Direct Int’l Communication Traffic via stc Network Increases by 81% During Hajj

stc Group said that it worked this year to increase the capacity of the data network. SPA
stc Group said that it worked this year to increase the capacity of the data network. SPA
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Direct Int’l Communication Traffic via stc Network Increases by 81% During Hajj

stc Group said that it worked this year to increase the capacity of the data network. SPA
stc Group said that it worked this year to increase the capacity of the data network. SPA

stc Group announced Monday that direct international communication traffic during this Hajj season increased by 81% from last year.
The use of social media applications increased by 65%, according to the group, with Snapchat, WhatsApp and Facebook taking the lead. These social media applications enhance the pilgrims’ digital experience and facilitates their connection with their families.
stc Group said that it worked this year to increase the capacity of the data network through partnerships with prominent global service providers such as BICs, Syniverse, and Orange to increase the speed and quality of communication.

The company also strengthened its network by spreading more than 1,900 Wi-Fi points to enhance communication between pilgrims and their families.

stc Group had in place a comprehensive plan for the Hajj season that included major improvements to infrastructure, and modern digital services to pilgrims, such as augmented reality (AR) glasses supported by AI and connected to 5G network, which provide pilgrims with information in several languages, and smooth moving from one place to another through interaction with AI applications.
It also enables them to locate their companions, and get information about the holy sites using voice commands.

The group provides a service that enables pilgrims to communicate with their families through cabins that support high-resolution and high-speed video calls, available to everyone.



Google, Volkswagen Partner on Smartphone AI Assistant

People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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Google, Volkswagen Partner on Smartphone AI Assistant

People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)

Alphabet’s Google is providing key capabilities for an artificial intelligence assistant for Volkswagen drivers in a smartphone app, part of Google's strategy to win business by offering tools to build enterprise AI applications.

Consumers can ask Volkswagen's in-app assistant questions like "How do I change a flat tire?" or point their phone cameras at vehicle dashboards to receive relevant information.

The AI assistant draws on Google's Gemini large language models, programs that can understand and generate predictive responses to human language, and cloud computing capacity. The VW tool was designed by adding data such as Volkswagen owner’s manuals and YouTube videos on vehicle maintenance to Gemini.

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian told Reuters that the product required overcoming technical hurdles to multimodality, the ability to process different data types such as text, images and videos.

"The problem looks superficially simple, but it’s technically very complex," Kurian said. "Most people think what we built is a speech-to-text translation system that then looks up a manual. Absolutely not."

The AI assistant is free and available to about 120,000 owners of Volkswagen’s Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport models. It will roll out by early next year to other cars from model year 2020 and later.

Corporate adoption of generative AI could alter the lucrative cloud computing market, where Google places third in terms of market share behind Amazon and Microsoft . Most companies are still searching for applications that users will find practical.

Cloud computing is a growing business segment for Google, accounting for $33 billion of the firm's $307 billion in overall revenue in 2023.

AI solutions have driven billions in revenue this year, the company has said, though it declined to disclose more precise figures.

Volkswagen declined to give details about usage for its AI assistant so far.