In the framework of GITEX Technology week 2018, Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with Walid Lahoud, Head of Sales MENA, Secure Land Communications, Airbus to know more about the company's recent announcements and activity at the region's most-attended event.
Secure Land Communications (SLC), an Airbus business unit, offers advanced communication and collaboration solutions to gather, process and deploy intelligence. Its portfolio is tailored to the needs of public safety, defense and transport, utility and industry. It includes infrastructures, devices, applications and services based on Tetra, Tetrapol and Broadband technologies (either single, hybrid or multi-technology solutions).
Lahoud explained in the interview how the company insures secure communication for its clients and lauded its partnership with Nedaa reflected through their joint participation in all exhibitions held in the region. In addition, he explained Secure Land Communications' role in the energy sector, namely at the level of the oil and gas and electrical sectors.
What role does Secure Land Communications play within Airbus? Can you give us an overview of the company's portfolio and the main products and services it offers?
At Secure Land Communications, we have been serving countries in the Middle East since 2004. We started in Dubai and then expanded our business to the whole region. Airbus is known for the civil aircrafts business, but it is only a part of it. We have a very strong business in the secure land communications field and everything related to public safety and encrypted communications.
How do you insure a secure communication for the different fields in which you're involved?
Secure communications and collaboration is at the heart of our business. We have a good know-how of the needs of the public safety organizations. We insure a secure and encrypted communication for all the public safety organizations by sitting with them and understanding their need.
The difference between us and the regular telecom providers lies in the fact that they offer commercial products whereas our offering is dedicated to the specific needs of the public safety and business sector.
What is Secure Land Communications' main role in the energy sector? What are the products that you offer in this field?
When it comes to the energy sector, we are mainly involved in the oil and gas and energy sectors. In oil and gas, we have partnered with Saudi Aramco to offer them communication along their pipelines. The transfer of information along a pipeline has to be secure and accurate and this is where our role lies. Mainly, the oil and gas companies are considered as a secure asset to the governments, so they need secured solutions they can rely on.
In the energy sector, we are working with ENEC in the nuclear power plant's to offer infrastructure and terminals, our equipment are certified to operate in the electrical and nuclear environment. We have developed the same technology in Korea and it has proved to be successfully working. Now it is being implemented in the UAE which will have its first power plant that will use our devices and our network.
What can you tell us about Airbus participation in this year's edition of GITEX technology week?
The Professional Communication Corporation - Nedaa, Dubai Government security networks provider, was our first customer in the Middle East since 2004 and we have developed a strong partnership. Since then, every year, we participate in exhibitions together because we have a common message revolving around the new technologies.
This year, we are showing our "new born". It's a new device that is similar to the normal secure voice terminal but at the same time connected to the broadband network. Dabat is a very unique product that allies broadband and narrow band and has won several awards around the world.
