Huawei’s UBBF 2023 paves the way for 10-gigabit networks in Middle East, Central Asia

The Global Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF) 2023, organised by Huawei with the support of the UN Broadband Commission, was a platform that brought together global telecom companies, industry associates, standards groups, regulatory entities and specialists from specific sectors.

The UBBF is an annual event in the fixed network industry.  Held under the theme ‘Connecting Intelligence for New Growth’, the forum united experts to share technology insights, experience innovations, and engage industry stakeholders in accelerating the transition to an intelligent world.

The central goal of this gathering was to deliberate on productivity-driven UBB target networks in the era of intelligent connectivity, with a strong emphasis on enhancing UBB network performance to its full potential.

Panels discussions held

A pivotal panel discussion held under the theme ’10 Giga Digital Infrastructure for Accelerating a Robust & Sustainable Digital Economy’ focused on the acceleration of 10-gigabit network development in the Middle East  and Central Asia.

This discussion addressed policy requirements, stakeholders, open collaboration and the benefits of 10-gigabit digital infrastructure.

Regional leaders such as Bocar BA, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, and Engineer Mohamed Ben Amor, director deneral of AICTO, shared their regional visions during the forum.

Other panelists included Cevat Yerli, CEO of TMRW Foundation; Alex Lee, MD UAE, China Mobile International; Mohammed Bin Ali, acting director, Telecommunications Directorate, Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication, Bahrain; and Lin Yanqing, principal consultant, Industry Policy Public & Government Affairs, Huawei Technologies.

The panel discussion took place alongside the 9th Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF 2023) in Dubai, UAE, co-hosted with the SAMENA Council.

Lin Yanqing of Huawei stated that 5.5G is the evolution of the 5G ecosystem, offering network upgrades by 10X, enabling a 10 Gbps experience, 100 billion connections, and native intelligence for services.

“Huawei’s ‘Gigabit Society’ concept leverages technology for ubiquitous connectivity, unlocking growth and innovation across industries in the Middle East and Central Asia,” he added.

The CEO of Samena Telecommunications Council also underscored the importance of unlocking capital to support 5G-Advanced and addressing connectivity gaps for underserved areas during the discussion.

The 10 Gbps City Initiative was unveiled at #UBBF2023, uniting UAE’s TDRA, Omdia, etisalat by e&, MTN South Africa, #Huawei, and more in a quest to drive growth with ultra-connected cities.
Read more: https://t.co/tD6FFSQU0I #HuaweiNews pic.twitter.com/hEMPhIijYG

— Huawei Middle East (@Huawei_ME) October 23, 2023

The need for UBB networks

Over the past year, the UBB industry has made significant progress in standards and technology research. However, with AI becoming integral to our lives, immersive intelligent services are demanding more from UBB networks.

Huawei envisions ultra-broadband networks as vital infrastructure for communities and businesses in the intelligent era. The company aims to create an intelligent world built on enhanced connectivity, requiring extensive digital infrastructure.

A 10Gbps network is the foundation for a 10-gigabit city. High-quality 10Gbps enterprise campus networks can efficiently connect offices, production units, and business branches. Wi-Fi 7 technologies provide 10GE wireless access to APs and 10GE wired access to rooms.

The UBBF forum highlighted the accelerated intelligent transformation and the need for UBB networks to keep up with the times. The next step is the UBB5.5G era of intelligent connectivity.

Notably, some Middle East countries are at the forefront of the gigabit and 10 giga era. Governments play a vital role in releasing telecom infrastructure guidelines, fostering cooperation, and promoting standards to accelerate progress. The forum marked a milestone in discussing the digital infrastructure shift to support the region’s digital economy and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

In a complementary development, Huawei, along with key partners, launched the 10 Gbps City Initiative during the Ultra-Broadband Forum 2023 (UBBF 2023) held in Dubai. This  initiative was jointly unveiled by the UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), Omdia, etisalat by e&, MTN South Africa, and Huawei, among others.

The initiative calls for the construction of fully connected 10 Gbps cities to provide ubiquitous network experiences, accelerate the digital-intelligent transformation of industries, and boost digital productivity.

Huawei announces 10 Gbps City initiative

Representatives from governments, industry organisations, third-party regulators, and Huawei collaborated to jointly release the ’10 Gbps City’ initiative, emphasising the need to accelerate the construction of 10 Gbps cities.

This initiative aligns with the UBBF’s mission to support the region’s digital economy and sustainable development goals.

During keynote speeches, leaders shared advanced concepts about implementing the 10 Gbps City Initiative. Engineer Saif Bin Ghelaita, executive director for Technology Development Affairs of the TDRA, highlighted the crucial role governments should play in constructing ultra-broadband infrastructure to ensure inclusive and universal digital services, bridging digital divides in the intelligent world.

Local governments and regulators were urged to accelerate the formulation of supportive policies for ’10 Gbps City’ pilots.

Richard Mahony, VP of Omdia, emphasised that ’10 Gbps City’ is a new type of infrastructure critical to implementing national digital strategies and boosting the digital economy.

The construction of 10 Gbps cities involves delivering 10 Gbps to individuals, 10 Gbps to homes, 10 Gbps to enterprises, and 10 Gbps to campuses.

It also involves 400GE/800GE converged transport networks and AI DCNs related to the preceding four 10 Gbps access scenarios.

Around the world, many cities have released their 2030-oriented digital economy strategies, with places like Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Riyadh actively exploring ways to implement 10 Gbps City and 10 Gbps Society, thereby unleashing new momentum for the digital economy.