Page 83 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

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UAE, Bahrain Telcos Launch JV to Simplify Intra-Regional Connectivity

GCC-based telecoms operators Du and their services while having presence as your ecosystem across the region,” said
Batelco have launched a joint venture, Arc, close as possible to users,” said Mahesh Ananda Bose, board member of Arc and
with a mission to simplify intra-regional Jaishankar, CEO designate at Arc. “So chief wholesale and corporate officer at
connectivity in the Middle East. Arc aims to far, it has been costly, complex and time- EITC, Du’s parent company. “We’re proud
offer interconnected data center solutions consuming to roll out applications and to be investing in Arc and supporting an
for carrier, cloud and content providers and services across markets in the Middle East. innovative business that will ultimately
major enterprise companies, a statement Arc directly addresses these challenges benefit the region and the entire value
from the UAE and Bahrain telcos said. They and provides a seamless platform for chain, from carriers through to end users.”
added that in its initial phase, Arc will offer cross border connectivity, similar to what Adel AlDaylami, board member of Arc and
connectivity solutions to over 30 points of we have seen in other regions around the chief global officer Batelco Global, added:
presence across the Middle East, Asia and globe.” Arc aims to create a single platform “For digital transformation and cloud
Europe, integrated with data centers in the for developing agile network ecosystems, adoption to grow in the Middle East, it
UAE and Bahrain, in addition to bridging offering prompt access to data networks needs to be simpler to connect and host
cross connectivity with major regional and data center infrastructures across solutions at the edge of the network.”Arc
cable hubs. “The challenge for network- the region. “Today’s ICT market is all is a powerful yet a simple solution that has
centric businesses in the Middle East is about agility and experience. It’s about been long overdue in the Middle East.”
to rapidly connect, optimize and control seamlessly connecting hubs and growing

Up to 60 Million 5G Subscriptions in MEA by 2024: Ericsson

Initial 5G technology subscription in the East. With 5G technology eventually going of traffic through monitored cameras and
Middle East and Africa (MEA) during the mainstream, industries such as oil and sensors. On the consumer side, Bajda said
next five years – or by 2024 – would be gas – such as the use of drones with that 5G technology for individuals is about
almost double compared with the LTE/4G high-resolution 5G cameras connected to experiencing better network speed. “Today,
technology take-up for a similar period, them – could harmonize their operations especially in the GCC, video consumption
Ahmed Ijaz, Ericsson’s principal consultant towards efficiency, Wojciech Bajda, the is huge; people have better phones and
in Middle East and Africa, told Arab News. head of Ericsson GCC, told Arab News. “In higher resolution screens that will help
The 5G subscription in MEA will reach 60 Saudi Arabia, we find that the value of 5G provide better quality of service,” he
million users from 2019 to 2024, while will come from a select set of industries said. Mathias Johansson, Saudi Telecom
4G subscriptions topped 35 million users and these include the oil and gas sector,” Company’s (STC) head of customer for
from 2011 to 2015 when the region saw Ijaz said. The network will help the industry Saudi Arabia and Egypt, agreed, noting
initial LTE/4G deployments. The 60 million in terms of controlling the pipelines and that one of the driving factors behind the
number would be primarily dominated by making sure there is monitoring of remote large number of eventual 5G subscribers in
countries in the Gulf, particularly Saudi areas, Bajda meanwhile said. Smart the region would be the availability of 5G
Arabia and the UAE, Ijaz added. 5G, or transportation, Ijaz added, is another sector enabled smartphones. STC and Ericsson
fifth generation technology, is a beefed-up in Saudi Arabia that will implement the 5G signed in February a deal to deploy 5G
version of the LTE/4G in terms of speed, network to help make road infrastructure technology in Saudi Arabia during the
capacity and responsiveness of wireless safer in the Kingdom. Smart traffic Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
networks. Saudi Arabia was the earliest to systems, for example – operating over
deploy 5G infrastructure across the Middle a 5G network – could help ease the flow

83 OCTOBER 2019