held at the JW Marriott Parq, Vancouver, Canada from November 6-8, 2018.

Meissner said: “We are delighted to welcome Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon as our new board chairman for 2018 to 2020. Emmanuel, senior vice president of Orange Labs Networks, brings substantial management and strategic competence as well as a strong background in IT and telecommunications to the board. We are looking forward to his leadership and guidance as we embark on commercialization of 5G and further strengthening NGMN’s impact.”

providing a truly integrated and cohesively managed delivery platform that brings affordable mobile broadband services to the end user, with a particular focus on 5G, while accelerating the development of LTEAdvanced and its ecosystem.

Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon said: “I am excited to be leading the board at such a challenging time for 5G development and eager to steer NGMN’s strategy to cope with these challenges. The work NGMN does for the mobile ecosystem is impressive in its scope and ambition and I am fully committed to continue the Alliance’s valuable work together with my board colleagues”.

CEO of NGMN Alliance, Peter Meissner, expressed his sincere thanks to the exhibitors, sponsors and media partners that were supporting what was the sixth edition of the NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition.

There was a number of intriguing presentations made throughout the two-day seminar, and the keynote given by Victor Leung, a professor at the University of British Columbia, certainly grabbed the attention of the audience.

The discussion was robust and informative as experts from the ICT field attempted to project and predict how 5G will completely transform how businesses, industries and society as a whole will operate and function.

Meissner stated that next generation technology has the power to fundamentally reshape the world we live in, but pointed out those partnerships between operators are critically important in order to accelerate the commercial deployment of 5G, and stressed the need to develop the right framework for the technologies evolution.

In a brilliantly detailed presentation, he illustrated that despite the phenomenal evolution mobile phones have embarked upon over the last two decades, there were some elements that mobile manufacturers needed to address.

The mission and vision of the NGMN Alliance is to expand the communications experience by

The CEO said, “5G is an end-to-end ecosystem to enable a fully mobile and connected society. It empowers

he conference, which was supported by Canadian telecommunications operator TELUS, provided attendees with a comprehensive overview regarding the future of 5G mobile broadband across North America and beyond. The two-day symposium was comprised of a number of fascinating and in-depth keynote presentations and panel discussions, which featured some of the most prominent executives from North Americas’ leading telecommunication operators.

Leung said, “There can’t be denying that the evolution of mobile phones since the 90s has been truly remarkable. We can now do almost any task we require from paying bills, to booking flights, to personal banking.

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It can all be done on your handheld device, which we all call a smartphone. However, there has been a real lack of breakthrough by manufacturers in terms of battery technologies. Our phones need to be constantly charged because of how much we rely on them on a daily basis, and this consumption trend will increase. The battery issue can be evidenced further by the uptake in power banks.” Dr. Luigi Licciardi, who is a director at Chinese telecommunications behemoth, Huawei, delivered his presentation which examined what role network slicing would play in terms of powering digital transformation throughout the industry. According to Licciardi, the benefit of network slicing is that it provides operators with the ability to reduce its costs without worrying about the effects it would have on the overall performance. He said, “5G network slicing enables different services on the same infrastructure. Network slicing fuels the digital transformation in the industry through cost-effectiveness, customization and guaranteed performance.” TELUS executive, Eros Spadotto, delivered a presentation which was entitled ‘5G Value Proposition, Use Cases, Applications Services’. He spoke about how there was now a growing movement globally in relation to smart cities from governments and enterprises, and highlighted how spending in the smart city vertical is set to rise exponentially according to research compiled by global consulting firms such as Deloitte and PwC. However, he declared that in order for cities to become ‘smart’, the fundamental component required to achieve that is through 5G. Spadotto said, “Smart cities are gaining momentum worldwide, and that’s clear to see. You can also see how many of the world’s leading technology thought leaders are focusing on smart cities and it’s going to be a hugely lucrative market for them as new technologies continue to

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COVERAGE

emerge. 5G will be the backbone for smart communities worldwide.” TELUS has developed a stellar reputation for being at the forefront of delivering new technologies, and is recognized as being a real pioneer in championing 5G. The Canadian operator is fully committed to 5G, and is playing a key role in the development and subsequent deployment of next generation technologies in Canada. TELUS is a very close partner of NGMN, and at the conference, Telecom Review managed to secure an interview with one of the operator’s leading executives, Tony Geheran. We asked him how TELUS has been able to position itself as the frontrunner in terms of being one of the leading players in North America in relation to the development of 5G. Geheran said that its progressive approach to emerging technologies is one of the main differentiators between TELUS and its competitors. He said, “I think we were very early to the table in terms of upgrading our core infrastructure to IP back in the early 2000s, and we can constantly see the benefits, both to our customers and to our operations by leveraging the new technologies as they emerge. We can see that there are substantial cost-efficiencies and spectrum efficiencies for using 5G or 4G in certain circumstances. The technologies that we run and support, and particularly our focus on healthcare, are predicated on an accurate use of data, low latency, and 5G will be a key enabler for that.” Geheran explained that TELUS is a strong advocate of the NGMN Alliance Conference because it gave the operator an opportunity to leverage some of the projections and insights discussed at the event, which in turn could help them to develop and refine their future strategy for 5G. He said, “Our CTO, Ibrahim Gedeon, is an avid networker, and he was the person that really flagged the NGMN event to the broader TELUS organization back in 2014, when

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DECEMBER 2018

NGMN last had their conference in Vancouver - there was a fundamental focus then on 5G. Ibrahim was a big proponent of what was being expressed at the conference, and said it was critical that TELUS stays connected so that we could leverage the output of that forum. It was the first forum that really examined use cases for 5G. Ibrahim and his tech strategy team have been avid supporters of NGMN, and for the last five years, I’ve been building out pure fiber infrastructure. A key element of the justification of the investment was that it would also support our 5G networking requirements as they materialized.” With over 400 participants, more than 60 speakers, 25 exhibitors and two days of networking, the NGMN Alliance Industry Conference & Exhibition was a resounding success. Meissner concluded the event by saying, “It was an honor for us to welcome representatives from all major global operators, vendors, researchers, governmental institutions, standards development organizations and other industry stakeholders. Most importantly, we definitely achieved our aim which was to provide you with a comprehensive overview on “5G - First Experience, Evolution & Innovation” with a first-class lineup of world’s top operator CTOs, telco, IT and vertical industry executives and thought-leaders.”

We definitely achieved our aim which was to provide you with a comprehensive overview on 5G

DECEMBER 2018

VENDORS’ NEWS

Ericsson’s Mobility Report projects that 5G will reach 1.5bn subscriptions by 2024 cost per gigabyte and new use case requirements. North America and North East Asia are expected to lead the 5G uptake.

European telecommunications vendor Ericsson has compiled another comprehensive Mobility Report and the strategic forecast is projecting that 5G will reach 1.5bn subscriptions by 2024. 5G is expected to reach more than 40 percent global population coverage and 1.5 billion subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband by the end of 2024. This will make 5G the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global scale, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. Key drivers for 5G deployment include increased network capacity, lower

In North America, 5G subscriptions are forecast to account for 55 percent of mobile subscriptions by the end of 2024. In North East Asia, the corresponding forecast figure is more than 43 percent. In Western Europe, 5G is forecast to account for some 30 percent of mobile subscriptions in the region by end of 2024. The uptake of NB-IoT and Cat-M1 technologies is driving growth in the number of cellular IoT connections worldwide. Of the 4.1 billion cellular IoT connections forecast for 2024, North East Asia is expected to account for 2.7 billion – a figure reflecting both the ambition and size of the cellular IoT market in this region. Diverse and evolving requirements across a wide range of use cases are

prompting service providers to deploy both NB-IoT and Cat-M1 in their markets. Mobile data traffic grew 79 percent between Q3 2017 and Q3 2018 – China a key engine. Mobile data traffic in Q3 2018 grew close to 79 percent year on year, which is the highest rate since 2013. Increased data traffic per smartphone in North East Asia – mainly in China – has pushed the global figure notably higher. With a traffic growth per smartphone of around 140 percent between end 2017 and end 2018, the region has the second highest data traffic per smartphone at 7.3 gigabytes per month. This is comparable to streaming HD video for around 10 hours per month. Ericsson claims that between the timeframe of 2018-2024, total mobile data traffic is expected to increase by a factor of five, with 5G networks projected to carry 25 percent of mobile traffic by the end of the period.

Huawei accelerates AI application in mobile networks with new autonomous driving solution Huawei officially released the Mobile Automation Engine (MAE) solution during its first wireless automation roundtable which was held during the 2018 GMBBF. The solution aims to accelerate full-scenario autonomous driving in mobile networks. The OPEX of telecom operators remains high currently. With the advent of 5G, mobile operators will face the coexistence of multiple RATs (including GSM, UMTS, LTE, and NR) for a long period of time, and networks become much more complex, posing many challenges to network O&M, performance improvement and user experience assurance. The industry has reached a consensus that network automation is essential to reduce OPEX. “Drawing on the concept of autonomous driving levels, telecom

operators need to approach full network automation by-scenario and by-level based on the O&M workflow,” said Zhou Yuefeng, CMO of Huawei Wireless Solution. He continued, “Huawei recently released the white paper Key Scenarios of Autonomous Driving Mobile Network, which describes seven key scenarios, such as basestation deployment and network performance improvement, to unify industry consensus and gradually realize automation of these key scenarios. The MAE solution carries three major concepts: All-scenario oriented, AI inside and Autonomy by layer (3A). • All-scenario oriented: Network operation transfers from NE-oriented to scenario-oriented. • AI inside: AI capabilities are introduced to build an intelligent

engine that converges management and control, endowing the network with new capabilities, such as scenario awareness and identification, network prediction and self-learning. • Autonomy by layer: Closed-loop autonomy is used to shield the various scenarios and enable efficient collaboration. Customers only need to focus on intentions and policies. “Huawei’s MAE solution has shown its values in some key scenarios through the practice with our customers, bringing confidence to the industry,” said Zhou. He concluded, “Let us accelerate the application of AI in mobile networks, jointly promote autonomous driving networks, and embrace the fully connected, intelligent world.”

DECEMBER 2018

VENDORS’ NEWS

Nokia embraces the Industry 4.0 revolution with its new ‘Future X for industries’ strategy

Nokia introduced its ‘Future X for industries’ strategy and architecture, developed by Bell Labs, to drive dramatic productivity improvements across a wide range of industry sectors. As technologies such as industrial internet of things (IIoT), edge cloud supporting augmented intelligence and advanced security analytics and end-to-end 5G capable networks become a reality, they will radically speed up the digital transformation of industries such as manufacturing, logistics, transportation and energy, as well as governments and cities. Nokia’s holistic approach promises to help drive a new era of productivity and human-machine interaction that will unlock trillions of dollars of economic value in the next decade. To date, the digitalization and automation of

enterprises has yielded productivity benefits, predominantly by shifting business support functions from physical to digital operations. While these gains have been notable, only about 30 percent of enterprises - largely in IT-centric industries have been able to realize the ‘digital opportunity’. Importantly, traditional asset-intensive industries - which comprise more than two-thirds of GDP in the US - have yet to experience the full benefits of this digital transformation, known as Industry 4.0. Future X for industries Emerging Industry 4.0 applications will require seamlessly interconnected systems that can sense, analyze, optimize, and control key attributes and actions across a broad range of assets including machinery, tools and

devices. Nokia’s Future X for industries architecture provides a framework for open, connected systems for each major industry that can accelerate the digitization and automation of these physical assets, with pinpoint precision and augmented intelligence, no matter where they are located. To accomplish this, networks must be able to connect everything simultaneously, with guaranteed quality of service, even as the number, diversity and distribution of assets grows. For companies to analyze information about the state of those assets and optimize their operations, networks must have the flexibility to connect industry applications to compute resources in a way that meets stringent latency, capacity, reliability and security requirements. They must be able to dynamically adapt to transport massively varying amounts of data between a multitude of devices, sensors, machines and platforms to garner and apply deeper insights that ultimately support precise execution, maximize productivity and improve safety.

ZTE’s new solution enables intelligent network slice management The 5G era is approaching. In order to meet the endless application requirements of telecom operators’ 5G networks, the implementation of 5G network slicing technology is indispensable. Operators need to deploy network slices according to vertical industries (such as AR/VR, internet of vehicles), different regions, virtual operators, etc. The orchestration system of network slicing becomes an important endto-end management link involving RAN (radio access network), TN (transport network) and CN (core network). The network devices involved in network slicing may be provided by

different vendors, further embodying the urgency of introducing end-toend management links. ZTE network slice management system CloudStudio (GSO) solution is responsible for the E2E layered network orchestration and slice/ NS/VNF lifecycle management, to achieve the orchestration and management of network services. It is based on AI (artificial intelligence) technology and automation software architecture to provide the E2E slice capability for telecom networks. In addition, it is equipped with mass data processing capability for telecom operation, to implement full network autonomy without any manual intervention. RAN/TN/CN sub-net slice enabling

technology achieves the E2E instantiation capability of RAN/ TN/CN sub-net slice; network slice identifier and access technology achieves the mapping between network slice instance and terminal service, and registers the terminal to the correct network slice instance. E2E network slice management technology achieves the E2E orchestration and management of network slices, including slice design, orchestration, test, deployment, monitoring, policy analysis, root cause analysis, fault recovery and so on. E2E network slice SLA assurance technology is used for collecting, analyzing and processing network KPI to guarantee the system performance meeting the user’s SLA requirements.

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VENDORS’ NEWS

Huawei partners with UAE research body to launch new cloud solution

Ankabut, the United Arab Emirates’ Advanced National Research and Education Network (NREN) offering academic institutions connectivity to other education networks around the world and Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, has partnered to launch a cutting-edge new cloud solution in the UAE, Microsoft’s Azure Stack. This will be the first implementation of Microsoft’s Azure Stack solution in GCC and the ME region.

Through this partnership, Ankabut aims to take the education infrastructure in the UAE to the next level of innovation and intelligibility by implementing the platform that will offer educational institutions cloud-paced innovation and computing management simplicity, cost optimization, higher quality, huge potentials and capabilities, in addition to more reliability and added value services. Ankabut is the United Arab Emirates’ Advanced National Research and Education Network (NREN) offering academic institutions connectivity to other education networks around the world; it’s an initiative of Khalifa University. In addition to connecting universities, Ankabut can connect schools and public institutions together across the UAE with an effective cost model.

Microsoft Azure is a hybrid cloud platform that lets organizations deliver Azure services in their datacenter. This platform is designed to support organizations’ evolving business requirements, while also enabling new scenarios for modern applications, such as edge and disconnected environments, and meet specific security and compliance requirements. Since Azure Stack is offered as an integrated hardware and software system, Ankabut will have the flexibility and control it needs to support its requirements, along with the ability to innovate from the cloud. Azure Stack integrated systems ranges in different sizes from 4-12 nodes and are jointly supported by the hardware partner and Microsoft.

The custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman honors Huawei with prestigious award prestigious King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award. During the event, the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman recognized Huawei for its excellent sustainability practices and responsible competitiveness leadership, as well as its exceptional management capabilities and innovative social and environmental initiatives.

King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness (RC) Award has honored Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, with the first place prize of the

As digital transformation sweeps across the globe, ICT technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), 5G, cloud and more will unlock new values of growth and innovation and uplift societies and organizations to great heights of prosperity. In this context, the King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award recognized Huawei for its transformative impact in driving forward the Kingdom’s ICT sector as a whole in line with the government’s digitization goals, National Transformation Program and Vision 2030.

In particular, Huawei was celebrated for deploying their most advanced technologies, high quality product and secured networks in the Kingdom, empowering local partners, taking the ICT talent pool to the next stage of creativity and innovation, and building the ICT ecosystem to achieve the digital Kingdom economy targets. Huawei established its subsidiary in the Kingdom in 2002. In the past 17 years, under the core values of customer-centricity, Huawei has maintained the quality goal of “becoming a high quality synonym for ICT industry” and continues to bring innovative information and communication technology (ICT) solutions and products to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, actively promote the development of the Saudi ICT industry and the national digital transformation, develop Saudi ICT talents, and support the goals of Saudi National Transformation Plan 2020 and 2030 vision.

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MEF18 sheds light on the progress achieved since launching the MEF 3.0 framework MEF18 kicked off this year on October 29th in Los Angeles with an audience of 1,000+ attendees from 275+ companies and 35+ countries, 250+ service and technology executives, 120 expert speakers, 125-plus sponsors and partners, and more.

his year’s conference was a continuity to last year’s edition that witnessed the launching of MEF 3.0. In fact, MEF has provided an update on the advancement of the MEF 3.0 Transformational Global Services Framework for defining, delivering and certifying assured communications services orchestrated across a global ecosystem of automated networks. “We are gathering at MEF18 to celebrate accomplishments on our

journey to accelerate adoption of assured services across automated networks,” said Nan Chen, president, MEF. “We are especially pleased by the groundbreaking releases this week of the industry’s first SD-WAN service specification as well as LSO Sonata APIs that will enable, for the first time, automation of the potential $250+ billion market for MEF-defined services. Going forward, MEF is focused on enabling service providers to transform their services and networks, federate on a global basis and certify their service offerings to a global standard.”

Since launching MEF 3.0 one year ago, MEF has made significant strides across all key elements of the framework, including: standardized services; LSO (lifecycle service orchestration) APIs; services, technology, and professional certification; and community activities. Dozens of service providers, technology vendors, enterprises and industry organizations have been involved in initiatives to accelerate adoption of MEF 3.0 services that provide an on-demand, cloud-centric experience with unprecedented user and application-directed control

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COVERAGE

over network resources and service capabilities. MEF announced in this year’s edition the availability of an approved draft technical specification for MEF members that, for the first time in the industry, defines an SD-WAN service and its various attributes. With strong support from service provider and technology provider members, MEF currently is on track to ratify and publicly release its MEF 3.0 SD-WAN service attributes and service definition standard in Q1 2019. SD-WAN service standardization will enable a wide range of ecosystem stakeholders to use the same terminology when buying, selling, assessing, deploying and delivering SD-WAN services. The SD-WAN service definition is a foundational step for accelerating sales, market adoption and certification of MEF 3.0 SD-WAN services orchestrated across a global ecosystem of automated networks. SD-WAN service standardization is being conducted within the context of the MEF 3.0 Global Services Framework. It is part of a transformational initiative to standardize a complete family of dynamic carrier ethernet (CE), IP, optical transport, SD-WAN, security and other virtualized services that will be orchestrated over programmable networks using LSO APIs. MEF’s SD-WAN service definition specification describes requirements for an application-aware, over-the-top WAN connectivity service that uses policies to determine how application flows are forwarded over multiple underlay networks irrespective of the underlying technologies. “MEF’s groundbreaking work in standardizing a SD-WAN service addresses one of the biggest obstacles impacting SD-WAN service market growth,” said Nan Chen, president, MEF. “In a recent joint MEF and Vertical Systems Group survey of service providers worldwide, nearly 80% of respondents identified the lack of an industry-standard service definition as a significant challenge for service

providers to offer or migrate to SDWAN services. MEF’s SD-WAN service standardization will undoubtedly accelerate sales of SD-WAN products and services like MEF accomplished with carrier ethernet service standardization.” MEF member companies are involved in multiple SD-WAN implementationrelated initiatives that can be leveraged to provide feedback on standardization requirements and create softwareoriented artifacts that can be used to accelerate efforts to orchestrate standardized SD-WAN services. These initiatives include the MEF 3.0 MultiVendor SD-WAN Implementation project, the MEF18 LSO Hackathon and several SD-WAN Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations at MEF18. The MEF18 LSO Hackathon is focused on developing and validating data models for SD-WAN services. This presents a unique opportunity for those involved in technical aspects of SDWAN services and products to learn in a

hands-on way about the latest SD-WAN service and LSO standardization work at MEF as well as the related API and YANG work at ONF and IETF. MEF currently plans to introduce a pilot version of certification for MEF 3.0 SD-WAN services in the first half of 2019. This certification will test a set of service attributes and their behaviors defined in the upcoming SD-WAN standard and described in detail in the MEF 3.0 SD-WAN Service Certification Blueprint. Earlier this year, MEF released the third in its series of Professional Certifications: MEF-SDN/NFV. This certification is an important tool for any company using or providing SD-WAN services to address the emerging and significant shortfall in skilled personnel familiar enough with SDN and NFV to meet the company’s SD-WAN requirements. More than 30 service and technology providers have contributed to or

DECEMBER 2018

supported the MEF SD-WAN service standardization and certification effort, participated in MEF 3.0 SDWAN implementation work, and/or participated in the SD-WAN PoCs at MEF18. “Orange Business Services is very pleased to support the first MEF SDWAN standard. Our customers are expecting agile and application driven network services and we believe that this new standard will facilitate the adoption and deployment of SDWAN and meet their expectations. We look forward to working with MEF on ongoing initiatives to develop the interoperability of SD-WAN solutions and to define standardized APIs that will allow to integrate SD-WAN in a simplified and fully secured end-to-end orchestration model, from the end user to the applications,” said Laurent Perrin, head of Application Driven Networks, Connectivity, Orange Business Services. Ralph Santitoro, head of SDN/NFV/ SD-WAN Services, Fujitsu Network Communications, commented, “SDWAN empowers enterprises to reach and experience their multi-cloud, digital transformation objectives. MEF’s work to standardize an application-aware SD-WAN service that operates over multiple underlay WANs from any service provider will set the bar for SD-WAN service capabilities. This is very much needed in the industry and will simplify how customers evaluate different service offerings.”

COVERAGE

During this year’s event, MEF announced the immediate availability of LSO (lifecycle service orchestration) Sonata API technical specifications and software development kits (SDKs) in a developer release for serviceability, product inventory, quoting and ordering. The LSO Sonata APIs based on the specifications enable, for the first time in history, automation of the potential $250+ billion market for MEF-defined services across all service providers on a global basis. The developer release gives industry players a head-start in implementing these groundbreaking APIs for inter-provider orchestration of current and emerging MEF 3.0 services (e.g., carrier ethernet, IP, SD-WAN, optical transport, security, and other virtualized services). LSO Sonata API standardization is being conducted within the context of the MEF 3.0 Global Services Framework and is part of a broader effort to standardize multiple sets of LSO APIs enabling service automation across multiple providers and over multiple network technology domains. LSO Sonata APIs relate to the interface reference point within the LSO Reference Architecture that supports business to business interactions between service providers. The full suite of planned LSO Sonata APIs will deal with serviceability, product inventory, quoting, ordering, trouble ticketing, contracts and billing.

“The LSO Sonata Developer Release celebrated this week at MEF18 involves technical specifications and SDKs with the progression towards standardization related to serviceability, product inventory, quoting and ordering APIs,” said Nan Chen, president, MEF. “We are delighted to advance the LSO Sonata API standardization with an eye toward production deployments for inter-provider orchestration of MEF 3.0 carrier ethernet services starting in early 2019. We appreciate the dedication of key contributors who have been working hard to meet aggressive development targets. Further advancements to the set of LSO Sonata APIs will include support for the full range of MEF 3.0 services without changing the basic API structure itself thanks to the polymorphic approach used in collaboration with ONAP and TM Forum.” With the aim to support digital transformation across entire MEF 3.0 ecosystem, MEF announced the launch of its Enterprise Advisory Council (EAC) at MEF18. This group of multi-national enterprises will gather to provide end user perspectives on how MEF 3.0 services can and will address the need for agility, simplicity and assurance. Founding council members include visionaries from Bloomberg, DHL, Intuit, Microsoft, PwC, RBC, Refinitiv and Ubisoft. “Our rapidly evolving market is being shaped by disruptive technologies like SD-WAN, SDN, NFV and LSO, making it essential to strengthen the channels of communication among enterprises, service providers and technology vendors in order to provide information and feedback on business requirements and use cases,” said MEF President. “The MEF EAC brings representatives of the very important enterprise stakeholder group into direct engagement with MEF’s community of 200+ member service providers and technology-related companies. The council will collaborate with MEF and extend our reach to incorporate this critical element of the ecosystem and establish MEF as the enterprise’s trusted advisor in digital transformation.”

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GLOSSARY-E-

Encryption

It is the process of converting data to an unrecognizable or “encrypted” form. It is commonly used to protect sensitive information so that only authorized parties can view it. This includes files and storage devices, as well as data transferred over wireless networks and the Internet.

Electronic billing

Electronic billing is a bill payment method in which a customer can pay bills electronically over the Internet to an entity or organization. It is widely accepted by many government entities and other organizations. Due to multiple benefits provided by electronic billing, it is one of the most preferred methods of bill payment. Electronic billing is also known as electronic invoice presentment and payment (EIPP).

Embedded database

An embedded database is a database technology in which database management solutions are built into an application rather than provided as standalone tools. In many cases, this effectively “hides” the database management tools from the end user.

End node

An end node is a peripheral unit in a network, or a primary designated unit within that network. IT professionals and others use the term “end node” to specify a certain hardware component of a network that has its own role and properties within that network system.

External cloud

An external cloud is a cloud solution that exists outside of an organization’s physical boundaries. It can be private, public or community-based, as long as it is not located on an organization’s property. An external cloud is similar to a public cloud, but they differ in implementation.

EVENTS’ CALENDAR

10 11

Telecom Review Summit Dubai 2018 Telecom Review will hold the 11th edition of its summit for two consecutive days. The first day will be under the theme “It’s All About SMART Networking” and the second day will be under the theme “Building the SMART Future”.

MARCH

Place: The Meydan Hotel, Dubai, UAE

DECEMBER

DECEMBER 2018

Telecom Review Summit Lebanon 2019

The 12th edition of Telecom Review Summit will gather ICT leaders, governments, CEOs and experts from Lebanon and abroad. Interesting topics will be discussed to shed light on the telecoms sector and its most recent trends.

GISEC 2019

1 3

In its 7th edition, GISEC has already grown to one of the world’s largest and easily outstrips other events in footfall, seniority of speakers and variety of exhibitors. With over 7,000 cyberspecific visitors, it is collocated with IoTX and Future Blockchain Summit which collectively deliver over 12,000 visitors. Place: Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE

SmartEx 2019

APRIL

10 13

APRIL

Place: Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon

Lebanon’s leading international technology exhibition will be back in April. In its last edition, SmartEx attracted thousands of local and regional business executives, presenting a wide range of Industries, looking for the latest technological innovations for their business Place: Seaside Arena, Beirut, Lebanon

Latest updates on: www.telecomreview.com