Page 126 - SAMENA Trends - September 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

UAE First Country in Region to Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6

The UAE ranked first in the Middle East in the transition to Internet
Protocol Version 6, according to statistics from Ripe NCC, Akamai
Technology and Google, less than two years after it has been
launched in the country by the Telecommunications Regulatory
Authority. The transition to IPv6 will have a significant positive
impact on the implementation of 5G mobile technologies and
digital transformation in the UAE on the back of the inability of
IPv4 to meet the growing demand in light of the rapid growth in
internet use. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of TRA,
said, “TRA’s efforts to implement IPv6 are part of our strategy for
the future, especially for the internet and its applications in the
UAE. There is a growing reliance on the internet for communication
not only between people, but between different devices to serve
man.” “When we launched the first phase of the transition to the
sixth edition of the internet, we aspired to expand the horizons of
the internet in the country, based on the UAE strategy for Artificial
Intelligence launched by the leadership as a pillar to achieve the
Vision 2021.” Al Mansouri expressed his gratitude to internet
service providers in the UAE, Etisalat, du and Ripe NCC’s regional
office in Dubai for their cooperation with the TRA and their work
helping in the transition. “The internet is the backbone of the
era of artificial intelligence, the fourth industrial revolution, and
big data, and therefore we must take all measures that provide
investors, companies and institutions with internet protocols, and internet service providers, Etisalat and du, to formulate the best
work to accommodate the exchange of data between millions strategies and policies towards the transition and ensure a better
of devices.” The UAE Smart Government is preparing plans and future for the internet sector in the UAE. The TRA has signed a
adopting future strategies necessary for the implementation of Memorandum of Understanding with Ripe NCC, aiming to enhance
IPv6, including security standards, expansion and meeting the mutual cooperation and exchange of expertise between different
growing demand for communication in the era of data flow and sectors for the development of the internet in order to improve the
the Internet of Things. The TRA is working with the country’s efficiency of internet operations in Middle East.

Standards Bodies Promote Convergence of 5G and Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi’s critical role in the success of 5G is According to the paper’s findings, mobile identifies new business opportunities
shown in a white paper from the Wireless operators will benefit from the convergence arising from the convergence of Wi-Fi
Broadband Alliance (WBA) and the Next of Wi-Fi and 5G by gaining improved and 5G at the network and RAN layers, for
Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) visibility into Wi-Fi networks. This will enterprise, manufacturing, public hotspots
Alliance. The white paper was developed enable them better to control customers’ and residential applications. A new set
with input from mobile operators (including experience, deliver improved services of 5G use cases and verticals could
BT and Orange), telecom equipment to customers and provide enterprise combined resources from cellular and Wi-
manufacturers (such as Accuris Networks, management solutions for Wi-Fi network Fi networks to support cheaper solutions
Broadcom, Cisco and Huawei) and Wi-Fi to enterprise customers. Wi-Fi operators that meet diverse sets of requirements like
advocates. WBA and NGMN a Joint Task will gain improved visibility and transition throughput, latency, connection density,
Force to produce the RAN Convergence management as they operate overlapping coverage, availability and reliability. The
White Paper which looks at the importance cellular and Wi-Fi networks, which will integration of the two has some technical
of existing and future Wi-Fi and cellular ultimately result in an improved user challenges and the paper explores the
convergence. It highlights techniques experience. Enterprise Wi-Fi networks will benefits of creating a standardized
that enable convergence and identifies also be able to access 5G services provided interface between them.
solutions to bridge the technology gaps. by operators. Importantly, the paper

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