M360 MENA is set to bring together leaders from across the technology, telecoms, and government sectors in Doha, Qatar, on November 18-19, 2024. Lara Dewar, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), GSMA, spoke to Telecom Review ahead of the event to share her insights.
What is the importance of hosting M360 MENA for the first time in Doha? What made the GSMA choose Qatar for this particular event?
Our M360 series is very important to us; they are designed to reflect local realities and connect them to global priorities. We host a few of these over the course of the year. We typically start in LATAM, we hold them in APAC and Eurasia, and we are now going to be in the MENA region.
MENA has become a global hub for digital innovation and the digital economy is predicted to rise quite significantly (from its current USD 180 billion to a massive USD 780 billion by 2030). It’s very hard to ignore these kinds of numbers, and Qatar stands out as a leader in the region.
We think that Qatar has a really ambitious vision, driven by emerging technologies that are growing and contributing more and more to the nation's GDP. We feel that Qatar's vision to create and foster a thriving digital economy is an important aspect in that growth, and we align very much with their philosophy and their strategic investments in technologies like 5G, AI and IoT.
Moreover, Doha is a vibrant city—that's always an important element when we're planning events like this, and we think it's a wonderful place to really showcase advancements in mobile technology.
We've previously held the M360 MENA event in Saudi and we had a fantastic host (stc). This year presented an opportunity for us to move it and work with another GSMA member to host it (Ooredoo).
I'm very excited about the partnership with Ooredoo, am very grateful to be hosting this event with them, and excited to be in Doha.
How will this event harness the latest advancements in telecommunications and foster collaboration across the MENA region?
As the GSMA, our vision is to unlock the power of connectivity so that people, industries, and societies can thrive. All of our events bring together regional and international leaders to share their knowledge. We can't overlook the importance of being together to collaborate. We know that these events are used as key moments in time, where decisions are taken because people are together.
We also know that partnerships and alliances are formed because we literally make connections at these events, and those are incredibly important. Sometimes, these connections are still in the forming stages (like a formal meeting), and sometimes, they are serendipitous moments (where we're introduced to someone and a conversation is sparked, and later on, it results in a partnership).
There's just something very special about being together with people from such a dynamic industry. We think business leaders and policymakers, together, help to drive digital partnerships that will contribute to the kind of growth numbers that I mentioned earlier.
We are very grateful and honored to have Qatar's Minister of Communications, His Excellency Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, attending our opening ceremony. We love when we can have government involved in our keynotes. We think it's so important to have private-public partnerships represented at these events. This is how we will influence regulation in the entire industry.
We'll also have other business leaders who will be speaking, including our own Director General (Mats Granryd), who will deliver a keynote entitled ‘Powering the Digital Future,’ which will expand on the importance of creating an inclusive and sustainable digital future.
This year's agenda will also highlight the industry-wide collaborations and initiatives we’ve spoken about over the last two years, including the Open Gateway Initiative, which leverages the power and capacity of 5G.
The role of AI will also be discussed, which is a conversation that's absolutely everywhere this year, and that will range from the ethics of AI through to the innovations that we can expect. We think that the telecom sector has, in recent years, seen remarkable transformation, and some of that is fueled by AI advancements. However, this is not new to telecoms, we've been using AI technology for several years, but mostly for creating efficiencies, optimizing networks, and using data differently to serve customers in a better way. Now, we're taking AI the next level with value-added products.
I think all of these things will be discussed and, given the region’s commitment, both in the form of investment and through the work being done at universities, I think this makes it a very fertile conversation in this region. It's the right time to be having these conversations, with the right host partner.
Can you elaborate on the importance of policy frameworks to ensure fair and equitable contributions to mobile infrastructure within the MENA region? How will M360 MENA be an ideal platform to discuss these policies?
Over the years, the GSMA has developed a very positive reputation for being able to bring together government regulators, policymakers, and business leaders. Outside the UN, we're probably the next organization that has the reputation gravitas to pull together the right people to have the conversations that can influence regulation.
This is a heavily regulated sector, and mobile operators can sometimes feel like they're getting squeezed from all sides, particularly with the demand from customers for more and more capacity against regulatory constraints, where regulators are also trying to do the right thing for that same customer base or constituents. And then we've got market structures and competition. In some cases, we've also got frameworks where there's excessive tax burdens that restrict telecom operators.
Thus, we believe that government plays a really key role in enabling and encouraging, first of all, positive investment to this industry, and secondly, in stimulating discussions around this industry such as specific taxation as well as fair-share regulation, which is a growing conversation in the MENA region.
We’re all talking about the same audience. We call them [telcos] our customers while regulators call them constituents, but overall, we're trying to do the right thing for that group. And so, for us, working together fosters a much better atmosphere than working at odds.
I think, ultimately, we all really want the same things: we want people to feel safe, we want people to be educated, we want people to have access, and we want people connected. We believe that there's both commercial imperatives for this as well as societal benefits.
We believe that having both of those groups represented in our M360 event will result in a very meaningful dialogue. There'll be a series of roundtables and sessions where really important conversations can be held, some of which will be public, and some of which will be invite-only.
How will M360 MENA contribute to bringing the benefits of mobile internet to all?
Having C-suite executives, policymakers and technology leaders together for two days creates an atmosphere where the kinds of conversations about bringing the benefits to everybody can be held—from technological conversations, regulatory conversations, and societal conversations that are addressing some of the other barriers to getting people connected online.
This intersection of business and policy is incredibly important to unlock all the opportunities for digital-first societies, and the GSMA has a deep interest in ensuring, right now, that we continue to close what we call the ‘usage gap’ rather than creating an even bigger divide or gap in the face of technologies like AI.
If we look at last year's numbers, globally, 95% of the world was covered by a mobile network, and in MENA, this number stood at 96%, thus, we don't lack coverage. However, we know that only about 49% of people use the mobile internet. We need to address this ‘usage gap’ of just under 50% so that we're not leaving people behind.
Some of the barriers to inclusion encompass affordability of devices, digital literacy, and relevant content, among others. This is not an easy problem to solve as there are many factors involved. However, we know that this is an industry that has, historically, been able to tackle complex problems and solve them, especially in a region where there is so much momentum in terms of digital infrastructure commitments and investments.
As a woman, I feel really compelled to talk about this wherever I can. I think it is important that we get women online safely, so that they can benefit from knowledge, tools, education, and content that will be meaningful in their daily lives.
Elaborating more on your last point, as a woman in ICT holding a key role in an important organization, how do you utilize your voice to amplify and address the needs within the mobile ecosystem?
I love this question. I think that when you are a leader, whether you're a man or a woman, you have a responsibility to create environments where everyone can thrive. When I look at a talent pool in the technology industry that is predominantly male, I become very concerned that we're leaving half the population out of an industry, which means we're leaving half the population out of influencing things like the development of AI.
I also believe that there's a commercial imperative for diversity, wherein companies who employ diverse workforces have been proven to perform better for their shareholders.
Hence, at the GSMA, we do a couple of things. We ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a priority at all of our events. Earlier this year, at MWC Barcelona, we implemented a ‘Diversity4Tech’ program, where we showcased the collective efforts of the mobile ecosystem in advancing DEI, and, at the same time, pointed out the big divide. Recently, at MWC Las Vegas, we also hosted a ‘Tech4Girls’ program.
Alarmingly, only 26% of leadership roles in this industry are held by women, and only 35% of spots in STEM education are allocated to women. Having said that, we have two problems: attracting women to this industry and promoting them when they get here.
We’re doing all of these things to create conversation, dialogue, and awareness around diversity. In my role, as part of my portfolio, I get to create the content for all of our programs. In doing so, I'm bringing the best of my own creativity and effort, and my voice, to this problem, both to shine a light on it and to steer us towards addressable solutions.
Last year, for the first time, 45% of our speakers at MWC were women. This represents a huge improvement over previous years. You have my commitment that I'll keep doing that more practically as I take my responsibility seriously and I try to launch programs to address these things.
Moving forward, at MWC 2025, we're taking things a step further in our ‘Diversity4Tech’ program, and we've got some very special things set for launch.
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