Huawei explores new revenue models for region’s ICT industry

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, is spearheading deliberations this week with regional operators, regulators and analysts on how the longstanding business models of the region’s telecom industry can evolve to meet consumer demands at a time when ultra-broadband services are being introduced across the Middle East. 

This year’s Broadband World Forum MEA is playing host to such discussions from March 25-27 at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina in Dubai, UAE. Huawei is a Gold Sponsor of this year’s event and is welcoming some of its top business consultants from the region and abroad to explore a fresh approach to monetizing future ICT services.

In the Middle East, many operators have already conducted deployment of fiber and LTE broadband networks. However, how to utilize such large bandwidths and realize revenue growth has become a major concern for operators especially as they compete with new market entrants such as OTT players to develop additional services through a smart pipe approach.

Mr. Faisal Ahmed, a Principal Consultant within Huawei’s Business Consulting Practice, will be addressing forum delegates during a special keynote presentation at the conference. Elaborating on how operators can adopt new business models to generate additional revenue streams in maintaining profitability, Mr. Ahmed’s keynote also presents analogies from fields such as the airline and postal industries where a mix of deregulation, competition and new technology led to an overhaul of traditional revenue models.

“Today’s high-speed broadband offerings are fundamentally changing the nature and structure of the region’s ICT industry,” notes Mr. Ahmed. “While we have come a long way in the past few years in particular, there is still a lot of room to optimize and build smarter infrastructure while removing barriers to vertical integration of services. There are some fantastic case studies of where such strategies are already yielding results. This conference is an opportunity for us to set a path for building on those successes moving forward.”

The number of broadband lines in the MENA region is anticipated to reach more than 150 million by 2015, with industry experts noting that the MENA region is also expected to have some of the world’s highest growth rates for regional mobile data-traffic ahead of places like Latin America and Europe. Such changes have even risen to the agenda of groups like the World Bank, who have recently launched a dedicated initiative to improve broadband connectivity in the region by optimizing fiber networks for broadband use.

In the months ahead, Huawei will be linking with additional public and private sector leaders to address these market shifts during the company’s 2012 annual Broadband Middle East tour, spotlighting the latest end-to-end solutions set to transform the region’s telecommunications and business landscape.