Exclusive Interviews

TELUS CTO, Dr. Ibrahim Gedeon has identified what he believes are the three main obstacles preventing the acceleration of 5G deployment across the ICT industry. The CTO of the Canadian operator gave an exclusive interview to Telecom Review at the Telecom Review Leaders' Summit in Dubai. In a compelling interview, Dr. Gedeon called on the industry to 'get its act together' with regards to 5G standardization - and also highlighted the success of its partnership with Chinese vendor Huawei on the creation of a 5G Living Lab in Vancouver.

Smart Dubai, an initiative anchored in the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to make Dubai the happiest and smartest city on earth. The organization's visionary leader, Her Excellency Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr, Director General, spoke to Telecom Review about the importance of embracing digital practices and data sharing.

Nowadays, women are playing a key role in the telecommunications and ICT field by assuming high level positions in international companies. The 9th edition of Telecom Review Summit sought to highlight women's contribution to the industry by bringing some of the most influential women in telecoms. Dr. Nadine Akkari, PhD holder and researcher was one of the participants and panelists. Telecom Review had the chance to interview her to shed light on her participation in the event.

Digital transformation is an essential element of keeping pace with rapid growth across industries. Organizations wanting to embrace digital transformation need a platform that allows them to see where improvements can be made to foster efficiency and innovation. NXN's new DNX platform is an enabler of digital transformation across industries, explains Labib Matta, NXN's chief business officer.

The Virgin Mobile brand was officially launched by Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) on September 5 in the UAE, making history as the first fully digital mobile service in the country. Karim Benkirane, Managing Director of Virgin Mobile UAE, said the brand has ditched tradition by operating exclusively through a mobile app.

UAE telecommunications provider, du (EITC), plays an important role in the development of Dubai's smart city vision. Vice president of business development and partnerships at du, Jihad Tayara, told Telecom Review the Dubai Pulse Platform by Smart Dubai is the digital backbone and 'beating heart' of the city. Tayara outlined the role du played in the development of the Dubai Pulse Platform, and said du will continue to add new technologies to the platform as the market evolves.

With a history spanning over 140 years, Ericsson has proven itself to be a resilient partner for telecom operators looking to monetize into new revenue streams. Speaking to Telecom Review, Rafiah Ibrahim, President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said the company's experience and understanding of using automation and processes makes it the ideal partner for telecom operators willing to embrace change.

Nokia has claimed that networks must be 'smarter' in order to cope with the acceleration in IoT deployment and machine communications that is being projected over the next number of years. Nokia's head of sales for IP and Optical Networks in the MENA region, Naveed Kashif, declared that in order to meet the challenge posed by the exponential rise in connected devices networks just can't be bigger, they must be smarter. Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with Nokia's head of sales for ION to discuss the company's recent announcements, the interplay between cloud and networks and some of the new technological solutions it is set to introduce to market.

Sofrecom, an Orange Group subsidiary, is a consulting and engineering company in the telecommunications sector. Telecom Review spoke to Sofrecom CEO Guillaume Boudin and managing director of Sofrecom Middle East, Elias Saab, about the company's role in reshaping telecom operators' business models to keep up with industry disruption. 

PCCW Global, a leading telecommunications provider offering the latest voice and data solutions to multi-national enterprise and communication service providers has announced a collaboration with the Algerian government.