Page 29 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

consumers and enterprises with various
digital tools; hence, the combined power of
Microsoft state-of-art products along with
Omantel intelligent systems, infrastructure
and outreach will add significant value in
our customers’ digital journey and boost
their productivity.” Office 365 is an inte-
grated experience of apps and services,
designed to empower users to pursue their
passion, unlock creativity and productivity.
With access to a suite of applications such
as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and security
updates, it also provides Microsoft Teams,
a collaborative hub for teamwork to con-
duct chats, organize meetings, and share
files. “Mobility, productivity and collabora-
tion have become the core needs of every
end-user and business,” said Sheikh Saif Omantel’s expertise and breadth of pres- nels, the full suite of Office and Office 365
Hilal Al Hosni, Country Manager, Micro- ence in the sultanate – is a perfect part- Business premium to end-customers. The
soft Bahrain & Oman. “As modern life and nership to accelerate technology adop- partnership will provide the full catalogue
workplace evolve, it is important to adopt tion, and empower consumers and SMEs of Microsoft ESD including all the app’s
new tools that can help you get work done. in the country to achieve more.” “Using an and, most importantly, its latest version all
Office 365 is the ultimate mobile collabo- end-to-end integration with BPS Market- the time and based on immediate custom-
rative platform designed to supercharge place that supported the streamlining and ers demand,” said Negibabouhabib, Gener-
user productivity and enable them to make the digitalization of the delivery process, al Manager, BPS.
the most of their day. Our innovations, with Omantel will deliver, within all its chan-

Orange Cleared for 26GHz 5G Trials

Orange laid out plans to test 5G in the 26GHz band through to increase support for all three bands at the forthcoming ITU
two experimental use cases in France, after securing approval World Radiocommunication Conference in November. In May,
to employ the spectrum from regulator Arcep. In a statement, the European Commission also adopted a plan to harmonize the
Orange said using the band would allow it to explore new services rollout of 26GHz band, which all EU member states must complete
based on 5G, which will stimulate collaboration across all sectors. by end-March 2020. Orange said it will assign experimental
The 26GHz, 40GHz and 66GHz band (known as mmWave) are frequencies in the 26GHz band in two cities, using the projects to
hotly discussed in the industry because they are considered evaluate the performance of the frequency band “as well as the
key to delivering certain 5G capabilities including ultra-high technical and environmental conditions in which those can be
capacity and high-speed services. Orange’s move comes after used”. It plans to deploy a test network in the city of Rennes by
the GSMA last month called on governments across the globe the end of the year to evaluate the download of HD content in a
train station, a project being conducted in partnership with Nokia
and rail company SNCF. The experiment will involve deploying the
test network; measurements of speed and coverage; and partner
tests using Sony devices equipped with a Qualcomm modem
and processor. Rail passengers will be able to connect to 5G
hotspots and download “videos to their mobile or tablet in just
a few seconds”, said Orange. Additional consumer and business
services will be looked into at a later stage. Its second experiment
will take place at Orange Gardens 5G Lab in Chatillon, a site the
operator has used to test 5G in the 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz since 2018.
Orange said the lab will soon open its doors to partners and
companies which want to evaluate the 26GHz 5G network’s ability
to deliver enhanced multimedia experiences in busy places, along
with certain mobile use cases.
29 OCTOBER 2019