Azerconnect is recognized as a Top Employer of Azerbaijan

Azerconnect was awarded a certificate of Top Employer 2023 in Azerbaijan by the Top Employer Institute.

This prestigious award by the Top Employer Institute proves the company's strong commitment to the business world, as well as the excellence of the company's human resources policies and practices.

Azerconnect was evaluated by the Top Employer Institute in the field of human resources in 6 categories consisting of 20 topics, including business and human strategy, work environment, talent attraction, learning, diversity, equality and inclusion, well-being, and more.

“We managed to achieve considerable success in our business activities and brought a number of innovations in our country, mainly through the application of the latest innovations in human capital management. I am pleased that the efforts we have made to make our company a better workplace have been evaluated by the Top Employer Institute and we have been awarded a prestigious award", said Emil Masimov, Chief Executive Officer of Azerconnect.

"At Azerconnect, we follow the best practices applying high standards in the field of Human Resources and providing decent working conditions for our employees. Therefore, we strive to contribute to the continuous development of our employees with flexible working conditions, professional development, career opportunities, inclusive work environment, leadership, and other programs. We are proud to be recognized as the best employer in Azerbaijan by the Top Employer Institute. This certificate is proof that our activity is based on the best international practices", stated Matanat Babayeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Azerconnect.

“Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organizations. And we have witnessed this in our Top Employers Certification Programme this year. With its excellent HR strategy, policy, and practices Azerconnect company proves its commitment for the building of a better work place for employees and demonstrates that the company prioritizes the development and well-being of people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work. We are proud to announce and celebrate this year’s group of leading people-oriented employers", noted David Plink, Chief Executive Officer of the Top Employer Institute.

Top Employers Institute is the global authority on recognising excellence in People Practices, helping accelerate these practices to enrich the world of work. Through the Top Employers Institute Certification Programme, participating companies can be validated, certified, and recognized as an employer of choice. Established over 30 years ago, Top Employers Institute has certified 2 053 organizations in 121 countries/regions. These certified Top Employers positively impact the lives of over 9.5 million employees globally.

Azerconnect is the country's first B2B (Business to Business) company that provides various services in the dynamically developing ICT and high-tech fields.

Azerconnect is part of NEQSOL Holding international group of companies.

Azerconnect supports Turkey donating 5 million Turkish Liras

Azerconnect company donated 5 million Turkish liras to support the victims of the earthquake in Turkey.

The support was given to the Agency for Natural Disasters and Emergency Situations (AFAD) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkey.

We wish mercy to those who lost their lives in the terrible earthquake, extend condolences to their relatives, and recovery to those who were injured. We believe that Turkey will eliminate the consequences of this tragedy very soon!

Azerconnect is the country's first B2B (Business to Business) company that provides various services in the dynamically developing ICT and high-tech fields.

Azerconnect is part of NEQSOL Holding international group of companies.

Azerconnect and AzerTelecom management meets with students

The management team of Azerconnect and AzerTelecom companies had a meeting with students studying at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University under the title “Your Future is in Your Hands”.

The event organized in cooperation with the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University was attended by students majoring in information technologies.

The meeting between students and management of companies was aimed to exchange ideas with students, discuss the future of the telco sector in our country and modern trends in the field of ICT, draw attention to the available work and internship opportunities for students at Azerconnect and AzerTelecom, and establish direct communication between the companies' management and students.

Matanat Babayeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Azerconnect, Parviz Ismayilov, Director of Information Technologies of Azerconnect, and Ana Nakashidze, Chief Executive Officer at AzerTelecom, took part in the event. The speakers talked about the future professions in the field of ICT, future development of the IT and telecommunication sector, the Internet of today and the future, and answered a variety of questions of the students. The event was moderated by Rasim Abdullayev, Rector's Advisor on Information Technologies and Innovations at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University.

Azerconnect company is the first B2B (Business to Business) company that provides various services in the dynamically developing information, communication and high technologies field of the country. AzerTelecom is the leading wholesale telecommunication operator in Azerbaijan. Azerconnect and AzerTelecom companies are the part of NEQSOL Holding international group of companies operating in various fields and countries.

Azerconnect’s management meets with ADA University students

The management team of Azerconnect had a meeting with students of ADA University. The meeting aimed to establish direct communication between the students and the managing staff of the company, inform the students about the opportunities offered by the company, listen to their ideas and suggestions, and discuss future career development in the field of ICT.

The speakers provided detailed information about the future of the telco industry, modern trends in ICT, job and internship opportunities for students at Azerconnect, one of the largest employers in this sphere, as well as the involvement of young women in the field of information technologies and career opportunities for them.

"Sustainable development of human resources, and attraction of young talents to our company is one of the focus areas of our activity. In this regard, we are interested in mutual cooperation with various Universities in our country. In the era of rapid digitization, we are implementing various projects to attract young women to the field of ICT, and we are forming a sustainable work environment in our company that leads to gender equality, inclusion and organizational development," said Matanat Babayeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Azerconnect.

The event was also attended by Parviz Ismayilov, Director of Information Technologies (IT), Anar Abdullayev, Head of IT Demand and Quality Management Department, Kamala Adilova, Head of IT Business Delivery Unit at Azerconnect, as well as Ana Nakashidze, Chief Executive Officer of AzerTelecom, who discussed a range of topics with students and answered their questions.

Azerconnect is the first B2B (Business to Business) company that provides various services in the dynamically developing field of information, communication and high technologies in the country. The company is part of NEQSOL Holding international group of companies operating in various fields and countries.

Azerconnect representatives met with a group of students at ADA University

On October 17, Azerconnect company representatives met with a group of young female students studying at the ADA University. Tarana Aslanova, Head of the Career Service at ADA University, Matanat Babayeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Azerconnect, Elnara Majidova, Head of Employee Transformation and Programs, Renata Yusubova, Head of IT Customer and Enterprise Management Platforms, and Alimardan Sultanov, Head of the Corporate Communication Unit, took part in the meeting held in the focus group format.

The purpose of the meeting was to get the thoughts and suggestions of young female students studying in the ICT field, to discuss their future career development path, and to bring to the students' attention the job and internship opportunities within the company. During the meeting, a range of questions from the students was answered by the company representatives.

A group of students studying mathematics, information technologies, and computer sciences at ADA University took part in the meeting.

Azerconnect Chooses Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications for Back-office Transformation

Azerconnect, a leader in the field of IT services, communication, and high technologies in the Republic of Azerbaijan, has selected Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications for financial management and human capital management. Thus, Azerconnect became the first telecom company in the CIS region that successfully implemented Oracle services in the company’s operation.

Implementing Oracle Fusion services, the company was aiming for the unification and standardization of business processes, improvement of control and compliance processes, optimization of the back office, and acceleration of efficiency growth.

Azerconnect has deployed Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM). With the new solutions, Azerconnect can automate day-to-day and routine operations, such as preparing reports, analyzing data, closing periods, preparing and disclosing reports, hiring and training employees, managing their effectiveness, assessment, and motivation. As a result, the company employees can now devote more time to solving strategic business problems.

“Transformation of back-office functions is becoming a trend for large telecom companies all over the world. Azerconnect has been consistently implementing an ambitious program aimed at the digitalization of its business in order to provide customers with even more convenient and modern services. Thanks to the cloud solution, from now on, all possible updates and changes to services will occur much faster, and our company will gain quick access to innovation, knowledge, and collective experience,” – said Emil Masimov, Chief Executive Officer of Azerconnect.

“We have implemented this ambitious transformation project in less than a year – with the integration of Oracle Cloud ERP and launch of Oracle Cloud HCM. As a result, HR and Finance functions can operate more efficiently, and our employees are now able to focus their expertise on analysis and driving our business forward. The changes made it possible for the employees of the departments to do their work easier and more efficiently, to focus on analysis, financial and HR expertise,” – commented Orkhan Najafov, Chief Financial Officer of Azerconnect.

“Implementation of cloud services such as Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM has significantly increased the efficiency of Azerconnect's IT, Finance, Procurement, and HR departments. As a result, HR and Finance systems are connected on a secure, single data platform, and Azerconnect can benefit from the latest, automatic updates on a regular basis””, noted Waleed Abdel Hamid, Vice President on Applications-Mid Market, ECEMEA (Eastern and Central Europe, Middle-East and Africa) at Oracle.

About Azerconnect:

Azerconnect is the first B2B company operating in the dynamically developing ICT and high technologies sectors in the country. The company is part of NEQSOL Holding - international group of companies,  which operates in eight countries in the fields of energy, telecommunications, high technology and construction.

About Oracle:

Oracle offers suites of integrated applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.

Azerconnect's Chief Technology and Information Officer spoke at the "Trends in the 4h Industrial Revolution" event

An event on "Trends in the 4h Industrial Revolution" dedicated to the official opening ceremony of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network Center of the World Economic Forum In Azerbaijan was held on February 23.

As part of the event, Ozgur Genc, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Azerconnect company spoke at a panel session on "Network access and communications of Internet of Things (IoT) devices ".

The panel session was moderated by Suheyla Jafarova, Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications of Bakcell LLC.

In his speech, Ozgur Genc gave detailed information on the benefits of the Internet of Things for industry and business using these technologies in enterprises activities. He spoke about the contribution of the connectivity services to the formation of the Internet of Things (IoT). Ozgur Genc shared his opinion on cooperation of GSM companies with customers representing the business sector in the application of the Internet of Things.

The panel discussion highlighted the such topics as measures envisaged in Azerbaijan in the field of the Internet of Things and the application of Turkish experience in the local market. The speakers have also answered the questions that interested the audience.

Representatives of government agencies, World Economic Forum, science and education entities, large private sector companies and experts have also attended the event.

Azerconnect is the first B2B (Business-to-Business) company operating in the dynamically developing information, communication and high technologies sectors in the country. Launched in 2013, the Company provides a wide range of ICT services in line with international standards. Azerconnect is part of NEQSOL Holding, an international group of companies with business areas covering energy, telecommunications, high-tech, and construction industries in the UK, the USA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and more.

Azerconnect receives "HR Awards 2022" award for Best Flexible Working Strategy

Azerconnect, the first B2B (Business-to-Business) company operating in the dynamically developing ICT and high technologies sectors of the country, was honored with “HR Awards 2022” at Baku International HR Forum.

Held for the first time in Azerbaijan on January 28, under the organization of Azerbaijan Human Resources Institute, Baku International HR Forum brought together well-known local and foreign experts and the professional representatives of the public and private sectors in the field of human resources.

Within the framework of the forum, Matanat Babayeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Azerconnect delivered a keynote speech at the plenary session “Future Innovations”. She spoke about the strategy implemented in the field of human resource management, especially HR data processing, use, and proper management by Azerconnect, one of the largest employers in the country's ICT sector.

"Data analysis - opens up great opportunities for us, allowing companies in the telecommunications sector to be more flexible against employees, customers, and society, and to create demand-responsive products and services. In the era of digital transformation, we are analyzing data in HR, trying to turn it into value-added in the development of the company and employees to build a more successful business model by applying innovative technological solutions. During the breakout of COVID-19, by the effective data analysis, we switched to a hybrid work model in a very short period, implementing the “FLEXcellence” program, which allowed us to optimize our activities during the pandemic," said Matanat Babayeva.

At the “HR Awards 2022” ceremony, which was held in Azerbaijan for the first time within the forum, Azerconnect was awarded in the nomination of the “Best Flexible Working Strategy”. In this nomination, the company introduced the “FLEXcellence" program, an innovative, flexible work strategy that provides effective remote work regime management for large teams for the first time in our country.  The program allowed the company to optimize its activities with the application of innovative solutions in line with successful international experience, apply a hybrid work model (both remote and office) and provide safer working conditions in the new normalities created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Azerconnect is the first B2B (Business-to-Business) company operating in the dynamically developing information, communication and high technologies sectors in the country. Launched in 2013, the Company provides a wide range of ICT services in line with international standards. Azerconnect is part of NEQSOL Holding, an international group of companies with business areas covering energy, telecommunications, high-tech, and construction industries in the UK, the USA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and more.

State Employment Agency and Azerconnect Company sign a Memorandum of Understanding

A Memorandum of Understanding was concluded between the State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and Azerconnect Company, one of the largest employers in the ICT market.

The document was signed by Mustafa Abbasbayli, Chairman of the Board of the State Employment Agency, and Emil Masimov, General Director of Azerconnect.

Under the memorandum, the parties will cooperate on the areas of the activities of the Agency and the projects of mutual interest. The Agency will partner with Azerconnect on the provision of vocational guidance, vocational training, enhancement of knowledge, and skills of unemployed and job seekers in accordance with the requirements of the labor market.

The document envisages the preparation of proposals for the development of corporate social relations, Azerconnect's support for the employment of family members of martyrs and veterans of the Patriotic War within the “Employment Marathon”, and the implementation of relevant activities, joint innovative projects, events, forums.

The memorandum also includes the implementation of various incentives, including the implementation of programs and projects by the Agency to boost the interest in additional job openings and the creation of social enterprises for the people with special needs for social protection and difficulties in finding jobs. Besides, it envisions further assistance by Azerconnect to support and develop the activities of those involved in active employment programs, provide internship opportunities in the company, and assistance in providing relevant jobs to those engaged in vocational training.

State Agency on Vocational Education and Azerconnect Company sign Memorandum of Understanding

The State Agency on Vocational Education and Azerconnect Company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the workforce development in compliance with the demands of the labor market. The memorandum envisages joint cooperation in the study of staffing needs, organization of trainings in agreed specified areas and development of curricula.

 “Attracting employers into the system of vocational education and training is one of our strategic goals. Vocational education institutions always take interest in cooperating with employers at various levels to develop personnel in response to the needs of the labor market. Joint cooperation in this direction will help these institutions to train personnel with hands-on experience”, noted Valeh Mirzaliyev, Director of the State Agency on Vocational Education.

 “As one of the largest employers in the field of ICT, we always focus on studying different opportunities of the local labor market and involving professional staff to our company. We believe that our relations with the State Agency on Vocational Education in a public-private partnership format will contribute to the employment of our citizens with a vocational education background in the ICT sector and further strengthen the potential of the local labor market”, said Emil Masimov, General Director of  Azerconnect.

It is worth noting that trainings on "Front office / sales representative", "IPTV installation specialist" and "Contact Center Operator" have already started within the framework of the cooperation. The trainings are taught using traditional or hybrid formats (face-to-face or online) by relevant professionals. Along with theoretical knowledge, special attention is paid to the formation of practical skills.

In the light of the changing needs of the labor market, a number of new trainings will be conducted during the year. Moreover, vocational education institutions intend to continue similar training sessions over a long-term horizon.

Azerconnect employees participated at “Data Analytics for Telecom” webinar

Azerconnect employees participated in the webinar on business analytics and data management in telecommunications, held as part of the “Business Analytical Transformation Conference 2021”.

Shola İsmiyeva, Head of Treasury and Credit Control Department, and Jamil Neymatov, Senior Business Intelligence Developer at Azerconnect LLC, took part as a speaker in the webinar titled “Data Analytics for Telecom” organized by the “RBC Group”, which operates in the CIS countries and provides the services on business and interactive analytics, IT consulting, data integration management, etc.

Jamil Neymatov made a presentation on the “Digital transformation of Azerconnect, tasks for the BI platform”, and Shola Ismiyeva on “Customer base analysis, Account Receivable” themes.

In his speech, Jamil Neymatov spoke about the digital transformation processes in Azerconnect, presented detailed information about the services and solutions provided by the company. In addition, he highlighted the issues of Big Data, Streaming, Project Life Circle, etc., in the operation of Azerconnect.

Shola Ismiyeva touched upon the issue of financial data management. During her speech, she spoke about the problems encountered during collecting and analyzing data on customer debt, explained the analytical applications, and noted practical examples.

The webinar was attended by representatives of well-known telecommunications companies from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Azerconnect joins American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan

Azerconnect, the first B2B company in the constantly developing information and communication technologies field in our country was admitted to a regular membership of the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AMCHAM).

It should be noted that the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan is a leading private, non-profit business association supporting and promoting the interests of foreign and local businesses in Azerbaijan. The association is a reputable business platform, which brings together the companies operating in different fields, facilitates useful exchange of opinions, provides the best networking opportunities amongst its members. Azerconnect will render its support to cooperation within this organization.

About AMCHAM: Established in 1996, the organization is composed of over 260 Regular and Associate member companies active in every sector of the Azerbaijani economy. The mission of the Chamber of Commerce is to promote the business interests of member companies by providing high-quality services to them as well as by working on the improvement of the business climate in Azerbaijan. Through its 9 industry sector committees, member companies are able to share information, raise issues of common concern and propose possible solutions.

About Azerconnect: Azerconnect LLC is the first B2B (Business-to-business) company in the rapidly growing information, communication and hi-tech (high technology) fields in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The company was founded in 2013 and provides different services to corporate customers in the ICT market in accordance to international standards.

For the first time in Azerbaijan, the “FLEXcellence” program for large staff’s remote work launched

For the first time in Azerbaijan, Azerconnect, a company operating in the realms of information, communication, and high technologies, has launched an innovative program, “FLEXcellence,” that provides effective remote work regime management for large teams. The name of the program has been derived from the English phrase “Flexible Excellence.” Azerconnect offers the opportunities created by this program both to its employees and employees of the organizations it serves.

Opportunities created by the program for managing workplace and working time provide employees with an option to work remotely without any negative impact on the productivity of specific work activity. In turn, this allows the company to optimize its activities by applying innovative solutions in line with successful international experience and provide safer working conditions in the new normality created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matanat Babayeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Azerconnect, said the program represents a different approach to the traditional concepts of the workplace and working time. “Based on the introduced hybrid work model, each employee can reserve a desk in the company’s administrative offices using a special program and work from the office on certain days of the week with the prior consent of the immediate supervisor. The introduction of the hybrid model allows our employees to work remotely as well as ensures support for teamwork and socialization among them. Along with the creation of a more flexible work environment, the application of this model will also pave the way for the formation of a new corporate culture,” said Matanat Babayeva.

Speaking about the success of the project, Chief Executive Officer Emil Masimov noted that as a company operating in the ICT sector, Azerconnect is eager to benefit from the most modern technologies while introducing flexible management mechanisms. “The “FLEXcellence” program has become possible thanks to such modern technical solutions. This change that we have handled with care was successfully tested amid the needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary results allow to say that the program both contributes to effective management and to the well-being of staff and the life-work balance,” said Emil Masimov.

Azerconnect is the first B2B (Business-to-Business) company operating in the dynamically developing ICT and high technologies sectors in the country. Launched in 2013, the company provides a wide range of ICT services in line with international standards.

Azerconnect is part of NEQSOL Holding, an international group of companies with business areas covering energy, telecommunications, high-tech, and construction industries in the UK, the USA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and more.

Azerconnect became a member of the Caspian Energy Club

Azerconnect, the first B2B company in the constantly developing information and communication technologies field in our country was admitted to membership of the “Caspian Energy Club” with a Gold status. Caspian Energy Club is a regional organization operating in the Caspian-Black Sea and Baltic region countries.

It should be noted that Caspian Energy Club is an influential business platform that unites companies operating in the most diverse fields in the Caspian-Black Sea and Baltic region countries and constantly exchanges useful views. Azerconnect will render its support to cooperation within this organization.

“We are pleased to see Azerconnect, one of the largest companies in the ICT sector of our country, in the ranks of our organization. We believe that our mutually beneficial cooperation will contribute to the development of both our organization and the company” - Chairman and CEO of the Caspian Energy, Club Telman Aliyev noted.

About Caspian Energy Club: Caspian European Club (along with the official name, is also known as Caspian Business Club, Caspian European Club and CEIBC in many countries) that unites more than 5 thousand companies and organizations from 50 countries in its ranks was established in June, 2002. Among the main goals of the organization are lobbying for services and goods of member companies in the Caspian-Black Sea and Baltic region and beyond, promotion of projects that help create a favorable investment and business environment, lobbying for the digital economy, innovation and the application of environmentally friendly technologies in all sectors of the economy, as well as creating a dialogue among representatives of small and medium businesses and large businesses.

About Azerconnect: “Azerconnect” LLC is the first B2B (Business-to-business) company in the rapidly growing information and communication technologies and hi-tech (high technology) fields in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The company was founded in 2013 and provides different services to corporate customers in the ICT market in accordance to international standards.

The meeting was held with Azerconnect employees, participated in the Patriotic War

The meeting was held with 16 Azerconnect employees who participated in the Patriotic War, which lasted 44 days.

Emil Masimov, Azerconnect Chief Executive Officer, thanked the war participant employees for their courage and heroism in his speech. Emil Masimov also noted that our lands had been released from the Armenian occupation, and 30 years of longing was ended as the result of the military operations, which ended with the great victory of Azerbaijan, under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev.

He especially emphasized that Azerconnect employees joined the military operations from the first days, got medals for demonstration of bravery and courage, and expressed the company staff's proudness.

The Patriotic War participants gave information about their military operations journey and thanked for the care and attention.

At the end of the event, the Patriotic War participants received Letters of Appreciation and Honorary Decrees.

“Azerconnect” LLC is the first B2B (Business-to-business) company in the Republic of Azerbaijan that provides various services in the rapidly growing information and communication technologies and hi-tech (high technology) fields. The Company was founded in 2013 and provides a wide range of services to the corporate customers in the ICT market in line with international standards.

10 Tbps peak traffic recorded in Frankfurt

German internet exchange operator De-Cix said it has reached a peak traffic of 10 Tbps at its facility in Frankfurt.

Accoding to "Telecompaper", De-Cix said it has not been able to identify the cause of the peak, adding that it could have been a combination of the Champions League, the US elections, software upgrades, and the start of Germany's second lockdown.

De-Cix initially forecast a peak of 9 Tbps towards the end of the year, from 8.3 Tbps in February.

Traffic peaks have been recorded not only at the facility in Frankfurt, but also at other De-Cix internet exchanges such as New York and Madrid.

Changes in global average internet speed

Average broadband speeds during the lockdown dropped by an average of 6.31 percent globally, according to Betanews.

There were more pronounced drops in some regions, particularly Central America (26%), Northern Africa (18%), Asia excluding Near East (16%), South America (16%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (14%). Individual countries whose average internet speeds dropped the most during their lockdown periods were China (51%), Panama (49%), Madagascar (38%), Chile (37%) and Peru (37%).

Western Europe is among the regions with the smallest average drop in measured speeds, with a regional drop of 4% during lockdown periods compared to time outside of lockdowns. There were still big differences between countries though, the UK experienced a relatively insignificant drop of 1.7 percent during its own lockdown period. However, Finland (25%), Netherlands (13%), Austria (10%), Italy (10%) and Norway (7%) experienced significant drops in the average speed recorded.

General situation in telecommunications sector

What is the current situation in the general telecommunications sector? For answering this question, “Research and Markets” has studied the telecommunications market. It is noted that the sector has seen a huge increase in demand during the COVID-19 crisis. With lockdown measures keeping people in their homes, digital infrastructure became increasingly essential as people began to move their lives online. The increase in the numbers of people working, learning and socializing from home has led to a change in customer attitudes with more customers valuing reliability of their connection over speed. Analysts predict that customers will continue to prioritize reliability post COVID-19 and telecoms operators may look to make improvements to network resilience in order to meet their expectations.

“PR Newswire” announces that telecoms operators were quick to make adjustments for customers facing financial difficulties during the pandemic and this influenced positive customer opinions. As well as an increased focus on reliability, telecom operators may consider incorporating increased flexibility into their plans such as the ability to easily upgrade or downgrade services as needed.

Secure and contact-free payments via WhatsApp

Social media giant Facebook has extended its partnership with Mastercard and made its first steps towards the digital payment environment with its WhatsApp messaging platform in Brazil. As social distancing measures propel consumers to seek alternative, touch-free payment methods, Brazilian consumers can now use WhatsApp to transfer money and make and receive payments seamlessly, securely and in a contact-free way.

“We’re making sending and receiving money as easy as sharing photos. We’re also enabling small businesses to make sales right within WhatsApp,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. Telecoms portal suggest that this is a very useful route for the team to take. Firstly, digital payments are becoming increasingly popular in all markets around the world, and secondly, this is a business model which has incredible potential in the regions which lack traditional banking infrastructure. And aside from these supporting trends, WhatsApp already has an engaged userbase with more than 2 billion users, so it is easier and worth to push a new functionality out. 

Obviously, security is a crucial point in any technological innovation. According to PR Newswire, linking preferred credit or debit card within the app is highly secure thanks to the use of Mastercard's state-of-the-art solution. The technology protects cardholder information by replacing the original 16-digit card number with a unique alternative number, which is associated with each WhatsApp user's individual account and not functional elsewhere.

Growing global audio and video editing software market

Global audio and video editing software market has been analyzed by Transparency Market Research in their recent report. PR Newswire announces that the report projects the market to grow exponentially between 2020 and 2030 and to witness a 7% compound annual growth rate.

What stands out is the argument by Transparency Market Research behind the estimation: "During the wake of COVID-19, people are confined to their homes and have limited sources of entertainment. Among few of these hardware and software, one particular source of entertainment is video uploading platforms. These platforms not just help the users to entertain themselves, but also allow them to reach to larger number of audience."
Consequently, there comes a growing trend of digital media platforms to boost the growth of global audio and video editing software market.

It is also worth to mention that North America remained the dominant leader in the global audio and video editing software market in year 2019, primarily due to strong adoption of editing software in the world's largest media and entertainment industry i.e. the U.S. Additionally, in countries like India and China, the number of users using video uploading applications is growing, which in turn increases the power of Asia-Pacific region in the market.

Top grossing applications

Analysts of Sensor Tower company have prepared a list of top grossing non-game applications worldwide for April, 2020. Their revenue estimates are from the App Store and Google Play worldwide and represent gross user spending.  

It turns out that TikTok is the leader of the list with more than USD 78 million in user spending. Approximately 86.6% of TikTok’s revenue was from China, followed by 8.2% from the United States.

YouTube was the second highest earning non-game application worldwide for April, 2020 with close to USD 76 million in gross revenue, which represented 57% year-over-year growth from April, 2019. About 56.4% of YouTube’s revenue was from the U.S., followed by about 11% from Japan. The next top grossing application was Tinder, followed by Disney+ and Tencent Video.

Changes in smartphone market

According to various analytical sources, Telecoms announces that global smartphone production and shipments are following a decreasing trend as major economies shut down, supply chains are disrupted and consumer spending has declined while everyone sits tight and waits to see how things will play out.

Meanwhile, Deloitte's TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) team of analysts has updated its forecasts for 2020 due to current situation. The update includes a cut in the forecast for smartphones as well. 
Telecompaper informs that the consultancy generally issues its annual outlook in December each year and said it had previously never modified its forecasts mid-year. However, the combination of pandemic, lockdowns, work and learn from home, supply chain interruptions, and economic contraction/changes in consumer spending have affected its 2020 Predictions report. 
For the smartphone market, Deloitte previously forecast growth of 5.8% in 2020. However, a 10% global decline for the full year now looks probable, it said. It also cut the forecast for the smartphone multiplier market, which covers things that accompany smartphones, such as apps, ads and accessories, to USD 393 billion from USD 459 billion.

Longer term, it still expects the market for both smartphones and the things that accompany them to return to growth, with the multiplier growing even faster than smartphone sales themselves.

Our colleague talked about 5G on TV.

Why is 5G blamed for accelerating the COVID-19 pandemic? This question has been discussed in “Sabaha Saxlamayaq” program on “İctimai TV”.
 

Conspiracy theories about 5G and COVID-19, which have recently appeared on global agenda, have been agitating the population. In order to end these theories, experts on 5G technology were invited to “İctimai TV”. Our colleague Rashad Hasanli also spoke on the program and gave detailed information about 5G network and its advantages. Additionally, implementation of this technology in various fields, its benefits and security standards were the topics of discussion during the program.

Video conference market is growing.

Considering current situation, PRNewswire looks for answers for the following question: Which market seems to be favorable for future investment? The global video conferencing market is, without a doubt, one of those. Video conference service providers have been recording higher traffic as the majority of the global population is being forced to stay indoors. Microsoft Teams, for instance, reported over 44 million active users each day, in March 2020. This is in comparison to less than 25 million users in November 2019. The global video conferencing market is also seeing a growing number of new entrants who hope to take a piece of the revenue which is currently dominated by major companies such as Microsoft and Cisco, which in turn is further aiding for the growth of the market.     

Global companies deploy video conferencing tools such as Skype for Business for online interviews. Also, highly secure video conferencing tools are now being provided by companies such as Cisco. For instance, Cisco WebEx has embedded AI technology which enables you to take down notes using voice commands. The meetings and transcripts can even be edited and shared with ease. Due to the widespread promotion of remote working culture, the prominence of these tools is ever increasing. Almost 75% of users believe that the tools help in improving workplace productivity in an organization.

With the penetration of the internet, coupled with the advancement in the cloud and AI technology, the global video conferencing market is expected to see considerable growth. And according to Absolute Markets Insights, the Asia-Pacific region is forecasted to show the highest growth regarding the increasing focus on SMEs and startups by the government bodies.

"COVID-19" won't break the networks.

Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has released a statement which suggests the increase in internet usage across the continent is more or less stabilising, though networks did manage to stand up to the strain. Telecoms has posted an article  about it.

It might seem like a ridiculous idea now, but during the first few days there were worries the dramatic shift in behaviour would place dangerous levels of pressure on the fixed and mobile networks. The latest statement from the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) does not appear to be worried any more:

“30 national regulatory authorities (NRAs) have shared their data on the impact of the crisis on the telecommunications’ networks and the actions taken so far. Since the last week, many NRAs reported a stabilisation in the overall traffic, but some NRAs still observe an increase of the overall traffic. According to the available information, some operators have increased their network’s capacity to cope with the sustained traffic growth. Operators, which did not take any such measure, are still closely monitoring their network’s capacity to check if an upgrade is necessary.”

Although the telcos might not have welcomed the stress which came with the dramatic shift in network usage, it is a useful test.

“There have been many bold predictions made about the future in recent weeks,” said Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri. “My hunch is that things will broadly go back to how they were before this crisis began. But trends and technologies that were already happening will speed up. So more remote working and video conferencing will increase the need for better connectivity.”

Remote working and mobility were two trends which were slowly emerging thanks to better connectivity in the digital economy, but coronavirus might have acted as an accelerator. Some companies will go back to the pre-COVID-19 normality, but others will see the benefits of remote and flexible working, holding onto at least some of the enforced changes.

COVID-19 outbreak and Telecommunciations industry

The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus has started to impact supply lines and the telecom industry is no exception, especially because many parts of telecommunication tools and devices are made in China, the centre of the outbreak.

According to Telecomreview, Apple had earlier said that its revenue for the current quarter would be below forecast, and that worldwide iPhone supply “will be temporarily constrained” because of the global virus outbreak, notably in China, where Apple manufactures most of its devices. Besides the dependency on components from Chinese suppliers, Apple has a big market in China. Additionally, Telecoms report that potential travel restrictions limit the company’s engineers flying to Asia to oversee production.

However, the ICT industry is leveraging the situation and can actually compensate the direct losses in indirect ways. With organizations promoting working remotely, there is expected to be an exponential rise in video calls/phone calls, as an increasing number of people will be organizing client meetings and internal team briefings via apps or collaborations platforms.