Azerbaijan, Baku, May 21 / Trend H. Valiyev /
Cisco Azerbaijan director general Mudjit Emel spoke in an interview with Trend
Trend: What changes have you noted on Azerbaijani telecommunications market for the last time? What factors have an influence on it today?
Emel: Azerbaijani telecommunication market is dynamically developing. Customers strive to correspond with modern requirements, introducing new technologies and solutions. Players of the telecommunications market gradually replace obsolete technologies with new ones. Taking it into account, I can definitely say that in near future Azerbaijan will enter the number of countries with developed infrastructure of information technologies. Cisco is ready to provide all necessary assistance.
Today, the main trend in the world is the transition from analog technologies to digital ones and from digital technologies - to IP-solution. Cisco has been conducting active pioneering work towards the development of IP-based technologies since 1985. Today all the company's products are built on the basis of IP.
Stimulating of the development of IP-based technologies should be a priority for development of the industry. I can assume that in future the importance of Cisco's role in the development of Azerbaijani telecommunication market will be significant.
Q: Has Cisco's position as a manufacturer of telecommunications equipment changed during the world economic crisis?
A: The global financial crisis has not affected the position of Cisco. Today, about 85 percent of the market of IP-solutions is owned by the company. The main features of the telecommunications industry are their rapid growth and constant change of technologies. Analysis of the current state and prospects of such a dynamic industry such as telecommunications should be implemented continuously to determine development priorities. I can say, as before, today Cisco's position on the market of information-communication technologies, namely on the market of solutions based on IP protocol, is strong enough. They are strengthened every day.
At present, about 80 percent of Cisco's sales fall to partners, and only 15 percent is sold directly by the company itself. In Azerbaijan, product is fully sold directly through an affiliate network that is fully prepared for providing all the necessary solutions and consulting services to our customers.
Q: Which areas of Cisco are relevant for telecommunications operators?
A: Today, the pre-eminent factor for telecom operators is how to optimize networks and reduce costs. Players of Telecom Market pay special attention to the construction of broadband networks, providing subscribers with IP packet-based services. They actively build fixed network to reduce costs while passing traffic and introducing new multimedia services based on IP protocol, which is required by time.
Technologies and solutions offered by us are constantly in development. The technical component of telecommunication solutions constantly develop. Equipment is reducing in size. Productivity increases. Energy consumption reduces. Today, network operators in Azerbaijan have made significant investments in the development of the technical component of their infrastructures. The Internet market develops. Mobile operators are actively building a network of third generation with the prospect of transition to the fourth generation network. These technologies are also based on IP.
In general I can say that the world today is moving towards IP-based technologies and, together with their development the economic component of both players of the telecommunication market and the country as a whole is improving. Earlier, the Internet protocol was not as significant in the mobile and fixed phones, but today it is an integral component. Further evolution makes the Internet protocol even more promising in terms of that it will act as a carrier of information in future.
Q: Can we say that the operators have already built the infrastructure for the provision of broadband services, and the peak demand for the camera system has passed? What are the most demanded solutions in this segment?
A: One can hardly say that the potential demand for telecommunications equipment is exhausted. Contrary, as I have already said, the operators continue to invest significant investments in their infrastructures, and this trend will continue. According to our projections, the number of Internet users will reach five billion by 2015. This figure is already says a lot.
Q: It is known that Cisco is closely involved in promoting the market of mobile technology to access the Internet, such as WiMAX. How would you rate the current state of this technology in the background of 3G, LTE, and other wireless technologies?
A: Mobile access will become increasingly important for telecom operators in the coming years. Our products are designed to play a prominent role in this. We constantly analyze the market trends.
WiMAX technology is based on the protocol IP, which naturally fits with the strategy of Cisco, the experience and knowledge of our staff and a good supplement to a family of products Cisco. WiMAX can really transform the wireless broadband market and convert it to an open IP-platform, which, in turn, will bring considerable benefits to operators, consumers and corporate customers.
We view WiMAX as another access technology, making the user more mobile, that is, when network services are available virtually everywhere. The development of mobile WiMAX networks and the emergence of other high-speed wireless standard cellular 3G, 4G, LTE can only stimulate the further development of mobility. It does not surprise that upon careful consideration of carrier investment, we find that the capital costs of operators are increasingly shifting toward mobility.
Q: Is Cisco ready to assist in the Techno park project in Azerbaijan?
A: We closely work with the Azerbaijani Communications and IT Ministry in this area. Cisco has supported all areas of social activity in the ICT field and is ready to provide technical advice to the government in the establishment and development of technology parks.
Q: Which educational programs are provided by Cisco in Azerbaijan?
A: One of the activities in the field of education in Azerbaijan is the realization of the project "Networking Academy Cisco", which allows students to master all the necessary knowledge in the field of modern network technologies.
Today, specialists certified on the Cisco technology occupy a special place in the market of IT-staff. This is one of the most popular and highest paid professionals in the IT-field.
The main issue for us is to train highly qualified specialists, whose intellectual work will in future fill the ICT sector of modern technologies and software products that will be used to improve the quality of life in all sectors.
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