Exclusive Interviews

Sterlite Technologies has over a decade of experience in the telecom and broadband industry. During his time as CEO, Dr. Anand Agarwal has seen the company draw its roadmap on delivering smarter networks to expand its capabilities. Telecom Review caught up with Dr. Agarwal, who spoke about his vision as CEO, the benefits of Sterlite Tech's acquisition of Elitecore, how he plans to capitalize on the broadband data network creation globally, fulfilling operator monetization needs and R&D projects.

The smartphone market is a tough business; overcrowded and dominated by two leading brands. BlackBerry was once a leading mobile phone manufacturer, but has lost ground in recent years, even though its most recent device, the PRIV, is highly secure, offering consumer's privilege and privacy. Sales for the PRIV haven't peaked as highly as anticipated and the company has reached a crossroad. In an exclusive interview, John Chen, chairman and CEO of BlackBerry, opened up to Telecom Review about his plans to continue to provide premium secure smartphones, but also to steer BlackBerry towards the realm of IoT, enterprise and even smart cars, reinventing the business to cater to multiple dimensions.

Global IT product and service provider, Elitecore, has over 150 network deployments worldwide for 59 service providers in more than 40 countries. Telecom Review sat down with Akshat Joshi, VP - WiFi Business, Sterlite Tech - Elitecore, to discuss trends and WiFi in the African market.

Canadian-based Mitel is a provider of enterprise and mobile communications and powers over 2 billion connections every day, helping businesses to connect, collaborate and take care of their customers. The company has over 2,500 channel partners and regional headquarters around the globe. In a recent interview with Telecom Review, Mehmet Balos, vice president, International Sales, Mitel Mobility, opened up about LTE and its expansion in the Middle East, Mitel's mobile carrier solutions and its NFV technology, which is essential for the future of 5G.

At Mobile World Congress 2016, Nokia demonstrated its AirScale Radio Access, which is said to be ""5G-ready"". Telecom Review recently sat with Aji Ed, head of Technology, Middle East & Africa, Nokia, who spoke in depth about the relationship between Nokia's AirScale and 5G.

The idea of transforming Dubai into the 'smartest' and 'happiest' city in the world is an intriguing idea, but is it realistic? What makes Dubai a smart city? How can it be measured? What has the Smart Dubai initiative actually accomplished? In an exclusive interview, the pragmatic H.E Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr, director general of the Smart Dubai Office, opens up about Smart Dubai; her passion for eGovernment and the public sector, the collaborations essential to the Smart Dubai model, and how the citizens of Dubai can truly benefit from the work that Dr. Aisha and her incredible team have accomplished.

Elitecore Technologies has over 16 years of experience in delivering next generation BSS, packet core and carrier WiFi solutions having over 175 network deployments with 59 service providers worldwide. The company proudly serves 13 of the top 30 global telecom operators. In the following interview, Vaibhav Mehta, Sr. VP - New Business Development, Elitecore Technologies, caught up with Telecom Review to discuss Elitecore's unique capabilities to monetize IP networks, pain points facing operators, the struggle operators face to increase ARPU in the data market and Elitecore's future focus points.

Comarch stands as a leading global powerhouse, specializing in the design, implementation and integration of advanced IT services and software. The Middle East is an important region for the company as it expands its M2M and internet of things (IoT) portfolio. Telecom Review sat with Marcin Dabrowski, vice president, Comarch, who shared insights about the company's strategy in the Middle East, recent partnerships with STC and Nokia, and expansion into smart cities.

Elitecore Technologies, founded in 1999, is an Indian-based global IT product company providing BSS alongside packet core with flexibility of modular and pre-integrated offerings. The company was recently acquired by Sterlite Technologies to expand its global reach, and is delving into new areas of smart cities, monetization, pay TV; new solutions adding to the company's existing telco business portfolio. Vaibhav Mehta, Senior VP, New Business Development, Elitecore Technologies, sat with Telecom Review at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the company's expansion.

In 2015, Ericsson teamed up with Kathrein, the global wireless antenna marker and Swiss operator Swisscom to develop a groundbreaking in-ground antenna system to provide additional wireless coverage in densely populated areas. The technology is called Kathrein Street Connect, developed to assist operators with deploying additional cell sites in places where site acquisition is difficult due to zoning issues. To gain further insight, Telecom Review caught up with Helmut Muehlbauer, head of Product Management, Mobile Communication Antennas, who shared his views on benefits, challenges and future aspirations related to the innovtive technology.