ICT executives from 20 countries to convene in Amman next week

AMMAN — More than 500 ICT and media experts will convene in Amman next week at the Arab Advisers 12th Convergence Summit to discuss how countries can best leverage the new frontiers of the “Internet of Things”.

The two-day summit, which will be attended by industry leaders and senior executives from over 20 countries, comes at a time marked by an increased adoption of Internet services in the Arab world, which presents strong opportunities based on the Internet of Things, Jawad Abbassi, founder and general manager of the Arab Advisers Group, told reporters Wednesday.

Participants at the event, which opens on June 1, will discuss the current state of the Internet of Things in the Arab world, and its role in transforming vital sectors such as healthcare and education. 

By February 2015, nine countries in the region had commercially available long-term evolution/fourth generation networks, while a majority of 17 countries offered third generation services. 

Moreover, fibre optics services are available in 15 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. 

Total fixed Internet accounts in the Arab world exceeded 15 million by the end of 2014 with Internet users exceeding 100 million, while the number of cellular lines exceeded 400 million, according to figures by the Arab Advisers Group.

On the media front, HD TV adoption is growing among the free-to-air channels. By March 2015, the total number of unique HD channels, which are broadcast on the seven main satellite operators that target the region (Arabsat, Eshailsat, Eutelsat, Gulfsat, Nilesat, Noorsat and YahLive), reached 195, up from 134 channels by the end of February 2014.

As for e-commerce, a new Arab Advisers Group survey revealed that close to 24 per cent of smartphone users in Jordan use e-commerce services.