Etisalat UAE, branded as etisalat by e&, has announced the successful completion of its first trial of the 6 GHz spectrum, creating history by taking this monumental step for the future of 5G, opening up a world of possibilities for next-generation technologies and economies of the future. This trial conducted with Huawei Technologies was integral in today’s technology evolution as full speed and capabilities of 5G depend on a mid-band spectrum that secures performance in the long term and adds more capacity if required. Here, 6 GHz plays a critical role, especially considering the use of mobile technologies has grown exponentially, devices have become more powerful, and services more diverse for both consumers and enterprises. With bandwidth-hungry applications, the number of connected devices per person has also increased, which means more bandwidth will be required to limit service degradation and deliver a good quality of experience.
The 6 GHz range is a mid-band frequency and sits at a balancing point between coverage and capacity, providing the perfect environment for 5G connectivity.
The 6 GHz range is a mid-band frequency and sits at a balancing point between coverage and capacity, providing the perfect environment for 5G connectivity. Extending the bandwidth of 5G through the harmonization of 6 GHz spectrum will provide more bandwidth and improve network performance. On top of this, the broad, contiguous channels offered by the 6 GHz range will reduce the need for network densification and make next-generation connectivity more affordable for all. Khalid Murshed, chief technology and information officer, Etisalat UAE, said: “5G allows the industry to support national digital transformation goals by providing reliable, high-capacity, low-latency, and wide-area connectivity to consumers and industries. The metaverse is opening untapped opportunities with hyper-personalized experiences powered by AI. Telcos will be the entry point to the metaverse not only because of connectivity but also because the customer wants access to a digital world. The future is powered by AI and analytics, with the metaverse playing a role yet to be defined. This kind of technology disruption will create challenges but simultaneously bring massive prospects to this dynamic industry. “The trial for 6 GHz was influenced by these future market requirements as we foresee a significant growth accelerated by these applications. As a digital telco, we focus on our core while curating digital experiences that maximize engagement by building new capabilities across AI and digital to thrive in an increasingly competitive and ever-changing market environment.” The focus on 6 GHz is also in line with etisalat by e&’s future roadmap as part of the e& group transformation drive to become a global technology conglomerate. Its partnerships with global tech companies like Meta are a testimony to the continuous drive for innovation by working together on metaverse technologies, use cases that integrate with the latest Meta products and solutions, consumer channel digitization, enhancing augmented reality and virtual reality experiences and conversational commerce throughout its digital communication plans. The metaverse will require seamless mobility enabled by macro-cellular networks relying on a mid-band spectrum such as the 6 GHz band. In this scenario, as an example, extended reality headsets will require sufficient bandwidth on 5G smartphones to connect to these networks. At etisalat by e&, there has been remarkable progress in 5G implementation and connections across the country. 5G is the enabler of the future digital society and the foundation for the digital economy. According to GSMA’s latest report, 5G will bring an economic contribution of $700 billion to society in 2030. At the end of March 2022, 5G services have been launched in more than 70 countries, with more than 220 5G networks being deployed, and more than 700 million 5G users.
Arib, a digital broker for personal loans in Saudi Arabia, has signed a membership agreement with the Saudi Credit Bureau, known as SIMAH. The membership allows Arib the ability to do credit checks of its clients and provide them with the best-fitting financing offers based on the product and credit score.
CEO of Arib Waleed Talat said: “We are proud to sign our membership agreement with Simah, which will support our efforts in providing a completely digital experience for our clients seamlessly, helping them select the best financing option and receiving immediate approval. This step will also help us in expanding our reach and market share, and in providing more financing products such as personal loans, real estate loans and other products.”
He added: “The agreement comes as a testament to the successes we were able to achieve after receiving the preliminary approval from the Saudi Central Bank to provide digital brokerage services, in line with Vision 2030 and the ambitious plans for the development of the financial sector, and to elevate the client’s experience in procuring loans in the Kingdom.”
Arib was founded in 2018 under the name “Syaaraat.com” by Talat, Omar Alhammad and Mohammad Eldesouki, to provide its clients with loan brokerage services digitally by connecting them with financing partners authorized by the Saudi Central Bank. The aim was to help clients procure loans that fit their credit status through web and app-based platforms. Arib received the preliminary approval to practice digital brokerage activities in April 2021.
The company is working to meet licensing requirements for digital brokerage under the guidelines set by the Saudi Central Bank.
The National Security Services Company, known as SAFE, celebrated International Security Officers Day for the second year, with a special online training campaign recognizing Saudi security officers who dedicate their lives to maintaining the safety and security of individuals and organizations across the Kingdom.
The world celebrates International Security Officers Day on July 24 every year. This occasion recognizes the work nature of security officers and their continued dedication to ensuring the security of individuals and communities around the world, while putting themselves at risk to protect individuals, institutions and facilities. On this occasion, SAFE offered an online training course, titled “National Protection Officers,” to 100 non-SAFE employees. The company will soon announce the launch of a modern training center to conduct in-person and online security and safety training courses.
“The role the security sector plays in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is becoming more important as the development journey of our beloved country progresses. The vital role of security officers is to ensure that public order applies everywhere, so that individuals feel safe and secure wherever they are,” said Turki bin Matooq Althonayan, CEO of SAFE.
“We thank all the men and women who chose to assume this responsibility. SAFE provides high-level professional training to all its security officers and is keen to provide them with the world’s best advanced equipment and technologies necessary to enable them to perform their work at its best.”
SAFE applies the highest standards to evolve its employees by setting a clear career path that will grant them admired international accreditation. The company recently graduated the first batch of drone operators in France. In 2021, the company trained and certified more than 3,000 male and female security officers.
SAFE was established in late 2019 as a company fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, aiming to support the security sector in the Kingdom and protect the precious national achievements, through preparing expert security officers. The company has been providing distinct and integrated security services to companies and institutions throughout the Kingdom and has recently succeeded in expanding regionally. SAFE continues to establish exclusive strategic partnerships with international security and technology players, in order to bring the latest technology to the security sector in the Kingdom.
In continually investing in people and technology, SAFE ensures the readiness and responsiveness of security officers around the clock. This ongoing pursuit of excellence has led the company to obtain a license to handle the security in the Kingdom’s four international airports and build a roster of 30+ clients.
SAFE also operates the largest private sector command and control center that supports business operations and enables a single multifunctional platform to provide its clients with an integrated security system to enjoy the highest quality standards.
ROSHN, the national real estate developer wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund and Rotana Star Neon Company, signed an agreement to sponsor the Jeddah waterfront and rename it to “ROSHN Waterfront.” The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Jeddah Mayor Saleh bin Ali Al-Turki.
The waterfront is one of the most important landmarks in Jeddah, which was redeveloped and opened in 2017, with approximately 55 million visitors annually. It stretches on the Red Sea coast at a length of 4 kilometers and consists of seven diverse recreational areas targeting families and children.
The agreement is in line with ROSHN’s efforts to support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to provide a higher quality of life for the Kingdom’s citizens and residents.
Commenting on the agreement, Sabah Barakat, group chief operating officer of ROSHN, said: “We were pleased by the attendance of His Excellency Saleh Al-Turki at the signing ceremony of the sponsorship agreement and the renaming of the Jeddah waterfront. We in ROSHN are keen to diversify our partnerships and efforts to ensure the provision of a higher quality of life in the Kingdom. The waterfront is part of our endeavor to activate the role of social responsibility and provide higher quality lifestyles.”
ROSHN is a national real estate developer powered by the Saudi Public Investment. Its mandate is to provide high-quality living standards for Saudis and to support government efforts to increase citizens’ home ownership rates. The announcement of the waterfront agreement comes after ROSHN launched the ALAROUS Project in Jeddah, which is the company’s second project in the Kingdom after SEDRA community in Riyadh.
Vistara, India’s full-service carrier and a joint venture of Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has launched nonstop flights between Jeddah and Mumbai, India. The inaugural flight departed from Mumbai on Aug. 2 at 6:05 p.m. (Indian Standard Time) and landed in Jeddah at 8:50 p.m. (Arabia Standard Time). The airline now flies thrice a week between the two cities on its Airbus A320neo aircraft.
Commenting on the launch of the new international route, Vinod Kannan, chief executive officer, Vistara, said: “We are delighted to launch services to Jeddah, and to add Saudi Arabia to our growing international network. Given the multitude of upcoming futuristic projects in Saudi Arabia, strong trade ties with India and presence of a large Indian diaspora, there is growing traffic between the two countries. We are confident that travelers will appreciate having the choice of flying India’s best airline on this route.”
• The inaugural flights departed from Mumbai to Jeddah on Aug. 2 and from Jeddah to Mumbai on Aug. 3.
• Flights between Mumbai and Jeddah will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The inaugural flight from Jeddah to Mumbai was operated on Aug. 3. Flights between Mumbai and Jeddah will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several “Best Airline” awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. In a short span of seven years since its establishment, Vistara has raised the bar for operations and service standards in the Indian aviation industry to become one of the most loved airlines in the country and has recently crossed the milestone of flying 35 million passengers. The airline has a fleet of 53 aircraft, including 41 Airbus A320, five Airbus A321neo, five Boeing 737-800NG and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Emirates Literature Foundation, home of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, one of the top literary festivals in the world and the biggest celebration of stories in the Middle East, is bringing some of the most compelling sessions from their 2022 edition to viewers’ fingertips via YouTube for free. Panel sessions include “Global Leadership: Work, Family, and our Future,” with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General Expo 2020 Dubai Reem Al-Hashimy and former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi. There is also an out-of-this-world dialogue about the best scientific discovery of all times with YouTube content creator, Ahmed El-Ghandour, known as Da7ee7, head of the UAE astronaut program Salem Al-Marri, and professor and author Serhii Plokhy.
It is our mission to bring the joy of literature and literary conversations to everyone, and allow global audiences to enjoy the LitFest experience.
Ahlam Bolooki, director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Viewers can catch Sunday Times bestselling author Dr. Rupy Aujla and cookbook author, presenter, entrepreneur, and social media influencer Zahra Abdalla, as they discuss modern ways of “Cooking the Classics.” East meets West where Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, prolific author and direct descendant of Charles Dickens; Daniel L. Newman, author and chair of Arabic studies at the University of Durham; and Karim Hauser, head of international relations at Spain’s Casa Árabe; reflect on the long history of globalization in context of art, literature, and food. Viewers can watch four masters of the crime thriller genre — Felicia Yap, Lucy Foley, Mark Billingham and Polly Phillips — as they talk “Originality in Crime Fiction,” and enjoy “Between the Covers,” a riveting discussion with poet and novelist Noor Naga and editor Selma Dabbagh on erotic writing in Arabic literature. Ahlam Bolooki, festival director, said: “We strive to make the literary landscape more inclusive and accessible to all by making some of the diverse and interesting conversations from the festival available online. It is our mission to bring the joy of literature and literary conversations to everyone, and allow global audiences to enjoy the LitFest experience.” The foundation also shares in-depth conversations with writer and blogger Jenny Lawson, and Emirati movers and shakers Omar Saif Ghobash, the assistant minister for culture and public diplomacy at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, and Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor, founder and chairman of Al-Habtoor Group of Companies. Poetry lovers can enjoy the world premiere of the multi-lingual, multi-genre collaboration of Emirati spoken word poet Dr. Afra Atiq with Colombian-American award-winning poet Carlos Andrés Gómez, and singer, songwriter and music producer Brent Shuttleworth.