NEWS
University develops
KSA’s IT talent
ITC and
SOFRECOM
sign
partnership
agreement
T
he Integrated Telecom Company
(ITC), a leading information and
communications technology company
in Saudi Arabia, and Sofrecom, an
Orange Group subsidiary, have signed an
agreement concerning the rollout of high-
speed broadband.
The agreement is to lead the outside plant
(OSP) implementation and management in
all regions of Saudi Arabia for the next three
years. This will provide planning, design,
supervision expertise and knowledge transfer
to ITC employees.
K
ing Abdullah University of Science
and Technology (KAUST) is helping IT
talent develop in Saudi Arabia.
KAUST recently organised the third
edition of its annual National Academic
Talent Development Programme (NATDP)
aimed at attracting Saudi university
lecturers who might be interested in
pursuing postgraduate study including
in Information Technology. The forum
hosted about 200 participants from 20
Saudi educational institutions from both
the public and private sectors.
Dr Brian Moran, Dean of Graduate
Affairs at KAUST, said the university’s
contribution to develop talent was in line
with the kingdom’s objectives to diversify
its economic resources.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
“Our students are not only aware of
the advanced technologies currently
available but also of the next-generation
technologies,” said Associate Professor
Ibrahim Hoteit.
“Through the KAUST collaboration
with the best experts in multiple fields,
communication with the community
becomes more effective.”
Each year Saudi universities sponsoring
the programme are invited to the KAUST
campus to meet students.
The NATDP attracts the next generation
of Saudi academics who will play a
vital role in the development of higher
education in the kingdom including in the
field of Information Technology.
Signing this agreement comes as a step
toward ITC’s commitment to the agreed
plan with the Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology (MCIT) for
rolling-out high-speed fibre optic broadband
internet in Saudi Arabia.
ITC is initiating site supervision for the
development of the OSP infrastructure project
that is in-line with the Saudi Vision 2030.
Leveraging its deep expertise in broadband
internet technology, Sofrecom will help ITC in
planning and designing the new FTTx network
as well as supervising the implementation
covering 640,000 households.
Ghassan Itani, ITC CEO, said: “This will help
us empower the digital Saudi generation
under Saudi Vision 2030 and the National
Transformation Plan 2020. ITC will continue
its journey to develop the infrastructure in
fibre broadband to urban and dense areas
across the kingdom.”
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