GCCIA hosted forum on global communication networks ends on a high note; local telco players bullish on industry’s continued growth and development amid a global pandemic

Large-scale investment projects and availability of more efficient and accessible products and services to bolster MENA region’s efforts to be a global communications hub.

Expo 2020, Dubai, 15 January 2022: The special forum on the rapidly thriving communications industry hosted by the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) ended on a high note with participating local telecommunication experts expressing their confidence in the sector’s continuing growth and development. The positive insight expressed by participants complements a recent report issued by Mckinsey, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms, saying that the communications industry will continue with its many digitization projects and emerging technologies, particularly in the global efforts to address COVID-19.

The event, entitled ‘Global communications networks: Latest technologies and investment opportunities,’ was held at the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf Pavilion at Expo 2020 – Dubai and looked towards taking a closer look at the latest technologies and current investment opportunities in global communications.

In his welcome speech at the forum, Eng. Ahmed Al Ebrahim, CEO, GCCIA, shared that the successful event represented a key opportunity to meet with top local telecommunication players and study the MENA region’s overall communications connectivity while also seeking new ways to drive in more infrastructure investment in the region.

“Telecommunications is a very important and essential aspect of the GCC region’s growth. It is also positioned as an important player in the further development of local economies. We are truly overwhelmed at the positive response generated by this event, which gave us the opportunity to meet with some of the region’s top telecommunication personalities and tackle challenges currently being faced by the industry and how to promote interoperability among different communication networks and entities,” said Al Ebrahim.

The forum was composed of two-panel discussions The first session saw the participation of Greg Varisco, CEO, Centurion Group; Rafik Shafik, CTO Infonas; Veer Passi, Group CEO, Kalaam; Nicola Tordela, Senior Vice President, Zain Group and Faisal Ameer, CTO, Huawei. Panelists of the first session gave presentations on their respective companies and shared insights on the current market situation.

The second session included the participation of Adel Al Daylami, CEO, AIM; Azz Eddine Mansouri, General Manager, Ciena; Muhammad Al Ibrahim, GM, Infinera and Hani Askar, Chief Global Business Officer, Batelco.

Both sessions were highlighted with key insights and perspectives covering the global communications sector. Participants shared that the entry of large-scale investment projects and the emergence of newer technologies will play a key role in the efforts to reinforce the region’s efforts to position itself as a world class global communications hub.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the distinguished panel of communication experts for coming together for this forum and sharing with us  their insights and perspectives on the continuously growing communications industry and how we can reinforce the MENA region’s leading position,” concluded Ebrahim.