Exclusive Interviews

­Benya, prominent group across Egypt, Africa and the Middle East, has vowed to always deliver comprehensive, integrated, and sustainable ICT solutions that help enable the digital transformation of the smallest of businesses, to the largest of nations. And with its rebranding, it is holding on to this promise. Telecom Review Africa spoke to Ahmed Mekky, Chairman and CEO of Benya Group, who shed light on the importance and values of the company and why it stands out in the market. He stressed that they are “constantly searching for the latest and best ways of working to achieve our objectives”.

The ICT industry has long suffered from fraudulent activities and has aimed to permanently fight them. In order to know more about his opinion on fraud in the industry and how to manage it, Telecom Review conducted an interview with Finn Kornbo, director of strategic product management for digital wholesale, CSG.

“GITEX Technology Week is an exceptional event and we are always eager to participate in it. But this year we have a surprise for our customers and partners; we will broadcast our activities directly to almost 150 cities around the world, so that those who cannot attend are able to experience our presence virtually. It’s the perfect opportunity to find out about the latest technical solutions we have developed to enable business sustainability and the globalization of work.”

The pandemic has changed the very nature of the global business ecosystem and has left us with an economic future that has never been more ambiguous. Telcos have learned a great deal from the challenges that were brought about by the pandemic and have placed an even greater emphasis on digital transpormation and innovation.

In the months since the COVID-19 outbreak, communications providers have found themselves at the heart of a fast-changing world. Communications and connectivity are in great demand as entire populations are staying at home and digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly essential for human interaction. Supporting this dramatic change has not been easy, but operators have shown themselves to be agile and resilient.

Sofrecom has been up to the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with Telecom Review, Guillaume Boudin, CEO, Sofrecom, outlines the measures the company has taken to protect its employees and guarantee business continuity at the same time. He emphasizes the role that operators and infrastructures are currently playing and stresses that this role will be amplified once the crisis is over.

Data traffic made headlines in the telecoms industry in light of the exceptional measures businesses and individuals had to abide by due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, data traffic increases were registered all over the world and telcos had to be up to the challenge of catering to data-related needs.

The impact of the COVID-19 has been significant on all industries, but the telecommunications industry has been considered an important pillar to overcome this crisis. Femi Oshiga, vice president of service providers for MEA, CommScope explained to Telecom Review how the company is helping its customers and highlighted the importance of connectivity in these difficult times.

With both Africa and Asia on the cusp of a digital renaissance, Telecom Review Asia Pacific secured an exclusive interview with ZTE’s SVP, President of International Sales Mr. Xiao Ming to discuss the evolution of 5G within these two very distinct regions as well as the significance of investing its global revenue into R&D in a post-pandemic world.

The Somali operator, Hormuud Telecom was established in 2002, in Mogadishu, Somalia. The company started with 250 shareholders, ten customer service centers, and a few thousand customers. At that time, the company only offered voice and SMS services. Seventeen years later, Hormuud Telecom has attracted well over 4 million subscribers, 12,000 shareholders, and over 800 customer service centers in both urban and rural Somalia. Today, its mobile networks cover more than 80% of the land area in South and Central Somalia and it offers a diversified portfolio that answers corporate, personal, and business needs.