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Operators' Enablement at the Heart of SAMENA Council's Digital Transformation-Centric Activities with Technology Providers

Dubai, April 16, 2018 – In the context of digital transformation, the debate in the SAMENA region revolves much around sustainability of telecom operators and the expanding digital ecosystem; more particularly so in consideration of a multi-faceted competition, evolving industry dynamics, focus on digital transformation, and expectations from both end-users and Administrations. It is thus paramount to help telecom service providers to digitally transform and grow in non-traditional services in an environment where the velocity transformation must be high.

In the recently held SAMENA Council's Beyond Connectivity - In the Future conference, held in collaboration with Tech Mahindra, one of the Council's newest members to join during 2018 and an emerging name in the Middle East region as regards enablement of Telecom Operators through technology and managing change, it became avidly clear why SAMENA Council believes in and strives to encouraging technology providers lead discussions on visualizing an AI, VR, AR, IoT, and software-led future. Such dimensions of the future have signification implications for Telecom Operators, which must not only adopt to change but must quickly undergo transformation at multiple tiers within their networks, operations, strategy, and overall organization.

A major networking and thought leadership event for the industry, the Beyond Connectivity - In the Future conference made possible participation of industry executives as well as private-sector decision-makers from within the SAMENA region to gain new perspectives on the future of the Digital Communications ecosystem and how new technological designs, innovative digital services, software, and business approaches will integrate themselves to define how the Industry operates and contributes to the development of smart societies.

Beyond Connectivity - In the Future conference also made it clear that, while most operators have a digital footprint and digital services already in existence, growing and evolving to cater to non-traditional services in an OTT environment are central to their sustainability and future contributions in the age of digital economy. Networks at the moment are not agile and flexible enough and transforming them is very expensive. Therefore, technology enablers, such as Tech Mahindra, have to come forward and are ready and equipped to become the enablers of enablers; a role that SAMENA Council deems is necessary for developing a 5G ecosystem. Such a role also underpins SAMENA Council's own enabler's and sector-development partner's role in helping fulfill communication gaps not only Telecom Operators and Regulators but also among Telecom Operators and Technology Providers.

Digital development, given its central role in the development of digital economies and the realization of smart digital societies, and with its myriad of private-sector and public-sector stakeholders and complexities across all dimensions, now demands an unprecedented level of co-operation, innovative partnerships, and leadership roles, including from women ICT leaders, in order to encourage digital transformation at all tiers, across the society, and across economic sectors.

Held in Dubai on April 5th, Beyond Connectivity - In the Future, substantiated the need to re-think and re-imagine the future, and corroborated the need for Telecom Operators to be agile and Technology Providers to be more resourcefully involved not only as technology vendors but also as facilitators of change.

The one-day Beyond Conference provided a strategic knowledge-sharing platform for SAMENA Council's members and leaders in the Industry, with participation of regional telecom operators as well as globally renowned technology companies, including Oracle, PTC, and Redhat, which are directly contributing to building the digital future and are enabling telecom operators to re-define their roles through innovation-driven advancements on both network and en-user sides.

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About SAMENA Telecommunications Council

SAMENA Telecommunications Council is South Asia - Middle East - North Africa (SAMENA) region’s premier industry association of telecom operators and service providers. SAMENA Council voices network operators’ issues and needs to regulators, policymakers, and international institutions. The most renowned regional telecom operators, including Saudi Telecom, Etisalat, Batelco Group, du, Viva Kuwait, Orange - MEA, Zain Group, Telecom Egypt, Sudatel, Omantel, and Alfa (managed by Orascom TMT), among other leading operators and technology companies, are a part of the Council’s membership. SAMENA Council is a sector development partner to the private and the public sectors, and empowers stakeholders to communicate together in addressing the most pressing industry issues, in order to help create a sustainable business environment for the industry, and to accelerate digital development in regional economies.

As an international non-profit organization, SAMENA Council is contributing to the understanding of cross-stakeholder priorities within the public and the private sectors. The Council has created a unique regional position as the regulatory reach and operator advocacy organization, promoting institution-level engagements with leading private and public-sector organizations.

SAMENA Council was founded in 2006. In February 2018 in Barcelona, Saudi Telecom Company, represented by Eng. Nasser Al Nasser as its GCEO, was re-elected to chair the Board of Directors of SAMENA Council.

About Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra represents the connected world, offering innovative and customer-centric information technology experiences, enabling Enterprises, Associates and the Society to Rise™. We are a USD 4.7 billion company with 115,200+ professionals across 90 countries, helping over 903 global customers including Fortune 500 companies. Our convergent, digital, design experiences, innovation platforms and reusable assets connect across a number of technologies to deliver tangible business value and experiences to our stakeholders. Tech Mahindra is amongst the Fab 50 companies in Asia (Forbes 2016 list).

We are part of the USD 19 billion Mahindra Group that employs more than 200,000 people in over 100 countries. The Group operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, after-market, information technology and vacation ownership.



Source: SAMENA Press Release

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