Speeding on the digital highway

Dubai - Innovative technology to place UAE among top economies, says etisalat CEO

Etisalat is playing an instrumental role in the digital transformation of the UAE economy by investing heavily in futuristic technologies that will place the country on a global platform as an economic, tourist and commercial capital, according to its top official.
Saleh Al Abdooli, chief executive officer of the Etisalat Group, said the telecom firm has established an ecosystem for futuristic technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) that will help manage all smart services and applications and are integral to create smart cities on the 5G network in the country.
"Etisalat is on a growth path for the future, addressing demands and network requirements in the short as well as the long term. We have invested Dh31 billion in the past few years to establish one of the widest, fastest and most advanced networks in the region," Al Abdooli told Khaleej Times in an interview ahead of Gitex Technology Week, which starts today.
Elaborating, he said fibre-to-the-home coverage has reached 93.28 per cent of homes, the 3G network coverage has reached 99.58 per cent and 4G LTE has covered 97.78 per cent, due to continuous investment in the new technologies and infrastructure development.
"Etisalat has made more than Dh3 billion investments in infrastructure this year," he added.
 
IoT is the future
Al Abdooli, who has been associated with the group since 1992, said growth, innovation and disruption are at its peak in the telecom industry.
"The sector has undergone immense change with the internet transforming the way we communicate, share information and the mobile phone setting the path for the digital future. The explosion of connected devices will impact telecommunications with IoT expected to add billions if not trillions of new connected data sources globally by 2020. The upsurge of all these devices will witness an astronomical growth in data volumes," he said.
"We are at a crossing point where digital becomes the norm and the age of connectivity is in our near vision. IoT is set to overtake mobile phones as the largest category of connected device by 2018. Between 2015 and 2021, the number of IoT connected devices is expected to grow 23 per cent annually and of the 28 billion total devices that will be connected by 2021, close to 16 billion will be IoT devices," he added.
Al Abdooli said these trends have made the digital mobile consumer a critical audience segment, pushing the telecom sector to make significant decisions. It is essential for the industry to understand these customers as greater functionality is driven through mobile devices.
"The mobile platform today is an enabler of digital transformation having the flexibility of bringing different technologies together to deliver unique services to customers and businesses of all sizes," he said.
 
5G progress
Al Abdooli said etisalat is well on track with its ambitious 5G mobile broadband plan by 2020. The next-generation network will open the door for applications and uses that no one can imagine today and provide new scope of business opportunities to the company.
"At Gitex 2016, etisalat demonstrated the region's fastest trial of 5G reaching speeds of 36Gbps. This contributed towards the design and standardisation of 5G, enabling the acceleration of its deployment. This year, etisalat will be setting yet another benchmark with a live demo reaching double the speed and giving visitors 4K and virtual reality experience in 5G," he said.
To a question, he said etisalat plans to make advanced field tests for 5G this year in partnership with leading technology providers to achieve higher efficiency in addition to the highest possible speed. Both parties have to work together during this trial process to help evolve the current network architecture and minimise the risk of rolling out a new technology, particularly one as new, complex and different at 5G.
"There is no final 5G specification yet, therefore operators like etisalat will have to base these 5G tests on their own definitions of 5G. We will learn from these trials and contribute to the final 5G standard that the 3GPP standards organisation is developing," he said.
 
Presence at Gitex 2017
Al Abdooli said Gitex is an established and important platform that has become the cornerstone of showcasing the prowess of IT, digital services and telecom providers from the world over.
"For etisalat, it brings an immense responsibility in fulfilling our role in joining this digital journey and supporting the country's 'Smart Vision'. Reflective of this commitment, our demonstrations this year aims to create an unprecedented experience."
He said the UAE today is at the forefront of a digital-driven economy with serious efforts focused on digitalisation and globalisation maintaining an ecosystem that is interconnected by digital platforms aided by a seamless flow of information and ideas.
"This has changed the way we conduct our business and live our lives. Etisalat is playing an instrumental role in making this digital dream a reality enabled by its robust network and infrastructure. 'Driving the Digital Future' is the theme this year at Gitex Technology Week that signifies the company's mission to participate in creating a connected future in the UAE. Today we are transitioning to a digital future with our offering of digitised solutions and services."
 
Etisalat Digital
To a question about Etisalat Digital and - the new unit established last year - Al Abdooli said the prime aim of the unit is to enable digital transformation of enterprise and government customers. He said Etisalat Digital is also actively working on several interesting projects and has engaged with industry experts as well as acquired digital assets and platforms including data centres, cloud, digital and mobile payment, IoT, big data and analytics engines.
"By providing platforms to its customers, Etisalat Digital enables businesses to get access to several technologies through a service model, instead of having to invest in the whole platform. This accelerates the digital transformation of the businesses. The unit is further strengthened with 24x7 security operations centres and IoT command and control centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for fully managed solutions and proactive monitoring."
"In the next 12 months, our focus will be to continue growing our digital business by tapping into potential market opportunities and securing key wins in various digital domains. In parallel with that, we will be enriching and expanding our digital solutions portfolio by introducing new digital propositions such as video-surveillance-as-a-service, mobile cashier and digital signage solutions. We will also complement our digital offerings with artificial intelligence and analytics capabilities presenting an extra value to our customers."
 
Future projects
Al Abdooli said etisalat is working on several important projects in digital health, security and smart cities. Elaborating, he said Dubai Expo 2020 is one of these projects that supports the UAE's long-term strategy in becoming the most sought-after global destination for trade, business and development.
"As the premier digital and telecommunications partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, we are currently working to deliver one of the fastest, smartest and best-connected places on earth during the global mega event. We are involved in creating the infrastructure for the Expo site - enabling Expo 2020 Dubai to provide visitors and participants with a cutting edge, immersive digital experience that brings the Expo themes to life for the 25 million expected visitors."
Another project that has set a benchmark as one of the most successful projects in the entertainment space in the region is the delivery of the digital infrastructure for Dubai Parks and Resorts. This included digital channels, different smart services such as smart parking, smart ticketing, connected transportation and connected food and beverage, in addition to other smart solutions around the park such as video surveillance-as-a-service, real-time marketing and analytics.
 
Customer experience
The Etisalat Group chief said customer experience this year has seen revolutionary changes by creating value using digital platforms to interact and enhance the overall experience.
"Currently there are 8.4 billion devices connected to the IoT, with this number projected to rise to 20.4 billion by 2020. This trend has brought in internal collaboration efforts in creating an omnichannel approach to engage with all customers. As a company, our goal is to deliver the right experience to the right customer at the right time."
For businesses, he said etisalat has an extensive portfolio of integrated services targeting various sectors, providing basic equipment and connectivity to networking services and managed business solutions. Etisalat provides small and medium businesses with customized packages designed to give the best value for money.
"As part of the overall strategy, etisalat has made the right partnerships, especially with the government sector to enable sustainable development across verticals mainly education, health, sports and environment.
To a question about the company's social responsibility, he said etisalat's CSR activities has consumed more than Dh2.6 billion in the past 10 years including its contribution of one per cent towards the ICT Fund from its revenues generated from providing licensed telecom services in the UAE only.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com