Selim Bouri, the Vice-President of Airbus Public Safety and Security in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, says it’s the duty of his company to provide the most innovative solutions while maintaining and evolving its customers’ existing networks

Tell us about your participation at CCW 2024. Which products and solutions will you be showcasing at the event?
CCW has always been a key event for us, and this year being in Dubai/UAE where we have a solid and historical presence is another key element, making it natural for us to ensure an important participation not only directly as Airbus but also in cooperation with the host operator Nedaa, with whom we have been working for more than 20 years.

We are very proud to support the event and share our latest solutions and experience with the International CCW community, through our booth (please visit our stand A10) which will encompass 10 live demonstrations and stands, but also via our community of speakers during the event, either Airbus experts (a dozen of speakers addressing elements such AI, future technologies and usability, new innovative services for on-the-ground aircraft operations 5G NTN or new applications and IOT but also with many of our customers and partners presenting their own usage and experience of Airbus solutions (here also thru more than 10 sessions and presentations).

In our booth we will be showcasing our new generation of hybrid solutions, covering the full ecosystem from professional services, new usage and integration of our award-winning Agnet MCX solution, new generation of TETRA solutions and some innovative new modules such as Agnet Turnaround for aircraft on-the-ground operations optimization and secure satellite connectivity Agnet over Satcom. So, there are a lot of exciting events, presentations and news, and more than anything looking forward to meeting our customers from around the world, you will be visiting a great city that is (thanks to the host operator Nedaa) fully covered by an Airbus Critical communication network.

What are your expectations from the event this year?
First of all, meeting Critical communication operators from all around the world to share their latest experiences and stories, is absolutely invaluable! Events like CCW offer a refreshing contrast by providing opportunities to witness real, live demos and engage in meaningful conversations with customers, including our VARs from around the globe. These interactions allow for deeper insights into the challenges they face and the solutions that have proven successful in the realm of large-scale projects. Such exchanges offer a strategic advantage, enabling informed decision-making without the risk of investing blindly.

Second, to interact with the global ecosystem and engage with all the players, exchange around innovation and prepare together for the future. We may be many different companies, but we all serve the same purpose at the end of the day: secure critical operations, save lives and protect industries and businesses. Such an event is very unique on the fact that it is not about competing but about building all together for the future of Critical communications.

And last but not the least is to build and nurture our connections. The annual CCW offers a perfect opportunity for fostering these meaningful connections. With the event spanning three days, there’s plenty of time to absorb insightful presentations, participate in focused forums, and network within the expansive expo area. As CCW 2024 draws near, I extend a warm invitation to all industry stakeholders to join us in Dubai for an unforgettable experience. Let’s come together, share our stories, exchange ideas, and shape the future of critical communications.

What will be your theme of participation at CCW 2024?
Our industry, driven primarily by public safety and business-critical usages, is very specific on the fact that technology is only one aspect of the equation, while the key part may reside in the usage scheme and applications around the technology itself. I believe this year the focus will be back to the basics: it is not about the network but about how it will be used to support the bigger picture, and I foresee a more pragmatic approach toward the implementation, with a stronger approach of hybrid evolution. So, I would say Hybrid Connectivity and New Applications would be the theme for this year.

How have your regional strategies changed in recent months?
Our regional strategy continues to be focused on supporting our customers and end users and making sure our solutions evolve to adapt to their needs in terms of usage, tactical operations or business imperatives, including digitalisation or operations or global sustainability. It is our duties to make sure we provide the most innovative solutions while maintaining and evolving their existing networks, to allow a smooth evolution with zero disturbance to their daily operations. We are extremely proud to provide our networks to a large part of the region, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which are regularly ranked as the safest cities in the world. The whole regional team take a deep pride in being part of such a success.

Do you plan to run online engagements such as webinars and offline engagements such as tech talks, demos, keynotes, and so on, alongside CCW 2024?
Absolutely, we will participate directly in no less than 12 keynotes, presentations and panels, some of them together with our customers. This in addition to 10 other sessions presented by our customers from around the world. We will have at our booth 10 live demonstrations and will run in parallel dedicated sessions with some partners.

We will also provide some co-hosted sessions with the host operator Nedaa, which has been using our solutions for some key events lately such as Cop28 or Dubai Expo. We are also happy to host in our Dubai Office the upcoming GCF & TCCA Mission Critical Services Certification Workshop, a key event for the future of MCX. So, as you can see a very busy week to come, and looking forward to it