Page 31 - SAMENA Trends - January-February 2025

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Cisco Offers Agile AI Architecture

Cisco unveiled an agile networking architecture to help operators observation and security. To power the architecture, the company
navigate a sea of AI data and generate revenue from related unveiled new Silicon One and Cisco 8000-range products covering
services, one of a host of products being released during the access to edge and metro networks. It introduced new 400g ultra
EMEA edition of its regular technology events. During Cisco Live long-haul coherent pluggable optics capable of connecting sites
EMEA, the company noted AI swells the volume and variety of up to 3,000km apart. And it unveiled network automation and
data communications service providers must handle, arguing assurance features, offering predictive AI technology to handle
the information should be pushed towards the network edge capacity planning and resource allocation.
and, in turn be closer to users. It stated the Cisco Agile Services
Networking architecture helps to achieve those goals, providing
operators with the tools to manage how AI data moves over
their networks. “The AI revolution is a massive potential tailwind
for service providers. AI, and especially the advent of AI agents,
will mean an incredible influx of new digital workers who will be
working together and communicating constantly,” Jeetu Patel,
EVP and chief product officer said. Cisco noted a key element
of its architecture is the potential to generate additional revenue
by providing assured services and networking. It stated the set-
up simplifies operations by bringing network layers and services
together, providing resiliency by employing AI for automation,

du Claims First 5G VoNR Launch in the UAE

Emirati-based operator du claimed to be the first operator in the at du, said: “Our commitment to evolving and elevating our
United Arab Emirates (UAE) to commercially launch 5G Voice over network to superior standards has resulted in the 5G SA network
New Radio (VoNR). It has also secured full certification from top certification, guaranteeing that du customers experience ultra-
handset manufacturers for compatibility with its 5G Standalone modern connectivity and unparalleled digital experiences. We are
(5G SA) network, the Arab carrier said in a release. The telco also pleased to announce the commercial launch of VoNR over
noted it is paving the way for the next wave of 5G features that will 5G, which aims to enhance the customer experience journey in the
support AI-driven applicationOs, advanced augmented reality (AR) voice call services and provide seamless 5G experience as well as
and immersive communication experiences, adding that this next improving the network efficiency.” “The introduction of the 5G SA
stage in 5G evolution brings significant benefits to both consumers network and the enablement of VoNR over 5G network represent
and enterprises. du noted that users can now experience improved a giant leap forward in our mission to deliver exceptional service
download and upload speeds, ultra-low latency and superior call and innovative solutions to our customers. This technology not
quality through VoNR. The full implementation of 5G capabilities is only supercharges the user experience with phenomenal speeds
expected to impact key industries such as smart cities, healthcare, and premium call quality but also opens a world of possibilities for
education, and entertainment, it added. Saleem AlBlooshi, CTO businesses and public services, driving the UAE closer to its smart
city aspirations,” said Karim Benkirane, chief commercial officer at
du. du is currently in the process of deploying 5G-Advanced (5G-A)
technology in Dubai as part of its national rollout program, Hasan
Alshemeili, the telco’s head of infra technology planning, had said
during a keynote session at Huawei’s Global Mobile Broadband
Forum 2024 (MBBF 2024), which took place in October 2024 in
Istanbul, Turkey. The executive noted that du has already deployed
hundreds of 5G-A base stations while its plans for the whole
country stipulate the deployment of thousands of base stations.
du had initially launched 5G services in 2019 and 5G SA technology
in 2023. The Arab telco had previously signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Huawei to boost 5G-A technology in the
UAE. The project, dubbed “5G-A Country,” seeks to accelerate the
digital transformation of the Arab country, according to Huawei.

31 JAN-FEB 2025