Sheikh Saud and Dedicaot shake hands after concluding the MoU for the tie-up between Ooredoo and Cisco.
Ooredoo and Cisco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strategically collaborate to deliver ‘smart city’, ‘cloud’ and ‘managed services’ technology solutions for enterprises across Qatar.
The agreement will see the two companies build upon their existing strong relationship by expanding into areas that will deliver a higher level of support, service and delivery for businesses.
As part of the MoU, Ooredoo will also be offered the opportunity to enrol for Cisco Resale Channel Programme Certification, the framework that broadens a partner’s “wide skills” across multiple technologies, and “deep skills” within a specific technology area, and Cisco Cloud Program Certification within the next year.
The “smart city” concept is central to the long-term development vision of the Qatar National Vision 2030, where information technology (IT) is at the heart of new projects to enable a smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, and a smart governance.
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, there is also strong demand for smart city technology solutions.
The MoU was signed by Sheikh Saud bin Nasser al-Thani, Ooredoo Qatar CEO and Chris Dedicaot, Cisco president (Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia).
Sheikh Saud said, “This strategic framework brings us closer to the world leader in IT, and guarantees our customers that they will benefit from the highest levels of service, and access to the latest innovations. Businesses in Qatar are rapidly modernising, and looking to deploy the latest and the best solutions. We believe this new strategic framework will deliver a step-change in the range of services and solutions available.”
Mike Weston, Cisco vice president, (Middle East) said, “We are entering the era of the ‘Internet of Everything’ in which all people, processes, data and things will be connected. The Internet is already benefiting individuals and businesses in Qatar by allowing for economic growth through electronic commerce, and accelerating business innovation by enabling greater collaboration. Our strategic relationship with Ooredoo will help to further accelerate development and change as we continue to witness the growth of mobile Internet-connectivity throughout the region.”
