Doha, November 05 (QNA) - Director General of GSMA, Vivek Badrinath affirmed on Thursday that the State of Qatar has successfully built a solid foundation for its digital ambitions, driven by significant investments in mobile and fiber-optic networks, alongside ongoing commitments to infrastructure for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and data.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Badrinath said that telecommunications companies in Qatar are playing a vital role in developing an advanced connectivity ecosystem that will support the next phase of the nation's digital growth and enhance network capabilities.

He added that as Qatar continues to evolve its technological ecosystem, the next challenge lies in transforming these investments into sustainable economic and social value, which requires cultivating local talent, supporting companies capable of introducing new technologies to the domestic market, and fostering collaboration between international firms and Qatari institutions and entrepreneurs.

He further noted that MWC26 Doha, slated for Nov. 08-10 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, could support this mechanism by providing companies and institutions in the State of Qatar with direct access to the global telecommunications and technology ecosystem. He pointed out that the event will address key topics including artificial intelligence, advanced telecommunications, digital infrastructure, smart economies, and interconnected infrastructure, serving as a platform enabling telecommunications and technology firms, alongside policymakers, to translate the region's digital vision into reality.

Regarding MWC26 Doha coinciding with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference hosted by Communications Regulatory Authority, Badrinath emphasized the importance of strengthening the link between technology and policy, given the increasingly significant role telecommunications plays in modern economies, noting that this marks the first time the GSMA and the ITU have organized these two major, pioneering events concurrently in the State of Qatar. (QNA)