More than 600 people from around the world attended the annual IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC16), held in Doha recently under the patronage of Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti.
Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University co-hosted the conference, which was sponsored by Ooredoo, National Instruments, Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and the US Office of Naval Research Global.
High-level representatives from each of the organising universities and sponsoring companies attended the conference.
Ooredoo Qatar CEO Waleed al-Sayed, who delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony, used the event to outline the company’s vision to become the leading integrated ICT provider in Qatar and its ongoing work to prepare for cutting-edge services like 5G in the country.
“Being a part of events like this gives Ooredoo the chance to open a dialogue about the future of Qatar’s communications with international experts,” he said.
This is the first time the conference has been held in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The IEEE WCNC brings together industry professionals, academics and individuals from government agencies and other institutions to exchange information and ideas on the advancement of wireless communications and networking technologies.
Dr Mohamed Yousef al-Mulla, MD and CEO of Qapco, said: “This event served as a valuable platform to advance the development of technology in Qatar and has contributed to driving growth and innovation in our industry.”
The conference featured a comprehensive technical programme offering numerous technical sessions with papers showcasing the latest technologies, applications and services. In addition, the conference programme included workshops, tutorials, keynote talks from industrial leaders and renowned academics, panel discussions, an exhibition, and business and industrial forums.
Dr Abdulnasser al-Ansari, deputy executive director of QNRF, said: “With its inclusion of key industry and academic players, WCNC 2016 provided a great platform for collaboration and networking, which is essential to nurturing Qatar’s research environment through knowledge and technological transfer.”
Dr Munir Tag, director of ICT at QNRF, highlighted that WCNC 2016 addressed key challenges in present and future wireless communications and networks where the penetration of mobile broadband services and applications was expected to soar in the coming years.
About 550 technical papers were presented at the conference, delivered by speakers from more than 30 countries.
Dr Ali Ghrayeb, executive chair of the conference and professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Programme at Tamuq, said: “We made sure that the conference technical and social programmes were of high quality so that our guests would have a memorable experience.”