SAMENA Council’s Bocar A. Ba on the future of 5G, fixed wireless access, digital transformation

In an exclusive interview, Bocar A. Ba, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council delves into the transformative potential of fixed wireless access (FWA) and 5G-Advanced (5G-A), particularly in driving connectivity across underserved regions and supporting global sustainability goals.

As digital transformation accelerates across the Indian Subcontinent, Asia, Middle East and North Africa (SA-ME-NA) region, the CEO discusses how SAMENA Council’s strategic initiatives align with the United Nations’ Connect 2030 agenda and sustainable development objectives.

He also shares insights on the region’s readiness for 5G-A and the collaborative efforts needed to address cybersecurity challenges, support economic diversification, and foster digital inclusion for lasting impact. Here are excerpts from the discussion.

In consideration of the global ICT development agenda, especially the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and given the SAMENA Council’s active involvement in the international ICT arena, how do you view the importance of fixed wireless access and the role it could play for the industry?

 Across all geographies, including the SA-ME-NA and Central Asia regions, based on the observations of the FWA Elite Club members and predictions from the Industry, 5G FWA will continue to grow. This is so not only because of the much higher speeds afforded by 5G FWA, but due to the end-to-end experience and choice that can be offered with FWA. So, we have a technology that carries tremendous potential.

FWA can help focus the Industry’s efforts on digital inclusion, and in making our goals of “connecting the unconnected” more cost-effective, and more achievable. Various SDGs demand innovation. In this regard, if we look at FWA purely as an innovation, we can see that its impact is far-reaching. At both the ITU and the UN Broadband Commission, SAMENA Council is strongly contributing to broadband development strategies and innovative ways for engaging potential contributors, especially through new approaches to funding broadband infrastructure development. I see FWA as a great option for expanding advanced broadband connectivity infrastructure.

Earlier this week, I had the privilege to be a part of ITU’s flagship event, the Global Innovation Forum (GIF), and contribute to the dialogue. I strongly view digital transformation processes require innovation, new wireless technology adoption, as well as investment and access to capital. We must accelerate digital literacy and create more jobs. I see FWA as a viable option for meeting these objectives.

How do you see 5G-A playing a role given the Connect 2030 agenda and various use cases that the latest telecom technologies are expected to bring forth?

Advancements in 5G have a direct correlation with enhancing purposeful and sustainable connectivity. Use cases such as in the education sector (for example, in the shape of virtual classrooms for impoverished areas, where education infrastructure is insufficient), or in healthcare (especially to connect ambulances, conduct remote patient monitoring or surgeries, etc.) are central to fulfilling objectives of the UN Connect 2030 agenda.

Moreover, 5G-A adds greater intelligence and security updates and machine learning (ML) capabilities, which support applications such as extended reality (XR), industrial IoT (IIoT), and smart cross-industry applications. Thus, all of these facets of technology deployment and technological evolution in 5G systems and infrastructure have a direct role in the fulfilment of the SDGs.

Multiple types of digital divides can also be overcome through 5G-A, and I view eradication of digital divides to be among the greatest use cases that applied mobile technologies, such as FWA, can help us achieve.

As 5G-A continues to evolve globally, how do you foresee its future in the Middle East? Especially, as we talk about sustainability and digital transformation – where do you foresee 5G-A fit into this narrative?

I am very optimistic about the prospects of 5G-A– both globally and in the Middle East. This is supported by the fact that this region has led on 5G adoption, and thus it is well-positioned to lead on 5G-Advanced fronts as well. According to the latest GDI index issued by Huawei, whereby ICT maturity is assessed across almost the whole of the SA-ME-NA region, many leading countries of the Middle East are in the “frontrunner” category. This means, many markets are ready or are readying for 5G-A deployment.

However, for telecom operators, the benefits are obvious. 5G-A offers a significant opportunity to expand service offerings and generate new revenue streams – allowing for innovative solutions to be provided to a wide range of customers, including enterprises and industries. Moreover, from an economic perspective, 5G-A will play a crucial role in driving digital transformation and fostering economic growth in the region.

By enabling the deployment of advanced technologies such as IoT, AI, cyber-security, and automation, 5G-A will create new industries, new synergies, and opportunities for businesses and citizens alike.

As I see it, 5G-A will contribute to sustainable development, in particular, in the Arab States, by enabling energy-efficient solutions, supporting environmental monitoring initiatives, and enabling circular economy models through IoT and AI, all of which can facilitate the development of smart municipalities and sustainable infrastructure.

How are the Sustainable Development Agenda and digital transformation interlinked, and what may be a great challenge associated with the latter?

To answer this, we need to first fully understand that digital transformation and digitally-powered socio-economic development are two pillars on which multiple plans for the future rest – for example, economic sector diversification, increasing productivity, or fulfilling specific ambitions and national plans.

Digital transformation, however, requires predictable and sustainable investments and partnerships, fit-for-purpose collaborative policies and just-the-right regulation, and targeted demand-side approaches. With digital transformation, many SDGs can be met, directly: for example, human capacity-building and advancement through education and better healthcare; responsible production and efficient consumption; controlling and reducing carbonisation; food and livelihood from agriculture; quality and sustainability-conscious urban living; democratisation and improved participation in and benefit from digitally-inclusive government services.

With digital transformation arrives a need to revisit and revive enabling regulatory frameworks, which must be adjusted to stimulate investment while maintaining a healthy level of innovation, competition, and market resilience. There is no true digital transformation if these factors are not in play.

How do you envision the role of the SAMENA Council evolving in the coming years to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving digital landscape of the region?

The SAMENA Telecommunications Council is poised to play an increasingly significant role in the evolving digital landscape of the SA-ME-NA region and, to some extent, in Central Asia as well. Central to the SAMENA Council’s mission is ensuring the sustainability of the telecommunications industry and the expanding 5G/5G-A digital ecosystem.

This endeavour involves a concerted effort from telecommunications service providers and various stakeholders along the digital value chain to assess how rapid technological changes are impacting, or need to impact, business transformation.

Besides telecom operators and tech providers, regulatory authorities and governments are key players in this dynamic landscape, striving to recalibrate regulatory and economic frameworks to align with new technological advancements and evolving market realities. This recalibration involves addressing critical and very complex issues, such as cross-border data transmissions, taxation, spectrum allocations, and the deployment and use of enhanced broadband 5G and beyond for digital services, to name a few.

The disruption caused by these developments necessitates a thorough examination of how policies and regulations can be adapted to support growth and innovation while defending the interests of all stakeholders.

To bridge the gaps in understanding among various stakeholders and to align policy, regulatory, and private-sector priorities, the SAMENA Council plays a pivotal role. Its reach extends beyond regional boundaries, making it a globally active telecommunications and ICT advocacy and regulatory body.

As the SAMENA Council advances its efforts in representing the private sector and advocating in support of industry interests, it seeks to cultivate an environment characterised by sustainability, predictability, and collaborative reforms. The council’s platforms are ever ready to provide the necessary foundation and support to make progress on relevant areas, important for the Industry, for its leaders, and the society, at large.

Given the evolution of connectivity and inter-connectedness, one of the consequences both businesses and citizens have to deal with includes threats to cyber systems and digital users. Which market in the SA-ME-NA region, do you opine, is doing significant work on this front to engage stakeholders from all over the world?

Cybersecurity is an imperative across all markets and no country is exempted from facing this issue. However, it is true that larger markets, such as Saudi Arabia, may face bigger challenges relating to security of the cyberspace and digital systems and end-users. In this regard, platforms such as the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), created in Saudi Arabia for the world’s digital stakeholders, are playing a highly active role in bringing about cooperation, collaboration, and tangible progress.

Earlier in October, policymakers and experts at the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) Annual Meeting, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, convened on the cybersecurity front and emphasized the need for educational systems to focus more on cybersecurity and for the cyber workforce to become more inclusive, to overcome one of the greatest digital gaps we face: ICT and cybersecurity talent.

Created by Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), GCF focuses on the geostrategic, economic, social and behavioural dimensions of cybersecurity, and is working highly actively to action cybersecurity practices, to ensure that Cyberspace remains sustainable, and secure, and continues to serve as an enabler of socio-economic transformation.