Vivek Badrinath Keynote & Moderator Script
Your Excellency, honourable ministers, distinguished guests – good morning.
It’s a pleasure to welcome you to MWC Doha 2025!
For me, it’s always inspiring to be here – the pace of growth across the region is remarkable, and the ambition behind it is very clear.
In just a few short years, Qatar and the GCC States have become a lighthouse for the region, and indeed, the world – showing what is possible when clear vision, long-term strategy, and strong partnerships come together.
Digital transformation is now reshaping almost every sector – from energy and transport to finance and healthcare.
As you can see here, the GCC States are among the global leaders in the digital transformation of industries…

Connectivity has played a key role in this…
And as we look ahead, mobile will be central to the continued digital transformation of the region.
Here you can see the results from our latest Enterprise Report:
Companies were asked to rank the importance of connectivity in their digital transformation and you can see…
66% of the respondents put 5G networks at the top of the list… followed by 4G networks and so on.
There is no doubt – as an industry we are central to digital transformation.
Over the next 5 years, GCC and MENA enterprises will spend about 10% of their revenues on digital transformation…
And so there is a significant opportunity for partnership and growth.
The question is: what do we need to focus on to achieve this?
I believe there are three key areas:

Infrastructure, Innovation, and Inclusion
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Let’s start with infrastructure.
The GCC States have been one of the leaders in the rollout of 5G …
You can see here, how quickly 5G grew from 0 connections in 2018… to over 47 million in 2025.

Yes, today 49% of connections are 5G…
And this is expected to grow at 19% per year to 2029… when over 90% of subscriptions are forecast to be 5G.
This growth is simply phenomenal, and we see the impact everywhere.
Here you can see the contribution of mobile technologies to MENA’s GDP…
In 2024, the mobile industry contributed $350 billion to GDP in the Middle East and North Africa…
And as 5G continues to expand across industries, our contribution will grow to about $470 billion in 2030.
Of course, we already see the benefits:
Here in Qatar, Ooredoo powered the first 5G-enabled FIFA World Cup in 2022, with record breaking data management…
Zain recently launched Kuwait’s first 5G-Advanced network to enable smart city services and expand IoT capabilities….
… and e& has partnered with Ericsson to upgrade its 5G radio network, and is working on its first commercial deployment of RedCap in the MENA region.
All exciting developments.

But the MENA region presents a mixed 5G picture.
While the GCC states accelerate, other parts of the region are still in the early stages of 5G rollout.
Now, there is progress:
5G services have officially launched in Morocco, just four months after operators received their 5G licences.
Türkiye held its 5G spectrum auction this year… with 5G expected to become operational next year…
Tunisia has started the process for 5G operating licenses
And Telecom Egypt has partnered with Nokia to deploy 5G RAN equipment across several cities.
But it’s vital, that we don’t lose our focus – we must complete the 5G journey across the region, so that everyone benefits from the opportunities of digital transformation.
There is much to be learned from the Gulf States when it comes to rolling out 5G, and we expect them to be among the leaders of 6G too. So this week is the perfect opportunity to share and learn from each other.
Collaboration is crucial to accelerate growth – we have to work together to become the trusted digital transformation partners of industries and enterprise.
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Which brings me to the second focus area: innovation.
Innovation breathes life into our networks, and across the region we see innovation on an unprecedented scale.

AI of course is front of mind for all of us… and operators are making big investments:
• Du has signed one of the largest commitments by an operator to build a new data-centre facility with Microsoft.
• STC and Center3 announced a $300 million investment in the construction of a new data centre and subsea cable system.
• And Vodafone Qatar is working with Microsoft Azure to transform its networks and launch an AI center of excellence in the next 5 years

There’s a key theme in all of these examples – partnership.
The winners of the AI era will be those who work together.

But, indeed, we also face a challenge.
Our research shows that general AI models are not fit for telco-specific needs – they struggle with accuracy and reliability.
But with every challenge, there is an opportunity – and today we are pleased to announce a collaboration with Khalifa University to develop Telecom GPT, a telco-first LLM, as well as an Open Telco Knowledge Graph focused on 3GPP documentation.
Alongside this, we are also pleased to announce our support for The AI Telco Troubleshooting Challenge – where we are calling on telecom operators, AI researchers and startups to submit advanced LLMs that perform root cause analysis on network faults.
AI has huge potential to help us improve our reliability for customers and reduce operational losses for the industry – and I’m excited to see the results of this challenge which we will announce at MWC Barcelona next year.
By working together – across industries, borders and institutions – I believe we can accelerate shared progress.

We’ve already seen proof of this in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.
By opening our networks, we are unlocking new markets for operators, empowering developers, and enabling enterprises to build new digital services that can scale globally.
Today, more than 80 mobile operator groups – representing over 80% of global connections – have joined the initiative, including many from the region.
Five APIs have been commercially deployed in 10 countries in the region – including Sim Swap, Number Verification and Device Status…
And tomorrow at our Open Gateway Summit, Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar will be announcing a collaboration to launch the first set of CAMARA APIs in Qatar.
Each API released opens the door to new partnerships, new revenue streams, and new digital experiences.
I’ll say it again – those who work together, will win the AI era.
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And that brings me to our final focus area: inclusion.
A truly digital future means that everyone should have access.
And here we have a big challenge:
While 71% of people within the GCC States are using mobile internet, if we zoom out to the MENA region as whole, 51% of the population, or 340 million people, do not use mobile internet, despite having access to it.
Closing the digital divide won’t be easy, but it’s vital we get this right... especially as AI accelerates.
Today, over 7,000 languages are spoken around the world, yet large language models are developed in only a few.
This creates a dangerous new language data gap, which limits the reach of AI and widens the inequalities.
In a digital future we cannot leave anyone behind.
At the GSMA we are working to address the challenge through a number of initiatives:
Our Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit provides people with the basic skills to use mobile internet;
Our Connected Women Commitment initiative accelerates digital and financial inclusion for women;
and our Handset Affordability Coalition brings stakeholders together to look at how we can make devices more affordable.
A digital future is only possible when everyone is connected – so let’s keep working together to make sure no one is left behind.
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As we look to the future, it’s clear that the foundations of digital transformation rest on three pillars: infrastructure, innovation, and inclusion.
Infrastructure gives us the strength – the networks, spectrum, and investment that make everything else possible.
Innovation gives us the spark – the creativity that turns connectivity into progress.
And inclusion gives us purpose – ensuring that every person, every business, and community can share in the benefits of the digital age.
As we look ahead, I believe Qatar and the GCC States serve as a lighthouse in the region and beyond – showing us what is possible when we prioritise infrastructure, innovation and inclusion.
As we gather this week, I hope we take the time to connect, to share, and to inspire one another. Because the conversations we have here are what turn possibility into reality.
Thank you.
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Now to get the discussions started, it is an honour to introduce our first keynote speaker Engineer Ahmad Mohamed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Qatar National Broadband Network, leading the nation’s efforts to expand high-speed connectivity and strengthen the digital infrastructure that underpins Qatar’s future.
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Eng. Ahmad Mohamed Al-Kuwari KN – 10min
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Thank you so much Ahmad for your insights and for the vital role QNBN plays in strengthening Qatar’s digital foundation.
Now I’m pleased to invite our next guest on stage, Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo.
Ooredoo is one of the region’s most dynamic leaders in building next-generation networks and transforming digital services, and I look forward to a discussion with Aziz.
Before he joins, we have a short video to watch.
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Video plays
Aziz joins Vivek on stage
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Fireside chat with Aziz and Vivek – 15min
1. Ooredoo has positioned digital infrastructure as a driver of national competitiveness. What’s the single fastest lever governments and operators should prioritise now?
2. AI adoption is still constrained by networks and compute. With new AI-ready data centres and partnerships like the one with NVIDIA, what must the region build next to stay ahead?
3. You’re expanding major cross-border infrastructure—from the Gulf subsea cable system to regional tower and data platforms. Why is cross-border collaboration now essential for digital resilience and growth?
4. Ooredoo has launched the region’s largest tower company and built an AI-ready data centre platform. What capabilities do these give the region that it didn’t have before?
5. As you steer this next phase of transformation, what are your leadership priorities to ensure Ooredoo continues to shape digital growth across MENA and beyond?
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Thank you so much Aziz, always good to hear from you and the innovation of Ooredoo.
Our next speaker is Kaan Terzioğlu, Group CEO of VEON, a company recognized for its leadership in building scalable networks, innovative services, and inclusive digital ecosystems globally.
Kaan, welcome to the stage.
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Kaan Terzioğlu Keynote – 10min
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Thank you so much Kaan, and thanks again to all our speakers today.
I think it’s very clear that connectivity is a catalyst for progress and if we continue working together the possibilities that lie ahead are endless.
Thank you for joining us today and I wish you all a successful MWC Doha this week.