Page 73 - SAMENA Trends - Jan-Mar 2024

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

said S&P Global. The report further noted that telecommunication of telecommunication firms. “We estimate non-telecom operations
companies in the region are also venturing into media, entertainment currently contribute about 15 percent to 16 percent to rated GCC
and e-gaming sectors. S&P Global also highlighted some recent telcos’ combined revenues,” the report said. It added: “While core
acquisitions made by telecommunication firms in the GCC region telecom services will continue to account for most revenues and
to diversify their businesses. In 2022, Saudi Telecommunications remain the overwhelming profit generators in the short term, we
Co. secured significant stakes in systems integrator firms Giza expect digital businesses will grow at a significantly faster pace.”
Systems and Giza Arabia Systems. Moreover, last year, UAE-based The report noted that telecommunication firms in the region will
e& acquired over 50 percent of Careem Super App, an application witness low single-digit growth for telecom revenues and organic
that provides food and grocery delivery, micro-mobility, digital growth of 10 percent to 20 percent per year in non-telecom
wallet, as well as fintech services. The study pointed out that GCC revenues. Mergers and acquisitions could compound organic
governments’ digitalization and economic development agendas growth in the non-telecom sector, resulting in much faster revenue
will support digital businesses and boost consolidated revenues accretion from tech-related services, the study stated.

Qatar to Digitize 90% of Citizen Services by 2030

Qatar is set to establish a specialized “cen- ity. Emphasis is also placed on advancing laboration with key players, including ICT
ter of excellence” dedicated to data and system interoperability through enhanced providers like Ooredoo Qatar, Siemens, and
emerging technologies, including Artificial data exchange layers. To enhance govern- Microsoft, is ongoing to drive digitalization
Intelligence (AI), as part of its ambitious ment decision-making speed and effective- in various fields, such as smart cities and
goal to digitize 90 per cent of its citizen ness, Qatar plans to transform the design innovative solutions. NDS3 places a strong
services by 2030. The initiative, outlined and delivery of services by strengthening emphasis on policy alignment across gov-
in the third National Development Strate- central capabilities in innovation and digi- ernment entities, incorporating input from
gy (NDS3), also includes a revamp of tools tization. This includes revamping the ser- academia, citizens, residents, businesses,
for monitoring operational and institutional vice catalogue, establishing Service Level and non-governmental entities system-
performance to track progress effective- Agreement (SLA) frameworks, launching a atically. The strategy aims to strengthen
ly. The country aspires to position itself one-stop-shop portal, delivering integrated accountability in government institutions
as a digital government leader, aiming for services, improving customer experience, by enhancing the capabilities, governance,
a customer satisfaction score exceeding creating innovation labs, and establishing and operating models of independent over-
85 per cent across all services by 2030. a Centre of Excellence for service design. sight bodies. Addressing the challenge of
The establishment of a Centre of Excel- The government also plans to implement limited access to up-to-date information,
lence for data and emerging technologies, centralized performance tracking and the strategy emphasizes ensuring easy ac-
particularly AI, will drive initiatives such monitoring systems for its services, with cess to government reports, policy chang-
as developing a comprehensive national the aim of improving customer experi- es, and open public data. The goal is to
data governance and management frame- ence, ensuring quality and efficiency, and exceed an 80 per cent adherence to SLAs
work to improve data availability and qual- promoting continuous improvement. Col- within and between governmental entities.

Egypt, Jordan to Establish Submarine Fiber Optic Cable Dubbed 'Coral Bridge'

Telecom Egypt and Naitel Jordan signed
a cooperation agreement to establish a
submarine fiber optic cable connecting
Egypt and Jordan and that will be dubbed
"Coral Bridge." The cable will extend
between Jordan's Aqaba and Egypt's Taba,
and is aimed at fulfilling increasing demand
on AI applications and data centers,
capitalizing on the short distance between
its two landing points. The location of the
cable is also outstanding given that Egypt
is a major crossing between the East and
the West, while Jordan is a main doorway
to the Levant, Iraq, Arab Gulf, and the
intersection between Asia and Europe.

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