Technology
SAMENA Council’s Leadership & Excellence Awards in Digital Development Recognizes 34 Telecom Achievements Across Four Regions
SAMENA Telecommunications Council concluded the second edition of its Leadership and Excellence Awards in Digital Development (SAMENA LEADs), held on October 15th at the One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai. The awards celebrated telecom operators and regulators across South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia for their outstanding achievements in Innovation Excellence, Business Leadership, User Experience Delivery, Fixed Wireless Access Success, and Regulatory Enablement.
The 2024 SAMENA LEAD awards recognized the success of regional ICT initiatives, particularly in 5G and 5G-Advanced development, optical fiber broadband, cloud-based transformation, and mobile finance solutions. The awards also honored efforts in monetizing 5G investments through the implementation of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology and acknowledged significant strides in IPv6-Enhanced implementation, child online protection, and regulatory advancements supporting network infrastructure for industries.
Richard Liu, President of ICT Marketing and Solution Sales at Huawei, highlighted the role of regional governments in advancing 5G, AI, and digital transformation, emphasizing Huawei’s ongoing collaboration with operators to enhance the Middle East’s global ICT standing. “The pioneering initiatives in 5G, AI, and digital transformation by the regional carriers are helping to boost the entire region’s economy,” Liu stated.
Bocar BA, CEO & Board Member of SAMENA Council, underlined the significance of the awards in promoting regulatory achievements and sustainable investment. "The SAMENA Leadership & Excellence Awards are designed to showcase how companies' strengths can drive industry-wide milestones," he said.
Since 2018, the region has made considerable progress in 5G network deployment, with both telecom operators and regulatory authorities playing key roles in driving market growth and delivering customer-focused services through innovative new initiatives.