Dubai, UAE, 25 March, 2017—BICSI, the association advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, will host its 2017 BICSI Middle East & Africa Conference and Exhibition in Dubai from 19-20 April. The MEA conference will be held under the theme, ‘Internet of Things—Infrastructures, Data Centres, Wireless and More.’

The conference will feature leading international and regional experts on topics including ‘Latest Wireless Deployment Trends for Smart Cities’; ‘The Internet of Things and its Impact on the Physical Layer’; ‘Electronic Security in Airports’; and ‘Best Practices in Data Center Design and Operations’; among others. According to the latest report published by Persistence Market Research, the global Smart Cities market is valued at US$622 billion and could be worth US$3.5 trillion by 2026. Owing to growing inclination
toward eco-friendly construction technology, smart building alone is estimated to register over a 15% market value share in 2026, crossing US$520 billion.

“The emergence of the 'Smart Building' and 'Smart City' revolution is rapidly moving all building services into the digital world. This is making ICT infrastructure increasingly important for connectivity, deployability, functionality and resilience, as well as the cost of all these services,” said BICSI President Brian Ensign, RCDD, NTS, OSP, RTPM, CSI. “If you are involved in smart buildings, smart cities, the Internet of Things, data centres, wireless, infrastructure, building services, telecommunications or IT, this conference offers the perfect opportunity to gain insight from experts and connect with peers."

Maurice Zetena, Vice President Data Center Technology, at Leviton Network Solutions, who is one of the experts speaking at the conference, said, “The Internet of Things and the subsequent Internet of Everything are terms and concepts that are dominating conversations and are paramount to evolving corporate strategies and product development efforts. As with any new technology, much of what was considered state-of-the-art just a few years ago need to be re-assessed and adapted to meet the challenges presented by these emerging technologies. These challenges will include the issues of mobility, low-speed and high-speed network integration and the development and standardization of a common communication language.”

BICSI membership in the MEA District has been steadily climbing and is nearing 400 members. The conference, which will be held at Al Multaqua Ballroom, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), will hold one-day pre-conference workshops on 18 April, followed by the two-day conference and exhibition 19-20 April. Registration for the conference is now open at bicsimea.org. For more information, email bicsimea@bicsi.org.