Page 10 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

COVID-19 VS TELECOM INDUSTRY SAMENA TRENDS

COVID-19 has drastically
slowed down our progress
on the Sustainable Dev-
elopment Goals (SDGs),
which are significantly
dependent on the utilization

of ICTs. This then places a
great responsibility on the
shoulders of the Telecom
Industry — Telecom Ope-
rators, Internet Companies,
Technology Providers,
niche-segment Digital Pla-
yers, Policy-makers, and
so, the entire world’s education system A Befitting Collective Response Needed ICT Regulatory Bodies.
and technology capability to assist in from the Telecom & ICT Industry
e-learning have come under pressure to The Telecom/ICT is the world’s digital We need to play our role
perform, especially due to fear that some nervous system, fulfilling not only its in harnessing the power
students may temporarily and some may connectivity and information needs, but of ICTs to help mitigate
permanently loose opportunity to complete revenue-generation as well. As a major
education, causing direct family-level pillar of national development and a carrier the huge social costs that
impact on future livelihoods and national- of digital innovation across industries and the world is now incurring
level impact on the economy. economic sectors, our Industry needs
to deliver consolidated, collaborated due to a new microscopic
On the lighter and brighter side, nonethe- responses to both current and future global challenge.
less, COVID-19 has optimized our online crisis situations. Technological prowess,
experience in both business and social in- proactive readiness in making timely Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
teractions, while bringing families togeth- information available, mobile network which are significantly dependent on the
er; detaching us from the many complex- capabilities and data analytics, accurate utilization of ICTs. This then places a great
ities of modern-day life and re-instilling situational analysis, willingness to responsibility on the shoulders of the
in our next generation a time-tested value meaningfully collaborate with concerned Telecom Industry — Telecom Operators,
system, which would be essential to thriv- cross-sector entities in urgency, and Internet Companies, Technology Providers,
ing in the hyper-connected society of to- fostering emotional intelligence in our niche-segment Digital Players, Policy-
morrow. We are also re-learning hygiene; informationally-bombarded society are makers, and ICT Regulatory Bodies. We
something that we now realize would be some necessary components of the need to play our role in harnessing the
necessary for creating a healthy, sustain- responses, which the Industry and its power of ICTs to help mitigate the huge
able, smart-city environment. leaders do need to demonstrate. social costs that the world is now incurring
due to a new microscopic challenge. Given
As a major pillar of national What has followed over the past several our globalization-driven world and highly
interconnected and much interdependent
weeks within our Industry, including the
development and a carrier cancellation of MWC in Barcelona, the lifestyles, pandemics of the modern era
of digital innovation across postponement of the SAMENA Council are much more powerful, speedier, and
industries and economic Leaders’ Summit 2020 in Dubai, imposed hold much larger damage footprints, both
physically and psychologically.
quarantine of employees or forced leaves,
sectors, our Industry needs to say the least, serve both as a food for
to deliver consolidated, thought as well as an impetus for strongly The UN Broadband Commission,
through its Working Group on Epidemic
and wisely reacting to the prevailing and
collaborated responses future challenges. Preparedness’s report two years ago,
to both current and future described how epidemics monitoring
system based on fixed and mobile
global crisis situations. Lest we forget, COVID-19 has drastically networks, epidemics data platform, and
slowed down our progress on the

10 MARCH 2020