Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 53 | Page 12

NEWS Mobily to boost KSA’s digital economy with Nokia’s ICT and AI solutions The ultra-high bandwidth, low-latency network will enable numerous benefits to Mobily’s subscribers as well as public and private sector customers, including manufacturing, oil and gas, healthcare, education, transport and entertainment, by enabling the use of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). new agreement has been signed A by Mobily and Nokia covering the provision of next-generation telecom technologies in KSA. Nokia will support Mobily’s infrastructure with a wide range of products and services from its 5G end-to-end portfolio, including radio access, IP routing, optical networking and software, as well as the Nokia service delivery platform, in order to build an ultrahigh bandwidth and low-latency network. In addition, the network capacity will be maximised using massive MIMO antennas, while an expansion of Mobily’s backhaul capabilities will prepare it for a rapid increase for the network capacity. Eng Alaa Malki, Chief Technology Officer at Mobily, said: “Together with Nokia, we are working to achieve an advanced ICT infrastructure to boost the digital economy across the Kingdom, by taking the economy to the next level. The deployment is set to enable further innovation and digitalisation with new applications and services.” The deal is in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to benefit society by driving Digital Transformation and the digital economy. SANS Institute to address demand for cybersecurity professionals in KSA ////////////////// SANS Institute, the global leader in cybersecurity training and certifications, has been tackling the cybersecurity shortage in KSA. The company is currently holding its handson cybersecurity training programme in Jeddah and Riyadh from April 4 to 16 at the Burj Rafal Hotel, Riyadh. The week-long immersion training events will provide delegates with the skills to defend their organisations against security breaches and prevent future attacks. Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa at SANS Institute, said: “The Middle East, and specifically KSA, finds itself in the midst of a maelstrom of unique macro-economic and geo political challenges. Over the past two years, threat activity on a local, country and regional scale only seems to be exacerbating rather than reducing. As Saudi-based enterprises invest into Digital Transformation initiatives to meet the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, there is an increasing need for skilled cybersecurity professionals to manage the digital threat landscape. “Through our regular training programmes in Jeddah and Riyadh, we are boosting the number of qualified and skilled professionals in cybersecurity across the country. Our real-world immersion training tactics focused on ‘on-the-job skills’ help the attendees to apply their learnings from day one back at work. During our training sessions attendees can raise their own specific questions and have them answered by our world-leading experts in cybersecurity. They can also share experiences with their peers at the event.” Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa at SANS Institute 12 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com