Under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, the 9th Annual Convergence Summit inaugural day commenced on May 22nd 2012 in Amman at the Four Seasons Hotel. The summit is organized by the Arab Advisors Group
HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, the President of El Hassan Science City and the Royal Scientific Society, believes the post-convergence era in mobile technology offers untold opportunities for countries like Jordan. Speaking today at “The 9th Convergence Summit – The Post-Convergence World: Navigating the New Landscape”, which is being held under the Royal Patronage of the Princess, HRH said this is a time when a whole world of content will find its place on exciting new platforms.
“Progress in the telecoms industry has made each one of us a potential beneficiary of the bounty of technical progress,” she added. “Indeed, it has made technology relevant and accessible to a far greater part of our region’s population.”
HRH was adamant that the industry must ensure that the benefits of this new technology were spread evenly and that the providers were also facilitators of opportunity.
“In the very near future, convergence technologies will grow to occupy every part of our lives,” she added. “That includes the vehicles we drive, the clothes we wear, the very space we inhabit. These technologies will increasingly govern the decisions we make in daily life and in lifelong commitments to career and community.”
HRH said that Jordan was well-placed to benefit from and contribute to this new wired world as the country had earned a glowing reputation as the Arab world’s leader in technology start-ups.
“Our young entrepreneurs and start-up champions are vital to future growth and prosperity in our region,” she added. “They represent the hope and talent that will raise living standards and fuel growth. We must nurture them and let them thrive.”
The Princess said that one of the major lessons that must be learnt from the experiences of start-ups in the sector is the vital role that technology incubators play in sourcing and connecting investors.
“Incubators will play an increasingly important role in fuelling the industry in the future,” she said. “They offer young entrepreneurs that first point of contact with a dynamic and demanding market. They are a crucial part of unlocking talent for the benefit of our communities and economies.”
“The Arab World’s vibrant TMT sectors have proven instrumental in spurring growth, employment and innovation. The compression of time and space is availing young Arab women and men the chance to setup new companies that leverage convergence to seek clients globally. The Summit availed some of these startups a platform to “pitch their wares”. The startups were selected by voting at Amman Tech Tuesday 3 weeks ago.” Mr. Jawad J. Abbassi, Arab Advisors Founder and General Manager said. “We thank HRH Princess Sumaya for her continued support. Our thanks also go to the sponsors, speakers and delegates for making the summit a regional milestone” Mr. Abbassi added.
The 9th Convergence Summit’s discussion panels will focus on; the state of the industry globally and regionally, the role of startups and industry incumbents, cloud computing trends, and strategies for broadcast, online & social media.
The summit will also feature 2 debates; one on the future of paid content and Pay TV in the context of user generated content and FTA TV, and the second debate will discuss the future of mobile advertising by operators. After hearing the arguments from the debaters, the audience will decide who won by electronic voting.
Over the summit’s two days, the summit’s speakers will address important topics governing the industry; these include: Investing in transforming industries, driving the evolution of TV, the revolution of cloud computing, key issues surrounding mobile broadband, the ongoing challenges facing broadband Internet, profiling the Arab Internet and cellular users and convergence in the service of education.
The main sponsor of the 9th Convergence Summit is Saudi Telecom (STC). The annual summit also received the support and sponsorships of Motorola, Orange, Umniah, Qualcomm, Zain and Ericsson.
Summit exhibitors and partners include France 24, Yahlive, Deutsche Welle, Damamax, nPario, Boost, Trade Arabia, Telecom Watch, DVV Media, Teletimes International, MediaME, Telecom Review, MENAFN, CommsMEA, Fanbase, UBA, Discover Digital Arabia, d1g and Mood 92.
The Summit is also supported by the El Hassan Science City (Science Partner) and GSMA.
It is worth mentioning that El Hassan Science City (EHSC) was founded on the belief that scientific research and application is a key mechanism for developing and retaining human resources and capital ultimately leading to the sustainable development of vibrant and productive communities in Jordan & the region. In doing so, EHSC seeks to forge a leadership role for Jordan & the Middle East by creating alliances of knowledge and building a centre for excellence in thought and action.
EHSC encompasses three main constituents namely; the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), Jordan’s largest and most prestigious applied research institution, the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), a leading Jordanian university focusing on ICT and Electronics Engineering, and the El Hassan Business Park, Jordan’s leading entrepreneurial centre and technology incubator.
For more details please visit the summit’s website at http://www.arabadvisors.com/Convergence/schedule.htm
