Exclusive Interviews

The Somali operator, Hormuud Telecom was established in 2002, in Mogadishu, Somalia. The company started with 250 shareholders, ten customer service centers, and a few thousand customers. At that time, the company only offered voice and SMS services. Seventeen years later, Hormuud Telecom has attracted well over 4 million subscribers, 12,000 shareholders, and over 800 customer service centers in both urban and rural Somalia. Today, its mobile networks cover more than 80% of the land area in South and Central Somalia and it offers a diversified portfolio that answers corporate, personal, and business needs.

In order to know more about PCCW Global’s  latest projects, namely the trilateral agreement related to the Pakistan & East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) cable system’s development, Telecom Review spoke to Sameh Sobhy, vice president, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, PCCW Global, who explained in depth the progress achieved thus far in the project. We were also eager to know how PCCW Global can intervene when natural disasters hit a certain country, just like it did in Mozambique not so long ago. Sobhy wrapped up the discussion by highlighting his aspirations for the remainder of 2019 and what the company aims to achieve next.

Working towards implementing digital transformation in all Arab countries, the AICTO has prepared a thorough agenda on top of which are strategies aiming to promote innovation in the region. Telecom Review spoke to Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor, Secretary-General of the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO), who further explained the role of the AICTO in achieving digital economy, detailed the technology trends that have a great impact on the region such as IoT, AI/data analysis and 5G and whether Arab countries are ready to adopt 5G.

On its sixth annual event, MEF19 promises to showcase the tremendous digital transformation progress in the areas of global, cloud-centric services and related automation.  MEF 3.0, SD-WAN, Carrier Ethernet, Lifecycle Services Orchestration, 5G and Intent based networking are just some of the topics to be covered at MEF19, which will be held on 18-22 November 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Telecom Review sat down with Kevin Vachon, MEF Chief Operating Officer to get an insight into the upcoming event.

The Telecommunications Standardization Bureau (TSB) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) works on developing international telecom standards. It currently includes 11 study groups which are dedicated to developing standards which range from fiber optics, all the way to the application layer. Some of their study groups are technical in nature, while others are more regulatory in nature such as managing telephone numbers internationally, managing the secure use of IoT-powered devices on 5G networks, managing economic and policy issues, tariffs, international roaming and internet connectivity charges.

Operating the world’s largest wholly owned and most advanced subsea fiber network, and carrying over 25% of the world’s internet routes and 70% of all mobile operator networks, Tata Communications has proven to be a leading digital infrastructure provider. With its wholly owned subsidiary Tata Communications Transformation Services, it is contributing to the digital transformation of Africa, helping the continent overcome the challenges that it might face.

CommScope is a global leader in providing wired and wireless solutions and innovations to the telecommunications industry. CommScope and the recently acquired ARRIS and Ruckus Networks are shaping the communications networks of the future. The combined company will provide greater technology and solutions with broader access to new and growing markets. During GITEX Technology Week, Telecom Review managed to secure an exclusive interview with Femi Oshiga, vice president of service providers in the Middle East & Africa.

MTN recently created a new branch within the group dedicated to providing a connected digital life dubbed MTN GlobalConnect. In an interview with Telecom Review, Frederic Schepens, CEO of MTN GlobalConnect, introduced GlobalConnect services and its corporate goals in addition to discussing other key topics.

The best LTE networks are the foundation of the best 5G performance in non-standalone (NSA) 5G architecture, according to Aji Ed, CTO Middle East and Africa, Nokia. In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review during GITEX Technology Week 2019, Nokia’s CTO outlined the importance of strong 4G network for great 5G performance.

MATRIXX Software is a company fuelled by innovation and is currently leading the way in the digital commerce revolution within the telecoms industry in light of the latest cloud and 5G technologies.