UAE 5G Conference: National 5G Strategy under Full Implementation in Partnership with the Private Sector
The UAE 5G Conference, organized by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), with the participation of technologists, regulatory authority heads, officials from leading industry bodies and associations, including ITU, IEEE, ICNIRP, GSMA and SAMENA Telecommunications Council, and experts in the field of 5G, has addressed the reality, prospects, challenges and opportunities related to 5G. The Conference took place in the Westin Dubai Marina and Marina Beach Resort.
During the conference, which brought together experts and officials from different countries, several sessions were held to discuss important issues relating to 5G and its potential impact on various aspects of economic, social, educational and commercial life. The agenda of the Conference included 5G implementation strategy of the UAE government and a way forward for the region, emerging technologies in 5G networks per sector, the impact of 5G in awakening the fourth industrial revolution, autonomous driving and machine learning, creating an enabling environment for 5G development, role of standards in making 5G a safe technology for mass-scale deployment, and needs to set incentives for Telecom Operators.
H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, DG of TRA-UAE, welcomed H.E. Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as well as experts and speakers representing government, private and academic sectors, indicating that the conference is in line with the directives of the UAE government leadership, foreseeing the need to prepare for the digital future and shape it in a way that serves the community and individuals and enhances happiness in the UAE. H.E. Al Mansoori stated: “We believe in the future, and that technology should be at the service of humanity and its aspirations for a decent life, sustainable development and happiness. Therefore, we confirm that we have come a long way in establishing the foundations of 5G, in cooperation with our partners in the private sector. We have launched a national 5G strategy, and our telecom service providers have already started implementing 5G on a commercial scale with vigorous and measured steps based on the outcomes of the World Radiocommunication Conference held in Egypt, which resulted in the allocation of a number of frequency bands for IMT.”
The UAE 5G Conference has focused on the adoption and development of 5G by the region, and the factors affecting the deployment of technologies such as population density, nature of the region, human activity, etc. The conference brought forth latest experiences, developments, opportunities and the immediate need of the market, including the need to set policy-level incentives for Telecom Operators all around the region, as reiterated by SAMENA Council’s CEO, Bocar BA.
During the conference, TRA and Huawei have jointly announced the launch of the OpenLab for 5G and Internet of Things. This initiative aims to enhance the services of 5G and Internet of Things across the UAE, and to advance innovation and cooperation in various sectors to create an open ecosystem that promotes the development of the ICT sector throughout the country.
Treading a path toward accelerated digitization, the UAE has been ranked first in the Arab Region and fourth globally in the launch and use of 5G networks, according to the Global Connectivity Index, issued by Carphone Warehouse, which is specialized in technology benchmarking. This achievement is the result of the efforts of the telecommunications sector in general, and TRA in particular, as the main driver of 5G launch in the UAE. In recent years, TRA has collaborated with Telecom Operators to raise the telecom sector readiness in order to enable the fifth-generation of mobile network technologies, which continue to contribute to the Emirates’ global leadership in digitization and drive the creation of digital experiences for the UAE citizens.