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Largest Huawei Store Outside of China to Be Opened in Riyadh

Huawei signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Kaden Investment to establish a flagship store in Riyadh.
Huawei signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Kaden Investment to establish a flagship store in Riyadh.
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Largest Huawei Store Outside of China to Be Opened in Riyadh

Huawei signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Kaden Investment to establish a flagship store in Riyadh.
Huawei signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Kaden Investment to establish a flagship store in Riyadh.

The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) announced that Huawei signed a contract with Saudi Arabia’s Kaden Investment to establish a flagship store in Riyadh, the largest such store outside China.

On its Twitter page, the ministry said: “The agreement, facilitated by #MISA, is the latest addition in our long-lasting business relationship with Huawei that dates back to 2002, since Huawei realized the potential of our growing telecommunications sector.”

Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih tweeted: “These achievements are the result of the continuous collaboration between the Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to attract, enable, and support ICT Investments.”

The communication and information technology sector in the Kingdom has witnessed considerable prosperity as the government prioritizes digitization of services and sectors and the transformation to a paperless community.

The Kingdom has doubled the public and private sectors' investment in the infrastructure of communication and IT, exceeding USD15 billion in the past years. This contributed to the availability of mobile telecommunication services by 131.1 percent among residents.

The Internet usage rate reached 95.7 percent by the end of 2019, according to the latest official statistics. Saudi Arabia has connected 3.5 million households to ultra-fast Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband networks.

Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) had previously signed three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with global telecommunications firms Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei.

The MoUs would support and strengthen the commission’s objectives of enabling the Kingdom’s digital transformation. They also include holding training courses for CITC’s employees.

In November, Saudi Arabia launched an initiative to found the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) aimed at strengthening cooperation and accelerating the development of the digital economy.

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Dubai Forum Highlights 7 Key Developments the World Will Witness in the Future

Participants attend the opening session of the Dubai Future Forum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Participants attend the opening session of the Dubai Future Forum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Dubai Forum Highlights 7 Key Developments the World Will Witness in the Future

Participants attend the opening session of the Dubai Future Forum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Participants attend the opening session of the Dubai Future Forum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Participants at the Dubai Future Forum 2024 identified seven transformative developments that will reshape humanity’s future: the shift in evaluating growth, the dominance of solar energy, a return to the moon, the creation of a genomic bank, brain-computer implants for healthy individuals, the rise of alternative education, and AI’s integration into corporate boardrooms.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, emphasized the need to plan for the future and seize emerging opportunities.

In his keynote, he called for leveraging innovation, policy, and technology to enhance quality of life and foster global collaboration, reflecting the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Belhoul questioned the continued reliance on GDP as a measure of national progress, noting its inability to account for well-being and environmental impact. He welcomed the UN’s ongoing revision of its framework to incorporate these dimensions, signaling a major shift in evaluating growth.

On renewable energy, Belhoul pointed to solar power’s vast potential, stressing that global solar capacity, which stood at 220 gigawatts in 2022, is expected to double by 2025. In this context, he underlined the importance of natural resources in advancing sustainability and energy security.

Humanity is also set to return to the moon, with NASA planning a lunar mission after a 50-year hiatus. Belhoul expressed optimism about the new knowledge this mission could yield given recent technological advancements.

Moreover, the establishment of a genomic bank with over one million samples is expected next year, paving the way for personalized healthcare and disease prevention. While he hailed this as a scientific milestone, Belhoul urged caution over its ethical aspects.

In education, he stressed that a shift toward personalized learning is evident, with five million students projected to study outside traditional schools by next year. This reflects the growing role of technology in tailoring education to individual needs, he said.

Belhoul also discussed brain-computer implants, predicting that the first implant in a healthy person could happen within a year, raising profound questions about humanity’s relationship with technology. Additionally, he foresaw the appointment of the first AI-powered board member at a Fortune 500 company, sparking debates about AI’s role in leadership.

Belhoul urged policymakers and innovators to address these trends responsibly to ensure that technological advances align with human values and boost global well-being.