Telecom Review October 2018 by tracemedia

TH E T E L E C O M S I ND U S T RY ME D I A P L ATFORM

EITC:

Taking the market to the next level Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC)

Satellite operators can â&#x20AC;&#x153;take offâ&#x20AC;? with demand for onboard Wi-Fi connectivity

Data consumption in the Middle East and Africa to skyrocket!

Adopting a new approach for a productive cloud migration

Huawei Middle East 3 Innovation Day 2018

Innovate for a Digital Middle East October 15, 2018 | Dubai | UAE

#HID18

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to a Huawei Middle East Innovation Day – “Innova Date & Time: 09:00-17:00, Monday, October 15, 2018 (GITEX Day 2) Location: Sheikh Maktoum Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre

9 3

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attend the third annual ate for a Digital Middle Eastâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

CONTENTS

OCTOBER 2018

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

EITC: Taking the market to the next level

The end of the beginning: Next steps for 5G rollout

NXN and Zain to showcase cutting-edge solutions and innovations at GITEX 26

Satellite operators can ‘take off’ with demand for onboard WiFi connectivity

Driving smarter coverage for future networks

“AI and Machine Learning will drive operational efficiency in next-gen networks” – Eva Andren, Ericsson

MEF18 Proof of Concept Demos Spotlight MEF 3.0 & LSO Innovation

Data consumption in the Middle East and Africa to skyrocket!

Jay Srage launches new enterprise to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies 46

Adopting a new approach for a productive cloud migration

Schneider Electric demonstrates its industryleading innovations at Innovation Summit in Singapore

Digitalization takes center stage at Telecoms World Middle East 2018

South African city hosts ITU Telecom World 2018

EDITORIAL

OCTOBER 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

Trace Media Ltd. Zouk Mikael, LEBANON Kaslik Sea Side Road, Badawi Group Building, 4th Floor, P.O. Box 90-2113, Jdeidet el Metn Tel. +961 9 211741 M. +961 70 519 666 Trace Media FZ.LLC. Dubai Media City, UAE Building 7, 3rd Floor, Office 341 P.O. Box 502498, Dubai, UAE Tel. +971 4 4474890 M. +971 55 639 7080 Printing Arab Printing Press © All rights reserved Publication of any of the contents is prohibited - Year 13 - Issue 142 -

Favorite smart city in the world S

mart cities all over the world are accelerating efforts in the race to become the best! Cities have to be evaluated fairly through a voting system which allows people who live, or have visited the cities, to select the one they believe is the smartest in the world based on their own experience.

Smart Cities World Forums has launched a campaign which is open to everyone, to select the best smart city. The voting system has been developed so that you can only register your vote once. This transparent process is the fairest way to determine which city our readers believe is the world’s smartest. The three cities that receive the highest number of votes will be recognized with awards at the end of the first day of Telecom Review Leader’s Summit during the Awards Ceremony, which will be held in Dubai at the luxurious Meydan Hotel on December 10th. The second day of our Summit, entitled Building the Smart Future, will gather leading decision-makers from both the regional and global smart city spaces to explore and examine the exciting opportunities presented by the smart city industry. From Dubai to Dallas and Barcelona to Beijing, you can vote for your favorite smart city in the world on Smart Cities World Forums. Join us at the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit and Building the Smart Future symposiums in December to find out the future direction and vision of the ICT and smart city industries - and of course, to find out which city will be crowned the world’s smartest!

An innovative digital world awaits you Witness a remarkable array of innovations and breakthroughs at the Etisalat stand during the 38th GITEX Technology Week. This is your opportunity to step into a smarter digital world built with Etisalatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pioneering platforms, communications and infrastructures for a variety of industries, from healthcare and retail, to education and many more. Venue: World Trade Center, UAE Stand Z-A10, Zaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;abeel Hall Date: From 14 -18 October, 2018

OCTOBER 2018

NGMN highlight the 5G services required to build a ‘connected future’ The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance - which drives and guides the development of all future mobile broadband technology with a focus on 5G - has published its three deliverables on 5G Extreme Requirements entitled “Operators’ views on fundamental trade-offs”, “RAN Solutions” and “End-to-End considerations”, respectively. Compiled by the Alliance’s 5G Extreme Requirements task force, the papers aim to highlight what implications and trade-offs related to the delivery of new 5G services are relevant for mobile network operators. Ilaria Thibault, task force lead and principal researcher at Vodafone, commented: “We are very excited to reveal the findings of the outcome of the Extreme Requirements task force, which was to really strike at the heart of what needs to be assessed before the world embarks on advanced 5G services. This work quantifies and analyses the coverage impact of delivering new extreme 5G services (ultrareliable and low-latency – URLLC) for the radio access network with a theoretical analysis, system-level simulations and field trials. Endto-end deployment guidelines for meeting extreme requirements at a service level are also provided. Among these guidelines, techniques such as path redundancy and new transport-layer protocols are discussed to improve end-to-end latency and reliability. For latency-critical services, interworking between the non3GPP processing delays and 3GPP processing delays has been assessed.

GLOBAL NEWS

Verizon first to announce 5G launch date in the US Verizon’s fixed wireless access (FWA) 5G product will go live later this fall and is set to launch in four US cities Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento - the company announced live from GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas 2018. Customers living in these areas will be able to sign-up for the service from 13 September, and receive it starting 1 October. The operator simply named the service 5G Home, promising typical speeds of 300 Mbps and maximum speeds of nearly 1 Gbps, depending upon location. The sooner users subscribe to Verizon’s 5G Home, the more benefits they will get, starting from a free three-months-period, after which it will cost $50/month with a qualifying smartphone plan. However,

costumers who did not get a preregistration will pay $70 per month. No annual contract is required. The service is based on Verizon’s 5GTF (5GTF) standard, with the operator upgrading to the official 5G 3GPP (NR) standard for future 5G mobile phone launches. This will also come in handy for Verizon’s 5G rollout in the future, which will involve a dizzying number of different technologies, hardware and partnerships to get off the ground. Last month the operator announced signing deals with Apple TV and YouTube. Anyone who receives Verizon’s 5G service will also get YouTube TV free for the first three months and a free Apple TV 4K or Google Chromecast Ultra.

South Korean conglomerate expands its seamless payment solution VoucherSkout, a leading value-added discount platform founded in the UAE, announces a ‘first of its kind’ partnership with market-leading smartphone giant, Samsung. The ground-breaking agreement allows Samsung Pay to harness VoucherSkout’s proprietary vouchering technology and merchant network to deliver a seamless voucher savings service to the Samsung Payenabled audience across the UAE. Samsung Pay users can now enjoy 50% off discounts at a range of dining, wellness and leisure venues by tapping on the newly-added Vouchers icon within their Samsung Pay App. From there they can explore, purchase and redeem a wide selection of mouthwatering deals across VoucherSkout’s network of participating UAE merchant partners. The new service will be branded as Samsung Pay Vouchers. The deal represents the first ever vouchering service within Samsung Pay, globally, and plans are already underway to expand the initiative into new markets, to harness VoucherSkout’s vouchering technology in a significant new agreement.

Samsung Pay users are now able to redeem 50% off discounts at a variety of lifestyle destinations securely, through Samsung Pay. The first Samsung Pay Voucher redemption is free for all Samsung Pay users. Through the new agreement, VoucherSkout assists to increase their merchant partner’s revenue growth, as well as fuel nationwide brand awareness. The partnership will allow VoucherSkout to connect with Samsung Pay’s extensive customer base, significantly increasing its potential user base from September 2018 onwards. Unlike other discount platforms, VoucherSkout eliminates costly upfront annual subscriptions for the consumer and does not charge merchants to be a part of their network. Customers benefit from greater discounts and redeem deals on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis, meaning they only pay for vouchers when they use them. A small fee ranging from AED 5 to AED 50 depending on the offer, is charged when purchasing one of the ‘50% off’ Samsung Pay Vouchers.

OCTOBER 2018

GLOBAL NEWS

Chinese operators set to merge in bid to accelerate 5G development China has announced that is currently considering a potential merger agreement between two of the country’s top three mobile operators. Bloomberg has reported that state-owned China Unicom and China Telecom may merge in an effort to accelerate 5G investment in its battle with the United States to be the first nation in the world to commercially deploy the technology. Sources close to merger negotiations informed Bloomberg that the top leaders in the country were currently reviewing a proposal that would tie-up the companies. However, it has also been highlighted that no decision has yet been made and a merger agreement may still not happen. Unicom representatives have reportedly claimed they were unaware of a potential merger, while China Telecom, the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration (which oversees stateowned companies) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology declined to comment on the speculation

regarding the potential tie-up. The state-owned telecommunication companies have a combined market valuation of $77bn which has subsequently rose since Bloomberg broke the news of a potential merger agreement. China Unicom is the country’s second largest operator with 302 million subscribers as of H1 2018, ahead of third placed China Telecom (282 million), while both trail market leader China Mobile (906 million), according to GSMA Intelligence. The proposal reportedly argues that a merger between the two, which would create a combined entity that would be second to China Mobile on a global basis, not just China, could significantly assist with the government’s ambitions for 5G. Indeed, a merger between the two companies has been reportedly been considered by the government for years, but it has thus far not followed through on the deal.

ZTE partners with China Mobile on futureorientated 5G network ZTE Corporation announced that it has completed the industry’s first decoupling and interconnection test of ZTE’s ZENIC SDN controller with the carrier-grade CloudOS of China Mobile. ZTE helps China Mobile introduce SDN to NFV deployment so as to accelerate the core network 3-layer decoupling and NFV process and promote the NFV and SDN interface standardization, thereby building up a new and more flexible infrastructure for the future-oriented 5G network of China Mobile. The joint test involves environment installation inspection, basic function and stability test, and verifications of over 20 particular protocol extensions in NFV scenario. It successfully implements automatic launching and dynamic adjustment of NFV sites. Compatible with mainstream virtualized software, ZTE’s ZENIC SDN

vDC controller is applicable to the scenarios of hybrid overlay, hardware overlay and software overlay. It has also been employed to complete the interconnection with the third-party OpenStack cloud platforms such as RedHat in addition to China Mobile’s CloudOS case. By virtue of unified resource planning and deployment, it can quickly construct new virtualized datacenters. As China’s first platinum member of OpenDaylight, ZTE has already deployed 360 SDN/NFV commercial and POC projects with world-leading operators. It has built a large number of virtualized datacenter projects for international and domestic operators and enterprises, including China Mobile’s Hohhot private cloud, China Telecom Shanghai’s LSN, China Telecom Guangxi’s CO rearchitecting, etc.

Trump orders Apple to move its manufacturing back to the US from China US President Donald Trump has warned US technology behemoth Apple to move its manufacturing operations back to the United States if it wants to avoid high tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump took to his Twitter account to inform Apple that it is in their best interests to take the production of its devices back to the US from China, where most of its manufacturing currently takes place. The comments from the US president come hot on the heels of a letter written by Apple to the US government. Management at the technology firm stressed that the proposed US tariffs on China would result in an increase in the cost of many of its products. Apple’s warning to the US government was seen as a response to Trump’s plans to potentially levy tariffs of $267 billion on Chinese goods in the coming days, escalating an ongoing trade war between the countries. While the US has imposed tariffs on imported Chinese goods this year, consumer electronics have so far not been affected. This, however, could change with the latest round of proposed duties. Along with its Watch, the prices of its AirPod headphones and Apple’s HomePod speaker would be affected, the company warned. But there was no mention of the iPhone. As well as making many of its products in China, Apple also sells them in the country, which could also make it vulnerable to any tariffs imposed in retaliation to the US fees. In his tweet, Trump said Apple should build manufacturing plants in the US, and even suggested the company would not be subject to any tax if it did so.

OCTOBER 2018

COVER STORY

EITC:

Taking the market to the next level The telecommunications industry has rapidly evolved creating a whole new ecosystem fostering new trends and technologies that are at the core of what we call â&#x20AC;&#x153;digital transformationâ&#x20AC;?. In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) highlighted how the company has maintained a leading position in the market thanks to the approach it has adopted in terms of digital transformation.

ITC is increasingly becoming the preferred partner of choice for businesses in the UAE to deliver endto-end bespoke ICT solutions. What is it that differentiates EITC from its competitors in relation to delivering digital transformation? It is a fact that telcos need to evolve rapidly beyond their traditional business to remain relevant for customers

OCTOBER 2018

COVER STORY

and profitable for shareholders. At EITC too, we have identified our new growth areas – specifically to serve the growing government and business sectors, while maintaining our position in our traditional business. Enterprises are increasingly interested in digital transformation and a majority of them are now convinced that they have to adopt emerging technologies to remain competitive or relevant in their respective industry. Our unique approach to the challenges of digital transformation is to treat it as a journey of discovery together with our business customers and partners. One of the key focus areas in our approach is to take the time to build a relationship based on “trust”. In practical terms, we sit with enterprises to understand their future aspirations and business goals, and then build the customized architecture using emerging technologies to help achieve those business outcomes. Enterprises find this approach useful and realize the benefit from our leadership, as the technology landscape today can be very intimidating especially when they are trying to focus on their respective industry such as healthcare, banking, etc. In the longer term, we have an important role to play in supporting the UAE’s vision in transformation into a knowledge-based economy – and here the rules of the game are different, with virtually no precedents. Early on, we nurtured our capabilities in the yet-to-be-evolved futuristic technologies such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, and Managed Services – with security at the core. The interesting aspect about these technologies is that they need the power of a next-generation-network to really make the most of it – specifically – 5G. This is where our strength in network infrastructure comes into play. A number of prominent analysts have suggested that operators such as du and Etisalat need to invest in data to avoid going out of business, with voice calls are becoming more and more obsolete because of technological

We have an important role to play in supporting the UAE’s vision in transformation into a knowledgebased economy

COVER STORY

OCTOBER 2018

Data is the new oil in a digital economy

advancements in VoIP services. Do you agree with this analysis, and that data is the future for telecommunication operators? Communication has always been an intrinsic need for everyone – it is as basic as a human right. Voice will continue to be an important part of our portfolio even though it’s essentially mobile data as the growth driver. Smartphone proliferation and more data-centric offerings are likely to take centrestage in the future. I believe that growth in mobile broadband will, to a large extent, substitute and offset the revenues from voice. For us, data is the new oil in a digital economy. EITC enjoyed phenomenal growth especially in its first quarter when it recorded an increase of 41% in its net profits. What do you attribute as the main factors in achieving these impressive financial results? Sustained profitability is one of the key parameters of our success. It’s important to note that in Q1

2018, EITC recorded a one-off reversal related to regulatory costs, which positively impacted EITC’s profitability. The one-off cost relates to a reversal in the fees paid to the regulator equating to 1% of regulated revenue. This follows clarification from the TRA on what regulated revenue is. Excluding this one-off, net profit increased by 7.9%, in Q1 2018, compared to Q1 2017. We registered 7.9% growth in profits as a result of our efficiency drives in previous years. One year ago, EITC announced the launch of its very own digital brand in the form of Virgin Mobile UAE. How much of a success has the launch of Virgin Mobile in the UAE been for the company? The first year here in the UAE has been a great journey for Virgin Mobile – and clearly customers love the differentiation from other offerings in the market. In a short period of time we’ve positioned ourselves as the premium brand in digital on-boarding and customer experience - which are

OCTOBER 2018

both fundamental components in our DNA. I believe that we have taken the market to the next level by creating incredible experiences with the Virgin Mobile app and all the new innovations we’ve released to the market. These represent key achievements for us in the UAE, but when you perform a benchmark analysis at the industry level, it’s evident that we’re also inspiring the industry with the introduction of our home delivery under one hour service. The way we interact with our customers and provide them with flexibility to choose their mobile number through the app, and provide them with access to all the features and functionalities we offer, ensures we deliver an unrivalled customer experience. This, in an increasingly competitive value market, is our key differentiator. Do you believe that the progressive vision of the UAE leadership, which is to always be at the forefront of

COVER STORY

technological advancements, will enable the country to become a leader in 5G? We are fortunate that we live in a country where the leadership is always at the forefront of technological advancements and beyond, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and setting the agenda for others to follow. 5G will be the catalyst and the vehicle of digital transformation with its ultra-high-speed wireless broadband services making industries ultra-available with low latency. This development facilitates the implementation of the UAE’s top strategic directives, including the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Artificial Intelligence (AI), smart city, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Additionally it will facilitate handling big data transfer between machines (M2M) and IoT, as well as expanding the speed and capacity of multiple folds of Gigabits per second, for providing new services that meet the requirements of the digital transformation and smart government. We strongly believe that the UAE is one

We’ve positioned ourselves as the premium brand in digital on-boarding and customer experience

OCTOBER 2018

of the very early adopters of these new technologies and will be leading the adoption of the next innovations for the benefit of the people. EITC has recently opened a fully-fledged digital business center in DIFC. Can you outline to us what benefits and support this facility will provide for SMEs and startups? It is imperative to allow companies to grow in this digital age through scalable mobile, fixed and data options. Our store at DIFC is designed with business customers’ needs in mind. An important component of it is that, in-line with the Dubai Paperless Strategy, all transactions at the business center are digitized. Integrated and paper-free operations will enable us to provide 1800 businesses and 21,000 employees with innovative, ﬁne-tuned business applications and intelligent digital products. The future of transactions is right here, as we speak. Why is creativity so important in order to attract new consumers in what you’ve termed as the ‘attention economy’? Today’s consumers are more discerning than ever before. We know that people make their mind up about a brand within a matter of seconds. The ‘attention economy’ we live in today is an ecosystem of smart devices and digital touchpoints. Consumers have the world in their palm, literally, and they are the ones in control. They choose whether to engage with brands and on what terms. So who you are, what you stand for and how you engage with new customers demands a creative approach. The best previous experience people had becomes their new benchmark of their next experience regardless of the industry! Every day at du we take on that challenge to step up, be relevant and build meaningful, contextual and trusted relationships with our customers wherever they are. In your expert opinion, what remains the biggest challenge for telecommunications operators globally, and how can they generate new revenue streams to offset a decline in its existing traditional business models? Globally, voice and messaging businesses continue to shrink due to OTT applications. The GCC region is not

COVER STORY immune to this pressure. The lifestyle of individuals is turning increasingly digital. Such a shift in digital lifestyle has increased the customers’ expectations from telecom operators for lower prices. The Internet has also transformed into a content platform where end users store and download media in an instant. Therefore, OTT services, utilizing operators’ network infrastructure, have put pressure on global operators to invest in network capacity expansions. As telecom service providers, we therefore need to also transform and become agile in the way we do business by positioning ourselves to provide Infrastructure as a Service. Operators will have to change their ecosystem, become agile and lean, and offer catalogue-driven automated architecture-based products and services with an online marketplace; and close the loop of service fulfillment and assurance while still capitalizing on their core strength: providing secure connectivity to customers. We are best positioned to deliver on this front. In parallel, telco operators have a great opportunity to expand their service offering portfolio by adopting additional revenue streams such as IoT, M2M, VSaaS, Blockchain, AI and Cloud migrations. EITC has signed a number of MoUs with major vendors in an effort to facilitate their digital transformation agenda. How successful has your digital transformation strategy been for the company, and how do you help your partners achieve their digital transformational goals? EITC collaborates with a number of providers to enable and pave the road towards digital transformation. The selection of strategic partners capable of delivering key transformational goals is critical. We demand agility of thought to keep up with the constant fluctuation in customer expectation, continuously challenging the business to be the best it can be is critical throughout the process. When considering digital transformation, it is important to be clear about what exactly the end vision is meant to look like. In generations past, one could be specific about a process or an experience. The truth of the matter

today is that customers’ expectations are moving very quickly and the ability to optimize and automate process is also accelerating. The end game will be beyond any initial planning a company may have in place. EITC’s digital transformation has already shown return on investment across every function of the business and remains a priority for the group moving forward. Aiming further ahead, select partners are enabling EITC to deploy the right technology infrastructure, platforms and digital services while maintaining customer experience. This approach serves to align the benefits from digitalization with customer expectations and deliver on our focused strategic direction. As the digital transformation at the EITC core matures, the capability to provide digital services and products for strategic partners and customers grows. The portfolio of digital services and digital products offered by EITC addresses real problems and enables businesses and end consumers to create value from new or improved functionality,

EITC’s digital transformation has already shown return on investment across every function of the business

OCTOBER 2018

efficiency through automation and service enablement amongst other ways. This offering builds on the main proposition to enhance connectivity and communication while maintaining an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction and experience. What are your future predictions for the telecommunications sector? What sort of impact will the emergence of transformational technologies like 5G, AI, Internet of Things, Managed Cloud Services and Blockchain have on the industry? The UAE is a rapidly-transforming nation with committed government leadership to outline what the future looks like; embracing innovation, cloud computing, data analytics, IoT, AI and 5G, to name a few. Telcos have been putting more focus on AI, Machine Learning, IoT and Blockchain than regular network expansion; which is an indication of the mind-shift from pure telco-play towards an ICT and digital transformation play.

COVER STORY

With the emergence of 5G, for example, IoT technologies such as machine to machine (M2M) communication complemented with data analytics and cloud computing will drastically alter the landscape of all businesses. The transition to 5G and subsequent implications on M2M communication is a critical enabler to the adoption of new technologies. On a similar note, the wide adoption of IoT and its use cases help shape the industry making tomorrow livable today. Cloud computing and IoT enable the UAE government to streamline data collection, data science and analytics. Machine learning and AI will be able to predict anomalies and scenario outcomes in a mere fraction of the time, allowing for a safer and smarter UAE. Emerging technologies are a blessing in disguise for the telecommunication industry as they remain key to leveraging the latest developments for the benefit of society.

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

OCTOBER 2018

REGIONAL NEWS

Ericsson, Zain commit to enhancing quality education in Iraq

In an effort to make quality secondary education more accessible in Iraq, Ericsson has partnered with Zain Iraq to bring its ‘Connect to Learn’ global education initiative to the country, with its initial deployment set for a school in Baghdad. The initiative aims to scale up quality secondary education for students and teachers by providing ICT infrastructure with mobile broadband, open source and cloud-hosted learning solutions to facilitate connected learning in underserved schools. Ali Al Zahid, CEO, Zain Iraq, said: “Education is one of the most valuable investments we can make in society,

and in our future. It is a universal human right – and in the digital era, where ICT has the ability to reach every corner of the globe, there is no excuse for quality secondary education to be inaccessible. By partnering with Ericsson to bring ‘Connect to Learn’ to schools in Iraq, we are uplifting our communities and empowering them to reach their full potential. We look forward to introducing this initiative in Baghdad and watching it unfold as we move forward.” With the modern technology and solutions offered through ‘Connect to Learn’, ICT solutions become a cost-effective method for rural and limited-resource schools as a means of delivering quality education for students and teachers alike. Cloud technology enables support and maintenances tasks to be handled externally and remotely, which simplifies the user experience and enables teachers to focus on education. The system is also designed to be

easily used and understood by teachers with limited IT competence, inspiring confidence and capability in them as educators. Rafiah Ibrahim, head of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, Ericsson, commented: “When a girl receives quality education, she will earn a decent living, raise a healthy, educated family and improve the quality of life for herself, her family and her community. The ‘Connect to learn’ initiative aims to ensure that girls have access to quality education, regardless of their location or other limitations. We look forward to continue working with Zain Iraq to leverage our technology and the expertise of our employees to make a positive impact in Iraq.” The ‘Connect to Learn’ initiative was launched in 2010 and is currently deployed in 25 countries, benefitting more than 120,000 students and engaging 16 mobile operators.

PwC signs agreement to foster digital innovation with leading UAE bank

Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) and PwC Middle East recently signed an agreement on an innovation program that will help the bank in its objective to become default digital and in providing an exceptional customer experience by collaborating with FinTech startups, and effectively leveraging emerging technology as a tool. The agreement was signed by Dr. Bernd van Linder, chief executive officer of CBD, and Mehryar Ghazali, partner and financial services practice leader at PwC Middle East, during a

ceremony held recently in Dubai, in the presence of senior management from both organizations.

PwC are proud to be part of it, and transform the way CBD’s people and its customers embrace technology.”

During the yearlong initiative, CBD will look to solve key business problems, improve efficiency and identify new opportunity areas across all areas of business.

Speaking on the significance of this agreement, Dr. Bernd van Linder said: “We are delighted to have PwC Middle East as our advisors to help redefine our banking processes and enhance the customer journey.

The project team will evaluate startups in specific business areas on the basis of ‘demos’ and develop proof of concepts (’POCs’) for implementation. Leveraging the expertise of PwC, CBD will ensure that an all-inclusive culture of innovation and disruption is fostered throughout the bank. Ghazali said: “Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives and our agreement with CBD comes at the perfect time when we look to foster cultural innovation and embrace technology at its best. Achieving a unique banking experience is at the core of this initiative and we at

Digital transformation is a strategic priority for CBD as part of its vision to be default digital. This arrangement will enable us to drive innovation and leverage cutting-edge technologies to deliver a world class customer experience across all segments including personal, corporate and commercial businesses.” As part of the project, PwC will support CBD build, design and operate CBD Labs – a corporate workspace focused on building a culture of innovation, collaboration and disruption. The CBD Labs will launch in late October.

OCTOBER 2018

REGIONAL NEWS

Leaders in satellite broadband solutions announce joint venture leveraging the capabilities of the Hughes JUPITER™ System, designed and optimized for large scale HighThroughput Satellites (HTS). Hughes will also supply its proven Operating and Business Support System (OSS/ BSS) solutions for comprehensive network operations and management.

Yahsat, a leading global satellite operator based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, and Hughes Network Systems (HUGHES), a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, announced an agreement to enter into a joint venture to provide commercial Ka-band satellite broadband services across Africa, the Middle East and southwest Asia. This new venture combines Hughes deep expertise as the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services with Yahsat’s unique position and knowledge as the leader in satellite broadband solutions across these regions. Hughes will purchase a minority interest in the venture. The new venture will continue to provide unserved and underserved communities with reliable, high speed internet services operating over Yahsat’s Al Yah 2 (AY2) and Al Yah 3 (AY3) Ka-band satellites, and

Initially, the venture will focus on “direct-to-premise services” to homes and small- to medium-sized enterprises, and to community centers and schools that are served under local government programs across these regions. In parallel, there will be an increased focus on “community hotspot” solutions to make satellite-enabled broadband more accessible to many more users across the AY2 and AY3 footprint, which currently covers more than 1 billion people. In addition, the venture will also aim to capitalize on the accelerating transition towards Ka-band based backhaul and carrier solutions from mobile network operators. Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, chief executive officer, Yahsat, said: “The partnership with Hughes plays a significant role in Yahsat’s growth story and serves as an important step in achieving our vision to providing global satellite broadband services to individuals, communities, governments and businesses

in unserved and underserved communities. Yahsat’s remarkable track record and experience in operating YahClick, combined with Hughes technology leadership and experience, are a winning proposition to unlock the mass market potential of satellite broadband services across the region. I am very pleased to see our longstanding partnership with Hughes as a supplier over the years now advance to this strategic and very important joint venture for Yahsat.” Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes, said: “Yahsat has been a valued customer for many years, incorporating our JUPITER System and operating expertise into their services. This next step in our relationship is a natural evolution that builds on our shared commitment to connecting the unconnected and reflects our strategy to partner with leading providers around the world. Our investment in this venture will expand our presence in Africa, the Middle East and southwest Asia markets, where broadband demand is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.” Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions, and is expected to occur later this year.

UAE adopts new regulatory framework for fintech companies conduct their operations. Similar frameworks were introduced by Dubai International Financial Centre and Abu Dhabi Global Market over the last year.

With the aim of regulating the use of fintech technology, the UAE’s Minister of Economy has announced a regulatory framework for fintech companies adopting experimental licenses to

Companies operating outside these zones will be able to conduct their activities with smoother regulations. According to H.E. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE’s Minister of Economy, this regulatory framework will be a breeding ground for innovation. “The experimental environment is defined as a pilot financial technology laboratory organized into a regulatory

framework that allows entities to test innovative products, services, programs and business models in a simplified experimental control environment, within a limited and time-bound scope and timeframe,” he said. Companies holding experimental licenses, whether emerging companies, existing companies or individual projects, can apply to benefit from the newly adopted framework which will allow them to be exempt from some regulatory requirements defined following an evaluation of their project by a government commission.

OCTOBER 2018

OPINIONS

The end of the beginning: Next steps for 5G rollout

Last month at a ceremony in Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters in Shenzhen, we presented Turkish professor, Dr. Erdal Arikan, the inventor of polar codes for 5G, an award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of ICT. Dr. Arikanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakthrough research set the foundation for the 3GPP (the international organization responsible for 5G standards) to adopt polar codes as the official coding scheme for the control channels of 5G New Radio (NR) enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) interface. Thanks to the research of Dr. Arikan, and countless others who have labored through decades of focused scientific effort, we can finally say that 5G is here.

OCTOBER 2018

ince the 3GPP adopted the polar codes, the 5G timeline has accelerated worldwide. The first 5G standard was announced in December 2017, and since then, 2018 has become the year of 5G. Industry leaders across the globe are competing to announce ever more ambitious network deployment plans, in a display of total confidence at the solidity of the E2E ecosystem. Elisa, a leading ICT company in Finland and Estonia, has gone so far as to be the first operator in the world to start selling mobile 5G subscriptions. Yet, amid this clamor of optimism, there remain murmurs of skepticism. In particular, critics have charged that the amount of investment it will take to transform existing networks to support new 5G capabilities is so high that it may take years before we see 5G roll out on a wide scale. While 5G is here, we have a way to go before we become a 5G society. There is some truth to their claims. Operators are now focusing on use cases supported by eMBB, mainly because these will require minimum network transformation to function. Yet, in order to reap the full benefits of a 5G economy, there is no doubt that large-scale network transformation will be required. Virtualization, E2E cloudification, DC layers and more will be necessary to support mission and business critical scenarios which demand reduced latency and increased connectivity. Only by upgrading the current ICT infrastructure will society be able to reap the full benefit of emerging 5G use cases and opportunities. In order to overcome this obstacle, Huawei has been working with our ecosystem partners to test and validate industry use cases for 5G through our Wireless X Labs. Our research leaves no doubt that while initial investment to networks may be high, the cost will be rapidly recouped through the economic opportunities 5G will bring. We have established a number of special interest groups,

OPINIONS including the Digital Sky Initiative, Wireless eHealth and Connected Factory, to study new commercial applications intended not only for eMBB, but also uRLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication) and MMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication), which will justify investing in network transformation. Our research makes a clear case that investing in 5G is worthwhile. And yet the private sector alone cannot be counted on to make 5G a reality. Governments have a role to play, by creating a suitable environment for new technologies to flourish, and incentivizing operators to make early forays into 5G technology even through the initial stage when business value wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be significant. Through policies such as flexible taxation, fair spectrum pricing, facilitating access to licenses, the government has the power to accelerate the arrival of 5G and thereby offer a new venue of growth for operators and organizations in their nations. To see an example of successful policy-making in the 5G arena, we can look east. The Chinese government took aggressive measures to ensure early 5G adoption by releasing 5G spectrum planning and finalizing large-scale tests in 2018 at thousands of different sites, in order to facilitate wide scale network deployment in 2019, with the aim to launch 5G in earnest by 2020. At the same time, the Chinese government set up the IMT 2020 Working Group, which enabled global collaboration between leading networks providers. Equally importantly, Chinese leaders fostered an innovative ICT environment by prioritizing the growth of a 5G ecosystem, encouraging diversified development, cultivating 5G technologies and related industries, all the while protecting 5G intellectual property rights. Thanks to the vision of its leadership, Chinese organizations will be among the first to reap the full range of industry benefits from 5G. China stands as a model for the world in term of its flexible and forward-

thinking regulations. This model can surely be replicated elsewhere. By cultivating the right ecosystem, infrastructure and business use cases, both public and private entities globally can facilitate the arrival of 5G. I will close by saying that although 5G technology is now here, ultimately the rollout of 5G will rest upon educating governments, organizations and consumers of the full potential of these networks. Building a 5G economy will require people to believe in its promise, and seek it out for themselves. By Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East

Only by upgrading the current ICT infrastructure will society be able to reap the full benefit of emerging 5G use cases

OCTOBER 2018

INTERVIEW

NXN and Zain to showcase cuttingedge solutions and innovations at GITEX

NXN, under the dynamic leadership and vision of its CEO Ghazi Atallah, has established itself as a pioneer in helping enterprises both in the public and private sector to achieve their digital transformation goals.

head of GITEX, Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with NXN’s CEO to find out more about NXN’s strategic alliance with Zain, its planned activity at GITEX, its smart energy partnership with du and new projects and programs it has in the pipeline. NXN is now the leading full digital services provider in the GCC region and is spearheading a number of exciting new initiatives and projects in the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. At GITEX, NXN, along with its strategic partner, Zain, will showcase a number of innovative solutions that they have jointly developed together, and which are aligned with Kuwait’s Vision 2035 government development plan. How important of an event is GITEX for NXN especially that it allows you to solidify the existing relationships you have with your partners? Does the event enable NXN to generate potential new business opportunities? GITEX is one of the most important events in the ICT sector across the region. The event has been in existence for a long time and attracts all the key players and stakeholders from the telecommunications sector. Over the last few years, the event has evolved

into a smart digital event. So, there’s a lot more focus on smart cities and digital transformation, which makes GITEX even more interesting for us because this is the area we’re focused on. It’s ideal platform to showcase our latest portfolio of innovations that enables building a smart nation. Can you tell us more about NXN’s participation with its strategic partner, Zain at this year’s GITEX? It is the first time Zain has participated at GITEX, so can you tell us what you will be showcasing with them? This is the first time that Zain is participating at GITEX and we’re very excited about highlighting our collaboration with them at such an industry-leading ICT event. We’re going to be showcasing a whole host of innovative solutions that we’ve jointly developed with them over the last number of months. GITEX visitors will get to experience Zain and NXN smart solutions for various verticals including health and living, mobility, digital economy and smart education. Some highlights will include cutting-edge new service launches like smart healthcare, interesting technology powered by our digital transformation platform DNX, and new partnerships in collaboration with industry-leading partners. Is the partnership between NXN and Zain aligned with Kuwait’s strategic

direction in its Vision 2035 and National Development Plan which incorporates seven key pillars? The Kuwaiti government is embarking upon a very progressive and ambitious transformation program which is entitled Kuwait’s 2035 Vision. Zain, as the leading infrastructure provider in the country, will obviously be the key enabler for the government to execute its goals and objectives. Zain has selected NXN as a partner to assist because of our expertise in digital transformation and smart city solutions. We’ve created a roadmap that has taken into consideration the smart nation transformation plan in Kuwait which focuses on seven key pillars ranging from healthcare to education. Our aim was to map these solutions so there was a clear alignment with the overall program, and we will exhibit these innovations at GITEX. NXN’s partnership with Zain has accelerated the delivery of smart city and smart nation solutions and services across the GCC region. Can you outline any new initiatives you both have in the pipeline? NXN and Zain are engaged in multiple projects across the GCC region. Our collaboration is a diverse one and that has resulted in us embarking on initiatives that cover a wide range of industry verticals. One area where we are utilizing both our knowledge

OCTOBER 2018

and expertise is in the area of smart security. There is a growing momentum behind the development of smart cities on a global basis, but with the explosion of connected devices expected to rise exponentially by 2020, the security aspect of cities has ultimately become much more complex. Our new initiative is focused on virtual safety and security capabilities. We want to deliver smart security as a service across Kuwait, and with the help of our partner, Zain Kuwait, we’ve just launched our smart security program which thus far has been wellreceived by the market. We’ve managed to secure some major clients from the financial sector who are proactively seeking to integrate new technologies into their existing systems in an effort to make their security more smart and robust. Our program is enhancing operational efficiency for the customer and at the same time is significantly reducing their costs. In addition to this, we’ve also launched a very progressive smart healthcare program which gives a much more personalized experience for individuals in relation to their heath. The program enables users to monitor themselves on a daily basis, and connects the user directly with its healthcare provider in a very sophisticated way. The collaboration between NXN and du for smart energy management services has been described by some in the industry as a real ‘gamechanger’ in terms of environmental sustainability. Are you jointly showcasing any of these innovative new energy solutions at GITEX? We will have our smart energy solution that we created in partnership with du on display at their stand during GITEX. We will have the opportunity during GITEX to bring in customers and show them what smart energy as a service looks like. So, the idea is the same. You take the capability that you have through technology by connecting all the key elements of a building remotely and being able to again analyze data, apply intelligence, apply analytics and then come back with recommendations

INTERVIEW on energy efficiency. This is an offering now that we’ve termed with du. We’ve done the commercial elements of the offering, and we’ve done the technical elements in terms of integrating with the infrastructure provided by du and now we’ve launched that into the market. We’re very excited and immediately got a lot of interesting customers. We’ve got some really hot opportunities and we’re talking to major developers that have expressed an interest in deploying this solution across their infrastructure. It’s a very simple deployment because it’s all based on IoT technologies connecting to the key devices. But, the core of the solution is smart energy capability that allows us to take the data, analyze it, showcase it, dashboard it as well as provide recommendations on what to do in terms of energy efficiency. Can you tell us more about how this ambitious and innovative new partnership with du (EITC) has progressed over the last number of months? We progressed fairly quickly from the time that we started the discussion and evaluated the solution. It was important to make sure that it was a good fit technically, and once this was achieved, we immediately launched a program to align, coordinate and integrate across the two entities. We did the technical workshops and discussions to integrate technically, and at the same time, we had commercial discussions to look at the various offerings in the packaging and go-to-market discussions so we could start identifying the right customers. It really has progressed very quickly, and we’re very excited about that, and we believe it’s an offering that’s going to be a game-changer in the market. In relation to smart energy, we’re not stopping with this solution. As a solution and a capability, we’re going to be adding on lots of functionality to really make it a smart district in the future. So, we will capture the energy aspects of the district and we will also be able to capture the security aspects of the district. We will eventual have a smart district package.

How has 2018 been thus far for NXN? There has been an economic downturn in the region, but has that affected your business? And can you tell us about any new smart city or smart district projects you may embark on in the next 12 months? Economically, it has been a challenging year for all sectors across the region. However, for us, we’ve been lucky. Our business verticals are in the smart city, smart energy, smart security and digital transformation space and this has been an area where people have continued to invest and have continued to launch new products. So, I think we’re lucky in the sense that we’re in the right place and thankfully performing well. We’re happy with our position in the market and we’ve continued to win new projects and to launch new opportunities. We’ve just recently been assigned by Masdar to design and develop their new command and control center for energy efficiency. This is a very exciting project for us. In addition to this, we’re also quite excited about a project in Kuwait with South Al Mutlaa, which is a big community and district where we have also been assigned as a smart district partner. We’re doing the same thing across many countries and we’ve got a lot of interesting and exciting projects ongoing across the GCC region. Two thousand and eighteen is continuing to be a good year for us. Finally, what are your primary objectives and goals for the remainder of 2018? We, as an organization, have transformed, and we’re continuing to transform into a full digital services provider. We’ve evolved from being a consulting engineering organization into a full digital services provider. That is the journey we’ve embarked upon, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do: we’re going to continue this transformation. We’re very keen to take on more and more managed services like smart energy, smart security and smart districts. Our aim is to continue to combine our expertise in engineering consultancy as well as our expertise in building and managing those services for the rest of 2018 and beyond.

OCTOBER 2018

ICT FEATURE

Satellite operators can ‘take off’ with demand for onboard WiFi connectivity

Connectivity is now recognized as a basic human right and the ever-evolving demands of customers have now resulted in an expectation to be connected at all times!

his demand to be connected now extends to when we’re flying from one destination in the world to another. Emirates Airlines has long been a pioneer in championing WiFi connectivity for its passengers onboard all of its flights since becoming the first carrier in the world to offer such services over a decade ago. However, the demand to have access to WiFi has now risen exponentially over the past number of years as we have become a more ‘connected society’. This new growth area in relation to inflight connectivity has led to a lucrative new opportunity for satellite operators to create new revenue models in what

has become an increasingly disrupted and competitive telecommunications industry. Airline carriers need to be able to provide their passengers with access to high performance WiFi connectivity. Basic WiFi access for free for a couple of hours does not satisfy passengers. This has created a new challenge for the aviation industry. Put simply, airlines that don’t provide WiFi services will lose market share and profits will plummet. This demand and expectation from passengers has created a vacuum for satellite operators to deliver enhanced broadband connectivity to the airline industry. However, it has become evident that many challenges lie ahead. In-flight

connectivity is made via satellite and this inevitably creates intense competition between satellite operators to secure lucrative contracts and agreements with airlines. The satellite industry is undoubtedly enhancing connectivity to the airline sector, but satellite broadband still needs to be significantly improved in order to meet the growing market demands. In the current climate, the connectivity that exists today is restricted and limited in terms of bandwidth which doesn’t sufficiently support and facilitate the required level of functionality that the airline industry expects. In addition to this, there are also many regulatory barriers to overcome if the

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aviation industry is going to achieve its overall objective, which is deliver uninterrupted WiFi connectivity to its passengers on-board any flight. There are still many countries that prohibit the use of WiFi over their territories, with India being a prime example of this policy. Airlines are going to have to invest heavily not only in connectivity bandwidth but also in CAPEX. The WiFi connectivity challenges for airlines are not exclusive to passengers. Cockpit connectivity is also a major vertical for satellite operators. Airlines are now recognizing the benefits of installing and integrating new technologies into its existing system in order to relay real-time data from cockpits back to air control centres. One satellite operator that has taken advantage of the opportunity within the aviation industry is UAE satellite provider Thuraya Telecommunications Company. The operator released a new innovation solution entitled ‘Thuraya Aero’ which has resonated with many within its target market. The cutting-edge innovative solution is a satellite communication service that enables in-flight connectivity for internet access, voice calls, text messaging and high speed data applications on board small- to mediumsized aircrafts. Developed in partnership with trusted leaders in aviation solutions - namely SCOTTY, Cobham and SRT, Thuraya Aero is suitable for fixed wing and rotary wing aircrafts as well as any other air platforms flying missions beyond line of sight. CEO of Scotty Group Kurt Kerschat highlighted the critical importance for airlines to be able to provide its passengers with the opportunity to be connected at all times. Kerschat said, “When you look at the cooperation that we have with two parties involved with the Thuraya Aero solution, I think it represents the perfect match from a business perspective. If you examine the current situation in the modern world, it’s very evident that connectivity is entering all aspects of our daily lives. Connectivity is critically important in almost every industry across the globe. People want to be connected all the time, and that extends to when

ICT FEATURE they’re travelling by air, they want to be connected when they’re on an aircraft. You see that now with a number of airline carriers such as Emirates that you can connect to WiFi while onboard. Connectivity on the aircraft is vitally important for passengers, and this is something we call ‘cabin connectivity’.” Andreas Krenn, managing director of ProtectivesTrading, which is a company based in Dubai that provides crucial and life-saving equipment to defense and law enforcement units in the Middle East and Africa, echoed the sentiments expressed by Kerschat and illustrated the complex differences in connectivity demands between passengers and the cockpit. Krenn said, “It’s very important to focus attention on the connectivity requirements in the cockpit. The cockpit usage and demands of connectivity are not comparable to that of a passengers’ use of WiFi. Passengers will be accessing applications like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. In relation to cockpit connectivity, you need to think about data link applications directly related to air traffic management, optimizing route trajectories and enhancing operational efficiencies – all to the benefits of aircraft operators. Further to enhance the operational efficiencies, the cockpit connectivity demand is driven by regulatory requirements. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) has introduced new rules which need to be rolled out by aircraft operators in the next two years. Every new aircraft that is being delivered to go into service has to be equipped with specific connectivity equipment to fulfil the requirement which links the cockpit with the air traffic management systems,” added Krenn. Other satellite operators such as SES Networks and Eutelsat have identified the golden opportunity that is being presented by increasing connectivity demands in the aviation industry. They have both restructured their strategies accordingly in an effort to grab a share of the market. In truth, multiple satellite operators globally are placing much more emphasis on the aviation industry in an effort to create new revenue streams outside of its traditional core business model. This

was evidenced further by the agreement between Air France and Golden Eagle. Air France awarded a long-term contract for in-flight connectivity systems and services to a partnership consisting of Global Eagle, a US leading provider of satellite-based broadband connectivity and Orange Business Services, which is a subsidiary arm of the French telecommunications behemoth Orange. The collaboration between Global Eagle and Orange Business Services will deliver high speed internet, industryleading passenger portal interfaces and services, integrated billing and passenger data analytics supporting Air France’s digital transformation initiatives and its progressive customer experience vision. “In-Flight Connectivity gives Air France the opportunity to enhance the customer experience and to take a major step towards digital transformation,” said Pierre-Louis Biaggi, vice president, Connectivity at Orange Business Services. “Orange Business Services has leveraged its high performance network and its strong experience in project management to support Air France’s ambitious goals. Together with our partner Global Eagle, we will enable Air France to be the first airline in Europe to take full advantage of the KU-Highthroughput satellite network and thus drastically increase on-board passenger connectivity experience.” “Air France sought industry-leading connectivity solutions with the highest reliability and quality to power superior customer service, innovation and digitization,” said Josh Marks, Global Eagle CEO. “Together with our partner Orange Business Services, we are proud to support Air France’s ambitions with high-speed gate-to-gate internet, integrated with our powerful customer portal for the Air France short and medium haul fleet.” Expect to see more and more of these types of collaboration and partnerships as satellite operators and providers of satellite-based broadband connectivity attempt to seize the lucrative opportunities that now exist in the aviation industry.

OCTOBER 2018

OPINIONS

Driving smarter coverage for future networks The world has more than seven billion people. Each of those people, on average, has five connected devices. Clearly, the number of devices outnumbers people. When devices and computers start talking to each other, they create extreme stress on any network. We see this stress only becoming more profound.

s we see a steady supply of new devices, businesses and organizations are seeing an appetite for unlimited network capacity across healthcare, construction, tourism, high tech, education among other industries as people are creating more data today than we have seen in human history. As this demand for instant connectivity and high speed data pushes network capacity to its limits, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more vital than ever to efficiently meet subscribersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wireless traffic demands. Failure to do so could result in network congestion - lost revenue for the operator and frustration for the subscriber.

Small ways to address big challenges Network operators are moving toward small cell deployments to improve coverage and increase capacity needs to prepare for 5G buildouts. The market is truly making the transition from small ad-hoc programs to large-scale rollouts. But there are still challenges. As compared to macro deployments, metro cells deploy smaller antennas and radios which can be placed on lamp posts, traffic lights, utility poles and sides of buildings. Planning and deploying these types of network infrastructure programs can be extremely challenging for the carriers. Municipalities are often in opposition to these build plans based upon concerns of aesthetics, noise, right of way and other issues. Current permitting and zoning processes and

practices used by municipalities are based upon a history of deploying large traditional macro cell towers. Overall zoning and permitting headaches continue to postpone and delay carriersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; deployment plans. Metro cell deployments are here, front and center. Municipalities are struggling to adjust and embrace this next generation of the wireless network infrastructure. But the end results of higher network speeds and more wireless connections can mean improved transportation systems, smart parking and metering, better energy/utility management and overall improved public safety - the goal of smart city initiatives. Keys to network modernization Small cells have evolved across

OCTOBER 2018

different cellular generations. They present efficient approaches for capacity, coverage and latencies improvements. As the demand for faster data throughput, higher capacity, lower latency performance and more reliable quality of service increases, small cells will continue to play a growing role in the development of heterogeneous fabric networks. As operators modernize their networks, they may wish to consider how metro cell antenna solutions can enable the following benefits: • Increased density: Slim, compact size and deployment versatility ease zoning compliance and expand site options, facilitating cell density more quickly. Multiple ports, frequencies and technologies in one small form factor can support more capacity with fewer antennas, leaving more sites available for cell densification. • Increased spectrum: Support for established 1.7–2.7 GHz LTE bands, 3.5 GHz (including bands used globally for 5G and CBRS in the U.S.), as well as 5 GHz unlicensed band, which can be used in licensed assisted access (LAA). Network operators should also seek technology will supports 4x MIMO in the 1.7–2.7 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands, plus 2x MIMO in the 5 GHz band. • Increased efficiency: Increased cell coverage and improved quality of service with a unique pattern diversity approach that offsets pattern nulls between the four ports. It’s important to address real-time beamforming, suppress sidelobes, improve interference discrimination and reduce power use. It’s possible to maximize gain for the 1.7–2.7 GHz bands while complying with U.S. FCC Part 15 for all 5 GHz bands, even when operating radios at full power. Small cells provide an alternative option for densely packed urban areas Like any evolving technology, there are obstacles to the dense and widespread deployment of small cell solutions. Legitimate operator concerns as well as emerging engineering challenges exist. Many of these issues focus on improving

OPINIONS small cell functionality while continuing to pare down the size, weight and visual impact. Increasing the number of cells per square kilometer enables operators to increase frequency reuse and offload traffic from surrounding sites. Cell densification is most effective in capacity-strained areas such as urban environments. However, these locations are also more confined and the distances between existing macro sites are shorter. Adding more macro sites increases the risk of cell overlap and performance killing interference. Small cells provide an alternative option for densely packed urban areas. With smaller and more precise radiation patterns, small cells allow operators to add capacity where it is needed without creating additional interference. With a compact design and low-profile antennas, small cells exhibit a lower overall equivalent isotropically-radiated power (EIRP) for tighter and cleaner reuse of frequency. Their smaller size and reduced visual impact could help operators clear many of the zoning and regulatory hurdles faster. Advantages such as these are fueling interest in or adoption of small cells. New nonresidential small cell deployments are expected to continue through 2025. Increasingly, adoption is focused on facilitating the dense and hyper-dense environments needed to support next generation networks. In 2015, 23% of new small cell deployment occurred in dense or hyper-dense environments. By 2025, 78% of new deployments are expected to target dense or hyper-dense areas, with the overall installed base reaching 70.2m cells. Deployment of LTE small cells is predicted to peak in 2020 as total 5G capable small cells cross the one million mark; after which, stand-alone 5G deployment (5G SA) steeply rises to reach 5.2m cells in 2025. Use case: Increased capacity In localized areas, small cells are used to boost capacity for outdoor and indoor hotspots. Metro or micro types are typically found outdoors, while femtos

are mostly indoors. In some high traffic indoor venues, like large shopping malls, operators deploy a small cell layer on top of their existing passive distributed antenna systems (DAS). This solution enables the localized use of higher MIMO schemes without having to double the passive DAS infrastructure. Such approach can be efficiently implemented with CommScope’s OneCell. Use case: Improved coverage Besides capacity, small cells are useful for improving coverage; for example, in remote isolated low traffic regions outdoors or null areas between macros sectors. In fact, 43 percent of small cells deployed in 2015 were used for such purposes. In urban areas, capacitygenerating small cells deployed outdoors have also been shown to improve indoor coverage, as well. This is especially true when they are equipped with omni antennas. With their small size and weight, metrocells have also been deployed in support of mobile military applications. Wireless traffic from a mid-sized vehicle, such as a Hummer or Humvee, can be backhauled over an automatic tracking satellite dish. Femto cells have also been extensively used to address indoor coverage issues. Traffic is typically backhauled over the user’s internet connection, similar to a WiFi access point. More than 40 years of innovation and problem solving Since the first 2G wireless networks were launched, CommScope has been helping operators understand and optimize the benefits of small cells in their networks. Today, the company is focused on solutions to facilitate small cells deployment for both the indoor and outdoor environments. As networks evolve toward Gigabit LTE, 5G and beyond, CommScope is addressing customer issues with innovative solutions needed to power the always-on wireless networks of the future. By Dr. Mohamed Nadder Hamdy, director mobility network engineering, CommScope

OCTOBER 2018

INTERVIEW

Jay Srage launches new enterprise to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies

Jay Srage established himself as one of the most prominent leaders and visionaries in the ICT industry in the Middle East during his highly successful tenure as president of Qualcomm in Eastern Europe and the MEA region.

OCTOBER 2018

he US chipmaker, which is one of the world’s most valuable companies, expanded its operations to the Middle East and Africa in 2008. It turned to the dynamic and innovative Srage for leadership in order to oversee its entry into a new and challenging marketplace. Under Srage’s direction, Qualcomm enjoyed phenomenal success, spearheaded a number of new projects and programs with operators in the region and was at the center of a movement driving advanced LTE products on the road towards 5G. However, after serving Qualcomm with outstanding distinction for over a decade, the ambitious Srage is launching a new kind of enterprise called Centrigent - with backing from major regional players in the technology, analytics and consultancy sectors. In an engaging discussion, the charismatic Srage highlighted how emerging technologies such as 5G, AI, cloud, IoT and blockchain are going to fundamentally reshape, revolutionize and impact almost every industry in the entire world. The former Qualcomm executive explained that he plans to modularize and incorporate these emerging technologies under one architecture so that they can be applied and integrated across multiple industries, bringing a cross-common foundation with a bespoke element specific to each customer. He has identified a clear gap in the market, and Centrigent has been born out of that vision.

INTERVIEW context of broadband speeds from 3G to 4G to 5G - and on the smartphone business ecosystem. The main driver for the telecommunications industry, specifically on the mobile side, has been the smartphone – and there hasn’t been any other mobile device that can remotely match the success of the Smartphone. What has happened in the last few years is that the smartphone business has slowed down globally to single-digit year on year growth. So this development has forced companies in this industry to think about how to get their doubledigit growth from adjacent markets.” According to Srage, the industry has now come to an intersection point, with next generation emerging technologies now possessing the capabilities to connect devices beyond the smartphone. Srage said, “We’re now at an intersection point of having 5G as a technology that enables devices beyond the smartphone. As we approach that intersection point, other major disruptive technologies are emerging such as AI, IoT, Blockchain and managed cloud services; when combined into a single architecture, has the potential to evolve and transform everything we do and experience across every industry and sector…”

Before explaining in detail what Centrigent can offer businesses and customers, Srage provided a bit more context and background as to why he started his new enterprise, in an exclusive interview with Telecom Review.

Srage claimed that large corporations and enterprises continue to look at emerging technologies in a blinkered fashion, and are approaching it from a viewpoint of bringing one specific technology to one specific industry. The CEO and founder of Centrigent argues that the strategy adopted by many enterprises is fundamentally restricted, and that they need to approach the global market from the perspective of a dynamic matrix of multiple technologies across multiple industries. However, that represents a significant challenge to most companies that are positioned in a one by one matrix.

“If you examine the macro level of telecommunications, it has been focused predominantly on the network technology evolution within the

“Moving from 1 by 1 matrix to n times n matrix creates an opportunity to build a single multi-technology blueprint that will be foundational

to most companies across many industries, and this is how Centrigent started,” added Srage. The vision of this new enterprise is to develop a cohesive and coherent strategy that enables the integration of emerging technologies such as AI, cloud, internet of things, 5G and Blockchain into existing operations across a diverse range of different sectors. Srage said, “There are differences between one industry and another of course, but in terms of what the main objectives are, they’re pretty much all the same. Every industry wants to increase its efficiency, reduce its costs and increase its revenues, whilst optimizing its overall product portfolio. That foundation is what Centrigent provides. Then based on every

The whole concept of Centrigent is to examine the landscape from the five emerging key technologies currently disrupting the market

OCTOBER 2018

INTERVIEW

industry we work with, we will start implementing the elements that are specific for that particular industry, and then we will take it to the next level by putting additional elements that are specific to that customer. Whereas, the other approach adopted by large tech companies: “If you build it they will come.” The former Qualcomm executive believes that his new company is completely unique and highlighted the difference between his business and traditional management consultant or technology companies. From his perspective, the first step that he wants to take on in the next three months, is to raise awareness of the opportunities that exist by working with Centrigent. Srage said, “The whole concept of Centrigent is to examine the landscape from the five emerging key technologies that are currently disrupting market and industry norms and build an end to end platform that integrates into legacy operations. We separate the myth from reality and implement solutions that are based on existing but leading technology products that will gradually and in steps drive the evolution of those operations. Making large disruptive moves will create significant risk; however, an agile gradual integration will create an evolution across organizations, products and operations. There are three elements to the DNA make-up of Centrigent: client business growth achieved through end-to-end product entry services into new markets, consultancy and training services, and upgrading existing operations with new digital platforms.” Srage has expressed his desire to work with the world’s leading ‘big five’ consultancy firms which are KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and Accenture, and explained how he can provide them with cutting-edge complementary services in order to enhance their own portfolio on digital transformation. The first element is to bring in innovative products and choice

OCTOBER 2018

to consumers. There are great companies in emerging markets with amazing products; however, lack the funding and the market knowledge to create a full setup for international expansion. That’s where Centrigent comes in. Srage said, “To create demand for these new technologies, you need product and choice for the consumer. But, today there is little product variety when it comes to smart devices including smartphones. So this creates an opportunity. Whether it’s IoT or a new type of smartphone that can be positioned against the commodity smartphone business, many products are coming from OEMs and vendors that are not currently present in the region. There are brilliant products coming from Turkey, China and South East Asia, but they don’t have either the capabilities or the budget to expand internationally.” “Centrigent business model is to provide the full end-to-end service to those companies. So basically, we become an extension to their company in the region providing engineering, product positioning, market analysis, channel setup, distribution, marketing planning and execution working with existing partners that have proven success in that space over the last decade,” Srage explained. According to Centrigent’s CEO, this approach has resonated with a lot of potential customers because it’s a win-win situation for them. They enter a new market in full without the cost of the setup. Srage noted, “ There’s no risk. If they sell, they win. And then if the business ramps up within two to three years, they have the option to establish their own regional presence or continue working with us as a strategic partner. Either way, we both win.” The second element of Centrigent’s core business is more focused towards CEO and management level consultancy services.

INTERVIEW Srage explains, “CEOs at many organizations across different industries want digital transformation. The problem they encounter at the beginning is when they go to recruit staff, they still don’t know what the requirements are to achieve digital transformation, and ultimately end up hiring the wrong organization. It is critical to have a partner like us that will be there for the first six months or one year that truly understands the industry and can help them execute your digital transformation goals. Once a strategy is established at a management level, Centrigent provides the necessary training across the organization to get that strategy to propagate across the company and build the necessary skillsets for that transformation. “This approach enables executives of these organizations to increase their understanding and knowledge of digital transformation through the hands-on interface we can provide. It’s consulting on the strategy and organizational efficiency in order to build up those capabilities and skillsets.” The third and what would be the most exciting and disruptive element is building the product platform that will change the consumer experience and company operations. When building the platform architecture, Centrigent has the ability to bring in a full implementation of products that map and correlate directly to its technology services we provide. As an example, our clients hear about AI and its impact on the industry and its capability to increase efficiency, and we bring real product solutions that integrate into their existing legacy systems to achieve their business growth objectives. Under the direction and dynamic leadership of Srage, this new enterprise Centrigent is destined to make a major impact in the ICT industry. To deliver on its promises, Centrigent with major regional backing has signed a partnership MoU with Mindsets, the leading strategy consultancy firm in the Middle East, to bring those products to its customers.

The two companies are looking to combine innovative products, analytics and strategy consultancy to take the clients, the industry sectors and the regional economy as a whole to the next level of diversity, efficiency, productivity and returns. Srage gave a sneak peek on the kind of game changing platforms Centrigent is building. The company is developing a one of a kind human resources development platform that will completely revolutionize employee performance across any organization, business or government entity. It has the potential to become a national platform of human knowledge development. The full details of this incredible HR platform will remain under embargo until a later date by year end, but from the details Srage provided, it truly does possess the potential to change work behaviors and we can categorically and emphatically state without any misconceptions that this platform will be a game-changer.

It is critical to have a partner like us that can help them execute their digital transformation goals

OCTOBER 2018

WOMEN IN ICT

“AI and Machine Learning will drive operational efficiency in nextgen networks” – Eva Andren, Ericsson

Eva Andren, VP and head of Managed Services at Ericsson, has claimed that AI and machine learning will drive operational efficiency in next generation networks, and claimed the Swedish telecommunications colossus is well-positioned to maintain its position as a global-leading vendor for operators as they continue to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

OCTOBER 2018

ndren has enjoyed a decorated and distinguished career in ICT to date, and has established herself as a prominent figure for Ericsson. Under her dynamic vision and leadership as head of Managed Services in the Middle East & Africa, Ericsson has cemented its status as the go-to vendor for operators in both markets. Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with Andren at Telecoms World Middle East. In a fascinating discussion, the Ericsson executive outlined the role AI and machine learning will play in operational efficiency, the current challenges facing operators and her primary objectives and goals for the remainder of the year. Why is Telecoms World such an important ICT event for Ericsson? Telecoms World enables us to meet our existing customers and it also allows us to potentially forge new business relationships. Telecoms World also provides us with the chance to network with our colleagues and our ecosystem partners in an effort to understand the different insights and conversations going on within organizations across the ICT spectrum. The event is a great meeting point to discuss new business opportunities that are currently being created in the ICT sector following the emergence of new technologies such as 5G and AI. Can you outline to us what your main responsibilities are in your role as VP and head of Managed Services at Ericsson? My main responsibility is to manage our data networks and our network operations centers across the Middle East & Africa. It is a challenging role, as it’s critically important that we manage our operators’ operations effectively in a bid to make them as efficient as possible. I’m based in Johannesburg, and I’m primarily tasked with the responsibility of adhering to the requirements and

WOMEN IN ICT needs of our operators in both the Middle East and Africa. Both markets are very important for us, so it’s imperative that we deliver the best networks services we can so their customers are satisfied. Can you highlight the role emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning will play in driving operational efficiency in next generation networks? It will be increasingly fast. AI and machine learning will actually have a huge influence on the way we manage operations in the future. It will transform not only the way we manage operations in business, but also in our personal life. The need for speed is extremely high now, and that demand is increasing exponentially all the time. AI and machine learning are key components of the Fourth Industrial Revolution which we already see hurtling towards us. The necessary requirement to manage the huge volumes of data that will be generated by the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be incredibly complex to handle. The internet of things is already here, and the number of connected devices we’re already handling is enormous and expected to explode further by 2020. 5G is now already being deployed in a number of countries. It is evident that human beings will not be able to manage all that data. We need to have automation and we need to have machine learning and AI in order to facilitate this transformation journey our industry is going to embrace. How much of a challenge is it going to be for operators to integrate emerging technologies like AI and machine learning into their existing operations? As I outlined during my presentation, Ericsson has a number of use cases in relation to how operators can adapt and seize the opportunity that is being presented by the emergence of these new technologies to create new business models. Ericsson has been on this journey since 2007. We handle hundreds of patents, so we’ve got a lot of experience in this

area. However, there is no doubt that there still is a lot of work to be done and we need to learn continuously, and I don’t think there will ever be ready learning. I think together with DevOps we can embrace this culture of learning together in an effort to execute our goals. How can managed services bring down the overall cost of operations for enterprises? The best approach for businesses to adopt in relation to reducing the cost of operations is to look at the work we’ve conducted at our network operations centers. We have made the network centers intelligent through automation. We work collectively with our network operation centers on a global scale by taking advantage of the processes and tools that we have at our disposal. We take the findings we’ve uncovered in our operation centers across the world and we apply that to enterprises/operators that ultimately reap the benefits of this. We basically help them achieve higher speeds and higher quality. In your opinion, what differentiates Ericsson from its competitors? I think our expertise and the global scale of our experience is what differentiates us from other vendors. In addition to this, I think the quality of our engineers is another factor in our continued success. Our highly-skilled engineers are now training our robots and machines in an effort to be able to reuse and relearn what we’ve done over the years. This type of innovation and leadership is what distinguishes us from our rivals. What are your primary objectives and goals for the remainder of 2018? Our primary objectives and goals for the remainder of 2018 - and looking ahead to 2019 - are to continue to deliver higher quality performance to our customers. We want to ensure we remain competitive and we also want our customers to remain competitive in what is a constantly evolving and disruptive industry which presents many obstacles and challenges. We believe we have the innovations, solutions, experience and expertise to continue to be a leading vendor in the ICT sector.

OCTOBER 2018

COVERAGE

welve months later at MEF18, more than 50 service providers and technology vendors are collaborating in 20 Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations that showcase different aspects of MEF 3.0 service implementation according to Nan Chen, President MEF. Interestingly, service providers are leading many of the MEF18 PoCs, which illustrates the high priority they place on driving business, operational, and infrastructure transformation to take full advantage of the rapidly growing demand for digital services. The nature of the MEF18 PoCs also appears more business outcome-driven than ever. The days of demonstrating “something cool” seem to have given way to demonstrating “we can develop and deliver high-value services in an ever-more complex ecosystem.” MEF18 PoCs fall into six broad categories and exemplify the many aspects of MEF 3.0 services and the transformation required to deliver them successfully.

MEF18 proof of concept demos spotlight MEF 3.0 & LSO innovation

Last November, MEF introduced the MEF 3.0 global services framework to define, deliver, and certify assured services orchestrated across a global ecosystem of automated networks.

Service fulfillment and activation WAN service providers know that they need to deliver services with the ease experienced by enterprise customers using cloud services. Rapid, userfriendly service delivery is extremely critical for the success of WAN service providers. When we go into a store and ask for something in the shop window, and the assistant disappears into the back for a few weeks or even months, we probably will not be around when they come out with the goods in hand. Services need to be delivered in working order within minutes, if not seconds. The race to that objective is becoming paramount for many MEF service provider members, regardless of how many wholesale access partners or network technology domains (e.g., Carrier Ethernet, optical transport, MPLS, 5G, etc.) are involved. It is probably for this reason that almost half of the MEF18 PoCs are focused on showcasing different aspects of the fulfillment and activation phase of the

OCTOBER 2018

COVERAGE

service lifecycle, with an emphasis on automation of inter-carrier business and operational interactions using emerging MEF LSO APIs at the LSO Reference Points named LSO Sonata and LSO Legato. • One of the PoCs shows how a connectivity service spanning four domains can be set up without any manual intervention (Tata Communications, Sparkle, Equinix, Liquid Telecom, ECI, Spirent, and Amartus). • Another PoC shows the automated provisioning of a service integrated with CRM to enable augmented reality support for a remote offnet user (Vodafone, Verizon, EXFO, Fortinet, and Riverbed). • A third PoC illustrates how virtualized Ethernet services can be deployed in an automated fashion by a service provider not only over their own network, but also into white boxes in their smaller partner access networks in Africa (BringCom, Simbanet, Isocel, and ADVA). • Two more PoCs demonstrate the use of LSO APIs to fulfill and activate multipoint-to-multipoint Ethernet E-LAN services for demanding applications (Telstra, Ciena, and EXFO; Eurofiber and Inmanta).

automated virtual interconnection across multiple domains that include an enterprise edge, a network cloud, a data center, and a public cloud (Equinix and Ciena).

It's not just the speed of fulfillment and activation. It’s also the customer experience.

What all the PoCs have in common is a clear drive towards using MEF's abstract LSO Reference Architecture and associated LSO APIs to maximize interoperability between different operators as well between different technology vendors to achieve best-of-breed solutions in a fluid and evolving market and technology environment.

• One of the PoCs shows how to order a service from your mobile phone – a sort of Network-in-yourPocket (Vodafone, Ciena, and DGIT Systems). • Another PoC emphasizes the use of Intent to enable direct input of business requirements on the part of the enterprise customer rather than technical attributes like bandwidth and latency (AT&T, Amdocs, Fujitsu, and Iometrix). • A third PoC demonstrates selfservice, on-demand delivery of cloud connectivity using LSO in a multivendor WAN environment (Zayo and Ciena). • Broadening the picture further, another PoC demonstrates end-toend application enablement, elastic multipoint Ethernet services, and

Service assurance Another critical part of the service lifecycle is ensuring that the SLA (service level agreement) provided to the enterprise customer is met. Potential disgruntled customers and penalties for not meeting SLAs are just two of the immediate reasons that service providers place a great deal of importance on service assurance. Another reason includes increasing customer satisfaction and retention by being able to tell the customer in realtime that something is going wrong and how it is being addressed. A fourth reason why providers value assurance is the ability to maximize the efficiency of infrastructure, especially when it is based on highly dynamic virtualized network functions that can and should be moved quickly for best effect.

• One of the PoCs is highlighting the use of Machine Learning to enhance service assurance (Colt and Accedian). • Another PoC is emphasizing the potential use of Big Data Analytics (BDA) platforms in conjunction with appropriate analytics engines (CenturyLink and Infinera). • A third PoC focuses on the issue of self-optimizing networks to support specific applications (Spectrum Enterprise, TELUS, Nokia, and Sandvine). • And another PoC shows the importance of being able to adjust Quality of Service (QoS) dynamically in real-time for an application in order not to waste valuable resources for even a few minutes (Verizon). Multi-layer service As WAN services grow ever more complex with multiple technologies and operator partners, it is becoming increasingly important for service providers to be able to use an orchestration solution that can handle any technology, layer, and vendor in a consistent manner. By using the LSO Framework, specifically standardized MEF Network Resource Provisioning APIs at LSO Presto, a service provider can be freed from many of the constraints and costs associated with today's siloed approach.

OCTOBER 2018

COVERAGE

The MEF18 PoC in this category is the culmination of a large interop event among service providers and vendors during the course of 2018 that leverages MEF's work not only at LSO Presto, but its definitions work for both Optical Transport and Carrier Ethernet services and attributes (CenturyLink, Coriant, Infinera, and NEC/Netcracker).

services. They expect standards in the form of code that they can read, experiment with, and – where relevant – integrate into their own software development. With that in mind, MEF is facilitating development of the first YANG model based on its industryleading standard definition of an SDWAN service.

SD-WAN service With the upcoming completion of the MEF's SD-WAN Service and Attributes Definition specification, three MEF18 PoCs address this very important and fast-growing market.

Universal CPE As a senior expert at leading international service provider recently stated, “Universal CPE is the key to the Kingdom when we’re talking about SDN and NFV.” Technology vendors are working closely with service providers to develop affordable, scalable uCPE platforms that can host a variety of VNFs (e.g., SD-WAN, security, WAN optimization, routing, etc.) that eliminate the need to deploy dedicated hardware platforms for each network function. In addition to the SD-WAN related uCPE PoC mentioned above, there also will be a PoC focused on boosting uCPE functionality with SDN/NFV/legacy capabilities to address real-world requirements (AT&T and RAD).

• The first PoC in this category addresses the question of a single orchestration solution that can work with multiple vendor implementations using open LSO APIs at LSO Legato and LSO Presto (Telia, Frontier, TPx, Infonas, Riverbed, VeloCloud, Nokia, and InfoVista). • A second PoC tackles the issue of LSO Presto-enabled deployment and orchestration of virtualized SD-WAN edge functions on uCPEs (Sparkle and Amartus). • A third PoC drills into the issue of securing SD-WANs in a virtualized environment (Fortinet). In parallel to the SD-WAN focused PoCs, MEF is running an LSO Hackathon at MEF18 that will focus on using a draft YANG model of MEF's SD-WAN service definition in the context of different vendors' SD-WAN product implementations. This is an example of how dramatically MEF has evolved to make its specifications more accessible to software developers. Traditionally, a standards organization like MEF would facilitate discussions and development by vendors and service providers throughout the industry of standards in the form of text (PDFs) and would stop there by publishing them into the public domain in the expectation that the standard would be read and implemented. However, as implementations become primarily in the form of software, rather than silicon chips and hardware, those standards need to be easily and quickly understood by software developers who are the key to new products and

Automated commercial interaction One of the great banes of multi-carrier services like voice, SMS, and data is the huge amount of manual involvement required for commercial interaction between carriers. Legal contracts, queries about service availability, quotes, ordering, billing, and settlement still typically involve emails, faxes, telephone calls, and documents to some degree. Any manual involvement in commercial interactions between carriers will not be sustainable in the complex, high-speed world of multi-domain, multi-technology MEF 3.0 services and must be replaced by machine-to-machine automation. Such automation requires a change of not only technology and processes, but also very established trust models at the boundary between providers. Two of the MEF18 PoCs address this increasingly acute need for automated commercial interaction by using a distributed ledger approach. • In one of the PoCs, the use of blockchain technology and federated catalogues is demonstrated to handle

automated ordering and billing/ settlement of bandwidth-on-demand services (PCCW Global, Sparkle, Tata, CBCcom, Liquid Telecom, Clear, and Cataworx), • The second PoC focuses on the pre-qualification phase that involves identifying trusted wholesale telecom partners for a given service request and using smart contract technology to manage the contractual aspects of the engagement (Colt and Zeeta Networks). This brief overview of the MEF18 PoCs shows how a wide range of service providers and vendors are rapidly adopting and demonstrating the MEF 3.0 framework, including its open LSO APIs and LSO Reference Architecture in combination with SDN and NFV. This is only the beginning of the transformation underway in the service provider market, but it provides powerful insight into many of the issues being faced and overcome by service providers and vendors, and will be of great interest not only to these constituents but also the enterprises they ultimately serve.

Universal CPE is the key to the Kingdom when we’re talking about SDN and NFV

OCTOBER 2018

ICT FEATURE

Data consumption in the Middle East and Africa to skyrocket! Demand on data is set to explode. Many countries had witnessed rapid growth in data consumption in recent years and mobile users are embracing mobile services even more. The average monthly data consumption for Africa and the Middle East is set to increase from 2.3 GB per user, per month, from back in 2017 to 4.6 GB per user, per month, by 2022. As for Africa, average data consumption is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 15.1 percent and will hit 4.6 GB per user, per month, by 2022. According to a new study published by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, data consumption in the region is set to skyrocket as the rollout of 4G, LTE and eventually 5G make the area more connected. This reveals that the next step in the telecommunication sector in the Middle East and Africa will be to meet the needs of the expanding consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; demand on data rather than further expansion in the number of subscribers.

OCTOBER 2018

In the Middle East, Kuwait boasts one of the largest subscriber mobile data usages in the world at 23.8 GB/month in 2017, followed by Bahrain. Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritius lead the African ranking. All Middle Eastern and African countries will witness a doubledigit data usage Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) through 2022, leading to a regional average of 15.1%,” said Houda Bostanji, technology analyst at GlobalData. It is expected that the Middle East will be one of the first regions in the world to rollout 5G. So far, Etisalat (UAE), Ooredoo (Qatar) and Saudi Telecom (KSA) have all claimed to have launched the “region’s first 5G networks”. In Africa, some of telecom operators are close to rolling out 4G and LTE coverage across the region, while others have already accomplished it. Orange has been particularly active in Africa and has recently rolled out solar energy kits in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and The Ivory Coast, to boost connectivity across the continent. Upswing of data consumption in the light of network evolution: 2G, 3G and 4G (initial 5G projections) Great evolution is happening in the world of mobile devices and connectivity. Not only are they getting smarter in their computing capabilities, but also are evolving from lower-generation network connectivity (2G) to higher-generation network connectivity (3G, 3.5G, and 4G or LTE). This year, for the first time, projection of devices and connections with 5G connectivity were done. Many providers have also started field trials for 5G and are focusing on rolling out 5G deployments as soon as possible in order to meet the growing demand of users for more bandwidth, higher security and faster connectivity on the move. By the end of 2018, it is expected that 4G will surpass 3G as well as all other types of connection share. And by 2021, there will be less than a half percent (0.2%) devices and connections with 5G capability, which is not a bad number. Shifting from 2G to 3G or 4G deployment is a major change. In fact, talking worldwide, by 2021, 65 % of the mobile

ICT FEATURE devices and connections in Western Europe as well as Central and Eastern Europe will have 4G+ capability, surpassing 3G-capable devices and connections. North America will have the second-highest ratio of 4G+ connections by 2021, of 63%. The top three 5G countries in terms of percent of devices and connections shared on 5G will be United States, Korea and Japan with more than 1% of their devices and connections being on 5G by 2021. 5G is the next hit of mobile technology. What characterizes 5G and differentiates it from 4G is primarily the improvement of high bandwidth (greater than 1 Gbps), broader coverage and ultra-low latency. Secondly, whereas 4G has been driven by device proliferation and dynamic information access, 5G will be driven largely by IoT applications. With 5G, resources (channels) will be allocated based on awareness of content, user and location. This technology will hopefully solve many problems such as frequency licensing and spectrum management problems. Even though field trials are currently taking place by some operators, significant 5G deployments are not to be expected until 2021 and beyond. Several factors should be considered to justify the investment associated with new infrastructure transitions and deployments, such as the approval of regulatory standards, spectrum availability and auctioning, and return-on-investment (ROI) strategies. Data traffic of 4G and 5G According to Cisco, “In 2016, 4G already carried 69 percent of the total mobile traffic and represented the largest share of mobile data traffic by network type. It will continue to grow faster than other networks to represent 79 percent of all mobile data traffic by 2021. By 2021, 5G will start to support 1.5 percent of mobile traffic. 5G connectivity with its very high bandwidth (100 Mbps) and ultra-low latency (1 millisecond) is expected to drive very high traffic volumes.” Currently, a 4G connection generates nearly four times more traffic than a 3G connection. There are two reasons for the higher usage of traffic per device on 4G. The first is that many 4G connections today are for high end devices which have

a higher average usage. The second is that higher speeds encourage the adoption and usage of high bandwidth applications, which means that a smartphone on a 4G network is likely to generate significantly more traffic than the same model smartphone on a 3G or 3.5G network. By 2021, a 4G connection will still generate two times more traffic than a 3G connection. The data we collected currently, and previously concerning the speed, are based on the results of Ookla’s Speedtest. Expectations for mobile data speed are supposed to be based on third party forecasts for the relative proportions of 2G, 3G, 3.5G and 4G among mobile connections through 2021. Thus, there are two factors that can affect the speed at which data can travel to and from a mobile device: the infrastructure speed capability outside the device and the connectivity speed from the network capability inside the device. These speeds are actual and modeled end user speeds and not theoretical speeds that the devices, connection or technology is capable of providing. Several variables affect the performance of a mobile connection: rollout of 2G, 3G and 4G in various countries and regions, technology used by the cell towers, spectrum availability, terrain, signal strength and number of devices sharing a cell tower. The type of application the end user uses is also an important factor. Also, the type of application, be it video, radio or instant messaging, can cause wide variation in the download speed, upload speed and latency characteristics. By 2021, 4G speeds will be nearly double than that of an average mobile connection. In comparison, an average mobile connection will surpass by twofold over 3G speeds by 2021. To conclude, Middle East and Africa’s monthly mobile data usage per subscriber is forecast to more than double between 2017 and 2022, reaching 4.6 GB by the end of the forecast period, according to GlobalData. Growth will be supported by the increasing availability of low cost smartphones, falling data prices and the emergence of large and unlimited mobile data plans, especially in the GCC.

OCTOBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

Alfa achieves great success with its 4G/LTE roaming service previously available on the 3G network only. Internet consumption by Alfa subscribers, who used the service in the countries they visited, has increased by 100%.

Alfa, managed by Orascom TMT, announced that its 4G/LTE roaming service, launched exclusively to its subscribers and visitors to Lebanon, has witnessed tremendous growth since its launch in October 2017. It indicated that there was a 500% record growth in internet consumption by visitors to Lebanon recently since the service became available on the 4G network after it had been

Since the launch of the service, Alfa has concluded agreements with 16 operators in the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Italy, Greece and a number of Arab countries such as Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates (full list available on http://alfamob.co/2hPoUBr). As part of Alfa’s constant quest to further extend the reach of this service, negotiations are underway with an additional number of operators to allow subscribers and visitors to benefit the most from it.

“The roaming service on our 4G /LTE network, which is available exclusively from Alfa, is witnessing a huge demand because subscribers are heavily dependent on the internet in their travels, and this is clearly reflected in the record increase of consumption by visitors to Lebanon,” said Marwan Hayek, Chairman and CEO of Alfa. “Internet speed on our 4G network was recently ranked second in the Middle East and North Africa, which is an additional technology milestone for Alfa and for Lebanon. The launch of this service is an additional step in our commitment to our journey as a digital service provider and our role as a happiness provider in the community through technology, which has become the companion of our lives and our travels.”

du announces new partnership agreement with flydubai partnership with flydubai’s new Holidays division, with a mutual beneficial relationship to provide unique experiences and excellent offers to UAE residents. We recognize that customers today are looking for more than a mobile services provider; they want a partner that would add value to their lives through an interactive relationship. And our goal is to become the partner of choice to our customers.”

Du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has partnered with Holidays by flydubai to bring incredible value and experiences to residents of the UAE. The new partnership, announced in August, is part of the commitment to deliver added consumer benefits as well as reach wider audiences. Du aims to build its connection with customers and offer larger-than-life experiences beyond the scope of mobile operators. To celebrate the partnership, du is giving customers a chance to win all-expenses-paid holidays every day

to one of three destinations: Azerbaijan, Egypt and Georgia. Du customers can enter the draw simply by paying bills or recharging their prepaid line through the du app or at www.du.ae/ myaccount. The telco will announce 137 winners in total, with one lucky customer winning the draw each day from August 1 to December 15, 2018. The first batch of 31 lucky winners will travel to Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 13. Anthony Shiner, chief digital lifestyle & innovation officer at du, said: “We are pleased to announce a strategic

Nelson Dsouza, vice president of Holidays at flydubai, added: “We are excited to partner with du on this campaign which will enable the lucky winners to experience our new Holidays by flydubai packages and du roaming services. We are pleased to be collaborating with another homegrown brand like du. Partnerships like this contribute in expanding possibilities and providing extensive benefits for customers.” The next three batches of lucky winners will travel to Alexandria, Egypt, in October; Tbilisi, Georgia, in November; and Baku, Azerbaijan, in December 2018. The prize includes an all-inclusive trip for two with return tickets, hotel accommodation, breakfast, transportation, a city tour and free roaming.

OCTOBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

Etisalat Digital and Massar Solutions announce cloud hosting deal

Etisalat Digital announced that Massar Solutions, a UAE-based fleet management firm, has signed up for its secure and reliable OneCloud Services. Etisalat OneCloud offers a convenient on-demand subscription to a pool of configurable shared and dedicated multitenant computing resources. This endto-end managed cloud solution includes infrastructure-as-a-service, managed security services, managed backup,

managed applications and managed disaster recovery services.

its clients in the government, semigovernment and the private sector.

Fahim Mohamed Al Shehhi, managing director, Massar Solutions P.J.S.C., said, “Outsourcing of private cloud hosting functions will provide significant value to Massar Solutions in the long term by helping the organization reduce operational expenses, maintain our competitive position and more importantly, improve efficiency, transparency and resilience through new technology.”

“With Etisalat’s corporate strategy focusing on “Driving the digital future”, we are working closely with all our customers and partners to transform their businesses by investing in digital services and solutions. We recognize that these organizations want to leverage on cloud’s ever-expandable and always available infrastructure to speed up the delivery and reliability of new and existing applications.”

Miguel Angel Villalonga, vice president Cloud & Data Center Etisalat Digital, said, “We are pleased to offer Etisalat’s OneCloud Services that cater to the growing needs of enterprise customers like Massar, a leading fleet management firm that provides innovative and comprehensive mobility solutions to

As part of the agreement, Etisalat will host Massar’s fleet management application on its cloud in the UAE. The agreement will help Massar stay ahead of the curve with access to Etisalat’s expertise, which ensures adherence to industry standards and policies in maintaining this infrastructure.

touch reaffirms commitment to digital innovation through its “Robotics for Good” program

Touch, the leading mobile telecommunications and data operator in Lebanon, managed by Zain Group, organized “Robotics for Good,” a youth innovation program organized in partnership with Riyada for Social Innovation SAL. This program is part of the “Summer of Innovation” 2018 initiative launched by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Around 30 young men and women from various schools, socioeconomic backgrounds and regions of Lebanon participated in the program that included workshops in technology, entrepreneurship, electronics and coding. Participants aged 15 to 18 years old were in grades 10, 11, 12, or their freshman year at university.

Through its Digital Innovation Strategy and desire to give back to the community, the youth innovation program addressed three main pillars of touch’s corporate sustainability goals: technology, entrepreneurship and spreading social good. Commenting on the summer initiative, Emre Gurkan, chief executive officer of touch, said, “We are aware that technology and innovation can completely and positively transform the way young people today learn. The youth innovation summer program is our way of highlighting to young people how technology is a fundamental tool for their future, and providing them unique and fun ways to learn. In addition to supporting the youth in Lebanon, this initiative is part of touch’s objective to expand into the digital ecosystem as part of our journey to become the Digital Network Accelerator (DNA).” Riyada’s founder, Mona Itani, said, “Working closely with the youth has given us a spectrum of hope in that

the upcoming generation is motivated and has the ability to make a positive difference in our society. All they need to acquire are the right skills, and this is what we are ultimately trying to accomplish through the Youth Innovation Program.” Over the course of two weeks, students were exposed to technology entrepreneurship as they worked in groups on a robotics/electronics project using the popular Arduino platform aimed at solving problems related to healthcare in Lebanon. This activity challenged students to assemble hardware components and taught them to code while coming up with solutions to solve social problems in their community. Students in the program were taught to apply design thinking to everyday problems through this immersive learning experience. The program also helped ignite participants’ entrepreneurial spirit, highlighting the importance of pitching their innovative solutions.

OCTOBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

Etisalat offers customers in-flight roaming at no extra charge Etisalat announced that subscribers of any Global Business Roaming pack can now enjoy in-flight coverage in all airlines that provide on-board connectivity at no extra cost. Etisalat Global Business Roaming packages – both data and voice – will now include both Aeromobile and SITAOnAir in-flight coverage, providing business users increased options and uncompromised connectivity when they are airborne. All roaming packages shall remain the same for all subscribers with the ability to use in-flight roaming at no extra charge. Currently, Etisalat’s roaming network covers 190 global destinations.

Salvador Anglada, chief business officer, Etisalat, said: “This exclusive proposition is in line with Etisalat’s commitment to offer innovative and convenient communication services to our roaming business users. We recognize that the majority of business travelers need to remain connected and productive on-the-go, including roaming while on board a flight. With Aeromobile and SITAOnAir as our partners, we are now able to provide expanded coverage across all airlines with on-boarding connectivity, allowing our subscribers to stay online, make and receive calls, check social media and more during flights at no extra cost using Etisalat’s Global Business Roaming packs.”

Zain Group pledges financial and strategic support to three new startups startup set to help newlyweds and their wedding guests in the collection and payment of money and gifts towards the wedding utilizing the telco’s online and offline channels. The second initiative comes from Zain Bahrain, called FindurSeat, a bilingual, web-based educational platform aimed at students in the Middle East to help them search and apply for different academic institutions in an efficient manner. Zain Group, the leading mobile telecom innovator in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, is pleased to announce it is offering full financial and strategic support to three startup initiatives, which have been generated through the company’s innovative internal ideas generating e-platform, Zainiac. The platform allows Zainers across the Group on a bi-annual basis to suggest innovative ideas, share challenges and collaborate in a bid to achieve common goals. To date more than 300 initiatives and project ideas have been submitted with the main aim of the initiative being to promote internal innovation

and motivate Zainers to start new businesses, and hopefully become the next unicorns in our region. In the first cycle of entrepreneurial ideas submitted to Zainiac, four were short-listed for further development and submitted to Zain Group senior executives to mentor and develop their value proposition and business models. These ideas were then pitched to the vice-chairman and Group CEO, and three were green-lit to receive the full support and funding from Zain. The three innovative initiative to be picked up for further development come from touch Lebanon, called Farhetna, a concept

The third, from Zain Jordan called ZGiving - an internal initiative aimed at Zainers and accessible via the company’s human resources application, to enable donations towards needy colleagues. The Zainiac platform is an acknowledgement of the huge talent pool assembled within Zain Group and aims to promote synergies among country operations, leveraging the benefits of crowd-sourcing of new ideas and business models. As part of the initiative, Zain organizes workshops with leading global partners and mentors which focus on establishing and fostering startup competencies.

OCTOBER 2018

OPERATORS’ NEWS

Alfa launches Voice over LTE for the first time in Lebanon Under the auspices of H.E. the Minister of Telecommunications, Jamal Jarrah, Alfa, managed by Orascom TMT, launched for the first time in Lebanon the Voice over LTE technology from the Alfa flagship store located in its headquarters in Dekwaneh. In his speech, chairman and CEO of Alfa, Marwan Hayek, said: “We proudly meet altogether in a historic moment, the third in the history of the mobile industry in Lebanon. The first being in 1994, a day that Lebanon witnessed the first 2G voice call on the Alfa network and the second was in 2011 when the Lebanese witnessed the first 3G call on Alfa’s network (data and voice).

Today, this milestone, in collaboration with Ericsson, marks the first voice call over Alfa’s 4G network (VoLTE).” Hayek also pointed out that in 2013, Alfa was the first operator to launch 4G data in Lebanon, and back then, Alfa also accomplished the first virtual VoLTE call. Minister Jarrah praised the remarkable contributions of Alfa to modernize the network as well as the services it provides, through which it is keeping up swiftly with all developments happening globally in the telecommunications industry. All of this is happening so we can work together to bring Lebanon back

to its previous pioneering position in the Industry so that it becomes a model of progress in line with our aspirations for the sector. He added, “This development requires a lot of effort and time; but despite our modest potential, we have no choice but to catch up with the technologically advanced neighboring countries. Our efforts are being translated in network modernization as well as provision of reasonably priced services for the Lebanese people. This is evident, and Alfa is working relentlessly in this regards through the VoLTE service as well as providing better bundle prices in line with its users’ needs.”

STC agrees partnership to create cyber threat information sharing platform Saudi telecommunications company STC (Saudi Telecom Company) has announced that it has signed an agreement with Anomali Company in an effort to establish a platform for cyber threats information sharing. The agreement will specifically focus on enhancing the methods of dealing with cyber threats in STC group and its subsidiaries. In addition to this, it has also been disclosed that the agreement will also enable the group to use the

latest technologies in cybersecurity, such as data analytics (cyber) and predictive analytics in order to identify and deal with threats before they occur. They can complement the utilization of these technologies by supporting security threat monitoring experts at the cyber defence centres with high quality information on sources of threats and cyber-attacks, which will provide STC with early alarm

system for any possible attacks on its infrastructure. After the signing, Eng. Yasser Alswailem, Cybersecurity GM, said, “Our aim is to continue enhancing cybersecurity for the infrastructure of STC group to protect customers data through the bilateral agreements with specialized companies in analyzing cyber data to provide information of cyber threats via interactive platforms in the right time.”

du forges strategic alliance with Abu Dhabi Global Market Du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has announced a new partnership with the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial center based in Abu Dhabi, to facilitate its digital transformation agenda. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Khalid Al Suwaidi, chief operating officer of ADGM and Osman Sultan, chief executive officer of EITC, and witnessed by His Excellency Ahmed Al Sayegh, Chairman at ADGM and His Excellency Mohamed Al Hussaini, Chairman at EITC. The MoU sets a formal framework for du to work with ADGM in exploring and developing technology

infrastructure, innovation platforms, potential business opportunities, digital services, pilot projects, among others within ADGM and Abu Dhabi. Speaking on the occasion, Osman Sultan, chief executive officer at EITC, said: “The strategic alliance with Abu Dhabi Global Market is a reflection of the confidence and trust reposed in brand du, in undertaking the digital and ICT transformation agenda. The mandate will provide du the opportunity to collaborate in the development of bespoke mission critical solutions and innovative experiential services that will propel ADGM with a defining competitive digital advantage.” Al Suwaidi said: “We are pleased to enter a new partnership with

du to jointly explore and review transformational initiatives that offer bespoke solutions and innovative services to better service ADGM, its community of business and entities on Al Maryah Island. I look forward to working with du and its team to enhance the communications and information technology offerings that will support ADGM in its role as an international financial center and global business hub.” Du is committed to partnering with UAE businesses as a preferred partner of choice to deliver end-to-end bespoke ICT solutions and become a driving force behind the resilient and sustainable digital transformation for enterprise customers.

OCTOBER 2018

ICT FEATURE

Adopting a new approach for a productive cloud migration In light of new digital ecosystems, lowering costs and building a modern IT environment have become an objective that companies seek to achieve in order to develop their operations. One of the elements leading to achieve this is migrating data to the public cloud. However, for some, this type of migration can be accompanied by technological, operational, financial and security challenges. According to McKinsey, the best way though is progressively adopting hybrid-cloud solutions.

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he challenges that come with migration to public cloud has limited its adoption. In fact, a survey by McKinsey shows that 60% of companies have migrated last year less than 10% of their workloads into the public cloud. That is why a convenient solution for this issue will be the progressive blending of public and private cloud solutions. Companies can highly benefit from public cloud platforms given the access they give them to a range of services and innovative offerings such as advanced analytics, machine learning and virtual reality without having to develop their own. On the other hand, private cloud platforms can offer some of the same automation features with more control over the security of the applications and data. In order to bring together the capabilities of the public-cloud with the security of private-cloud, companies can adopt a progressive approach to combine both. If companies are to adopt the progressive hybrid-cloud configuration, they have to take into account the cost. According to a financial-services company stated by McKinsey, “input/output-intensive” (or “I/O-intensive”) applications those that read or write a lot of data - were costly to host in the public cloud because the CSP charged hefty “egress” fees whenever web applications made data calls to the company’s private datacenter. Aside the technology costs, migration to the cloud will result in daily expenses. For instance, the company still has to perform maintenance activities even if it’s using an infrastructure-as-a-service instead of a private infrastructure. In addition to the financial considerations, companies should prioritize the data and applications they want to migrate because it wouldn’t be very efficient to undertaken a complete migration of

ICT FEATURE all data and applications to the cloud at the same time. That is why, before initiating the process, McKinsey advises to assess and explore several elements: • dependencies on other applications • security controls required by the application • services consumed by the application • data required by the application • the underlying technology architecture • the effort required to rewrite code and configurations and conduct testing • the costs of cloud-deployment options • the business risks of performing a migration One important challenge that companies can face when it comes to cloud migration is talent. In fact, some might consider the cloud as an infrastructure service and thus assign their existing infrastructure team to operate the services. However, the infrastructure team will face difficulties in performing this task due their incapacity to operate new support processes and deal with the right technologies. Therefore, companies should have a dedicated cloud-delivery team to insure that the migration efforts are successful. Its main duties are to design, build and maintain the platform and train developers, in addition to the technical side of the job that encompasses the elements of the process of migration itself such as managing firewall, testing, writing code, etc. A recent study conducted by McKinsey found that companies with a dedicated cloud team migrated 52% of applications on average (from a minimum of 20% to a high of 95%), whereas companies without a dedicated cloud team migrated 29% of applications on average (between 8% and 55%). Automation appears to be a key element for the cloud team to be most productive. Cloud teams can

write scripts that perform virtually every task involved in operating cloud platforms. They can build tools and application programming interfaces that let software developers deploy cloud services on their own. Cloud-delivery teams that follow these approaches write more code than conventional system-administration teams, so they find it advantageous to follow agile methods. “One company found that its cloud team supported some 400 images per full-time employee, compared with the 80 images per employee in its traditional operations group,” explained Mark Gu, consultant in McKinsey’s New York office. “As more applications get moved into the cloud, the cloud team’s head count can increase, and the traditional infrastructure team can be scaled back. In this way, dedicated cloud cells can eventually replace traditional infrastructure functions.” Gu gave another example explaining the efficiency of this approach. “One financial-services company’s cloud team chose to let application developers and systems engineers contribute to the cloud platform’s code base. Within two years, more than half of the application teams had voluntarily moved their applications to the cloud, and the remainder were eager to follow suit once essential capabilities were established.” Cloud services are a corner stone in companies’ path towards digital transformation and innovation. Migrating to public-cloud platforms is very beneficial; however, comes with many real challenges that can hamper the company’s digital journey. Hybrid-cloud platforms appear to be a great alternative for companies to optimize their performance and productivity while taking into account the cost, the migration process and the need to have a dedicated cloud team capable of completing the migration in the most rapid and productive way.

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OCTOBER 2018

COVERAGE

Schneider Electric demonstrates its industry-leading innovations at Innovation Summit in Singapore

Schneider Electric has established itself as a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. At its latest Innovation Summit which was held in the technologically-driven city-state of Singapore, Schneider Electric demonstrated how the company plans to solidify its position as the global leader in helping companies execute their digital transformation goals in the energy sector.

he power of the Schneider Electric brand and the cutting-edge innovations it was showcasing ensured that world-leading entrepreneurs, executives and industry leaders descended at Singapore Marina Bay Sands to explore, discuss and examine the insights, challenges and opportunities for powering and digitizing the economy. Schneider Electric innovations unveiled for East Asia Schneider Electric created its global Innovation Summit roadshow two years ago and it has enjoyed phenomenal success since its inception. This year’s Innovation Summit World Tour includes 20 events across the world, which is double what the 2017 program offered. The

Singapore event was Schneider’s largest in East Asia, and the company showcased its latest developments to EcoStruxure™, its IoT-enabled, plug and play, open, interoperable, architecture and platform. EcoStruxure™ delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and connectivity. EcoStruxure™ leverages advancements in IoT, mobility, sensing, cloud, analytics and cybersecurity to deliver innovation at every level, from connected products, edge control to apps, analytics and services. EcoStruxure™ has been deployed in 480,000+ sites, with the support of 20,000+ system integrators and developers, connecting over 1.6 million assets under management through 40+ digital services.

Major EcoStruxure developments presented at the Summit EcoStruxure Power: The next generation of Schneider Electric’s IoTEnabled platform and architecture for electrical distribution was announced, dramatically strengthening power management capabilities for customers to improve operational efficiency and reliability. New user applications (EcoStruxure Power Advisor), edge control management software (EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert 9.0 and Power Scada Operation 9.0), and connected products (Powerlogic ION9000 Meter and Easergy P3 Protection Relay) were announced. EcoStruxure Building: This smart, collaborative platform and architecture designed for buildings delivers maximum building efficiency and increased people comfort and

OCTOBER 2018

productivity. EcoStruxure Building will benefit from new user applications (EcoStruxure Building Advisor), a new edge control application (Ecostruxure Building Operation 2.0), as well as new connected sensor products (SmartX IP Controller MPx and SmartX Room Sensors). Ecostruxure Plant and Machine: Our IoT technologies, including integrated software, are ready for smart manufacturing and can deliver new business opportunities for plants and machine builders – increasing profitability (EcoStruxure Triconex) and productivity (EcoStruxure Machine Advisor). EcoStruxure Asset Advisor: The new version of Schneider Electric’s equipment monitoring services application brings a much-needed cloud-based, data-driven 24/7 predictive service for business continuity in electrical distribution and critical data center assets. Bold ideas for the digital economy Schneider Electric has flourished under the dynamic leadership and vision of Jean-Pascal Tricoire. The CEO joined the energy behemoth in 1986 and quickly climbed the corporate ladder within the organization. In 2006, he was appointed president and CEO, and was later named as chairman of the company in 2013. Since his appointment Schneider Electric has become the incumbent player in the digital transformation of energy management and automation in homes, buildings, datacenters, infrastructure and industries. Its global presence has now extended to over 100 countries under his direction and it has firmly cemented its status as the undisputable leader in power management – medium voltage, low voltage and secure power, and in automation systems. His ambitious idea and vision is to help federate the largest ecosystem of people and businesses that share a common passion for efficiency technologies and create a more sustainable world. During his brilliant keynote address at the Innovation Summit in Singapore, the

COVERAGE Schneider Electric CEO highlighted how industries are being disrupted by the rapid advent of digital transformation, but that enterprises are now benefitting from the integration of emerging technologies like AI and Internet of Things into their existing operations which increase operational efficiency and reduces cost. Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric, said, “As a responsible industry leader, we need to demonstrate how our innovations help our customers and partners make a successful digital transformation in energy management and automation. Our technologies, built on EcoStruxure™, harness the power of digitization, enabling our customers to become more efficient, safe, reliable, connected and sustainable leaders in the new digital economy.” Singapore smart nation Singapore has been aggressively pursuing its smart city objectives over the last number of years and it has become a shining beacon of technology advancement that other cities across the world aspire too. However, the ambitious government want to make the city-state the world’s first smart nation - and it has enlisted the help of Schneider Electric to help its achieve this goal. Schneider Electric strategically held its first large scale Innovation Hub in Singapore, as part of its efforts to expand sustainability efforts not just in Southeast Asia but throughout Asia. To date, Schneider Electric has collaborations with 50 small and medium-sized enterprises in go-to market operations and digitalization programs including the Sanwa Group, GP Manufacturing and Microcast. Concurrently, it is also helping distributors set up e-commerce platforms, allowing them to perform up to 80% of their transactions digitally. But the greatest value in the Innovation Hub lies in the EcoXpert Partner Program. In this program, Schneider Electric empowers world-leading technology providers with skills and expertise in the latest IoT technologies and solutions, such as EcoStruxure,

to pioneer the future of electrical automation. In the long term, Schneider Electric hopes to build an ecosystem of local and regional certified partners under the EcoXpert Partner Program, trained in their fields of expertise such as power monitoring, building automation and data connectivity. Speaking of long-term goals, a key part of any sustainability strategy is the two-fold approach of equipping future generations with technical knowledge, as well as cultivating a mindset centered on sustainability. For instance, Schneider Electric supports the Singapore Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator project on Semakau Island by Nanyang Technological University to test-bed the integration of solar, wind, tidal, diesel, waste-to-energy and power-to-gas technologies. “We strongly believe that to develop the leaders of the future, it is about having an international perspective and exposure to other cultures and other ways of working,” says Tommy Leong, zone president of East Asia & Japan at Schneider Electric. During the two-day event, customers, partners and suppliers attended Strategy Talks on topics as varied as “Redefining power distribution”, “Intuitive manufacturing, thanks to digitization” and “Reinvented buildings”. Schneider Electric is also conducting 15+ Expert Learning Sessions with its stakeholders, delivering concrete customer successes and solutions and interactive discussions between participants. Finally, a 3,700 m2 Innovation Hub demonstrated the wealth of Schneider Electric’s software, solutions and services. The Singapore Innovation Summit also featured the company’s growing network of strategic digital alliances, technology partners, EcoXpertsTMand start-ups. Over 20 partners were represented at the Innovation Summit, and they included Microsoft, Accenture, Cisco, Dell EMC, Autogrid, Danfoss, Somfy, and AVEVA, that complement Schneider Electric EcoStruxureTMsolutions.

OCTOBER 2018

VENDORS’ NEWS

China Mobile, Qualcomm partner to accelerate the commercial readiness of C-V2X in China China Mobile Research Institute, China Mobile IoT (CMIoT) Company Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile, and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced new roadside units (RSUs) for 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 14 LTE-V2X direct communication (PC5) based on the Qualcomm® 9150 C-V2X chipset solution. The cooperation between China Mobile Research Institute, CMIoT and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. marks the extension of the three companies’ long-term, strategic relationship to the automobile and transportation sector, in which companies are working together to explore new technologies and applications for intelligent vehicles, while driving the development and maturity of the

connected vehicle industry in China. Also referred to as C-V2X PC5 direct communication, LTE-V2X is a core technology of the Intelligent Transport System (ITS), which has received strong support from national policies in China. With its strong evolutionary path towards 5G New Radio (5G NR), LTE-V2X is a global solution for V2X communications designed to support improved automotive safety, automated driving and traffic efficiency, and is currently the only V2X communication technology compliant with the global 3GPP specifications. The PC5-based direct communication mode of LTE-V2X offers vehicleto-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-toinfrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-topedestrian (V2P) communications on the unified 5.9 GHz ITS bands without

the need for a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), cellular subscription or network assistance. Utilizing LTE-V2X in vehicles and in RSUs, vehicles on the road will have the capability to directly communicate with RSUs, allowing drivers to obtain information from RSUs in a variety of use cases such as traffic signal phase timing, quickly and efficiently. C-V2X continues to gain worldwide support from the telecommunication standards associations and the automotive ecosystem, which includes the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), to which both China Mobile and Qualcomm are board members. The association has shown through various live demonstration C-V2X’s readiness for the commercial deployment as early as 2019.

Ericsson reinforces its OSS portfolio with CENX acquisition operators need to leverage network virtualization and orchestrate and automate network slices to serve the needs of enterprise customers towards their digital transformation – all while reducing operational costs.

Ericsson has announced that it is acquiring 100% of the shares in CENX, after it has held a minority stake in it since 2012. This acquisition will boost Ericsson’s Operations Support Systems (OSS) portfolio with vendor-agnostic service assurance and closed-loop automation capability. CENX’s closed-loop automation and service assurance capabilities will enhance Ericsson’s market leading position in NFV and orchestration. To unleash the potential of 5G, telecom

Mats Karlsson, head of Solution Area OSS, Ericsson, said, “Dynamic orchestration is crucial in 5G-ready virtualized networks. By bringing CENX into Ericsson, we can continue to build upon the strong competitive advantage we have started as partners. I look forward to meeting and welcoming our new colleagues into Ericsson.” Closed-loop automation ensures Ericsson can offer its service provider customers an orchestration solution that is optimized for 5G use cases like network slicing, taking full advantage of Ericsson’s distributed cloud offering. Ericsson’s global sales and delivery presence - along with its strong R&D - will also

create economies of scale in the CENX portfolio and help Ericsson to offer in-house solutions for OSS automation and assurance. Ed Kennedy CEO, CENX commented, “Ericsson has been a great partner – and for us to take the step to fully join Ericsson gives us the best possible worldwide platform to realize CENX’s ultimate goal – autonomous networking for all. Our closed-loop service assurance automation capability complements Ericsson’s existing portfolio very well. We look forward to seeing our joint capability add great value to the transformation of both Ericsson and its customers.” CENX, founded in 2009, is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey and employs 185 people. The company achieved significant year-over-year revenue growth in the fiscal year that ended December 31, 2017. The transaction is now subject to customary regulatory approvals.

OCTOBER 2018

VENDORS’ NEWS

Huawei first to achieve 5G standalone test in China policy control and QoS management, data service switching and 5G-to4G interoperability. The test provides references for tier-1 operators to plan 5G network deployments.

Huawei became the first vendor to pass China’s 5G standalone (SA) test. The test, which covers key core network technologies and service procedures, is the third phase of 5G R&D trial. The trial was organized by the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group and conducted at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). The test constitutes an important part of the 5G R&D trial. This E2E test complies with 3GPP 5G SA specifications released in June 2018 and tested the Huawei 5G Core commercial solution that was developed within a three-month period. The test covers 5G core network’s service based architecture (SBA) and key functions such as network slicing. It also verifies 5G core network’s key service procedures, including terminal access management, mobility management, session management,

Starting in 2016, China’s 5G R&D trial has been organized and implemented by the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The trial has three separate phases for verifying a 5G solution: key technologies, technical solutions and system networking. The Huawei 5G Core solution passed the first- and second-phase tests as well as third-phase NSA tests in the first half of this year. Huawei 5G Core uses control and user plane separation (CUPS) architecture to deploy the user plane at the network edge, providing subscribers with the ultimate experience of CloudVR/AR and other enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services that feature ultrahigh bandwidth and ultra-low latency. Additionally, Huawei 5G Core adopts Cloud Native software architecture to support microservice-based automatic service rollout, and A/B test, helping operators make agile network operations. Huawei launches a “Slice Mall” for 5G core networks alongside an operator’s

service development, to help operators create new business opportunities for vertical industries. Qiu Xuefeng, president of Huawei 5G Core Domain, said: “5G networks will provide richer services and applications. To adapt to service diversity and rapid changes, 5G networks will become more efficient, agile and open. Huawei’s 5G Core commercial solution has been fully verified in this test, laying a solid foundation for commercial deployments.” Huawei has been working with all sectors of the industry to actively promote cutting-edge technology innovation in the core network. At MWC 2018, Huawei 5G Core won the Best Network Software Breakthrough Award, and jointly demonstrated 5G network slicing with Deutsche Telekom (DT) and Telefonica for various scenarios, such as Cloud VR/AR, power grids, autonomous driving, and industrial control. Huawei 5G Core has been deployed in more than 30 pre-commercial sites around the world. Huawei will continue to invest in 5G R&D and promote formulation of 5G standards. Huawei will also strengthen its cooperation with industry partners to ready itself for commercial 5G deployments.

Qualcomm and Apple’s legal battle intensifies

Qualcomm’s long legal battle on Apple has escalated recently. The semiconductor giant now accuses the apple brand of stealing its manufacturing secrets and sharing them with its rival Intel. Qualcomm added this new accusation to the proceedings initiated in the summer of 2017 against Apple, according to court documents.US chipmaker accuses Apple of “orchestrating a

multi-year campaign of false promises, underhanded and subterfuge to steal confidential information and trade secrets from Qualcomm” to help Intel and other rivals in the field of mobile chips. The purpose of Apple was to buy this type of chips to Intel rather than Qualcomm, accuses the latter.

“The illegal way that Qualcomm does business hurts Apple and the entire industry,” already explained iPhone’s inventor. “They provided us with a single-use component but for years they asked us for a percentage of the total cost of our products,” says Apple.

“Once again Apple has betrayed its contractual commitments and has appropriated Qualcomm’s rights to improve its performance and increase its profits,” said Don Rosenberg, legal director of Qualcomm.

Apple also accuses Qualcomm of claiming royalties for unjustified patents. Apple has long worked with Qualcomm before turning to Intel but launched early last year lawsuits against the first and claimed billions of dollars in compensation.

After being questioned, Apple referred to a comment made in June 2017 during the first complaint of the micro-processors maker.

Similar lawsuits have also been filed by Apple against Qualcomm in China where Qualcomm counter-attacked.

OCTOBER 2018

VENDORS’ NEWS

ZTE releases cloud solution for network evolution of 5G services ZTE, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet has released a cloud unified data repository (CUDR) solution to satisfy the requirements of 5G services and future network evolution. By virtue of cost-effective hardware and efficient automated creation, ZTE’s CUDR solution aims at providing the next-gen telecoms cloud with agile information infrastructure. Based on ZTE’s industrial-leading Universal Subscriber Profile Platform (USPP), ZTE’s CUDR solution integrates ZTE’s experience of serving about 200 operators globally and

adopts the micro-services design concept to build a 5G-oriented cloud-based convergent and open data repository, so as to meet 3GPP’s requirements on data services. ZTE’s CUDR solution supports the smooth evolution of 2/3/4/5G/IMS networks. It provides a variety of data engines based on the feature of different data types. By leveraging the real-time large-capacity distributed database technology. ZTE’s CUDR solution has the capabilities to capable manage all kinds of data on the network, such as subscription data, policy data, session data and state data, thereby providing data access with high

reliability, low response latency and strong extensibility. ZTE’s CUDR solution promotes the separation of computing and storage of network equipment, simplifies network architecture, improves network agility and facilitates data sharing as well as data increments. In addition, its flexible deployment capability and open data interfaces enable new business innovation. ZTE has been committed to meeting operators’ requirements for network evolution by providing a complete endto-end cloud solution and building an agile cloud communication network infrastructure, for the purpose of helping operators achieve digital transformation.

Qualcomm, Ericsson announce milestone for 5G development devices. In addition, these early trials and milestones will enable global operators and OEMs to conduct tests in the field using their own networks and devices. Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of Business Area Networks, Ericsson, said, “Today’s data call milestone with Qualcomm Technologies shows the importance of building the 5G ecosystem. We’re also making headway on commercial 5G by performing interoperability tests on new mmWave bands, giving our customers wider deployment options and the consumers, faster speeds.”

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Ericsson announced the successful completion of a 3GPP Rel-15 spec compliant 5G NR call on a smartphone form factor mobile test device. The over-the-air (OTA) call was performed using millimeter wave (mmWave) in the 39 GHz band of spectrum using NSA (Non-Standalone) mode. It utilized Ericsson’s commercial 5G NR radio AIR 5331 and baseband products and a mobile test device with integrated Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X50

5G modem and RF subsystem in the Ericsson Lab in Kista, Sweden. The lab data call is a continuation of the interoperability development testing (IODT) that was announced in 2017 which used Ericsson’s 5G NR pre-commercial basestations and Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G NR UE prototypes, and further shows the companies’ commitment and ability to achieve milestones that pave the way for commercial launches of 5G NR standard-compliant infrastructure, smartphones and other mobile

“Mobilizing mmWave for the smartphone has been seen by many as an impossible challenge, but this demonstration validates that we are on track to bring groundbreaking 5G mmWave experiences to consumers,” said Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated. “This successful lab call is a testament to our continued innovation and collaboration with Ericsson, and we look forward to further industryleading milestones with them as we progress to 5G commercialization of networks and mobile devices in early 2019.”

OCTOBER 2018

VENDORS’ NEWS

Nokia reaches agreement with Canadian company over sale of its IP Video business closing conditions. Financial details are not being disclosed.

Nokia announced plans to divest its IP video business to Volaris Group (“Volaris”), a Toronto-based software company. Nokia’s video product portfolio - including its caching and streaming products, origin and storage technology, and stream personalization software - is expected to move to Volaris and launch a new pure play streaming technology company, Velocix, operating as an independent business within Volaris Group’s Communications & Media portfolio. Nokia will remain a minority shareholder in the new entity and continue to play a critical role in supporting the company’s growth. The planned deal is expected to close during Q4 2018, subject to customary

The majority of Nokia’s IP Video business employees are expected to transition to Velocix. Nokia will become a Global Channel Partner for Velocix, enabling it to continue to sell and support Velocix video solutions. Nokia will maintain certain elements of its video unit, including integration business and associated employees, to provide continued support for existing customers. David Nyland, portfolio leader and president, Communications & Media at Volaris, said: “Volaris is truly excited by this pending acquisition of Nokia’s market-leading video streaming portfolio. This planned transaction marks our first investment in the highly dynamic media technology sector and we look forward to using it as a springboard for growth.” Paul Larbey, head of the IP Video Business at Nokia, said: “We are excited to be part of the new company

under the Velocix brand that set out to transform the video landscape back in 2002. Through several acquisitions the name changed, but the purpose remains the same: to enable big changes in the video market, to make video more personal and to enable a highly compelling entertainment experience for consumers on every screen.” Basil Alwan, co-president of IP/ Optical Networks at Nokia said: “Video plays a very important role in our customers’ strategies, both as it relates to their services and the demands it places on their networks. Meanwhile, the technology behind video - including user experience, content packaging and delivery continues to go through meaningful shifts. Our new partnership enables us to adapt and grow in this important period; together we can better navigate change while providing continuity for our customers.”

Huawei partners with UAE to find next generation of ICT leaders increase national ICT competitiveness and promote innovation and creativity, a staple to build knowledge-based economies.

Building on the huge success of its 2017 debut in the region, the second edition of Huawei Middle East ICT Competition, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Huawei and Honor launched the competition in UAE. The competition is designed to prepare the next generation of ICT leaders and uncover the local talent who will lead UAE into an intelligent world by pursuing Vision 2021 for digital transformation.

Throughout the competition phases, participating students will gain knowledge and experience in the latest ICT technologies through course material on advanced IP and IT and offers them a glimpse of 5g technology which is set disrupt the way business is carried out. The competition will also allow the participants with the opportunity to conduct field experiments at Huawei’s specialized labs and research centers to equip them on how to tackle complex challenges in areas such as cloud computing, IoT and network security.

The year’s edition of the competition will run in 10 countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, as it aims to

The top skilled teams will advance to the Nationals stage, which will take place between October and November.

National winners from each country will receive an all-expense paid immersion trip to Huawei’s global headquarters in China. This will give them an unrivaled exposure to leading global ICT expertise, an opportunity to meet the brand’s leadership and a priceless cultural experience and knowledge exchange. The international winners will receive certificates, trophies and cash prizes, in addition to employment opportunities at Huawei for the most outstanding candidates. In 2017, the winners were selected following a grueling six months of qualifying rounds that saw participation from more than 10,000 students from 121 universities across the Middle East. This year, Huawei ICT competition engages Honor to be one of the Sponsors. Honor was envisioned as a young, energetic and internet-centric brand, and it will bring the competition a brand new look.

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COVERAGE

Digitalization takes center stage at Telecoms World Middle East 2018 In its 14th year, Telecoms World Middle East, which took place on September 1718, 2018, was a meeting point for C-level executives from across the telecoms ecosystem. The two-day event provided insights on the latest trends in the telecommunications industry that were raised during panels and presentations.

n interesting opening keynote by Tarig Enaya, senior vice president of Enterprise, STC, inaugurated the first day of the conference. STC’s senior VP talked about the operator’s achievements during pilgrimage and how it was able to serve all customers during this high season. He stressed, as well, the operator’s role in helping the government and organizations to improve data coverage. At the level of STC’s customer base, Enaya announced the launch of the operator’s financial services that aim at improving customers’ experience. “We established STC Pay to offer financial services. We gathered a lot of information,

and hopefully this will take us to a different level to serve the community,” he said. STC Pay will help customers to transfer money whenever they want and immediately authenticate whether the money is received on the other end or not.

we will see the fruit of our efforts soon,” he added. STC’s VP concluded his keynote with a message to service providers saying that they are at the forefront of Industry 4.0.

Tarig Enaya tackled in his keynote the importance of improving infrastructure to connect more people. According to him, service providers are the only companies that can provide internal services, from the infrastructure layer to the datacenter, platform and application layers.

“Where do we see service providers in the future?” he asked. “Those who are challenging themselves, taking themselves out of their comfort zone, investing in innovation, and those who are using new technologies, and who are not afraid of change and of the future, will be successful in the future,” he concluded.

“This is where we need to complement each layer to serve the community,” he said. “Cloud services became a necessity for STC; that is why we are partnering with blue chips companies and building cloud services on OpenStack. Hopefully,

It was no surprise that the topic of 5G was on the event’s agenda. Panel discussions tackled how the fifth generation technology will affect different sectors and the ICT industry in general. Etisalat’s Chief Legal and Regulatory

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COVERAGE

Officer, Kamal Shehadi, explained in a panel he took part of his stance on 5G deployment, which he thinks isn’t quite “around the corner”. “You can kind of assume that 5G is around the corner. However, let’s be realistic. A coalition of American, Japanese and Korean operators are saying that 5G is around the corner and talking about its launch. However, they’re focusing on certain businesses without a single mention of coverage, concern of quality of service or pricing. On another hand, European operators are saying that they’ll launch 5G if the EU provides them with the right regulation. Operators in Africa and Latin America are saying don’t even talk about 5G,” he said. According to Kamal Shehadi, 5G is going to happen, but has to take place case by case. “Operators will roll it out as soon as they have the opportunity. This is the key lesson.” As for the challenges that come along the way, Etisalat’s executive stressed the importance of partnerships that can help operators to meet consumers’ demands in the 5G era, especially with the emergence of OTTs. “Partnerships are very important when it comes to 5G. We, as operators, are excellent at selling voice and data. We’ve done a good job in most markets in meeting expectations. In the 5G world, there will be many services that won’t be offered exclusively by telcos who will have to partner with someone whether in healthcare, education, traffic, etc.,” Shehadi said. “This new world of partnerships isn’t new to us; we’ve been doing it but not on a large scale. Now the challenge is OTTs. However, if there were no OTTs, telcos would have nothing to offer. The importance of content cannot be overemphasized.” One of the main factors that are delaying the deployment of 5G is spectrum pricing and taxation. Etisalat’s chief legal and regulatory officer called upon regulators to take that into account and emphasized the need to have more intelligent and reasonable pricing of the spectrum and fair forms of taxation. He also stressed the importance of the free flow of data across countries.

“If you want to have 5G, you have to relax the barriers of the free flow of information between one telco’s operations in one country and another. The minute you do that, telcos will be in a better position to offer users much better services in competitive rates. OTTs have data that can move around the world without restrictions whereas telcos are subject to restrictions. Every regulator will tell you to keep your data in your own country. The reality is that anonymized, this data does not cause a breach of security.” He added, “We should educate policymakers on the viability of the transfer of data from one country to another. What we have failed to do as telcos is to convince regulators that not all data is born equal and is a threat to national security. There’s got to be harmony and norms about the movement of data starting with a coalition of the willing.” When asked about his opinion on 5G’s impact on cybersecurity, Kamal Shehadi replied, “I think that there’s no question that cybersecurity threats increased exponentially with the increased number of connections and this is something that has to be taken seriously. Operators alone cannot do anything, it has to be handled at corporate and national levels.” In addition to panel discussions, high level executives gave presentations about the latest technology trends. One of the most interesting presentations was given by Eva Andren, vice president and head of

Managed Services, Ericsson Market area Middle East and Africa under the theme “Automating with intelligent networks”. Eva Andren highlighted how technology transformed operations from reactive incident-driven operations to proactive data-driven operations. She also highlighted how automation improved digital customer experience, reduced MTTR (mean time to repair) from hours to seconds and helped in customer escalations and human errors elimination due to robotized process execution. “We need to embrace the complexity that is filled in our networks with the increased number of data, with 5G coming around the corner, and internet of things in all devices. Increased complexity will give us new opportunities that will allow individuals and companies to increase the speed of services, avoid network issues and improve customer experience,” she said. Expert analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning guarantee new opportunities, according to Ericsson’s VP and head of managed services in the Middle East and Africa. “By using expert analytics, robotic process automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence, we are on the way to the fourth industrial revolution. In Ericsson, we are investing in this area, in our operations centers and in our engineers. This is part of the success story for our customers and at the level of networks,” Andren concluded.

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COVERAGE

South African city hosts ITU Telecom World 2018

ITU Telecom World 2018 was held on September 10-13, 2018 in Durban, South Africa. The event, which welcomed more than 3100 participants from 94 countries, brought together an impressive lineup of top-level government representatives, influential industry leaders, from established players to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and from emerging and developed markets alike. Among these were over 200 information and communication technology (ICT) leaders from 74 countries, including 33 ministers, and 125 SME exhibitors from across the globe.

he conference was inaugurated with a dynamic opening ceremony in the presence of (in order of speaking): H.E. Nomvula Paula Mokonyane, Minister of Communications, South Africa; Acting Premier of KwaZulu Natal, Sihle Zikalala; H.E. Abdulaziz Bin Salem Al Ruwais, Governor, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Rob Shuter, Group President and CEO, MTN; ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao; H.E Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, South Africa; and South Africa President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivered the keynote address.

Welcoming delegates to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Zikalala spoke about the importance of new technologies, saying, “The digital age is shaping every facet of our life. It affects how we live, how we relate to each other and how the world functions as global village.” Hosting the event will result in a number of legacy projects, he told delegates, creating a platform to coordinate policy development and strengthen the continent’s digital entrepreneurship ecosystem. Thanking the government of South Africa for hosting the event, Al Ruwais told delegates the event provides a global platform from which to push forward innovation in information and communication technology (ICT), “Linking small and medium enterprises to governments and the private sector to

achieve greater benefits for the peoples of the world.” He also outlined plans for Saudi Arabia’s multi-billion dollar Neom Smart City project. Shuter highlighted the importance of affordability and partnerships to connect the unconnected, saying, “We cannot tackle the challenge of bridging the digital divide without addressing barriers around coverage, affordability and access of handsets and services, and education of our users. This endeavor is too complex to be addressed solely by governments or just the operators or civil society. This needs to be a shared goal. We must all work together for connectivity.” “ITU Telecom World 2018 is a platform for everyone to forge new ICT partnerships,” Zhao reminded delegates, urging them

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COVERAGE

to “work together to ensure a smart and inclusive digital future for all – in Africa and in the rest of the world.” “ITU Telecom World provides a guide and in some ways a compass to the future,” Ramaphosa told a packed auditorium. “The deliberations that take place here concern the economy and society of tomorrow that we are building today. What you are talking about here has a bearing on the future of our economies as well as the wellbeing of society and humanity.” He also highlighted the three ‘pillars’ that would drive technological advancements: women, small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and youth. The Fourth Industrial Revolution must be supported by these key pillars, or “it will fail” he stressed. From e health or innovative intellectual property to affordable logistics, citizen engagement, beekeeping and more, some of South Africa’s most innovative tech solutions were on display at the event. Innovative e-health solutions were showcased resetting the relationship between doctor and patient and empowering the individual with information and access as never before; applications, products and services providing local solutions to key local issues but with the power to go global, plus the chance to be shocked, pleasantly or otherwise, by the results of measuring your metabolic age in just two minutes on the show floor. ITU’s three Bureaux: Telecommunication Standardization (TSB), Radiocommunication (BR) and Telecommunication Development (BDT), also actively took part in ITU Telecom World 2019. TSB hosted a number of initiatives at ITU Telecom World centered on emerging technologies and innovation, including the workshop on mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) Rise of the MVNOs - Leveraging MVNOs in an ‘everything connected’ world. The “Smart ABC Program” hosted discussions sharing insight into advances in artificial intelligence, banking and

cities, in particular the importance of these advances to digital inclusion and sustainable development. This included a forum session on “Artificial intelligence: impact and ownership” to discuss how governments and citizens alike around the world can prepare to use AI for good. ITU also launched a new ‘Smart ABC Incubator’ with the support of Rwanda and Saudi Arabia, countries providing considerable institutional support for the growth of start-up tech cultures. The incubator will assist young innovators in converting ideas and software into startups able to attract investment. The tenth annual Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Meeting, 9 September 2018, brought CTOs together to discuss industry needs and associated standardization priorities. The meeting issued a communiqué summarizing ICT trends of growing relevance to ITU standardization. BDT organized a session which focused on digital innovation ecosystems, enabling smart digital development and skills development in the digital era. This included the launch of the report, Setting the Scene for 5G: Opportunities & Challenges, which sets out the landscape for ICT policy-makers, national regulatory authorities and operators as 5G technologies move ever closer; and the National Cybersecurity Strategy Guide, which can assist countries in the development and implementation of national cybersecurity strategies including cyber-preparedness and resilience. Additionally, the m-Powering Development Report 2018 was launched,

which highlights many initiatives and projects demonstrating real progress being made in countries around the world. A number of key announcements were made and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed, taking advantage of the global platform that the event offers. This included the launch by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development of its 2018 State of Broadband report. The host country, South Africa, also highlighted the African Digital Transformation Centre which will support entrepreneurs and lead work on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, based on key pillars of: policy and governance, innovation and SMEs, connecting the unconnected, and the social impact of digital transformation. A number of partnerships were forged during the week. A MoU was signed between CSAIA (China Satellite Application Industry Association) and ICDO (International Civil Defence Organization), in the presence of ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and Vladimir Kuvshinov ICDO Secretary General, covering satellite application technology for emergency communications. MoUs were also signed between Republic of Korea’s Frontis and South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Azerbaijan to provide virtual reality/ augmented reality (VR/AR) content, and Republic of Korea’s Victony with the Burundi Innovation Hub to provide e-education content.

OCTOBER 2018

GLOSSARY-D-

Data mining

It is the process of analyzing large amounts of data in order to discover patterns and other information. It is typically performed on databases, which store data in a structured format. By â&#x20AC;&#x153;miningâ&#x20AC;? large amounts of data, hidden information can be discovered and used for other purposes.

Denial of service attack

A denial of service attack is an effort to make one or more computer systems unavailable. It is typically targeted at web servers, but it can also be used on mail servers, name servers, and any other type of computer system.

Data analytics

Data analytics refers to qualitative and quantitative techniques and processes used to enhance productivity and business gain. Data is extracted and categorized to identify and analyze behavioral data and patterns, and techniques vary according to organizational requirements.

Data center automation

It is the process of managing and automating the workflow and processes of a data center facility. It enables automating the bulk of the data center operations, management, monitoring and maintenance tasks that otherwise are performed manually by human operators.

Digital wallet

A digital wallet is a software-based system for making e-commerce transactions. By using a digital wallet, online purchases can be done easily through computers, tablets or smartphones. In general, bank accounts of individual users are linked with their digital wallet. In a digital wallet system, user credentials are securely stored and verified during transactions. Digital wallets are not only used for online purchases but also for authentication of the user.

Distributed Artificial Intelligence (DAI)

One of the many approaches to artificial intelligence is distributed artificial intelligence (DAI). It is used to for learning by means of complex learning methods, large-scale planning and decision making. It can use a wide range of computational resources in different areas. This means that it can easily process and analyze large amounts of data and resolve problems quickly.

EVENTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CALENDAR

14 18 CommunicIndonesia 2018 Ground breaking event for the ICT industry in Indonesia, CommunicIndonesia 2018 will gather 204 exhibitors from Asia and beyond. The event attracts leading industry professionals from Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lucrative tourism and hospitality sector, making it the recognized platform to network and meet potential buyer.

OCTOBER NOVEMBER

Place: Jakarta International Expo, Indonesias

29 2

Gitex 2018 With over 100K visitors, key players from every industry, government decision-makers, corporate buyers, innovators and futurists, the largest meeting platform of MENA government entities, global corporates and startups will take place again this year. Place: Dubai World Trade Center

24 26

OCTOBER

OCTOBER 2018

MEF 2018 MEF18 focuses on enabling agile, assured and orchestrated communications services for the digital economy. It uniquely empowers industry stakeholders with high-quality content, extraordinary peer-to-peer networking opportunities, and valuable insight into cutting-edge services and technologies. Place: Los Angeles, USA

Latest updates on: www.telecomreview.com

EVENTS’ CALENDAR

6 8

NGMN is proud to announce the 7th NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition taking place in Vancouver. As with the previous NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibitions you can expect first-class line-up of top management speakers and panelists, world-leading vendor exhibition open throughout the conference as well as the evening event and great networking opportunities.

NOVEMBER

Place: JW Marriott Parq, Vancouver, Canada

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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”. Place: The Meydan Hotel, Dubai, UAE

NOVEMBER

NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition Vancouver

Global Internet of Things Contest & Congress 2018 With the theme of “Finding Innovators,” the Global IoT Congress 2018 will capture the latest, strongest and best technologies and solutions globally and support them to become the new focus of the IoT industry. It is willing to provide innovators in the industry opportunities to showcase their ideas and expand their business. Place: Beijing, China

10 11

Latest updates on: www.telecomreview.com

DECEMBER

OCTOBER 2018