< Previous For more stories, visit commsmea.com. Follow CommsMEA on Twitter: @COMMSMEA “Cairo. City of the living. A paradise on earth,” says Indiana Jones’ sidekick Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s an apt description – as this writer can now attest. Mobiles, not mummies: CommsMEA goes to Capacity North Africa in Cairo, Egypt “Really, you’ve never been to Cairo?” “No, never.” “I’m surprised. Cairo’s great. You’d love it.” Her words would prove right just a few years later. Memory is a funny thing. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about our conversation. It came in passing, on the kind of chilly January morning in Ber- lin where the sky is a featureless grey slab and icy tendrils snake their way across the windows, where all one wants to do is pat- ter across the hardwood floor with a steam- ing mug of cocoa or leftover Glühwein from the holidays and burrow under double lay- ers of duvets and wool blankets and watch Yet seductive as the souks, the energy of Tahrir Square, or the timeless beckoning of the pyramids and, further south, the Valley of the Kings and the temples of Abu Simbel may have been (all the harder to resist see- ing as this writer is the hardest of hardcore Indiana Jones fans), we were there for an entirely different purpose. And yet, we too were adventurers of a sort; after all, this was the first Capacity North Africa event, ever. It may have been making its Egypt debut, but similar Capacity events had been suc- cessfully held around the world for some time, such as in Rwanda and – in our first taste of the calibre of Capacity’s ability to connect telecommunications industry ex- ecutives a mere month prior to our visit nature documentaries on Netflix or listen to some chilled out dubstep or Enigma- inspired electronica or smooth jazz. And yet, fast-forwarding a half-decade – as the blazing sun baked everything below and the muezzin’s honeyed voice wafted across the streets and through the shaded souks and their winding alleys and buzzing cafes – they kept searing their way to the forefront of consciousness, like burger patties repeat- edly pressed atop a flaming grill. It was CommsMEA’s first visit to the leg- endary city. Synonymous with the exotic for millennia, Cairo holds a special place in both myth and reality – after all, it’s the cap- ital of the most populous nation in the Mid- dle East, North Africa and the Arab World. by Ben Mack Photo credit: Ben Mack 20CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com WRAP-UP: CAPACITY NORTH AFRICA 2019 For more stories, visit commsmea.com. Follow CommsMEA on Twitter: @COMMSMEA to Cairo – locally in Dubai. Taking place at the Ritz-Carlton betwixt the strange mu- sic of the incessant tooting of car horns at traffic-choked Tahrir Square and the bril- liant blue waters of the mighty Nile, the two-day event (or three if you include the sumptuous welcome dinner hosted by Tel- ecom Egypt the night before the conference officially began) brought together a multi- tude of operators, suppliers, vendors and other telecom and tech companies from throughout Africa, the Middle East, and further afield. Egypt may be awash in more history than just about any nation on earth, but in the rich red and gold-carpeted halls accented with hieroglyph-adorned ancient Egyptian mosaics, cavernous conference rooms somehow still filled to the brim with exhibitor stands and a seemingly never- ending buffet, and cosy meeting rooms with couches almost tailor-made for journalists conducting interviews, a new kind of his- tory was being forged. Day one began bright and early on a mostly cloud-free morning (a dramatic de- parture from the day before, when periodic rainstorms and a persistent cloud cover ac- companied by a strong breeze made even landing in Cairo at the conclusion of our three-hour Emirates flight from Dubai a rather hair-raising experience), with an opening address from Adel Hamed, event hosts Telecom Egypt’s CEO. From there, it was straight into appointment-arranging, panel-powwowing, and deal-doing. There can be a certain artificiality and level of absurdity to business events. After all, how many times are the words “yes, we need to meet up” or “let’s make it hap- pen” uttered, often accompanied by equally enthusiastic handshakes and ear-to-ear smiles, with nothing ever coming of any of it? But rather than as nonsensical as ce- ramic crocodiles, rubber lions, linen hippos or denim monkeys, what took place in Cairo seemed genuine. The panels certainly were genuinely interesting. Perhaps the most intriguing took place in the late afternoon of day one. While a title of “Meeting the rising tide of data demands with high-capacity subsea cable projects” might not seem engrossing on its surface, the discussion about how subsea cables can connect societies across the globe, stretching countless thousands of kilometres across the frozen, crushing depths of the very deepest parts of the seas – including the challenges to connecting societies across those most inhospitable of environments – was fascinating. A trip to Egypt is an education for many, and our visit to Capacity North Africa was no exception. From the practical (that Egypt’s Arabic name is “Misr,” a fact hap- pily shared by a pair of women at Fiber Misr and Africa Marine’s sprawling booth, one of the largest booths at the event) to obscure (that not one but two major subsea cable systems – the Tata-TGN Pacific and NorthStar – pass through the western sub- urb of Portland, Oregon this writer grew up in), our horizons were broadened in wholly unexpected ways (like our nostrils, which seemed to constantly be flared to take in the exotic scents from invigorating oud to the freshest of flowers and stimulating citrus). Our contact book was rather broadened, too – so much so, we ran out of magazines to hand out, and nearly a whole box of busi- ness cards, too. But as the ancient Egyptian proverb says, true sages are those who give what they have, without meanness and without secret. “So, what did you think about Egypt?” she asked again a few days after returning. A pause. How does one answer such a query, when there’s so much fighting to get out, like too many people trying to push their way through a single small door? “It was incredible!” Too clichéd, too simple an answer. But a correct one. Photo credit: Ben Mack Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Photo credit: Ben Mack 21CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com WRAP-UP: CAPACITY NORTH AFRICA 201922CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com COVER STORY TRA BAHRAIN Bahrain may be the smallest nation in the Gulf. Yet its telecommunications landscape is one of the most innovative and advanced – due in no small part to the work of the Kingdom’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE23CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com COVER STORY TRA BAHRAIN24CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com COVER STORY TRA BAHRAIN Focused” is a term that a lot of organisations like to use to describe themselves. But “fo- cused” isn’t just a way to describe Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). In fact, it represents the government organisation’s very structure and purpose. “TRA Bahrain serves an essential role in regulating the telecoms sector in Bahrain,” explains H.E. Sh. Nasser bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Acting General Director. “To fulfil this role successfully, we follow what we call a FOCUSED strategy. FO- CUSED is an acronym which encompasses a holistic set of initiatives that the TRA undertakes.” What does the acronym mean, exactly? “We ‘Foster Competition,’ ensuring the continued growth of the telecoms sector in a fair and effective manner,” explains Sh. Nasser. “By ‘Optimising Technologies,’ we encourage and deploy the latest technolo- gies that support market growth and deliver higher quality services to consumers. ‘Con- sumer Empowerment’ refers to providing knowledge and tools to empower consum- ers, allowing them to make well-informed decisions. ‘Ubiquitous Broadband’ focuses on initiatives that ensure that broadband services of high quality and competitive prices are available to all local stakehold- ers. ‘Security And Cyber Safety,’ support- ing a safe and secure telecommunications infrastructure to deliver highly reliable electronic communication services. “We maintain ‘Efficient Regulation’ by ensuring we adapt, enhance, and update the framework, processes and tools used by the TRA in the implementation of its duties. Finally, we ensure our ‘Regulatory Frame- work’ is dynamic and effective by adapt- ing regulations over time, with the aim of continuously reviewing, updating, and im- proving the telecommunication regulatory framework, and maintaining proportionate focus where necessary.” Following its purpose and mission, TRA Bahrain has been especially active recently. For example, it has played a key role in the separation process of Bahraini operator Batelco and the establishment of a whole- sale entity to manage Bahrain’s National Broadband Network. “The scale of this project is quite substan- tial,” says Sh. Nasser. “It will be a significant change that can give Bahrain the opportunity to serve as a technological hub for the region. We expect competition to ramp up, services to become more innovative, and new players to invest in Bahrain as a result. This project has been in the making for three years, and will be the result of a monumental effort by TRA’s dedicated cadres. We’re very excited to see it actualised, and the road ahead is shorter than what we’ve traversed.” Another recent initiative is the online registration for the Internet domain names .bh and .. Sh. Nasser explains the importance of this. “The Arabic language is the fastest grow- ing on the Internet in terms of content. Arabic is also the fifth language in the world in terms of the number of speakers, which is very important and reflects TRA’s keenness to provide a national domain promoting the development of websites with Arabic content,” he says. “The use of the national domain name also ensures the preservation of intellectual and commercial property rights for well- known trade makers locally and interna- tionally. In order to diversify distribution channels and spread domain names of the Kingdom of Bahrain, TRA has adopted the registry/registrar model, which will result in competition between authorised registrars to provide the best services including smart applications and electronic registration.” In other words: TRA Bahrain’s work is helping to preserve Bahraini culture, and helping Bahrain’s economy. “The mission of the TRA is inter alia to develop a competition-led market for the provision of innovative communications services, available to all, which encourages sustainable, economically efficient invest- ment, respects the interests of consumers, fosters ecologically friendly initiatives, and supports the social and commercial welfare of the Kingdom of Bahrain,” explains Sh. Nasser. “Promoting effective and sustainable competition in the sector is a means to an end, and is built on the notion that effective competition is the best tool for generating efficient outcomes, innovation, and creating value and choice for consumers. Therefore, the market interventions that TRA under- takes, such as introducing ‘fit-for-purpose’ wholesale and retail remedies and removing 25CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com COVER STORY TRA BAHRAIN opportunities that will come with Industry 4.0. With smart automation, advancements in AI, blockchain gaining global popular- ity, and the potential of smart grids, there’s plenty to be excited about. We’re keen on seeing how the local market will capitalise on it.” As Sh. Nasser explains, TRA Bahrain prides itself on being an achiever in the regulatory field. And it’s being recognised for just that: TRA Bahrain won the Regula- tory Initiative of the Year Award at last year’s CommsMEA Awards for its efforts to develop a public radiocommunications stations regulation. In addition to that, the organisation recently won Finance Team of the Year – Public Sector at the CFO Strate- gies Forum MENA, as well as the Excellence in HR – Employer of the Year Award at the 2018 Future Workplace Awards. Of course, the future is all about adap- tion. However, given their track record so far and continued efforts, it’s safe to say TRA Bahrain will adapt, too – and help all of Bahrain to not only adapt, but to lead the way in innovation. “One thing we can say for sure, TRA has always been adaptive, as is required when you regulate a sector that’s prone to rapid, or even disruptive change,” explains Sh. Nasser. “In light of new market structures in the telecommunications sector in Bahrain, TRA is moving towards being less interven- tionist and relying on competition policy framework (ex-post regulation), rather than heavy-handed regulation.” He adds: “TRA continuously reviews its regulations and adopts changes to market regulations that are expected to stimulate a more dynamic and efficient sector. The delivery of the National Broadband Network will promote efficient investment, and hence support the development of sustain- able, future-proof networks and promote service-based competition in the telecom- munications market.” Service-based competition in the tel- ecommunications market that will continue to help Bahrain cement its status as one of the most dynamic markets not only in the Gulf, but in the world. the barriers to entry, are built on the founda- tion of supporting competition that will generate real benefits to end users and the society at large.” Making sure that regulation will adapt to changes to make sure they don’t limit any development, TRA Bahrain has also been very proactive in embracing new technolo- gies. “A great effort has been made by TRA towards enabling the launch of 5G networks through securing the necessary spectrum and adequate frequency licenses to keep pace with the latest developments in tel- ecommunications technologies and services for the benefit of consumers in Bahrain,” says Sh. Nasser. “This makes it among the first countries in the region to launch a 5G network. The National Broadband Network will operate and deploy the single national broadband infrastructure (NBN) in Bahrain on the basis of which all telecom services, including 5G, will be provided – and thus it is vital that service providers are granted access to the NBN.” He expands on this. “We already know industry 4.0 is going to be a massive game changer. Part of the reason rolling out Bahrain’s National Broadband Network is so important is because the Internet speeds and capacity are necessary to support the One thing we can say for sure, TRA has always been adaptive, as is re- quired when you regulate a sector that’s prone to rapid, or even disruptive change.” - H.E. Sh. Nasser bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, TRA Bahrain Acting General DirectorINSIDE O2O2’S QUEST FOR FRESHER AIR WITH FASHIONABLE FACE MASKS O2O2 isn’t just a face mask that’s been hitting the runways at Fashion Weeks worldwide and earning high praise from media. It’s also innovatively tackling the problem of polluted air at its source. Is there anything at all that apps and mobile networks today can’t do? Dust, sand and pollution are a fact of life in many cities – and as anyone who lives in the region can attest, the Middle East is no exception. But while there are lots of face masks people can wear to reduce the impacts, not too many of those face masks have been on the runways at Fashion Weeks around the world or have their own app like O2O2. Born in New Zealand, the technology behind O2O2 is ground-breaking in its own right, says CEO Dan Bowden. “O2O2 create a highly localised pocket of slightly pressurised clean air in front of the nose and mouth,” he says. “We achieve this through the use of fans on either side of the face, which pull the polluted air through an active nanofiber cleaning it in the process. “This now clean air is propelled, colliding in front of the nose and mouth. When air collides, it is a higher air pressure than the ambient environment. By creating this pocket of slightly pressurised clean air, no polluted air can enter – it’s a little like the clean air manufacturing facilities, but a personalised, portable air system.” And then there’s the app to go along with the face mask. “O2O2 was designed as new solution to air pollution and is as such a digital native,” says Bowden. “What that means is that that too often hardware designers tag on an app, so they can say they have a smart device. What they really mean is that it’s connected. For us, the app is core to the overall experi- ence – the app puts the user in control of the air that they breathe. It can tell them of the status of air pollution where they are, inform them that they are protected and inform them of the status of their facewear protection. From this base there is a whole host of features we can start to add to the user experience which can enhance the user’s life.” O2O2 made waves a couple months ago when the facemasks were worn by models showcasing Seoul-based label IISE’s Autumn/Winter 2019 collection at New York Fashion Week. Then, the masks were worn during IISE’s show at Seoul Fashion Week this past March. Along the way, the company has also been profiled by the likes of Forbes, Engadget, Fast Company, Idealog, The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Highsno- biety and more. As buzz builds, Bowden says O2O2 is in the pre-market and testing phase – “with a select number of collaborators” – at the present time. So what’s next? Bowden says it’s simple: making the face masks available for the public – and making the data the masks collect about pollution available so we can develop solutions to reduce or perhaps even eliminate the problem of pollution. “Now that we have solved the personal protection problem, through better design we can use the data we can harvest to create the wider public solution,” says Bowden. “So by definition our personal solution is a digital native device, and if we have a digital native device this enables us to start collecting the data on pollution from users – which means users are creating the environmental data to solve the problem for future generations.” He adds: “The runway now is really to get the runway to the consumer, the person in the street.” 26CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com INTERVIEW O2O2The runway now is really to get the runway to the consumer, the person in the street.” Dan Bowden, O2O2 CEO O2O2 CEO Dan Bowden. 27CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com INTERVIEW O2O2The CommsMEA Awards are just a few months away. The time to get ready is now. GETTING CLOSER: THE 2019 COMMSMEA AWARDS Guests were glammed up. Congrats were given. Speeches conducted. Fancy food was consumed. Net- working was done in spades. A good time was had by all. But that was last year’s CommsMEA Awards. The annual fete has been going on for a number of years now, and each year continues the tradition: that of honour- ing and celebrating the very best of the industry over the past year, while looking forward to the next. With just a few months ago until this year’s edition, it’s probably a good time to start thinking about entering. After all, doesn’t everyone love to be recognised by their peers as being the very best of the very best? When they do take place, the Awards – as always – are expected to attract scores of luminaries from the telco and tech indus- tries from throughout the Middle East and Africa (and possibly beyond), including top executives, movers, shakers, shot-callers, rising st ars, and more. Oh, and there’s also a chance to be a sponsor – meaning a chance to be seen by the most important people in the industry. Booking a table or even getting your name/logo on all sorts of things as a spon- sor is a fairly simple process. If interested in sales and branding opportunities around the Awards, you can contact Andrew Cover on +971 4 444 3502 or email andrew. cover@itp.com. Take our word for it that this is some- thing you won’t want to miss. That is, not if you’re keen on something that could, po- tentially, be life-changing. Stranger things have happened, yes? GET INVOVLED Want to be a sponsor of the 2019 CommsMEA Awards? Congrats! You’ve made the right choice. Contact Andrew Cover on +971 4 444 3502 or email andrew.cover@itp. com for more information and details. The trophies given out to winners at the 2018 CommsMEA Awards. The main sponsor of the 2018 CommsMEA Awards was Huawei. Virgin Mobile was a winner at the 2018 CommsMEA Awards. Vodafone + Standard Chartered Bank were winners. UPDATE 2019 COMMSMEA AWARDS 28www.commsmea.comCommsMEA May 2019 The 2018 CommsMEA Awards took place at Rhodes W1 in Dubai. THE 2018 COMMSMEA AWARDS WINNERS Last year’s winners were: Business Service Initiative of the Year • Avaya, Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Batelco • Highly commended: Orange Mali + Mahindra Comviva Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign of the Year • Huawei • Highly commended: Zain Group Internet of Things Solution of the Year • Etisalat Digital • Highly commended: du Middle East and Africa Telecom Operator of the Year • Etisalat • Highly commended: Kuwait Telecommunication Company VIVA Most Innovative New Service of the Year • Virgin Mobile UAE • Highly commended: Orange Mali + Mahindra Comviva Network Infrastructure Initiative of the Year • Ericsson + Zain Iraq • Highly commended: Ooredoo Oman Outstanding Customer Service Award • Virgin Mobile UAE • Highly commended: VIVA Bahrain Regulatory Initiative of the Year • TRA Bahrain Smart City and Network Initiative of the Year • NXN • Highly commended: Vodafone + Standard Chartered Bank Telecom Group of the Year • Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa • Highly commended: Etisalat 5G Trailblazer of the Year • Huawei Lifetime and Industry Service Award • Elfatih Erwa, Zain Sudan Guests at the 2018 CommsMEA Awards. Elfatih Erwa of Zain Sudan won the Lifetime and Industry Service Award at the 2018 CommsMEA Awards. CommsMEA sales manager Andrew Cover served as the MC of the 2018 edition of the event. Avaya’s Faten Halabi, le, and CommsMEA editor Ben Mack. Huawei was a winner at the 2018 CommsMEA Awards. UPDATE 2019 COMMSMEA AWARDS 29www.commsmea.comCommsMEA May 2019Next >