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ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS
ARTICLE
Provision of IoT Service Requirements in MENA Region
Globally, a growing number of for IoT. The IoT regulations in the five
telecommunications and ICT service countries set general requirements such
providers are trying to ensure the interaction as licensing requirements for IoT service
of connectivity services with a range of provision and for IoT connectivity.
new services such as internet of things
(IoT) and machine to machine (M2M) In other countries, there are often no specific
communications. rules applying to IoT services, which are sub-
ject only to the normal telecoms and spec-
IoT refers to communication between trum licensing framework.
devices that may have limited or no human
interaction, connected to the Internet Only licensed telecoms service providers
through multiple networks. can provide connectivity to IoT devices and
systems. However, NRAs in some countries
Middle Eastern and North African countries adopted specific requirements for the
(MENA) have shown an active effort to provision of IoT connectivity.
facilitate the rapid deployment of IoT/M2M
platforms by formulating the regulatory In Egypt, the NRA defined three types of
framework that defines the ability of networks that can provide IoT connectivity:
Muatasem Khairaddeen providing such services. • a mobile network;
Senior Analyst Cullen International has researched the • a non-cellular LPWAN network; and
• a satellite network
IoT regulatory frameworks in 13 MENA
countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Non-cellular LPWAN networks and satellite
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, networks are subject to licence requirements
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, and while a licensed mobile network operator
United Arab Emirates (UAE). needs to apply for an annex to its licence.
Among these countries only five have In Saudi Arabia, IoT connectivity can be
established a specific regulatory framework provided by a general class licence holder
Marios Yiatzidis
IoT Regulation Analyst
Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE have adopted a specific IoT regulation (Cullen International)
116 JULY-AUGUST 2022
