Page 4 - SAMENA Trends - October 2021

EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS

Connectivity and the Rise of Innovation

The “Golden Decade” for the industry and In the larger interest of the region’s socio-
the “Final Decade of Action” for Member economic empowerment goals, we need to
States will be driven by innovation, Fiber, align our priorities and programs together
and IPv6. For Operators, the coming years to move forward in synch. The way we
will primarily revolve around realizing bring access to connectivity must take
the added value created by adopting into account the technological progress
technologies and digital solutions that can we have made as Industry. With changed
transform and optimize daily life, business, societal, technological, and market realities,
and sustainable development. the investment in new infrastructure can no
longer follow the same approaches that got
Together, however, our aim is to create us this far. This applies equally to bringing
an intelligent world; a world built on about the best customer experience; to
enhanced connectivity which, in turn, developing 5G and “Green 5G”; to building
demands extensive availability of digital ICT capacity and digital skills throughout
infrastructure, and it requires extensive the region; and to tackling digital divides.
digital space for supporting the billions of Bocar A. BA
Chief Executive Officer
connections that are happening before our As more people and things go online, & Board Member
eyes. continued investment in communication SAMENA Telecommunications
networks is needed to ensure that Council
As our societies and the global economy connections and transfers of data between
digitalize, there are ever more possibilities connected devices can take place quickly.
to advance standards of living through Thus, use of fiber networks and IPv6 in
human-centric, data-driven, and evidence- fixed networks and cloudification must be
based policies, increased economic achieved to support increases in speed
competitiveness, higher-quality jobs, and capacity across all next-generation
enhanced provision of public services technologies.
throughout the SA-ME-NA region's urban
and rural communities. It is crucial that the Private Sector be
provided with the necessary collaborative
We need to advance the necessary fixed- support and key areas of regulation
line infrastructure and leverage the power of and policies be revisited, with regard to
Fiber and IPv6, unlock new capital, and new accelerating deployment of Fiber, and
ways of sharing responsibilities to develop transitioning to IPv6 and, of course, to IPv6
that infrastructure, and develop human enhanced innovations (IPv6+). Regional
capital for the digital age, create awareness economies need to realize their digital
and relevance to proliferate meaningful transformation goals on time and be on
digital services, ensure everyone can afford the path to sustainable digital economic
broadband connectivity and quality-of- development in which broadband networks,
service, which are fundamental to realizing innovations, and digital services and
value-addition in the digital realm. solutions have a central role to play.

4 OCTOBER 2021