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Kuwaiti official: Keenness on transforming Kuwait into data center

HUAWEI CEO David Wang hands over Kuwaiti dhow miniature to Chair of Kuwait Communication Authority Salem Al-Uzaina
HUAWEI CEO David Wang hands over Kuwaiti dhow miniature to Chair of Kuwait Communication Authority Salem Al-Uzaina
SHANGHAI, China, Sept 20 (KUNA) -- Salem Al-Uzaina, Board Chairman of Kuwait's Public Authority for Communication and Information Technology, on Friday affirmed keenness on transforming Kuwait into a regional center for preserving and tackling data.
The authority, as part of its future strategy, is seeking to make Kuwait a regional data center, in lin with His Highness the Amir vision 2035, said AL-Uzaina, in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), on sidelines of his chairing of the State of Kuwait's delegation at the "HUAWEI CONNECT 2019, TECH4ALL Summit," themed "How Inclusive Innovation Can Empower the World." The Kuwaiti authority will sign a deal with the Iraqi Ministry of Communication, very soon, to establish "the regional communication passageway," connecting Iraq with Kuwait and the two countries with Europe, he said, adding that the mega enterprise will facilitate data flow from the East to the West.
He has also revealed that the Kuwaiti communication authority is also planning to establish a national data and information center.
Chairman Al-Uzaina confirmed that his participation, along with an accompanying delegation in the "summit" was in response to an invitation from HUAWEI.
Elaborating, Al-Uzaina said that he held talks, during his visit to Shanghai, with HUAWEI's executives, discussed issues related to research, development and applications in the electronic field in Kuwait.
The talks had also dealt with the "regional corridor" for communications,, which will be in tandem with China's "silk road" enterprise, Al-Uzaina said, also quoting Chinese officials as praising the Kuwaiti communication and technological sectors, namely the recent launch of 5G digital service, where Kuwait became the second to introduce the ultra-speed service globally after South Korea.
The discussions with the conglomerate executives also addressed prospects of overhauling the Kuwaiti digital infrastructure.
The Kuwaiti authority, in 2018, inked a memorandum of understanding with Huawei, whereby the Chinese giant will help Kuwait in launching smart cities, contributing with know-how in the sectors of smart infrastructures, equipment security, virtual networks, digital transformation for various industries and centralization of cities' management.
The memo was signed during a State visit paid by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the Chinese capital Beijing in July 2018.
Al-Uzaina is partaking in the current "summit" along with board members of the authority; Walid Al-Gallaf, Saud Al-Zaid, Ahmad Ibrahim, in addition to the General Consul of the State of Kuwait in Shanghai. Meshaal Al-Shemali. (end) mab.rk