A brief about the whole story…
Sinai Peninsula is a precious Egyptian piece of land and the cradle of religions. In addition, it is the destination where you can find mineral wealth and handicrafts, and various aspects of recreational, religious and therapeutic tourism. For these reasons, Sinai receives great attention from the Egyptian government, the private sector, and development institutions, as they are all conversant about its strategic prominence to Egypt.
During the last period, with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the social interaction decreased, hence the reliance on digital transformation, in most vital services and facilities, had to prevail and increase. Thus, it was very important to ensure that there is communication between the different categories of the Sinai people and the entire world.
As a result, Huawei and Telecom Egypt took it upon themselves to partake in providing a connected smart world for the people of North Sinai, and here is the vital role played by them.
With the Egyptian government’s interest in accelerating the pace of digital transformation, which became a dire need with the outburst of the global pandemic, it was necessary to ensure that the people of North Sinai would still be in constant contact with the rest of the world. This step had to be implemented by preparing the distinctive areas of North Sinai with a technological infrastructure that guarantees the provision of a permanently connected smart world.
Due to the fact that the private sector is a key partner in achieving sustainable development in Egypt, Huawei Technologies Egypt, the world leader in technology solutions, was the main partner in this project, which included the renovation and maintenance of 200 cabins for landlines and internet connections that are owned by Telecom Egypt in North Sinai.
But what about the challenges faced by Huawei and Telecom Egypt during the project?
Let us start recounting the story by stating that Huawei and Telecom Egypt have, in fact, faced a myriad of challenges, namely…
- Training the people of North Sinai to make them help in executing the project, which occurred under harsh conditions due to the weather and the spread of Covid-19.
- The project’s implementation period was another challenge, taking into account that the time needed to find and train human cadres, 30 teams give or take, was less than two months.
- The most difficult task was locating the 200 cabins, since there was no clear map of their locations.
- All of this had to take place with the maintenance work while preserving human power and adhering to the preventive and precautionary measures.
So how did Telecom Egypt and Huawei overcome those challenges and obstacles in order to kick off the implementation of the project?
With the determination and dedication of the teams of the two companies, in addition to their close co-operation with the people of North Sinai who were trained, these challenges were overcome because the team members believed in the benefit of the project. Therefore, by the end of the two months, the teams were able to showcase magnificent results and proffer spectacular outcomes.
In conjunction with the training of the human cadres, work was done to locate the telecommunications cabins in co-operation with both the employees and the people, as it was found that these cabins are in a very bad condition, for they have not been subjected to any preventive maintenance since their installation.
Nevertheless, the importance of this project, the responsibility and the desire for excellence, and the motive for hard work, smoothly prompted the momentum of the implementation process. Therefore, the cabins were successfully maintained, on the determined date, with the best international quality standards.
Lastly, constructive co-operation creates positive results…
This project epitomises the significance of co-operation between the different sectors to achieve the desired results pertinent to providing employment opportunities, training human cadres that can be used in the future, developing the technological infrastructure with Egyptian hands and arms, and finally deepening the sense of responsibility towards the Sinai people and their participation in the maintenance work, in addition to many other positive repercussions that must be circulated in other Egyptian governorates.
On the other hand, the people of North Sinai celebrated the maintenance of the previously mentioned 200 cabins, located on their land, and which will finally allow them to communicate with their families who reside in other areas of Egypt.
The biggest award for Telecom Egypt and Huawei Technologies came in the form of appreciation that the people of North Sinai hold for them because of their diligence and relentless efforts that turned Sinai into a less remote place, and enabled its residents to communicate with the rest of the world, the thing that, in turn, increased their sense of belonging and safety.
