Huawei, a leading global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, hosted a series of workshops gathering a lineup of industry leaders and experts in Bahrain. Held under the theme, “Empowered by Innovation, 5G is now,” the workshops were organized in partnership with local carriers and regulator. The four events were an occasion to invite leading Bahraini telco stakeholders to discuss in-depth how to bring about the 5G world where all things are connected, and the impact 5G will have on key vertical sectors in the region.

The workshops took place over four days across Bahrain in April and May. During the workshops, a series of keynotes and seminars have been conducted by regional ICT experts to discuss challenges and opportunities in 5G wireless communications and 5G-related network evolution. Key industry leaders exchanged ideas on a number of the industry’s most pressing challenges, including steps to make Bahrain more network ready for 5G, how to accelerate wireless communication to enable cloud-based wireless networks, and most promising 5G use cases.

In line with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 that aims to double incomes, increase productivity, and position Bahrain as a leading competitor in the global economy, the arrival of 5G will unlock the benefits of a number of the world’s most promising technologies. Earlier this year, Huawei’s Wireless X Labs identified ten of the most promising fifth-generation network use cases in a white paper which demonstrated that 5G will enable the growth of cloud VR/AR, connected automotive, smart manufacturing, wireless eHealth, and Smart Cities, among others. In order to assist Bahrain in benefitting from these technologies, Huawei’s aim is to bring the digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, smart kingdom.

John Lu Yuedong, CEO of Huawei Bahrain, remarked: “If one looks backwards in history, social transformation is often led by transformation in technologies. 2G, 3G and 4G changed the world by bringing us global voice communication and mobile internet. And 5G will lead us to a new era by taking us to an intelligent world where all things are connected and vertical sectors will be transformed by becoming more efficient and productive. At Huawei, our new vision is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, smart kingdom. We are working hard to turn this vision into reality by openness and knowledge sharing, which are the key to technological progress, and we were thankful to have Bahrain’s leading authorities in the ICT sector with us for these workshops in order to collaborate together to bring about 5G as rapidly as possible.”

Huawei has long been a strategic partner of the Kingdom’s ICT agenda. Other than the industrial collaboration, Huawei has also launched a number of initiatives to support ICT talent development, such as “Huawei Middle East ICT skill competition”, “Seeds for the future program”, as well as internships where students engage in training under the supervision of Huawei professional mentors, and taught courses in various ICT-heavy domains.