The Arab World in the Digital Economy and the Role of Telecoms in Future Growth

The first Arab world Economic Forum breakfast, entitled ‘The Role of Telecoms in Future Growth’, explored major economic factors as well as the social issues related to the telecommunications market and Internet use in the Arab world.

In particular, the participants highlighted the fact that, despite the heterogeneous situations of the countries concerned, the Arab world generally has the necessary tools to accomplish the digital transition. The infrastructures are being developed, household equipment is becoming more widely available, particularly mobile telephony, and the Internet is widely used. The digital economy is also a lever for growth and development in other industrial sectors. There is, however, a challenge that the Arab world needs to overcome—that of social content provision: this is mainly produced in the United States, Asia, and Europe, but there is currently no Arab equivalent of Facebook or Twitter.

Participants:

• Osman Sultan, President and Managing Director of DU (United Arab Emirates)
• Frédéric Debord, Managing Director of INWI (Morocco)
• Azdine El Mountassir Billah, Managing Director of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (Morocco) 
• Michel Monzani, Director of Operations in the Middle East and North Africa for the Orange Group (France)