SAMENA Council, represented by its CEO – Bocar BA, has drawn attention to connect the 2.7 billion people still without any access to broadband connectivity, whether fixed or mobile. The Council notes that while the status quo is changing gradually—and in some rare cases, quickly—billions of dollars are still required to complement the trillions that have already been invested so far in connecting the 5.3 billion people. SAMENA Council believes that future connectedness, including transition from 5G to 5.5G and beyond, requires accelerated implementation of new technologies and new forms of multi-stakeholder cooperation in digital development, centered on meeting “access, affordability, and equality” KPIs. Lately, SAMENA Council has been actively advocating on the need to fund and finance digital infrastructure through innovative financial approaches.
Advocating at the Global Microwave Industry Forum, Bocar BA, emphasized that "Two things are categorically clear - First, we need to attract vast investment in order to support sustainable broadband development and digital connectedness —ranging from people to people, people to machines, to machines to machines. Second, especially for Telecom Operators, we need strategic adaptation to physical realities of telecom network design, accessibility, investment viability, and what is around us in terms of network innovations and time-tested and new microwave transport technologies."
BA, in his message, was acknowledging and referring to the GCC region's leadership and to the Telecom Operators' and Regulators' powerful role on the 5G front, not only in terms of early adoption but also in terms of data transmission speeds. The region's 5G momentum has been boosted by a number of factors, including the economic recovery from the pandemic, rising 5G handset sales, network coverage expansions and overall marketing efforts.
Referring to the ultimate goal of making 5G a success for the Private Sector, Policymakers and Regulators alike, and as 5.5G emerges with its new use-cases, BA reiterated that fifth-generation network expansion must extend from urban areas to far beyond into far-flung territories. Under this scenario, multiple variables, including cost, time, complexity, right-of-way, and other administrative, regulatory, and business pressures, have to be balanced out, which could affect deployment and inhibit growth ambitions. Because microwave has played a major role in mobile technology rollouts in the region, and because microwave transport capacity has now evolved from hundreds of megabit-per-second capacity to tens of gigabit-per-second capacity and offers low-cost, quick installation and reliable, secure operations, 5G/5.5G capable microwave, supported by a sound wireless backhaul strategy, holds the strongest potential for accelerating 5G deployments and developing 5.5G through consensus-driven approaches.
In order to address impediments to adoption and to bring its benefits to the region, as a trusted industry voice and through its private-sector representative role within the ITU’s Industry Advisory Group for Development Issues (IAGDI), SAMENA Council will play its role in fostering 5.5G development, which includes agreeing on definitions and standardization way forward. SAMENA Council recognizes that fifth-general digital infrastructure development in the region has also been carried out successfully due to advancements in Fiber, Cloud, latest Radio Access, and Microwave Backhaul, as well as several other factors, including Operators’ willingness to tread through challenging paths.
Source: SAMENA Council Press release