Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said Gitex Global has put Dubai on the global technology map and put technology at the top of Dubai’s priorities….reports Asian Lite News
GITEX Global 2022 kicked off today at the Dubai World Trade Centre, with the participation of 5,000 exhibitors spanning 26 halls and two million sq. ft of exhibition space, with a notable increase of 25 percent year-on-year.
The 42nd edition of GITEX will converge the most advanced companies and best minds to dive deep into the making of the Web3 economy, as it covers seven diverse technology topics across the areas of metaverse, a decentralised future of the internet, and a sustainable global digital economy.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday took to his Twitter account to welcome international delegates and technology companies to Gitex Global 2022.
“The world’s largest technology exhibition will kick off tomorrow over an area of two million square feet with the participation of 5,000 companies from 90 countries. Among participating companies are 35 startups that are valued at $1 billion each,” Sheikh Mohammad said.
“Gitex Global, which started in 1981, has put Dubai on the global technology map and put technology at the top of Dubai’s priorities,” he added.
The five-day event’s record size and continued expansion mirrors the ambitions of the UAE and the region’s digital transformation movement, as government initiatives such as the National Programme for Coders, the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, and Next GenFDI propels the UAE to the forefront of the global digital economy.
GITEX unifies the participation of 250 government entities leading strategic digital projects and public-private partnerships, with Digital Dubai Authority and Abu Dhabi Digital Authority among the UAE government bodies advancing smart city and digital projects.
The GITEX 3.0 edition features seven tech themes: North Star Dubai start-ups, Ai Everything, Future Blockchain Summit in association with VARA, Fintech Surge, Marketing Mania and two new launches Global DevSlam and X-Verse.
e& to join metaverse club
e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group, is set to enthral stand goers at GITEX Global 2022 by inviting them to enter the next digital universe with the soft launch of their virtual world, e& universe. This move marks a significant achievement in the Group’s transformation journey to a global technology and investment conglomerate, as it takes its first steps into the metaverse.
Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, e& shares his views on why telcos must adopt the metaverse in enhancing customer experience and boosting digitalisation journeys of enterprises.
Metaverse technology may be in the early incubation stages, given that it needs high-bandwidth and low-latency communications to work at scale. Still, telcos must consider harnessing its potential for the betterment of lives, whether it is a virtual playground or shopping destination, or even using it as a training ground for smarter, more efficient AI and industrial manufacturing processes. To get it to work at the grand scale we all envision will require robust connectivity solutions. This is where 5G becomes the fulcrum, given that mobile networks may not be able to handle the metaverse network demands.
According to a report by Ericsson, 5G is a critical enabler for the metaverse and its entire ecosystem as it has global reach, including roaming capabilities. For the cloud and edge-cloud (MEC) capabilities of the metaverse, 5G also offers low latency, offload processing and enhanced render level of detail (LOD).To harness the power of the metaverse, telcos must expand beyond their traditional capabilities and more towards embracing a growth mindset where they are open to exploring innovative ideas. In fact, telcos can play a more prominent role in the metaverse value chain by leveraging emerging technologies such as 5G, edge cloud, analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
