Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) since January 2007, was reelected for a second four-year term in October 2010. As Secretary-General, Dr. Touré is committed to ITU’s mission of connecting the world, and to helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals through harnessing the unique potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
A long-standing champion of ICTs as a driver of social and economic development, Dr. Touré previously served as Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) from 1998-2006. In this role he placed considerable emphasis on implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), launching projects based on partnerships with international organizations, governments, the private sector and civil society. Dr. Touré started his professional career in his native Mali in 1979. He built a solid career in the satellite industry, serving as managing engineer in Mali’s first International Earth Station. He joined Intelsat’s Assistance and Development Programme in 1985. He was appointed Intelsat’s Group Director for Africa and the Middle East in 1994, earning a reputation as an energetic leader through his commitment to various regional connectivity projects such as RASCOM. In 1996 he joined ICO Global Communications as African Regional General Manager, spearheading the companies’ activities across the African region.
A national of Mali, Dr. Touré holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical Institute of Electronics and elecommunications of Leningrad, and a Ph.D from the University of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics of Moscow. He is married with four children and two grandchildren, and is proficient in four official ITU languages: English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Following is the text of a very importent and informative question and answer session with Dr. Hamadoun Toure for the interest of Teletimes’ readers:

Q – The Arab region has made extraordinary progress in mobile connectivity. What are the next challenges?
A – There’s no doubt that right across the region, the technology of choice is mobile. ITU statistics show that, between 2006 and 2011, the number of mobile cellular subscriptions in the Arab States soared from 126 million to almost 350 million. This represents nearly 97 subscriptions for every 100 people, ahead of the world average penetration rate of some 87 per cent. The challenge now, of course, is to do for the Internet and broadband what we have so successfully achieved with mobile.
Fixed-broadband Internet subscriptions remain limited in the Arab States, with only 2.2 connections per 100 inhabitants, compared to the world average of 8.5 per cent. It’s worth remembering that this does equate to eight million fixed broadband subscriptions, massively up from one million in 2006 – so we have made good progress. But there’s still far to go.
To address this challenge, the ITU has been working with governments and other partners on a wide range of initiatives to improve the global accessibility of broadband ICT infrastructure and services, and to decrease the cost of such access. One of the most important of these has been the launch in 2010 of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which is co-chaired by President Kagame of Rwanda and Carlos Slim of Mexico, with myself and the Director-General of UNESCO serving as co-vice-chairs.
At the most recent meeting of the Commission in Geneva in October 2011, just ahead of ITU’s Broadband Leadership Summit, the Commission announced a set of four new targets that countries around the world should strive to meet in order to ensure their populations fully participate in tomorrow’s emerging Knowledge Societies.
The following new targets cover broadband policy, affordability and uptake:
1     Making broadband policy universal. By 2015, all countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access / Service Definitions.
2    Making broadband affordable. By 2015, the cost of entry-level broadband services should amount to less than 5% of average monthly income.
3    Connecting homes to broadband. By 2015, 40% of households in developing countries should have Internet access.
4     Getting people online. By 2015, Internet user penetration should reach 60% worldwide, 50% in Developing countries and 15% in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
I believe these targets are ambitious but achievable, given the political will and commitment on the part of governments, working in partnership with the private sector. ITU will undertake responsibility for measuring each country’s progress towards the targets, producing an annual broadband report with rankings of nations worldwide in terms of broadband policy, affordability and uptake.
The Commission also endorsed a ‘Broadband Challenge’ which recognizes communication as ‘a human need and a right’, and calls on governments and private industry to work together to develop the innovative policy frameworks, business models and financing arrangements needed to facilitate growth in access to broadband worldwide.

Q – How do you look at the role of digital dividend in overcoming the digital divide, particularly in terms of broadband?
A – The digital dividend opens up many opportunities
to use the freed spectrum for other services or applications. It can be used by broadcasting services – for example, to cover provision of more programmes, high definition or 3D TV, or mobile television. It can also be used by other types of services in a frequency band which could be shared with
broadcasting (for example, short-range devices, such as wireless microphones used in theatres or during public events). And it could also be used in a distinct, harmonized frequency allocation for cellphones enabling ubiquitous service provision, universally compatible equipment and international roaming.
A harmonized approach is required to release UHF spectrum internationally (particularly if it is to be used for mobile service), to ensure a wide availability of devices at reasonable cost. Further harmonized mobile spectrum in the UHF frequency range is foreseen for IMT networks, and also to fulfill the future spectrum requirements for specialist users such as public safety providers.
Providing sufficient spectrum to support the growth of mobile broadband services is clearly a major priority, because broadband is such a powerful enabler, and because mobile access will continue to dominate as the platform of choice in a great many countries worldwide. Broadband has the potential to massively expand the effective delivery of vital services such as healthcare and education, to geographically distributed populations which could never be properly served by traditional, centralized models.
Expanded access to ICTs is already bringing services such as mobile banking to tens of millions of people in the developing world, giving them the kind of financial power to manage their lives which they have never before had.
Access to mobile networks is now available to 90% of the world population and 80% of the population living in rural areas.
More people are now moving from 2G to 3G platforms, in both developed and developing countries. More than 140 countries are offering 3G services, compared to just 95 countries three years ago. However, the majority of countries that have not yet launched 3G services are in Africa and the Arab States. In addition, to encourage more people to get online we also need to ensure the availability of relevant content in local languages.

Q – How do you look at the ICTs as a driver of social and economic development?
A – People in the poorest countries are now benefiting enormously from the mobile cellular miracle. As we all know, ICTs are essential in helping us accelerate progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. This was clearly recognized by the World Summit for the Information Society in 2005, and by the LDC 4 conference in Istanbul last year. In 2001, the LDC 3 conference’s Brussels Programme of Action called for average telephone density in LDCs to be increased to five main lines per 100 inhabitants, and for Internet connections to be increased to ten users per 100 inhabitants.
Let me put these targets into context. At the time of LDC 3, the combined average teledensity – fixed plus mobile – in LDCs had reached 1.17%. As a contrast, combined teledensity across all developing countries – including powerhouses such as China – had reached almost 17%.
At the same time, in LDCs there were just three Internet users for every 1,000 inhabitants. The developing country average was almost ten times higher, at 28 users per 1,000 inhabitants.

Q – Where are we today, ten years later?
A – By the beginning of last year, average mobile cellular teledensity in LDCs had already surpassed 25%, and was continuing to grow fast.
The percentage of Internet users in LDCs – at 2.5% – is also encouraging, even if more progress needs to be made.
People ask if low Internet penetration really such a high priority, when people in LDCs face a daily lack of safe drinking water, rising food prices, and a chronic shortage of healthcare?
My answer is a resounding yes. Because technology really does have the power to radically transform lives. Particularly in the developing world, and particularly in countries with large rural and remote populations.

Q – Please tell us about some of the ITU’s key projects and its collaboration and partnerships with international organizations, governments, the private sector and civil society.
A – The ITU has a very long tradition of implementing
projects in the area of ICT for Development, and collaborates with a wide variety of stakeholders and funding partners, including government ministries, NGOs, financial institutions and pan-governmental bodies like the European Commission and the League of Arab States.
During ITU’s World Telecommunication Development Conference in Hyderabad (2010), a broad framework of priority areas for development to be addressed within each of the six ITU regions – Americas, CIS, Asia-Pacific, Arab Region, Africa and Europe – were adopted as Regional Initiatives. For the Arab States, the following five Regional Initiatives were adopted:
●    Broadband access network
●    Digital broadcasting
●    Open-source software
●    Arabic digital content
●    Cyber security
Examples of recent and ongoing projects include:
●    Establishment of Harmonized Policies for the ICT Market in the ACP
Targeting countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, this project is being carried out with funding from ITU and the European Commission, and aims at developing and promoting harmonized policies and guidelines for the ICT market as well as building human and institutional capacity in the field of ICT through a range of targeted training, education programs and knowledge sharing measures.
●    ITU Wireless Broadband Initiative
ITU launched the Wireless Broadband Initiative to support wireless broadband connectivity and ICT applications development all over the world. Particular focus is on selected public institutions in capitals and major cities (such as schools, municipalities, hospitals) and for under served populations in rural and remote areas in least developed and developing countries. ITU has been implementing several wireless broadband connectivity projects on a regional basis, and now is looking for partners to extend these projects to a global level and to achieve the aim of connecting the world. The Susan & Craig Mc Caw Foundation is the key partner of ITU in the implementation of this first phase, covering six countries (Burundi, Djibouti, Mali, Burkina Faso and Rwanda).
●    ITU-Luxembourg telecommunications for disaster response
ITU and the Government of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg are cooperating on strengthening emergency telecommunications and rapid response in the event of natural disasters. The Government of Luxembourg has developed a nomadic satellite-based telecommunication system – ‘emergency.lu’ – aimed at assisting humanitarian agencies respond to communities affected by natural disasters, conflicts or protracted crises. This platform is available as a global public good to the international humanitarian community, with Luxembourg funding its development, implementation, operation and
●    ITU-Anatel Cooperation Project
ITU has partnered with Brazilian regulator Anatel to help the agency create a new Cost Model that will assist in setting tariffs for fixed telephony and calculating industry standard reference values for mobile and leased line services. The new Cost Model will provide access to information management costs of the different business areas and product lines of telecommunications service providers, and improve the overall regulation of the sector. The cost model represents a key element in helping Anatel ensure compliance with Brazil’s public sector policies.
maintenance. Under the umbrella of the ‘ITU Framework for Cooperation in Emergencies’ (IFCE), ITU will encourage its 193 Member States to use the ‘emergency.lu’ platform and facilitate the rapid deployment of emergency telecommunication systems in the event of a sudden-onset disaster, or a longer-term deployment in chronic or recurrent humanitarian contexts or as part of a preparedness strategy in developing countries.
●    ITU-Australian government projects for supporting Asia-Pacific regional initiatives
The projects funded by the Australian Government (Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) and implemented by ITU have focused on ICT development areas ranging from policy and regulatory matters to technologies and infrastructure development, as well as human capacity building. They have created significant impact in the enabling environment in various countries especially LDCs and SIDS.

Q – What else is ITU doing to contribute towards achieving its goal of connecting the world?
A – In order to ensure countries are properly skilled and prepared for broadband network installation and management, capacity building will also be hugely important. ICT is the economic sector that continues to generate the majority of the new jobs worldwide, and countries must ensure they are well-positioned to harness new opportunities by creating a strong ICT skill base, especially among young people. Skills development has long been a key ITU priority, spanning a wide range of different training and education initiatives designed to build capacity across all social strata.
Our Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is now streamlining its extensive ICT training efforts through its ITU Academy initiative. The vision of ITU Academy is to
strengthen the human, institutional and organizational capacity of developing countries by making available ICT learning and development opportunities at the highest possible levels of quality.
Supporting the ITU Academy initiative are a number of front-line training partners including the ITU’s Centres of Excellence and Internet Training Centres — all key players in delivering education, training and information in the different world regions.
To date, ITU has contributed more than US$10 million in seed funding to help set up over 60 Centres of Excellence in regions around the world. These offer continuous education to senior ICT managers in the public and private spheres through face-to-face or distance learning programmes. They also serve as regional focal points for professional development, research, and knowledge sharing, and specialist training services for external clients.
Complementing the Centres of Excellence, our Internet Training Centres initiative is helping developing countries build their own pool of ‘new economy’ professionals who will drive ongoing ICT growth at a local level. ITU has so far helped establish some 80 ITCs in over 60 nations, many of which are UN-designated Least Developed Countries.

Q – Net neutrality is currently one of the vital issues that are being discussed around the world in different countries. Please share your thoughts on this, and how do you look at net neutrality in the near future.
A – The important issue of net neutrality was addressed by ITU’s Global Symposium for Regulators in both 2009 and 2010. The regulators participating in these GSR adopted the following best practice guidelines:
●    Regulators may consider developing adequate provisions both in the fixed and the mobile Internet access services to ensure network neutrality.
●    With regard to Internet traffic management, only objectively justifiable differentiations be made in the way in which various data streams are treated, whether according to the type of content, the service, application, device or the address of the stream’s origin or destination.
●    When Internet Service Providers (ISPs) do employ traffic management mechanisms for ensuring access to the Internet at any point of the network, they comply with the general principles of relevance, proportionality, efficiency, non¬discrimination between parties and transparency.
In addition, ITU believes that to ensure reasonable traffic management practices, regulators should take measures such as:
●    Considering implementing measures for ISPs to disclose information concerning network management, quality of service and other practices as is reasonably required for subscribers and content, application, and service providers.
●    Allowing clients to quickly end their contracts without high switching costs .
●    Allowing clients to prescribe minimum quality of service for Internet access.
●    Creating policy directives stating the rights of consumers to access any lawful content, applications, and services over their Internet connections.
As this remains a vital issue being discussed worldwide, net neutrality will again be one of the topics to be addressed by the next GSR, to be held in Sri Lanka from 3- 5 October 2012. The event will throw the spotlight on traffic management, transparency and QoS prioritization in light of the use of new services, applications and cloud computing services, and the strains on existing bandwidth.

Q – Please tell us about ITU¬IMPACT initiative.
A – ITU-IMPACT is the first truly global multi-stakeholder and public–private alliance against cyberthreats. It provides ITU’s 193 Member States and others with the expertise, facilities and resources to effectively enhance the global community’s capability and capacity to prevent, defend against and respond to cyberthreats. As of today, 137 countries are already formally part of the ITU-IMPACT operational deployment. We have performed readiness assessments in many countries, with a number now moving to the implementation phase. We are also delighted to be providing a number of specific cyber security services to the United Nations family.

Q – What support ITU can provide to set international policies and standards, and to build an international framework of norms and principles for cyber security and cyber peace?
A – As a specialized agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) provides a global forum for discussing cyber security. ITU has been appointed as the sole facilitator of the WSIS Action Line C5, ‘Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs’ and has been entrusted by world leaders to facilitate international dialogue and cooperation.
Recognizing the growing risk of a cyber attack that could originate anywhere and affect every nation, we propose five guiding principles for establishing and protecting peace in the emerging cyber world:
●    Every government should commit itself to giving its people access to communications.
●    Every government will commit itself to protecting its people in cyberspace.
●    Every country will commit itself not to harbor terrorists/criminals in its own territories.
●    Every country should commit itself not to be the first to launch a cyber-attack on other countries.
●    Every country must commit itself to collaborate with each other within an international framework of co-operation to ensure that there is peace in cyberspace.
The ITU is uniquely positioned to facilitate global dialogue among all stakeholders, as it is doing for spectrum allocation and for the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs). The borderless nature of cyber security requires global discussion, and only global organizations such as the UN (and ITU as its specialized agency) can ensure that agreement and consensus is achieved.

Mohamad Mourad, Gulf Regional Manager

Mohamad Mourad leads Google’s business in the Gulf Region. He has joined Google in 2011 with the mandate to drive Google’s investments, to streamline its business operations and strengthen partnerships with key ICT stakeholders. Prior to joining Google, Mohamad held the position of Principal at Booz & Company, a strategy consultancy, where he led the Middle East region’s Mergers and Acquisitions and New Business Development activities in the Telecommunications, Media and Technology sectors. Prior to joining Booz & Company, he held positions in industry in the capacities of business development and business planning. Mohamad holds an MBA degree from INSEAD in France.

Teletimes – Please tell us about your role at Google Inc.
Mohamad Mourad – I am the Gulf Regional Manager for Google and my mandate is to drive Google’s investments, to streamline its business operations and strengthen partnerships with key ICT stakeholders in the Gulf region.

TT -  Tell us about Google MENA?
MM – Google’s Mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. We’re investing in the future and that future is based around innovation and execution wherever it may be as long as its falls within our mission.
In the MENA region, Google aims to develop the web and IT ecosystem in which it can positively influence the region’s ongoing social and economic development. We are very active in our developer’s outreach efforts and also in launching local products such as Arabic Voice Search, Driving and walking directions in several MENA countries, and Google+ which was launched in Arabic on the same day of its global launch.

TT – Share with us the more important stats about Google users across the world and in MENA?
MM – Every day there are more than one billion searches on Google for information worldwide and  YouTube has more than three billion views per day up 50% versus last year. There are more than 90MM users on Google+. In the MENA region KSA has the largest number of search queries, followed by Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and UAE.

TT – Please tell us about the Google Zeitgeist project. What are the latest search trends for Gulf region.
MM – Google Zeitgeist (which means “the spirit of the times) is an annual look into the year’s top Google searches. In compiling the 2011 Year-End Zeitgeist, we studied the aggregation of billions of search queries done over the year.
This year’s fastest rising searches in the UAE show a sustained interest in local content, with ‘Dubai’, ‘UAE’, ‘Emirates’ “Etisalat’ and ‘Dubizzle’ all in the top 25 for the UAE.  In Egypt, phrases like ‘Jan 25th Revolution’, ‘Tahrir square’ and ‘Mubarak’s trial’ were all predictably in the top ten, while ‘hafiz’ (a Ministry of Labour website), ‘Al Jazeera’ and ‘Al Arabiya’ all ranked quite high in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  These local searches were interspersed with all the usual suspects that pop up around the globe, such as ‘YouTube’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’.

TT – How has been the experience with Google+ in your region?
MM – Google+ is the fastest growing social product ever launched–and engagement is phenomenal. So the user base is growing and people are using it across the world in the MENA region. We just announced that on January 19th more than 90 million people have joined Google+. Since announcing the availability of Google+, we’ve been launching at least one new feature a day and it’s also been launched in Arabic since the very first day.
It’s still early days but our goal is to transform the overall Google experience–making it beautifully simple because we understand what you want and can deliver it instantly. This means baking identity and sharing into all of our products so that we build a real relationship with our users.

TT – With so many services and innovations coming up from its platform. What challenges are arriving for Google Inc?
MM – At Google we focus on the user and creating magical experiences for them. Google develops products that change the world and takes time and energy but we’re a big company we ensure enough resources are devoted to high impact products that improve the lives of billions of people.
In the MENA region we want to make the web better, especially creating and increasing locally Arabic content. To help do that we work closely with the local developer’s community and expose our products through our APIs so that developers can create products that we wouldn’t have thought of or might never have created ourselves.

TT – What is the position of Google for Network Neutrality issues?
MM – Google respects copyright–and we’ve worked hard to help rights holders deal with piracy. Last year we took down 5 million infringing Web pages from our search results and invested more than $60 million in the fight against bad ads. Like many other tech companies, we believe that there are smart, targeted ways to shut down foreign rogue websites without asking US companies to censor the Internet”.
On January 18th, we’ve censored the Google Doodle on the US homepage in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), two bills being considered in the US House and Senate, respectively, that would set a terrible precedent for censorship online.
Also, from time to time we include a link on the Google homepage that points users to important or interesting information, whether it be relief opportunities in the wake of a disaster or awareness of an important issue like SOPA/PIPA. We believe it is important to make our users aware of legislation moving through Congress that would hurt the US economy and require US search engines to censor the Internet.

TT – Does Google have any specific programs to encourage young entrepreneurship?
MM – In terms of encouraging entrepreneurship for the region, Google announced this year a competition called Ibdda with Google in Egypt which aims at finding the country’s most talented tech entrepreneurs and award them with 1.2 million EGP in seed capital to bring their winning business ideas to market. The concept of Ibdda with Google is to inspire entrepreneurs to start their own businesses and become contributors to the society at large using technology as a catalyst for growth and economic prosperity. This was the first time ever Google launches such an initiative which demonstrates the importance of the region to the company. After assessing the success of the project we hope to see it rolled out in other countries in the region.

TT – Android is really changing the smart mobile handset world. What popularity has it taken in the Gulf region?
MM – It’s true. The Android platform is growing exponentially, it’s actually the most popular smartphone operating system in the world. 200 Million devices are activated globally, and 700,000 devices activated daily globally.
Given that mobile penetration in this region is amongst the highest in the world (87% in MENA and 178% in GCC, WCIS, 2010), Google sees a lot of potential of growth for Android here.

TT – What are your spending/investment priorities?
MM – We think about our products in three separate categories, and we invest in all of them:
First, there is search and our ads business, the core driver of revenue for the company.
Next, we have products that are enjoying high consumer success–YouTube, Android and Chrome. We are investing in these in order to optimize their long-term success.
Then we have our new products–Google+ and Commerce & Local — that are reshaping the digital landscape. We are beginning to see progress and are investing in them to drive innovation and adoption.
Obviously, we need to balance short-term and with longer-term needs because our revenues and growth serve as the engine that funds our innovation.

TT – Your thoughts about Teletimes International.
MM – It’s a great magazine, which provides interesting and insightful stories to its readers. I’m thanking you for having me with you in this issue.

Dr. Abdullah M. Al Homeadan
Vice President, Human Capital & Organizational Excellence

Teletimes – Would you like to highlight the core points of the restructuring in STC and why it was felt necessary?
Abdullah Al Homeadan – There were many reasons for the recent restructuring at Saudi Telecom however there was one dominant factor – to better serve the changing needs of our customers.  STC is the only integrated telecommunications company in Saudi Arabia and having recently bundled our products to offer cost-effective packages we had to turn our emphasis next to operating optimally internally.
In addition, we were acutely aware that ultimately our individual customers are rightly concerned about the overall experience of shopping with us. In a large organisation such as ours that can be a real challenge especially when employee groups from diverse business units merge at store level. The steps we have taken now focus on a seamless, integrated offering so our customers enjoy the benefits of one-stop-shopping, faster product introduction and an enhanced customer experience.
It must also be noted that STC is now a formidable international player currently operating in around ten markets. The restructuring covered important aspects of how our international operations are managed and influenced. At Group Level we now have a dedicated CEO for International Operations with a team working closely with each of our affiliates. Building the leadership team at Group Level has given us focus to develop and implement critical Group-wide strategies reflected from our customers’ needs.
TT – Kindly share the present organizational structure of STC (after the restructuring).
AH – The current organisational structure is split across 6 major units – Group Strategy, Technical Operations, Finance & Investments, KSA Operations, International Operations and Shared Services. Each unit is headed by a chief and reports to the Group CEO, Saud Al Daweesh.
The CEO for our KSA business leads all retail and enterprise operations nationwide; the CSO commands all corporate, human capital and regulatory affairs; the CTO manages the network and IT sectors as well as running our wholesale business; the CEO for our International Operations directs all activities in our affiliate companies and works closely with international operations where we have major shareholdings. We are also expecting our Group CFO join us soon who will coordinate all market-related activities with the Tadawul and Capital Markets Authority and actively study strategic investments that STC may be seeking to undertake. Finally, we also have a VP for Shared Services that manages all procurement, facilities, HR and security operations.
TT – What were the basic challenges before you while taking over the office of Vice President, Human Capital & Organizational Excellence in STC?
AH – Fundamentally, those were two main challenges. The first was building programs for a large employee workforce to keep them motivated, engaged and productive. From a Human Capital standpoint we were not fully reaping the benefits of our talent management and leadership development programs and needed critical changes to our working protocols with Corporate Strategy and Shared Services. The second was partnering with the business units in supporting their objectives and getting into the thick of the people-oriented challenges that they faced. The perception of Human Capital was also transaction-based and we were intent on providing a strategic framework to support the overall strategic context.
STC had also announced a three-year strategic plan called LEAD that identified six main goals; one of the key themes being Investing in Human Capital. The overriding challenge set upon us was therefore to manage and deploy talent at the right time and develop the leadership pipeline at all levels. Wrapped in these challenges was enhancing the working culture at STC, developing an organisationally efficient structure and rewarding our core talent competitively.
TT – How did you tackle those challenges while utilizing your previous experiences and expertise?
AH – Past experiences are a rich source to draw tactics from in dealing with current and future challenges. My background briefly: I spent the bulk of my career at the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) after graduating with my bachelor’s degree from King Saud University. While at the IPA, I read for my Masters and PhD at top universities in the US: University of Maine and Florida Atlantic University respectively. I worked there as a trainer, researcher and consultant in addition to being the Director of Development and advisor to the Supreme Ministerial Committee for Administration Organisation. I was also an elected member of the American National Honor Society for Public Administration & Public Affairs. During this time, I also served as an elected board member and Director of Public Budgeting & Finance Project at the International Association for Schools & Institutes of Public Administration (IASIA) in Brussels, Belgium from 1998 to 2001.
I have also headed up a major economic and management consulting firm before joining STC in 2004.
As a senior advisor to the Board, I was in charge of STC’s strategic objectives, level one organization restructuring, Code of Ethics and Governance.  Following this, I was entrusted by the CEO, Eng. Saud Al Daweesh to head the Business Development Office (BDO) responsible for restructuring STC, below level one, into a more customer focused organization. This evolved to my appointment as General Manager of Organisation Development for a number of years before moving to the STC International team as General Secretary of International Business Governance.
Having served in this field since 1984, I am therefore able to contextualise and anticipate the challenges of a large organisation like STC by dealing with the people challenges early and building vital working partnerships with the business units within our governance processes.
TT – Are you still having some issues to be addressed?
AH – Well, STC as a group has come a long way. It is a very dynamic organization that believes in continuous development and the pursuit of high standards. There are always several challenges to deal with as we continue our expansion locally and globally. The important aspect here is adopting the best of people, organization and culture.
A Human Capital strategy has been crafted to deal with these three pillars over the coming 5-7 years and as the HC leader of the group, I strive to be what I call  “an iguana leader”: A leader with one eye on current issues with the other fixated at a future end point. As someone who has spent considerable time in the Human Capital sector, I am proud of what we have overcome to get here and blessed to have a team today that shares in a successful vision for the future.
TT – In your opinion, how important is the role of Human Capital in the Business Industry at present times?
AH – The Human Capital function is quite simply critical in the marketplace we operate in and more so in this part of the world where government and cultural reforms are changing the dynamics of the labour force significantly. In addition, the transition of business into a post capitalist society is built on the realisation that the core primary assets are knowledge workers and highly motivated employees.
Human Capital plays a very significant role in business and industry because the nature of work has evolved significantly. In contrast with the industrial-age era companies today operate in a highly skilled work environment where their most valuable employees are continuously approached by competing forces vying for their attention. This group of employees is not only business-critical but also highly mobile and demanding. The human resource management of such segmented groups requires a different approach from that which served workers from industrial, factory-based, mass-production operations.
The other major shift over time has been the need to engage Human Capital within the strategic cycle and support core business priorities. Collaborating with Corporate Strategy and senior management teams in developing its initiatives has meant that Human Capital is becoming more perceptive, analytical and business-minded in its approach. This outlook has earned Human Capital a seat at the management table and made it accountable in delivering business results especially where organisational design and people capabilities are central.
Human Capital has more recently also been charged with managing culture change initiatives and the promotion of healthy working environments. Once again, this has evolved following studies that link increased productivity and retention gains with giving a voice to employees’ opinions about how best to develop their working environments. At STC, we are pleased at how these initiatives were received initially and look forward to building on this strongly for the future.
TT – Despite its acknowledged importance, the value of human capital is not captured as an asset in the balance sheet. What is your approach towards this and to what extent is STC capturing its human capital in the statements as an asset and not just a cost (salaries)?
AH – Human resources, unlike financial or physical assets, are intangible capital. While there are other intangible assets, Human Capital is the only intangible asset that can be influenced but never completely controlled, invested in wisely or wasted thoughtlessly and still have tremendous value. Management and measurement of human capital therefore becomes part art and part science.
The discussion now taking place is how major strategic investments that companies are making to foster and maximise the knowledge of its people are being acknowledged and reflected. The absence of human capital’s valuation on the balance sheet is thus becoming even more evident.
Taking this all in context however, “what gets measured gets managed” so only when relevant value metrics of human capital are measured do they stand a better chance of becoming successful within the context of an applied strategic business plan. The objective is therefore to measure in quantifiable terms the true potential of an organisation’s human capital to reap the value of benefits this essential asset can afford an organization.
I’ve recall reading that BT’s Human Capital team were leading an initiative to build their own Human Capital balance sheet applying the principles of traditional financial reporting to their employee base. This kind of analysis is refreshing and promotes healthy debate within the HR function. Value measurement underpins reporting of Human Capital ROI and companies will soon be obliged to follow a broad set of metrics over time to reflect their unique Human Capital investments.
TT – STC is the one of the biggest private sector organization in the Kingdom, and therefore has one of the largest human capital in KSA. What are the key tools behind the Human Capital and Human Resource Management here in STC?
AH – Many factors play a role in the management of our workforce who also happen to be our primary customers. Key among the tools at our disposal are our leadership and talent management programs. As we move into a more customer-centric marketplace our challenge is to identify, develop and empower leaders from within our large pool to lead us going forward. It is critical to our future strategic goals to have the right capabilities and leaders in place building supporting environments for them to function efficiently.
Recently, there has also been much emphasis on developing succession plans for all key positions and doing more to develop potential successors. Likewise, at middle management and operational levels we operate a talent management program to track key talent and ensure we are working to maintain high levels of capability. Both these initiatives are drawing promising responses from the business units and align with our strategic vision of being an employer of choice for graduates, experienced hires and subject matter experts.
Besides these approaches we work closely with senior management teams and line managers within the business units to determine effective organisation structure design, set the overall policy framework and model effective reward systems to build a high energy working environment.
TT – Would you like to elaborate specifically your role as the Vice President, Human Capital and Organizational Excellence?
AH – The primary purpose of my position is to lead the processes of designing, developing, proposing, obtaining approvals for (and ensuring that business units practices are aligned with) Human Capital Strategy and policies for STC Group. In my role, I seek to ensure that Human Capital Strategy is very closely aligned with STC Group Strategy in order to support the delivery of corporate results. Accordingly, we focus on creating enabling environments for the Business Units by creating policies, programs, and processes that give employees a Compelling Value Proposition at STC. A Compelling Employee Value Proposition promotes the attraction, retention, motivation and skill development of high performing employees who play critical roles in achieving STC Group strategic goals and objectives.
Operationally, my role is organized along the following areas and thrusts: Development of Strategy, Policies and System; Organization Design; Organization Efficiency; Total Rewards & Performance; Workforce Planning & Analytics; Leadership Development & Succession Planning and Change Management.
TT – What are your achievements since holding this office in STC?
AH – Following my appointment as VP Human Capital, I have taken steps to rebuild the HC function and clarify our role vis a vis a Human Capital Strategy that is aligned to our overall Corporate LEAD strategy. Additionally, we have worked closely with the business units to enable a smooth transition to the new operating model, reengineered our working processes with key stakeholders and further strengthened capabilities within our sector.
A HC strategy was derived from the digitisation strategy of STC where emphasis is focussed on our three pillars: our people, our organization and our culture. We have started to play the role of business enabler.
TT – Would you like to elaborate the role played by the Group CEO, Eng. Saud Al Daweesh in restructuring and reforming the organization of STC?
AH – Eng. Saud Al Daweesh is the GPS that keeps all STC functions moving into the right direction. He has initially introduced the customer-centricity approach and has been an inspirational leader in guiding us through the restructure. Various initiatives borne of his efforts are evident in the organisational structure today: international expansion, a comprehensive and unified broadband strategy focus and operational preparedness of our entry into the digitisation space.
TT – Your views about Teletimes International which is the only tri-regional magazine focused towards the ICT and Telecom Sectors of The Middle East, Asia and Africa?
AH – The analysis and depth of information published by Teletimes International is truly outstanding. I find the regional coverage of information very relevant for our purposes and pleased that we have a strong readership here at STC. No doubt it is a vital source of accurate and timely information for me and several colleagues and I wish the team at Teletimes the very best in the coming future.

The political instability and war situation severely disrupted telecommunication services throughout Iraq, including international connections. Over the last few years, the country is undergoing a whole new beginning towards developing ICT Infrastructure and services.

The country is Iraq is aiming to encourage an increased role for the private sector in telecommunication sector under the leadership of H.E.

Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, Minister of Communication of Iraq. Carrying an extensive experience of public infrastructure development, social service and Telecommunication administration, the Minister of Communications vows to increase capacity and connectivity both at domestic and International level.

Teletimes International had a chance to meet the honourable Minister during Telecoms World Middle East Conference at Dubai recently. We also got an opportunity to arrange an exclusive interview with H.E. Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, hereby presented to our readers.

Khalid Athar – Minister Tawfiq, kindly tell us the role, scope, responsibilities and functions of Ministry of Communications of Iraq?

Tawfiq Allawi – Before 2003 the Ministry of Communications held a monopoly over fixed telephone lines and postal services, there were only a few hundred internet connections, and there was no mobile network nor any communications regulator.

After 2003 the Ministry expanded its services to provide infrastructure for all types of connectivity, including mobile telephones and broadband internet, and next year will itself will have a stake in a mobile network company.

The Ministry of Communications has three state companies, one responsible for infrastructure and voice communications, the second for data, and the third is charged with communications security.

However the state monopoly is receding with the private sector playing a very effective role in providing mobile telephone services, WLL and internet services.  Additionally many projects are now joint public-private partnerships  with the Ministry charged with providing the necessary infrastructure; such partnerships have and are taking place for fixed telephone services, broadband services (both wirelessly and through FTTH, Fibre-To-The-Home), postal delivery services and there are also plans to make the post office network a joint public-private partnership.

KA – What is the present telecommunication and postal policies framework in the country?

TA - Our long term policy for telecommunications and postal services is eventual privatisation through gradual phases to allow growth of the private sector so as to absorb public sector employment.

Breaking this down, our first phase policy for the communications sector is to broadly push for public-private partnerships, with the subsequent phase ensuring that state and jointly-owned companies are profitable, this will be combined with listing the companies on the Iraqi Stock Exchange to allow the public to participate in their success.  To a large extent profitability depends on good management, the right use of marketing and efficiency, and for this we will be seeking strategic partners in the private sector.

KA – Demand for telecom services, mobile telephony and Internet is growing fast. Sir, which major actions are being undertaken by you to help develop and modernize the telecom infrastructure in Iraq?

TA - Before 2003, Iraq’s communications infrastructure lay almost completely demolished, including 150 Ministry of Communications buildings that were damaged, for Iraq had been badly hit by the three wars and over a decade of sanctions which prevented infrastructure rehabilitation.

Over the last eight years however the infrastructure has been developing rapidly.  Already we have rehabilitated and laid around 12,000km of fibre optic cables with DWDM technology and are expecting to cover 20,000 km by 2012 and have set  up two microwave routes in the country (north to south, and middle to west).  We are currently increasing capacity and connectivity to neighbouring countries including Turkey, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and to the Gulf through submarine cables.

KA – Would you share the present market status for fixed-line, mobile telephony and Internet in Iraq?

TA - We have almost 2 million fixed lines of which 750,000 are NGN (Next Generation Networks) and have signed agreements which will see this increase to 4 million lines by the end of 2012.  The connectivity between switches and end users is very old and in a bad state, but we are in the process of installing 300,000 FTTH connections which will be completed in a few months, and have partnered with the private sector to install 1.8 million FTTH connections during 2012 and a further 1.8 million throughout 2013.

As regards the mobile phone market, we have three private operators with approximately 23 million subscribers – representing a penetration rate of more than 75%.  The Ministry of Communications will also be entering into a public-private partnership for the fourth mobile licence which will using LTE technology, also known as 4G technology.

The internet penetration rate remains at a low 5%, and our plan is to increase it to 30% within three years by increasing the number of FTTH connections and wirelessly through LTE technology.

KA – How are you focusing to attract investment in the telecommunication and postal sector? Is there any open invitation extended to interested parties?

TA - To attract the necessary private sector investment, we recognise that we must move away from the typical state-run model – that can afford to be loss-making – and move towards making projects profitable even before the private sector has invested, and then to gradually encourage increased private sector investment and ownership.  Without the private sector it is difficult to develop the sector to the best levels.  As an example, to reach our target FTTH penetration rate of 20-25% will require $3.5 billion, of which the Ministry of Communications will contribute $1 billion over five years; the remainder is based on investments from the private sector.

Another example is that for postal sector, we have around 380 offices, and looking for further 1000 postal agencies to be established around country and are looking for strategic partner.

Of course the invitation for investment in the sector is extended to all, and we look for parties that can demonstrate the right level of technical and financial capability, as well as management expertise.

KA – Are you looking forward to attract Venture Capitalists to Iraq especially in IT businesses?

TA - Private equity is important towards ensuring that Iraqi companies can establish themselves in this developing sector, and venture capital will of course play a key role.  As yet there is an interest to invest in Iraq by a handful of private equity firms, with some having made progress and invested in the telecommunications sector, and interest lying principally in the mobile phone network companies.  We expect increased interest of private equity firms in Iraq’s communications sector as we implement our policy of gradually moving the sector towards privatisation.

KA – What cross-cutting benefits ICT have produced for people of Iraq?

TA - The development of communication networks and infrastructure has brought mobile telephone networks and increased access to internet and broadband speeds for personal and business users.  Additionally ICT is being increasingly relied upon by the Iraqi government with telemedicine being introduced to support healthcare workers, education institutes starting to provide e-learning, and additionally financial institutions have started to provide e-banking for the public.

KA – How do you envisage future ICT development in your country and the likely contribution it can play in economic and social development?

TA - The future of ICT in Iraq will play a very effective role which will increase as broadband penetration rate increases, and will increase Iraq’s GDP by opening up new sectors and making it easier for businesses to succeed (for example through e-shopping) while delivering consumers with increased access to goods and services (for example accessing bank accounts online).  Likewise, as mentioned earlier e-learning will increase students’ access to educational resources, including journals and papers and will enable communication with other educational institutes across the world, and telemedicine will enable healthcare providers to seek the opinions of specialists across the world.

KA – Iraq is likely to join the World Trade Organization; we observed some discussions during the course of this year as well. How will this impact Iraq’s telecommunications sector?

TA - Iraq is already taking steps to ensure that it will be WTO compliant in the communications sector as membership to the WTO will allow for increased use of Iraq’s communications infrastructure that will support Iraq’s role as a key communications hub for the region, will allow for increased access to other markets stimulating economic growth and ultimately will enhance technical cooperation between Iraq and other member countries allowing Iraq to develop the sector more rapidly.

KA – How important is regional cooperation for infrastructure and development? Are you looking to build such cooperation?

TA - Sitting between Asia and Europe – through Turkey, and between the Gulf and the Mediterranean – through both Syria and Turkey, Iraq – from a communications perspective – is strategically located.  Already there are several communications projects underway which rely on its geographic position, such as SAIT (Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Turkey), GIT (Gulf, Iraq, Turkey), and in 2012 Iraq will connect to further high capacity submarine connections such as FLAG, GBI (Gulf Bridge International) and TATA, and all these lines will have backup connections through Iraq, and Turkey towards Europe, in addition to existing connectivity through the Red Sea and Suez Canal onwards to the US.

Our cooperation already extends to all neighbouring and most regional countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Jordan, Turkey and Syria.

KA – Wireless broadband technologies have arrived with some promising additions to economies especially as a perfect alternative to fixed infrastructure. How your ministry does plans to reveal this opportunity to people of Iraq?

TA - Currently we are providing wireless broadband services through wide area coverage Wifi and we have a major project, the WBB (Wireless Broadband) to support e-government.  Furthermore wireless broadband in Iraq is also available over CDMA using the EVDO standard, and our plan for 2012 is to provide wireless broadband over LTE technology.

KA – What would be your final message to our readers; supposing they are international investors looking for new opportunities?

TA - Iraq becoming a free market economy in 2003 has presented immense opportunities both for investors and for telecoms companies. Although currently the GDP per capita stands at around $3000, this is projected to rise fourfold over the coming six years, as oil production which is now around 2.9 million barrels per day is estimated to reach 12 million barrels per day in 6-8 years which will dramatically increase country revenues. The increased use and reliance on telecommunications presents major investment opportunities especially in mobile telephony, fixed telephone networks, wired and wireless broadband, and also support for e-government, e-health and e-learning (for example we are now undertaking a project to provide 1 million laptops for students). Likewise as we overhaul Iraq’s postal services, major investment opportunities will arise – for example we are currently looking to set up around 1000 postal offices over the country.

Finally, Iraq’s transit infrastructure is fast making it a hub for international cables, that will host servers and make it a key strategic communications player in the region.

KA – Would you like to comment on Teletimes International, that is the only tri-regional magazine focused towards the ICT and Telecom sectors of the Middle East, Asia and Africa?

TA – I would like to congratulate you on covering this sector and undoubtedly Teletimes International plays an important role in allowing professionals from the sector to keep up-to-date with communications developments in the region.

Asher Siddiqui, the new CEO of USF shares his thoughts with Teletimes
Exclusive Interview

Teletimes – There have been a lot of rumors and delays for the appointment of CEO, USF position. Would you like to tell the selection procedure followed in your case?
Asher Siddiqui – There is a standard procedure for selection of CEO of USF which requires time and detailed scrutiny. Clause no. 21 of USF rules clearly states that “The Board shall have the power to appoint and remove the CEO in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance”.
The short-listing of CVs for the post of CEO was analyzed by the HR Governance Committee (HRGC) of the USF Board which comprises Chairman-PTA and nominees of fixed lines and cellular licensees. HRGC after thorough scrutiny forwarded its recommendations to the Chairman of the USF Board i.e. Prime Minister of Pakistan who ultimately carried out the interviews of short listed candidates by HRGC. After appointment, all BOD members’ concurrence was taken.

TT – You were also interviewed by the Prime Minister before the selection. How was the experience while being judged by Head of the Government?
AS – It was indeed an experience that reflected the importance and significance of the post of CEO-USF. Being interviewed by Head of the Government surely makes one realize the responsibility that is attached to this assignment.
Before my appointment, I felt if I would be successful in acquiring this post, it would be a great opportunity for me to contribute significantly towards the technological progress and prosperity of the Telecom Industry and my lovely country Pakistan.

TT – What challenges are in your focus to strengthen the USF Co?
AS – USF despite achieving so much success has faced a difficult year due to its uncertain future. Now that most of the uncertainties have ended, we plan to revise our plans for the launch of future projects and implementation of the on-going ones.
Apart from this, challenges like security issues, power crisis in USF projects’ areas, increase in costs (inflation, rupee exchange rates) etc. are some of the major challenges which are in our focus.

TT – You had been professionally associated with Navy Directorate in GHQ for defense network project. What experiences will you brought in for bringing telecom revolution to all corners of Pakistan from such assignment?
AS – The biggest common factor among both the job assignments is that a person is directly involved in making a contribution towards the society. I feel serving the Naval forces develops a strong patriotism within a person which is pertinent for working on a assignment like my current one. Both the jobs require sheer devotion and dedication along with being sincere to your work and nation.

TT – Broadband Pakistan presently captures the major share in USF Fund distributions. How important is Broadband proliferation through USF for you?
AS – As you are aware, broadband is a key element of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction and is globally bringing a paradigm shift to the way people run their lives. It is also transforming every mode of communications, from entertainment and telephone services to delivery of vital services like health care.
One of the primary objectives being achieved by USF is delivering the social and economic benefits of ICTs to the masses through affordable broadband, thus helping to achieve Government’s objective of breaking the poverty cycle and eliminating the social divide.
I plan to devise mechanisms which will ensure that the on-going and new USF Broadband projects sustain this momentum plus, launch innovative and fast deployment projects to play our part in bringing up un-served areas at par.

TT – Accountability factor to handle USF Funds is another critical issue under discussion. What are your thoughts on this?
AS – USF is following and complies with PPRA Ordinance 2004. Along with this, USF also has a “Financial and Accounting Manual” which comprises the principles, policies and procedures for financial transactions. In order to ensure transparency, USF has already been and will be conducting bi-annual audits of the company also.

TT – Can VoIP solution be helpful to bridge the digital divide for rural and remote population in the country?
AS – In Pakistan, in order to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban societies it is essential to provide connectivity through technology neutral transmission (optical fiber, microwave and satellite) first. Then comes services such as Broadband, USF has already entered into broadband programme and achieved many milestones. Broadband facilities in rural areas will also cover the VoIP services.
In the Optic Fiber Programme. USF has so far connected 58 un-served tehsils with almost 3,960 kms of optic fiber cable.

TT – What additional transparency, evaluation and monitoring steps can be required to maximize USF Fund gains?
AS – I need to find out the existing practice and procedures being followed first. If need arises, we will address the missing links and improve them or take necessary actions to enforce these, so that the desired objectives of USF can be achieved in a more smooth, transparent and efficient way.

TT – Your major experience revolves around private sector. Do you foresee any change in your professional behavior as CEO, USF?
AS – Please note that I have an Engineering degree from NED University, Karachi and also have a successful and diversified professional career spread in both government and private sector. My professional career started with defense and afterwards I successfully designed, implemented and run multimillion dollar Telecom and IT projects. In private sector, I headed and successfully run two multinational companies in Pakistan (my last company is fully owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company), headed business development unit of third multinational, did mentoring and entrepreneurship as founding and chartered member of TiE Islamabad chapter and played leading and active rule in launching SAMENA Telecom Council for regional and international level.
Joining USF is no doubt challenging as it is also a combination of public and private sectors. Therefore, it perfectly suits my skills and experience. In short, my approach would be an amalgam of the positive sides of both public and private sectors.

TT – Few words about Teletimes International.
AS – As stated above, I am also a mentor and believer of entrepreneurship. When I met Mr. Khalid Athar first time (six years ago) he gave the idea to start TELETIMES International, I liked that concept of Khalid Athar and extended my full support (As part of my entrepreneurship).
As for Teletimes International, it has made its mark when it comes to the coverage of IT& Telecom news pertaining to the Middle East, Asia and Africa. I also feel it has a very big edge over rest of the magazines/publications by being the only tri-regional magazine focused towards IT & Telecom. Not only this, it also has to its credit, organization of some really useful and note-worthy events which turned out to be huge platforms of knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas between government, media and industry stakeholders.
I sincerely wish that Teletimes International keeps the people well-informed regarding IT& Telecom in future as well and achieves more milestones in time to come.

Andres Lindblad
(President and CEO, Ericsson ME, NEA)
Shares his insights on 4G and other trends in mobile sector
in the region with Teletimes

Interview: Khalid Athar

Teletimes – Please tell us about your position at Middle East Region.
Andres Lindblad – When Ericsson’s new regional structure was announced in February 2010, I was named Head of Region, Middle East and North-East Africa, which makes me responsible for Ericsson’s operations in 22 countries. Ericsson has been present in the Middle East for over 120 years and I truly believe that we’ve played a key role in growing and developing the telecommunications market in the region together with the operators which we work closely with.

TT – What are the recent trends in mobile infrastructure and services at your region?
AL – We are seeing a definite convergence of media and telecommunications driven largely by a strong demand for devices like smartphones, tablet computers and laptops. All indications point to further growth in demand and our belief is that we will have as many as 50 billion connections by 2020. We believe that in the future everything that will benefit from being connected, will be connected. This definitely presents an opportunity for 4G in 2011 and beyond and as the global leaders in the field we will look at ways to make the most of this demand. So, we expect a transition to 4G to become a reality soon and Ericsson as key driver of this technology and as a key driver of faster throughput, will help make this a reality.
Some global research that we have conducted recently shows some interesting findings around mobile infrastructure in general and mobile broadband specifically:
• Mobile data traffic will grow 10-fold between 2011 and 2016, mainly driven by video.
• Mobile broadband subscriptions grew by 60 percent in one year and are expected to grow from 900 million in 2011 to almost 5 billion in 2016.
• By 2016, users living on less than 1 percent of the Earth’s total land area are set to generate around 60 percent of mobile traffic.

TT – How do you foresee the region in terms of 3G and LTE mobile networks deployment?
AL – Each country features its own peculiarities and inherent challenges; as a result it is difficult to generalize and think of each of these countries as one region, as some countries are more prepared for 3G and LTE than others. However, it is clear that there is a tremendous amount of growth taking place and while some countries may be quicker in their adoption of these new technologies, inevitably we expect all operators across the region to adopt the technology as demand for true connectivity and hyper-mobility continues to grow.
TT – What are the barriers in your view with regards to mobile broadband adoption in the region?
AL – Smartphones have been held back to an extent by the limitations of the cellular networks; current systems in place, while much faster than the older technology that was available, are still slow in comparison with even relatively inexpensive home broadband options such as cable, and lag far behind fiber optic technologies. In an age where people consider constant connectivity a necessity, 4G is an inevitable next step as it will allow users to communicate more effectively and efficiently.

TT – How does Ericsson is planning for the network convergence trends in the Middle East region?
AL – Given where our customers (the operators) are heading and their strategy to go there we will take different approaches. In short we try to support them in three areas:
1. Become more operationally efficient.
2. Evolve networks to meet current and future needs.
3. Improve net subscriber revenue.

TT – In your opinion, what is the importance of next decade in the mobile sector of the Middle East region?
AL – The region shows much promise in the mobile sector and you’ll find that this is one of the most stable sectors. We expect demand for connectivity to continue to grow at a rate that will push all operators across the region to adopt newer, more efficient technology such as 4G. while some operators have already started rolling this technology out, each country has its own particularities and while we expect that most if not all countries in the region will launch the technology in the near future, it is important to remember that each county, with its own challenges and considerations will have to work at a different pace to provide its consumers with the connectivity they seek.

TT – What is the Ericsson position when mobile is meeting the Internet?
AL – We see three forces that are rapidly shaping the fundamental digital infrastructure in our world where we as a technology and service provider can contribute>
• Mobility. People and businesses want to be able to accomplish all of their tasks no matter where they are. It’s no longer a question of when to get ON-line, it’s when you go OFF-line. (Just ask my family about that one.)
• Broadband. Faster and better quality broadband enables new btusiness processes, new value networks and new ways for machines to communicate with one another — all to improve accessibility of goods and services; and
• The cloud, where applications are more accessible, where the entry point is lower thanks to lower costs, and where cheaper, more powerful devices can run these applications.
These three forces together open up a new interaction logic within the networks — built on presence, identity, location, preferences, etc. — that in turn enables new activities in society that are transformed by ICT (healthcare, transport, utilities, media and so on).
The sum of these changes and developments is a Networked Society, where everything that benefits from a connection will have one, and where people are using ICT when they are interacting, learning, innovating and socializing.
Our vision for a Networked Society is where people, knowledge, devices and information are networked for the growth of society, life and business — a society where people are empowered, businesses are strengthened and societies are vitalized.

TT – 50 billion connected devices by 2020, what are your thoughts for the Middle East region in mapping the Ericsson’s prediction?
AL – Ericsson has a vision of more than 50 billion connected devices by 2020, and Ericsson mobile broadband modules will play an important part in connecting every segment of our society. Ericsson ConsumerLab research shows that, regardless of the device they use, many people are discovering how difficult life is when they are not continuously connected. Internet everywhere is becoming a prerequisite for consumers as well as professional users. Devices will therefore be required to work in increasingly varied environments and situations, and Ericsson can help ensure those experiences are of the highest quality.
In brief, we strive to work hand in hand with our customers to add value to their business while introducing initiatives to provide optimum benefits to end-users. Considering that we talk about 50 billion connected devices around the world, this region is corresponding to 10% of that (5 billion connected devices). In the Middle East, there will be very affordable chipsets that will be able to fit into devices such as cameras and readers. It is a very good investment for governments, and can stimulate the GDP.
TT – Ericsson has introduced a specific ‘Technology for Good’ program. Are there any examples of this program from your region?
AL – As part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, Ericsson, has a number of initiatives across the Middle East that support the communities that the company operates in. A recent example of this is Ericsson Egypt’s efforts in developing an in-house charity organization that supports underprivileged communities in Egypt as well as communities around the globe that are in dire need of assistance such as the people of Somalia who are suffering from the hunger crises. Ericsson takes its responsibility towards the community very seriously and is constantly looking at ways to contribute.
CAPEX and RIO remains the top concern for the carriers while they move along to network expansion and scalability. How Ericsson does assist them?
The main focus for us is of course to help operators become more competitive in three main ways:
1. Become more operationally efficient.
2. Evolve networks to meet current and future needs.
3. Improve net subscriber revenue.
Being a global market leader we also have an opportunity to share our knowledge from other parts of the world. Being present all over the world gives us unique insights and experience what works well and less well. This we try to leverage in the Middle East. Being a local leader with global presence is a key differentiator for us.

Eng. Saud Al Daweesh, STC Group CEO

TT – STC has been the first to introduce 4G in the Middle East, how do you see this achievement as one of the many milestones STC has reached over time?

Teletimes – Please tell us about the achievements of the STC group during 2011 on national and international basis?

Saud Al Daweesh – STC group has grown from a local leading company to one of the biggest telecommunications companies in the region. This transformation took place in a record time, through a series of significant investments that led to the success of purchasing operations, agreements and partnerships. Some of the most significant operations and investments are the following: Winning the Kuwait and Bahrain licenses, launching them commercially and their success to obtain large market shares in short times. Acquiring a market share in (Maxis) that operates in both Malaysia and IndiaAcquiring a market share in (OTL) group that operates in Turkey and South Africa.Locally, the company pursued its strategy that aims to develop the telecommunication industry in the kingdom. The company headed towards transformation into digital era of Saudi economy and society, through radical development, in form and content of the telecommunication and information sector, by strategic investment in the wire and wireless infrastructure of the next generation of telecommunications’ network, including Fiber Optics network for plants and homes and 4G LTE for mobiles.This strategic investment in technology led to a significant growth in local revenues from broadband services (fixed and mobile), fixed broadband customer base increased by 27% and interactive TV (inVision) and converged services customer bases grew by 946%, 112% respectively. Aljawal customers have increased by 3%, during 3rd quarter, as a result of the company’s excellence in introducing new innovative offers on postpaid and prepaid jawal, quick net and smart device services.In order to present the latest technologies to its customers, the company continued its uniqueness in the field of smart and tablet devices which sales have increased by 300%.

TT – Our readers would be interested in reading about your thinking behind the re-structuring of STC. What type of improvements are you expecting from this development in the near future?

SD – STC, as the biggest integrated telecommunication group in the Middle East, is heading towards further development and advancement, to expand in its local and global markets. A new organizational structure has been adopted to go in line with this new direction. Organizational structure consists of five key components:Strategic Operations which is responsible of strategic plans, human capital and regulatory affairs of the group.Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC) which provide fixed and mobile telecommunication services, broadband and enterprise sector services, in addition to financial activities in KSA.Technical Operations which is in charge of the network, IT and wholesales services.International Operations.Financial Operations.The implementation of the new organizational structure comes as an output of the LEAD strategy which focuses on maintaining the leading position of the company in fixed, mobile and broadband services as well as the enterprise sector services, taking into consideration external opportunities, where one of the important components of the new organizational structure is the International Operations sector, that deals with planning and managing group’s activities internationally what reflected in an increase of 34% in revenues from external operations, while maintaining its position in Saudi market.The LEAD Strategy is based on 6 elements:Load in Next-Gen BroadbandDifferentiated Customer Experience.Consolidate International Leadership.Invest in People CapitalDrive financial performance and agility.Promote leading brand and reputation.

TT – STC has been the first to introduce 4G in the Middle East, how do you see this achievement as one of the many milestones STC has reached over time?

SD – The launch of 4G LTE services by STC as the first operator in MENA, is an important step from the company’s keenness to adopt and launch the latest technologies in digital telecommunication world. The company adopted this technology in the beginning of 2010 after successful rehearsals indicating that it is the next choice of a new era of mobile telecommunications.Furthermore, the company has the largest and the strongest infrastructure in the region, as well as it is one of the leading companies in the field of Fiber Optics and submarine cables and a key partner in all submarine cables that link South East Asia to Western Europe and North America through the Middle East. In addition to an infrastructure of wireless networks such as the 3G and WiMax and 4G LTE networks. The GSMA – ranked STC as the first company to launch the 4G LTE service on the region where it stated in its website that STC was the first company to launch in the region at the 12th of September 2011.

TT – Could you please give us a current overview of the international operations of STC?

SD – As I have said, in the answer of the first question, STC managed to develop itself from a leading local company to one of the largest companies in the region. In Bahrain, STC group continued its growth, achieving an excellent performance that exceeded its entire targets, where customers’ number increased by 28% during the 9 months, exceeding target by 15% which led to revenues growth of 167% compared to the same period last year. In Kuwait, despite fierce competition in the market, VIVA continues exceeding its target in Q3 revenues.In its East Asian markets, Maxis in Malaysia continues its leadership to Malaysian telecommunication market, with a customers’ base of 13 Millions. In Indonesia Axis acquired new customers in the 1st three quarters that reached 15 Million customer, and Axis revenues grew up to 268% for the last 9 months.

TT – How do you see the competition STC is facing on international level? Do you foresee any tough competition for STC inside Saudi Arabia?

SD – STC group, with its internal experience in a market deemed one of the largest telecommunication markets in the region, and through its expansion with partners in external markets, is highly qualified to lead the industry in the region, and introduce the best services to its customers who exceeded 150 million.TT – Would you like to tell us about some of the new innovative services, STC has launched recently?SD – STC has signed several strategic partnerships with the best global companies, to deliver the best smart technological solutions, such as Blackberry and Samsung devices. The partnership with Facebook resulted in enabling STC customers to exclusively stay connected to the new Facebook java system mobile application in a new style, while the Twitter messages service kept customers in constant contact with the renowned Twitter website. The company also allowed customers to send SMSs through Gmail™ to any STC mobile for free. STC customers also enjoy the service of Nokia Store which is linked to the STC client billing system, i.e. the purchase value goes into customer’s Jawal bill or deduct from the prepaid credit (SAWA or LANA)The invision service, being the first in its kind in the kingdom, provides customers with viewing TV, calling and browsing the internet, in addition to the launch of the Cloud Computing technology which will make radical difference in performance improvement for enterprise sector customers.

TT – Please share with our readers, your thoughts about the latest and upcoming trends for telecommunications worldwide.

SD – The ICT industry is the cornerstone of modern economy, that is why STC has established one of the up to date telecommunication infrastructures in the world, through which we are proud of delivering integrated telecommunication services, high speed broadband services for government, commercial, individuals and home customers, as well as we are proud of being the first in region to launch the 4G LTE and the Fiber Optics services and the only operator who presents comprehensive packages of voice, internet and digital TV.

TT – You have been declared the winner of ‘Teletimes Man of the Year’ Award for 2011 by the Awards Committee which has long been considering three very well-known personalities for this award. Please share with us your feelings on receiving this award.

SD – “I am pleased to be nominated and declared ‘Teletimes Man of the Year 2011’, and I would like to thank the Teletimes team and the committee. In return I would like to congratulate Teletimes on their remarkable work over the past six years, indeed they have proven worthy to the IT & Telecom industry readers.”

CEO  Karim Daoud speaks to Teletimes

Interview: Khalid Athar

Teletimes – Please give us an overview of the services you are currently providing?

Karim Daoud – Intigral was established in 2009 as a joint venture between Saudi Telecom Company, All Asia Networks and Saudi Research and Marketing Group. The company was created to form the link between telecom operators, media content providers and end users. We decided to establish Intigral in response to the unprecedented emergence of digital content in the region. Intigral is focused on delivering digital media content services and solutions to operators and serves as a one-stop-shop for all their growing digital media needs on different platforms: Mobile, IPTV, and Web. We also provide Mobile Advertising solutions to our operators as we believe that this rapidly growing channel holds great opportunities to reach targeted audiences and generate positive responses.
In the today’s hyper competitive mobile industry, digital content has become a key differentiator for telecom operators. Providing unique digital entertainment Mobile content to the operators’ consumers is increasingly becoming a core service rather than an added value one. At Intigral, we offer our operator partners the entire spectrum of content and managed services, to help them maximize loyalty and revenue opportunities.
In addition to the locally relevant content aggregated from hundreds of local and global suppliers and service providers, we also design, develop and customize interactive and enriched content to meet the consumers’ growing expectations.
In the case of IPTV, we have a state-of-the-art broadcast, editing and post-production center in Dubai. We recently expanded our delivery from 50 to 180 channels, 30 of which are HD. We also provide managed TV services covering content acquisition and aggregation, user interface design and management, product management, marketing, and other services critical to the success of the operator’s TV offering. A key achievement of our IPTV division has been the launch last January of the first advanced interactive TV service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Invision). This service delivers video content like live TV, Catch-Up TV and Video-on-Demand (VOD) to the TV screens of STC’s broadband customers. The VoD service features a vast collection of Hollywood, Bollywood, and Arabic blockbusters, movies and series as well as documentaries, religious titles and sports events. This feature also offers a large selection of movies to the KSA customers on their release dates in theaters in the Middle East.
As an illustration of Intigral’s approach to best support the telco’s agenda while leveraging the specificities unique to the market where it operates, Intigral was proud to be the first provider of on-demand Cinema at Home, featuring recent Arabic and Western releases at the same time they were playing in neighboring countries like the UAE and Bahrain.
The Web is a key marketing tool for telecom operators. Through the web, customers can now view and purchase telecom products and services, interact with customer care representatives, and ask questions. To help operators increase customer loyalty, reduce churn and ultimately increase profit, Intigral enables them to deliver their products and messages digitally by designing, developing, and managing their websites and turning them into customer retention tools and cross-selling platforms.
Finally, in terms of Mobile Advertising, Intigral has gathered a set of unique skills that helps its partners and clients in monetizing two key types of mobile inventory generated by telecom operators: “permission-based opt-in” inventory and “content-based” inventory. The company supports its clients in running carefully planned Opt-in programs to enroll end-users to the mobile advertising service, which is done by running segmentation exercises and lifestyle mapping to be able to provide advertisers with a clear breakdown of customers.
In order to enable telecom operators to run their mobile advertising service, Intigral works closely with key mobile advertising technology vendors which can help those operators in marketing different inventory across multiple platforms.

TT – Do you focus on providing any single service or catering to some specific section of the market?
KD - From a consumer perspective, we cater to all sorts of segments and we purposely build our offerings in line with our understanding of the consumer market which is based on thorough analysis of demographics and the segmentation of our operators’ end users. This applies to all our lines of business.

TT – Which countries is Intigral currently operating in?
KD - We currently cater to Saudi Telecom as our launch client from our offices in Dubai and Riyadh. Moreover, we have signed similar content providing contracts with Viva Bahrain, Viva Kuwait, Umnia in Jordan and on the verge of finalizing deals with several Telecom Operators in North Africa.

TT – Are you planning to expand your operations in the near future and do you have any plans set out to take place throughout the rest of 2011?
KD – Our TV value proposition brings all the premium TV and cinema content to the consumer in a simple, seamless user experience: one set top box, the largest selection of movies, pay TV and FTA channels relevant for the local market.
We have teamed up with the biggest Pay TV provider in the region to offer OSN channels to our operators’ consumers. We will be bringing to the end users the same OSN packages (Platinum Extra, Premier Plus, Movies Plus and Family Plus) available in the market with enhanced PVR capacities on all our linear channels. Our offering also includes Al-Jazeera Sports channel and Abu Dhabi Sports, all in Invision’s set top box.

TT – The nature of web services allows you to work from anywhere in the world. So do you provide to customers outside the countries you are actually based in?
KD - Our TV head-end is based in Dubai, but it provides full managed video services to Saudi Telecom in Riyadh. We have signed agreements with STC Wholesale enabling us to provide similar services to any telecom operator in the region, leveraging the great broadband infrastructure deployed by telecom operators.
Certainly, we have strategically chosen to be a B2B player without a B2C business, and this includes our web portal solutions. We manage consumer broadband portals on behalf of our operator partners. Utilizing our web and mobile platforms hosted in Saudi Arabia, we can serve operators across the region with their consumer broadband portal needs.
As a B2B focused company, our primary customer is the operator. And our aim is to fully support our operator partners in their efforts to bring the best and most relevant digital content to their customer base. As such, we are wholly focused on being an end-to-end solution provider to our operators, from content acquisition, to content and portal management. Taking on the entire role of managing an operator’s mobile content or web portal services allows the operator to focus on its core business, while outsourcing its content business to a trusted digital content expert. We work very closely with our operator partners to define their strategic needs in the content space and manage it on their behalf.
It is crucial to note that central to our ability to be the end-to-end partner of choice to our operators is out ability to leverage analytics on the customer database to enable the fine tuning of the offered content and promotional campaigns to each customer segment.

TT – Could you please talk about the business relationship between Intigral and STC?
KD - STC in Saudi Arabia is Intigral’s first and key operator partner. STC is also a founding shareholder of Intigral. Intigral is a separate entity under a different management.

TT – How has Intigral progressed over the years since its formation back in 2009?
KD – The year 2010 was the year in which the foundations were laid from a technology and platform perspective. The year 2011 is now fully focused on bringing the value added digital content to our key operator partner, STC, as well as our new operator partners in the region.
Having completed the installation and integration of our platforms and content management systems, we are now fully focused on bringing new products to the market. Expect a summer busy with announcements across all areas, from a revamped TV offering on Invision with great Ramadan content, to state of the art mobile portals covering Islamic, Women, and Music.

TT – How do you see the future of the organization?
KD – Our future is tied to our operator partners! We have a singular focus on growing the business through our operator partners, by delivering to their customer base the most attractive and locally relevant digital content across 3 screens.
And if we look at the state of the digital media industry in the region, we see lots of room for growth. As of today, only 1% of the global online content is in Arabic, while the Arab speaking population is up to 4% of total global population. Online advertising was a meager 1% of total advertising in the Arab region in 2009. However, given all the activity and buzz that is happening in this space, the prospects look very good. The recent Arab Media Outlook report forecasts the online advertising market to grow to 4% of the total advertising market in the region by 2013. Mobile content spending is expected to hit $1.9Bn by 2013, from less than $670m in 2009. All of this will be driven by the flurry of activity from nimble start-ups across the region, as well as investments going into this space from the larger telecom and media players, all of whom are seeing a boost in demand from the young and internet savvy generation coming of age across the region.

Teletimes – Would you like to talk a little about Qualcomm and its background.
Ziad Matar – For more than 25 years, Qualcomm has been at the forefront of wireless research and development, providing the technologies and networking expertise for 3G services used by more than 1 billion wireless subscribers worldwide. Our track record of delivering advanced multimedia and business solutions and services has helped support and drive the success of the entire wireless value chain—operators, manufacturers, developers, publishers, content providers and end users. Qualcomm offers a range of technology licensing, hardware, software and service solutions to support its ecosystem partners.
Our primary goal in the Middle East and Central Asia region is to grow the market for 3G services. We do this by working to expand the regional 3G ecosystem—the group of mobile operators, handset manufacturers, infrastructure providers, software developers and others who each contribute to making 3G services more broadly available—and then partnering with the regional distributors and retailers to push the complete solution of a services-enabled device to the consumer.

TT – Please talk about Qualcomm’s growth and progress in terms of business activity in the Middle East and Africa region where it has been working for the last three years now.
ZM – Qualcomm’s MEA group team has spent the last 3 years, since officially setting up its presence in Dubai in April 2008, building up the foundation for our partnerships and strategies. The last year has been the year where the initial impact of our presence and results started to show.  Qualcomm has done extremely well in this region as you see from the multiple announcements with regional operators like Du and its collaboration with Qualcomm to be the first in region to deploy a 42mbps HSPA+ network.  We’re also cooperating with Mobily and have in place an overall collaboration model across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with multiple initiatives from technology, to services to developers. Mobinil and Great Connection recently collaborated to introduce the Mobile Baby service in Egypt with facilitation from Qualcomm.
We have collaborated quite a bit with operators on their network evolution, services and applications. However, we have recently started engaging the regional/local device distribution channels actively to catalyze the sale of smartphones in general, and Qualcomm-based devices specifically. You will see an expansion of those activities across other markets in the Middle East and Central Asia with the development of a new innovative business model that will accelerate the use of 3G services and data. Stay tuned!

TT – How do you feel about the ecosystem for 3G services in the region?
ZM – We believe that the foundation of 3G uptake lies fundamentally in a high quality network that provides fast and reliable services to the consumer, viable applications availability that improves people’s daily lives and communication, and the reach to the consumer that allows the largest percentage of the population to have access to such services and devices.
Based on the robust dynamics of this region, we believe that the region holds a very promising picture for all the elements of the eco-system, starting from the technology suppliers to the end users. Qualcomm’s strategy in Middle East and Central Asia is to collaborate on the best and most optimized network evolution path with regional operators to ensure the availability of fast and reliable services. Qualcomm’s global expertise and reach is enabling us to build a regional ecosystem of applications and content developers, and to work with OEMs and distribution channels.

TT – Do you think Augmented Reality holds big potential in the Middle East?
ZM – I think it does. Augmented Reality enables a user to view his/her environment with a camera —such as the camera on your smartphone — and superimpose virtual content, such as 3D graphics, over the top. This technology has the potential to enhance many industries, such as advertising, gaming, location-based services and social networking.
Imagine being able to hold your phone up to the dashboard in your new car and have a step-by-step how-to teach you to use all the controls (via a visual overlay). Imagine a billboard, poster or magazine advertisement that comes to life, providing information in a much more easily accessed and understood way than ever before. Imagine playing a 3D game with your friends, all brought to life on your dining room table through your phone’s viewfinder.
Given the strength of the advertising and location-based services in the Middle East, including the UAE, Saudi, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan among others, consumers could benefit from Augmented Reality in a number of ways. We are actively exploring these sorts of uses in MENA.

TT – Our readers would be interested in details about some of your latest chipsets and exciting new consumer products.
ZM – We have recently announced that together with Microsoft, we are collaborating to enable Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ next generation family of mobile processors to power the first generation of upcoming Windows 8-based PCs, becoming one of the only silicon providers to date positioned to support both Windows smartphones and PCs. In addition, Qualcomm’s Gobi™ mobile Internet connectivity solutions will provide Windows 8-based PCs with wireless 3G/4G connectivity to deliver an always-connected experience.