telecom review mobility report 2015

LiFi: The future of high speed data

Internet of things is increasingly connecting us to our cars

Reflecting on the mobile industry and looking to the future

Reflecting on the future of mobility

MOBILITY REPORT 2015/ S67

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20Reflecting on the mobile industry and looking to the future



The development of advanced preventive cyber-security

4EDITORIALMOBILITY REPORT 2015

Editor in ChiefToni Eid

[email protected]

Senior JournalistHelen Gaskell

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Editing Executive & JournalistPascale Bou Rached

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JournalistZane Small

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Technical ReporterMiguel Robert Marco

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Editorial TeamNour Al-Saber (UAE), Shelley Beyak (Canada),

Pascale Bou Rached (Lebanon), Laurence Brun (Morocco), Stuart Corner (Australia), Toni Eid (UAE), Faical Faquihi (Morocco),

Helen Gaskell (UAE), Hadeel Karnib (Lebanon), Miguel Robert Marco (Philippines), Lacinan Ouattara (Ivory Coast), Lea Sassine

(Lebanon), Jeff Seal (USA), Reem Sfeir (Lebanon), Zane Small (UAE)

Copy Editor Shelley Beyak

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he year 2015 has been a remarkable year in terms of technology and mobility. As we look to the future, we can expect to witness the emergence of next generation robots, connected cars, the beginnings of artificial intelligence and the internet of things (IoT). Our world is rapidly transforming into a scene from a science fiction movie.

The fast spread of mobility around the world has influenced many prominent topics throughout 2015; such as increased data

consumption and more smart devices. It has also driven the development of the IoT, the notion that everything around us – from our cars, to our mobile devices, to our kitchen appliances – will be wirelessly connected and controllable, propelling us into an age of unprecedented connectivity. Increased mobility has led to the emergence of 4.5G and eventually 5G. Although it isn’t expected to be implemented until 2020, 5G has caused a buzz of excitement because it promises improved coverage, better signal efficiency and data rates of several tens of megabits per second.

Our world is speeding toward connectivity like never before. As Africa, a continent with a billion people, begins to slowly catch up and connect to the rest of the world, it will mean millions more mobile subscriptions and will drive the need for better infrastructure.

Improved cyber-security is also a paramount mobility issue as we adopt smartphone-dependent lifestyles. More and more sensitive information is uploaded to the internet every day, as businesses continue to move to digital platforms. Even though cyber-security is constantly developing, we still hear about many successful cyber attacks.

Mobility is increasing faster than ever, and all of these developments are proof of connectivity efficiency around the world, and the growth of the mobile industry. For a full perspective of mobility in 2015 and a prediction of the years to come, read on!

Telecom Review Mobility Report 2015

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Toni Eid,editor in chief

Telecom Review International

6FEATUREMOBILITY REPORT 2015 7FEATUREMOBILITY REPORT 2015

to the ability to monitor interactions with the vehicle. For example, the vehicle will have a punch sensor where the user can control sensitivity. If someone touches the car, the owner will receive a notification. The owner can also set a perimeter limit for the vehicle, and if it travels out of the perimeter, the owner will receive a notification.

Furthermore, the owner of the vehicle is able to run the car remotely for a scheduled amount of time, and can also automatically turn on the car when the vehicle interior reaches a certain temperature, which will cool it down. This is ideal for a pet, or if there are groceries in the car – and of course, for overall comfort. The Nissan SmartCar application is set to help communities stay connected and offer greater levels of control using its innovative technology. So why was Etisalat chosen by Nissan to develop the concept?

“We have been working to develop this technology with an undisclosed supplier, and they advised us to partner with Etisalat from a technology point of view, because at Etisalat they have the only M2M control center across the region, which was a major requirement for this project,” said Ismail Makhlouf, regional manager, Cross Carline and Corporate Marketing at Nissan Middle East. He spoke highly of the final product and assured us that as long as you have connectivity anywhere in the world, you can access your car with the app. “Basically, all you have to do is download the application, go through a configuration process, which the dealership will help you with, and then you will get a six digit pin number and from there you can start controlling your car.”

What to expect from connected carsAs vehicle owners are now able to source their own exclusive data and driving behavior thanks to smart systems, connected cars will begin to hold a grasp over drivers because of never-before-experienced convenience. Internet of things is driving the combination of all of our favorite convenient concepts (cars,

mobile phones, internet) eliminating the need for multiple devices. Instead of having a car to drive, a mobile phone to call people and internet to surf the web, they are all combined into one smart car concept.

For instance, a direct relationship between the dealer and a repair shop will allow drivers to maintain and service their car, and data sharing will eventually allow shops and dealership companies to develop the way they interact with their customers. This will help to diminish the traditional mistrust between mechanics and car repair will subside. Because of the internet of things, apps will be able to provide drivers with the best resources and even enable them to predict what costs to expect before taking any steps to make repairs.

Smart cars will also provide us unprecedented safety on the roads. Monitoring devices can provide insight into unfavorable driving habits by marking when there is rapid acceleration, hard braking, and speeding – using the information to provide practical advice for the next excursion. With this new technology, drivers will no longer have to worry so much about dangerous drivers and police will be able to relax a bit. It will ultimately flip perceptions, utilizing car data to offer meaningful rewards and put consumers in control.

Not only that, connected vehicles will also ultimately provide a new means to save on costs. New technologies will help consumers significantly reduce owning a car due to improved driving (safety), more cautious maintenance and the management of

fuel consumption, which will also help to reduce CO2 emissions. Imagine a vehicle that will remember the last route you took to a destination and advise you on a more fuel-efficient route? The potential to save on costs is significant thanks to increased connectivity to our cars, not to mention the environmental impact.

Now that connected cars are on the rise, they will soon become the standard in the automotive market. But it’s too soon to say that every single car will be connected by the internet of things because some drivers prefer to integrate technology into their lives at their own pace.

According to Tim Kelly, CEO at Zubie, for those who prefer and employ older vehicles, “The need for interoperability will also be key.” He believes that circumstance or preference should not be a deterrent for the future of driving. But as a result, aftermarket devices could become popular as everyone, regardless of their car, would want to experience the general benefits such as cost saving, location sharing and maintenance alerts at an accessible price point. Kelly feels that “everyone should be able to drive into their future.”

he idea of connected cars has been high on the agenda for the automotive industry and consumers alike in 2015. Advanced

technology has set the stage for incredible vehicle capabilities and a luxurious in-car experience. Manufacturers and technology companies have been racing to come up with the best solution that will usher in the internet of things, with vehicles as a central part of the infrastructure.

In fact, according to Wired, a recent report revealed that by 2020, 90 percent of vehicles will have built-in connectivity. Prepare for a future of cars that can almost think for themselves! In 2015, Microsoft, Google and Apple – the three major players in the tech industry

announced their forthcoming ‘connected car’ concepts. Apple has already introduced CarPlay, Google has Android Auto and Microsoft has introduced ‘windows for the car’. CarPlay, like the iPhone, has a flat organizational structure that presents all of its apps and functions as large icons on a scrollable home screen, which is convenient and accessible. The Windows in the car concept essentially extends the functionality of a Windows Phone directly into a built-in car display. All of these concepts aim to bring the functionality of mobile devices right to a vehicles center consul. There is a new market emerging full of infotainment, apps for cars, digital diagnostics, monitoring services for new drivers and enhanced navigation systems (just to name a few), which is estimated to grow to nearly $270 billion by 2020.

Nissan’s SmartCar appFocusing on apps in particular, UAE telecom operator Etisalat recently announced the region’s first connected car deployment in coordination with Nissan. The agreement has the two giants working closely together to deliver secure, interoperable and intuitive connected experiences to customers. Powered by the Etisalat network and M2M Control Center platform, the new Nissan SmartCar application is compatible with GPS, GLONASS and SGM M2M technology. The app represents the strong move toward the connected cars market which Nissan has embraced. According to forecasts from SBD and GSMA, the connected car market will be worth €39 billion in 2018. The global launch of the Nissan app marked the beginning of the connected-car ecosystem in the Middle East.

“We are extremely excited and proud with the result of our cooperation with Nissan Middle East in developing the region’s first connected car which will be available in the all new Nissan Maxima 2016 as well as the Nissan Patrol MY16,” said Salvador Anglada, chief business officer at Etisalat at a Nissan press conference. “Keeping with the evolution of the IoT era, it underpins Etisalat’s commitment to support the nation’s long-term strategy in promoting digitization initiatives and developing the connected ecosystem of the UAE, including transportation. Through planned investments in our advanced M2M and IoT platforms, Etisalat is well positioned to help the transportation industry realize their M2M strategies.”

Some of the basic features that the app offers include mobile operated starting and stopping of the car, locking and unlocking from anywhere in the world (great if you realize you forgot to lock your car whilst on holiday), opening of the trunk and switching the headlights on and off. The app also provides the opportunity to locate the vehicle on a map, and track the history of the vehicle, which is a great security feature, in addition

With the internet of things promising a world of hyper-connectivity, like with most industries, vehicles are now becoming much more than what we traditionally knew them to be. No longer just providing a conventional means of transport, with the introduction of smart apps, vehicles of the future are set to become highly efficient wirelessly connected machines, even more comfortable and convenient than your living room.


T The Nissan SmartCar application will help our customers stay better connected

with their vehicles, offering a variety of

control tools that will make driving more

convenient and safe

Samir Cherfan, Nissan’s managing director for Middle East.


ccording to Ying Weimin, in the next five years, the user experience enabled by mobile will become

much more immersive. From laptops and smartphones, to a wide variety of innovative gadgets that will continue to emerge, devices will increasingly diversify. Technologies like virtual reality and new applications such as smart metering and drone technology will also begin to enter into people’s regular environments.

Particularly in the Middle East, our world is increasingly city-centric.

Cities of the future will thus need to become more intelligent through connected infrastructure. A better connected Middle East will see the convergence of the virtual world and the real world as learning and working over networks will reinvent the concept of schools and offices, and web-based commercial transaction will surpass traditional methods. Huawei believes that mobile broadband is the foundation for these smart and connected cities of the future.

In fact, all of these trends are impacting today’s mobile broadband industry in significant ways. Since

the first LTE network in 2009, Huawei sees that LTE has taken over as the standard of choice for mobile connectivity - both globally and in the Middle East. Huawei is already building infrastructure that can support unthinkable amounts of data and support tens of millions of enterprise applications and hundreds of millions of individual applications.

But still, the public’s data demands continue to trek higher. In the latest “State of Broadband Report” issued by The Broadband Commission, authorities note that governments, policy-makers and regulators have

The commercialization of 4.5G, according to Ying Weimin, president of Huawei R&D Wireless Network, Huawei, will open up new revenue streams for operators resulting in a healthier and more profitable mobile broadband ecosystem. The new technology is set to become a prominent agenda item for the mobile broadband community and as 2016 rolls around, Huawei is prepared for the 4.5G movement, which represents the necessary enhancement of the mobile network in terms of capacity, more connection requirements and latency.

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made broadband a policy imperative based on the impact of broadband on national goals. Much of the growth in mobile broadband has occurred in the developing world, which accounts for 82 percent of global net additions of total new internet users since early 2010. In fact, the Commission outlines specific ways in which broadband -and especially mobile broadband- is improving the lives of people by helping to end poverty, achieve universal education and increase energy efficiencies.

To address the challenges brought about by this digital deluge, networks must be able to provide broader capacity, all online capability and instant connections. It is with this ambition that Huawei welcome the advancement of 4.5G.

A natural evolutionMany operators and enterprises have already started contemplating what the 4.5G movement actually means for them, their customers and the industy at large.

In short, the standard of 4.5G represents the necessary enhancement of the mobile network in terms of capacity, more connection requirements and latency making more intelligent and automated applications possible. It is a natural evolution of LTE, and supports new business opportunities and an improved user experience through enhancement of the mobile network‘s capacity and capability. Upgrading current 4G base stations can, for example, increase rates and lower latency to 10ms, meaning network responsiveness from the end user perspective will be limited to just a few milliseconds. 4.5G also seeks to increase the present capacity supported by about 50 times.

Being well received by the industry, 4.5G is already starting to appear as a new brand name. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has had several discussions about 4.5G standards, device vendors are promoting the concept of 4.5G, and some operators, particularly

those in Asia - are also showing keen interest in commercialization.

This year alone has seen prototype base stations of 4.5G being researched and exhibited to the public. 4.5G’s core technologies are being tested, such as massive MIMO technologies that are currently being trialed in Asia. Joint research on 4.5G standards has further been started between companies like Huawei, NTT DOCOMO and LG UPlus, with narrow band M2M and D2D being carried out by the likes of UK Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom.

Moreover, 4.5G is the technology that will bridge LTE to full 5G. Expected to be commercialized in 2016, Huawei’s own 4.5G research starts with the ongoing 3GPP releases for LTE and LTE-Advanced. 4.5G standardization is expected to be completed in 3GPP releases 13 and 14. At the same time, the formal review of 5G will likely begin in 3GPP release 14 or 15 -becoming commercialized starting in 2020.

Driving the market forwardThe momentum behind 4.5G’s development is clearly building. As operators look to the future of their mobile offerings, there are a number of strategic objectives that they will be able to achieve through 4.5G architecture, and which will ultimately facilitate the evolution of telecommunications to the 5G era over the next five years.

Creating immersive high-definition experiences The public’s appetite for virtual reality and high definition mobile experiences is only increasing. This in turn is elevating operator’s Giga-level throughput requirements. Nowadays, 80 percent of mid- and high-end smartphones are already supporting 1080P (1K) video. Current 4G networks essentially meet the requirements of 1K high definition experiences, but it will not support the development of 4K/8K ultra-high definition. It is predicted that 4K screen technology will start to become main stream as early as 2016. Smart devices with the function of 4K video recording have

already come into the market and the 100Mbp peak rate supported by 4.5G will help meet those requirements.

Expanding vertical market servicesOperators’ requirements for expanding vertical offerings and entering the internet of things ecosystem are increasingly prominent. The first kind of requirements for the internet of things relate to services of many connections with a small amount of data and low power consumption. Current 4G networks cannot support these kinds of requirements. The second requirement relates to real-time services of large bandwidth. Current 4G networks have large bandwidth but can still face long end-to-end time delay, which cannot meet requirements of real-time services such as e-health, self-driving cars and e-education. 4.5G’s low latency requirements will, for example, help to introduce more applications such as drone-based applications and industry control and safety applications.

Developing an intelligent channelOperators desire a pipe that can be intelligent and aware of services, thus providing differentiated service experiences to increase competitive advantages. New NFV and cloud technologies can drive LTE network architecture, combining wireless resource control coordination and service-awareness function modes to the base station side. With 4.5G, networks will also possess the ability of service-oriented architecture (SOA).

Integrating and simplifying network architectureHow 4G evolves before 5G commercialization is one of critical issues considered by the industry today. In recent years, operators’ requirements and market rhythms in different regions were often different. The birth of 4.5G is a milestone in the evolution of LTE, which gives clear direction to operators and vendors. From the perspective of operators, most have multiple-mode and multi-band. Massive carrier aggregation, MIMO, U-LTE and T+F CA brought by 4.5G can help operators to efficiently integrate resources and simplify network architecture.

Huawei recognizes the innovative advantages of 4.5G


vidence & predictions In their 2015 Mobility Report, Ericsson predicts that smartphone

subscriptions are set to more than double by 2020, which means that 70 percent of the population will have one. Ericsson also predicts a growing number of connected devices, driven by an increasing range of applications and business models, supported by falling modem costs, forecasting 26 billion connected devices by 2020. So how does this

compare to GSMA’s Mobile Economy Report 2015?

For those of you who are unaware, GSMA is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardizing, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system.

GSMA reports that the mobile industry is growing rapidly with a total of 3.6 billion unique mobile subscribers at the end of 2014. Half

of the world’s population now has a mobile subscription – up from one in five ten years ago, according to GSMA, who further report that an additional one billion subscribers are predicted by 2020, which will bring the global penetration rate to approximately 60 percent.

In addition to reports by Ericsson and GSMA, we also looked at statistics provided by ITU, the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) which fosters international cooperation and

2015 has been and was always expected to be a significant year for technology. The mobile industry, for example, has rocketed forward with the potential of internet of things as a hot topic, along with the potential of 5G - not to mention the huge increase in global smartphone distribution. We gathered information from the 2015 mobility reports by Ericsson, ITU, GSMA and McAfee Labs, covering subscriptions, mobile traffic and security, to predict the future of the mobile industry, based on their findings and predictions.

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solidarity in the delivery of technical assistance and in the creation, development and improvement of telecommunication and ICT equipment and networks in developing countries.

ITU generated statistics for key indicators for developed and developing countries around the world from 2005 to 2015. The results are fascinating, and show a steady increase in telecommunications in both the developed and developing world. So which has grown faster?

On a global scale, ITU found that from 2005 to 2015, individuals using the internet grew from around one billion to three billion. But what was truly fascinating was their subscription findings.

Subscription findingsIn terms of mobile subscriptions, ITU formed a chart that depicts the progression of the developed world in comparison to the developing world. According to ITU statistics, fixed telephone subscriptions from 2005 to 2025 fell from 570 to 491 (millions) in the developed world. A similar decline was recorded in the developing world which fell from 673 subscribers to 572 (millions). However, this was a

stark contrast from mobile-telephone subscriptions which in the developed world grew from 992 to 1,517 (millions), compared to the developing world where subscriptions rocketed up from 1,213 to 5,568 (millions) from 2005 to 2015.

Further information suggests that households with internet access grew significantly from 2005 to 2015 with an increase from 44.7 percent to 81.3 percent in the developed world, compared to an increase of 8.1 percent to 34.1 percent in the developing world.

In Q1 2015, Ericsson reports that the total number of mobile subscriptions was 7.2 billion, including 108 million new subscriptions, adding that global mobile subscriptions are growing by 1.5 percent quarter on quarter and around 5 percent year on year. India has shown significant growth in terms of new additions, according to Ericsson, with +26 million, compared to China with +8 million, Myanmar with +5 million, Indonesia +4 million and Japan +4 million.

Ericsson further reports that global penetration reached 99 percent in Q1 2015, and smartphones accounted for close to 75 percent of all mobile phones

sold, compared to around 65 percent during Q1 2014. Clearly the mobile industry is steadily growing, which could be attributed to the continued growth of LTE, which according to the report has reached around 600 million subscriptions, with approximately 105 million additions in Q1 2015.

Further to their subscription data, Ericsson reports that by 2016, smartphone subscriptions will undoubtedly surpass those of basic phones. Why? Because smartphones make up the majority of mobile broadband services today, and subscriptions are expected to have more than doubled by 2020.

According to the report, this is due to greater affordability in the Middle East and Africa. Ericsson also notes that the number of subscriptions exceeds the population in many countries, mainly due to inactive subscriptions and multiple device ownership. This means that the number of subscribers is lower than the number of subscriptions – the current figures according to Ericsson are around 4.9 billion subscriber’s versus 7.2 billion subscriptions.

In addition to this, statistics from GSMA report unique subscriber

Reflecting on the mobile industry and looking to the future

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penetration in the developed world is very high and approaching saturation, standing at 79 percent at the end of 2014, further predicting that this will climb modestly to around 81 percent by the end of the decade.

They contrast this to developing markets where less than half of the population has a mobile subscription, with the penetration rate at 44.6 percent at the end of 2014, which leaves room for growth, with the penetration rate expected to rise by about 11 percentage points by 2020 to 56 percent.

The major challenge facing mobile operators and other industry stakeholders, according to GSMA, is to connect the still unconnected populations in developing regions. GSMA predicts an eventual slow down in global subscribers due to the increasing level of maturity in developed markets, combined with recent strength in developing markets like Africa.

Increasing mobile trafficEricsson reports that mobile data traffic in Q1 2015 was 55 percent higher than it was in Q1 2014, which is a testament to how the mobile industry is moving away from calling and texting, and entering a world of LTE. By 2020, Ericsson predicts that 80 percent of mobile data traffic will be from smartphones. This isn’t exactly shocking. Just take a trip on your local Metro and it is more than likely that you will witness just about every single person staring into a smartphone screen.

But what are people looking at? Mobile data consumption varies a lot between different user segments, according to Ericsson’s report, stating that in mature mobile broadband markets, 20 percent of subscribers consume around 50 percent of all data traffic. In terms of content, video continues to be the key growth factor, with 60 percent of all mobile data traffic forecast to be from online video by 2020. It’s strange to think that ten

years ago watching a video on your mobile was a thing unheard of.

According to the GSMA report, they confirm that on-demand video on mobile devices has become increasingly popular. It is what has driven mobile data growth, with a 66 percent annual increase through to 2019 compared with 57 percent for data as a whole.

Cisco estimates that smartphones generate 37 times more data traffic than feature phones, while 4G smartphones generate almost three times as much data traffic as 3G smartphones. This massive increased use of mobile broadband-enabled smartphones will, according to GSMA, generate an “explosion” of data traffic, with volumes forecast to grow at a CAGR of 57 percent out to 2019 - an almost ten-fold increase.

Security issuesIn early November 2015, Intel Security released its McAfee Labs Threats

Predictions Report, which predicts key developments on the cyber threat landscape in 2016 and provides unique insights into the expected nature of that landscape through 2020, in addition to the IT security industry’s likely response.

Their report reflects the informed opinions of 22 Intel Security thought leaders’ short and long-term trend implications for organizations working to keep pace with business and technology opportunities and the cybercrime community that threatens them.

The threats that Intel Security have predicted for 2016 include attacks on all types of hardware and firmware, in addition to attacks on wearable platforms which could be targeted by cybercriminals working to compromise the smartphones used to manage them. According to the report, the industry will work to protect potential attack surfaces such as operating system kernels, networking and WiFi software, user interfaces, memory, local files, and storage systems, virtual machines, web apps, access control and security software.

In addition, the report predicts that cybercriminals could seek to exploit weak or ignored corporate security policies established to protect cloud services. Home to an increasing amount of business confidential information, such services, if exploited, could compromise organizational business strategy, company portfolio strategies, next generation innovations, financials, acquisition and divestiture plans, employee and personal data.

Looking toward 2020, the McAfee report predicts that with an increase in new devices, we may see new attack surfaces. While there has not yet been a surge in IoT and wearable attacks, by 2020 we may see install bases of these systems reach substantial enough penetration levels that they will attract attackers. Thankfully, the report indicates that technology vendors and vertical solution providers will work to establish user safety

guidance and industry best practices, as well as build security into device architectures where appropriate.

Telecom Review’s predictionThe mobile industry is complex and clearly growing faster than we ever anticipated. Therefore, it is crucial to look ahead to build an understanding of what we can expect in the future. Based on the information we have sourced from Ericsson, GSMA, ITU and McAfee Labs, the mobile industry is only going to continue to grow rapidly, especially with the emergence of Africa - a continent with over a billion people – slowly joining the connected world. Africa’s growth will spell huge growth in the mobile industry if infrastructure in the continent improves. This will offer more potential mobile subscriptions for operators.

The mobility reports we have looked at clearly indicate that the mobile industry is moving away from calling and texting and embracing apps and increased data usage. This transition has happened very fast, with the increased acquisition of smartphones. The future of mobile is definitely headed to app usage and we believe that regular calling and texting is going to steadily decrease. As we look toward 5G, there is plenty to be excited about. It will offer unprecedented speeds, combining an estimated 10 gigabytes per second data rate with a significant decrease in latency. However, the industry’s goal is to begin rolling out 5G technology by 2020, but it would be foolish to expect widespread availability until a few years later.

According to a report by TCS, 5G networks (like the one currently underway in South Korea) will be able to download a full-length movie in just over one second. There are further reports that telecommunications companies will have the ability to run neuro-science-based applications over the 5G network, bringing the internet of things together in ways previously unheard of. Excited yet? It’s clear that video downloading will continue to grow rapidly, as reported by Ericsson and GSMA, so the need for

efficient downloading is paramount. As smartphones spread across the globe, the regularity of them will eventually lead to a drop in price. Therefore, we predict that smartphones will, without a doubt, become the dominant device – in some cases eliminating the need for other devices. Furthermore, perhaps with increased efficient technology, people will not require so many devices because everything will be accessible from one device, therefore reducing the huge amount of device ownership as reported by Ericsson.

However, with more and more smart devices on the rise (such as smart watches and smart cars) this scenario could play out quite different. The internet of things is likely to determine this outcome, as we are still yet to see what new connections it will bring. The most anticipated outcomes are driverless vehicles and personalized healthcare monitoring.

Finally, without a doubt, in the coming years there will be a strong need for cyber-security because of our reliance upon cloud. Confidential information is being circulated back-and-forth online in huge amounts, as most businesses have now adopted an entirely digital platform.

Built-in security, as mentioned by the McAfee Labs report, is now essential for businesses to remain functional, efficient and safe. Cylance, for example, is revolutionizing cyber-security with products and services that proactively prevent, rather than reactively detect, the execution of advanced persistent threats and malware. This technology is exactly what we need as more devices become available and more information is shared, thus vulnerable.

As we look to the future, there are no guarantees of what is to come. But from what we have gathered from Ericsson, GSMA, ITU and McAfee Labs, our world is undoubtedly going to experience increased connectivity with more smartphones and devices, growth in the developing world, the emergence of 5G and IoT and the rise of apps.

gloBAl MoBilE dATA TRAffiC(per month, pB)


Turgut Erkul, Engagement Practice

Head for MBB EL RAN Solutions,

Ericsson, Middle East

ise of the smartphoneLook around you. Without a doubt, someone nearby will be holding a

smartphone, navigating their way through an endless selection of apps designed to connect us, assist us and entertain us. As the smartphone concept has commercialized since the initial release of the first iPhone in 2007, it has transformed the way we live, allowing us to do things at an unprecedented level of convenience. What has drawn people to smartphones the most? Is it apps, or video or something else?

Smartphones are more than just gadgets that provide basic voice and data services while on the go. They can take photos, connect us to social networks, entertain us with mobile gaming and help us follow breaking news, conduct business from around the world and perform anything that can be done on the internet like a PC. Smartphones also have GPS, sensors and actuators which count our steps, wake us up at the right time and suggest the most efficient way to reach a destination.

While video has the largest share of total internet traffic, it is not what users spend the most amount of time on. In fact, social media interactions are at the top of the list: the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. There are 2.7 billion likes on Facebook, according to Ericsson – growth only made possible by our smartphones that are essentially powerful mobile computers we carry in our pockets.

People are attracted to smartphones because of their connectivity, entertainment and all the apps that improve users’ standard of living. The faster the network, the more people are drawn towards the smartphone. In our current reality, it’s hard to imagine people checking any other consumer electronic device more than 200 times on average a day as they do with their smartphones. As the price of smartphones drop to below 100 USD,

Ericsson has a history rich with experience in mobile technology. As a world leader in the rapidly changing environment of communications – providing equipment, software and services to enable transformation through mobility – some 40 percent of global mobile traffic runs through Ericsson supplied networks. Therefore, who better to address the broad issue of mobile growth in 2015 and beyond? Through their 2015 Mobility Report, Ericsson provided extensive coverage of the mobile industry for 2015. In this article, with Ericsson, we go into further detail about mobile growth, subscriptions, connectedness, security and what to expect in the years to come.

Rmore and more people will choose them over feature phones. Ericsson predicts that 2016 will be the year where the global smartphone usage will surpass feature phones.

Predicted swelling of mobile subscriptionsWe live in a world with 7 billion people, eventually expected to grow to 9.5 billion by 2050. There are a number of implications that accompany such rapid growth – even for the mobile industry. In Ericsson’s Mobility Report, they predict that smartphone subscriptions will more than double by 2020. Where and how did they obtain this information?

The subscription and traffic forecast baseline in Ericsson’s Mobility Report are based on historical data from various sources, validated with Ericsson internal data, including extensive measurements in customer networks.

Future development is estimated based on macroeconomic trends, user trends (researched by, for example, Ericsson ConsumerLab), market maturity, technology development expectations and documents such as industry analyst reports, on a national or regional level, together with internal assumptions and analysis. Updates to the subscription and traffic forecasts are announced regularly.

Ericsson frequently performs traffic measurements in over 100 live networks in all major regions of the world.

Detailed measurements are made in a selected number of commercial WCDMA/HSPA and LTE networks with the purpose of analyzing various mobile traffic patterns. All subscriber data is made anonymous before it reaches Ericsson’s analysts, which helps to keep records accurate. So from the extensive data Ericsson obtained, what other information were they able to gather about subscriptions? Interestingly enough, Ericsson’s data pinpoints exactly which regions of

the world have increasing mobile subscriptions, which then enables them to make predictions about the future.

Ericsson’s data indicates that mobile subscriptions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been increasing rapidly. Mobile penetration passed 100 percent in the more affluent areas of the region, such as the Gulf States, while less affluent countries with higher populations (such as Pakistan, Yemen and South Sudan) still have much lower mobile penetration at 75 percent, 65 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

The MENA region as a whole had around 690 million mobile subscriptions at the end of 2014. Between 2014 and 2020, it is forecast that mobile subscriptions will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 percent, amounting to around 970 million subscribers by the end of 2020.

What about other regions such as Asia and Oceania? Ericsson reports that mobile subscriptions are increasing globally, and in most countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania, mobile penetration has already exceeded 100 percent.

These regions continue to experience strong growth in new mobile subscriptions, with Myanmar, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam among the top countries globally by net additions.

Mature markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, where LTE is widely available, have very high mobile broadband penetration, already exceeding 90 percent.

However, developing markets paint a different picture. They still have a long way to go, which offers a unique opportunity for mobile operators to enhance the mobile broadband experience for users. Latin America represents around 10 percent of global mobile subscriptions. The region reached 740 million subscriptions at the end of 2014.

Between 2014 and 2020 it is forecast by Ericsson that Latin America’s mobile subscriptions will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3 percent, amounting to 900 million subscriptions by the end of 2020.

Bridging the gap between developed & developing Ericsson’s data suggests a rapid move toward an interconnected world where we are increasingly relying upon technology to live. But with connectedness developing so fast in the developed world and much of the developing world being left behind, how can we go about bridging this gap before it gets too big?

While connectivity is boosting the standard of living of some societies, along with the GDP of some countries, on the other hand, some countries do not have the privilege of connectivity, resulting in widening of the digital gap between the connected and the unconnected. To address this issue, Ericsson is developing rural area coverage solutions which are energy efficient and easy to deploy.

As one of the founding members of Internet.org, Ericsson has also collaborated with Facebook on the Internet.org Innovation Lab – a live networking environment on Facebook’s Menlo Park campus, where developers can test and optimize the user experience of their applications under real-world mobile network conditions.

Internet.org aims to provide internet access to the remaining two-thirds of the world’s population - continuing to help more people reach the internet through their networked society vision.

The downside of increasing interconnectedness As 2016 rolls around, connectivity is clearly set to increase – and Ericsson is doing their best to connect the developing world to this new era of technological

Ericsson: Looking aheadGrowth, subscriptions, connectivity and security


convenience. But is the developed world’s huge reliance upon technology really what the developing world wants? Are humans of the developing world becoming too reliant upon the digital world? Are we becoming slaves to our mobile phones?

Smartphones are an indisputable convenience when it comes to internet connectivity, entertainment, banking, mobility and communication in general. While it is simplifying our lives in many aspects, it is also forcing us to multitask.

A source from Ericsson explains that the human brain is not designed to handle multiple actions at the same time, and certain situations like checking the stock market on your smartphone while driving could be a very dangerous act. But like any tool, there are guidelines and safety measures about when it is a good time to use a smartphone.

The fact that we check our smartphones more than 200 times a day is an alarming figure. However, being aware of the habit would be a good start to keep it under control, as Ericsson suggests. It is

true that we cannot stay away from our smartphones, but everyone benefits differently from them. While spending an hour on a smartphone doing business could be very beneficial for a subscriber, an hour of online gaming could be wasteful for a nine-year-old. Every person has to weigh the value they receive from their smartphone to determine the amount of time he or she needs to spend on their device without being a slave to it.

Another dark side of increasing interconnectedness as we look to the future is mobile security. Will we see more cyber attacks now that we continuously upload sensitive information to the internet? Security has been a strong concern for both fixed and mobile connectivity, according to Ericsson. There are many solutions like firewalls and antivirus software that are widely used in the fixed broadband connectivity.

In the modern domain, operators and the over-the-top (OTT) players are ensuring the safety of the users’ data. However, as security technology advances, so does the cyber-attack technology. Ericsson urges that we need to be aware of

the fact that any digital information connected to the internet runs the risk of falling into the wrong hands. Therefore, extra precaution such as passwords protecting files, using VPN and encryption techniques could be good ideas when exchanging and storing sensitive private information on the internet.

Tomorrow’s world of IoT & 5G In the years to come, there’s much more to expect than swelling mobile subscriptions and security issues.

2016 and beyond, it set to offer an unprecedented level of interconnectedness, thanks to the development of the internet of things (IoT) and 5G. With IoT causing a buzz of excitement, how will it change the way we live?

First of all, Ericsson predicts that our cars will be connected to help us get to our destination faster and safer.

Crop irrigation systems will also be connected to weather forecasting systems in order to efficiently deliver water to fields in order to increase yield.

Wearable health checking sensors will be connected to continuously

monitor our wellbeing and to help us perform at our peak. In addition, our living environments will be connected in order to give us the best experience – with the ability to be customized to our preferences. Utilities, coal mines, livestock, trees and anything you can think of that would benefit from connectivity will be connected.

This is in fact, Ericsson’s definition of reaching the networked society for optimizing efficiency and output. Ericsson has released its first official forecast, which points to 26 billion connected devices by the end of the year 2020.

It’s almost difficult to imagine a world with more connectivity than we already have, but as this information suggests, our world is about to get a whole lot more connected in ways that seem almost like science fiction.

5G is another highly anticipated technological advancement predicted to commercialize in about five years. Is this prediction realistic? Or should we expect to see 5G further down the line? According to Ericsson, 5G is the technology and enabler of the networked society,

and will be an evolution of LTE technology.

5G subscription uptake will be driven to a large extent by new use cases, especially machine-type of communication. Ericsson do not provide a firm figure for 5G subscriptions, but indicate that 5G is expected to become available for commercial use by 2020.

5G is expected to have a faster uptake than 4G (just as 4G had a faster uptake than 3G). As a comparison, 4G subscriptions reached around 10 million subscriptions the second year and around 75 million the third year after the first LTE network was launched.

Ericsson is a partner in 5G trials for the Korean Olympics which will be held in 2018, and similarly will be during the Japanese Olympics in 2020. They have a 5G test-bed system which has reached speeds higher than 10Gbs already.

With the introduction of 5G, will 4G fade away? Or will it remain in existence for a while the same way that 3G has? Just as how 2G and 3G did not fade away when 4G arrived, Ericsson does not expect 4G to

fade away when 5G arrives. 5G is expected to operate at frequency bands up to 100GHz, meaning that the coverage ranges in some use cases will be indoor-focused. For larger coverage areas, perhaps higher bandwidths can be used which will require some modification to LTE techniques.

Ericsson is also working on new radio access technologies such as LTE-NX for 5G, with the intention to achieve seamless internetworking with the LTE networking technology. LTE light and LTE-M technologies will create a large IoT ecosystem which will survive well beyond the introduction of 5G.

So what does the future have in store for the mobile industry? With the help of Ericsson, we can safely expect to encounter a world of cheaper and more available smartphones, increasing amounts of mobile subscriptions, a potential connected bridging between the developed and developing worlds, and an exciting introduction to 5G and the internet of things.

Strap yourself in for what will be an exhilarating, technologically advancing ride to 2016 and beyond!


S-based Cylance is a cyber-security company specializing in next generation anti-virus software.

The company formed in 2012, and now has around 250 staff members all highly experienced in cyber-security. According to Fitzgerald, most of the Cylance team in the past helped to initiate some of the leading security technologies that exist today; such as TippingPoint Technologies, and intrusion prevention systems now called FireAMP, in addition to Fortinet which is big in the Middle East.

The main founder of Cylance, Stuart McClure, authored Hacking Exposed in 1998. He was the CTO at McAfee for their in-point security. The other co-founder, Ryan Permeh, was once the chief scientist at McAfee, responsible for their security around

the world. McClure and Permeh both left McAfee in 2012 to pursue Cylance, because together they recognized that security today is broken – meaning, the signature concept of protection is not working. Simply put, there are many cyber-protection companies operating today, but at the same time there are also just as many successful cyber attacks. Clearly modern cyber-security technology isn’t living up to its expectations.

According to Fitzgerald, the reason why cyber attacks continue to threaten our digital word, is because the “bad guys” as he calls them, have figured out how to circumvent the existing security technologies. Signatures are a concept that has been around for about 30-40 years – a concept that was to be preventive in recognizing malicious software, and be able to block it. So basically, if there is

a threat, and someone’s device is attacked, researchers look at code, searching for abnormalities in the code that might indicate a malicious threat. For example, it could be calling out to a command server elsewhere, or trying to steal information.

The researcher will then write a signature, or “line of code” that will block the threat. But there is a problem with this system. The “bad guys” have realized that they can simply mutate the code and change just a couple of things, and then all of a sudden the code becomes invisible to the security technologies. Long story short: The bad guys have figured out how to manipulate digital security systems, which is why we continuously witness cyber attacks. “At Cylance, we realized that we needed to change the entire game by raising the bar for hackers, making

Cyber-security continues to advance every year. Because of this, one might expect cyber attacks to be less frequent and less harmful. But that simply is not the case. Cyber criminals continue to exploit weaknesses in security because security software is not evolving fast enough. Having said that, one company is changing the dynamics of cyber-security in order to prevent attacks from happening, as opposed to simply cleaning up the mess. We spoke to Greg Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer at Cylance, who shared his perspective on the evolution of cyber-security.

U

it harder for them to get around security,” said Fitzgerald, explaining the history of the company. “At the time, in 2012, we saw that there were cases where artificial intelligence, such as machines that can learn by themselves (a concept called deep-learning around inspection of code), was becoming a realistic phenomenon. It was being practiced in stock market trading, pharmaceutical development and even in drones.”

Some drones are flown and controlled by humans, but most of them are simply given coordinates to go by. They are able to react to terrain and heat changes – all controlled by the machine itself, which is what Fitzgerald was referring to. “We thought that we could apply the same principle to cyber-security because we know what good looks like, and we know what bad looks like,” Fitzgerald explained. “There are billions of examples of Trojans and viruses of all sorts out there. At Cylance, we came up with an idea to extract the code, which we call DNA.” How does this concept work?

Fitzgerald explained that humans are only able to look at about 50-100 features of code and recognize when it looks dangerous. But the reality is that code has potentially millions of features physically impossible for a human to recognize. So what Cylance did was extract the code, apply a mathematical value and then teach it to a machine, “to then take anything it does, extract the code, apply values and make a calculation – no humans involved,” said Fitzgerald.

That was the premise of Cylance Protect, which is the official name of the software. Cylance also found that they could perform this security at an unprecedented volume, because they use cloud services (close to 10,000 servers) combined with the ability to make decisions in real-time accuracy which is when the machines come in and “discern the code when looking at millions of objects with 6 million features and be able to very accurately assess cyber threats.” The concept has since developed into a small piece of software that has now been applied to phones,

laptops and desktop servers, “which recognizes that we don’t have to connect to the cloud anymore for intelligence.” Artificial intelligence has been shrunk to a point where it is only 40 megabytes in size, and can work “independently autonomously” to make 100 percent effective decisions – and it’s all thanks to Cylance.

The Cylance team has basically created a huge mathematical security algorithm. It’s amazing how technology keeps getting smaller and more efficient. When the software is planted in a device, it’s nothing more than a small application where before something malicious starts to run, the software will suspend the activity within 50 microseconds. It stops it, opens up the code, then inspects the code, applies the mathematical values, makes a decision and then decides whether or not it is safe to run before it installs. This compares to regular cyber-security software which only fixes a problem once it has been installed.

Having recently launched in Australia, the UK, Europe and soon in the Middle East, Cylance is making a profound change to the market. “We have an excellent chance to move forward and capitalize on the security market because Symantec and McAfee for example are not innovating, and all of their technology is still traditional signature-based,” said Fitzgerald.

Cylance has recently announced a major deal with Dell, to be a part of their in-point security solution product for every Dell PC. So from now on, if you want security installed in your Dell device, Cylance is the only advanced threat prevention product that Dell offers.

A name with meaning The intriguing name of the company, according to Fitzgerald, relates to how the Cylance team wanted their software to operate. He likened the concept to how car alarms go off, and nobody pays any attention anymore. He associated true security with a house alarm, which intruders pay more attention to. This is how the Cylance team wanted their

software to be recognized – effective cyber-security software that hackers are actually afraid of.

“We thought security should be silent (hence the name), and non-intrusive which is an interesting point,” Fitzgerald explained. “We saw that today most of the available technology is very burdensome and requires you to download signature updates very often and to scan every day, which chews up the CPU and slows things down. Cylance software promises to be quiet to the user. We specifically designed it to be this way, which is a huge competitive advantage relative to any technology available today.”

A further advantage of Cylance software is that it is not cloud dependent. Often instead of burdening a computer or phone with too many files, most technologies will store information on the cloud. But the reality is you have to have a cloud connection. If you’re in a hotel, or an airplane, or your car, you may have WiFi connectivity to the internet, but that doesn’t mean that you can connect to your cloud security.

Cylance recognized this gap. “If you’re out and about, you can be attacked while using the internet and have no protection,” Fitzgerald explained, further detailing how Cylance works at a disconnected mode. Cylance has been installing Cylance Protect at various oil and gas plants across the Middle East, because their systems don’t have the capacity to take other technologies like Symantec. When these companies connect to a satellite, they also don’t want to be burdened with lots of signatures because that is costly for them. Therefore, the great thing about an algorithm is that it is only updated when the algorithm gets smarter, which according to Fitzgerald, is about every six to nine months.

Cylance is actively changing the scope of cyber-security, and will undoubtedly grow as a company as more businesses and individuals recognize the benefits of preventing cyber attacks rather than fixing them once they have already done damage. It is the way of the future.

The development of advanced preventive cyber-security


arlier in 2015, scientists achieved speeds of 224 gigabits per second in a lab using LiFi - a technology that transmits high

speed data using Visible Light Communication (VLC). It has the potential to change everything about the way we use the internet. Now, for the first time, scientists have taken

LiFi out of the lab and trialed it in offices and industrial environments in Tallinn, Estonia. A report by Science Alert indicates that they can achieve data transmission at 1GB per second, which is 100 times faster than current average WiFi speeds.

“We are doing a few pilot projects within different industries where we can utilize the VLC technology,” says Deepak Solanki, CEO at

Estonian tech company Velmenni. “Currently, we have designed a smart lighting solution for an industrial environment where the data communication is done through light. We are also doing a pilot project with a private client where we are setting up a LiFi network to access the internet in their office space.”

LiFi technology was originally developed by Harald Haas in 2011 at

As we enter 2016, an area that will require a lot of attention in terms of efficient connectivity is that of high speed data downloading. Why? Because predictions state that 60 percent of all mobile data traffic by 2020 is forecast to be from online video alone, which illustrates just how important it is that we have capable, high speed connectivity to allow for so much video download. The solution: Light Fidelity, commonly known as LiFi, is a new form of wireless communication for computers that is said to be 100 times faster than WiFi.

E


the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He demonstrated for the first time that by flickering light from a single LED, one could transmit a lot more data than a regular cellular tower.

The results were astounding. To give you a perspective, the lab-based record of 224 gigabits per second amounts to 18 movies of 1.5 GB each being downloaded every single second. The process of Visible Light Communication is likened to an advanced form of Morse code – much like switching a torch on and off in a pattern that relays a message. The LED light flicks on and off at such extreme speeds that it can be used to write and transmit in binary code.

Researchers are developing a series of smart LED bulbs called ‘Jungu’ that are able to transfer data through visible light (invisible to the naked eye). According to the Velmenni website, the scientists transferred serial data synchronously from a PC/laptop screen to a micro-controller board using visible light. A GUI was developed in MATLAB and a receiver circuit was made using Arduino and photodiodes.

“We successfully transferred a text file using this method,” the scientists write. “We only had to keep our micro-board in front of the laptop screen (GUI) and the data was transferred wirelessly using VLC. Now, we are on our way to implement this unique technology in our smart LED bulb which can transfer data to other bulbs, mobile phones and internet.”

The team is also working on an android app which would be able to receive data from Jungu, the smart LED bulb and would also transmit it back to the app.

Pros & cons Are there potential issues with the technology? Nothing major. And if you’re concerned about how consistent flickering in the office environment might be disruptive, never fear, because the LED technology used can be switched

on and off at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye. The benefits significantly outweigh any potential negatives. One of the benefits is increased security. How? Because other than much faster speeds (the primary advantage of LiFi), because light cannot pass through walls, the technology makes it much safer and more secure than WiFi. Plus, as Anthony Cuthbertson mentioned to IBTimes UK, this also means there is less interference between devices.

But the fact that the connection is carried by light does present a number of limitations, since it suggests that connection will be lost if a user leaves the room, representing a major hurdle that would need to be overcome if the technology is to be successfully implemented. However, if this issue can be addressed, then the use of the visible spectrum could allow LiFi to send messages across a wider range of frequencies than WiFi, which operates between the frequencies of 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz.

The benefits of this would be that Li-Fi could provide the answer to increasing frequency congestion as internet usage continues to increase across the globe. The Cisco Visual Networking Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast reports that global monthly data usage is expected to exceed 24.3 exabytes by 2019 – a heavy volume which current wireless connections aren’t able to handle.

Commercialization The question surrounding the new LiFi technology is: Will it eventually replace regular WiFi in the coming decades? According to Cuthbertson, it will not – but could be used with WiFi to achieve more efficient and secure networks. A majority of homes, offices and industry buildings have already been fitted out with infrastructure to provide WiFi, so taking it all out to replace with LiFi technology would be like taking a stepping backwards. It isn’t feasible. Therefore, the idea is to retrofit the devices that we have now to work alongside LiFi technology.

Haas insists that household LED light bulbs could be easily converted into LiFi transmitters, thus providing internet users with far more efficient connections. “All we need to do is fit a small microchip to every potential illumination device and this would then combine two basic functionalities: illumination and wireless data transmission,” says Haas.

As of now, research teams around the world are working on the retrofit process and the development of LiFi. The technology is showing signs of commercialization as LiFi experts recently reported that Haas and his team have launched PureLiFi, a company offering a plug-and-play application for secure wireless internet access with a capacity of 11.5 MB per second, which is comparable to first generation WiFi. In addition, the French tech company Oledcomm is currently in the process of installing its own LiFi technology in local hospitals.

If such applications prove to be successful, along with the Velmenni trial in Estonia, we could be faced with an awesome achievement - a dream orated by Haas in his 2011 TED talk. He envisioned a world where everyone could gain access to the internet via LED light bulbs in their home. In his speech, Haas says: “In the future, we will not only have 14 billion light bulbs; we may have 14 billion LiFis deployed worldwide for a cleaner, greener and even brighter future.”

For now, LiFi remains a niche in the market. It’s too early to say whether or not it can feasibly be implemented around the world. However, VLC is already finding a number of useful applications. For example, IFL Science reports that Disney is currently developing a number of products that use the LiFi technology, including a range of toys such as a magic wand that can activate light bulbs on a princess dress. As we enter 2016, keep an eye out for this revolutionary technology – because at the rate at which technology is developing, LiFi could be in our homes and offices much sooner than we might think.

22FACTS & FIGURESMOBILITY REPORT 2015 23FACTS & FIGURESMOBILITY REPORT 2015

55% growth in mobile subscriptions in Middle East and Africa

between 2014 and 2020.

On-demand video on mobile devices is the key driver of mobile data growth, with a

66% annual increase through to 2019 compared with 57%

for data as a whole

Almost 80% of smartphone subscriptions added during 2015–2020

will be from Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Fixed-broadband uptake is growing, with a 7% annual increase over the past 3 years & reaching 11%

penetration by end 2015.

Mobile ad spend in China has reached $7 billion, increasing by 600% in 2014 alone – and accounting for

almost 16% of total global mobile ad spend

7.2billion was the total number

of mobile subscriptions in Q1 2015, including 108 million new

subscriptions

Global mobile subscriptions are growing

by 1.5% quarter on

quarter and around 5%

year on year.

$20million

In 2015 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and

his wife Priscilla Chan, donated $20 million to an initiative called Education

Super to bring speedy internet to all US schools. around 90% of the

world’s population will be covered by mobile broadband networks

IN 2015 THE UAE RANkED SECoND oF ALL ARAB

CoUNTRIES IN TERMS oF HAvING THE LARGEST pRopoRTIoN oF ITS

popULATIoN oNLINE (88%)

90% of the world’s population over 6 years old will have a mobile phone

More than 60 percent of total online retail sales are expected to be made via mobile by 2019.

By 2020,

137MILLIoN

pEopLE IN THE ARAB WoRLD WERE oNLINE BY THE END oF 2013

In 2015 there are more than 7 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, up from less than 1 billion in 2000. Globally 3.2

billion people are using the internet of which 2 billion are from developing countries. ICTs will play an even more significant role

in the post 2015 development agenda and in achieving future sustainable development goals as the world moves faster and

faster towards a digital society

UAE has been a leading adopter of technology in the world, and advancement

in the global technology sector means more action in the local market. Over the next few years, one does feel that significant share of

revenues will shift to data and other value adding services.

Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau.

Sukhdev Singh, associate vice-president at market research and analysis services provider AMRB

OnLIne bankIng Is IncReasIng sTeadILy In The Uae

ITU PRedIcTIOns:

82% of customers use at least one digital banking channelhave in conducted online banking via a mobile device

of customers have used a mobile app61%

57%

The proportion of the population covered by a 2G

mobile-cellular network grew from 58 percent in

2001 to 95 percent in 2015.

20142020

Total mobile

Subscriptions(billions)

Mobile broadband Smartphones Mobile pCs,

tablets & routers

7.1

9.2

7.76.1

0.4

2.9 2.6

0.25

Sources: ITU, GSMA, Ercisson, The Guardian, Khaleej Times.

Some of the Confirmed Attendees

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DO NOT MISS ITRegister now for Telecom Review’s sixth annual summit, “It’s All About SMART

Networking” at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City. The must attend event for telecom and smart cities will gather as usual hundreds of ICT & government experts, leaders experts from all over the world and feature thought-provoking keynotes and panels that will discuss the compelling issues facing the telecom

industry today.

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Silver SponsorsGold Sponsors Smart Partner

Bernard NajmVice President

and Head of Middle East and Africa, Nokia Networks

Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr Deputy Director General,

Smart Dubai Executive Committee

Ahmad JulfarGroup CEO

Etisalat

Charles YangPresident, Huawei

Middle East

Osman SultanCEO,du

Jay SragePresident,

Qualcomm Middle East, Africa and South East Asia

Marc HalbfingerCEO,

PCCW Global,Hong Kong

Hussein RifaïChairman & CEO

MDIC

Karim El KhazenVice President, Business

Development & Innovation,

Deutsche Telekom

Hassan KabaniCEO,

Zain Saudi

Rafiah Ibrahim President,

Ericsson, Middle East

Greg YoungCEO,

Ooredoo, Oman

Ali Al AmiriExecutive VP, Carrier

and Wholesale Services, Etisalat

Marwan HayekCEO,alfa

Mohammed MouradCEO,

Google MENA

Job Witteman CEO, AMS-IX (Amsterdam

Internet Exchange)

Suvi LindénChairperson of the

Board of NxtVn Finland & Member and ITU´s

Special Envoy for the BB Commission for Digital

Development

Khalifa Al ShamsiChief Digital

Services Officer, Etisalat Group

Ghassan HasbaniCEO Graycoats,Digital Economy

Expert

Carlos Domingo Senior Executive

Officer, New Business and Innovation, du

Luigi Gambardell President, ChinaEU

Hatem BamatrafCTO,

Etisalat Group

Daniel KurganCEO, BICS

Orvar HurtigVP and Head of

business line Industry & Society, Ericsson

Ghazi AtallahManaging Director,

neXgen group

Bilel JamoussiChief of Study

Groups, ITU

Amr EidCCO,GBI

Rambert NamyVP Business Consulting

Director, Sofrecom

Hernan Munoz Group CTO,

Ooredoo Group

Dr. Mohamed Nadder Hamdy Director Wireless

Network Engineering, Commscope

Vick Mamlouk VP Wireless Sales MEA,

CommScope

Ihab Ghattas Assistant

President, Huawei Middle East

Safder Nazir Regional Vice

President Smart Cities & IoT,

Huawei

Tony Wong Head of FBB

Business Consulting,

Huawei

Sami BoustanyCEO,

Yahlive

Mohamed Ben AmorPresident,

Aicto

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Thani

CEO, Oreedoo Kuwait

Khaled SedrakCEO, NxtVn