Page 57 - SAMENA Trends - June-August 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Dubai Advances with ICS Cybersecurity Standards

In response to increasingly sophisticated protection that has long been needed in the enemies, UAE does not approach this topic
and dangerous threat situations, Dubai United Arab Emirates industry. DESC was with clean hands. Of course, we in the West
became the first emirate in the UAE, created in 2014. As explained by law, the need to be wary of any attacks, as both the
applying standardized cybersecurity to reason DESC exists is to create a strategy to United Kingdom and the United States are
industrial control systems (ICS). The combat cybercrime targeting government “good” members on the same list. After
move was in response to a decade- and quasi-government agencies in Dubai. seven years of monitoring different state
long series of cyberattacks targeting a The bottom line is to prevent death, stakeholders and private sectors using
variety of businesses. According to the destruction, and economic turmoil. The different malware to attack industrial
representative of Dubai Electronic Security goal of these efforts is to “establish Dubai infrastructure, recent announcements on
Center (DESC), new standards lead to safer as a global leader in innovation, security new ICS security standards will help inform
and safer countries. Continue reading and security.” Some may have to point it the world of the Dubai industry. Now you’re
for more information on the upgraded out as a Wikipedia certification. Internet ready Bend muscles with its own defense.

Bahrain Achieves Highest Ranking of Generations: ITU

Bahrain has escalated up the regulatory ladder to
the highest generation of ICT regulation, fostering
affordability in ICT services, according to a new report
issued by the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU). According to ITU’s 2020 ICT Pricing Trends Report
of Measuring Digital Development, Bahrain has elevated
from Third to Fourth generation. The report verifies the
variety of influences impacting the pricing levels for ICT
services in a region; however, one governing influence
on overall affordability is the resilience of a regulatory
environment. As found by the ITU study, Bahrain amongst
Arab countries, is ranked 2nd for pricings in regard to
mobile broadband services, as it maintains affordable
fixed broadband rates yet a large - scale data capacity.
In addition, Bahrain’s mobile broadband prices account
for 1.51% of gross national income per capita (GNI p.c.),
whereas fixed broadband prices account for 1.82%
of GNI p.c, which is below the UN affordability target,
therefore allowing Bahrain to meet and outperform
the Sustainable Development Goal target before 2025,
holding prices below two percent of GNI per capita.
Sheikh Nasser Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Acting General
Director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
(TRA) of Bahrain has congratulated and tributed the
Kingdom’s evolution in regulatory framework to HM King
Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, and to HRH Prince Salman
bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime through regulating competitiveness between operators,” said Sheikh
Minister. According to Sheikh Nasser, this achievement Nasser. “Regulators also impact market structure and competitiveness
validates the Kingdom’s advancements in both the field through awarding licenses, allocating and designating spectrum, facilitating
of telecoms, and excellence of enabling environment interoperability and infrastructure exchange, and regulating investment,
of digital transformation, valuing the wise leadership's among other things. A country ascends the regulatory ladder to a higher
guidance in expanding Bahrain and shaping it into generation of ICT regulation as its regulatory environment matures.
a regional telecom and ICT hub, seeking to continue “The pandemic of Covid-19 has demonstrated the critical necessity of
efforts to develop the telecommunications sector in connectivity. This position will only expand in the following years as the
the Kingdom of Bahrain. “The regulatory environment's globe continues to cope with impacts of the pandemic and embraces the
resilience is a significant facilitator of both ICT adoption ‘new reality’. However, continued monitoring of the growth of ICT pricing is
and price reduction. Regulators in this sector play a crucial for quality management to tackle affordability gaps,” he added.
significant role in safeguarding consumers’ benefits

57 JUN-AUG 2021