TMT Predictions 2017 | Middle East

For the first time in our 5 years of releasing our Middle East edition, we are including predictions for all three sectors together, and not splitting them into different sub-industries. This, by itself, is a reflection of the exciting industry we are in. An industry that continues to blur the boundaries of innovation, and reshape how operators, media players and technology companies collaborate and interact in an increasingly integrated market place.

Across the global and regional predictions, we believe that the distinction between sectors is fast becoming obsolete. The introduction of dedicated machine learning capability to smartphones is relevant across all industry sectors, not just the technology or telecommunications verticals. The transition to 5G and resulting implications on machine to machine communication is a critical enabler to new technology adoption, starting with self-driving cars. IoT itself is the epitome of this borderless ecosystem with operators and technology companies working closely together to shape the cities and lives of tomorrow. Cybersecurity is an evergreen topic in the region raising threats to media companies and Telcos equally, and requiring cross sectorial regulations and safety measures.

With smart cities and nations so high in the agenda of the Middle East countries, our region is at the forefront of this borderless market place, with regional Telcos talking more about AI and IoT than network expansion. In this day and age, breaking borders, albeit at industry level, is a refreshing twist. 2017 promises to be yet another exciting year for the TMT sector. We wish you all the best for this year and trust that you and your colleagues will find this year’s predictions a useful stimulant in your strategic thinking. We look forward to discussing them with you.

Predictions 2017

• Prints charming: biometric security reaches the billions
• Tightening control of social welfare – a compelling use case for blockchain in the GCC
• DDoS attacks enter the terabit era
• Cyber-attacks – the Middle East on highest alert
• Safety first: the road to self-driving starts with a stop
• Match made in heaven: self driving and 5G in GCC
• 5G: a revolution in evolution, even in 2017
• 5G in the Middle East: great expectations but the broadband gap will widen
• Brains at the edge: machine learning goes mobile
• Consumer IoT in the Middle East – late bloomers but about to get much smarter
• The great indoors: the final frontier for digital navigation
• TV advertising in the US: flat is the new up
• Have we reached peak tablet?
• Vinyl: the billion-dollar nostalgic niche
• IT-as-a-Service: the half trillion dollar ‘niche’