Technology & IT | Wednesday 3 June, 2015 1:20 pm |

SAMENA Telecommunications Council, the South Asia - Middle East - North Africa region’s sole operator-driven industry association that represents telecom service providers from around the region and beyond, is organizing its 2015 Telecom Leaders’ Summit today at the Atlantis The Palm in Dubai.

Held annually, the Telecom Leaders’ Summit this year is hosted by Huawei, a leading global ICT solution provider, for the 2nd consecutive year, under the theme “Broadband Transformation: Visualizing New Opportunities and Defining Urgent Imperatives in Stakeholder Co-Operation”. The event brings together a wide range of industry stakeholders including policymakers, regulators, telecom operators, technology providers and Internet players under one platform to share insights and experiences and identify newer areas of cross-industry cooperation to accelerate digitization efforts in the SAMENA region.

“As an industry that greatly influences the process of digitization across several other sectors and businesses, telecommunications has a decisive role to play in shaping a more connected world and bringing the benefits of digitization to organizations and individuals across our region. This however will not be an easy task and our success in realizing these goals will depend on how effectively industry stakeholders are able to align their interests and objectives and collaborate among themselves to drive innovation and capture the opportunities of digitization. The Telecom Leaders’ Summit provides a platform for key decision-makers to identify opportunities for closer cooperation in pursuit of these goals,” said Bocar BA, Chief Executive Officer, SAMENA Council.

Mr. Shiyaohong, Huawei Middle East President, said, “The availability of fast ubiquitous broadband connectivity is transforming the telecommunications landscape in the region as we work towards our vision in building a better connected world. For 15 years in the Middle East, we understand that cross-industry cooperation and placing the customer at the heart of our innovations is crucial for progress as the industry continues to evolve. The Telecom Leader’s Summit is a great way for Huawei to show our gratitude to our loyal regional partners and support the growth of the Middle East’s broadband economy. Our end-to-end solutions connect systems, businesses, cities, societies and people in order to transform industries, improve efficiencies, creates better experiences for everyone and pushing the boundaries of ICT industry.”

Ebrahim Al Haddad, Regional Director, ITU Arab Regional Office, said, “At the ITU, we are delighted to support and promote this Summit on Broadband Transformation with both SAMENA Council and Huawei. The provision of broadband connectivity is one of the main elements that would ensure the success of societies and citizens.  The ITU is committed to working with its membership on ensuring that all the benefits of broadband are brought to the citizens. We believe that international cooperation is the way forward to ensure that efforts are channeled in the right direction. This Summit, as the name suggests, is a leading opportunity for dialogue on this important issue.”

Key topics of discussion at the Summit include deployment of broadband infrastructure in the SAMENA region, particularly the socio-economic benefits of broadband deployment across different verticals and its impact on national economy in terms of GDP growth and job creation, as well as the need for enhanced stakeholder and cross-industry cooperation in enabling the creation of smarter digital societies.

Also under the spotlight is the leading role of telecom operators in empowering the evolution of citizen-centric digital solutions and services, with special emphasis on the rising need for operators to consider the adoption of latest technology trends to be able to meet the massive current and future mobile data demand, especially in the area of video content.