The South Asia–Middle East–North Africa region’s SAMENA Telecommunications Council recently hosted its inaugural Submarine Summit in Dubai. Held at The Address Downtown Dubai, the summit brought together leading figures from the telecommunications industry, including members of the SAMENA Council’s Subsea Working Group, to discuss key issues facing the region’s submarine cable sector and formulate strategies for the future.

The event packed in a number of panel discussions and keynote presentations focusing on emerging trends in telecommunications and the challenges and constraints in developing a reliable and cost-efficient cable system.

“The Submarine Summit marks the culmination of sustained efforts by the SAMENA Council to provide the submarine cable industry the visibility it deserves,” said Bocar BA, Chief Executive Officer, SAMENA Council. “Telecom operators are today finding themselves faced with a data tsunami, given the explosive growth in the volume of content, which in turn is putting a premium on secure, fast and reliable connectivity. There are also critical policy and regulatory challenges that demand our urgent attention, including the need for building consensus on Net Neutrality. Against such a challenging backdrop, the Submarine Summit can serve as an important and dynamic platform for industry stakeholders to share best practices and foster collaboration within a dedicated environment.”

Stressing on the need for greater collaboration among stakeholders, Ahmed Mekki, CEO of Gulf Bridge International (GBI) and Chairman of the SAMENA Council Subsea Working Group pointed out that industry players can contribute to the ‘Smart’ future of the submarine cable industry even with the lack of absolute consensus on certain issues.