What are the key trends shaping the networking and connectivity market in the Middle East and Africa today?
The region is undergoing a transformation that’s hard to ignore. In the Middle East, governments are rolling out smart city initiatives and digital-first public services at scale. Cities like Dubai and Riyadh are setting the pace, but even smaller markets are quickly catching up. In Africa, meanwhile, the story is one of leapfrogging—millions of people are getting online for the first time, often through mobile broadband. The real catalyst has been the growth of infrastructure: new subsea cables, fibre expansion, and 5G rollouts that are unlocking bandwidth in ways we’ve never seen before.
At the same time, the demand is no longer just “give me internet.” Customers are asking for security, reliability, and easy scalability. The pandemic accelerated remote work and online learning, and that has left a permanent mark on expectations. Businesses don’t just want connectivity; they want it managed, monitored, and secure. So the big trend here is that the market is maturing—and customers are becoming far more sophisticated in what they expect from networking providers.
How is D-Link evolving its product portfolio to meet changing customer demands?
A few years ago, people mostly thought of us as the company that made routers. And while that’s still a core part of our DNA, the reality today is very different. Our portfolio has grown into a full ecosystem. On the consumer side, we’re delivering mesh Wi-Fi systems, mobile 4G/5G routers, and easy-to-install surveillance solutions—because families and small businesses want simplicity, but without compromise on speed or security.
On the enterprise side, we’re pushing boundaries with Wi-Fi 7 and cloud-managed networking. Our Nuclias platform, for example, allows IT managers to monitor and control entire networks remotely with just a few clicks. That kind of visibility and ease-of-use is a game-changer for schools, hospitals, and enterprises that don’t always have large IT teams. And then there’s IoT. Everything from smart sensors to security cameras needs a reliable backbone, so we’re integrating our solutions with the broader connected ecosystem.
Ultimately, the portfolio is evolving to be flexible. Whether it’s a household in Nairobi, a startup in Cairo, or a government project in Abu Dhabi, we want to provide the right-sized solution that’s easy to deploy and scale.
How are you helping partners and resellers capitalise on new opportunities in the region?
Partnership is everything in MEA. The region is incredibly diverse—every country, sometimes every city, has different dynamics when it comes to connectivity needs, budgets, and regulations. We know that the best way to reach customers is by empowering the partners who already understand these nuances.
We’ve built strong channel programmes that don’t just offer rebates or discounts, but provide real enablement: training workshops, hands-on certifications, and marketing support that helps resellers tell the story to their customers. For example, when a partner pitches to a school that wants to modernise its network, we don’t just ship them switches and access points—we work with them to design a solution, run demos, and make sure the rollout is smooth.
We’re also investing in tools like online ordering platforms and partner portals to speed up the process. And importantly, we collaborate across verticals—education, hospitality, healthcare—so that our partners have reference cases and best practices to lean on. That’s how they win deals, and when they grow, so does D-Link.
What role does innovation play in D-Link’s strategy for the next 12–18 months?
Innovation is really the heartbeat of our strategy, but we look at it through a very practical lens. Right now, Wi-Fi 7 is front and centre. The jump in speed, capacity, and reliability it offers is critical for high-density environments like universities, stadiums, or large office campuses. At the same time, we’re putting serious weight behind 5G and edge-cloud networking, because remote connectivity is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s a necessity across MEA.
Cloud-managed networking is another big play. Nuclias, for instance, reflects where the industry is heading—towards simplicity, flexibility, and scale. Businesses no longer want to wrestle with complex on-prem solutions; they want networks they can monitor from anywhere, in real time, with built-in intelligence.
And then, of course, security. Innovation also means hardening our products, ensuring compliance with government standards, and giving enterprises the confidence that their data is protected. So over the next 12–18 months, innovation for us is about making sure customers don’t just get cutting-edge tech, but tech that actually makes their lives easier.
Looking ahead, what are your priorities for strengthening D-Link’s presence and ecosystem in MEA?
Our vision is long-term. We want to be part of the region’s digital future, not just a supplier along the way. To do that, we’re doubling down on three fronts: being local, being visible, and being relevant.
Being local means working hand-in-hand with ISPs, governments, and industry stakeholders to deliver solutions tailored to their context. Being visible means taking part in flagship projects—whether it’s smart city rollouts, digital infrastructure programmes, or enterprise transformation initiatives—so that D-Link is top of mind when big opportunities emerge. And being relevant means continuously refreshing our product line with solutions that fit the evolving needs of both businesses and consumers in MEA.
We also see huge value in expanding our ecosystem. That means tighter collaboration with technology partners, chipset makers, and cloud providers so that our solutions integrate seamlessly. Because in the end, customers don’t want “boxes”—they want complete, future-proof solutions. That’s where our focus will be as we grow our presence across the region.
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