Page 144 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan mobile data charges are the seventh lowest in the world Transformation Leader, EY Advisory (Africa, India & the Middle
Group Chief Operating Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC, Dr. Rainer East). Highlighting the salient role telcos play in the digitalization
Deutschmann said in Colombo. He said that due to the new tax drive of the financial sector, Sachin stated, ‘‘embracing a strategic,
initiatives that were offered to the Telco sector, Sri Lanka will be forward-looking business model is critical to survival and growth.
placed even lower : at the fifth position. He also said that this has Considering the maturity of mobile telecom companies in Sri
also led to thin volumes of profit for them but they were content Lanka, and their wider reach and penetration in comparison to the
with the market space they were competing. Dialog Enterprise, banking industry, there remains potential for Last Mile payment
the business solutions arm of Dialog Axiata PLC, also showcased services gaining even greater traction in the country”. In addition,
its readiness to digitalize the financial sector of the country with he also discussed how telecos actively engage in serving
cutting-edge solutions, further enhancing service offering to financial service companies by bringing together services and
take its clientele on a steady growth trajectory. The company providing innovative customer experiences.’’ A panel discussion
announced this preparedness to the finance industry at the annual with Group Chief Operating Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC, Dr. Rainer
fellowship organized for the Banking, Finance & Insurance sector Deutschmann, The Chief Information Officer of Hatton National
under the theme ‘Bridging the Digital Divide’. The event was held Bank PLC Ruwan Bakmeedeniya, General Manager of LFSBL
with the participation of CIOs, CTOs and IT Leads representing Mihindu Rajaratne and The Chief Information Officer of Seylan
country’s financial sector. The event featured the keynote Bank Harsha Wanigatunga was also held.
delivered by Sachin Seth, Partner Digital, Fintech, Cloud & Tech. (February 1, 2020) dailynews.lk

United Arab Emirates

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the Al Khalifa, Acting General Director of TRA Bahrain said that, “the
Kingdom of Bahrain held a workshop on the 5th of February, necessity for the national broadband network project to become
2020 to shed light on the success of the national broadband a reality was very clear, as the link between ultra-fast internet
network project and share its experience with other regulators and economic opportunities and possibilities were undeniable.
from around the region. The National Broadband Network project Through careful consideration, we determined that the best way
was a key objective in the government’s vision through the 4th for Bahrain to ensure that the NBN project was indeed successful,
National Telecom Plan. In simple terms, this project is the result and while capitalizing on its unique geographic characteristics
of Batelco having been split into two separate entities which which could avoid the need for unnecessary duplication of
are independent of each other. The newly formed “BNET” is a networks, the Authority proceeded with the development of a
wholesale organization managing Bahrain’s Fixed infrastructure. new regulatory framework that had at its core the invigoration
Batelco is one of the existing operators in the Kingdom that would of competition, the launch of innovative products and services
lease this infrastructure, along with STC Bahrain and Zain Bahrain and the ubiquitous fiber coverage of Bahrain”. The TRA firmly
among other ISPs to offer retails services to end users. This led believes that consumers and businesses will reap the rewards
to the establishment of a new economic regulatory framework in of this new framework, expecting operators to compete based
line with Government’s policy directions under the 4th National on enhanced services, and for the impact of the new national
Telecommunications Plan, changing the dynamics of competition broadband network to be felt for generations to come, across
in Bahrain from one based on infrastructure, to one based on the all sectors, serving as a major component in the Government’s
provision of innovative services as superfast broadband speeds larger strategy of becoming a hub for ICT and a focal-point of
become the gold standard across the local industry. As the first innovation. (February 19, 2020) tra.gov.ae
country in the MENA region to have successfully separated the
incumbent into two entities and created an entirely new entity The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the
with the responsibility of providing all licensees access to a single United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expecting the country to be the
National Broadband Network, regulators from the GCC have first market in the Middle East to begin using higher frequency
expressed keen interest in benefiting from Bahrain’s experience. mmWave spectrum for 5G services. A report from TechRadar
Thus the TRA has organized this workshop for attendees cites Tareq Al Awadi, executive director of spectrum management
including delegates from TRA UAE, CITC in Saudi, TRA Oman and at the TRA, as saying: ‘Our goal is to allocate 26GHz this year,
CITRA in Kuwait. In a statement, Shaikh Nasser Bin Mohamed mainly for Dubai Expo 2020, as the system is available’. The

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