The decisive dozen – suppliers

Comm.’s annual list of leading technology company leaders has been highly anticipated given the exceptional work many of them have put in to drive their businesses forward, remain relevant in a rapidly evolving ecosystem, and maintain high levels of innovation and differentiation

The 12 months between October 2013 and September 2014 have seen an improvement in the overall market conditions in the telecom sector as network operators resumed investing in future-proofing their infrastructure once more. In the Middle East and Africa, investment in 4G LTE networks, 3G, fixed broadband, together with the expansion of legacy 2G infrastructure improved the market conditions for technology suppliers who went about conscientiously raising operators’ network capacity, lowering operating costs, and widening coverage.

While it is true that the telecom ecosystem at the service provider level has and continues to evolve with the inclusion of over-the-top and Internet-styled participants, the profile of the technology providers has changed less radically over the same period, as the technology stalwarts embed themselves deeper in the core operations of service providers.

As has become the norm, managed services, and the ability to operate within multi-vendor deployments has remained key, as technology providers help inspire and drive functions such as customer experience management, opex rationalisation, and speedy application development and introduction.

The responsiveness, and in many cases innovation, of telecom technology providers is helping develop the industry further as collaborations and partnerships with non-traditional technology companies has also gained pace. Below, Comm.’s appraisal of the telecom supplier leaders who have forged an exemplary path over the 12 months to end-October 2014, and proven up to the task of maximising market opportunities as they present themselves.

1 Igor Leprince – Senior Vice-President and Head of Middle East and Africa, Nokia Networks

Rank in 2013: 1

Leprince has successfully transformed Nokia Network’s business in the region to be a leading telecom equipment supplier, leading in the areas of innovation and quality, in spite of the stiff competition

Leprince must be congratulated for maintaining his number one rating on our list for a second year running. Since the divestment of Nokia Handset division to Microsoft earlier this year, the new Nokia focuses on three business divisions – Nokia Networks, HERE; and Nokia Technologies. The focus of Nokia Networks has not changed from the three strategic areas: Mobile broadband, customer experience management, and services for network operators and Leprince has successfully transformed the company’s business in the region into a leadership position in the areas of innovation and quality, in spite of the stiff competition.

Recent successes in some of the most demanding markets show the strong customer confidence in Nokia Networks.

Some of these successes include: Algerie Telecom’s selection of Nokia Networks as its LTE supplier; Zain Saudi Arabia’s selection of Nokia Networks for its RELOAD project that marks many MEA firsts and will deploy Nokia Networks’ many latest technologies including the first implementation of Liquid Applications and small cells; Zain Kuwait’s selection for its complete OSS transformation; Mobily’s selection of Nokia Networks for network expansions of its 2G, 3,G and 4G networks; and Du’s selection for implementing IMS to launch VoLTE.

Nokia’s global second quarter results have shown that Nokia Networks has been able to grow its top-line while still delivering strong profitability.

2 Victoria Strand – President and Head of Gulf Council Countries and Pakistan, Ericsson

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

In 2013, Strand was appointed as Head of the GCC and Pakistan Unit, part of the Ericsson Middle East Region. In her role, she is responsible for handling the company’s customer relations, further developing the skill level of employees and focusing on business growth

Some of Strand’s announced achievements in 2013 – 2014 include:

· Etisalat selected Ericsson as a strategic partner, with an aim to advance the customer experience management of Etisalat UAE subscribers to new levels. (May 2014)

· Etisalat completed first phase of IT transformation with Ericsson in the UAE (December 2013)

· Batelco selected Ericsson for advanced LTE services (September 2013)

· Ericsson and Zain Bahrain signed a managed services agreement (October 2013)

· Zain transformed its network in Bahrain with Ericsson’s latest LTE technology (October 2013)

· Zain partnered with Ericsson to implement innovative billing solutions in three major operations – two of which are Kuwait and Bahrain. (September 2013)

3 James Wu – CEO, Huawei Saudi Arabia

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Huawei Saudi Arabia has brought the value of global innovation; for example, in helping activate the world’s first commercial 400G IP core network in the kingdom, and spearheading smart network initiatives

A significant part of Huawei’s regional success can be attributed to its efforts in building a better connected world within Saudi Arabia. At the helm of that drive is Wu, who over the past year has overseen significant milestones initiated with leading telecom partners.

Huawei has stayed at the forefront of ICT technical development by bringing the value of global innovation to the kingdom. This past year, for example, Huawei helped activate the world’s first commercial 400G IP core network in Saudi Arabia. Partnering with another top telecom operator, the two companies are now working to help extend the operator’s customer service offerings through network expansion, modernisation and managed services. Huawei also held a successful nationwide Cloud Innovation Road Show previewing how the Saudi national economy can benefit through new IT cloud technologies.

Wu’s team has further contributed to the development of the Saudi ICT sector overall. In the past year, Huawei signed a long-term partnership with one of the kingdom’s leading telecom operators to cooperate on the kingdom’s first ‘Smart Network Initiative’. Another partnership was also initiated with a top telecom operator to lead the development of mobile broadband technologies into the future through a four-year contract for managed services.

4 Amr El-Leithy – President of Middle East and Africa, Alcatel-Lucent

Rank in 2013: 5

In Q3 2013 Alcatel-Lucent announced The Shift Plan, a detailed three-year plan to reposition the company as a specialist provider of IP networking and ultra-broadband access. El-Leithy has been driving the implementation of the turnaround strategy in the Middle East and Africa region

Last summer Alcatel-Lucent announced The Shift Plan, a detailed three-year plan to reposition the company as a specialist provider of IP networking and ultra-broadband access; the high-value equipment and services that lie at the heart of the high-performance networks of tomorrow.

In the last 12 months, Alcatel-Lucent has enjoyed successes in the Middle East that include its recent agreement with Zain for a next-generation agile optical network throughout Saudi Arabia. The fibre-optic backbone network will enable Zain to provide 100 gigabits-per-second (100G) capability throughout the kingdom.

Alcatel-Lucent also announced its first Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) deployment of wireless control with Mobily, which is the first customer to deploy Alcatel-Lucent’s virtualised RAN aimed at helping mobile operators become more efficient, responsive, and innovative.

Etisalat in the UAE announced the deployment of 300 Mbps LTE advanced technology for the first time in region with Alcatel-Lucent, with the technology provider also having announced wins with Regional Telecom, a communications service provider in Northern Iraq, which successfully launched Iraq’s first 4G LTE network.

5 Jay Srage- President, Qualcomm Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia and Pacific

Rank in 2013: 4

Qualcomm continues to invest in a multitude of technologies and solutions that enhance the mobile experience for the consumer

This year continues to bear witness to the exponential growth of mobile technology adoption, with 1.5 billion WCDMA/HSPA and nearly 250 million LTE subscriptions (GSA, Q12014). The majority of this growth is thanks to emerging regions like the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, which along with China and India will expect around 5.1 billion 3G/4G connections by 2018 (GSMA Intelligence; April 14).

Qualcomm’s focus on R&D has remained steady, investing in a whole variety of areas to further its competitive edge. The company has, for instance, continued to gain traction in the high-volume smartphone segment, having introduced the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor late last year with integrated 4G LTE World Mode. The company is also investing in a multitude of technologies and solutions that enhance the mobile experience for the consumer. These include everything from modem innovations (Gobi, RF360), to small cells and other network infrastructure solutions, to software innovations addressing the Internet of Everything, and ultimately cements Qualcomm’s position as one of the most influential companies in the mobile ecosystem.

6 Ali Eid – President, Ericsson Saudi Arabia

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Ericsson Saudi Arabia has been actively supporting the development of ICT and the transformation to the Networked Society in Saudi Arabia

A number of Eid’s achievements in the last 12 months include supporting the development of ICT and the transformation to the Networked Society, specifically:

· STC selected Ericsson for the world’s first Zero Site deployment (March 2014)

· STC selected Ericsson to expand its Evolved Packet Core network as a distinct move towards a feature-full core network (February 2014)

· Zain partnered with Ericsson to implement an innovative billing solution in three major operations – one of which was Saudi Arabia (September 2013).

· Mobily selected Ericsson to expand its network in the kingdom (September 2013)

7 Sherif Hamoudah – Head of Strategic Industry: Telco, SAP MENA

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Having been appointed to his position in April 2013, over the last year Hamoudah has been instrumental in raising SAP MENA’s activities and relevance in the telecom space ever higher

SAP MENA has been raising its engagements with telcos over the last 12 months, earlier this year announcing that Etisalat had partnered with the company to deliver a comprehensive range of enterprise mobility services and solutions to businesses of all sizes in the UAE.

Under the partnership, Etisalat said it would build and offer cloud-based and on-premise mobility management solutions, based on a robust mobility platform from SAP. Last October, Etisalat, also announced entering a strategic arrangement with SAP to align and accelerate its support to the m-Government strategic goals and initiatives.

The Etisalat-SAP co-innovation is aimed at facilitating a management framework that will enable the smooth functioning of mobility apps and services within and across government hierarchy when sharing information, and during service delivery and user registration.

Similarly, Saudi Arabia’s STC announced entering an agreement with SAP, to implement SAP solutions for network life-cycle management (NLM) to improve network operations. The deal, which was announced early in 2014, is set to enable STC to markedly improve customer service as a result of increased end-to-end visibility for capital projects and assets, as well as enhanced project oversight and collaboration. SAP solutions were also set to maintain the high quality of STC’s IT infrastructure as part of the deal.

8 Daniel Jaeger – Vice-President, Alcatel-Lucent Africa

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Alcatel-Lucent has been pushing Ultra Broadband and IP networking, and IP Routing and Transport successfully into Africa in the last 12 months

Africa is a growing market and a clear focus area for Alcatel-Lucent; being among the company’s most promising regions – with Ultra Broadband and IP networking being amongst its top priorities on the continent. Alcatel-Lucent’s Shift Plan strategy meets the connectivity challenges of Africa, and focuses on Ultra Broadband (fixed, DSL and GPON; as well as mobile, LTE) and IP Routing and Transport.

On fixed broadband access, Alcatel-Lucent is partnering with Telkom South Africa for its fixed broadband rollout (one of the largest on the continent). With respect to mobile broadband, Alcatel-Lucent has been contracted in as many as a dozen LTE rollouts in Africa with established mobile operators and fixed wireless broadband suppliers. Examples of some recent LTE projects that Alcatel-Lucent has been involved in include with YooMee Côte d’Ivoire, Smile in Tanzania and in Uganda, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and with Surfline in Ghana.

With respect to IP and Transport, Alcatel-Lucent has implemented numerous metro rings as well as long distance terrestrial backbones, and mobile backhaul solutions.

9 Samir Kumar – Head of Services for Middle East and Africa, Nokia Networks

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Kumar has played a major role in the transformation of the Managed Service business of Nokia Networks, which contributed significantly to the transformation of the company over the last 18 months

Kumar leads the Services organisation of Nokia Networks in Middle East and Africa and is responsible for implementing major changes in the way services are delivered to customers. He has a major role in the transformation of the Managed Services business of Nokia Networks, which contributed significantly to the transformation of the company over the last 18 months, placing it well on its way to becoming the number one in quality for network operations.

Kumar has led the team that transformed, automated and centralised customer operations as well as Nokia Networks’ own operations. An example of the services innovation led by Kumar is the company’s ability to roll out 4G/LTE faster and more smoothly through automated site creation planning and optimisation methodology. Kumar’s work has led to Nokia Networks being more competitive in a broad range of services due to a more optimised end-to-end service delivery model.

10 Duncan Mitchell, – Senior Vice President, Emerging Markets, Cisco

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Cisco has enjoyed a strong twelve months in the MEA as demand for virtualisation, Big Data, high-speed broadband, and cloud services proliferate the telco space

In October this year Cisco announced that STC had become the first service provider in the Middle East to select its Carrier Routing System, and Cisco’s Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS), capping an already impressive 12 months. The company stated at the time that once the new Cisco technology solutions are fully deployed, the enhanced STC network would provide Saudi Arabia with one of the most advanced telecommunications infrastructures in the world.

Cisco also announced that it had entered a MoU with Dubai Design District (d3) to explore potential joint opportunities in deploying new smart services and applications in the Dubai Design District based on Cisco’s Smart+Connected City (S+CC) solutions portfolio and overall ICT vision.

Cisco was also selected by UAE telco Du to deploy Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), which offers full visibility and integrated management of both physical and virtual networked IT resources, and is built around the needs of applications. Du became the first telco in the world to deploy this solution.

11 Xu Ming – Vice President, ZTE

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

ZTE has built a strong focus on the government, energy, transportation and public utilities sectors in the region, and has been enjoying a large measure of success combining channel sales and direct operator sales to provide the Middle East and Africa with fully-fledged ICT solutions and services at multiple levels and in many different fields

After a decade of commitment to the MEA, ZTE’s solutions in public safety, green energy, rail transport communications, and public utilities are being used in ten countries in the region, and the company’s market share is rising steadily.

ZTE launched the U-World brand exclusively in the Middle East and Africa to provide a set of solutions for different industries tailored for MEA markets, including U-Safety for public safety, U-Highway for national broadband networks, U-Government for digital government, U-Power for smart grids, U-Oil & Gas for oil and gas, U-DTV, and e-Education. These innovative and integrated ICT solutions and services facilitate the development of enterprise businesses, improve the efficiency of governments, create a safe society, and greatly contribute to the economy and people’s livelihoods in the region.

12 Eldynero Santos, General Manager for Comba Telecom Middle East

Rank in 2013: Not ranked

Comba Telecom’s Middle East revenues showed a strong growth marking a rise of over 100 per cent in total bookings year-on-year

In the era of Big Data, the use of mobile data is rapidly increasing in the region, at a far higher rate than in other parts of the world. This has been marked by significant growth for Comba Telecom in the Middle East, which is benefiting from the award of LTE licences in many countries, along with usage of LTE in different bands across the region.

In-Building Solutions (IBS) emerged as top earners and delivered Comba Telecom’s highest profitability for the Middle East. The company’s IBS offerings include a turn-key solution for IBS covering design, installation, optimisation and supply. In the segment, the bulk of the bookings and revenues were generated from major customers in the UAE and Qatar.