The MEA's network resources are growing. In a special discussion with Telecom Review, the Managing Director of China Mobile International (CMI), Alex Lee, explores the company's strategies for staying relevant in the market over the years.
How did the footprint of CMI in the Middle East grow over the years?
CMI has enhanced telecom infrastructure by investing in network resources in the Middle East and was also first registered in 2015. We set up office operations in 2017, and we added the entire Middle East Africa Regional Office in 2020. CMI also forced a lot of strategic partnerships, especially with the carriers – most of the regional enterprises like Omantel, Du and e&. So we’ve done a lot of development and integration with them. Back in 2018, we only had two customers, and now we’re probably seeing more than 160. So there has been a tremendous growth.
What are the CMI solutions that particularly contribute to the Middle East's era of enterprise digital transformation?
Preparing for the anticipated regional demand, CMI has been actively improving the regional telecommunication network infrastructure. For example, investing in 2Africa’s subsea cables, which will be able to serve the Middle East and Africa by linking the cable resources all together around the Middle East. Also, our signals and high-performance solutions to support 5G and 4G. Furthermore, we also provide professional consulting services and give assistance to support the Middle East customers where they understand some of the new technologies and new advancements of solutions. One of the most consistent reasons why our customers keep coming back is our one-stop-shop ICT service. Especially for the data centers for offices, a visual of the Chinese talents, along with the local regional expertise, gives them a favor that is not replicated very much from our competitors.
What is the key to becoming a trusted international telecom company within MEA and how will you continue to innovate and transform to keep up your industry reputation?
So, leveraging our global resources, and China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC), our group company, 5G development, as well as the investment in network resources, CMI will be able to contribute to the industry and the region by delivering a wide spectrum of international telecommunication services. This provides seamless connectivity to the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and we will promote closer ties and be able to give digital access for businesses around the world.
We are also committed to continue to improve these network resources – keep driving innovations to support customers. Of course, as one of the leading operators of 5G globally, we are a big advocate of 5G integration across sectors and a pioneer in providing 5G services to the public. We are also committed to providing the best 5G experience for operators in the Middle East and the rest of the world. Building upon our robust 5G infrastructure, CMI is able to provide a full range of digitalized international telecommunication services and help the industry players take their businesses to the next level.
What is the importance of CMI's participation in GITEX this year?
We are very pleased to see how we evolved along with our own growth. So being here, I think, is a statement of intent of our presence and importance to this industry. Also this year, we are demonstrating many of our successful live cases of 5G. We have a smartphone, Smart City, smart industrial partner and IoT solutions. So there have been great advancements in terms of China technology, and because of COVID, most people were not able to see for themselves how much the advancements have gone through over the last two years. I watched the transcript over the last few years. So we feel that being here in GITEX has given us a platform where we're able to showcase some of the most innovative wishes of 5G to share with the rest of the world.
