Page 14 - SAMENA Trends - September 2021

FEATURED SAMENA TRENDS

The Success of the Digital Economy

Relies on Connectivity

The digital economy improves economic and societal
outcomes within countries and serves as a source for
innovation and productivity growth. A precise measurement
of the digital economy is difficult, but the United Nations
cites a range from 4.5% to 15.5% of global GDP, or $4 trillion
to $13.6 trillion in 2019 (based on 2019 global GDP of $87.8
trillion). Connectivity is essential to the success of the digital
economy, fiber network is the foundation of full-service
infrastructure, and IPv6 and IPv6 enhanced innovation is
the cornerstone for smart connection.

Pioneering telecom operators and
governments in the region have proven
that fiber & IPv6 development can bring
tremendous profits and significant
economic value.

In Middle East region, most of the operators has already
started the fiber and IPv6 journey.

UAE is ranked number one for the highest Fiber to the
Home (FTTH) penetration among all its global counterparts
for a third year in a row in 2019, according to the leading
industry body FTTH Council. Companies operating
telecommunications services in the country have allocated
a monumental budget for investment in infrastructure
amounting to AED 36 billion, which made the country own
an infrastructure among the best in the world in terms of
providing "fiber" services and coverage in general.

In Saudi Arabia, STC is one of the first Internet service
providers (ISPs) to roll out a full production Internet Protocol
version 6 (IPv6) connectivity to its client infrastructure and
cloud services platform since 2019. Zain started study on Steven Yi
IPv6 back in 2015, and now all Zain subscribers are enabled Regional President, Middle East & Africa
to use Ipv6, and more than 50% of subscribers are ipv6
active. Huawei

Additionally, many governments introduced policies to
accelerate investment in network facilities. These policies
are not just about responding to the present pandemic risks,
but more about investing in the future.

14 SEPTEMBER 2021