With millions of people working from home, resorting to high-capacity internet services like webinars, webcasts and videoconferencing software in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, fears of network bottlenecks have grown.
Ensuring an uninterrupted flow of connectivity by making the best use of existing resources has become the top priority of telecoms operators.
Telcos have taken a series of steps in their fight against the contagion, from increasing network bandwidths and scaling customer relations resources to offering free upgrades and urging customers to use bandwidth wisely.
“We are operating in a time that is both challenging and rife with opportunities … a great chance for businesses and governments to enhance their smart solutions,” says Bocar Ba, chief executive of the South Asia, Middle East and North Africa (Samena) Telecommunications Council.
Operators need to “re-prioritise network resource utilisation and increase international broadband capacity”, as they run 4G and 5G services to meet increasing data demands during these challenging times, Mr Ba says.
Dubai-based Samena is a tri-regional group that represents a community of telecommunications firms, manufacturers, regulators and academics.
Average download speeds have been “fairly reliable” in both Europe and the US, despite surges in data traffic by up to 50 per cent in some markets after the coronavirus outbreak, says Matthew Kendall, chief telecoms analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
“Slight drops in fixed broadband performance have been registered in countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain, but speeds have largely remained within reasonable bounds around the average.”
In markets such as Europe and the US, operators are working continuously to add capacity to ease bottlenecks. But network capacity issues may be less readily remedied in developing nations, like Afghanistan, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, still running on 2G or 3G networks.
Globally, operators have taken measures including expanding radio network capacity – particularly in residential areas – to accommodate increasing traffic. They are also offering free benefits to customers. For example, in Kuwait, all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have granted customers 5GB data per day free of charge for one month.
In Jordan, operators have committed to providing access to the government's educational platforms to ensure schooling continues uninterrupted. In Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey, MNOs are increasing data bundles at no extra charge.
Etisalat, the UAE's biggest telecom operator, expanded its CloudTalk Meeting service by allowing 50 concurrent participants to join an online meeting and discussion.
It is also offering customers upgrades to their existing TV and internet bundle to a new unlimited plan at no extra charge for three months.
“Operators have also expanded backhaul transmission network[s] to accommodate any additional traffic requirements,” says Mr Ba.
A backhaul is a high-capacity line that transmits a signal from a remote network to another site, usually a central one.
“Etisalat is fully committed to supporting businesses during this unprecedented period through solutions and services to ensure that there is no business impact on their operations,” says Salvador Anglada, group chief business officer of the telco.
Etisalat's network is resilient, dependable and secure, the telco said in a statement emailed to The National. It is also being proactively assessed to manage anticipated increases in bandwidth and mobile network demand, it added.
To assist operators worldwide, the International Telecommunication Union – a UN-backed internet and telecoms agency – has launched a Global Network Resiliency Platform.
“It will collect trustworthy information on actions that policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders can use to ensure that their networks and services serve the needs of their country,” according to the ITU’s secretary general Houlin Zhao.
“Time is of the essence … this platform will give those countries, which still have time to prepare, an opportunity to learn from what is being done elsewhere – from emergency spectrum reassignments to guidelines for consumers on responsible use”.
European operators such as Telefonica, Orange and Vodafone have advised their consumers to decrease internet usage to ensure that quality of service is maintained. They have asked them to download heavy files during off-peak hours, avoid sending large attachments in emails and try using landline phones wherever possible.
Last month, the Spanish telecoms sector warned that there had been a “traffic explosion” since the outbreak of coronavirus. However, BT, the UK’s largest operator, said it is fully prepared and not expecting any shutdowns or slower internet speeds.
Paris-headquartered Orange doubled the capacity on its platforms to allow people to work from home without impacting quality. It said the use of remote collaboration solutions such as videoconferencing rose massively with usage increasing by 20 per cent to 100 per cent depending on the solution.
To deal with this pandemic, the company set up a dedicated crisis unit to coordinate the decisions taken by the group on a daily basis as well as measures being implemented in each of its countries, according to the evolving situation, says Stephane Richard, chairman and chief executive of Orange.
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) said its members are taking measures to manage the significant change in traffic demand globally.
“Mobile networks are experiencing an unprecedented surge of traffic in recent days as a result of more people working from home and accessing digital services,” says Jawad Abbassi, GSMA's head of Middle East and North Africa.
“Where extra network capacity is needed, this takes time to deploy … and we urge consumers to support these measures with smart and responsible use of network resources”.
The GSMA is a trade body representing more than 750 mobile operators and nearly 400 companies.
Telcos are not required to take “special measures but they should utilise their existing resources with more agility”, according to Michael Davies, senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who also runs the New Technology Ventures programme at London Business School.
“In most cases, the current capacity will be sufficient. [The operators] should focus on accelerating things that they would do anyway... it’s all about increasing the pace at which they do this and putting them in the right places,” he says.
However, service providers should keep in mind “when and where peak demand is high, relative to what it was beforehand”.
Increased data traffic does not equate to an increase in internet users, but to spikes in demand at certain periods.
“This is what places strain on network capacity, which is not necessarily designed to handle surges in data demand,” says Mr Kendall.
Samena urged regional governments to provide operators free access to additional spectrum on a temporary basis to allow MNOs to expand their networks.
“We also request to lower the cost of international bandwidth, particularly in markets where the international gateway is a monopoly… markets such as Kuwait and potentially Iraq are responding positively to grant operators lower international bandwidth costs,” says Mr Ba.
The international gateway is the exclusive entry point of international voice and data traffic to and from a country. This connection can be made either through satellites or international fibre cables.
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
