The internet is an incredible resource for growth and innovation; it sparks creativity and connects people across the world, whilst supporting the global economy. RIPE NCC’s Paul Rendek explains how internet infrastructure and development in the Middle East is a completely different landscape compared to two years ago.

Ahmed Alsulati, CTO, Qatar National Broadband Network, Qatar is delivering a keynote address on Day Two of the Broadband MEA 2013 conference, taking place on the 19th-20th March 2013 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai, UAE. Ahead of the show we speak to him about why faster speeds are so important and how Qnbn copes with the demands on its network.

Ross Cormack, CEO of Nawras is delivering the opening day keynote address at the Broadband MEA 2013 conference taking place on the 19th-20th March 2013 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai, UAE. Ahead of the conference we speak to him about the challenges facing the Omani operator in the region.

A new report from US firm Pyramid Research predicts that fixed broadband connections in the United Arab Emirates will continue to grow strongly over the next five years while slower speeds will disappear altogether.

Saudi Arabian operator Mobily has inked a partnership with enterprise cloud software and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider Virtustream to offer cloud services to enterprises and small-to-medium businesses. Under the terms of the deal, Mobily will use Virtustream’s xStream cloud management software to run its public and hybrid clouds.

Yousef Abu Mutawe, CTO, Zain, is delivering the opening keynote on Day Two of the Broadband MEA 2013 conference, taking place on the 19th-20th March 2013 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai, UAE, Dubai, UAE. Ahead of the show we learn about Zain’s activities in the past year, why wifi offload is crucial for it and of which technologies it is making use.

As mobile operators expand their geographical horizons, they are increasingly finding themselves setting up shop in emerging markets; markets that are dynamic and undergoing major economic and social transition. However, as many have recently found out, such markets are not without their challenges and can often play home to political unrest. Providing the lines of communication to the general public during times of intense political turmoil can be a gruelling task for operators.