Volume 10, July, 2019 A SAMENA Telecommunications Council Publication www.samenacouncil.org S AMENA TRENDS FOR SAMENA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL'S MEMBERS BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES Intigral: Intigral’s Innovation in Digital TV and Broadcasting ... 65 Huawei: Opening the Doors to Industrial AI ... 74 Nokia: Data and AI’s Advantage in Improving Customer ... 80 THIS MONTH USE CASES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VOLUME 10, JULY, 2019 Contributing Editors Knowledge Contributions Subscriptions Izhar Ahmad Huawei [email protected] SAMENA Javaid Akhtar Malik Intigral Nokia Advertising TRENDS [email protected] Publisher Editor-in-Chief SAMENA Telecommunications SAMENA TRENDS Bocar A. BA Council [email protected] Tel: +971.4.364.2700 CONTENTS 05 EDITORIAL FEATURED 07 REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES Members News Regional News 68 SATELLITE UPDATES Satellite News 49 15 Practical Use Cases of 76 WHOLESALE UPDATES Artificial Intelligence Wholesale News 82 TECHNOLOGY UPDATES ARTICLES Technology News 65 The SAMENA TRENDS newsletter is wholly Intigral’s Innovation in Digital TV and owned and operated by The SAMENA 87 REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES Telecommunications Council (SAMENA Broadcasting Regulatory News Council). Information in the newsletter is not intended as professional services advice, and A Snapshot of Regulatory 74 Data and AI’s Advantage SAMENA Council disclaims any liability for Activities in the SAMENA Region in Improving Customer use of specific information or results thereof. Articles and information contained in this Regulatory Activities Experience for Telcos publication are the copyright of SAMENA Beyond the SAMENA Region Telecommunications Council, (unless 80 Opening the Doors to otherwise noted, described or stated) and Industrial AI cannot be reproduced, copied or printed SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY in any form without the express written permission of the publisher. 06 During GSR-19, SAMENA Council Emphasizes on the Sustainable Expansion of Digital Infrastructure The SAMENA Council does not necessarily endorse, support, sanction, encourage, to Connect the Unconnected and Reiterates the verify or agree with the content, comments, Need to Achieve Equilibrium in Regulation, Multi- opinions or statements made in The SAMENA Stakeholder Engagement, and Market Forces TRENDS by any entity or entities. 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SAMENA TRENDS is a trademark of SAMENA Telecommunications Council. 7441_Et_Business Mobile App_SAMENA Magazine_A4.indd 1 5/21/19 1:36 PM EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence There is an ever growing need to introduce computational learning to imitate and augment more intelligence, efficiency, creativity, and human capabilities and thought have now innovation-led sustainability across economic been recognized as an immensely powerful sectors. In this context, tremendous potential is dimension of digitization. being promised by artificial intelligence (AI). It is with AI that all of these modern needs can be In the age intelligent connectivity and met, to bring about a transformational shift in autonomous learning, artificial intelligence is a operating and thriving in smart environments. game-changer for all economic sectors. Given our region’s focus on 5G, and to define revenue- While AI has been in use for some time rich use-cases for 5G, it is important that we now, especially as assistants in conducting look at some immediately implementable use precisely-defined tasks across customer care cases for AI as well. It will require intra and operations, SAMENA Council, in a previous inter-sector collaboration and coordination, Bocar A. BA edition of Trends, has highlighted its emerging and expertise to translate theory into reality. Chief Executive Officer & use in improving network efficiency, lowering Board Member operational costs, and improving QoS in the Artificial intelligence is the next big thing we SAMENA Telecommunications new mobile networks; something of immense must understand well, in order to harness its Council interest to Operators. beneficial use as we build the foundation of a thriving digital economy, built on the principles However, AI’s applications and emerging uses of inclusiveness and participation across all stretch far beyond just telecommunications economic sectors and segments. sector. The ability and implementation of 5 JULY 2019 SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY During GSR-19, SAMENA Council Emphasizes on the Sustainable Expansion of Digital Infrastructure to Connect the Unconnected and Reiterates the Need to Achieve Equilibrium in Regulation, Multi-Stakeholder Engagement, and Market Forces SAMENA Telecommunications Council, represented by its CEO Bocar A. BA attended the 19th Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR19), which took place from July 9 to 12 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. As the chairman of the Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officer’s Meeting (“CRO”), Mr. BA Chaired the discussion of the industry that focused on the need to adopt collaborative approaches necessary for connecting the remaining 49% of the worlds’ population, still unable to benefit from the digital revolution. In his opening remarks, preceding a leaders’ debate, Mr. BA also drew attention to the globally important issue of protecting children in the digital space, and specifically called for action from governments to ratify an international “Child Safety On-line” compliant with both globally-agreed and concepts of “collaborative regulation” and declaration. Under the chairmanship of national aspirations, optimizing taxation “fifth-generation regulation” -- both of Mr. BA, the CRO Meeting called for new regimes, ensuring the timely and cost- which have thus far successfully described collaborative approaches to connect those effective availability of spectrum to promote the need for ICT policy and regulatory who are still not able to benefit from the new technology adoption, stimulating frameworks to be inclusive, relevant, and digital revolution, including a broader demand, and, importantly, creating incentive-driven for the private sector. As a engagement of the public sector, as well relevance in content to help promote sector-development partner to Regulators as concerted efforts from all stakeholders internet access. In this 19th edition of the in the SA-ME-NA region, SAMENA Council of the ecosystem to facilitate financing GSR, regulators and private-sector experts continues to anticipate and support the of infrastructure expansion, particularly from all over the world discussed the need for policy and regulatory frameworks in areas with low commercial viability. future of regulation as the fast-changing to be practical, reality-based, and As such, the Meeting identified that the ICT landscape − with new technologies decision-oriented as well, so that national policy and regulatory environment has to such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, ICT visions can be fulfilled as smoothly provide the right incentives to ensure that the Internet of Things and 5G, as well as and promptly as possible. This, in SAMENA inclusivity can be achieved commercially new business and investment models − Council’s strong views, requires very close in a sustainable way and emphasized continues its trajectory toward accelerated engagement and trust-driven exchange of that in areas that are uneconomical, the transformation. The GSR has successfully information and partnership development right balance has to be struck between drawn attention to the need to connect the between the public and private sectors. regulation, public sector involvement and remaining 3.7 billion people who are still Held under the global theme of “Inclusive competitive market forces. Calling for not using the Internet. SAMENA Council’s connectivity: The future of regulation”, broader, collaborative engagement of the participation in the GSR, both as a Sector-D GSR has succeeded in serving as a needed public sector with the private sector, Mr. Member as well as a contributing private- opportunity for fostering dialogue and BA also emphasized on realizing a sense sector representative entity, entrusted drawing world-wide policymaker and of urgency among the governments and to take leadership role in advocating on regulator-level attention to specific areas collective responsibility of both the public multiple areas of importance to the Digital of the future ICT policy and regulatory and private sectors to bring about required Communications Industry, especially environment. changes; including among other priorities, Telecom Operators, has been active with taking proper regulatory measures the ITU since the Union developed the