Huawei Embraces Internet of Things in MENA Region Through Broader Mobile Connectivity

mobilk - Huawei has re-affirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and developing smarter cities in the MENA region by extending the availability of mobile broadband to rural communities while increasing the capacity of mobile networks in rapidly expanding urban areas. 

During the GSMA Mobile 360 – Middle East conference, which is taking place at this week’s GITEX Technology Week, Huawei set out plans to foster the expansion of local IoT infrastructure through two key initiatives. This will include offering regional operators a portfolio of low-cost, unified mobile broadband solutions that will improve both coverage and the quality of service for customers living in rural areas. At the same time, Huawei will address the demands of bustling urban areas for increased connections and high-capacity networks through the advancement of 4.5G mobile services and a new generation of Narrow Band IoT solutions. The latter is an emerging network architecture that is highly regarded for its low-power, low-cost technology while supporting a massive number of low-throughput devices.

Speaking at a session during the GSMA Mobile 360 conference, Mr. Lin Yanqing, VP of Strategy and Marketing at Huawei Middle East, noted: “Network operators across MENA are facing challenges in fostering more connected societies in the region. While 3G and 4G mobile services have been deployed in most markets, there are still large groups of the population that do not receive high-speed connectivity due to the cost of extending necessary network infrastructure, especially within North Africa. With a strong belief in the power of connected communities, Huawei is focused on extending the reach of mobile broadband across the Middle East and North Africa by offering low-cost infrastructure solutions extending connectivity for all.”

Huawei maintains that as citizens realize the benefits of a better connected world, urban and rural areas will increasingly rely on mobile broadband as an enabler of smart services in many areas; from government to transportation, utilities, education and healthcare. Consequently both areas should benefit from the development of mobile broadband equally.

Mr. Lin Yanqing outlined Huawei’s “Mobile Broadband for All” vision which will help operators extend coverage in rural areas at low cost by using technologies such as LiteSite, existing infrastructure and Huawei’s future-proof SingleRAN platform.

At the GSMA Mobile 360 conference, Huawei further outlined the future of 4.5G broadband to support capacity demand and the increasing number of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connections expediting the development of IoT-based applications. On the roadmap to 5G comes 4.5G, a technology that bridges existing 4G networks to 5G technology. Amongst other things, it enables Gigabit throughput and helps operators to extend their IoT business into the Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) market with what is known as Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) technology.

On exhibits outside the conference, Huawei global experts also presented some of the latest innovations being developed behind the network, including smart parking based on NB-IoT, 1Gbps speeds, and TDD+ solutions.

“The region is becoming increasingly city-centric. We believe that the cities of the future will need to become more intelligent through connected infrastructure that can positively transform the way in which citizens and businesses experience the world,” said Mr. Safder Nazir, Vice President of Smart Cities & IoT at Huawei Middle East, during his session on ‘Embracing the IoT Opportunity’ at GSMA Mobile 360 conference. “This view forms the basis of our smart city vision and affirms our commitment to the development of the Internet of Things, making ICT solutions simpler and easily customizable for enterprises and consumers.”

Returning for its third year, the GSMA Mobile 360 - Middle East conference brings together key decision makers in the mobile industry to explore challenges and issues specific to the MENA region. Continuing with its theme of connecting societies, this year’s event focuses on the building blocks for creating connected cities, and the underlying platforms that can enable a range of connected services such as digital commerce, digital identity, digital security and the Internet of Things.