Interviewer: Our guest today is Ahmed Tarek. He is a telecommunications specialist with over 16 years of experience. Ahmed worked with national and multinational companies, opening new markets in Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.
Ahmed has extensive experience in sales cycle management, strategic relationship building, and technical training. He has two patents for innovative products for smart home and FTTH solutions. Ahmed recently joined the business intelligence group as a telecom and technology judge.
Interviewer: Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in the telecommunications industry?
Ahmed Tarek: I graduated from Cairo University, the Faculty of Engineering Communication and Electronics in 2007 . After graduating, I observed the groundbreaking development of 3G technology, which was a novelty in the Egyptian telecommunications market. I had the opportunity to actively develop network systems for Etisalat Misr, one of the leading mobile operators in Egypt.
With my engineering background, I helped deploy Egypt’s first 3G technology and model the country’s telecommunications industry.
Interviewer: You have two patents for innovative products related to smart home and FTTH solutions. Can you share more about these inventions and what inspired you to create them?
Ahmed Tarek: I created my first TARSHEED patent application in 2017. It is an infrastructural gadget aimed at developing a smart home environment. Its tasks include testing, measuring, and controlling the most active household and office equipment. Additionally, the gadget provides information about energy saving and smart consumption principles. The specific feature of TARSHEED is using only a compact electronic sub-meter to determine electricity consumption. It allows the existing infrastructure to be left untouched and unchanged.
In 2020, I created a second patent called Spacer. This next innovative solution is aimed at optimizing the organization, increasing the bandwidth of trenches, and accelerating the maintenance of fiber optic cables and channel bundles. Spacer helps telcos expand their trenches by 34%, making room for significantly more channels and improving service.
Interviewer: You collaborated with the Egyptian government on the FTTH project. Tell us more about it.
Ahmed Tarek: I worked directly with the Egyptian government throughout my career at Dura-Line. My responsibilities included managing the development, supply, and implementation of microduct technology, a key part of the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) project. This proposal became one of the most important contributions to Egypt’s new administrative capital development.
Interviewer: What should innovation-minded readers know about FTTx? What kind of “basis” should everyone interested in the effective transformation of everyday life have?
Ahmed Tarek: FTTH is short for Fiber to the Home. Today, it is considered a classic connection scheme. However, it is more generic to call this technology FTTX, or Fiber to the X-point.
In the telecom industry, FTTX is a game-changer. The point is that fiber optic cables can be connected not only to homes but also to buildings, sites, etc.
There are active and passive components in fiber optic networks. The latter can work without electricity to transmit, distribute, and manage the signal such as connectors, fiber cables, splitters, micro ducts, splitters , cabinets ,closures and other passive FTTH elements.
Interviewer: You have recently ventured into your business, offering advanced infrastructure solutions. Can you tell us more about the core focus of your company and the industries you aim to impact?
Ahmed Tarek: With years of experience in telecommunications, I managed to open my business, where I am the general director and technical manager. I and my colleagues provide top-notch economic infrastructure solutions for new cities and modern urban areas.
Data networks are the core of our enterprise. In particular, we cover video surveillance systems, smart homes, computer networks, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Interviewer: How do you see the integration of 5G, IoT, and AI transforming traditional industries and urban areas?
Ahmed Tarek: The synergy of 5G, IoT, and AI harmoniously complements the smart city concept. Innovations can optimize a variety of urban operations, such as traffic flow. For example, engineers can use AI when working with traffic lights within infrastructure improvements and developing predictive analytics. It will help make traffic more predictable and safer.
By integrating innovation into routine practice, companies will quickly transfer data between devices across the entire system, regardless of their location. It will lead to the optimization of supply chain processes and detailed forecasting of maintenance and energy consumption.
Interviewer: In numerous works, you emphasize the connection between FTTH, IoT, and 5G. Tell us more about it.
Ahmed Tarek: Yes, undoubtedly. The unique capabilities of 5G and IoT can transform traditional industries. So, IoT is interconnected with FTTH because smart homes and cities and the Internet of Things cannot work without a fast and quality Internet connection. 5G cannot exist without FTTX because of the requirements for proper functioning. As opposed to 4G, it demands many more antennae, which must be connected to the physical network via optical fiber rings. By integrating innovation into routine practice, companies will quickly transfer data between devices across the entire system, regardless of their location. It will lead to the optimization of supply chain processes and detailed forecasting of maintenance and energy consumption.
So, FTTH and FTTX are the core frameworks for telecom networks and impact many other technologies and sectors.
Interviewer: What role do you believe FTTX will play in the future?
Ahmed Tarek: As you can see, FTTH or FTTX fiber optic networks are the mainstay of telecom networks and affect many other technologies and industries. In particular, these technologies can be helpful for private houses, smart enterprises, and even entire cities’ transformation.
Interviewer: Looking to the future, what are your aspirations for your work, particularly in bringing innovation to the telecom industry developing countries?
Ahmed Tarek: The further I go, the more convinced I am that I chose the right path. Innovation is the key to the effective transformation of individual households and entire companies, cities, and countries. The main thing is to make them available to everyone. I do not plan to stop there and strive to bring innovation closer to every person.
Interviewer: Ahmed, thank you for the conversation. It was a pleasure to talk to a professional in his field, a person who has motivation, plans, and goals that he will certainly be able to achieve, given his achievements, knowledge, and professionalism.
Ahmed, we sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
Ahmed Tarek: Thank you!