As the year 2020 draws to a close, the ICT industry has faced one of its most challenging yet undoubtedly transformational years to date. The pandemic not only rapidly changed our current way of doing business but has also created a ripple effect that will surely be felt by multiple companies within ICT in the years to come. At this year’s GITEX Technology Week, CommScope is one such company that has decided to embrace the new normal and participate in the event virtually.
Throughout the pandemic, there was a drastic increase in the deployment of smart city technologies, namely in GCC countries. Weathering the storm of the pandemic was no easy feat but the GCC countries harnessed their advanced infrastructure to the maximum in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. From contact tracing technologies to apps, the GCC did a great deal. However, with new technology, comes new challenges. What does the deployment of these new technologies mean for corporate governance?
GITEX Technology Week 2020 theme this year ‘Empowering the Digital Future & Beyond’ is all about the convergence of 5G, AI, big data and IoT bringing people, devices and systems even closer together. Intelligent connectivity is expected to drive huge growth in MENA economies by creating value across most industries.
Data traffic made headlines in the telecoms industry in light of the exceptional measures businesses and individuals had to abide by due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, data traffic increases were registered all over the world and telcos had to be up to the challenge of catering to data-related needs.
“GITEX Technology Week is an exceptional event and we are always eager to participate in it. But this year we have a surprise for our customers and partners; we will broadcast our activities directly to almost 150 cities around the world, so that those who cannot attend are able to experience our presence virtually. It’s the perfect opportunity to find out about the latest technical solutions we have developed to enable business sustainability and the globalization of work.”
This year has been nothing short of transformational for several public and private enterprises across the region and the rest of the world. The wholesale industry, in particular, had a unique experience throughout the pandemic, as people were forced into lockdown and began to study and work from home, causing a huge surge in internet traffic.
In the midst of a global pandemic, the highly anticipated 14th edition of Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit became the first-ever hybrid event to be organised in the region. The Summit enabled industry leaders, partners and the who’s who of the telecoms world to come together both physically and virtually to explore some of the most important topics affecting the industry, namely the impact of the pandemic on the ICT sector and the future of digital transformation post Covid-19.
In the months since the COVID-19 outbreak, communications providers have found themselves at the heart of a fast-changing world. Communications and connectivity are in great demand as entire populations are staying at home and digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly essential for human interaction. Supporting this dramatic change has not been easy, but operators have shown themselves to be agile and resilient.
With 5G technologies powering the next wave of business ecosystems and capabilities, a new and diverse revenue mix will be created for operators who can turn their networks into platforms for deeper interaction with content and services.
Technology is advancing at a blistering pace, and the pandemic has brought digitalisation to the fore, with the world gaining a renewed appreciation for how crucial connectivity is in every aspect of our lives. With digitalisation taking centre stage, 5G is becoming more important than ever, for the transformation of the telecoms industry but also global economies on a larger scale.
