Despite the enormous potential of artificial intelligence, implementation in accordance with the goals of countries requires systematic technical innovation that can only be achieved by preparing a new technical generation from the region’s people to lead the wheel of technology and its future (Shutterstock)
Ammar Taba - Vice President of Huawei Public Relations in the region
The year 2024 is considered an important station in the journey of our digital world and enhancing communication capabilities between devices and humans, as new generations will benefit from many modern revolutionary technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and communications to advance the wheel of digitization within various sectors and industries, thus consolidating the region’s position as a vital center for innovation and technological leadership.
The next stage of fifth generation networks is the basis of digital infrastructure
The year 2024 will witness the adoption of 5.5G networks, which is the next level of 5G technology for telecommunications networks, which has had the most effective positive impact in the history of the telecommunications sector.
This technology will complement the opportunities to expand our technological borders and open new horizons for the world of communications amid expectations that connected devices will spread to unprecedented levels during the next decade, as some estimates indicate that the number of connected devices around the world will reach 30.9 billion devices by 2025.
Technical progress promises to provide distinctive interactive digital experiences in real time, as the fifth and a half generation networks are characterized by the ability to upgrade network capabilities by 10 times, support communication experiences at a speed of 10 gigabytes per second, and enable 100 billion touch points to work at the same time, which heralds increased Intelligence capabilities of many services.
It is expected that telecommunications operators in the Middle East region, specifically the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which were the first to adopt 5G networks, will benefit. One of the exceptional features and capabilities of 5.5G networks is that the sensing feature - which is considered its cornerstone - provides new horizons for enhancing use cases within many sectors and industries, such as smart transportation, the health sector, the financial sector, and others, in parallel with reducing security errors.
The Gulf Cooperation Council countries were the first to adopt fifth generation networks (French)
5.5G networks will be one of the most important foundations for enabling digital transformation in countries of the region as they provide a more reliable and secure infrastructure to support the growing demand for digital services.
Governments and business sectors across the spectrum will have rich opportunities to simplify operational processes, improve performance efficiency, and enhance customer experiences.
This technology will also contribute to strengthening the frameworks for implementing smart city initiatives and their most important aspects, such as traffic management, public safety, energy efficiency, reducing the costs of citizens’ daily life and improving its quality.
Studies indicate that 5.5G networks will contribute to raising the competitive capabilities of companies in countries of the region, making them a more attractive destination for foreign investors and increasing the momentum for economic growth.
Moreover, these networks support the trend of many governments towards industrialization as a fundamental pillar of economic transformation plans, and also raise the level of cooperation between local and international companies, and facilitate the transfer of knowledge to drive innovation.
As the basis for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, 5.5G networks will contribute to enabling manufacturers to make a qualitative shift in production systems and adopt a safer, more sustainable, and more effective future industrial strategy.
It will provide more opportunities for youth and small and medium-sized companies in the region, and develop new digital services and applications in the fields of virtual or augmented reality, games and entertainment that can attract younger generations and enhance their approach to technical innovation.
These networks also provide small and medium-sized companies with new opportunities to develop services and increase revenues through new opportunities to display their products and services and reach their audience on a broader scale.
Artificial intelligence accelerates the application of modern technologies, as analytics supported by artificial intelligence can help public and private companies make data-based decisions, better allocate resources, and improve public services.
Sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics can benefit from networks integrated with AI capabilities to achieve better results in many areas of work, including real-time monitoring, enhancing predictive maintenance capabilities, and improving the supply chain.
The convergence of cloud computing technologies and artificial intelligence heralds a new transformative era (Shutterstock)
Artificial intelligence and cloud computing are driving the new smart era
According to a report by PwC, AI is expected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
The report says that the Middle East region will account for about 2% of the total global capabilities for artificial intelligence, equivalent to $320 billion.
This is largely due to the efforts made by the region's governments to accelerate the adoption of modern communications technologies such as 5G, which accommodate artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other advanced technologies.
The convergence of cloud computing technologies and artificial intelligence heralds a new transformative era, as the intersection of these technologies constitutes a great force that dynamically adapts to the needs of users and contributes to enhancing their experiences and creating a radical transformation in entire sectors.
Cloud platforms also provide the infrastructure necessary to scale AI applications and ensure optimal performance and cost efficiency.
The most important factor in the success of spreading the benefits of cloud computing is the ability to build an open ecosystem that contributes to the development of the future of cloud services, relying on local and global partners in cooperation with organizations and bodies concerned with achieving digital and smart transformation to support the shift of local markets towards the cloud and provide cloud models that are compatible with their customized requirements as models.” Pangu, launched by Huawei, is supported by Arabic language capabilities and aims to provide a cloud infrastructure equipped to adopt artificial intelligence and designed to support all sectors to possess better smart capabilities.
Despite the enormous potential of artificial intelligence integrated with computing and networking capabilities, the prospects for development and implementation in accordance with the goals of ambitious countries and businesses require systematic technical innovation that can only be achieved by preparing a new technical generation from the region’s people to lead the wheel of technology and its future.
The Pango models launched by Huawei, supported by Arabic language capabilities, aim to provide a cloud infrastructure equipped to adopt artificial intelligence (Getty)
Shaping a brighter future for talent in the region
In light of the acceleration of developments in the technological landscape, the demand for technical talent is increasing, especially in vital areas such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data analytics. According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2023 report, employers estimate that by 2028, 44% of workers' skills will be outdated or invalid.
The report also states that 60% of workers will need training before 2027. Analytical and creative thinking and the use of artificial intelligence and big data are at the top priorities for skills training.
Preparing national technical cadres for the future must remain on the list of priorities for countries in the region. This can be achieved by building bridges of partnerships and cooperative projects between governments, various sectors and academia to bridge the existing gap between education and the ICT sector.
Institutions must take the initiative to build strategic partnerships aimed at enhancing technical education that keeps pace with modern technologies, as we, in turn, are committed to close cooperation with governments and institutions through vital initiatives and programs to train and prepare young people, such as “Seeds for the Future,” the ICT Competition, the Developers Program, and laboratories and innovation centers. joint ventures and many others, all under the umbrella of the Huawei ICT Academy, which today manages 2,700 academies. Including more than 200 academies in the Middle East and Central Asia.
The goal of building a talent ecosystem in the countries of the region and achieving a balance between the presence of women and men in technical fields must be at the center of companies' business strategies.
The need to adhere to recognized international standards, open source contributions, and digital integration policies must be emphasized as priorities and goals of a successful cooperation approach between the public and private sectors to devote work efforts towards advancing digital transformation in the countries of the region and achieving common success for all partners in a way that supports the achievement of national plans, strategies, and visions.
Source: Al Jazeera + websites