The Middle East Network Operators Group (MENOG) proudly heralds the beginning of its two-day technical summit, commencing today, 11th October. The event has already made waves, drawing in an impressive crowd of over 250 attendees from a staggering 45 countries.
MENOG stands as a cornerstone for the technical community, offering a dedicated space to tackle the urgent issues related to Internet operations, infrastructure, and governance. The doors are open to the entire technical spectrum, encompassing Internet service providers, mobile operators, content creators, cloud and infrastructure service providers, along government officials, scholars, and influential business leaders.
The inaugural session was marked by an enlightening address from Eng. Bassam Albassam, MCIT Deputy Minister. He emphasised the significance of the current digital era for the Middle East, asserting that “ Saudi Arabia with its visionary leadership has an aspiration to accelerate MENA Internet development by bringing the latest network technologies to the region and the required regional data centre capacity, transforming the unique strategic location of Saudi Arabia into a global hub connecting Asia, Europe and Africa. Through collaborative forums like MENOG, let us seize this opportunity to shape the digital future, drive innovation with inclusivity, and make profound contributions to the global digital landscape.”
This was succeeded by a heartfelt welcome from Fahad Alhajeri, CEO of center3. He spotlighted the Middle East’s digital nexus, expressing immense pride in center3’s role as a co-host for MENOG. He articulated, “Saudi Arabia’s digital goals perfectly match MENOG’s fundamental values, promoting progress, innovation, and unity. Through these efforts, we are not just envisioning but actively shaping a progressive digital future. Together, let’s journey towards transformation, innovation, and endless opportunities.’
The session was further enriched by Hisham Ibrahim from RIPE NCC, who provided a snapshot of the organisation’s endeavors and reiterated its staunch support for MENOG.
He highlighted the unwavering commitment of RIPE NCC towards the MENOG community showcasing the collective ambition to refine and expand the internet landscape across the Middle East. Supporting the MENOG community, we strive to share best practices, address challenges, and drive initiatives that will ultimately improve internet accessibility, reliability and security in the region.”
This iteration of MENOG is a collaborative effort, co-hosted by center3, LINX, SAIX, and the Saudi Internet Society. A primary goal of the event is to elevate Internet performance across the region. This enhancement is envisioned through the evolution of Internet peering and interconnection within the Middle East. Peering, the direct transfer of Internet traffic between networks, promises to boost performance by sidestepping remote intermediaries.
In the run-up to MENOG, a series of enlightening workshops were orchestrated by esteemed organisations like RIPE NCC, ISOC, and ICANN. These covered a gamut of topics, including “BGP Operations and Security”, “Be a Kind DNS Operator, be KINDNS!”, “Exploring the Usage of Recursive Resolvers in the Middle East”, “Configuring Web-hosting Tools to Support IDNs and EAI”, “MANRS Workshop”, and “RIPE Database Training Course”.
