NEWS
Kuwait airport to revise plans for facial
recognition technology
P
lans to implement facial recognition at
Kuwait International Airport’s newly-built
T4 are in the ‘preliminary stages’ after a
proposal was received from an unnamed
international firm, airport authorities have
revealed. Yousef Al-Fouzan, Director General
at Kuwait’s Directorate General for Civil
Aviation (DGCA), said on the terminal’s
one-year anniversary that the technology is
currently ‘under revision’.
Besides better passenger handling, the
system will also be able to locate the
whereabouts of passengers at all times,
resulting in better airport services, he
explained. Kuwait’s civil aviation body is
in the process of adding more features to
the new terminal, according to the head
of DGCA’s engineering department Saleh
Al-Fadagi, who revealed that the plans would
cost a total KD 46.4 million. He also revealed
that national carrier Kuwait Airways would
begin flying directly to New York out of T4
this month once aviation safety measures
are complete.
Kuwait International Airport has seen a spike
of up to 10% in passenger traffic with the
completion of the sprawling terminal, with
officials expecting to bring the figure closer
to six million passengers. Kuwait launched its
new airport terminal last year as part of its
2035 development plan, hoping it would push
the country one step closer towards becoming
a global financial and commercial hub.
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Virtual telecom operator licences to
be issued in Kuwait
T
he Communications and Information
Technology Regulatory Authority
(CITRA), which has responsibility for
supervising the telecommunications sector
in Kuwait, has announced the submission
of a tender for applications for a license to
provide Mobile Virtual Network Operator
(MVNO) services with host operators.
Eng Salim Al-Ozainah, Chairman and CEO
of CITRA Kuwait, told Kuwait News Agency
(KUNA) that the provision of virtual mobile
network services is an achievement to be
added to the telecommunications sector
in Kuwait with the aim of encouraging fair
competition in all areas of the market.
He explained that this is to be done through
the provision of advanced and extensive
mobile services with reasonable prices,
while providing more options for users
of telecommunications and Information
Technology in Kuwait.
www.intelligentcio.com
He mentioned that CITRA seeks to attract
global virtual operators with experience
which will revitalise the telecommunications
market in Kuwait.
The document includes the terms and
conditions for the submission process, the
conditions to be met in the applicant’s
submission, the timetable for the licensing
process, the application procedures, as well
as the general framework of the MVNO
agreement. It noted that this decision is
a mandate of the Board of Directors of
CITRA, which has agreed to grant a license
to provide the services of virtual mobile
network operators. n
INTELLIGENTCIO
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