Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 05 | Page 10

NEWS QATAR Ooredoo and Huawei to open new Innovation Lab in Qatar Ooredoo and Huawei have announced signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to open a nextgeneration Innovations Lab in Qatar, at a special ceremony at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The agreement was signed by Waleed Al Sayed, Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, and Eric Xu, Rotating CEO of Huawei, and witnessed by a number of senior Ooredoo and Huawei executives. The new agreement is the latest in a series of major agreements and initiatives supported by Ooredoo to bring cutting-edge technology to Qatar, and to boost research and innovation within the country. Based at Ooredoo’s state-of-the-art Qatar Data Centre 5, the facility will develop, test and demonstrate a range of next generation IT and communication solutions, including mobile broadband, 5G, digital transformation, Internet of Things solutions, 4K video enhancements, and more. Eric Xu, Rotating CEO of Huawei, said: “Advances in network technology are delivering faster speeds and a better Microsoft embarks on Qatar collaboration Microsoft Qatar has announced its newest collaboration with Ooredoo that aims at providing the latest technologies to Qatar’s ICT sector. The new initiative was unveiled during a press conference as part of Microsoft’s Innovation Summit, held at the St. Regis Doha hotel. Ooredoo’s new initiative will see the introduction of the latest technologies for businesses in Qatar, including a broad portfolio of hardware and software services, as well as a wide range of advanced Cloud services. The exclusive launch of Windows 10 through Ooredoo in Qatar capitalises on Ooredoo’s broad base of business customers across multiple industries. As Microsoft builds on its successful partnership with Ooredoo by launching the Lumia flagship devices, the company continues to expand and enhance the collaboration with the launch of the new Surface Pro 4 devices. Microsoft Qatar General Manager, Naim Yazbeck said: “Microsoft realises the importance of collaborating and 10 INTELLIGENTCIO online experience, but more than that they are helping to transform our digital lifestyles and supporting the growth of the Internet of Things. We are proud that Huawei is making a significant contribution in Qatar through our joint work with Ooredoo.” partnering with Ooredoo, as it aims at bringing cutting-edge technologies to Qatar. This partnership is yet another step forward, reflecting Microsoft’s commitment to realising the goals of its national plan, which comes in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030.” “As Microsoft’s first partner to ship Windows 10 on our new PCs last summer, we believe that Windows 10 brings the best of mobility together in a more secure and easier-to-implement package,