An ITP Media Group Publication www.commsmea.com Critical analysis for telecommunications executive SEPTEMBER 2019 Download the free CommsMEA app and be the fi rst to read the latest issue on your mobile devices. FORGING A (FEMALE) FUTURE: Inside EITC’s women’s council SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY Batelco chief global business offi cer, Adel Al-Daylami outlines the key contributors to the growing success of its global business LEADERSHIP POSITION Gulf operators have stolen a lead on 5G networks, TOMORROW’S PEOPLE: Training the next generation TELECOMS IN IRAQ Interview with Zain Iraq’s CEO Ali Al Zahid An ITP Media Group Publication www.commsmea.com Critical analysis for telecommunicatiiiiiiiiiooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnssssssss eeeexxxxxeeeeeeeeecccccccuuuuuutttttttttttiiiiivvvvvvveeee Download the free CommsMEA app and be the fi rst to read the latest issue on your mobile devices.VIVA Business VIVA Business offers a wide range of cloud services that can transform your business efficiency, productivity and security whilst helping drive down your costs. Our state of the art cloud services address your business needs in terms of Server & Storage Infrastructure, Unified Communication solutions, Managed IT Security & Services, ERP System and Fleet Management. Elevate your business with VIVA Cloud Services - contact us today on business@viva.com.bh take your business to the next level with VIVA Cloud Services call 34128128 | viva.com.bh/business3www.commsmea.com CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2019 CommsMEA September 2019 16 SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY Batelco’s chief global business officer, Adel Al-Daylami outlines plans for future success4www.commsmea.com CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2019 CommsMEA September 2019 For more stories and analysis, visit commsmea.com. Twitter: @COMMSMEA 1220243638 Training investment In a period of digital transformation recruit- ing and training a diverse team has never been so important. Forging a (female) future EITC has formed the first Women’s Council to tackle gender diver- sity in the ITC industry. Baghdad is safer than Chicago Zain Iraq builds its mobile business desp- site conflict and weak consumer spending. Big blue, Red Hat and the hybrid cloud Red Hat’s regional man- ager believes the IBM deal will make Red Hat bigger and better. Mix and match The hybrid cloud has emerged as the de-facto choice for organisations. Huawei searches for ITC talent Networking giant launches third edition of its ICT competition. Bahrain tops female startup list Kingdom beats London and Silicon Valley for female startup leaders. Movers and shakers Stella Medlicott moves up at Ericsson and Or- ange Business Services appoints regional VP. CommsMEA Awards on 6th November Time is running out to submit your nomina- tion for the awards. Backchat: GDPR one year on Companies are taking a more considered ap- proach to compliance. 0608142242 20 36 12 38 24 Table of contents: September 2019Openness, collaboration and shared success are vital to build talent ecosystem and ensure continued ICT evolution Huawei nurtures talent with ICT competition No matter how you look at it, tomor- row’s world will revolve around technology. From smart homes to digital government services, au- tonomous vehicles to space travel, our soci- ety will revolve around intelligent systems that rely on the communications networks. Today’s youth need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to not only navigate a hyper-connected environment, but to become its architects, pioneers and leaders. Around the region countries have established promising national plans and ambitious visions that emphasise the role technology has to play in empowering in- dustries and realising economic diversifica- tion and societal development. But visionary frameworks such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 or the UAE’s Vision 2021, need talented individuals to propel them forward. However, today’s regional workforce, doesn’t have sufficient digital talent to meet future needs. There must be an increased focus on incorporating the necessary technology today’s curriculums in order to achieve, sustain, and drive a digitally-driven and enabled society in which every person, home and organisation is connected. ICT has become a crucial growth engine for society. As a global ICT solution provider, Huawei is committed to pro- moting information and communication technology (ICT) industry development in the countries we operate in. Huawei believes that access to education is vital to create opportunities that support fair and sustainable development in the region. Our ICT Talent Ecosystem strategy supported by global CSR initiatives largely focus on education and knowledge transfer. Huawei’s talent ecosystem aims to bridge the digital divide, develop local ICT talent and fulfill CSR objectives. Across the ICT ecosystem there is an urgent need for large numbers of technical staff who can address the challenges posed by this transformation. There are still not enough ICT professionals in the ICT domain. The gap between the knowledge learned in the classroom and the skills that are necessary in the real world needs to be addressed. Huawei’s ‘Seeds for the Future’ program, aims to address these challenges. Huawei’s ICT Competition is just one example. An initiative designed to nurture local talent within the field of information and communications technology, Huawei has worked for the past two years with government authorities, colleges and uni- versities across the Middle East to identify, support, and grow future ICT leaders. 2019 is the third regional edition of the Huawei ICT Competition, which seeks to increase national ICT competitiveness and enhance students’ future employment opportunities by working to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace. It encourages knowledge sharing on the latest ICT developments, international trends, and offers hands-on skill develop- ment training at Huawei’s state of the art labs, R&D centres and facilities. National winners from each partici- pating country will receive an immersion opportunity in a global ICT company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, in addi- tion to certificates and cash prizes. Select candidates are offered employment at Huawei, where they can further their ICT understanding. The competition does more than just develop current talent; it has the potential to inspire generations of future science, technology, engineering and mathemat- ics (STEM) professionals who will drive innovation and continued evolution of technologies such as 5G and IoT. For more of the latest intriguing industry news & more, check out commsmea.com It contributes towards the ICT Talent Ecosystem that Huawei aspires to estab- lish, which will cater to the knowledge- intensive requirements of the industry – which is heavily reliant upon talent resources that, at present, do not exist in sufficient quantity to sustain the growth of a flourishing sector. Through the ICT Competition, Huawei hopes to play a part in creating an envi- ronment of openness, collaboration and shared success, which will extend beyond borders to nurture a more successful and cohesive future for connectivity on a nationwide and, indeed, global scale in the years and decades to come. It is an embodi- ment of our strong belief in building the ICT ecosystem, encouraging knowledge and experience transfer, while bridging the digital divide and promoting digital inclu- sion. We support governments in achieving their goals of creating future ICT leaders who will be responsible for build a diversi- fied and sustainable knowledge-based economy. This article is by Li Xiangyu (Spacelee), vice president, Public Affairs and Communications, Huawei. Huawei is rolling out the third edition of its ICT Competition, says Li Xiangyu, VP, Public Affairs and Communications, Huawei 6www.commsmea.com SNAPSHOT OPINION CommsMEA September 2019 About the author Greg Wilson is Group editorial director Got a comment? E-mail at: greg.wilson@itp.com But will attendees see applications that herald the start of a new computing age? Rather than autonomous vehicles, video streaming is expected to drive adoption. Whether its people watching more video, streaming social media or making video calls; 5G will transform video streaming into an everyday, everywhere occurrence. 5G could potentially unleash a wave of app development in the same way GPS- enabled smart phones ushered in Uber and similar services. 5G is expected to disrupt the transport industry – driverless cars be- ing the prime example. But regardless of Elon Musk’s enthusiasm, such commercial driverless vehicles are still years away. Perhaps of more immediate interest at the show are the plans of global software players – particularly big business applica- tion and database vendors, such as Oracle, SAP, IBM and Microsoft and the commu- nity of independent software developers that typically adorn their stands at GITEX. The on-stand demonstrations may not be quite as spectacular as those involving luxury cars or virtual reality simulators, but using 5G to connect the ‘internet of things’ is a realistic scenario. But despite being an appealing prospect, the number of firms in the region that have the size, wealth and ambition to rollout such technologies are relatively few. A tough economic environment might push some firms to seek productivity gains with IoT projects, but outside of govern- ment agencies and the energy sector there are few signs that region’s body of mostly small to medium sized companies are pri- oritising such sophisticated use of infor- mation technology. So while the show will no doubt have some interesting demos, how quickly 5G powered technology enters the main- stream is sill open for debate. GITEX is round the corner and 5G is again set to dominate proceedings. There will be no escaping the myriad of 5G powered-demos promising a hyper-connected, technology rich future. Over the last 12 months parts of that fu- ture vision have started to arrive across the Gulf. Most of the major telcos in the GCC have rolled out limited ‘commercial’ net- works and initial 5G handsets have started to appear in local retail outlets. But before we roll up at GITEX for our next swig of 5G Kool-Aid, it is worth re- membering there is still a long way to go before the reality matches the hype. Yes, there are commercial 5G networks and yes, you can make 5G phone calls. Although these are important precursors to greater change, vital elements of the 5G ecosystem have yet to arrive. 5G is set to capture headlines at this year’s GITEX. However, the technology still has some way to go 5G fact and fiction Greg Wilson The existence of comprehensive 5G coverage and widespread adoption of 5G phones are only of limited use without ‘kill- er’ applications to drive adoption. Comput- ing history illustrates the point well enough – Windows PCs were made popular by its productivity apps – namely Office. Apple’s move into content with iTunes and then the App Store fuelled sales of iP- ods, iPads and then iPhones. All of which, in turn drove sales, in its traditional (and up until that point) ailing hardware busi- ness. The gadgets are great, but adoption stemmed from content. The same applies for 5G – there must be compelling applications to drive adoption. Show visitors will witness a range of appli- cations covering remote health, autono- mous vehicles, various ‘internet of things’ demos and a galaxy of augmented and/or virtual reality scenarios. 7CommsMEA September 2019 COMMENT EDITORBahrain tops London and Silicon Valley for female startup founders For more stories, check out commsmea.com. Follow CommsMEA on Twitter: @COMMSMEA Among top 10 startup ecosystems with the largest share of female founders. THE FUTURE IS DEFINITELY FEMALE. Bahrain is one of the top 10 startup ecosys- tems with the largest share of female found- ers, according to the 2019 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER). Described as “the world’s most com- prehensive and widely-read research on startups,” the report is produced by StartUp Genome in partnership with the Global En- trepreneurship Congress. With 18% of its startups founded by women, Bahrain topped startup hubs such as Silicon Valley (16%) and London (15%). The report also lauded Bahrain as: one of the top 10 ecosystems to watch in FinTech in Europe and the Middle East, and a top 15 global ecosystem for affordability of quali- fied talent. H.E. Khalid Al Rumaihi, chief execu- tive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, said: “This report draws on the views A new report claims Bahrain has a higher percentage of female startup founders than London and Silicon Valley. of the people who know best – entrepre- neurs and founders. In a very short time, Bahrain has emerged as a leading ecosystem with particular strength in FinTech. With both female founders and women taking leadership roles throughout the ecosystem, Bahrain is a dynamic and diverse market at the head of new trends that are shaping the way society and business operates.” Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi, chief executive of Tamkeen (Bahrain’s Labour Fund), added: “Over the past decade, Bah- rain’s startup ecosystem has made signifi- cant progress, where startups can access a global network of partners to scale up and capture opportunities in Bahrain and the [wider] region.” According to Dr Janahi, to date more than 59% of women have been served as part of Tamkeen’s micro finance support, while more than 50% were served within the business development programme, which offers a co-financing service to cover 50% of business equipment. Bahrain has a long history of women in senior leadership positions. Currently, a group of female leaders in FinTech is help- ing to steer the country’s FinTech strategy. Leading female Bahraini startup found- ers include Hala Sulaiman and Ameera AlQubaiti - co-founders of Alrawi, a suc- cessful audiobook startup and Pitch@Pal- ace Global 3.0 People’s Choice 2018 Winner. Furthermore, Bahrain’s Al Waha Fund of Funds, a $100 million fund set up by the Bahrain Development Bank, has an all-fe- male leadership. The report also recognised Bahrain as a Top 15 global ecosystem for affordable tal- ent. It’s estimated that more than 60% of computer science students at the Univer- sity of Bahrain in 2018 were women. 8www.commsmea.com UPDATE EQUALITY CommsMEA September 2019Meet the first women to graduate from Orange Jordan’s Women’s Digital Centres Programme For more stories, check out commsmea.com. Follow CommsMEA on Twitter: @COMMSMEA More programmes are planned for the near future MORE JORDANIAN WOMEN ARE GOING INTO TECH CAREERS. Orange Jordan, in partnership with the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human De- velopment (JOHUD) celebrated the gradu- ation of the first batch of women who par- ticipated in the Women’s Digital Centres Programme. The programme was executed under the umbrella of Orange Digital Centres, and was implemented at five different locations affiliated with JOHUD in Jordan. One hundred women from different re- gions benefited from the intensive training they received. The training included digital, management and entrepreneurship skills, learning how to build their startups and promote them through social media chan- nels, and a focus on enhancing and develop- ing professional experience and achieving financial independence. The graduation ceremony was attended by JOHUD executive director Farah Al- Daghestani and Orange Jordan CEO Thier- ry Marigny. In a joint statement, Orange Jordan said women’s empowerment was a top priority within its strategy to develop local communities. The company also clarified that the pro- gramme’s success was demonstrated in the ability of participating women to start their own projects in a short period of time. JOHUD considers that the ICT sector contributes significantly to achieving devel- opment through creating more opportuni- ties, especially for women. JOHUD also pointed out its efforts in empowering Jordanian women across dif- ferent regions, both socially and economi- cally. Elsewhere, Zain Bahrain launched its Women in Tech summer internship pro- gramme for young university students. The internship was meant to help young female university students majoring in rel- evant technical fields - such as IT and net- working - to discover their capabilities and explore possible career paths. In addition, the internship provided coaching, career planning through real working exposure, and more. “The first step for identifying a career path is self-exploration, and internships are a great way for students to acquaint them- selves with the field they are interested in,” said Dana Bukhammas, Zain Bahrain direc- tor of human resources. The programmes were launched amid new data that shows women, on average, ex- perience more workplace stress than men. According to the 2019 Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey - Well and Beyond (which surveyed over 13,000 people worldwide, including 500 from the United Arab Emirates), data showed 88% of women experience stress at work, compared to 85% of men. Further, 13% of women said the stress is unmanageable stress, compared to about 11% of men. Women particularly scored low on phys- ical well-being, citing lack of sleep and exer- cise as concerns. The study revealed that the top stress triggers for both women and men were per- sonal finance (17%), workload (16%) and personal health concerns (14%). Personal finances were the focal stress point for single women, while anxiety over workload was the main concern for working mothers, with 52% of senior women execu- tives, who are mothers, fearing judgement for prioritising family or spending time away from work. Around 61% of working women said they feel that workplace wellness programmes need to better address the specific needs of each gender. “The lack of customised wellness pro- grammes in the workplace is a major concern, with women in particular re- questing more tailored and customised pro- grammes,” the report said. Some of the first women to graduate from Orange Jordan and JOHUD’s Women›s Digital Centres Programme 9www.commsmea.com UPDATE EMPOWERMENT CommsMEA September 2019Next >