Latest news with #WBBA
Mid East Info
2 days ago
- Business
- Mid East Info
During the Leaders' Summit 2025, SAMENA Council and WBBA Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Regional Broadband Development and ICT Collaboration
Dubai, UAE: The SAMENA Telecommunications Council and the World Broadband Association (WBBA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the beginning of a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing broadband access, supporting innovation, and strengthening policy alignment across the South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa (SA-ME-NA) region, and beyond. The MoU sets forth a framework of mutual cooperation between the two non-profit organizations, both of which play critical roles in shaping the telecommunications and ICT landscape. Through this partnership, the SAMENA Council and WBBA will work together to foster knowledge exchange, support standardization, promote best practices, and amplify policy advocacy efforts to accelerate digital transformation across emerging markets. 'Today's MoU marks a shared commitment between the SAMENA Council and the WEBBA to fostering a digitally inclusive region,' said Bocar BA, CEO of SAMENA Council. 'By joining forces with the WBBA, we aim to bring our regional expertise and multi-stakeholder engagement to the global broadband conversation—promoting collaborative approaches that advance connectivity, innovation, sustainability in investments for broadband development, greener deployment of broadband technology, and policy alignment, in general.' Key areas of cooperation under the MoU between the SAMENA Council and the WBBA include: Expanding broadband access across underserved regions; supporting standardization efforts, particularly in broadband customer premise equipment (CPE); harmonizing efforts to promote broadband-related policies and regulatory frameworks across the SA-ME-NA region; advocating for greater awareness of broadband development issues; and collaborating on global and regional industry events and information sharing. 'The WBBA is delighted to formalize this collaboration with the SAMENA Council,' said Martin Creaner, Director General, WBBA. 'We see tremendous potential in working together to empower regional stakeholders, accelerate innovation, and support digital ecosystem partners in our efforts to materialize globally harmonized broadband development. This partnership is an important step toward unlocking scalable impact across emerging digital economies.' The MoU was signed by the WBBA's Chairman of the Board, Dr. Li Zhengmao, and SAMENA Council's CEO & Board Member, Bocar BA, during the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025. The MoU represents a statement of shared intent, reflecting the Parties' commitment to long-term engagement and coordinated action, while acknowledging its non-binding nature. As part of the agreement, the two organizations will also promote each other's initiatives through mutual visibility in publications, digital platforms, and participation in industry activities. The MoU allows for future expansion of the partnership through supplementary agreements for specific joint projects or events. The MoU signing was followed by both trade associations co-chairing a broadband roundtable during the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025, titled 'Smarter Broadband: Investment. Innovation. Intelligence.' About SAMENA Council: SAMENA Telecommunications Council is a tri-regional industry association representing telecom operators and ICT stakeholders in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, dedicated to facilitating dialogue, digital growth, and industry collaboration with the larger aim of building digital economies. About WBBA: The World Broadband Association is a global non-profit organization committed to accelerating broadband innovation and deployment by representing the interests of stakeholders across the broadband value- chain.
Mid East Info
4 days ago
- Business
- Mid East Info
SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025 Advances Vision for Intelligent & Sustainable Digital Transformation across Communications Networks and Digital Economy
May 26, Dubai, UAE With the chief patronage of the TDRA-UAE, the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025 was held today in Dubai with a renewed call for accelerating transformation across technologies, communications networks, and digital economies, with unified digital action across the South Asia–Middle East–North Africa region at large. Organized by the SAMENA Telecommunications Council, the Summit gathered a high-profile community of global policymakers, regional regulators, technology firms, and digital ecosystem enablers from across the globe at Madinat Jumeirah, to identify and address real-world imperatives of building intelligent, inclusive, and sustainable digital economies, especially in the 5G-Advanced and AI digital environment. Held under the theme 'Intelligent & Sustainable Transformation of Digital Economies', this year's Summit arrived at a critical moment—when the first operational wave of agentic AI, intelligent networks, and data-driven policy is demanding new forms of collaboration, infrastructure planning, network monetization, app-ecosystem advancements, and regulatory foresight. With 2025 marking a historic inflection point in digital enablement, especially in view of UN Sustainable Development Agenda, the Summit's agenda was designed to align on the priorities, technologies, networks, as well as business and governance models that will define the region's next chapter in the region's digital transformation. Following a high-level Opening Ceremony, which included keynotes from TDRA, Huawei, ITU, DCDT (South Africa), DCO, WBBA, and ZTE, and an MoU signing ceremony between the WBBA and the SAMENA Council, the Leaders' Summit 2025 welcomed the Guest of Honor, H.E. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, who delivered a powerful keynote message for the ICT industry. Throughout the day, the Summit served as a strategic platform for deep exploration across critical domains. The 'Space & Digital Connectivity' session discussed the growing role of Mobile Satellite Services and non-terrestrial networks in expanding regional reach and resilience, particularly in anticipation of WRC-27 as well as ongoing priority issues in space development and sustainability. In parallel, the TDRA-chaired Multi-TRA Digital Transformation Forum brought together regional regulators as well as UAE government entities to explore digital service transformation and improved delivery of citizen-centric services by leveraging the 5G and 5G-A infrastructure. Key stakeholder deliberation sessions also included a preparatory informal G20-centric roundtable among private and government-sector stakeholders from the G20 and non-G20 member countries. The roundtable was convened with the primary objective to facilitating an exchange of insights in view of South Africa's presidency of the G20 summit, which will take place in November 2025. The evolution of next-generation networks, which has mandated telecom operators to transform their business models, was in sharp focus at dedicated business-centric sessions, including the Techco Transformation session and the 5G-Advanced Leaders' Forum, where participants examined how AI-powered, experience-centric services are redefining monetization strategies and elevating network value. Conversations moved beyond connectivity to addressing how operators must now lead in curating intelligent, adaptive digital experiences. Further roundtable sessions on Smarter Cyberspace and Digital Enablement delved into emerging governance challenges in AI, Fiber connectivity, cybersecurity imperatives for telecom operators as well as governments and other ecosystem partners. Discussions also focused on identifying practical, strategic pathways for driving affordability, accessibility, growth, and openness, in digital innovation, with the aim to new end-user experiences, sustainable ecosystem and competition-centric considerations, and ways to make the data-driven economy sustainable as well. These topics also came into discussion at the last panel of the day, which built on the Summit's first panel on revenue growth opportunities for telecom operators, including through 'super apps'. The 9th Global ICT Energy Efficiency Summit, hosted within the broader SAMENA Leaders' Summit, pushed the conversation toward climate-aware digital growth. With rising energy consumption from expanding digital infrastructure, speakers called for scalable, green design principles and renewed commitments from both public and private stakeholders. Energy efficiency is now a core requirement for long-term viability, as is the safety of power solutions, including lithium batteries. Beyond the formal sessions, the Leaders' Summit 2025 also operated as a powerful networking and visibility arena, showcasing region-led digital breakthroughs and connecting global best practices with local execution. It was a space where digital policies met engineering realities—and where strategic dialogue evolved into tangible partnership pathways. In his keynote remarks, Bocar A. BA, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, spoke candidly about the transition the region is navigating: 'We are in the age of intelligent connectivity and operate in a landscape where infrastructure is no longer just about coverage—it is about cognition, energy discipline, and service relevance. In this context, the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit is not simply an event. It is a mechanism for regional coordination, for responsible innovation, and for establishing the shared direction we need. We cannot afford to be fragmented, neither in vision nor in execution.' The Summit's success was made possible by a coalition of trusted partners and institutions whose commitment to the SAMENA platform signals confidence in the power of regional cooperation. SAMENA Council extended special thanks to the ITU leadership for the UN agency's ongoing collaboration and guidance, which continues to reinforce the principle of global policy alignment in an increasingly complex digital environment. DCO leadership was thanked for the message on fostering digital cooperation. SAMENA Council also extended appreciation to DCDT South Africa for leadership collaboration on creating an engagement exercise during the Leaders' Summit 2025 to exchange cross-regional and cross-sector insights. Acknowledgment was also given to the Summit's industry partners: Chair Sponsor stc, Host Sponsor Huawei, Platinum Sponsor Mobily, Gold Sponsor ZTE, Industry Development Partner the World Broadband Association, and Strategic Partner 7Generation. Their engagement reflects a shared belief in the Summit's mission and in the importance of sustained public-private coordination across the region. As the event drew to a close, a clear recognition emerged that, to deliver on the promise of digital transformation, the region must operationalize its ambitions with shared strategies, bold governance, and inclusive innovation at every level, and that ecosystem partners should be working closely together, and Operators should recognize that the best way forward is to become technology companies or 'techcos' by making use of intelligence on their networks operating in the 5G/5G-A environment. 'The future of our digital societies is not being written by technology alone,' Bocar A. BA concluded. 'It will be written by how wisely we govern, how inclusively we build, and how effectively we lead. That is the spirit of the SAMENA Leaders' Summit—and the legacy we are committed to building together, with the support of all of you. And once again SAMENA Council would like to thank our chief patron and partners in the Leaders' Summit for their active support to building a legacy of industry collaboration.' Ends
Web Release
4 days ago
- Business
- Web Release
SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025 Advances Vision for Intelligent & Sustainable Digital Transformation across Communications Networks and Digital Economy
With the chief patronage of the TDRA-UAE, the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit 2025 was held today in Dubai with a renewed call for accelerating transformation across technologies, communications networks, and digital economies, with unified digital action across the South Asia–Middle East–North Africa region at large. Organized by the SAMENA Telecommunications Council, the Summit gathered a high-profile community of global policymakers, regional regulators, technology firms, and digital ecosystem enablers from across the globe at Madinat Jumeirah, to identify and address real-world imperatives of building intelligent, inclusive, and sustainable digital economies, especially in the 5G-Advanced and AI digital environment. Held under the theme 'Intelligent & Sustainable Transformation of Digital Economies', this year's Summit arrived at a critical moment—when the first operational wave of agentic AI, intelligent networks, and data-driven policy is demanding new forms of collaboration, infrastructure planning, network monetization, app-ecosystem advancements, and regulatory foresight. With 2025 marking a historic inflection point in digital enablement, especially in view of UN Sustainable Development Agenda, the Summit's agenda was designed to align on the priorities, technologies, networks, as well as business and governance models that will define the region's next chapter in the region's digital transformation. Following a high-level Opening Ceremony, which included keynotes from TDRA, Huawei, ITU, DCDT (South Africa), DCO, WBBA, and ZTE, and an MoU signing ceremony between the WBBA and the SAMENA Council, the Leaders' Summit 2025 welcomed the Guest of Honor, H.E. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, who delivered a powerful keynote message for the ICT industry. Throughout the day, the Summit served as a strategic platform for deep exploration across critical domains. The 'Space & Digital Connectivity' session discussed the growing role of Mobile Satellite Services and non-terrestrial networks in expanding regional reach and resilience, particularly in anticipation of WRC-27 as well as ongoing priority issues in space development and sustainability. In parallel, the TDRA-chaired Multi-TRA Digital Transformation Forum brought together regional regulators as well as UAE government entities to explore digital service transformation and improved delivery of citizen-centric services by leveraging the 5G and 5G-A infrastructure. Key stakeholder deliberation sessions also included a preparatory informal G20-centric roundtable among private and government-sector stakeholders from the G20 and non-G20 member countries. The roundtable was convened with the primary objective to facilitating an exchange of insights in view of South Africa's presidency of the G20 summit, which will take place in November 2025. The evolution of next-generation networks, which has mandated telecom operators to transform their business models, was in sharp focus at dedicated business-centric sessions, including the Techco Transformation session and the 5G-Advanced Leaders' Forum, where participants examined how AI-powered, experience-centric services are redefining monetization strategies and elevating network value. Conversations moved beyond connectivity to addressing how operators must now lead in curating intelligent, adaptive digital experiences. Further roundtable sessions on Smarter Cyberspace and Digital Enablement delved into emerging governance challenges in AI, Fiber connectivity, cybersecurity imperatives for telecom operators as well as governments and other ecosystem partners. Discussions also focused on identifying practical, strategic pathways for driving affordability, accessibility, growth, and openness, in digital innovation, with the aim to new end-user experiences, sustainable ecosystem and competition-centric considerations, and ways to make the data-driven economy sustainable as well. These topics also came into discussion at the last panel of the day, which built on the Summit's first panel on revenue growth opportunities for telecom operators, including through 'super apps'. The 9th Global ICT Energy Efficiency Summit, hosted within the broader SAMENA Leaders' Summit, pushed the conversation toward climate-aware digital growth. With rising energy consumption from expanding digital infrastructure, speakers called for scalable, green design principles and renewed commitments from both public and private stakeholders. Energy efficiency is now a core requirement for long-term viability, as is the safety of power solutions, including lithium batteries. Beyond the formal sessions, the Leaders' Summit 2025 also operated as a powerful networking and visibility arena, showcasing region-led digital breakthroughs and connecting global best practices with local execution. It was a space where digital policies met engineering realities—and where strategic dialogue evolved into tangible partnership pathways. In his keynote remarks, Bocar A. BA, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, spoke candidly about the transition the region is navigating: 'We are in the age of intelligent connectivity and operate in a landscape where infrastructure is no longer just about coverage—it is about cognition, energy discipline, and service relevance. In this context, the SAMENA Council Leaders' Summit is not simply an event. It is a mechanism for regional coordination, for responsible innovation, and for establishing the shared direction we need. We cannot afford to be fragmented, neither in vision nor in execution.' The Summit's success was made possible by a coalition of trusted partners and institutions whose commitment to the SAMENA platform signals confidence in the power of regional cooperation. SAMENA Council extended special thanks to the ITU leadership for the UN agency's ongoing collaboration and guidance, which continues to reinforce the principle of global policy alignment in an increasingly complex digital environment. DCO leadership was thanked for the message on fostering digital cooperation. SAMENA Council also extended appreciation to DCDT South Africa for leadership collaboration on creating an engagement exercise during the Leaders' Summit 2025 to exchange cross-regional and cross-sector insights. Acknowledgment was also given to the Summit's industry partners: Chair Sponsor stc, Host Sponsor Huawei, Platinum Sponsor Mobily, Gold Sponsor ZTE, Industry Development Partner the World Broadband Association, and Strategic Partner 7Generation. Their engagement reflects a shared belief in the Summit's mission and in the importance of sustained public-private coordination across the region. As the event drew to a close, a clear recognition emerged that, to deliver on the promise of digital transformation, the region must operationalize its ambitions with shared strategies, bold governance, and inclusive innovation at every level, and that ecosystem partners should be working closely together, and Operators should recognize that the best way forward is to become technology companies or 'techcos' by making use of intelligence on their networks operating in the 5G/5G-A environment. 'The future of our digital societies is not being written by technology alone,' Bocar A. BA concluded. 'It will be written by how wisely we govern, how inclusively we build, and how effectively we lead. That is the spirit of the SAMENA Leaders' Summit—and the legacy we are committed to building together, with the support of all of you. And once again SAMENA Council would like to thank our chief patron and partners in the Leaders' Summit for their active support to building a legacy of industry collaboration.'
Associated Press
05-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Global Industry Partners Jointly Release Net5.5G Best Practices & Deployment Guide Whitepaper
BARCELONA, Spain, March 5, 2025 /CNW/ -- At MWC Barcelona 2025, the Broadband Development Congress (BDC), hosted by the WBBA, was a resounding success. Themed 'Smarter Broadband: Investment. Innovation. Intelligence,' the congress attracted over 200 industry leaders worldwide. Attendees exchanged views on key issues, including the Net5.5G evolution path, network technology innovation, and commercial practices. In his keynote speech at the congress, Ryan Qiu, Vice President of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, noted that the integration of AI into carriers' strategies is gaining momentum, with Net5.5G serving as a catalyst for the in-depth convergence of networks and AI. To address this trend, Huawei has introduced AI WAN, a cutting-edge solution that comprehensively empowers IP networks in the Net5.5G era using AI. This solution enables carriers to unlock new network value across diverse scenarios, including individual, home, and enterprise settings. At the congress, global industry leaders from organizations such as the WBBA, IPv6 Forum, ITU, and IETF reached a consensus during the 'Fireside Chat: Forward-Looking Dialogue on the Evolution of Next-Gen Networks.' Net5.5G has now become an industry-wide consensus, making significant strides in areas including industry development, policy formulation, and commercial practices. The leaders called for enhanced industry collaboration and continued joint efforts to drive the commercial success of Net5.5G, thereby guiding the sustainable development of the Internet industry. The WBBA, IPv6 Forum, ITU, IETF, and NIDA have collaborated to establish a next-generation network cooperation mechanism. While the WBBA and IPv6 Forum drive industry consensus, the ITU-T explores future network needs, the IETF spearheads the formulation of network technology standards, and the NIDA defines network construction standards and facilitates technology adoption. The Global Net5.5G Pioneer Program has made steady progress. At the congress, industry leaders jointly released the latest progress of the program. To date, a number of outstanding Net5.5G pioneers have emerged globally, including 18 visionary pioneers, 2 region pioneers, and 18 business pioneers. Multiple carriers shared their experience and achievements in Net5.5G commercial deployment. As an integrated operator in Spain, MasOrange builds an efficient capacity growth, ultimate experience and intent-based automation Net5.5G converged IP network. 400GE/800GE, SRv6 + slicing meet traffic surging and automatic network scheduling requirements, and support new services such as edge computing in the future. Based on Network Digital Map, through AI empowerment, MasOrange will stride to AN L4, a new phase of intelligent evolution. In addition, the WBBA has released the Net5.5G Best Practices & Deployment Guide Whitepaper, showcasing global Net5.5G best practices and providing valuable insights and inspiration for the industry. As Net5.5G continues to evolve, the WBBA urges global industry organizations to strengthen industry cooperation and jointly drive industry innovation in technical standards, policies, and commercial practices to foster a thriving data communications ecosystem.
