The role of communications, cooperation, and cybersecurity in enhancing the digital future in Jordan

NEVEEN - AL- JARRAH 

By: Ethan Wang, CEO of Huawei in Jordan

Companies are increasingly relying on the telecommunications and information technology sector during the current digital age more than ever before in order to enable better communication, raise business and services efficiency, speed decision-making, and reduce time and costs. Fixed and mobile communications play a key role in transforming the way digital business is implemented, hence the importance of the fifth generation technology as a basic criterion to ensure the speed and quality of communication and support the future of business and services in various sectors and industries.

The Kingdom has a solid infrastructure and exceptional technical capabilities in many areas, the most important of which are innovative technical talents and entrepreneurs, which provide solid foundations for building a digital economy. The communications and information technology sector contributes to 3.8% of the country's GDP, with annual revenues of the sector amounting to more than 2.3 billion dollars. Research revealed that there are more than 900 ICT companies in Jordan that employ about 22,000 people.Although the percentage of Jordan's population does not exceed 3% of the population of the Middle East and North Africa, research has indicated that the percentage of Jordanians who are tech entrepreneurs in the region reaches 27%. Research also indicated that 22% of Jordan's population have achieved degrees in information technology, computer science and engineering, knowing that 50% of them are under 24 years old.

These qualifications put the Kingdom in a good position to enhance its technical capabilities by relying on the existing components and capabilities, while upgrading them by taking advantage of the next generation of modern technologies in line with government plans and Jordan Vision 2025. At the forefront of these technologies are the fifth generation networks that have proven their global capabilities in The field of advancing technological development by operating the next generation of digital services, where Jordanian entrepreneurs can grow their businesses, enter new markets, expand the horizons of their services, and attract talent thanks to modern means of communication.For telecom operators in particular, 5G networks contribute to opening new gates to enhance their business outside the traditional consumer-only domain, which gives greater impetus to enable new rich experiences for customers and raise revenues, as 5G networks provide access to high-tech and accurate services that cannot be achieved. Only through advanced technologies, including meetings, online video calls, smart cities, smart healthcare, distance education, transportation services, banking and many more.

Reliance on modern applications such as "metavirus" is increasing in light of the increasing use of virtual reality and augmented reality to provide services to businesses, government institutions and consumers. Automated mobility solutions such as self-driving cars and self-driving air taxis rely entirely on connectivity. Therefore, we must all make more efforts to achieve Jordan's digital ambitions by providing the highest levels of communication to enhance the country's position in the era of "Web 3.0", and advance the technological development in the country to meet future requirements and spread modern technologies, which require strengthening cooperation between the government and the telecommunications sector and private companies.

And based on the Jordanian government’s keenness to adopt the approach of research and exploration and improve its role on the road to strengthening the thriving digital ecosystem, it implements many initiatives and programs such as the Jordanian Open Source Association, which aims to develop business and information technology by relying on external sources in order to enable Jordanian companies to acquire a part of It is a global outsourcing business worth billions of dollars.

With the acceleration of digitization and reliance on the Internet and communications, cybersecurity remains one of the basic components that should be taken care of on the path to developing a knowledge-based economy, as telecommunications networks require security systems that are efficient and capable of ensuring smooth operation and protection of local networks, especially in light of the interdependence of Communication networks at the global level. Therefore, technologies, solutions and training must be provided for technical talents to ensure cyber security and enhance skills to face cyber challenges.

To achieve these goals, Huawei Jordan signed an agreement with the Jordan University of Science and Technology to establish the Academy of Cyber ​​Security, Artificial Intelligence and 5G within the university. The academy will train 200 students annually in artificial intelligence, fifth generation, information and communications technology, cloud computing and big data, relying on modern hardware and software solutions provided by Huawei.

Huawei recently launched Public Cloud Services in Jordan and Startup Program to provide modern cloud services and communication platforms for SMEs in cooperation with venture capitalists, allowing Jordanian companies to access the world's largest cloud service provider that provides its services in 65 availability zones in 27 regions . Huawei Cloud cooperates with more than 3 million developers, 28,000 consulting partners, 9,000 technology partners, 19 data centers and has provided more than 250 cloud services, more than 210 solutions and 7,400 cloud platform products since its launch five years ago.

Huawei has contributed to the provision of high-speed 5G networks in many countries in the Middle East, with the number of 5G users in the region reaching 11 million users, including 1.3 million home users. Huawei has cooperated with telecom companies to explore 5G services for vital sectors such as oil and gas and ports in order to improve production efficiency and safety, reduce operational costs and enable telecom operators to enter new markets in the region.

Over the past 17 years that Huawei has done business in Jordan, the technology business sector has achieved significant growth thanks to a cohesive infrastructure, an open telecom sector, regulatory policies, strong government support and a favorable business environment provided by the country. Huawei is keen to continue contributing to the promotion of technical development in Jordan and the development of an open and fair business environment for all companies by relying on modern technologies such as the fifth generation and artificial intelligence, in which it has extensive global experience and is witnessing rapid development.

To enhance the role of technology in driving economic and social development, we must provide secure advanced communications and promote open cooperation and partnership between the public and private sectors, government institutions, regulators and institutions to build a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem that serves the future of prosperity in the Kingdom, with a special focus on nurturing local technical talent Enable Jordan to seize the opportunities offered by the digital age.