The 13th Edition of Fiber Connect Council MENA Conference: Unlocking Infinite Possibilities

The 13^th Edition of Fiber Connect Council MENA Conference highlighted the importance of fiber optic infrastructure and its role at 5G deployment to homes, businesses, and institutions. In return, this will significantly contribute to fostering the economic environment, adopting emerging economies, and setting up successful regional plans for the 5G technologies.
This year, the 13^th Edition of Fibre Connect Council MENA Conference was held in Riyadh. The event witnessed the presence of 12 international companies operating at FTTH and ICT industries in MENA; they also participated in the exhibition that was held on the sidelines of the conference.  The exhibition showcased the latest technologies such as FTTH/x, 5G, and Internet of Things (IOT). This is in addition to the participation of MEFC, FiberHome and HFCL as Gold sponsors and R&M, EMTELLE, OFS, Superior Essex, GENTEC, as Silver Sponsors, NOKIA, Sofrecom, Tenovar and Alwasail as Bronze Sponsors, as well as more than 30 speakers and attendees from over 20 countries.
The 13^th Edition of Fibre Connect Council MENA Conference was held in Riyadh during the period from November 12^th till November 14^th . Many influential people and international companies contributing at developing ICT infrastructure in the Middle East and all over the world participated in the 2-Day conference.
President of Fiber Connect Council MENA, Ahmed Mekky, expressed his pleasure on having the 13^th edition of the conference in Riyadh, KSA. and the level of interactivity and attendee engagement during the sessions within the two-day event.
“Choosing KSA was a deliberate decision, underscoring our confidence in the country's significance for the global and regional technology community. The rapid growth and innovation witnessed here make KSA a hub for technological advancement. Saudi Arabia has been investing in its digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet connectivity, data centers, and cloud computing services. These investments are aimed at improving the country's digital capabilities and supporting the growth of the digital economy in parallel to support the goals of vision 2030.”, said Mekky.
During the opening, Hiroshi OTA, Advisor, ITU-T SG15, delivered a speech, highlighting the History of optical fiber standards. Mr. OTA said that Optical networks for core networks, access networks and home networking as well as optical technology are key elements.
On another note, Mrs. Shaima Alhamad , Chief Commercial Officer, BNET Bahrain, delivered a speech highlighting the success story of Bahrain BNET and how it helps in accelerating the Fiber Broadband Growth in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Mrs. Alhamad shared the future plans of BNET such as the Giga Connectivity to each home and ZEOR touch self-provisioning.
On the other hand, Roland Montagne, Principal Analyst, Director Business Development at IDATE, stated that FTTH deployment ratio has reached 99.8% in the UAE, 99.7% in Qatar, 63.1% in Morocco. He pointed out that governments are looking forward to apply FTTH technologies.
He added that Fiber deployment in the MENA region has gained momentum in recent years, with significant investment efforts directed towards network scalability. The adoption of XGSPON technology is widespread (especially in the Gulf region), making point-to-point Ethernet solutions less common among MENA countries.
Regarding 5G service, Roland Montagne stated that IDATE numbers indicate that 5G subscribers in the Middle East reached 26.6 million in 2022, constituting about 6.7% of the total mobile subscriber base. This growth is primarily fueled by the increasing demand for high-speed internet connectivity and data-intensive applications, such as video streaming, online gaming, and virtual reality experiences.
The council also presented a prize for Dr. Suleiman Alhedaithy for his tremendous efforts to drive the council forward.