Zain Group to host technology conference in Bahrain
60 global technology providers to showcase latest digital innovations
MANAMA: Zain Group, a leading mobile telecom innovator in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, is set to host its fifth annual Zain Technology Conference (ZTC), November 30 to December 2, 2015 at the Art Rotana -Amwaj Hotel in the economic friendly city of Manama, Bahrain. The theme of this year’s Conference is ‘Transforming Our World’, reflecting Zain’s strategic aspirations of delivering on a compelling digital lifestyle to its customers.
This year’s ZTC will be held in the presence and patronage of His Excellency Engineer Kamal Bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications for the Kingdom of Bahrain and attended by Zain Bahrain Chairman, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Ali Al Khalifa; Zain Group CEO, Scott Gegenheimer; Zain Bahrain General Manager, Mohammed Zainalabedin and Zain Group CTO, Hisham Allam amongst a host of Zain personnel that will be making presentations. Notably the opening session of the three-day event will see a keynote presentation from Dr Jean Pierre Scerri, Director of Legal Affairs from Bahrain’s Telecom Regulatory Authority.
For some time now, Zain has recognized the enormous growth opportunities available in the B2B, Enterprise, and Smart City spaces, and these sectors have become major areas of focus for the company, requiring the full support of all its partners. Demand for mobility, broadband, virtualization, cloud based services and enhanced customer experience are drivers for transformation in the modern ICT space, and Zain is on a perennial mission to deliver cutting-edge apps, services, and devices to support these mega-trends.
With some 60 technology providers and vendors participating and showcasing their latest technologies at this year’s event, ZTC 2015 represents one of Zain’s most impressive conferences to date. Relevant technology and business topics that will be discussed over the three days of intensive interactions include: Road to 5G; Core Virtualization Evolution; Business Enablement Solutions; Big Data Analytics & Cloud Services; Customer Quality of Experience; Services Innovation; Energy Efficiency, and Site Optimization.
In addition, there will be opening partner speeches made by three of Zain’s main global technology solutions providers, Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia, as well as a keynote presentation by global information technology research and advisory firm Gartner.
Shaikh Ahmed Bin Ali Al-Khalifa, Chairman of Zain Bahrain said, “The Kingdom of Bahrain continuously focuses its efforts and resources in keeping abreast with the latest trends in technology. We are proud to host one of the biggest regional technology conferences in the Kingdom of Bahrain, putting Zain Bahrain on the map as a hub for digital innovation.”
Shaikh Ahmed continued, “Hosting such events goes in line with the Kingdom’s Economic Vision 2030, which was launched back in October 2008 by King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, adopting globalization and increased competition and sustainability through innovation, supported by the clear direction outlined for the continued development of the Kingdom’s economy.” Shaikh Ahmed also noted that the Kingdom’s economy is fully supported by the esteemed government, led by Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Prime Minister and the support of Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. He also extended his thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Engineer Kamal Bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications for patronizing the event.
Commenting on the preparation for ZTC 2015, Zain Group CEO, Scott Gegenheimer said, “We are pleased to be hosting ZTC 2015 in Bahrain once again having held our very first technology conference in the Kingdom back in 2009. We are also proud to be an active participant in the kingdom’s ICT sector, having invested over US$100 million in the last year alone to revamp our 4G network to better serve our customers, reflecting Zain’s faith in the Kingdom’s future prosperity.
Gegenheimer continued: “With numerous keynote presentations and around 95 break-out sessions planned at the Conference, we are looking forward to holding many fruitful discussions that will lead to even better cooperation between Zain and its array of technology partners. Digital innovation and its implementation to enhance our customers’ mobile experience lies at the heart of Zain’s vision.”
Exciting
Zain Group’s Chief Technology Officer, Hisham Allam commented: “ZTC 2015 is going to be a momentous occasion for Zain and its technology innovation partners. Our sector is an exciting, vibrant, evolving, complex one, and now, more than at any time in the past it is important for there to be a large degree of information exchange and transparency in our industry.”
ZTC 2015 will see over 600 participants made up predominantly of Zain technology and innovation personnel from across its eight operations as well as representatives from the 60 technology partners participating. The conference will be comprehensively covered live on Zain’s social media channels covering many aspects of the event. ENDS
About Zain Group: Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 45.6 million active customers as of 30 September 2015. With a commercial presence in 8 countries, Zain operates in: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. In Lebanon, the Group manages ‘touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5 percent stake in ‘INWI’, through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.