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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.

Published

2 years ago

October 19, 2024

Joanna Melki

gitex global 2024 showcases 5g and ai as pillars of future connectivity

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.

Related Topics:5G Artificial Intelligence GITEX GLOBAL

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Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.