KU Affairs

HE Hussain Al Hammadi Inaugurates MENA Region’s First IEEE Globecom 2018 in Abu Dhabi

December 13, 2018

Khalifa University Presents Eight ICT Research Innovations at 37th IEEE Global Communications Conference

His Excellency Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, inaugurated the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s first-ever IEEE Global Communications (Globecom) Conference in Abu Dhabi.

The 37th IEEE Global Communications Conference (Globecom 2018), one of the IEEE Communications Society’s two flagship conferences dedicated to driving innovation in nearly every aspect of communications, was held on 9-13 December at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC). Themed ‘Gateway to a Connected World’, the conference offers five full days of original paper presentations, tutorials, workshops, keynotes, demonstrations, industry sessions and social events designed to further career opportunities and in-depth understanding of the latest communications advancements worldwide.

Khalifa University’s faculty and students presented eight research innovations in the ICT sector at this international telecommunications-focused conference, alongside nearly 1,000 technical and research papers. Experts from industry leaders including Intel Corporation, Nokia Bell Labs, Huawei Wireless, and Canadian telecommunications company TELUS, addressed the event.
The UAE’s telecom operator Etisalat is the ‘star diamond’ sponsor for Globecom 2018, while =Khalifa University is one of the ‘diamond’ sponsors.

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, General Chair of Globecom 2018 Conference, and Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “With our partners, we are delighted to bring this major global conference for the first time to the Middle East and North Africa region, gathering distinguished speakers from industry, academia and government sectors. These professionals will share their expertise and exchange novel ideas that will shape future generations of communication technologies. We believe the Globecom 2018 conference will showcase the innovation strength of the UAE and the region in various telecommunications
disciplines.”

Some of the innovations Khalifa University is presenting include the development of key enabling techniques for the next generation wireless networks, mobile agents integrated with web services for use in personalized healthcare, smart homes, big data analytics and e-commerce, and a novel approach to trace unknown tweets to their actual authors.

This five-day event included six keynote speakers highlighting the state-of-the art advancements in wireless communications, 5G, and the Internet-of-Things, among other emerging topics in telecommunications systems. In addition to the main symposia, IEEE Globecom 2018 featured workshops on emerging and important topics in the field, which will be held on the first and last day of the conference.

Keynote speakers included Bell Labs President and Nokia Corporate Chief Technology Officer, Marcus Weldon; Huawei Fellow and Huawei Wireless Chief Technology Officer Dr. Wen Tong; Vodafone Chair and Technical University Dresden Professor Gerhard P. Fettweis; and Intel Fellow in Network Platforms Group and Chief Technologist for Network Infrastructure at Intel Corporation Udayan Mukherjee.
The conference received a total of 2,562 paper submissions from 76 countries, out of which 999 papers have been accepted – corresponding to an acceptance rate of 38.9%.

Clarence Michael
News Writer
12 December 2018