Exclusive Interviews

The coronavirus pandemic is a humanitarian crisis that continues to take a tragic toll on people’s lives. There’s no denying it is also acting as a catalyst for change on a scale not seen before.

COVID-19 has brought with it tremendous challenges that many Telcos have had to deal with as fast as possible. Our reliability on connectivity has never been more crucial and this seems to be a very prevalent in the field of broadband as more people are expected to work from home.

“Although most of us are still in the depths of the crisis and there is much uncertainty, we know that at some point it will end.” Those were the words of Ignacio Garcia Alves, chairman and CEO, Arthur D. Little, in the introductory letter of the recent report published by the company and to highlight how businesses are handling the situation today in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telecom Review asked all about what the report entails in an exclusive interview.

In order to know more details about STL’s response to the coronavirus, Telecom Review spoke to Rahul Puri, regional sales head, MEA who highlighted the measures that the company is taking to protect employees and better serve customers.

Sofrecom has been up to the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with Telecom Review, Guillaume Boudin, CEO, Sofrecom, outlines the measures the company has taken to protect its employees and guarantee business continuity at the same time. He emphasizes the role that operators and infrastructures are currently playing and stresses that this role will be amplified once the crisis is over.

Not long ago, satellite television was being written off as an outdated medium of consuming content that would not survive the digital age. Orbit Showtime Network - OSN, is a long-standing satellite provider serving the MENA region for almost 25 years. OSN welcomed Patrick Tillieux as chief executive officer just over a year ago. Since his appointment, he has made profound changes to OSN, to which he refers as a “radical evolution” of the company. Tillieux has a much more positive approach towards satellite TV. He believes that there is still potential in the market and intends to continue work on both traditional and digital methods of consuming content.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly cast it shadow over all industries and has proven the significant reliability on communication. The satellites industry is playing an important role during these difficult times by guaranteeing connectivity and entertainment to people all over the world. Imran Malik Khan, VP, global sales fixed data, SES Networks spoke to Telecom Review about the company’s role during these difficult times.

Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa, the GCC’s only mobile provider with multiple live operations and millions of active customers, has a proven track-record of delivering outstanding mobile experiences to customers across the region. The company operates in the region under two brands: Virgin Mobile and FREiNDi Mobile. Telecom Review sat down with Erik Dudman Nielsen, founder and CEO of Virgin Mobile MEA, to talk about the company’s success in some of the region’s most mature markets and to gain greater insight into what makes their services truly outstanding to their customers.

The impact of the COVID-19 has been significant on all industries, but the telecommunications industry has been considered an important pillar to overcome this crisis. Femi Oshiga, vice president of service providers for MEA, CommScope explained to Telecom Review how the company is helping its customers and highlighted the importance of connectivity in these difficult times.

For more than 140 years, Ericsson has been continuously at the forefront of innovation. The tech giant has been a key player in the MEA region with its outstanding network infrastructure, dependable services and ability to understand and capitalize on the latest industry trends.