11th Convergence Summit concludes

AMMAN — Participants in the 11th Convergence Summit said Tuesday that the popularity of social media websites in the region is on the rise, providing users with a platform for free expression.

During a session at the summit’s second day, Jon Anderson, professor of anthropology at the Catholic University of America, said social media networks offer tools to encourage wider engagement in social matters.

Joe Khalil, associate professor at the Northwestern University in Qatar (NUQ) had similar views.

In today’s world, there is a challenge of inclusion, Khalil said, noting that social media can play an important role in the inclusion of societies.

Social media networks, whose usage in the region is rising at a fast pace, provide a platform for more freedom for users, he added.

Also on Tuesday, Nabil Shanti, vice president and chief commercial officer at Arabsat, stressed the importance of satellite communications and Internet provided by satellites as the popularity of mobile broadband in the region continues to rise.

Arabsat, he said, is planning to launch four new satellites in the next three years to meet the increasing demand in the Middle East for satellite channels and high-speed Internet in different businesses.

The two-day summit — organised by the Arab Advisers Group — attracted 520 senior executives representing 175 regional and global telecom, media and technology companies.

The summit discussion panels focused on the state of the industry globally and regionally, the future of telecom services and media consumption in the region, start-ups’ role, cloud computing trends, and strategies for broadcast, online and social media in addition to the status of Internet-of-Things in the Arab World, among other issues.