Telecom Review had the opportunity to interview Dr. Mohamed Tayeb Mahmood, the Acting Chief Technical Officer of BNET, Bahrain's national broadband network. During this interview, Mahmood illuminated how BNET is embodying its vision of connecting the entire community, emphasizing the pivotal role of strategic partnerships in accelerating programs that enhance customer experience. He also discussed the innovative technologies incorporated into BNET's network operations and the impact of increased fiber speeds on business and household consumers.
Pioneering a Prosperous Community
When queried about BNET's approach to realizing its vision of a thriving and interconnected community, Mahmood underscored the central goals of the fiber infrastructure deployment. He expressed pride in the accomplishment of establishing connectivity for 95% of households and 100% of businesses. This achievement is marked by the provision of affordable, reliable, and secure ultra-fast broadband services. “BNET has been targeting thousands of new addresses every year, resulting in around 60,000 new residences being connected to fiber this year alone,” said Mahmood. In addition, BNET has published a Reference Offer (RO) that includes affordable and accessible products and services for everyone. He said, “At BNET, we're driven by eight core pillars, including customer centricity, connecting our community, and excellence driven. These objectives are the backbone of our vision— A prosperous community where everyone is connected.”
Leveraging Strategic Partnerships to Enhance Customer Experience
Regarding strategic partnerships in enhancing customer experience programs, Mahmood explained that BNET works closely with licensed operators to continuously improve its products and services. They collaborate with contractors, technology vendors, suppliers, and consultancy firms to ensure the growth and maintenance of their fiber-based network. Mahmood emphasized that everything they do revolves around their customers and the success of their customers is linked to the support they receive from strategic partners. He said, “Before embarking on any initiatives, we will ask ourselves, ‘How will it benefit our customers?’, ‘Will it enable them to expand their business?’, ‘Will they be able to improve the experiences of their customers?’ The success of our customers is closely linked to the support we receive from our strategic partners.”
Meeting Connectivity Demands
In terms of meeting the high demand for connectivity in Bahrain and empowering ISPs, Mahmood highlighted that BNET provides licensed operators with various access approaches to develop optical fiber services. They have established a robust and reliable IP+OTN network to ensure network services protection and fulfill future high-speed bandwidth demands. BNET offers wholesale broadband services and related products on a non-discriminatory basis, fostering competition and innovation while providing greater choices for customers in Bahrain.
Technology Integration
Mahmood highlighted several cutting-edge technologies integrated into BNET's network operations. These advancements include 50GPON technology, designed to accommodate high-speed services exceeding 10Gbps and support the growing number of Giga users. Additionally, there's the implementation of FTTR to ensure top-notch home broadband services, digital mapping for a visual representation of network devices and KPIs, CDF-ROADM for the modernization of OTN nodes, enabling flexible network expansion. The adoption of IP+Optical topology enhances service protection reliability, and the utilization of AUTIN serves as a highly integrated O&M platform for efficient problem resolution.
Fiber Speeds Improve Customer Satisfaction
Lastly, when discussing the impact of increased fiber speeds, Mahmood highlighted the significant improvement in customer experience and satisfaction. BNET has increased fiber speeds in Bahrain by 3.75x over the last three years. This improvement has contributed to an increased GDP and benefited both governmental organizations and businesses, as well as residential users. Mahmood affirmed BNET's unwavering commitment to embracing the most recent technologies and delivering state-of-the-art products and services to its customers. Mahmood emphasized that, “Bahrain’s ranking improved from 88 in the beginning of 2023 to 61 by the end of 2023, this demonstrates that we are on the right track.”
Throughout this interview, it became clear that BNET is steadfast in pursuing its vision of a connected community. Through strategic partnerships, the incorporation of innovative technologies, and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction, BNET is actively spearheading the transformation of Bahrain's telecommunications landscape.
