Page 4 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS

5G: Ready for Digital Transformation across Industries

While immediate action is needed to the crisis, and for bringing various industries
beneficially exploit the power of existing closer to the Telecom Industry in order to
digital technologies in order to put recovery create new cross-industry synergies for
back on track, governments and regulatory catalyzing a true digital renaissance in both
authorities in the region, with the support and socio-economic activity and in industrial
proactive engagement of the private sector productivity. Already, there is consensus and
and the digital space players, should also recognition by governments and the private
act upon the need to create synergies across sector alike that connectivity—at end-user,
various industries—that is, vertical markets machine to machine, and industrial levels—
for the Telecom Industry. In July, SAMENA lies at the core of these aspirations.
Council aimed to reiterate precisely this, and
thanks to the level of industry participation of At the core of provision of connectivity lies
industry stakeholders and decision-makers the central role of Telecom Operators, and
witnessed during the Leaders' Summit 2020, this role through out the current year, since Bocar A. BA
the message has been well-established. the pandemic, has been well-recognized. Chief Executive Officer & Board
However, Operators themselves are facing Member
The post-COVID-19 world is more digitally- tremendous revenue-generation challenges, SAMENA Telecommunications
driven than it had ever been, and will continued regulatory restrictions, taxation Council
continue to be much more so than it is today. regimes and industry fees, all of which have
While on one side the power of the digital a direct impact on how far, how much, and Times are calling for Operators
infrastructure stands glaringly proven; on for how long the Operators can continue to focus on closely working with
the other side, divides in broadband access with their voluntary offerings to help reduce players from other industries and
levels, affordability and capacity as societies financial hardships for the end-users sectors not only to fulfill their own
make the transition have also been firmly while living up to expectations. This merits revenue requirements and to self-
demonstrated. Fortunately, as initiated by the consideration of policy-makers and incentivize further investments,
the WEF, the public-private cross-sector regulators, who themselves face multiple but to also directly and proactively
community has reacted swiftly to develop a challenges, to reduce financial pressures on help develop the 5G ecosystem.
set of implementable measures to accelerate Operators and to help improve affordable The "5G+X" delved into during
the digitally-driven recovery efforts and to access to broadband services for the end- the SAMENA Council Leaders'
unearth new growth opportunities. Such users. Moreover, it is merited that relevant Summit 2020, which attracted the
measures are centered on holistic national government bodies help accelerate 5G participation of industry minds
digital strategies that make use of unused transformation in their respective markets, from 64 countries, will come to life
national funds; focus on dedicating certain which, among other areas, requires building only through strong, materialized
portions of the Covid recovery packages to cross-industry 5G incubation centers and collaboration, cooperation, and
digital infrastructure development where it adopting approaches that not only allow in reaching out to each other to
is most needed; and necessitate supporting for overcoming direct impediments to 5G overcome common challenges and
SMEs across all industries in their efforts to deployment (such as spectrum interference to fulfill common objectives.
benefit from digitization. and security issues), but which also catalyze
adoption of industrial 5G among healthcare,
SAMENA Council believes that public- manufacturing, transportation, and education
private-people cooperation is essential for sectors in direct collaboration with Telecom
addressing the digital inclusion imperative, Operators.
which has been highlighted strongly after

4 JUNE-JULY 2020