The 16th edition of the prestigious Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit in the UAE recognized Vodafone Oman for its successful greenfield digital operations, sustainability ambitions and cutting-edge technology, with three expert voices from the company participating in high-level panel discussions.
Under the theme “Global, Regional, Digital,” this year’s summit brought together major players from the telecommunications world, with events predominantly focusing on operations in the Middle East and Africa.
Bader Al Zidi, CEO of Vodafone in Oman, participated in the key ICT Leaders panel discussion, alongside regional and international industry experts, including executives from Netcracker Technology/BostonGene, Nokia, Orange Egypt, stc Kuwait and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The panel examined governments’ expectations from ICT leaders to enhance digital services, leaders’ role in transforming the ease of network access, keeping up with expanding technology demand and how to expand/retain a qualified workforce.
“We are just starting our journey, but we have become an example of a fully digital company — agile, lean and efficient,” said Bader Al Zidi. “It’s a model that works with the expertise of local and global partners to allow us to address the market faster and more efficiently, using new emerging technologies.”
“Greenfield has been our biggest advantage. We are not only a traditional telco service; we think a lot on data science and provide added value to our customers. We have set ourselves up to adopt big data — using a lot of insight from customers to build personalization and become a data-driven organization, while from a network perspective, we have been building 5G from day one,” he added.
Other members of the panel praised Vodafone’s model and success since its entry into the Oman market in early 2022, noting how it has allowed greater sustainability to be built into its operations.
Commenting on the success of the 16th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, Toni Eid, founder of Telecom Review and CEO of Trace Media, said, “This year, we were back together again in Dubai for two days — with a more diverse audience and insightful panel discussions. Impressively, many notable industry leaders have joined us for the first time. This two-day hybrid event of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit has been built on the success of many years of informative gatherings, finally culminating in this 16th edition. I would like to thank every partner for their support as well as our esteemed panelists, including Vodafone in Oman, who added valuable perspective as a newly-launched greenfield operator in one of the region’s youngest demographic populations.”
Also joining the discussions was Stelios Savvides, Vodafone technology director (CTIO) in Oman, who provided an authoritative voice on sustainability on the ICT and Greentech panel, joined by Philippe Vogeleer, Vodafone’s global head of development, and other experts from the likes of EY, Huawei and the Project Management Institute. The panel examined subjects including the importance of incorporating sustainability into telcos’ strategies, how 5G and sustainability are intertwined and green tech is aiding sustainability. Savvides outlined the importance of sustainability to Vodafone and Oman as a whole, explaining how the company’s agenda has been digital since its launch, resulting in a favorable environmental impact.
The Summit also saw Jan Holzberg, Vodafone commercial director in Oman, give his expert opinions as part of The Future of Technology panel, which looked ahead to 6G, the impact of the metaverse, digital inclusion and next-gen tech, in discussion with representatives from etisalat by e&, NEC GCC and more.
The Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, which is held annually in Dubai, is among the largest C-level industry gatherings, bringing together the leaders of the ICT industry and governments from around the world.
