Analyst: Heading for Qatar connected
Premier League
M
ultiple
initiatives
in Qatar
are accelerating
its position in the
global digital market,
according to Morgan
Lewis, an analyst at
Omnisperience, a
specialist B2B digital
service provider
consultancy.
Lewis notes that
there is a considerable
amount of telecoms
and IT infrastructure
investment taking
place in the state, both
as part of its long-term
Vodafone Qatar
has rolled out
Huawei’s 5G
Mobile Wi-
Fi Pro, which
can convert
5G signals to
provide fast WiFi
development plans and in
preparation for the World
Cup 2022.
“The country rose
20 places in the Home
Internet Speed Test
Global Index (2019), for
example. This was largely
as a result of multiplay
telco Ooredoo’s ongoing investment in FTTP,
which has seen average broadband speeds in
the country rise to 70Mbit/s, putting it ahead
of countries such as the UK,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Vodafone Qatar has rolled
out Huawei’s 5G Mobile Wi-Fi Pro, which
can convert 5G signals to provide fast WiFi,
enabling customers to benefit from
5G speeds even if their existing
phones or devices don’t yet support
5G. The device is suitable for
personal, office, business, travel
and outdoor use, and can resolve
problems with traditional mobile
phone hotspots such as battery
drainage, overheating, unstable
signals and limited connections.
“2020 has also seen the launch
of a new Internet exchange in Doha – the
first in the country,” advises Lewis. “It will
enable more efficient exchange of data by
local networks, improving latency, security
and access to digital content. Other Internet
exchange points are expected to go live in
2020.”
Cloud offerings
are set to get a major
boost with Microsoft
announcing that it
will establish a new
cloud data centre
region in Qatar to
deliver cloud services
and expand its global
cloud infrastructure.
“This
collaboration with
Microsoft comes as
part of accelerating
the efforts led by
the Government of
Qatar to implement
the country’s digital transformation agenda
and build a knowledge-based economy as laid
down in the Qatar National Vision 2030,”
commented the Minister of Transport and
Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-
Sulaiti.
Qatar is also leading innovation in the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s multi-
million dollar mobile app market, which,
according to Statista, rose 11% in 2019
to $920 million. “Qatar is proving to be
a leader in mobile app innovation and
user experience, especially as the market
grows and apps become a key pillar of
organisations’ strategic plans,” commented
VMware’s Marc Frentzel at a roundtable
during the VMware CIO Exchange Doha in
February 2020.
Shahid and Spotify music bundle
Following the successful
launch of the all-new Shahid
SVoD service in January
2020, MBC Group has
partnered with Spotify to
provide VIP subscribers of
Shahid with six months of
Spotify Premium for free.
“Having the MENA
region’s biggest VoD
streaming platform team
up with one of the world’s
best music streaming
services has produced the
most diverse on-demand
offering in the Arab world,”
commented Johannes
Larcher, managing director,
digital and VoD at MBC
Group. “We are so excited to
be partnering with Spotify,
which offers an amazing
product, and is one of
4 EUROMEDIA MENA Special
the fastest growing music
streaming offerings in the
MENA market that appeals
to the same audience and
userbase as Shahid. We are
looking forward to what
this fantastic partnership
brings.”
“By joining forces with
Shahid, Spotify and Shahid
are now able to give
entertainment fans in MENA
the ultimate music and video
experience,” added Claudius
Boller, managing director
for Middle East and Africa,
Spotify. “We’re excited to
be a part of this offer from
Shahid, giving users in the
region this level of streaming
entertainment option, at this
extraordinary value, all in one
package.”