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GITEX Showcases 5G And AI As Pillars Of Future Connectivity
The “Intelligent Connectivity” conference explored the future of 5G and autonomous vehicles during the world’s largest tech event.
GITEX GLOBAL 2024, the world’s largest tech and startup event, has featured an “Intelligent Connectivity” theme, with 5G a major focus. Visitors caught a glimpse into the potential of wireless technology when combined with artificial intelligence (AI), and how groundbreaking technologies would shape the future of connectivity.
GITEX GLOBAL 2024 also brought together many influential voices from global enterprises and organizations, including Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology & Information Officer at e&, Wang Hui, President of NCE Data Communication Domain at Huawei, and Thomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary General at the ITU. Also participating were Roque Lozano from Nokia, Kazuhiro Gomi of NTT Research, and SG Chung from SK Telecom.
The event showcased a wide array of advanced technologies from major exhibitors such as Huawei, e&, Nokia, China Telecom, Ericsson, Cisco, and Beyon. These companies demonstrated next-generation 5G applications, highlighting the event’s role as a key platform for exploring connectivity’s future and digital transformation.
5G And AI: Catalyzing The Future Of Telecommunications
Khalid Murshed of e&, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the Middle East and North Africa, spoke about the transformative power of 5G and AI. According to him, “5G and 5G advanced serve as a platform for everyone to come in to innovate,” driving the demand for further advancements in network capabilities.
He added that their focus is not merely on technological leadership but on building networks that enable new use cases. “We’re not just building a network for the sake of technology leadership […] we have live networks and private 5G,” Murshed explained, underscoring the significance of innovation in enhancing networks and AI integration.
The Role Of 5G In Autonomous Vehicles
A key highlight was the impact of 5G on mobility, particularly autonomous vehicles: Siyuan Liu, Head of IoT Partnership & Strategy at China Unicom Global, emphasized that 5G is central to developing autonomous driving, which promises to revolutionize transportation by improving efficiency and safety through real-time decision-making.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are also making waves across industries, including telecommunications. Wang Hui of Huawei discussed how AI applications are being utilized in China for autonomous vehicles and healthcare, showcasing the broad potential of these new technologies.
Revealing Disruptive Innovations
Thousands of visitors explored some of the most revolutionary products powered by 5G. Notably, e& announced a partnership with Vodafone Business IoT to deliver in-vehicle connectivity for Mercedes-Benz in the UAE, set to launch in early 2025.
e& also displayed the Nissan Hyper-Force, an all-electric supercar connected through their 5G network, and introduced their new AI-powered digital advisors tailored to local cultural needs. Meanwhile, Avaya exhibited its “superpower agents,” AI-driven tools designed to help businesses make scalable decisions.
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Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform
Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.
Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.
The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.
The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.
Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.
Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.
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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.
“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.
Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.
Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform
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