Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 36 | Page 13

Vodafone Qatar to pioneer eSIM technology Ooredoo showcases world’s first self-driving 5G connected aerial taxi V odafone Qatar has pioneered the adoption of eSIM becoming one of the first operators in the region to provide this technology. Vodafone Qatar is working closely with vendors to activate this new technology in the near future. An eSIM is an electronic SIM-Card embedded inside a compatible device. There are no physical SIM cards involved and no physical swapping over required by the user. There are several benefits of eSIM such as making it easier to switch network or between personal and business numbers. eSIMs will also enable more connected devices simply because they don’t require much space inside a device, enabling compact devices like fitness trackers to have stand-alone connectivity in a way they just weren’t able to before. Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Qatar, said: “Vodafone Qatar has a rich history of bringing leading innovations and technology to the country; launching eSIM is a continuation of this. We see many advantages of this new technology and our customers in Qatar will be some of the first globally to benefit from it.” T he power and speed of Ooredoo 5G with Smart City technology has been showcased in Qatar. Ooredoo has tested a number of technologies in different locations around The Pearl in Doha including a self-driving 5G connected aerial taxi, 5G experience bus and a 5G house boat. The aerial taxi is a large drone-like vehicle big enough to transport two people to a destination up to 20 minutes away with a 130 Km/h speed. realistic gaming and when connected to Ooredoo 5G offered a seamless experience with no buffering. Waleed Al Sayed, Ooredoo CEO, said: “The Ooredoo 5G roll-out is growing daily, but as our customers cannot yet access the speeds and benefits of our ongoing investment, we wanted to demonstrate the true power of 5G and showcase what our technology will do for Qatar in the near future and in the years to come.” The taxi is automatic and runs on Ooredoo’s 5G network, meaning there is no driver and it can deliver passengers safely to their destination above traffic. With the Ooredoo 5G bus experience, passengers had the chance to test Ooredoo 5G while on the move. During the experience, passengers were connected to Ooredoo 5G with speeds of up to 2.6 Gbps. Ooredoo also set-up a futuristic 8K VR experience on a modern house boat in The Pearl. The 8K VR test was ultra- www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 13