Page 59 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2023

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Telecom Operators Body Vows to Bolster Digital Economy

Pakistan’s long-awaited Telecom Operators Pakistani economy by advocating policy and exciting services to hundreds of million
Association (TOA) has been formed and and regulatory interventions in the telecom customers in Pakistan. Furthermore, the
held its first meeting here the other day. and broadband industries. The goal is association aims to foster digital inclusion,
TOA members include Jazz, Ufone/PTCL, to find favorable solutions that facilitate especially of marginalized communities
Telenor, Nayatel, Cybernet, and TWA while foreign investment, foster growth within and geographies, especially rural, youth
new membership is open to all license- the telecom industry and provide innovative and women.
holders of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMO),
Long Distance International (LDI) Operators,
Wireless Local Loop Operators (WLL), and
Local Loop Operators (LL) (Fixed Line).
The board members nominated Aamir
Ibrahim (CEO Jazz) as the first Chairman of
the Association, while Wahajus Siraj (CEO
Nayatel) was appointed as Vice Chairman,
Naveed Butt (Group Chief Regulatory
Officer PTCL & Ufone) as President of the
Management Committee and Syed Fakhar
Ahmed CC&RO Jazz as Interim Secretary
General. The association’s ultimate
objective is to accelerate digitization of the

eGovernment Excellence Award Categories Updated

and private sector categories have now been
merged, acknowledging the rapid technological
advancements across all sectors of the
kingdom, said the Information & eGovernment
Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali
Al Qaed. This integration aims to better highlight
various technological initiatives, enhancing the
reputation of the kingdom and its ICT sector at
the local, regional, and global levels, he said.
Digital innovation
This year's award embraces digital innovation
by introducing new categories such as ‘Best
Utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI)’, ‘Best
Environment for Digital Innovation’, and ‘Best
Project for Digital Transformation’. These
updates align with the significant investments
made by various entities in the kingdom to
embrace emerging technologies and innovation
in developing businesses, systems, services,
and electronic products.mIn addition, the award
categories for this year cover excellence in both
the public and private sectors, such as ‘Best
Website’, ‘Best Practice in eParticipation’, ‘Best
Integrated eServices’, ‘Best Application for Smart
Devices’, ‘Best Environment for Digital Innovation
‘, ‘Best Utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI)’
and Best Project for Digital Transformation.
The 12th edition of Bahrain’s the current and future requirements of Additionally, individuals can also participate by
eGovernment Excellence Award 2023 the Information and Communication demonstrating their innovative digital initiatives
has undergone updates to align with Technology (ICT) sector. The public through the "Best Digital Initiative" award.

59 JULY-AUGUST 2023