Nov 10, 2015 - interface, network architecture, integrated ...... (CDN) and Security Solutions which we have ...... 2015
11 9 Iss ue
MIDDLE EAST
Charles Yang President - Huawei ME
ME leadership plays an important role in GSMA
Investment in our mobile network will never end
The next phase for content delivery
CEO - GSMA
CCO - du
MD - EVVO Media
November 2015
What is mobile? Is it the latest communications device? The health monitor on our wrist? The key to our digital security? Is it the means to connect the unconnected or is it the screen that entertains us? Mobile is all of this. But it's also so much more. Mobile powers our lives. It’s an extension of who we are. Mobile is connectivity. Mobile is identity. Mobile is commerce. Mobile is inclusive. There is no clearer way to say it. Everything is mobile, but more importantly: Mobile Is Everything. See the phenomenon for yourself in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2016.
AN EVENT OF
WWW.MOBILEWORLDCONGRESS.COM
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10th year of publication
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Chairman Thomas W. Wilson Sr. Strategic Advisor Gary O’Neal Members
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Huawei’s Mobile Broadband 2020 Strategy Outlines Plans for Next Five Years
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Etisalat signs multiple agreements at GITEX Technology Week 2015
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Ahmad Julfar CEO Etisalat Group speaks at the GSMA Mobile 360 ME Conference
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STC signs agreements to boost innovation
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4.5G must support IoT Chaobin Yang, CMO, Huawei Wireless
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Transferring Electronical Knowledge Dr. Michael Knieling, Director, Brick’R’knowledge
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du partners with Omantel to provide its IPTV services
Building networks and platforms for a connected Middle East Charles Yang, President, Huawei ME 54
Inmarsat welcomes President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to London HQ
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Intelsat and JSAT to bring High Throughput capacity to Asia Pacific
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Eutelsat steps up African broadband plans with new-generation High Throughput Satellite
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Rodolphe Belmer to succeed Michel de Rosen as CEO of Eutelsat Communications
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Global satellite industry unites as Myanmar edges closer to “Satellite Sovereignty”
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H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed visited Etisalat pavillian GITEX Technology Week 2015
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H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed visited du’s stand in GITEX Technology Week
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Huawei celebrates 15 years in the Middle East
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GSMA announced further development for Mobile World Congress 2016
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ITU Telecom World 2015 accelerates global ICT innovation to help improve lives
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Cross border tracking made simple Dr. Walid Moneimne, CEO & Founding Partner, Aspenta
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Binge On: Free streaming – No data charges John Legere, Chief Executive Officer, T-Mobile
The story of investment in our mobile network will never end Fahad Abdulrahman Al Hassawi, CCO, du
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To inspire is to empower Nasser A. Alsaadon, General Manager, Business Development, STC
The Middle East plays an extremely important role in our governance John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd.
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The next phase for content delivery
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Jack Wong, Managing Director, EVVO Media
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Letter to Readers Dear Reader Welcome to the latest edition of Teletimes International. I would like to congratulate Huawei Middle East on successfully completing 15 years in the Middle East. Huawei’s efforts during its journey in the Middle East has led to many of the benefits that people can now enjoy in the Middle East. The company’s efforts in the development of networks and platforms is commendable and has led to some of the most robust, advanced networks around the world. The occasion was celebrated with due appreciation at a gathering of senior regional executives, a report of which is available for your interest in this edition of Teletimes. Celebrating this occasion with Huawei, Teletimes also brings to you an exclusive interview with Charles Yang, President Huawei Middle East, who talks about the ME journey and future plans. The Middle East is home to definitely some of the best leadership around the ICT world. In fact, John Hoffman from GSMA believes “Stellar” would be the right word. John recently gave an exclusive interview to Teletimes which is included in this edition of Teletimes. The interview should give you some overview of GSMA’s activities in the
Middle East and what to expect from the upcoming MWC, Barcelona ’16 next year. The ability to rapidly innovate and progress is critical to the growth of any country as part of our globalized and highly competitive ICT ecosystem. It is critical for the growth of enterprises and for the growth of individuals that reside within. Innovative ICT-enabled solutions can make long-lasting socio-economic impacts on national, regional and global levels and act as a fundamental source for new jobs and investment. The ITU Telecom World, Budapest 2016 concluded with a lot of positive dialogue on the subject and Teletimes has continued to play its part in promoting the idea and promoting the right type of technologies. The subject also brings my attention to STC’s recent initiative, the InspireU program – which is the Saudi Kingdom’s first incubator aimed at promoting digital and ICT innovation in the MENA region. Such initiatives deserve appreciation and should encourage other organizations to start such initiatives of their own. You will find a detailed interview on STC’s InspireU program in this edition and also a report
on the ITU Telecom World ’16. This edition of Teletimes will give you some other very interesting reads as well. Fahad AlHassawi, CCO, du believes that the story of investment into du’s mobile network will never end and you can read all about it in his interview later in this edition. Investments into ICT are all about the IoT space that is developing and expanding all around us. Teletimes recently got a chance to interview industry veteran Dr. Walid Moneimne, the CEO and Founding Partner of Aspenta, who’s IoT solution “Vectu” is one of the most advanced and affordable location tracking IoT devices available around the world. You will find his interview about Aspenta and Vectu later in this edition as well. As per routine, this edition includes the latest updates on all key industry players such as Etisalat and STC, who in fact have recently signed multiple agreements to enhance their services at the recently concluding GITEX Technology Week, Dubai. Please enjoy reading this edition of Teletimes International and your feedback is always welcome on
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November 2015
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Huawei’s Mobile Broadband 2020 Strategy Outlines Plans for Next Five Years Hong Kong - Teletimes Report Huawei announced its “MBB 2020 Strategy” on the opening day of the 2015 Global Mobile Broadband Forum, outlining a new mobile broadband blueprint for the next five years.
integrated base stations, and operations based on user experience.” He continued, “Connecting people remains a top priority, so both quantity and quality matter.
Ken Hu, Huawei’s Deputy Chairman and Rotating CEO, delivered a speech at the 2015 Global Mobile Broadband Forum.
The network is the foundation of user experience, but as we focus on the network, we must, at the same time, focus on the user. And in focusing on network performance, we must also keep in mind how users experience the network.”
“From now until 2020, we have three main targets: supporting 6.7 billion mobile broadband users, supporting a 1Gbps access rate, and supporting 1 billion connections for the cellular Internet of Things,” said Ken Hu, Huawei’s Deputy Chairman and Rotating CEO. “Achieving these goals will require technology and business model innovation, as well as cross-industry collaboration. Huawei’s mobile broadband strategy will focus on spectrum, air interface, network architecture, 8
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Hu went on, “We are entering the era of the Internet of Things. This means huge opportunities for the entire mobile telecommunications industry. To realize this IoT vision, we must develop and unify cross-industry standards, contain costs, and promote cooperation among different stakeholders. These three factors will help drive growth in this market.” The 2015 Global Mobile Broadband
Forum is jointly hosted by Huawei and the GSMA. This year it has attracted more than 1,000 distinguished guests, 200 of whom are C-level executives. Participants include mobile operators, industry partners and media representatives. Guests discussed issues related to building a better connected world, such as how to broaden the MBB pipe using 4.5G solutions, and how to take advantage of more powerful pipe capability to explore new industry opportunities. During the Forum, 25 speakers from GSMA, CMCC, Telefonica, Vodafone, Orange, Telecom Italia, SoftBank, Google, BOSCH, and others gave presentations. At the 2015 Global MBB Forum exhibition area along with Huawei, industry partners such as SAIC Motor, BOSCH, Facebook, and Parrot jointly demonstrated new enabling technologies and new business applications.
HKT and Huawei demonstrate world-first 4.5G 1Gbps network Hong Kong - Teletimes Report HKT and Huawei have successfully demonstrated the world’s first 4.5G (4.5th generation) 1Gbps (Gigabit per second) mobile network at the Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2015 in Hong Kong, continuing to lead the evolution of the 4G LTE standard. With hundreds of guests witnessing peak download speed of as high as 1.2Gbps, the two partners have delivered the fastest network specification in the world. This is a significant milestone towards the commercial availability of 4.5G, which is expected to be as early as 2016. Mr. Alex Arena, Group Managing Director of HKT, and Ken Hu (R), Rotating CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Huawei, demonstrated the world’s first 4.5G 1Gbps mobile network in Hong Kong at Global Mobile Broadband Forum. In partnership with Huawei, HKT launched Hong Kong’s first two
component carrier (2CC) carrier aggregation (CA) network in 2014, offering single-user peak download speed of 300Mbps. Earlier this year, HKT and Huawei demonstrated the world’s first IP-RAN based 3CC CA with a single-user peak rate of 450Mbps. This demonstration introduces a world-first 4CC CA network, with a peak download speed that is 2.6 times faster than the 3CC CA network record to mark the arrival of the 4.5G era. Alex Arena, Group MD of HKT, said, “HKT strives to continuously advance its technologies in order to provide the ultimate user experience. Harnessing the latest 4.5G 1Gbps innovations from Huawei and the strength of our extensive fiber-rich network, we are proud to set a new benchmark for global mobile broadband and let this year’s Global Mobile Broadband Forum attendees experience the world’s fastest network in Hong Kong.” Ken Hu, Rotating CEO and Deputy
Chairman of the Board of Huawei, said, “Today we are marking the beginning of the 4.5G era of wireless communications, with 1Gbps as the new mobile broadband network rate benchmark. As the strategic partner of the world’s leading telecom operators, Huawei will continue to help them build the innovative wireless networks that will expand their business and make our world more connected.” With the introduction of 4.5G LTE technology, operators will be able to improve the user experience and support the proliferation of machineto-machine (M2M) communications and the Internet of Things, as well as new mobile Internet applications, such as those using virtual reality glasses and drone technology. As one of the most developed cities in the world, Hong Kong is at the forefront of wireless communications technology adoption. Its mobile penetration rate is over 220% and wireless data services have grown eight-fold in the past five years. November 2015
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NEWS
Binge On: Free streaming – No data charges In a series of bold moves, this is perhaps the most riskiest and the most disruptive by John Legere
T-Mobile will now let customers stream video from services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go without having it count toward their mobile data plans
T-Mobile will now let customers stream video from services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go without having it count towards their mobile data plans, the company announced at its 10th Uncarrier event in Los Angeles. The plan, called Binge On, builds on the company’s Music Freedom initiative, which broke out music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music from customers’ data plans starting last year. The company’s new “Binge On” program, unveiled recently, will let customers stream videos from Netflix, HBO Go and more than 20 other services. T-Mobile will work to add more streaming services over time. The video is optimized at a lower quality so it won’t use unnecessary data, CEO John Legere said at the company’s Uncarrier X event. He added that the service is a free 10
November 2015
addition for T-Mobile customers on the higher-end 3GB data tier. Customers on the 1GB plan won’t get unlimited video viewing, but they’ll get access to the optimized stream, which should give them three times as many videos as normal. Binge On goes into effect Sunday. T-Mobile CEO John Legere says Binge On should help his company claim more customers from rivals AT&T and Verizon, which lead T-Mobile in US subscribers. “Most of the carriers in the US don’t even want to be in this business, but they’re stuck,” Legere said. “There’s one way they can get out: hand us their customers one at a time.” T-Mobile has added 1 million net subscribers for the last 10 quarters thanks to its aggressive schemes, which helped wean the US telecom industry off two-year contracts. This latest of T-Mobile’s “Uncarrier”
moves, which are designed to shake up the industry, eliminates one of the most pressing issues for customers with a limited allocation of data. The biggest culprit for data usage is video, the streaming of which is projected to rise 400 percent by 2020. An hour of video a day would bring the monthly total to 14 gigabytes of data, way past the standard plan of 5GB a month. The technology that lets T-Mobile optimize its video, which can identify that the data is video and treat it accordingly, is proprietary to the company, Legere said. Editor’s comments: In a series of bold moves, this is perhaps the most riskiest and the most disruptive by John Legere. The initiative is likely to re-shape business models for operators around the world as they compete for lower prices in a data hungry market.
REPORT
H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed visited Etisalat pavillian GITEX Technology Week 2015 His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited GITEX Technology Week 2015 on 21st October at the Dubai World Trade Centre. First, His Highness visited Etisalat Pavillian where he was received by Mr. Saleh Al Abdooli, Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat UAE and was briefed on the latest achievements of the company. Letter on H.H. Sheikh Mansoor toured through the exhibition and saw the latest technology products and solutions provided by major global, regional, and local government agencies and private sector companies. The 35th edition of GITEX Technology Week has welcomed more than 130,000 visitors from over 150 countries, and more than 3,600 exhibiting brands, and over 62
participating countries. Launched in 1981, GITEX is the ICT business gateway to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia Region.
Focused on providing exhibitors with high ROI through direct business opportunities with decision makers, GITEX has maintained its position as the industry’s trend setting authority. November 2015
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INTERVIEW
The Middle East plays an extremely important role in our governance and leadership
John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. Interview - Gulraiz Khalid Gulraiz Khalid: How has the GSMA ‘Mobile 360 - Middle East’ developed over the years and how do you feel about partnering with GITEX? John Hoffman: Our ‘Mobile 360 – Middle East’ event has grown significantly over the past couple of years and has become a much stronger event. We wanted to come and participate in the region and we came to the conclusion that we might want to partner with GITEX in order to help us do that. It did take us a while to come to this decision but we are glad we did. GITEX attracts the entire ecosystem and what we attract is a subset of this ecosystem - smaller in number, but targeting only highly senior executives. We have never been about numbers at our events; it’s 12
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always been about “how do we bring together the senior decision makers from our ecosystem together to discuss today, tomorrow, the future, and what works and what doesn’t ?” GK: How important is the Middle East’s role within GSMA? JH: GSMA has strong representation from the Middle East on both the GSMA Board and on the executive committee. The region plays an extremely important role in both our governance and our leadership, which I think is not only a tribute to the importance of the region but also a tribute to the region’s global leadership role. We have in this region, and especially in this part of the region
[the UAE], some really stellar industry leadership. Industry leaders in this region are globally respected and sought after for their opinions and views. I think their participation in our events and meetings has great benefits. The Middle East was maybe not fully recognized for its role some years ago, but I think now the rest of the world has come to appreciate not only the innovation that takes place here, but also the strong business acumen that has developed in this region and the visionary leadership that exists over here. GK: Would you like to comment on the region’s progress in terms of the Smart City and the Internet of Things? JH: When it comes to Smart Cities,
there are some standout global leaders and the UAE is definitely one of them. IoT is definitely going to have a big impact on our lives and our business models in the coming years. In his address at ‘Mobile 360 – Middle East’ this year, IBM’s Bob Fox noted that we are still in the very early stages of IoT and I believe that myself. ‘Things’ are starting to get connected today, and the number should substantially grow in the coming years and things will look a lot different, and a lot more ‘connected’, by 2020. The Middle East is definitely one of the global leaders in Smart Cities and IoT and we will see a lot of progress in the coming years, driven by the huge amounts of innovation and development that is taking place over here at the moment. GK: From a Consolidation standpoint, what do you see as an optimum number of operators for a market? JH: There is no one-size fits all approach. There is on-going discussion about what is the right number, which is different for every country, every market. In the US, regulators seem to think four major nationwide operators seems to be a good number, but this may not be the case in smaller markets. In the EU regulators have allowed consolidation (from four players to three) in markets such as Germany, Austria and Ireland, but a proposed
deal to do the same in Denmark was recently abandoned, despite Denmark being a country with a population of fewer than 6 million. Every market environment is different: but what’s important is that operators have a framework that allows them to continue to invest in networks and service innovation. GK: International Number Portability is a becoming a much discussed topic today. What is your opinion? JH: International Number Portability is an interesting idea that is being discussed both at a regional level and an international level by large corporations and authorities. I think it could become feasible in the future at some point. We are seeing initiatives in Europe and in North and Central America. Nobody has a global program just yet but we are gradually moving towards solutions that take advantage of our technology advancements and this solution could become one of them. You are probably going to see voice become more like data in the coming years. GK: What should we look forward to from GSMA in the near future, especially ahead of Mobile World Congress 2016? JH: The GSMA will continue to play its role and I think we are just about getting to the right mix of events
When it comes to Smart Cities, there are some standout global leaders and the UAE is definitely one of them. and participants around the world. The Mobile 360 Series is a very hectic period because we are doing one event in a region, and two weeks later in another, rather like a roadshow. We have to understand that not everyone can come to our Barcelona or Shanghai flagship events. So the Mobile 360 series is really helping us engage with many more senior leaders and helping us reach out deeper into regional markets. We have never been about numbers as I have said before. However, I would like to say that Mobile World Congress 2016, Barcelona, should be the best ever. It’s getting stronger and stronger every year because everybody wants to come there and benefit from the gathering of leadership, decision makers, purchasing power, range of solutions and knowledge at the event. November 2015
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REPORT
Etisalat signs multiple agreements at GITEX Technology Week 2015 Fakher Dawar Moving forward with the vision of maintaining Etisalat’s position as a telecom leader of the region and the world. Etisalat signed multiple agreements at GITEX Technology Week, Dubai 2015 in order to expand and enhance its portfolio of services for the customers. Fortinet – Managed Security Services Etisalat entered into a strategic partnership with Fortinet to expand its digital security portfolio addressing the increasing vulnerabilities of the IT infrastructure of government entities, enterprises and SMEs in the UAE. New offerings combine Enterprise Cloud and Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) based managed security services.
Joined hands with Intel for deployment of NFV & SDN
Signed agreement with Palo Alto to bring security services across ME
Intel – NFV and SDN Etisalat signed a MoU with Intel to help networks cope with the new era of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Etisalat NFV/SDN deployment is aimed to enhance user experience and increase service agility and innovation. Virtualization will enable Etisalat offer customers, both businesses and consumers, flexible, scalable, more dynamic and innovative services. Under the strategic partnership, Intel will share knowledge, provide advice for competence build-up and assessment of NFV/SDN solutions to be deployed within the Etisalat network. The collaboration will foster both parties to utilize Intel technology in the telecom cloud infrastructure deployment. This will lead to a more open, standardized and highly efficient carrier grade SDN/NFV multivendor technology deployment. Palo Alto Networks – Cyber Security 14
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MoU signed with Gov. of sharjah to provide advance telecom & ICT services Etisalat signed an agreement with Palo Alto Networks to bring nextgeneration security services to organizations across the Middle Eastern region. During GITEX, held 18-22 October in Dubai, senior officials from Etisalat and Palo Alto Networks met to celebrate the completion of the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Etisalat will expand its Managed Security Services offerings to include the Palo Alto Networks next-generation security platform, delivering the latest security technology to help organizations safely enable applications and protect their computing
environments from known and unknown cyberthreats, without having to manage and monitor the technology themselves. Sharjah Asset Management – Investment Etisalat signed a MoU with Sharjah Asset Management, the investment arm of the Government of Sharjah, to enhance operational efficiencies through implementation of advanced telecommunications and ICT services. The agreement was signed by H.E. Waleed Al Sayegh, CEO of Sharjah Asset Management and Abdul Aziz
Government of Fujairah – e-Governance
Signed MoU with Govt. of Fujairah for advanced telecom & digital solutions
Etisalat signed a MoU with Government of Fujairah’s Human Resource (HR) Department to enhance the government entity’s operational efficiencies through implementation of advanced telecommunications and ICT services. The agreement was signed by His Excellency H.E Mohamed Khalifa Al Zeyoudi, Director of Human Resources Department and Abdul Aziz Taryam, CEO Advisor and GM - Northern Emirates, Etisalat at the telco’s stands on the sidelines of GITEX Technology Week 2015.
MoU signed with Umm Al Quwain for advanced ICT services
Signed MoU with Al Ain Department of Ecnomic Development Taryam, CEO Advisor and General Manager - Northern Emirates, Etisalat at the telco’s stands on the sidelines of GITEX Technology Week 2015. The MOU will enable Sharjah Asset Management maximise and generate active and passive income through smart management of its investment portfolio and new investments in its focus regions. It will enable both parties to develop the business engagement model and enhance jointly their current and future business and technical requirements in a long -term partnership plan. Umm Al Quwain e-Government Dept. - e-Governance Etisalat signed an MOU with Umm Al Quwain e-Government Department to enhance the government entity’s operational efficiencies through implementation of advanced telecom and ICT services.
Under the MoU, Etisalat will enable the government entity achieve collaborative governance by providing best-in-class smart services for citizens, businesses and government departments. The agreement was signed by Engineer Khaled Al Shamsi, Director General – UAQ e-Government and Abdul Aziz Taryam, CEO Advisor and General Manager - Northern Emirates, Etisalat at the telco’s stands on the sidelines of GITEX Technology Week 2015. The MOU will enable Umm Al Quwain e-Govt. achieve their targets by leveraging on Etisalat’s dedicated ICT teams and a wide range of professional and smart services. It will enable both parties to develop the business engagement model and enhance jointly their current and future business and technical requirements in a long -term partnership plan.
The MoU will enable the HR Department to benefit from the telecom and digital solutions offered by Etisalat to support the department’s e-Government initiatives in areas of HR sourcing and employee services, as well as establishing world-class HR services & digital policies to achieve staff and customer excellence. Al Ain Department of Economic Development – Information Solutions At GITEX Technology Week 2015, Etisalat’s Chief Business Officer, Salvador Anglada and Ali Al Nuaimi, Director of Commercial Relations Department, Al Ain Department of Economic Development endorsed the extension of this strategic partnership between Etisalat and Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Department to provide wider reach to the business community in Al Ain. “We partnered Abu Dhabi Development of Economic Department last year, and are thrilled to extend this partnership to its branch in Al Ain – the Al Ain Department of Economic Department. We believe that Etisalat’s sophisticated telecom and IT services and solutions will support Al Ain DED help grow businesses in the city”, commented Salvador Anglada at the MoU signing. November 2015
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REPORT
Etisalat in discussion to transform Expo 2020 site as the ‘first and smartest district of the future’ Plans to roll out world’s first 5G network in the UAE in time for the Expo 2020 to assure 25 million visitors an exceptional telecom experience Ahmad Julfar CEO Etisalat Group speaks at the GSMA Mobile 360 - Middle East Conference Etisalat is in discussion with the Expo 2020 office to transform the Expo 2020 site as the first and smartest district of the future, said HE Ahmad Julfar, Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Group. Speaking at the GSMA Mobile 360 - Middle East conference on ‘Building Connected Societies’, Mr. Julfar said that Etisalat has the extensive ICT expertise and digital value proposition to provide endto-end, scalable and innovative infrastructure that will help achieve the leadership’s vision to host the ‘best Expo that the world has witnessed.’ significantly enhance the standard of government service delivery and bring unmatched value to industry and the public.”
He said that the proposed smart transformation of the Expo 2020 site will build on Etisalat’s plans to introduce the fifth generation (5G) mobile network in the UAE, just in time to host the 25 million visitors expected to visit Expo 2020. “We are ready to take the big leap into the future of the telecom industry with the UAE becoming the world’s first nation to roll out the 5G network.” Equidistant between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Expo Dubai site will be serviced by three international airports and a world class road and transport system to ensure ease of access and seamless operations for both participants and visitors. The Expo in Dubai deserves a world-class telecom system which will enhance visitor experience and position the UAE as the best in the world. Mr. Julfar said this will also help accomplish the goals of the UAE Vision 2021 to rank the nation first globally in the overall ICT 16
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Khalid Athar, Chief Editor Teletimes with Ahmed Julfar, Etisalat Group CEO at Mobile 360 ME Conference infrastructure, Online Services Index and the Network Readiness Index as the UAE celebrates its 50th year of formation in 2021. He added that the UAE has set clearly defined objectives and created a world-class telecom infrastructure that is well ahead of any other country in the region. “The introduction of the 5G network will
Mr. Julfar said that Etisalat has deep expertise in managing large-scale projects and in delivering complex projects for the government and the private sector. “We are a part of the Federal Government Network (FedNet) that connects 42 federal government entities with one common platform. We have also been involved in the Smart Dubai initiative in the selection process of building the Dubai City Platform. Most recently, we provided the Federal National Council with the Cloud Solution for the FNC Elections and managed the entire FNC Voting Cloud.” Etisalat’s strong geographic footprint with a presence in 19 countries and a subscriber base of over 168 million, as well as the impressive industry-firsts in the UAE, position the company firmly in delivering all the advanced suite of tech-solutions that the Expo 2020 demands, said Mr. Julfar.
INTERVIEW
Charles Yang Interview - Khalid Athar
President - Middle East region Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Building networks and platforms for a connected Middle East Mr. Charles Yang in his role as the President of Middle East Region for Huawei oversees all Huawei group activities and around 5,000 employees. Mr. Yang joined Huawei in 1999 and has over 16 years of experience in the telecom industry playing a key role in many of Huawei’s milestone global projects including his role as the president of Huawei’s STC Group account. Over the latest 3
years, Mr. Yang has been active in Saudi Arabia, supporting the development of the Saudi telecom industry. Huawei recently celebrated its 15th anniversary in the Middle East. Teletimes spoke to Charles Yang on the occassion about Huawei’s achievements over the period, and more importantly the future of the group in an IoT and 5G connected world.
Khalid Athar: Huawei has been a leader in research and development of 5G technology. What can you tell us about the developments so far? How soon do you expect it to become feasible for operators in the Middle East? Charles Yang: People and thingscentric 5G technology will bring a new level of user experience to the world, and in fact, 5G is a cornerstone to application scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), ultra high-definition video, virtual reality, smart sensors, and so on. 5G November 2015
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technology will be deployed as a mainstream technology to support applications and IoT scenarios requiring ultra-low latency and ultra-high bandwidth like 10GBPS; all for an increasingly high number of connections around 100 billion by 2020.
to-end capabilities are of particular value in the development of national ICT initiatives including Smart Cities in the Middle East; an example of how Huawei joins its expertise across the carrier, enterprise and consumer markets to build a better connected world.
Huawei collaborates with industry bodies, leading operators and universities to drive the ecosystem development of 5G. Huawei has internally invested heavily in 5G research, with over 500 engineers on board and nine R&D centers worldwide as of last year, all focused on 5G research. Our efforts were recognized earlier this year when Huawei was honored as making the “Biggest Contribution to 5G Development” at the recently held 5G World Summit 2015. By 2018, Huawei will have invested USD$600 million in 5G research.
Huawei applies learnings and best practices across its business groups in order to bring the very best-inclass solutions & experiences to our customers. The customers who are simultaneously served by all the three business groups know how these three units are like three legs of tripod; all supporting a master vision. Huawei ultimately exists to serve customers, whose demands are the driving forces behind our development. As their needs evolve, we too will evolve our focus accordingly.
By leading efforts to trial the technology globally over recent years, Huawei aims to deploy the first 5G networks by 2018, with more widespread commercial operations powering up by 2020. KA: The consumer business of Huawei has already become the third largest producer of smartphones in the world. However, the carrier network business group of Huawei still dominates the other business groups as in the past. Do you think this trend will continue in the future? CY: With Huawei’s well-balanced, worldwide presence, we are confident that we will maintain steady growth and development in all three of our main business groups in future. Our carrier network business group has traditionally been the largest, but as you note, we are now well known in other areas as well. Within Huawei’s enterprise business group, for example, the extensive application of our cloud computing, storage, agile network, and other flagship solutions in the fields of finance, education, healthcare and others led to sustained growth in the first half of this year. Huawei’s end18
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KA: As a seasoned telecoms vendor, what is your advice for telcos in terms of infrastructure investment for the coming years? CY: Telcos have created worldclass communication & internet infrastructures in collaboration with strategic partners like Huawei. This ICT infrastructure has raised the bar of living standards across all walks of society. The additional good news is that consumers’ demand for data & application services is steadily growing, and it leaves enormous head room for operator’s growth in terms of traffic & revenue. Operators need to focus on building networks & platforms that can support escalating amounts of data and support tens of millions of enterprise applications and hundreds of millions of individual applications. This means looking at an ICT framework which is both broader and smarter-allowing operators to monetize & leverage every piece of investment. Operators also need to consistently be investing in such infrastructure or run the risk of lowered revenues and customer churn. In particular, there is a transformation happening in terms of how telecom operators manage their own IT platforms, moving from traditional
support functions to value-added business platforms. The maturation of the Internet of Things, e-Commerce, and digital media are all driving the restructuring of legacy IT systems within the telecom sector. According to IDC, the Middle East and Africa region will spend over $270 billion on IT during 2015-a rise of around 9% year on year-with telecommunication firms in particular expected to transform to become IT & digital services players. KA: The UAE Government is working very hard towards Smart City development. Could you elaborate on the role Huawei is playing in that area? CY: The efforts of UAE Government towards smart city development is commendable and it will be a benchmark for other smart city projects contemplated anywhere in the world. We recognize that our world is increasingly city-centric. Within the Middle East, cities of the future will need to become more intelligent through connected infrastructure that can positively transform the way in which citizens and businesses experience their world. The role of networks and platforms is fundamental in powering innovations across vertical industries, from selfpiloting automobiles to telemedicine and e-classroom education systems. The good news is that telcos already have the networks and some platforms, combines with a wealth of experience, to operate these digital assets as services. Telcos can deliver essential smart-city platforms of sensor and actual networks, data collection, device management, business intelligence, rating and charging to any or all of the application domains. Furthermore, telecom networks which are robust and resilient are an important synergy with smart city prerequisites. That’s how CAPEXintensive smart city project can be optimally carried out in collaboration with telco’s existing OPEX-oriented ICT infrastructure. Today leading telecom operators rely on Huawei’s state-of-the-art technology & solutions as a
backbone to their business. Huawei has proven its ability to innovate and stay abreast with the latest ICT technologies meant to enrich peoples’ lives. As a result, our telco customers see Huawei as a strategic partner for their business growth, instead of only a vendor. We are committed to live up to the expectations of our valued customers. At Huawei, we already offer an extensive range of products and services to make smart city applications a reality. To date, Huawei has participated in over 60 smart city projects in more than 20 countries worldwide, cooperating with over 1,100 technology providers and 800 services & system integrators. Over the coming years we will see at least 20 smart cities coming up in the GCC to support the aspirations of the public to live more comfortably and efficiently.
challenges for Huawei? CY: Huawei has always viewed the Middle East as a significant market where we can contribute to the development of the ICT industry. Since the beginning we have expanded in line with the needs of our regional partners. This year actually marks our 15th anniversary in the Middle East, and that is an
just around the corner, that pace will likely continue. Moreover, during the next 15 years I think three major advancements will characterize the ICT landscape. 1. First, a fully connected world will be established as 5G mobile broadband changes our lives. 5G will be deployed as a mainstream technology to support applications
KA: How would you compare the UAE with the other Middle East markets? CY: The UAE really is a gateway to the world. It is a strategic trading and banking hub for the Middle East as well as Western & Eastern countries. Moreover, Dubai is increasingly recognized as a regional and international hub for business conferences, bringing a lot of opportunities from places like Africa and Asia to companies operating in the UAE. By virtue of its landmark initiatives in the field of technology and infrastructure, today the UAE is on the global map and will continue to be in future. Among the most recent initiatives in this area are the Dubai Smart City strategy and the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai, which have caught the gaze of the global business community as both an investment destination & a launch pad for their globalization drive in Middle East. These will require ongoing investments in ICT infrastructure to be stepped considerably. KA: In the journey of entering an international market and becoming one of the top players, what have been the greatest
Telcos have created world-class communication & internet infrastructures in collaboration with strategic partners like Huawei. incredibly important milestone for us. Fifteen years ago Huawei’s corporate structure looked considerably different than it does today. It is not always easy to keep pace with the rapid and extraordinary changes happening in the ICT industry. To do that, we have adopted a longterm approach to research and development (R&D) investment by putting over 10% of our sales revenue into R&D every year. Today we are a leader in terms of intellectual property, and that allows us to create solutions that are unparalleled in the market. KA: How do you see the future of Huawei in the region for the coming years? CY: In the past three years, Huawei Middle East has grown at a consistent pace of around 20% CAGR. With a new technological transformation
and IoT scenarios. 2. We anticipate seeing at least 20 smart cities emerging in the GCC— including Saudi Arabia—to support the aspirations of the public to live more comfortably and efficiently. 3. Finally, more cross-sector innovations will appear in the form of new energy technologies, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 and smart homes. ICT will become a primary social and economic enabler. This will create unprecedented opportunities for the whole industry to propel the Middle East economy into the next phase of staggering growth; driven by ICT. Huawei is a leading ICT technology partner that will apply global and local experience to make the ICT journey of the Middle East one of the most energized, successful, memorable and historic transformations for the future. November 2015
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REPORT
Ericsson discussed the role of smarter services in the Networked Society at GSMA Mobile 360
Ericsson has discussed the implementation of smarter services across a variety of industries and the key issues facing network operators with remit to support increasingly connected societies at GSMA Mobile 360. In the Networked Society, where connectivity is the catalyst for collaboration and innovation, smarter services are creating differentiated experiences and operational efficiency. Drawing on the skills of expert speakers at GSMA Mobile 360, Ericsson will examine the issues in implementing these services, as well as solutions that pave the way to life in the Networked Society.
Alp Uysal, Vice President and Head of Strategy and Business Excellence at Ericsson, said: “In the Networked Society, information and communications technology will be the catalyst of a new economic model delivering growth and prosperity based on a greater social cohesion and environmental sustainability. It will empower transformation, creating disruptive changes across both industries and society as a whole.” “ICT has unleashed an era of increased innovation where industry players are continuously challenged by new markets, emerging challengers and novel logic in terms of value creation. This is an era that
we call the Networked Society, where every person and every industry is empowered to reach their full potential. We are excited to share our knowledge with industry experts at this year’s GSMA Mobile 360 Conference and offer a glimpse into the Networked Society future where smarter services prevail,” added Tarek Saadi, Head of Sales, Ericsson, Region Middle East. Smarter services are being implemented across a number of industries, ranging from national to cross-border implementations. Implementing smarter services requires high levels of co-operation and co-ordination to deliver services effectively and at scale. In two separate panel discussions Alp Uysal, Ericsson’s Vice President and Head of Strategy and Business Excellence for the Middle East egion, and Tarek Saadi, Head of Sales for the Middle East Region, joined industry experts to address Delivering Smarter Networks across MENA and Implementing Smarter Services on October 20, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Maktoum Hall.
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Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visits STC Pavilion in GITEX STC signed regional and international strategic agreements during the week Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, inaugurated the 35th edition of Gitex in Dubai. H.H. visited the pavilion of the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) where he was received by STC Group CEO Dr. Khaled Biyari along with a
number of executives from STC and affiliates. “STC Group is keen on being present at Gitex every year as the event has entrenched itself as an important regional platform for ICT decisionmakers,” commented Dr. Biyari.
“STC will sign regional and international strategic agreements to help maintain its leadership and to support its bid to provide creative services and technological solutions in ICT to individuals, enterprise customers as well as government,” added Dr. Khalid Biyari. November 2015
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REPORT
STC signs agreements to boost innovation Teletimes Report
Center for Economy & Creative Innovation in South Korea (JV with SK Telecom) and Ericsson The Saudi Telecom Company (STC) signed a number of partnership agreements on the sidelines of its Gitex 2015 participations aimed at boosting innovation. STC signed agreement with The Center for Economy and Creative Innovation in South Korea (a JV with SK Telecom). A second agreement was signed with Ericsson to provide ICT systems and solutions to customers whether individuals, enterprises or telcos, in addition to digital and innovative services.
Tarig M. Enaya, Sr. Vice President - STC Business & Ali Al Farmawi Vice President - Mircosoft MEA after signing the agrement
These agreements are in line with STC’s efforts to foster the development of innovation and entrepreneurship environment in order to transform creative ideas and projects into reality across a number of business sectors. “These agreements are important because they facilitate cooperation between companies and adopt best practices. The two work in tandem to develop the backbone for a creative environment and jumpstart business leadership in the Kingdom through cooperation with leading global centers that provide specialized services, digital products, and business leadership and innovation in ICT,” commented Nasser Alsaadon, the GM for business development and innovation at STC. The partnerships will provide services to companies incubated by InspireU which was launched earlier in the year to help expand regional economies and promote the culture of supporting nascent companies as well as begin to develop incubators and related programs. 22
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Nasser Alsaadon, GM Business development & innovation at STC exchanging the agrement with Ericsson
Umbrella Cloud agreement with Microsoft According to the terms of this agreement, STC and Microsoft will cooperate on providing individuals and businesses in the Kingdom with elastic computing and cloud based software services and solutions across three key areas: infrastructure services, productivity suites and cloud services. Moreover, both companies will work on creating an enabling eco-system for software developers in Saudi Arabia and the region. Tarig M. Enaya, Senior Vice President of STC Business said, “One of our strategies at STC Business is to build partnerships and alliances with large
specialized global players within the information technology sector so as to enrich what we offer in a manner that increases the chances of success for our customers. Our signing with Microsoft today is part of that strategy to leverage the Microsoft experience with information technology and cloud.” Ali Al Farmawi, Vice President of Microsoft, Middle East and Africa said, “STC and Microsoft can build on the synergies that the two companies have. Among the most important of these synergies is the commitment to national projects that have the potential to enable communities. For us, this means focusing on the cloud and creating eco systems that encourage more and more to innovate.”
Group photo of STC & Oracle high officials after launchment of Oracle - based system service
Launch of Oracle based system service STC announced during Gitex 2015 the launch of Oracle-based system service for resource planning on the Cloud with the aim to serve its own affiliates. By launching this service, STC affiliates will be able to liaise all resources, data and activities required to complete operational procedures such as accounting, procurement, finance, and human resources, all of which provide increased value added services and a tighter data security level.
Dr. Khaled Biyari, CEO - STC Group and Khalid Athar, Chief Editor Teletimes International at STC Pavilian in GITEX 2015
STC QITAF partnership with Souq.com and Booking.com STC signed two partnership agreements with Souq.com and Booking.com allowing STC customers to trade Qitaf points for purchases and services from both sites. The Souq.com agreement was signed by Ahmed A. Alsahhaf, GM of Marketing Communications from STC, and by Ronaldo Mouchawar, Souq.com CEO The Booking.com agreement was signed also by Ahmed A. Alsahhaf, and Yuost Vermeulen, RM MEA Booking.com.
Ahmed A. Al Sahhaf, General Manager Marketing Communications STC after signing the agreements with Booking.com November 2015
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Group photo of Award winners and officials with Dr. Khaled Biyari, STC Group CEO, after the Award Ceremony
EMC Program of “Knowledge and Skill Development” STC joined the EMC program in the field of “Knowledge and Skill Development” which is specialized in the operations of organizational development of companies, and huge technological institutions after signing an agreement with EMC in this respect. The agreement was signed at the STC Pavilion in GITEX. The agreement was signed by Eng. Nasser Sulaiman AL Nasser, SVP of Technology and Operations From STC and by Mohammed Amin from EMC, SVP and Regional Manager. The international program allocated “Knowledge and Skill Development” to a limited elite number of EMC strategic partners around the world, where it designs integrated programs to develop administrative and technological skills to meet the requirement of the sector of information technology and business around the world.
STC Vendor Awards 9 vedndors awarded STC held its 4th Vendor Day during the weeklong Gitex activities. STC Group CEO, Dr. Khaled Biyari recapped the company’s 24
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Engr. Nasser Sulaiman Al Nasser, SVP Technology & Operations - STC and Mohammed Amin, SVP - EMC signing the agreement revamped strategy as well as vision. Outlining STC’s Procurement strategy and vendor relations, Procurement and Shared Services VP, Cyril Pourat explained how the transformation program adopted by STC has contributed significantly to leveraging the relationship between STC and all its vendors/suppliers. As part of recognizing this transformation program, STC has institutionalized Vendor Awards in three categories once every two years. The categories are Innovation, Collaboration and Value-added. Winners of STC Vendor Awards 2015 per category were as follows: Under the Value-Added category, the winners were: 1. Tawunya Insurance company 2. Teradata
3. Cisco System In the Innovation category, the winners were: 1. EMC2 2. JWT 3. Wirefilter The third category, Collaboration, saw the following winners: 1.Tata Consultancy Services 2.Masha’el Al-Khaleej 3.Huawei STC launched the Procurement transformation program in 2014. Since, vendors and suppliers have witnessed a leap forward in the manner in which STC manages the end-to-end process, leading to STC becoming a market leader in the field.
REPORT
H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed visited du’s stand in GITEX Technology Week
Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, visited the du stand at GITEX Technology Week 2015 and spent a significant amount of time examining du’s innovative offerings. He was received by Osman Sultan, du’s Chief Executive Officer, and other representatives of the company’s senior management. Under the theme of ‘Smart: Happening Now’, du showcased how smart is no longer a vision, it is a mission, and it’s happening now. Demonstrations at du’s stand highlighted how du’s innovative information and communications technology solutions and partnerships are influencing a smart environment today. November 2015
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REPORT Ahmed Mahboob Musabih with Dubai Customs’ GITEX work team
“We innovate...to facilitate trade”
New smart Customs initiatives unveiled at GITEX 2015 Yousef Alfeel During this year’s GITEX, Dubai Customs’ stand at Sheikh Saeed Hall was a real magnet of lights and attention of inquisitive visitors. All visitors expressed their admiration of the wide array of showcased innovations introduced by DC to steadfast its customs work, whether in the Amphibious Vehicle which is fully geared up with (10) solar powered gadgets enabling it to run uninterrupted around the clock, or in the Customs Unmanned Submarine for tactical underwater inspection operations of ships hulls’. The Smart Baggage Inspection system created a notable wow effect to all inquirers, as it represents an innovative multifunctional integrated design aimed at ensuring a streamlined passengers flow while maintaining the epitome of protection at same time; the device is capable of scanning handheld baggage in a seamless real-time procedure. H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director Dubai Customs said, “We are propelled by the vision and directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler 26
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and initiatives are: SMART TV services, Al Barza Employee Forum, SMART Workspace and New Revamped Website. The Executive Director of Customs Development Division at Dubai Customs Juma Al Ghaith said that Dubai Customs never ceases to evolve, with new services and initiatives always being launched so that the organization can meet its vision of being “The leading customs administration in the world supporting legitimate trade”.
Jumaa Al Ghaith Executive Director, Dubai Customs of Dubai, concerning Dubai Smart City and mGovernment initiatives, as well as the Happiness Meter initiative, aimed at measuring clients’ satisfaction with our government services,” As part of its partaking at GITEX 2015 under the motto “We innovate... to facilitate trade”, Dubai Customs announced new smart services and high tech initiatives. Dubai Customs new smart services
The recent additions to DC’s long record of smart breakthroughs are in line with its target to deliver 80% of Customs transactions via smart applications by 2018. Shedding light on the new services and initiatives Dubai Customs launched during GITEX 2015, Al Ghaith stated that customs services are optimized to be accessed on SMART TV web browser. Moreover, SMART Workspace is a tool that enables clients to define declaration templates and mark their favourite and frequent declarations, increasing process efficiency and saving cost and time for them.
INTERVIEW
The story of investment in our mobile network will never end Fahad Abdulrahman Al Hassawi, CCO - du Interview - Gulraiz Khalid Gulraiz Khalid: Looking forward to 2016, what is your vision for du in the UAE market? Fahad Al Hassawi: The UAE provides a very healthy market and we are lucky to be operating in this market. We will continue to expand over here as we see a lot of room to grow over here. We will always need more and more speed. With a rise in upcoming OTT applications and video requirements, the market will continue to need more speed and du is committed to providing this high speed to its users. We are talking about Smart Cities on every forum today. The idea of Smart Cities brings with it a need for more bandwidth, speed and coverage. Our vision is to enhance our customer experience and meet the increasing demands of the region which
we can foresee in terms of Live Streaming, IoT, Smart Cities etc. As far as I can see, the story of investment in our mobile network will never end, because with our customers and the needs of our customers, we will continue to grow. GK: Many of our readers would be interested in the idea behind du’s partnership with Vodafone? FH: The beauty of partnering with a company like Vodafone is that it brings in a lot of those global contracts that are already in place and we do not have to start from scratch. We have decided to enhance the existing partnership we already had with Vodafone to provide the very best of Machine to Machine (M2M) solutions to UAE businesses. This new
technology will allow more complex data to be shared via the Internet of Things (IoT) – allowing for more sophisticated services. The partnership enables du to offer enhanced M2M services to enterprises looking to implement IoT. Initially du will focus on connected car opportunities such as enhanced safety, connecting drivers with garages and emergency services. The technology also stands to revolutionise access to in- car infotainment. mHealth applications for M2M will also be explored to improve remote care for patients and bring greater efficiencies for healthcare providers. The clients for M2M are usually business and not direct consumers. For example, if there is a company that has a fleet of cars and they wish to track them with reference to location, travelling speed, distance covered and so on, November 2015
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du, it took a lot of time and efforts – opening MNP to multiple operators internationally will consume such a huge amount of time, effort and other resources that it is simply not feasible. However, we want to facilitate roaming in the region, and as I have said, we are approaching the issue with other various avenues.
International Number Portability is an idea that does not seem feasible, at least at this point. GK: What will be your key focus areas for the coming future?
For us, as an enterprise service provider, there is a lot of room for growth and opportunity in terms of market share and we intend to fully benefit from this opportunity.
GK: Roaming charges are quite an issue for customers as international travelling becomes more and more popular? Do you think International Number Portability could be a solution in the future?
see much more roaming traffic happening here and we want to facilitate all mobile users in the area. The final roaming charges are always decided by the user’s own operator in their home market – what we do is that we give big discounts to these operators. However, our efforts are not effectively visible because many of the operators are not passing our discounts over to the end user, which is something that has come to light only recently and we have approached these operators about this issue.
FH: We understand the importance of roaming charges, especially for our market which is home to millions of tourists every year. We want to
International Number Portability is an idea that does not seem feasible, at least at this point. When we opened MNP between Etisalat and
it will be much easier for them to do so. For direct consumers, it will be more of a B2B2C model whereby an automobile company such as BMW could offer a car which comes with a pre-installed SIM card so that the consumer may be able to use certain applications in the car.
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FH: Our strategy will not change. We will continue to do the things we have been doing with a bit more focus on enterprise. For us, as an enterprise service provider, there is a lot of room for growth and opportunity in terms of market share and we intend to fully benefit from this opportunity. We want to focus on premium customers, postpaid premium customers and also prepaid premium customers. In respect of our vision for Smart Cities, there is a lot of discussion going on and a lot of cases from international markets are being studied along with best practices to ensure that progress in this regard is maintained at a good pace. We have recently announced the option of Fixed Line portability which has been made possible after a long period of efforts with Etisalat on integration and testing etc. Both of the operators will now allow double-play (Internet and Telephony) customers to switch to each other so that there is no limited zone for the users in terms of the choice of operator. The next step in nine to twelve months will be triple-play which is a combination of double play and TV. Initially, we are not focusing on the numbers, but more on getting the experience right for our customers.
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INTERVIEW
InspireU is the Saudi Kingdom’s first corporate Incubator and Accelerator for startups addressing ICT/Digital innovation across MENA aimed at promoting, supporting and developing entrepreneurship & digital innovation in the region.
TO INSPIRE IS TO EMPOWER Mr. Nasser A. Alsaadon, GM Business Development and Innovation at STC speaks to Teletimes International in an exclusive interview at GITEX Technology Week 2015. Interview - Gulraiz Khalid Gulraiz Khalid: What is InspireU? Nasser A. Alsaadon: InspireU is the Kingdom’s first corporate incubator/ accelerator for start-up’s focused on ICT/digital innovation. Aimed at promoting, supporting and developing entrepreneurship and digital innovation in KSA and the MENA Region, InspireU is a program based around a professional incubation center for digital startups that provides the startups with a value-based chain that entrepreneurs need to grow and become successful. It involves an 30
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initial competition to shortlist the best startups who then become a part of the program where STC helps them execute their ideas to their best potentials. GK: What will be the biggest benefit to the participants from this program? NA: Our participants will benefit a lot from this program as we will not only support them in creating their own solutions and products but the biggest benefit will be that we will give them access to real world telecommunications customers and
a business environment to operate in. STC’s networks, value chain, strong partners and its infrastructure will provide a great benefit to any incubatee that wishes to connect to this industry in the future. STC is not only providing resources to the InspireU program members but also providing them infrastructure, guidance, support services, mentorship and access to the technology ecosystem. We also provide mentorship from senior executives within STC who advise these start-ups and help them
build strategies for their businesses leveraging the experience and knowledge of STC executives, as well as mentorship from serial entrepreneurs who have practical
GK: Is there any limitation on the origin of the startups or where they can operate in future? NA: We are not limited to any one
In the first phase of our program, we had 300 applicants who applied through our portal and went through a selection process. We do the program twice a year and announce
We will provide the participants with access to real world telecommunications customers and a business environment to operate in. experience to transfer their knowledge and experience to the incubates. GK: Specifically, what are the facilities/support you are providing to the incubatees? NA: The support we provide includes the following: • Office space • Logistic support, such as; facilitating work visas, a business license, and software needs, among many more. • Mentorship and hands-on training, allowing you to learn from leading experts in the region • Seed funding of SAR 75,000 to get you started on your new venture • Access to a wide range of investors that will financially support you on your journey • Access to STC infrastructure and user base in order to test /improve and scale your digital product • Access to international exchange program in order to scale your company beyond the kingdom of Saudi Arabia • Customized curriculum to enrich your knowledge in building state of the art digital products and global companies
STC is committed to build any programs and initiatives that could develop the Kingdom’s economy and help achieve the digital vision of the country. country origin for the startups. We entertain all digital & ICT startups from all over the region and we aim to take all our winners international and let them operate in the global markets. In fact, we have signed an exchange program with other incubation centers around the world as well. We have companies coming in from the entire region including Jordan, Turkey and Tunisia as well. GK: What type of companies is STC looking to incubate in the InspireU program? NA: We focus on digital & ICT related startups. We have started the first phase of our program and we have entertained all types of participants including e-commerce, health, gaming etc.
it publicly through website, press releases and social media and so on. GK: How many incubatees do you plan to take within a year? NA: Right now, we are running the program once a year and we pick out at least 4 startups through the competition. We are planning to run the competition twice a year in the future. Therefore, in later stages we are looking at 8 startups every year in the future. GK: What is the selection procedure for InspireU? NA: 1. Based on pre-determined selection criteria, the Top 30 applications proceed to the next stage 2. Selected teams go through a oneNovember 2015
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on-one interview and are required to submit a 1 minute movie allowing us to know them better 3. An internal review, of the interviews and movies shortens the list of applicants from 30 to 10. The Top 10 teams are invited to our two-day bootcamp event This two-day event helps them structure the idea from both a business and technical perspective through a set of workshops. The first day workshop, conducted by highly skilled mentors is aimed at adding value to the idea and preparing the final pitch. The second day focuses on all teams pitching their ideas in front of 5 judges and answering questions and inquiries. Winners are announced after the pitching and right after the bootcamp, InspireU intiates the onboarding activities with the winners to help them relocate, sign the agreement and be ready to embark in a 6 months program. GK: How is InspireU supporting STC’s vision for the Saudi economy? NA: STC is committed to build any programs and initiatives that could develop the Kingdom’s economy and help achieve the digital vision of the country. STC has launched this initiative for the Saudi Youth and to develop the economy of the country by creating a strong base and platform for young entrepreneurs to rise and develop their own ventures. It is one of STC’s digital & innovation initiatives within our pipeline to boost and foster the technology and digital market in Saudi. GK: How is the InspireU program in line with the “Scalable Solutions” approach of STC? NA: STC is aiming towards “Scalable Solutions” and the InspireU initiative is aligned with this strategy. The InspireU is highly scalable and is aimed at supporting and assisting the young entrepreneurs in creating solutions. As 32
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STC is aiming towards “Scalable Solutions” and the InspireU initiative is aligned with this strategy. With initiatives such as InspireU, we are going beyond and taking a step forward moving into the digital arena. an incumbent operator, we have a large variety of all types of solutions ranging from voice, to landline to mobile data and business solutions. With initiatives such as InspireU, we are going beyond and taking a step forward moving into the digital arena. Together, with the youth, and the creative minds of the region, we will create more solutions and build them on top as a layer above the capabilities of an incumbent operator. GK: Does STC have any partners involved in the InspireU program? NA: STC has brought some of its partners such as IBM, Ericsson, Amazon, CISCO, ERICSSON and Strategy& to come and join the InpireU program in order to create more value for the participants and enhance the knowledge base that is participating. Bringing in more partners from the industry will make the program more comprehensive, practical and create better industry-based learning experience for the start-ups. InspireU also has a complete
range of partners in the area of research and universities, funding and investment with well-known ventures capitals, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. GK: Do you think InspireU can help other startups that apply and do not win the competition? NA: InspireU gives a lot of benefit to all participants, even to those who do not eventually win. The bootcamp helps create a clear vision ahead for the company and the judging processes bring the participants to practical criticism that enables them to think beyond their current state, it gives them exposure to the industry and sometimes this exposure can lead to various synergies and opportunities. Actually, InspireU will also help & support those potential digital startups that are not even incubated in the program. We will help those startups through focused acceleration-weekends that will drive value and knowledge for them to boost their ideas and projects.
Huawei celebrates 15 years in the Middle East The milestone event was attended by over 300 senior government and business leaders including representatives from top telecom operators, information technology ministries & government bodies, analysts, regulators and the media. Khalid Athar The past 15 years have been a period of evolution in the telecommunications industry. Starting from the deployment of voice, we are now at the verge of developing things-centric connectivity throughout the world. This journey to become “Smart” has been led by the Middle East with exemplary performance. We have seen the growth and expansion of many communications organizations over the past years, and at the forefront of this development has been an organization that has demonstrated extra-ordinary performance. Huawei Technologies has supported this “Smart” journey with strategic partnerships throughout the region and beyond. Huawei’s expansive portfolio enables competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Managing over 24 operators in more than 10 countries in the Middle East, Huawei is largely credited for the immense growth this region has seen in terms of coverage, broadband penetration, and ICT development at large. Looking to the future of the region’s
VIPs at Huawei 15 Year Anniversary
connected digital economy, senior executives from across the regional technology industry joined Huawei to commemorate the company’s 15 year anniversary of operations in the Middle East. Driven by a desire to build a better connected world, Huawei Middle East has become a strategic partner
to leading telecom operators, governments and enterprises in enabling the Middle East’s digital society. The milestone event was attended by over 300 senior government and business leaders including representatives from top telecom operators, information technology November 2015
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ministries & government bodies, analysts, regulators and the media. The day’s honored guest was H.H. Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Information, with speakers including: Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr, Assistant Director General of The Executive Office and Smart Dubai Taskforce Leader, Hatem Bamatraf, Chief Technology Officer at Etisalat Group, Eng. Nasser Sulaiman Al Nasser, Senior Vice President of Technologies & Operations at STC, and Guo Ping, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Rotating CEO of Huawei. The forum was opened by Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East, who touched upon some of the key transformations taking place in the ICT industry over the last 15 years. Guests also engaged with a number of Huawei innovation demos of upcoming ICT application, including 4K video, drones & robotics, wearable devices, and 4.5G & 5G mobile connectivity. The evening gala’s entertainment was further
Mr. Guo Ping, Deputy Chairman - Board & Rotating CEO Huawei for new technology deployments as government leaders recognize the potential of connectivity to create more competitive industries, safer cities and more inspired services for the public,” said Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East. Speaking at the event, Hatem Bamatraf, Chief Technology Officer
Over the last 15 years Huawei Middle East has established an end-to-end portfolio of ICT solutions to serve its growing partner base. It has also been a commercially successful geography for Huawei. The wider Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region accounted for 35% of Huawei’s total global revenue in 2014 with the region’s revenues up approximately 20% year on year. “Fifteen years ago Huawei’s corporate structure looked considerably different than it does today. Nevertheless, our values have largely remained the same. We exist to serve our customers and local communities,” adds Yang. “Huawei has done this by delivering exceptional before and after-service support to our partners, respecting local cultures and striving to learn and grow together with our partners.”
Charles Yang, President - Huawei Middle East ignited by a performance from Huawei brand ambassador Nancy Ajram singing a number of her greatest hits. “Studies have shown time and again that ICT infrastructure is a powerful engine for social and economic development. The Middle East has in many ways risen to be a global hub 34
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at Etisalat Group, added: “We are working in an industry which is fast and continuously evolving from one generation to the other. It changes lives, enables capabilities, helps economies, and powers entrepreneurship. We believe that there’s a lot of value that will be added from a partner like Huawei in pursuing that journey.”
Today the company’s Middle East headquarters is located in Bahrain with offices across 10 countries and around 5,000 employees—of whom over 66% are local hires. Founded in 1987, Huawei globally has grown from a USD$5,680 small company to a truly international enterprise an annual revenue volume of USD$46.5 billion and a business presence in over 170 countries.
INTERVIEW
4.5G must support IoT Mr. Chaobin Yang, CMO Wireless, Huawei Technologies, answered many queries and shared his opinions on a few important questions during a media roundtable at the Huawei Global MBB Forum 2015 in Hong Kong that was covered by Teletimes’ Technical Editor, Toby Ruckert and the excerpts of which are as following. “The end user today cannot wait for 5G due to increasing demand through billions of IoT devices that are coming up and increasing high resolution video requirements. We need to make progress and satisfy the connectivity needs that are coming up now.” Mr. Yang believes 4G and 5G will co-exist for a long period of time, and it makes sense given how 3G and 4G co-exist together in many markets today. “IoT is already happening and we need to have networks robust enough to support it. Even in its introduction phase, 4.5g must already support IoT for up to a hundred thousand connections and the network latency must be improved.” Huawei has been making huge developments and advancements in this field with its research department. Running 1GB/s field tests with various parties such as Softbank, HKT and others to push 4.5g deployment with operators, Huawei is far ahead in the development of networks to support IoT and the broadband needs of the future. Talking about when and where the first commercial applications of 4.5G will reach the market, Mr Yang said, “The deployment of 4.5g will start from the area where the development is fast and the need for great video service is good. We have pre-commercial cases with AT&T, Softbank, TeliaSonera and China Mobile. Interestingly, Turkey has given new licenses to the industry - however,
that many of the chipsets that were displayed at exhibitions during September 2015 already support 4.5G and have backwards compatibility to 3G and 4G as well. He expressed that backwards compatibility is important and 4.5G will co-exist with 4G and even 3G for some period.
Chaobin Yang CMO Wireless, Huawei Technologies
The end user today cannot wait for 5G due to increasing IoT and high resolution video demands that exist now those are not 4G but 4.5G licenses. Therefore the operators in Turkey will start their development for 4.5G even before the end of this year.” “We already have an official commercial contract signed with Teliadsonera and are now exploring commercial plans with West European operators for 4.5g - you can expect joint news to come out over the next months”, said Mr. Yang while talking to the media about Huawei already working in Europe on 4.5G deployment. Talking about 4.5G support in smartphones, he said that 4.5G enabled phones are currently not in the market but he also informed
Sharing his views on the current issues regarding spectrum and the way to go forward, Mr. Yang said, “Wireless will move from low band to higher band spectrums and that will remain a certain trend. Sub 3Ghz will remain the standard for the time being. Operators want more spectrum from sub 3Ghz to 6Ghz and if low band spectrum is issued to operators it would help to bridge the digital divide. Meanwhile high spectrum can be used in hotspots / indoors to supply complementary measures for continuous connectivity but for the time being low spectrum will continue to rule our future.” Mr. Yang expressed on the importance of 3GPP R13 standards for industry collaboration in IoT and further said, “NB-IOT reached an agreement in Sep 2015. The standards for 3GPP R13 will be frozen for NB-IOT in Mar 2016 so that all industry partners can rely and develop with this standard and work together.” “Moving forward, I believe 4.5G technology is a need of the moment considering the recent developments in IoT and video demands. 4.5G technology should continuously evolve in TDD and LTE, at least for the near future”, said Mr. Yang while concluding the media discussion. Based on Mr. Yang’s discussion, it is evident that Huawei is making great progress in to the 4.5G arena. IoT will create new playing field for major operators and so far, Huawei seems prepared to take on the challenge. November 2015
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NEWS
PCCW Global wins two Global Carrier Awards Recognized for its technological innovation and service excellence in the wholesale industry at capacity Europe in Paris PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, has won two Global Carrier Awards at Capacity Europe 2015. The awards recognize PCCW Global’s leadership in IPX, network security, mobile solutions and wholesale services. The Global Carrier Awards, organized by Capacity Media, celebrate innovation, excellence and vision in the wholesale telecoms market. The awards entries are scored independently by a panel of judges, comprising Capacity’s senior editorial team, leading analysts and market watchers. The judging panel was carefully selected to cover a wide range of market areas and regions. PCCW Global received the following honors at the Capacity Europe 2015: • Best North American Project Winner • Best Voice Service Innovation: Emerging Market - Winner • Best African Wholesale Carrier -
Finalist • Best Global Wholesale Carrier Voice - Finalist • Best Strategic Acquisition - Finalist Mr. Marc Halbfinger, Chief Executive Officer of PCCW Global, said, “These awards recognize the breadth and depth of our offering and highlight an outstanding year for growth and innovation in the telecommunications industry. Together with our customers and partners, we strive to create a global telecoms market that is more dynamic, diverse and ready to serve high-performance applications by delivering new services and technologies in the carrier space and therefore leading to new end user demand. We are very proud to be recognized for our work and believe we can have a positive and lasting impact on our partners, customers and the communications industry.” The awards highlight PCCW Global’s achievements in 2015, including its best North American project and its regional breakout service
Marc Halbfinger CEO - PCCW Global in Africa by deploying a meshed network topology to keep African international voice traffic within the continent. In 2015, PCCW Global has received numerous awards and global recognition including - Frost & Sullivan Awards, Global Telecom Business Innovation Awards, Telecoms World Awards Middle East, and Total Telecom Africa Awards.
PCCW Teleservices honored in Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Best Practices Awards PCCW Teleservices, has clinched the Greater China Contact Center Outsourcing Product Differentiation Excellence Award in the annual Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Best Practices Awards held in Singapore on Oct 15. Ansson Chan, Head of China, PCCW Teleservices, said, “This award recognizes our achievement in realizing omni-channel from theoretical and technical level to operational and business level. We have helped our clients to realize the benefit of providing seamless service 36
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anytime, anywhere, via any channel that is most convenient to their customers” Manoj Menon, Senior Partner & Asia Pacific Managing Director of Frost & Sullivan, said, “We are extremely proud and happy to celebrate the achievements of these truly innovative and well-deserving companies in Asia Pacific. I am confident PCCW will continue to inspire and positively impact its industry through its best practice demonstrated in its fields.”
REPORT
GSMA announced further development for Mobile World Congress 2016 Teletimes Report
Jon Fredrik Baksaas Chairman, GSMA
Dan Schulman President & CEO, PayPal
Sifiso Dabengwa Anne Bouverot President & CEO, MTN Group Chair & CEO, Morpho (Safran)
Simon Segars CEO, ARM
The GSMA announced further developments for the 2016 GSMA Mobile World Congress, including newly confirmed keynote speakers, programmes and activities taking place at the annual mobile industry event. Mobile World Congress will be held 22-25 February 2016 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc. “We are constantly focused on enhancing the experience for Mobile World Congress attendees, as well as our exhibitors, sponsors and partners,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “To that end, we’re introducing new programmes, such as our MWC Tours programme, which are designed to help individuals and companies maximise their presence at Mobile World Congress and make their visits as productive as possible, particularly attendees that may be new to our show.” Newly Confirmed Keynote Speakers The GSMA has announced additional keynote speakers for the four-day Mobile World Congress conference programme, including: • Dr. Nadia Shouraboura, Founder and CEO, Hointer • Kate Unsworth, Founder and CEO, Kovert Designs • Dan Schulman, President and CEO, PayPal
Anthony Lake Executive Director, UNICEF
Hans Vestberg President & CEO, Ericsson
Richard Fain, CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
• Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF These executives join previously confirmed speakers: • Simon Segars, CEO, ARM • Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO, BuzzFeed • Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson • Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman, GSMA • Mats Granryd, Director General Designate, GSMA • Anne Bouverot, Chair and CEO, Morpho (Safran) • Sifiso Dabengwa, Executive Director, Group President and CEO, MTN Group • Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. In addition to the keynotes, the conference will include nearly 50 in-depth track sessions examining topics such as 5G, devices, digital commerce, disaster response, emerging markets, enterprise mobility, gaming, financial services, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, mobile identity, privacy, security, smart cities and virtual reality/augmented reality, among others. Showcasing Mobile Innovation The Mobile World Congress exhibition features the leading products, services and technologies that are shaping the
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Kate Unsworth, Founder and CEO, Kovert Designs
Jonah Peretti Founder and CEO, uzzFeed
future of mobile, from handsets and devices to network infrastructure, software and services and much more. Exhibitors include leading global companies such as AlcatelLucent, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Ford Motor Company, Google, Huawei, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, SK Telecom, Sony Mobile Communications, Telefónica, VMware and Vodafone, among others. Mobile World Congress will again challenge attendees to track their activity levels at the show and around Barcelona using connected fitness trackers. Garmin has signed on as the Supporting Sponsor for the Healthband Challenge, which will be open to all Mobile World Congress attendees. Garmin will offer attendees discounts on products from its vívofit and vívosmart activity tracking range for purchase in advance of Mobile World Congress. New at Mobile World Congress: MWC Tours Programme New for 2016, the GSMA is introducing the MWC Tours programme, providing a series of venue tours to address the specific needs of different audiences at Mobile World Congress. Led by subject matter experts, Industry Topic Tours will offer insights in key industry focus areas such as 5G, the IoT, Media, Retail and Security and highlight Mobile World Congress exhibitors active in these areas. Orientation Tours are webinarbased virtual tours designed to help attendees new to Mobile World 38
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Dr. Nadia Shouraboura, Founder and CEO, Hointer
Congress navigate the venue and identify the exhibits, activities and programmes that will meet their individual requirements. Further, attendees and companies can also work with the GSMA to develop Bespoke Tours tailored to their specifications. New Partner Programmes in the Theatre District The GSMA announced several new Partner Programmes taking place in the Theatre District at Fira Gran Via, including Partner Events and Professional Training sessions: • Partner Events – New partners hosting events in the Theatre District include Adobe, with a half-day programme on Monday, 22 February, and Freescale, who will hold a halfday session on Tuesday, 23 February. • Professional Training – Award Solutions, the Technology Training Partner of Mobile World Congress, will offer training events on the latest network-transforming technologies. On Tuesday, 22 February, they will host “Learn about LTE – Advanced, Cloud RAN and 5G”. On Wednesday, 23 February, they will hold “Learn about Network Virtualisation with SDN, NFV and Cloud”, with specific sessions that cover technology fundamentals and network performance, as well as mobile capacity and availability planning. Professional Training events are open to all Mobile World Congress attendees. GSMA Seminars at Mobile World Congress
Mats Granryd, Director General Designate, GSMA
At Mobile World Congress, the GSMA hosts a range of seminars designed to provide insights and updates on key GSMA and industry initiatives. GSMA Seminars will be held across the four days of Mobile World Congress and will focus on topics such as Connected Living, Connected Women, Digital Commerce, Digital Inclusion, Disaster Response, Mobile Money, mYouth, Network 2020, Personal Data/Mobile Connect and Spectrum. The GSMA Seminars will be open to all Mobile World Congress attendees and schedule of sessions will be available in the coming months. The Mobile Explorers Club The Mobile Explorers Club provides an exciting educational programme designed specifically for children of Mobile World Congress attendees. Held across the four days of Mobile World Congress, the Mobile Explorers Club features hands-on activities focusing on mobile and technology, with three distinct zones exploring robotics and engineering; design, arts, multimedia and app development; and gaming. The Mobile Explorers Club is open to children between the ages of eight and 15. The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona through 2023. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry.
INTERVIEW
The next phase for content delivery EVVO is currently looking for dynamic partners in the Middle East that can complement EVVO’s unique and broad range of product and services Jack Wong, Managing Director - EVVO Media Interview - Khalid Athar Question: Please tell us about the background of EVVO Media
EVVO has already formed partnerships with a few up and coming products pertaining to medical and healthcare technology and we will be announcing said partnerships soon. With this in place, EVVO would have a full suite of services that includes; Cloud, Media, Mobile, Infra, Security and Medical.
Answer: EVVO Media was started 8 years ago as a digital media company that focused on Live Webcasting and Video-on-Demand (VoD) of High Definition (HD) content over the internet. This unique service offering gave the company incredible insight as well as experience in managing products from Content Delivery Networks (CDN) and Security Solutions which we have refined into multiple product/solutions that are currently being offered by the company. Q: Could you please give us an update on the Silicon Valley Office that was schedule to go live by October? How will this office benefit EVVO Labs? A: Our Silicon Valley Office has been set up as per schedule and this has enabled EVVO to have a first-hand insight on the latest and most innovative product/solutions available. Having established and solidified our position in providing innovative solutions to our clientele, we are constantly looking for new breakthrough in technology to accentuate EVVO’s reputation in adopting new technology with existing solution and workflow to
provide a holistic service offering to our users. Q: Earlier, we discussed the possibility of a medtech and healthcare focused division of EVVO Labs. Would you like to elaborate on the idea? A: The medical and healthcare sector is a growing market in Singapore as well as around the world. The company is committed to create a focused division for said product and solutions to better serve this sector with innovative and efficient technologies.
2016 will be an important year for EVVO as we have been building up on our product and service offerings for the past few years
EVVO is currently looking for dynamic partners in the Middle East that can complement EVVO’s unique and broad range of product and service offerings. Q: Could you give us some details on your broadcasting platform? A: The company’s proprietary broadcasting platform or Video Hosting and Streaming Platform (VHSP) as termed by the Singapore Government was developed internally by EVVO and refined to suit specific needs of our users. It provides a simple to use solutions that empowers users to upload, managed and deliver all forms of content to both private and public viewers all over the globe. The next product evolution of the platform would be to integrate sub competencies such as Lecture Room November 2015
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With expertise in numerous types of technologies that span from Media, Security to Medtech, EVVO is working towards the concept that as long as there is a user requirement for technology, the name EVVO would be the first brand that comes to mind. integration as well as Small Object Delivery that will truly provide a one stop content hosting platform for our end users. Q: Where do you see the future of content delivery heading? In which areas does the future of media companies like EVVO Media exist? A: EVVO believes that the next phase for content delivery would be the diversification of content being delivered as well as the ability to handle huge amount of data across locations in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. EVVO has the unique position of being a solutions owner in the region and not rely heavily on off the shelf products. This has allowed the company to explore Big Data Delivery as well as other complementary solutions such as Security Products and Hosting Service Offerings to our end user. We have to constantly expand our service range while not compromising on our professional approach towards delivering services to our users. Q: Which of your core offerings would you categorize as the pillars of EVVO Labs and your core strengths? A: The core offerings of EVVO have been recognized by our public sector clientele in being awarded bulk tenders in Digital Media (Video Hosting and Streaming Platform/ VHSP) as well as Cloud Security (DDoS Mitigation Services/DMS). The company competencies in Cloud Infrastructure has been gaining strength in recent years and EVVO is currently providing managed services for numerous public sector as well as Telcos within the region. 40
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The core strengths of EVVO would be the human assets that we have within the organization. Having managed numerous genres of technology over the years (Media, Security, Infrastructure, Mobile and etc), EVVO has been able to effective manage new technologies with ease while bringing it to market. This has given EVVO a strong reputation of representing new technologies with a level of professionalism that users appreciate. Q: What level of competition are you currently facing? What makes you distinctive from other solutions and offerings? A: The company is always facing new competition from up and coming entrants into the market from multiple sectors that we are in, and while it is important to keep an eye on what the competition is doing, EVVO is more focused on ensuring that we continue to maintain and improve
needs with an ease of mind. Q: Could you give us some details about your plans to scale up in the Middle East? A: EVVO is currently looking for dynamic partners in the Middle East that can complement EVVO’s unique and broad range of product and service offerings. The Middle East provides a vast array of opportunities for EVVO with its diverse culture and open adoption of technology. Q: Entering into 2016, what will be your focus areas for EVVO Media? How do you see the future of your company? A: 2016 will be an important year for EVVO as we have been building up on our product and service offerings for the past few years. EVVO has started planning for a complete
The core offerings of EVVO has been recognized by our public sector clientele in being awarded bulk tenders in Digital Media as well as Cloud Security on our existing product and service offerings. As mentioned, EVVO as an organization has formed different Business Units (BU) that are focused on different types of technologies and innovation. These BUs are all subject experts in their own areas of expertise and once combined, it allows EVVO to provide a holistic service offering to our users that gives them a one stop shop for all of their IT
consolidation of our product and services going into 2016 so as to provide convenient, cost savings and ease of use to our users. With expertise in numerous types of technologies that span from Media, Security to Medtech, EVVO is working towards the concept that as long as there is a user requirement for technology, the name EVVO would be the first brand that comes to mind.
ITU Telecom World 2015 accelerates global ICT innovation to help improve lives Event provided unique international platform to hold dialogue, exchange and exhibit ideas, forge partnerships between government, industry and SMEs Teletimes Report ITU Telecom World 2015 closed its doors on October 15 at Hungexpo, Budapest (Hungary)following an exceptional week of dialogue, debate, networking and showcasing. The event, which welcomed over 4,000 participants from 129 countries brought together an impressive line-up of top-level government representatives, leaders of industry – from established players to SMEs and young start-ups, from emerging and developed markets – along with high-level representatives of international organizations, entrepreneurs, accelerators, incubators and academia. Among these were over 235 ICT leaders from around the world. The exhibition included big names, countries and SMEs from across the world. Some 50 countries, regions and their SMEs were represented including Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Iran, Indonesia, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Macedonia, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland,
Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, and Zimbabwe. Gabon, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda came together within the Smart Africa zone on the show floor. Top global exhibitors and sponsors participating included Airtel, Alibaba, ATDI, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Ericsson, Etisalat Nigeria, GEW Technologies, Fujitsu, Huawei, Intel, KT, LS telcom, Magyar Telekom, Microwave Vision
Group, Rohde and Schwarz, SonatelOrange, TDIA, UPC and ZTE. The Event Opening day, which took place in the presence of H.E János Áder, President of Hungary and H.E Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Prime Minister, was preceded by the launch of a special commemorative stamp issued by Magyar Posta, on the occasion of ITU’s 150th anniversary. “This week we have marked the November 2015
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150th anniversary of the foundation of ITU, hosted by Hungary – one of our original 20 founding members. We have also marked the first step in ITU’s new focus; to provide an international platform for SMEs, governments and major industry players to connect, share views, challenges and experiences and hold meaningful dialogues,” said ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao. “Together, with all these stakeholders, we have explored how SMEs are the engine for much innovation, where their ability to take risks and move fast can be key. We hope that now this will lead to a greater cross-pollination of ideas and forging of new relationships between SMEs, governments and established ICT players to help scale and deliver innovative solutions globally, and improve lives.” “ICT and telecommunication play a crucial role in Hungary’s economy, thus hosting ITU Telecom World this year was a great opportunity for our domestic companies. Innovation is the bridge to the future, and due to this event the Hungarian startups and relevant corporations have been linked more intensively into the global ecosystem. The Next Generation Day provided an astonishing example of the creativity of the experts of the future,” said H.E. Miklós Seszták, Hungary’s Minister of National Development. Spotlight on global innovation The event’s core themes of accelerating innovation for social impact and they ways in which SMEs are driving this innovation were in evidence throughout the event. 42
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A total of 238 exhibitors made their mark at ITU Telecom World’s exhibition space. National pavilions and world-famous technology brands demonstrated their innovation and talents alongside start-ups and SMEs from across the world. “Intel believes that driving innovation is an essential goal for government
and businesses from all around the world. Solving global problems starts with affordable access, active use of technology and capacity building. Therefore we are supporting great ideas and programmes – such as the Young Innovators Competition – that bring together young innovators and give them the chance to present themselves to the international audience at this event,” said Gordon Graylish, Vice President and General Manager, Governments and World Ahead, Intel Corporation and a key ITU Telecom World 2015 participant and speaker.
The event showcased sponsored sessions from KT, GTI, China Mobile and TDIA, Japan’s MIAC, Huawei and Intel, covering a range of different areas from 5G-enabled applications to TD-LTE, the future potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), industry policy hotspots and trends and technological innovation, as well as tackling the global hallenge of youth unemployment.
A number of activities and social events helped participants meet, network and connect throughout the week, including the Opening Ceremony, the Leaders Lunch, a vibrant Welcome Reception, the Smart Africa Panel Lunch discussion hosted by Uganda on behalf of the SMART Africa countries, Nigeria Night, the Gabon networking lunch and the Enterprise Europe Networking matchmaking event. Over 140 media accredited from 21 countries to learn more and speak to the Heads of State, entrepreneurs and industry figureheads
who had the chance to join indepth discussions on new ideas for harnessing ICTs for sustainable development.
representing the ICT community. Press announcements kept the focus on innovation, an example being Argentina’s ARSAT and AFTIC space satellite programme, which reached a milestone as it moved its second satellite into position 36,000 kilometres from the earth during the event. Workshops, cocktails and on-stand demonstrations kept a flow of visitors involved and entertained on the lively show floor. “This is a unique opportunity for us to be present with such a great number of like-minded individuals, and for an SME like us, it gives us a wonderful insight to see what our counterparts and peers are coming up with, and of course the main value is to network and gather as much experience and knowledge as we can in these few days,” said Maté Toth, business developer with the company Personal Video, and showfloor participant at the event. Smart ICTs for Sustainable Development ITU’s own Smart ICTs for Sustainable Development Pavilion, led by the organization’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, was one of the hubs of the showfloor, with a packed programme of activities. Daily presentations were held at the Pavilion’s Speaker’s Corner on diverse subjects such as drones and innovation for agriculture; healthy lives and well-being through
e-health; ‘smart cities’; the power of mobile technologies for sustainable development; and how e-commerce requires new flexible, secure and user
friendly solutions for digital financial services. At the country level, Estonia shared its success in e-governance, explaining how its government Cabinet is now working 100% digital and paperless, while Egypt highlighted its efforts to use ICT for empowering persons with disabilities. In parallel, the Pavilion featured more than 20 Exhibition Pods from a wide range of stakeholders including Bupa health care, Kyushu University in Japan, Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd, Inmarsat and Intervale. A number of Co-creation Sessions were held for show participants,
Leadership Summit and Forum Some 247 speakers from 62 countries took part in plenaries, panel debates, workshops, highlevel roundtables and networking sessions in the Forum and at the Leadership Summit. Speakers, who spanned leaders of government, industry, SMEs, entrepreneurs and innovators, the initiatives supporting them, international organizations and academia, provided truly global perspectives and viewpoints, from developed and developing countries. Discussions launched with the Leadership Summit, on 12 October, which brought highly influential
participants together to share views and debate how best to accelerate ICT innovation, open up the digital economy to all the world’s citizens, and work together to enable digital entrepreneurship as a driving force for socio-economic development. Sessions moderated by leading media included the Leadership Summit Opening, moderated by Jeremy Wilks of Euronews, and the Forum plenary on Bridging the innovation divide: accelerators, incubators and fostering national technology champions, moderated by BBC’s Dan Simmons. World November 2015
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Economic Forum (WEF)’s Alex Wong moderated a plenary session on Reaching the last mile: innovative solutions to remaining connectivity issues, and WEF also took the occasion to hold a high-level meeting at the event. Forum discussions covered hot topics such as 5G, IoT, reaching the last mile, optimal spectrum usage, redesigning public service, scaling ICT entrepreneurship, big data and trust. Conversations at the event extended around the world with over 2,255 tweets by 839 contributors reaching over eight million people. Crucial dialogue Dialogue between government and start-ups, and between established industry players and SMEs, took centre stage at the event, with dedicated sessions enabling these players to connect and examine issues in-depth. SMEs from Ghana, Nigeria and the Middle East spoke with Minsters and international organizations from around the world about the challenges they
each face, and how to best create a fertile environment where entrepreneurship can flourish. The SME and Industry dialogue saw an interactive exchange between on how both sides of the industry can work together and the best steps to help foster innovation. The Business-to-Government (B2G) dialogue wrapped up with the 44
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launch by ITU Secretary-General of the Emerge Partnership, designed to facilitate public-private collaboration. Large multinationals, start-ups and SMEs outlined key priorities and requirements for government policy-makers to provide a vital enabling environment for innovation and private enterprise. The Ministerial Roundtable, which
convened representatives from around the world, closed with the endorsement of the Budapest Call for Action emphasizing the importance of fostering innovation entrepreneurship and inviting all stakeholders to implement innovative solutions, technologies and partnerships aimed at bridging the digital divide and ensuring global connectivity for all.
Young Innovators Competition The inspirational Young Innovators Competition winners showcased their technologies, pitched ideas and took part in an action-packed programme of activities, workshops and collaborations aimed at accelerating innovation. They also took part in the Acceleration Platform, a specially-designed day of dialogues between government, industry and SMEs, including capacity-building, networking and pitching sessions for competition winners and SMEs participating at the event. “The skills we are learning, and connections we are making at ITU Telecom World 2015 this week are going to change how I work. I always knew what I was looking to do as an entrepreneur, but this has shown me the best ways of how to do it. After this, I’m sure that we will be able to make an even bigger change for the young people we work with,” said Silvia Dusa, CEO RandomStartup, 2015 Young Innovators Competition Winner. Next steps for the Young Innovators Programme include a challenge on applying technology to improve lives of refugees, launched in cooperation with GIZ and a challenge with SAP acting on the mandate of the SAP University Alliances programme, that Contd. on P-46
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U.M.S ‘Queen’ Myanmar wins ITU ‘Young Innovator Award’ Yin Nwe Cho, MD-U.M.S ‘Queen’ The ITU Young Innovators Competition (YIC) always set challenges dealing with important development issues which could be addressed by technology. Entrepreneurship is a key economic driver, and encouraging it is a major priority for the United Nations development agenda as well as governments across the globe. Increasing entrepreneurship among groups which are underrepresented in the tech world is of particular interest. YIC holds competitions to look for gifted young entrepreneurs with potential and high hopes with ideas for social enterprises. Entrepreneurship Challenge is one of the competitions held by the YIC and it the main purpose of the goal is to encourage entrepreneurship in communities around the world.
competition, leading to the creation of new companies directly affecting the economy, and resulting in increased productivity and economic growth. The leading economies of today and of the future are those who can harness the power of innovation and their creative entrepreneurs through initiatives such as incubators, hubs and accelerator programmes. The creation of decent jobs and the ensuing higher quality of life could be achieved through programmes bringing together self-learning and self-empowerment opportunities. What is important for this challenge is that young people around the world work together to self-empower people in their communities through entrepreneurship. The focus of this challenge will be
U.M.S ‘Queen’ stand at ITU Telecom World Exhibition 2015, in Budapest often the same groups who suffer from crises of unemployment and underrepresentation in the economy as a whole, we have a special focus on connecting young people, women, minorities, rural communities and others with tools in the field of technology.
Award winners of young Enterpreneurs and Innovators competition at ITU Telecom World 2015, Budapest These efforts can encourage entrepreneurs in any field, through incubation, skill building, mentorship, sharing resources and collaboration between small business. It is through entrepreneurship that important innovations spin off and enter the market, increasing
on providing access to resources, education, incubation, startup capital, investment and support to new startups, and on connecting startups with one another, with potential employees and with mentors and experts. Given that the groups in society who tend to be underrepresented in technology are
The latest challenge was participated by 245 ideas from 59 different countries which were sorted out into 41 in the shortlist consideration and 28 in the shortlist with only 2 winners from 245 ideas. Now, I would like to express my experience with this competition. It was during late April as we heard about the Entrepreneurship Challenge of the YIC. We thought about the idea that we could participate in. After along discussion, we came up with an idea “SAMS” (School administration management system) which would November 2015
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ITU Telecom World 2015
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was announced at the event. Earlier, on 12th October, launching the ceremony and acknowledging the critical role which SMEs and start-ups play within the ICT ecosystem and how this forms the cornerstone of a new and exciting direction for ITU and ITU Telecom, ITU’s Secretary General Houlin Zhao stressed his personal commitment “to ensuring we implement this new focus in response to the needs of the countries, industry and national and international socio-economic development.” Expanding on this vision he added “We wish to reform ITU Telecom to create such an international platform where we can share knowledge, exchange ideas, best practice, and inspiration, and facilitate networking and partnerships with SMEs.” Addressing a packed auditorium, Hungary’s Prime Minister H.E Viktor Orbán spoke of past and present Hungarian innovators, and outlined plans for Digital Hungary, noting that “Hungary can be as proud of its role in the ICT sector today as it was in the past. We have grounds to be proud of the fact that the digital economy of Hungary is one of the fastest developing in the EU.” Kerstin Günther, Managing Director
U.M.S ‘Queen’ Myanmar assist the teachers, professors and entrepreneurs who want to establish and develop schools. They have much knowledge and skills in teaching but need assistance in managing and developing. SAMS provides all the administrative works, managing the human resource, financial planning and a personal guide for developing the business and even connects these entrepreneurs in the SAMS society where they can discuss, the issues and investors can invest and local people can find jobs. 46
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Kerstin Günther MD - Deutsche Telekom
Viktor Orbán Prime Minister - Hungary
of Deutsche Telekom’s Pan-Net and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Magyar Telekom, said “I think it is a powerful message and feedback for Hungary and the whole region that ITU brought its jubilee world conference to Budapest. The future is present in Hungary, and Hungary is a hub of the European ICT industry right now.” Echoing a core theme of the event, she also noted that “Digital Hungary will be a real European success story that may serve as a role model for any country in the world also as a blueprint of how government and industry work together.”
Marina von Neumann Whitman, daughter of the late John von Neumann, a founding figure of computing, told participants via a video message that “All of the ingenuity that characterized my father continues to be found in Hungarian citizens of the 21st century, and the best way today to exploit this creativity is through promoting the use of ICTs.” The Opening Ceremony marked the start of an action-packed few days of high-level debate, dialogue between long-established business, SMEs and governments, showcasing and networking.
We worked day and night to improve the idea and at last successfully submitted the application. We were told that our idea was irrelevant to the challenge and that our idea was removed. But we did not give up and ran through the application again and improved it rechecking, and counter checking till it was perfect. We worked with much passion and desire, and never thought about giving up. Finally we got it, we were in the shortlist consideration and the YIC asked us for a more detailed application form.
we could get from a small team of passion, desire, confidence and motivation. Finally we re- submitted the application. Fortunately, we were in the shortlist of 28 ideas along with other 2 participants from our country. We won the competition with Silvia Dusa from Romania.
This time, we did not let it happen like before, we squeezed out many ideas
“Our School Administration Management Solution (SAMS)”, a project which was rejected became the winning project due to our confidence, patience, passion, desire and motivation. I would like to acknowledge all the judges and people who helped us develop the application.
INTERVIEW
Cross border tracking made simple Aspenta’s solutions act as borderless location trackers for personal and professional use with no contracts and no roaming fees. Dr. Walid Moneimne, CEO & Founding Partner, Aspenta speaks with Teletimes International team at GITEX 2015 about the company and its solutions. Interview - Gulraiz Khalid, Toby Ruckert Gulraiz Khalid: Can you please tell us about Aspenta and it’s vision? Walid Moneimne: Aspenta is a fully licensed US Mobile Operator and our speciality is the Internet of Things (IoT). Aspenta aims to transform business models through the development of customizable mobile technology solutions that are easy to implement and use, have international reach without added fees, and enhance security and reliability.
We basically, through our license and our technology, have direct and/or indirect agreements to have coverage with 650 operators worldwide in about 200 countries. We have proprietary technology enabling worldwide connectivity for m2m devices. We also have a patented technology in telecom HLR and we are also working in SIM technology. We are building various products and solutions for direct customers and for the enterprise OEM market.
GK: What type of solutions is Aspenta providing? WM: The Aspenta product portfolio covers both consumer and enterprise sectors including fleet tracking and logistics management solutions, customizable and scalable IoT platform, remote gateways, global roaming voice, data and m2m SIM cards, and consumer tracking devices. Aspenta’s goal is to transform business models and improve consumers’ daily lives when November 2015
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they are on the move through the development of products that provide peace of mind, value proposition and efficient, easy-touse technology with an international reach. So for example if somebody comes to us and says I need a device for tracking that has to go to Rome and it needs to be alive for a hundred days and has to report once a day etc. We are able to build that device according to the specifications along with the software and the connectivity. We have the complete package and we are able to provide this at a very low cost. In fact, we almost sell at a local cost with free roaming worldwide. If we talk about a vehicle tracker for personal use, we are able to sell that for 3 dollars per month for unlimited use worldwide including free roaming across the border. We build products that come connected and software-ready out of the box, and can be enabled anywhere immediately. GK: Could you give us some more details into the location services and telemetry solutions you are providing through Vectu? 48
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Our core competence lies in the integration of the entire solution – in the ability to provide one solution that comes connected out of the box. WM: Depending on what product you use and how it is configured, which I might add is very easy to do, we are able to provide different utility such as locating people, locating vehicles and Telemetry solutions. Locating People Our devices are easily configured for the type of usage. We can provide devices that can be carried in a bag or a back-pocket so that the person is being tracked and it can ring an alarm if the settings are set accordingly, for example you might not want a small kid to wander off so in case they go far away, the device will trigger an alarm. Our device can also be configured as a portable emergency response locator. In this mode, it will never transmit nor record your location unless you require assistance. So if in need of help during an emergency, a person can press the button and the device starts transmitting the signals.
Locating Vehicles We have Portable Vehicle Trackers and also installed Vehicle Tracker as Internal Atenna. As I have mentioned, our device is very easy to use. By answering a few simple questions, you can quickly configure how the device will be used and who should be alerted in the event of a problem. You may choose to share your location information, under what circumstances, and with whom. The auto-arming feature means that as long as you are away, the car is armed. Telemetry Aspenta also provides a Wireless Gateway for Remote Management. Aspenta’s Vectu Gate is a Digital I/O Gateway offering complete remote management solutions allowing you to monitor, control and analyze functioning and operation of remote equipment and company assets. With Vectu Gate you can wirelessly
switch on/off street lights, monitor warnings and alarms (pressure in a pipe, temperature, water levels), control any digitally controllable machinery, start or stop a generator and much more. Vectu Gate can be used anywhere where remote control and monitoring processes are needed. Toby Ruckert: Where do you think lies your core strength? WM: Our core competence lies in the integration of the entire solution – in the ability to provide one solution that comes connected out of the box. An IOT solution needs to be an integrated solution. You cannot just do the roaming and say I’m waiting to see how things go, you have to participate, and that is why we developed all the building blocks for hardware and all the building blocks for software. I’ll give you an example, last month one company needed an IOT device and they made requirement of ten different things. We were able to provide them a prototype that was not part of our product line in less than a month. They tested it and came back with a very large unit order based on that. So, we created almost a customized solution but one that can be repeatable. The phenomenon with IOT is that if customization is 90%, it’s always a new project which means more time and higher costs. We tried to create the
The fulfillment of all user requirements, the ease of use, shorter lead times and low costs combined make Vectu one of the best IoT solutions that are available in the market today platform, hardware and software so that customization is only 10%. This way, it is profitable for the customer and much faster for us to do. TR: Where do you see the future? Do you see the future in your own primary products and solutions or in continuing in the OEM space? WM: The market is estimated to be at 2.5 billion connected devices by 2020. So there is enough place for everybody to participate. What we believe is that the solution we have for the industry focused on worldwide connectivity is going to apply to any product or solution and the demand for our solutions will only increase, both for our direct consumers and in the OEM space as well. We have integrated everything into one solution out of the box which helps getting high quality and low cost together that will benefit all types of customers. So for us, the future is very bright, and we will continue to operate in the same way looking forward to good things ahead of us.
Editor’s note: Derived from the phrase “Ubiquitous Location Awareness”, Aspenta’s unique location technology combines the best of GSM triangulation (to work anywhere) with GPS location (for pinpoint accuracy) to provide you with the most consistent and reliable location possible. Even inside a building, parking garage, or under a bridge. The best part about Aspenta is the ability to provide a ready-to-use product at the lowest possible costs. The solutions are easily configured, can be bought in few units or thousands as well. Aspenta is able to fulfill large orders in short times due to this ease in configuration. The ability to configure also enables tackling different needs and requirements quite easily with less physical customization. So, all in all, the fulfillment of all user requirements, the ease of use, shorter lead times and low costs combined make Aspenta one of the best IoT solutions that are available in the market today. November 2015
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INTERVIEW
Transferring Electronical Knowledge with Brick’R’knowledge Dr. Michael Knieling, Director, Brick’R’knowledge - ALLNET Deutschland GmbH Interview - Toby Ruckert Toby Ruckert: How was your experience at GITEX? It is not the first time you have participated – some of our readers would be interested in how the show has developed over the years in your opinion? Michael Knieling: I’ve been at GITEX quite often since 6 years now with my former business – VoIP endpoints. This year I’ve presented for the first time a new business and its products. Brick’R’knowledge is an open source system to learn, teach and develop electronics. GITEX for me, was and is the best place to create business in the Middle East region. The show has become the place to be if you want to get in touch with all the players and customers in the region. TR: We’ve seen quite a bit of Robotics and IoT devices at GITEX this year, where do you think your “Brick’R’knowledge” system will play a role in these major industry trends in the coming years? MK: With Brick’R’knowledge, we address a global trend and movement of people to provide knowledge to our next generation, to create their own solutions and products, to understand major technology trends and to “Make” something in technology. Brick’s are not just toys - Brick’R’knowledge provides the users an ideal tool to start with electronics, to bridge the knowledge gab between hardware and software development by integration of single board computers as Arduino, Raspberry Pi or Banana Pi in the whole set up. We’ve presented at GITEX, the different types of sets to learn and prototype analog electronics, to make experiments with Arduino type
of products and how to create your own IoT environment - New sets will follow soon. We are calling kids, parents, engineers, geeks, nerds, students, teachers to join us and become part of the Brick’R’knowledge world. Everyone can develop new bricks and experiments. There is no limit and the system is open source. TR: What does “Brick’R’knowledge”
stand for and who invented it? MK: Brick´R´knowledge is an innovative plug system which can be used to transfer electronical knowledge very easily, fast and playfully. Children can dig into the world of electronics playfully and with the help of our manuals and videos, it is just as much fun as playing with building blocks! Pupils and students get used to the theory in transferring what they learned into practice. November 2015
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With our exciting plug system, students can finally try out the stuff that is normally only written on the blackboard. Teachers, professors and
Our vision is to create a global community of users, developers, students, teachers who create their own solutions ased on our Brick’R’knowledge system parents will be able to bring life to lessons! With our Bricks you can boost the creativity of your students and motivate them to experiment by themselves. And last but not least developers and engineers can use Brick’R’knowledge for fast prototyping and documentation. The system will save time and changes your imagination of testing for ever – totally without tin solder. Brick’R’knowledge was invented by Rolf-Dieter Klein. He is one of the German IT pioneers. Rolf-Dieter started in the nineties in the ICT industry and ran various TV shows about computers and trends.
TR: Are there different type Bricks, can you give some examples what they do/what types there are?
MK: We have more than 400 different bricks available. It starts with basic bricks for analog electronics like switches, buzzers, resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, coils, LED’s etc. These bricks are available as single bricks or as sets for starters or advanced users. The advanced set comes with other types of bricks as well like a brick with the famous Timer 555 or amplifiers and relays. For those interested in doing experiments and developments with single board computers we provide bricks to use Arduino, Raspberry Pi or Banana Pi types of products as part of our system. One of the latest sets that we just launched at GITEX is an Arduino coding set. It comes with an Arduino Nano brick and digital bricks like a OLED display brick, a D/A converter, 7-segment display brick etc. Besides the mentioned analog and digital bricks we offer IoT bricks, solar panel bricks and accumulator bricks for energy harvesting experiments as well asa LED Bricks and sets to create large displays. But as it is expected for an open source system, we provide a Do-it-Yourself-Set to make your own bricks and become a maker as well. Our vision is to create a global community of users, developers,
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students, teachers who create their own solutions based on our Brick’R’knowledge system. Everybody should feel free to join us. TR: How safe is it to use? What if somebody accidentally connects the wrong bricks? MK: The system runs on 9 Volt and long as the included power supply brick is used for the experiments, the usage of the system is not hazardous to humans. We strictly advise never to connect any brick direct to any main power supply (115V/220V). We provide the safety information with the handbooks and it is completely safe to use as long as the instructions are followed.
TR: Can you give a few examples what people have built so far?
With our exciting plug system, students can finally try out the stuff that is normally only written on the blackboard Furthermore, even if a user creates a short circuit during experiments, nothing will be happen. Only a lighting LED in the power supply brick indicates that something has gone wrong. TR: Apart from the education sector, do you see certain usage and application possibilities in industrial electro-technological prototyping? If so, which ones? MK: We are focused on the ‘maker’ community. Creative people with a strong focus on learning and getting their own projects done are the kind of people we are focusing on. The educational sector is our major target but we are open even to privatedriven training areas for amateur radio enthusiast, in fact HAM radio is a global movement. We are in touch with Silicon vendors interested to provide latest chipsets,
MK: I saw a complete solution for Amateur Radio Direction Finding used in a so called fox hunting competition. Try imagining metrological stations, FM Radio etc. You can find a lot of these examples at https://www.facebook. com/BrickRknowledge/ or https:// www.brickrknowledge.de/en/. TR: What is your plan for the Middle East? How are you focusing on distribution so far? sensors etc. as bricks instead of making evaluation boards. It will make it easier for engineers to create their own applications based on the latest chipsets which is our ultimate objective. TR: Do you see a possible use case for the telecom industry? MK: Yes, I do see a lot of application in the telecom industry. It starts with a simple Morse Telegraph to learn the good old Morse alphabet. As I already mentioned, the IoT brick we do have the opportunity to work on InternetTelecom-Home. As the system is open, the community can and will create new solutions for the telecom industry as well. Be it GHz devices or light communication, everything is possible.
MK: We do have a strong, innovative distribution partner in the Middle East called Sitec (http://sitec.ae/) and we have been working together for many years. In addition to Brick’R’knowledge, Sitec distributes our Allnet branded products in the region as well. During GITEX we’ve had the opportunity to get in touch with many universities. We do expect to create with them, a community in the Middle East using, studying and working with our innovative Brick’R’knowledge system as well . TR: Finally, if anybody wants to experiment with it, where can they buy a starter set? MK: You can buy our products from our partner Sitec. Sitec is serving the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. (http://sitec.ae/) November 2015
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NEWS
Inmarsat welcomes President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to London HQ Hoi Kwan Miu Inmarsat welcomed the President of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping to its London headquarters, as part of the President’s historic State Visit to the UK. The prestigious visit reflects the close working relationship between Inmarsat and China. China was one of the eighty-six countries that came together to found Inmarsat with a maritime safety mandate and over thirty five years later Inmarsat continues to contribute to safety and security in Maritime and Aviation and more recently during disaster situations in China. President Xi, accompanied by HRH The Duke of York, the Chinese Ambassador to London, Mr Liu Xiaoming, The Right Honourable Greg Hands and Inmarsat executives, viewed Inmarsat’s Network Operations Centre to understand how Inmarsat is able to uniquely contribute to President Xi’s One Belt One Road (‘OBOR’) strategic vision through the provision of critical global mobile broadband connectivity services, including Inmarsat’s revolutionary new service, Global Xpress. Inmarsat has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China Transport Telecommunication & Information Centre (CTTIC) to establish a strategic partnership to deliver Inmarsat’s revolutionary Inmarsat-5 Global Xpress mobile satellite broadband communications connectivity throughout China and OBOR. The MOU creates the framework for an exclusive strategic relationship between Inmarsat and CTTIC to develop business opportunities in China and OBOR for CTTIC’s Chinese government and enterprise customers through the unique and revolutionary capabilities of the Inmarsat-5 satellites. It also sets out 54
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the framework for Inmarsat and CTTIC to establish a partnership to provide global aviation passenger connectivity and next generation safety services to Chinese airlines. Rupert Pearce, CEO, Inmarsat, said: “We were most honoured to welcome President Xi to our London headquarters. His visit reinforces the long and trusted relationship Inmarsat has had with China since our establishment in 1979 and underscores our commitment both
to strengthening our partnership with our long-established channel partners in China and to supporting President Xi’s visionary ‘One Belt One Road’ strategic initiative. We welcome the visit as an opportunity to demonstrate how our business and humanitarian partnership with China can continue to grow and develop, bringing commercial, technological and social benefits both within China and to countries within OBOR and indeed to Chinese businesses across the globe.”
NEWS
Intelsat and JSAT to bring High Throughput capacity to Asia Pacific to meet growing mobility and broadband demands Sarah Nicholson Intelsat and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation announced that the two companies have signed a definitive agreement to form a joint venture that will launch a new satellite with optimized C-band and high throughput Ku-band capacity to satisfy the growing mobility and broadband connectivity demands in the Asia-Pacific region. To be known as Horizons 3e, the satellite is based on the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput design which, upon launch, will complete the global footprint of the Intelsat EpicNG next generation platform. The satellite will be stationed at the 169 degrees East orbital location with a launch expected in the second half of 2018. Building upon a successful alliance between the two operators, the Horizons 3e satellite marks the fourth satellite to be owned jointly by JSAT and Intelsat, following Horizons-1 (launched in 2003); Horizons-2 (launched in 2007) and Intelsat 15/ JCSAT-85 (launched in 2009). With the most advanced digital payload on a commercial satellite, bandwidth flexibility and power portability, Horizons 3e will bring high performance, improved economics and simple access to the aeronautical and maritime mobility, cellular backhaul, corporate enterprise and government customers operating in the region. “The collaboration marks another milestone in our long history with JSAT,” stated Stephen Spengler, Chief Executive Officer, Intelsat. “With Horizons 3e, we will introduce the Intelsat EpicNG platform to the Asia-Pacific region, completing our global high throughput footprint and enhancing our IntelsatOne® Flex service platform. The scalability, power and flexibility
performance and improved economics of Intelsat EpicNG will enable fixed and mobile network operators to expand their networks and provide much needed broadband connectivity to the more remote communities of the region.”
Stephen Spenglar, CEO - Intelsat of Intelsat EpicNG will provide commercial and governmental aeronautical and maritime services with unprecedented seamless, contiguous broadband coverage over the most widely trafficked routes from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In addition, the higher
“Horizons 3e is a significant project for both Intelsat and JSAT,” stated Shinji Takada, President & Chief Executive Officer, JSAT. “This new state-of-art satellite will lead to the expansion of our next generation business in the Asia and Pacific region utilizing the HTS technology. Satellite communications demands for the region will definitely continue to grow and the project is essential for us to uptake of the growth demand for the region.”
Intelsat appoints Brian Jakins as Regional VP Sales in Africa Intelsat announced that Brian Jakins has been named as the company’s Regional Vice President of Sales in Africa, effective immediately. Mr. Jakins will be based in Johannesburg, South Africa and report to Jean-Philippe Gillet, VP, Europe and MEA region. With over two decades of experience in the technology sector, including services to enterprises and mobile operators, Mr. Jakins will lead Intelsat’s African sales team and support the growth of Intelsat’s broadband, mobility and media customers operating in the region. He will also be responsible for the design and implementation of the company’s sales strategy and business development across Africa. Prior to joining Intelsat, Mr. Jakins served as the Vice President of
Sales and Services Africa at Aviat Networks, a leading global provider of microwave networking solutions. During his tenure, Aviat Networks expanded its geographic footprint and revenues showed significant growth in the African region. Mr. Jakins has also held senior sales management positions of increasing responsibility at companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Siemens Telecommunications and Wireless Data Services South Africa.
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NEWS
Eutelsat steps up African broadband plans with new-generation High Throughput Satellite All-electric satellite to launch in 2019, to set new standards for satellite broadband in Africa Eutelsat Communications has unveiled the next step in its broadband strategy for Africa with the order from Thales Alenia Space of a new-generation High Throughput Satellite offering unprecedented operational flexibility. To be launched in 2019, the all-electric satellite will be the first to use Thales Alenia Space’s new Spacebus Neo platform.
satellite is to provide 75 Gbps of capacity across a network of 65 spotbeams that together provide quasi-complete coverage of SubSaharan Africa. The satellite will address direct-to-user consumer and enterprise broadband services using dishes from approximately 75 cm.
business, including sales, will be managed by a newly created London-based affiliate.
It will also be used for community networks connected to Wi-Fi hotspots, mobile phone backhauling and rural connectivity.
Jean Loic Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, added: “We are very proud of our selection by Eutelsat to deliver the first all-electric Spacebus Neo satellite. Spacebus Neo combines proven heritage with innovation to offer a fully modular platform with a smart Ka-HTS payload for unrivalled flexibility and maximum throughput.
Eutelsat’s order of a high-capacity broadband satellite follows its recent announcement of the lease of Ka-band capacity on the AMOS-6 satellite that will enable broadband services to be delivered in SubSaharan Africa from the end of 2016. With this follow-on standalone satellite, Eutelsat will broaden its African footprint, deliver significant resources for broadband services and set a new benchmark for flexibility in High Throughput Satellites. By using the allelectric Spacebus Neo platform, that combines high efficiency and light weight, Eutelsat will also benefit from competitive launch conditions. The baseline mission of the new
Eutelsat has the option in the coming months to upscale the satellite to significantly increase overall throughput and service areas. Eutelsat’s African broadband
Commenting on the contract, Michel de Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat, said: “We are excited by the opportunity to bring the most advanced satellite broadband technologies to Africa. With the Spacebus Neo platform proposed by Thales Alenia Space we can push back new boundaries in High Throughput Satellites in order to deliver quality and affordable broadband services in the many countries in Africa where the drive to increase Internet penetration is a key priority.”
Rodolphe Belmer to succeed Michel de Rosen as CEO of Eutelsat Communications
Eutelsat Communications announced that Michel de Rosen 56
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has informed the Board of Directors that he will step down from his position as Chief Executive Officer in March 2016. He will remain in the role of non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eutelsat until the end of his current mandate in November 2016, at which point his mandate will be submitted to the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting for renewal. Eutelsat’s Board of Directors has
elected Rodolphe Belmer as the successor to Michel de Rosen in the role of Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 March 2016. In order to create the conditions for a smooth transition process he will join Eutelsat on 1 December 2015 as Deputy CEO, alongside Michel Azibert, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial and Development Officer. He will be proposed as a member of Eutelsat’s Board at the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of November 2016.
REPORT
CASBAA Convention brings together the biggest wave makers in the broadcast industry Establishing effective business models central to make navigating the new landscape of OTT work Teletimes Report The two-day annual CASBAA Convention with the theme ‘Making Waves’ brought together key industry players in the broadcast, cable and satellite industry to discuss and debate the hottest topics and latest developments in the industry today. With the introduction of OTT and digital broadcast services now an established fact, key themes of the day focused on creating quality and relevant content, as well as localization, agile distribution and protection of content. Secretary for Administration for the Hong Kong SAR Government, Carrie Lam, gave an introductory speech where she underscored that the Rule of Law and freedom of expression were vital to the fundamental strength of the broadcast industry. David Shing, the Digital Prophet of AOL, then looked at content consumption from the audience perspective, highlighting how humans were at the heart of everything and that “technology changes behavior not needs” when looking at the key developments in the digital landscape. Li Ruigang, Chairman of China Media Capital, commented how there was huge demand from China for premium content yet “while content is important, there is the need to build up a sustainable system to continue to be able to create more content”. New content platforms in Asia were discussed when Janice Lee from PCCW gave more detail on the company’s new global Viu OTT platform, announced just yesterday. She mentioned how the company had to become extremely agile in turning around their content in multiple languages to stay
competitive as well as beat illegal content, Mike Hyun-dong Suh of CJ E&M discussed how partnerships were also key to distribution of content, citing a recent collaboration with Japanese app Naver as an example. Greg Beitchman from CNN International discussed the need to have content that worked across all their screens and that this was meeting with success. Alon Shtruzman from Keshet Media, creator of Homeland and other key global formats, maintained that content is, as ever, ‘king’.
How to engage with fans with content was discussed by Sam Rogoway, CEO, Victorious who believed their creation of a community of superfans would “change the way fans interact and engage with content.” Distribution of content was discussed by Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX who’s company is investigating the feasibility of launching 4,000 satellites into space with a view to connecting people in remote areas throughout the planet. Jay Samit, CEO, from SeaChange
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REPORT
Global satellite industry unites as Myanmar edges closer to “Satellite Sovereignty” are facing new challenges and preparing for the future is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Querner. “As a result, choosing flexible, scalable and efficient technologies which reduce OPEX and CAPEX is becoming increasingly important.”
Pending reconfirmation of a new broadcasting law and further commitments to the development of Myanmar’s infrastructure, the global satellite industry is gearing up again to discuss the industry’s hot topics as the highly successful Myanmar Satellite Forum returns for its second year (18 November at Myanmar Event Park, Yangon. Building on the success of 2014, this year’s forum is already proving to be quite the global congregation as exhibitors from some of the world’s leading telecommunications regions including Europe, Asia and North America unite to develop influential ideas, relationships and partnerships for the future of Myanmar communications. Mario Querner, VP Asia at Newtec, is among the line-up of experts due to attend the forum and will take
Contd. from P-57 took a hard line on the future of the pay TV business “the pay TV business as we know it is dead. Piracy of content was next on the agenda with Mark Mulready of Irdeto showcasing just how difficult it is to distinguish legal from illegal content sites. With piracy followed the issue if regulation where Ajit Pai from the US Federal Communications Commission and R.S. Sharma from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India both agreeing that governments should take a less restrictive approach to regulation to allow new business models to take shape. The second day of the CASBAA Convention took an in-depth look at some of the technology as well as advertising models and revenue streams that are making waves in the new world of OTT. Gathering key players from the broadcast industry across the region, the convention 58
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Mario Querner, VP Asia - Newtec part in a panel titled ‘Myanmar’s Connectivity Rollout, Broadband offering opportunity to make rapid advances in social and economic development.’ “As the satellite industry evolves, operators and service providers discussed some of the most pertinent issues facing the broadcast industry today. Khush Kundi of Ericsson, Sushant Sharma of Accedo, Lee Risk of GfK, Nick Burfitt from Kantar Media, Kantar, Keld Nielsen, David Downey from INVIDI, Josh Black of GroupM, Riaz Mehta of Imagine Group, Tony Chow of Marriott International, Sumeet Jaisinghani of Saban Capital Group, Fritz Demopoulos of Queen’s Road Capital, Sander Hamersma of Barclays, Mark Britt from iflix, Peter Bithos from HOOQ, Ivy Wong from VS Media. also spoke during the convention. The UNICEF Child Rights Award for Television was also awarded at 2nd day’s session. The winner was GMA Networks from the Philippines for their emotionally compelling work on child manual labor in the Philippines, BAMBOO. This year’s CASBAA Convention
Myanmar is expected to launch its own satellite within five years to protect its spatial sovereignty. In addition to supporting mobile network backhaul, satellite services will be crucial for supporting key sectors: Defence, education, health, banking, mining and agriculture. This year’s event is set to be even more successful, as it partners with more than 20 international satellite industry companies such as platinum sponsors AsiaSat, ABS and SpeedCast, who will all have representative speakers at this year’s forum. concluded with a fun debate on key statements regarding the future of the broadcasting industry for the audience to vote on. Propositions such as ‘mobile will be the predominant screen, the 30 second TV slot is dead and insightful curation is the future of television were posited with the audience mainly agreeing that the TV screen will prevail, as will the 30 sec ad slot, and that curation is essential to the future of TV. Sponsors for the CASBAA Convention 2015 include: ABS, Accedo, Akamai, AMC, APT Satellite, AsiaSat, Asia Television Limited, Brightcove, Conax, ContentWise, CreateHK, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Eutelsat, France 24, Ideal Group, InvestHK, Irdeto, ITV Choice, Kantar Media, Letv, Lightning, MEASAT, MediaExcel, One Championship, Patron Spirits, PCCW, PwC, RTL CBS Asia, Scripps Networks Interactive, SES, TIME NOW, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Time Warner, True Visions, Turner, TV5Monde and Victorious.
INTERVIEW
“Mobility is a ‘force-multiplier’ for us” Ben Dornier Director of Corporate & Community Services, City of Palmerston Interview - Melina Dia Mantopoulou
We caught up with Ben Dornier, Director of Corporate & Community Services at the City of Palmerston, to chat about his experience and to capture his thoughts on the latest industry trends, including the specific challenges and opportunities within his industry, mobility as part of company strategy and how this enables employee mobility, disruptive technologies andwhat he’s most looking forward to at the 6th Cloud Asia Forum 2015, to be held in Hong Kong on 24-25 November Melina: What does your role involve and how is technology helping your organisation grow and reach more customers? What is the role of Cloud Computing in this? Ben: My role includes responsibility for general corporate affairs (finance, city tax revenue, legal affairs, HR, IT, contracts, insurance and risk) as well as governance and strategy (the city strategy, annual budget, annual financial reporting, performance reporting, policy and corporate strategy), and community services (libraries, city recreational facilities, city facilities, city community services). ICT plays a major role in ensuring this portfolio can not only be adequately delivered, but especially in ensuring it is done efficiently and sustainably.
Cloud computing is a major player, with several major systems already in the cloud, and our transfer of all corporate ICT systems into public/private cloud hybrids over the course of this financial year. It has reduced our risk and cost base, and allowed us a shift of emphasis from employing pure technical expertise to technical strategy expertise, allowing us to focus on our core services while improving service standards. M: What do you consider as the three main challenges for wide Cloud Computing adoption in Asia and how do you anticipate they can be overcome? B: Interesting question, and really I
can only answer regarding the public sector – the first is primarily HK based. I note a reticence amongst public agencies to provide mobility solutions to their employees, and I think this seriously hampers the effectiveness of cloud based solutions to get government workers out of their desks and into the city infrastructure and services, which I believe likely drags on costs and efficiency. With this as a barrier, many of the benefits of cloud based solutions will not be readily as apparent to the government – and the skill sets of highly competent, highly mobile workforce will not be an advantage. Second, I see the structural issues associated with data governance and related November 2015
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policy as a serious barrier, although this is steadily decreasing. As long as policy makers are not actively addressing cloud procurement and adoption issues, the ICT staff supporting internal decision making will not be able to recommend new and innovative
M: How much is Mobility part of your strategy? Is it important for organisations to enable employee mobility and reach out to customers through mobile devices?
mobile devices when and where they need it, and an increasing proportion of these rely on mobile devices as their primary access. This will only increase.
B: Mobility is a ‘force-multiplier’ for us (to borrow from military terms), which allows us to increase
M: How do you think Disruptive Technologies affect the way business is done in your industry?
I note a reticence amongst public agencies to provide mobility solutions to their employees, and I think this seriously hampers the effectiveness of cloud based solutions to get government workers out of their desks and into the city infrastructure and services, which I believe likely drags on costs and efficiency. With this as a barrier, many of the benefits of cloud based solutions will not be readily as apparent to the government – and the skill sets of highly competent, highly mobile workforce will not be an advantage. models of service delivery without there being fairly high costs associated with development. This continues the prevalence of ‘bespoke systems’ and the myth that ‘our agency and its requirements are unique, and we need a unique system’. I simply do not believe this is true any longer, and nations which address this at a federal or national level are reaping the benefits. Third, in ‘cloudreadiness’, Asia is rapidly climbing – but this is really a private sector metric. I would strongly advocate that there be a concerted effort in the industry to support a public sector metric, which could bootstrap some of the incredible work happening in the private sector, and be a convincing argument for changes in public policy towards cloud use. Public sector use will be a serious revenue driver once procurement practices are able to support government cloud use in the least restrictive manner appropriate. 60
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productivity while reducing pressures on human resources. Municipal employees are able to spend less time at their desks entering data into corporate systems, be it for inspections and assessments of civic assets, to animal and parking infringements. For these staff, less time at the desk means more time doing the work they were hired to do. It also allows us to offer better
B: Technology disruption is continuing to be a key component, particularly as older, expensive Line of Business systems are proving not nearly as capable as well managed cloud based solutions. I believe an increasing disruptor in this area will be cloud based integration services offering connections which tie multiple cloud based solutions into effectively a single service from the perspective of the end user. There will always be a role for major system suppliers, but increasingly the aggregated cloud based service sector will take a large chunk of market share while reducing the risks associated to big capex spends and expensive implementations. M: What was your interest in attending Cloud Asia Forum? What are you looking to achieve by attending the event? B: I am looking forward to hearing the speakers and interacting with delegates and finding out where these ‘ah-hah’ moments will occur.
I believe an increasing disruptor in this area will be cloud based integration services offering connections which tie multiple cloud based solutions into effectively a single service from the perspective of the end user. employment flexibility for staff who would prefer to operate part time or odd hours, without some of the productivity issues often associated with workplace flexibility. We are also finding that young employees are increasingly expecting us to provide this capability, and quickly adopt mobile solutions. As for our city residents, more than 50% are accessing city information through
This year I am particularly interested in listening to topics covering C-Level persuasion, the translation of the technical advantages of cloud computing into corporate decision making involving non-technical (meaning ICT!) executives. For me, I think this will be helpful in persuading elected officials on their own terms about the benefits of cloud adoption.
PTA
INET Islamabad Conference “Towards Digital Economy in Pakistan: Building ICT Agenda for Sustainable Development”
Partners #INET ISB internetsociety.org/inet-islamabad
INET Islamabad will be host to over 250 participants from government, Internet service providers and mobile operators, academe, financial institutions, information and communication technologies (ICT) entrepreneurs, the private sector, and the general public. Central to the forum’s theme, “Towards a Digital Economy in Pakistan: Building ICT Agenda for Sustainable Development” will be discussions on topics highly relevant to Pakistan in helping achieve this goal. Organized by Internet Society Asia-Pacific Bureau in partnership with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and supported by Telecommunication Industry of Pakistan, the two-day conference will feature both international and national subject matter experts with broad experience, globally and nationally, in ICT, policymaking and development. Some of the key topics that will be taken up in the conference are: ● Infrastructure and Connectivity for Sustainable Development ● e-Gov Architecture, Standards, Interoperability and Implementation ● Building Trust in Cyberspace ● Growth of ICT Industry ● Digital Financial Inclusion ● Towards a Digital Economy INET Islamabad will also feature a high-level ‘Telecommunication C Level’ meeting scheduled on 16 November to deliberate on to deliberate on role of ICT sector and services to achieve development goals envisioned by Government of Pakistan through its “Vision 2025”. Rajnesh Singh, Regional Bureau Director for Asia-Pacific at the
Dr. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman - PTA
Rajnesh Singh, Regional Bureau Director AP - Internet Society
Pakistan now stands at the cusp of breaking into a digital economy and needs to make informed choices in fostering an environment that can use the Internet and Internet-based technologies to help drive socio-economic opportunities for all Rajnesh Singh Internet Society, says: “Pakistan now stands at the cusp of breaking into a digital economy and needs to make informed choices in fostering an environment that can use the Internet and Internet-based technologies to help drive socioeconomic opportunities for all. We look forward to contributing to this process through INET Islamabad.” Dr. Syed Ismail Shah, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said: “By hosting the INET Islamabad we aim to display our commitment towards the mutual objective of promoting healthy debate for the betterment of
Internet and allied services in Pakistan. Pakistan has recently shown tremendous growth potential in broadband services and economy has already started getting benefit of this growth. The goal of this conference is to get the local community acquainted with the internet challenges and how to be engaged with addressing these challenges. We hope this conference will encourage and contribute towards the awareness and let the participants share opinions and insights regarding the current initiatives.” November 2015
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NEWS
Eaman Al Roudhan appointed CEO of Zain Kuwait With over 20 years of experience, incoming CEO to work closely with the Zain Group Board and executive team in enhancing Zain Kuwait’s market leadership Zain Group has announceds the appointment of Kuwaiti national, Mrs Eaman Al Roudhan as CEO of Zain Kuwait, the Group’s flagship and most profitable operation, effective 1 December, 2015. Mrs Al Roudhan will succeed Omar Al Omar who will return to Zain Group in a senior advisory role supporting the Zain Group CEO in transforming the company into an integrated digital lifestyle operator. A results-focused telecommunications executive, Mrs Al Roudhan brings over 20 years of experience to the position, 18 years of which were spent in various executive management and leadership roles within Zain Kuwait as well as several Zain Group affiliates. Prior to her new appointment, Mrs Al Roudhan was the Chief Regulatory Officer of Zain Group. Mrs Al Roudhan will continue to build on the healthy foundation of success laid by Mr Al Omar, who has been CEO of Zain Kuwait since October 2011 and before that the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer, having joined Zain back in September 2001.
The incoming CEO of Zain Kuwait, Mrs Al Roudhan commented: “I am honored to be given this prime opportunity to continue my rewarding journey with Zain. As the flagship operation of the Group, Zain Kuwait is deeply entrenched in the telecom, economic and social landscape in the country. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to continue working closely with the Zain Group Board and Executive management as well as the highly talented Zain Kuwait team to maintain the mobile operation’s high standards and take it to new heights of innovation and service.” Commenting on the appointment, Zain Group CEO Scott Gegenheimer said: “With Mrs Al Roudhan’s distinguished record and strong background in regulatory affairs, mobile technology, strategy and management, I have every confidence she is the right person to take Zain Kuwait to the next level in solidifying its market leadership. It is also a significant development in Zain’s evolution, with Mrs Al Roudhan being the first women appointed to a CEO role within Zain Group operations. ”
Mrs Al Roudhan’s successful career at Zain commenced in 1998 within the Kuwait operation and launched the first mobile prepaid service in the country, which went on to dominate the country’s prepaid mobile customer base. As Zain expanded across the region, Al Roudhan’s responsibilities also grew from 2003 onwards as she was an active participant in the start-up teams in several Zain operations across the Middle East, namely Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.
Zain Kuwait partners with Huawei to build Virtual Network Strategy Zain Kuwait has signed a business contract with Huawei to use the power of virtualized network technologies to deliver more dynamic, flexible, and efficient mobile services to its customers over the next three years. The agreement will focus on the application of a cutting-edge trend in telecommunications known as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). It is a concept that is still 62
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fairly new to the Middle East—Zain Kuwait is the first regional operator to practice NFV on a live network— and which combines traditional telecommunications hardware with contemporary cloud-based and software-driven IT solutions. The result is a network which can use virtual processes to streamline operations, utilize resources more effectively, and which can be scaled quickly to meet with customers’ rising service demands.
du partners with Omantel to provide its IPTV services du has signed a partnership agreement with Omantel, for its award-winning IPTV service platform. Through this regional first tie up between the operators, Omantel will be able to launch IPTV service in their local market using du’s IPTV platform, thereby reducing their time-tomarket and offering their customers a world-class IPTV experience. The partnership agreement provides an opportunity for du to expand the regional reach of its IPTV platform. Mr. Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer, du, said: “Our partnership
with Omantel marks a significant step for us as we continue in our steadfast growth throughout the region. We are now a regional ICT player, having diversified from pure telecommunications, and we’re expanding our offerings for regional incumbents”. Mr. Talal Said Marhoon Al Mamari, Chief Executive Officer, Omantel, said: “We are pleased to enter into this partnership agreement with du which will enable us to offer our customers state-of-the-art IPTV service. As the owner of Oman’s
largest IP network, we believe IPTV provides a unique opportunity to offer our customers unmatched broadcast quality for on-demand entertainment services”. This new partnership is demonstrative of the collaboration potential between regional operators that can reduce costs, and create a new order where operators do not have to build infrastructure from scratch, but can rely on partners to launch new services and sharing best practices & offerings.
Hala Badri named Leading Businesswoman of the Year Hala Badri, Executive Vice President of Brand and Communications at du was named the Leading Businesswoman of the Year by the WIL Achievement Awards 2015. In a glittering ceremony held at Jumeirah Etihad Towers on November 2, Hala was presented her award by His Excellency Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, the Minister of Economy for the United Arab Emirates and Sophie Le Ray, CEO of Naseba and Founder of the WIL Forum. Speaking of her achievement, Hala Badri said: “Being recognised as the Leading Businesswoman of the Year is an incredible honour. I hope that my win inspires other hardworking Emirati women to aim higher, because they can achieve their ambition.
Working for a company like du, who are vested in transforming the business landscape when it comes to gender inclusion, has
motivated me to be a change maker in the UAE. I would like to express my gratitude to WIL for this recognition.” November 2015
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NEWS
Telenor announces intention to divest shares in VimpelCom The Telenor Group has declared that it will now fully focus on creating value in core operations.
shares represents approximately eight per cent of Telenor’s market capitalization.
“The VimpelCom asset, where Telenor holds a minority position without the possibility to fully control the company, has been challenging. Based on a strategic review by the Board and the CEO, and after due considerations, Telenor Group has decided to divest its shares in VimpelCom Ltd. The disposal of our shares is in the best interest of our shareholders, and in accordance with Telenor Group’s long-term strategic focus,” said Mr. Svein Aaser, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Telenor Group.
“We have maintained growth through solid performance from our controlled operations and will continue to focus on value creation in our core operations. Our ambition is to drive profitable growth in the telecom business, where Telenor will continue to monetize on the exponential data usage taking place across our footprint,” said Mr. Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group.
VimpelCom Ltd. has gradually contributed less to the value of Telenor Group, and the value of Telenor’s core operations have increased rapidly. Today, the market value of the VimpelCom Ltd.
Telenor Group has invested NOK 15 billion in VimpelCom. The company has received NOK 20 billion in dividends and the current market value of the ownership stake is approximately NOK 20 billion. Telenor Group says it will explore all options to divest its shares in VimpelCom Ltd., and will seek to
Sigve Brekke, President & CEO, Telenor Group. find the best solution for Telenor and its shareholders. A timeframe for the divestment has not been set, but a process like this will normally take some time. As a result of recent announcement Telenor will not convert its VimpelCom Ltd. preferred shares into common shares.
EXPO COMM RUSSIA 2016 - ICT show of the future for the Russian Market To be held on April 19-21 in Moscow E.J. Krause & Associates has announced their new collaboration with ITE Russia to co-organize EJK’s long running and successful information communications technology (ICT) event, EXPO COMM RUSSIA 2016. EXPO COMM RUSSIA exhibition and conference will take place on April 19-21, 2016 at VDNH, Pavilion 75 B in Moscow, Russia. As the well-known and preferred meeting point for ICT professionals in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), EXPO COMM RUSSIA 2016 will present to exhibitors, sponsors and industry/ government participants the latest
technology advances and enterprise innovations that are transforming businesses, services, and numerous consumer sectors and therefore benefiting the national economy in Russia. EJK has joined forces with the ITE Group to create the best promotional platform for ICT firms doing business in Russia. ITE is a market leader in Russia’s exhibition industry, with offices in five cities; Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. Together, EJK and ITE will continue the long tradition and success of EXPO COMM RUSSIA exhibition and conference, held
annually in Moscow. The technology profile of EXPO COMM RUSSIA will include Network Integration, Unified Communications, Information Management, IOT/ Cloud Computing and Mobile ICT for Russia’s enterprise community. Internet of Things, cloud-based solutions, wearable technologies, and mobile ICT are new elements of an expanded technology profile that will be featured at next year’s EXPO COMM RUSSIA 2016 event. Of particular interest to exhibitors and attendees will be an all-inclusive Contd. on P-66 November 2015
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REPORT
Broadband Forum demonstrates G.fast as initial deliverable of Forum’s new Broadband 20/20 Vision Forum’s Interoperability Pavilion at Broadband World Forum in London hosts new game-changing ultra-fast technologies confused and fragmented. By focusing on the integrated use of these technologies, the Broadband Forum helps operators gain the much-needed confidence in the business potential of implementing SDN and NFV in the broadband network. The importance of the use cases the Broadband Forum has developed cannot be stressed enough.”
Robin Mersh, CEO BBWF The Broadband Forum hosted many new technologies on its Interoperability Pavilion at the Broadband World Forum event. This included the first demonstrations of G.fast which promises to open up new residential and business opportunities at millions of locations. This also marked the first tangible deliverable of the Forum’s newly announced Broadband 20/20 vision. The focus is on specific new broadband home and business opportunities that leverage SDN, NFV, IoT and ultra-fast technologies. Also on display in the pavilion were the BBF Certification and Plugfest programs that underpin key enabling technologies such as device management (TR-069) and ultra-fast access using G-PON, G.fast and VDSL2. Teresa Mastrangelo, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading said: “Broadband 20/20 is an extremely timely initiative at a time when there are so many new technology approaches vying for attention of operators and there is a danger of the market becoming 66
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Tom Starr, Broadband Forum President and Lead Member of Technical Staff at AT&T, said: “The Broadband 20/20 vision recognizes that interoperability will be key to the new world of communications. It is a core part of the Forum’s work and strategy and so the Interoperability Pavilion is the perfect place to discuss and showcase both the vision and the emerging technologies such as G.fast.” The Interoperability Pavilion, with its diverse mix of companies and technologies, gave the Broadband Forum its first opportunity to showcase and discuss the ideas encompassed in Broadband 20/20.
It demonstrates tangibly the holistic approach that Broadband 20/20 will take, supporting the development of broadband in the future and helping to transform the way people communicate, purchase and consume all manner of informational and entertainment content. The participating companies in the Pavilion were ARRIS, ADTRAN, Axiros, Calix, Digital Lightwave, Huawei, LAN (the Test Lab of the BBF G-PON Certification program), MT2, PIVA Software, SMART/RG, Telebyte and the UNH-IOL (the Test Lab of the BBF’s Certification programs for both TR-069 and G.fast). Also supporting the Pavilion are the HomeGrid Forum and the ITU-T, who both partner with the Broadband Forum on various technical projects. “Our presence at Broadband World Forum will allow us to show more of how Broadband 20/20 will enable seamless migration to ultra-fast, agile connectivity, enabling new technologies and allowing them to deliver real value, with exciting new opportunities for service providers,” added Robin Mersh, Broadband Forum’s CEO.
EXPO COMM RUSSIA 2016 Contd. from P-65 conference and showcase focused on enterprise solutions, mobile applications, connected devices, and business services. Conference keynotes and business program speakers will emphasize the development of new innovations that facilitate greater technology adoption in Russia, and ground-breaking solutions for new user interfaces by a revitalized Russian economy that is now poised for more growth.
EXPO COMM RUSSIA is the leading ICT event, featuring global industry leaders from 25 nations and serves as the annual meeting place for ICT industry executives and business professionals in Russia and the CIS. As in previous years, technology driven international pavilions, supported and sponsored by their respective governments from Germany, China, Canada, Taiwan, and India have already confirmed their participation for EXPO COMM RUSSIA 2016.
REPORT
PSEB organizes workshop for IT startups and SMEs
Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) organized a 2-day workshop on launching IT startups successfully for startups and entrepreneurs from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar at the premises of National IT Board in Islamabad. Training for the workshop was conducted by Mr. Azhar Rizvi, Vice Chairman, MIT Enterprise Forum Pakistan. The workshop started with a presentation and interactive discussion on the ingredients of a business plan and creating a business plan. This was followed by a speech by MD PSEB, Mr. Asim Shahryar Husain, who talked about PSEB’s contributions to IT industry last year and plans for next year. He stated that PSEB has different industry support programs for IT companies including participation in international IT exhibitions with IT companies, local workshops, CMMI training and certification, capacity building through internships and trainings, and infrastructure in the form of software technology parks and bandwidth. He stated that PSEB has launched these workshops to guide and help IT startups and SMEs so that they can grow their business by attracting new investors and customers. This was followed by a documentary which PSEB had produced on the IT industry of Pakistan. The documentary showcased success stories of
different IT companies of Pakistan and why Pakistan is an attractive destination for IT outsourcing and investment. Talking on the occasion, Minister of State for IT, Ms. Anusha Rehman Khan, mentioned that Ministry of IT has declared 2015 as the year of IT and has instructed PSEB to launch a series of workshops to help IT startups, entrepreneurs and SMEs so that they can grow their IT business and exports. She mentioned that Ministry of IT has been successful in engaging Korea Eximbank for feasibility study for a new stateof-the-art IT park on PSEB’s land in Islamabad. The goal is to sign agreement with Korea Eximbank by next year to be followed by a groundbreaking ceremony. She mentioned that government’s goal is to create an enabling environment and infrastructure for the IT industry including startups. That is why the ministry of IT is also in the process of launching a new technology incubator for startups by next year. She mentioned that according to State Bank of Pakistan, IT remittances have grown by 41% since last year and IT exports are 10% of Pakistan’s total services exports at present. She mentioned that Pakistan is in Upwork’s top 5 freelancing countries which is now the world’s largest
freelancing network. The minister emphasized that IT companies should report their foreign remittances through the banking channel so that PSEB can get a better picture of IT exports of Pakistan. The second half of first day included a presentation on finding international clients from CEO Discretelogix as well as filling the business plan template. This was followed by a presentation on how to deliver an elevator pitch to a potential investor or customer. The second day of the workshop involved all of the startups presenting their business plans who then got feedback on improvements they could make to their business plans in future. The second half included presentations from VP LMKT and CEO DPL who talked about their journey from a startup to ten million dollar plus companies now. Country Manager, Microsoft Pakistan, Mr. Nadeem Malik, talked about sales and marketing techniques for software and services. The feedback from most of the startups was that they found the workshop very useful because it taught them about business planning in a structured manner and this process will help them plan and grow their startups in a more effective manner. November 2015
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Global ICT & Telecom events 2015 Africa Com
17 - 19 Nov
Cape Town, South Africa
LTE Africa
17 - 19 Nov
Cape Town, South Africa
Africa Cast
17 - 19 Nov
Cape Town, South Africa
LTE North America
17 - 19 Nov
Dallas, US
TV Connect Africa
17 - 19 Nov
Cape Town, South Africa
Communicast Myanmar 2015
17 - 19 Nov
Yangon
VSAT Africa 2015
18 - 19 Nov
Cape Town South Africa
MVNOs Industry Summit USA 2015
19 - 20 Nov
Dallas, USA
Cloud Asia Forum
24 - 25 Nov
Hong Kong
29 Nov - 1 Dec
London, UK
1 Dec
London, UK
Digital TV World Summit 2015
1 - 2 Dec
London, UK
Carrier Network Virtualization
1 - 2 Dec
California, US
Customer Insight and Analytics in Telecom
2 - 3 Dec
London, UK
Bakutel 2015
2 - 5 Dec
Baku, Azerbaijan
24 - 25 Dec
London, UK
CTO, Telecom Summit
December TMT Finance & Investment World
Connect TV World Summit
Global ICT & Telecom events 2016 4 - 6 Jan
Manama - Bahrain
PTC
17 - 20 Jan
Honolulu, Hawaii
Convergence India
20 - 22 Jan
New Delhi India
Customer experience Management in Telecom
25 - 27 Jan
London UK
Mobile World Congress
22 - 25 Feb
Barcelona Spain
Satellite 2016
07 - 10 March
National Harbor, MD
CABSAT
8 - 10 March
Dubai UAE
Digital Myanmar Conference & Expo 2016
29 - 30 March
Yangon, Myanmar
GISEC
29 - 31 March
Dubai, UAE
GEMEC 2016
29 - 31 March
Dubai UAE
6 - 7 April
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
26 - 28 April
Muscat Oman
9 - 11 May
Dubai, UAE
Cards & Payments
31 May - 01 June
Dubai, UAE
Critical Communications
31 May - 02 June
Amsterdam, Netherlands
CommunicAsia
31 May - 02 June
Singapore
Satcomm
31 May - 03 June
Singapore
CommunicAsia 2016 Summit
31 May - 03 June
Singapore
GITEX Technology Week 2016
16 - 20 October
Dubai
ICT Bahrain, (Bitex)
Lte Latin America Comex Lte Mena
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