Zain Iraq, CMC and Ericsson Launch the First IoT Competition for University Students
Press release
During the event
Zain Iraq and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) have announced an IoT Competition for Universities for students in Iraq. The first-of-its-kind competition will run for six weeks during which the students are invited to present use cases to address the possibilities of 5G-IoT and industry digitalization and ultimately capture their full business potential.
The competition is supported by the Communication and Media Commission (CMC) in Iraq as part of its initiative (Du3M 2025) with an aim to engage millennials from top Iraqi universities in identifying innovations that will transform the way they live, work and learn.
Dr. Ali N. Al-Khwilidi, Chief Executive Officer of CMC says: “IoT is being widely embraced with the number of connected devices growing rapidly. The IoT competition for universities allows students to unleash their potential in the IoT domain and actively involve talented Iraqi youth in the country’s evolution towards a connected society.”
Around 29 billion connected devices are forecast by 2022, of which around 18 billion will be related to IoT. Connected IoT devices include connected cars, machines, meters, sensors, point-of-sales terminals, consumer electronics and wearables. Between 2016 and 2022, IoT devices are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21%, driven by new use cases.
Ali Al Zahid, Chief Executive Officer at Zain Iraq, says: “IoT supports digital transformation and development of new business models and offerings. This competition will enable the Iraqi youth to share their technology innovations and act as a platform to facilitate the country’s digital transformation.”
The collaboration between Zain Iraq, Ericsson and CMC is a continuation of the series of initiatives to help turn the communications sector in the Middle East and Africa into one of the most dynamic and vibrant in the world.
Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Ericsson Middle East & Africa says: “With 20 billion IoT devices predicted in the next five years, there is an array of untapped business opportunities. Our joint initiative with Zain Iraq and CMC aims to create sustainable value and eventually make a positive impact on business, people and society in Iraq. By engaging with students, we share our knowledge on the latest advanced technologies and capitalize on their innovative thinking towards a connected future.”
Jury teams from Zain Iraq, Ericsson and CMC will evaluate the projects and select five finalists. The top three winning teams will receive monetary prizes in addition to internship opportunities at Zain Iraq and Ericsson headquarters at Stockholm Sweden.
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Background Information
Ericsson
Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers, with about 40% of the world’s mobile traffic carried through our networks. We enable the full value of connectivity by creating game-changing technology and services that are easy to use, adopt and scale, making our customers successful in a fully connected world. For more than 140 years, our ideas, technology and people have changed the world: real turning points that have transformed lives, industries and society as a whole.
Zain
Zain is the pioneer of mobile telecommunications in the Middle East. We began life in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator, and since the initiation of our expansion strategy in 2003, we have expanded rapidly. Today, we are a leading mobile voice and data services operator with a commercial footprint in 8 Middle Eastern and Africa countries with a workforce of over 6,000 providing a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to over 50 million active individual and business customers as of March 31, 2019.
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