Bahrain is set to launch its Fourth National Telecommunications Plan (NTP), reports Bahrain News Agency, after Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa issued Edict No. 29/2016 on 8 May, approving the move. The Fourth NTP sets out guidelines for the telecoms sector for the next three years, and targets the deployment of a high speed fibre-optic network across the country. Succeeding the country’s Third NTP (issued in 2012), the new NTP is based on eight themes, including: developing the infrastructure of high-speed broadband services, consolidating sustainable competition in the field of mobile telecommunications and developing networks and systems to deliver the best services, managing the frequency spectrum effectively and developing wireless infrastructure to ensure optimal use of the spectrum. Further, the plan aims to improve network security, increase international connectivity, enhance access to internet applications and services, and develop Bahrain’s status as a regional ICT hub. The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT) will head the implementation of the Fourth NTP.