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“2018 was a table-turner year for 5G Technology in the UAE”

For immediate release
Sharjah, December 10, 2018

As the UAE races to fully embrace fifth generation (5G) connectivity by 2019 to boost business profitability and develop new and existing market sectors, the fourth Sharjah FDI Forum has brought industry leaders in the technology sector to shed the spotlight on crucial aspects of whether the national and regional infrastructures are equipped to support these massive technological changes, how feasible they are, and how governments will play a role in executing transformation plans.

A panel discussion titled ‘The Race for 5G: Is the Infrastructure and Supporting Networks Equipped for 5G?’ heard from Dr Hichem Maya, Head of Industry Digital Transformation and ValueEngineering, SAP; Adel Belcaid, Senior Principal with A.T. Kearney CMT practice, Advisor forcorporations, regulators and government agencies in telecommunications; Henrik Von Scheel, originator of the “4th Industrial Revolution” (Industry 4.0),mastermind of the German Digital Revolution (European Digital Agenda),Board Member OECD National Competitive Council; and Juan Jose de la Torre, Partner & Digital Transformation Leader, IBM.

The speakers highlighted the different aspects of transformation in the 5G spectrum, stressing on the importance of strengthening the existing telecommunications infrastructure. “Most countries need the infrastructure to support this transformation; a basic example is the use of fibre cables to support the 5G network. If that isn’t adopted by countries across the board; 5G is just a marketing gimmick,” remarked Von Scheel.

Belcaid offered a numerical overview of the current global data demand, saying: “Global telecommunication operators are constantly trying to catch up with consumer demand for data. There are roughly 5 billion mobile users, and to estimates, each user would have a 20GB data consumption demand by 2020. After multiplying the two figures, the IT world is running out of terminologies to qualify the foreseeable data consumption. We are talking about 40 billion TB, and soon we will run out of Greek words to describe this surge in demand.”

He observed that the challenge is making business sense and earning a profit out of data supply to the end consumer, because most telecom companies end up spending 60 percent of their financial resources to make data available to their customers, but the revenue earned is not as much. “Despite high demand, the cost to modernise services isn’t something the end consumer is willing to bear.”

To all the sceptics in the audience, Juan Jose Torre said: “A few years ago, we said the world wasn’t ready for Uber or Airbnb, and then consumers proved us all wrong. The journey towards 5G has very much begun. It is no longer science fiction.”

The UAE Vision 2021has set the 5G revolution as one of its main goals. It is the most 5G-ready country in the Gulf, and the region as a whole is making a sizeable effort to catch up with global leaders in theUS and UK.

“2018 was a table-turner year for 5G Technology in the UAE,” remarked Belcaid to conclude discussions, with speakers agreeing that the UAE is eagerly anticipating to see how this new technology, once rolled out on a wider scale in the UAE next year, will be a catalyst of innovation in promoting businesses, attracting FDI inflows, boosting education and healthcare, and global connectivity.

According to a recent story by The National, technology analysts in the region estimate that 5G connectivity will boost the GCC economy by $269 billion (Dh988.04bn) over 10 years with cheaper, faster internet access and connecting devices through the Internet of Things.

The Sharjah FDI Forum, which was first launched in 2015 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, is organised by Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) with the support of the Ministry of Economy, and in strategic partnership with CNBC Arabia.

The fourth edition seeks to boost the emirate’s endeavours to attract more foreign investments, promote opportunities in main sectors, and strengthen the UAE’s position as a top investment destination in the region and the entire world.

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About Invest in Sharjah:
Established in 2016, the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) is the investment promotion agency of the Emirate of Sharjah, launched by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). It also functions as a key facilitator to investors, servicing them with a 360-degree informative and physical support, allowing them to fully understand processes, investment advantages and insights on key sectors that fit their business profiles in Sharjah.

As one of the emirate’s key economic growth drivers, Invest in Sharjah is dedicated to the continued transformation and economic diversification of the emirate, and is committed to guiding foreign investors to the unique opportunities and potentials that Sharjah offers to global markets. Its mission is to work collectively with the emirate’s public and private sectors, to guide investors towards strategic and personalised opportunities, promoting collaborations for bilateral growth and update investors on Sharjah’s unique business culture, modern facilities, latest regulations and policies as well as business platforms and free zones that incentivise new prospects.

Invest in Sharjah also works in close partnerships with numerous state entities in the emirate, and has hosted numerous business roundtables and seminars in Sharjah and across the world, attracting unique investments and future ventures with business leaders from The Americas, Europe, Middle East, Gulf Region, Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific Region.

Invest in Sharjah has organised and participated in numerous leading business and investment conferences and seminar in Sharjah and the rest of the world. It is responsible for organising / hosting the Euromoney Conference Sharjah, the Sharjah FDI Forum, the Sharjah Ramadan Majlis and a number of high-level businesses conferences.

For more information, please visit www.investinsharjah.ae or you can contact +971 6 556 0444. For the latest news on Invest in Sharjah on social media, follow @investinsharjah on Twitter and Instagram.