Local, int’l experts to review latest ICT trends at Amman forum

AMMAN — Local and international experts will convene in Amman in November to discuss the latest trends in the ICT industry.

The MENA ICT Forum 2016, which will be held under the theme “Digitising The Economy”, is expected to attract some 700 experts and more than 1,000 visitors to shed light on new trends and technologies, including the Internet of Things, Big Data and the digital economy.

The 2016-2025 REACH initiative will be launched at the forum to find practical solutions to challenges facing the ICT sector, according to the organisers.

The strategy,  which follows on from the REACH initiative that Jordan first launched in 1999, will detail action plans, projects and measures required to genuinely turn the Kingdom into an ICT hub in the region.

“The forum is an opportunity for the exchange of ideas [and] for businesses to explore collaboration,” Bashar Hawamdeh, the chairman of the ICT Association of Jordan, (int@j, said at a press conference on Wednesday to announce the forum.

Several sessions and panels will be held during the event, and speakers will look into the impact of digitising the economy in the fields of education, health, media, medicine, commerce, industry and energy, among other sectors.

The forum will focus on how these sectors and industries are impacted, enhanced, and propelled by cutting-edge technologies such as Big Data, 3D printing and cloud computing, and their continuous development and advancements, according to a statement by the organisers. 

Hawamdeh said the forum is being held at a time when technologies are rapidly evolving and changing and have a direct impact on all economic sectors.

Investment opportunities in Jordan in the ICT field will be reviewed during the forum, he added.

At the press conference, the CEOs of telecom companies Zain Jordan, Orange Jordan and Umniah stressed the tremendous opportunities created by the digital economy.

They said that new technologies  hold great potential for new ideas and projects, noting that new trends such as Big Data and the Internet of Things represent a pool of opportunities for entrepreneurs.

The CEOs said the continued investments in infrastructure by telecom companies were vital for the advancement and adoption of new technologies and trends in the Kingdom, as they reviewed challenges the sector faces in the country.