Page 7 - SAMENA Trends - June-August 2021

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY

SAMENA Council Draws Attention to Light-Touch Regulation and
Policy Enablement for the Private Sector during Global Symposium for
Regulators-2021

The Meeting of the Industry Advisory As the Chairman of the IAGDI-CRO, Bocar BA expressed
Group on Development Issues and the
Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers IAGDI/CRO's important role with continued readi-
(IAGDI-CRO), was held back-to-back with ness toward working closely with governments to ful-
GSR 2021 last week, with SAMENA Council,
represented by its CEO Bocar BA, chairing fill expressed, common goals, and to help materialize the
the the virtual meeting. Attended by fifth-generation of collaborative approaches necessary for
various private sector leaders, the virtual
diversity of industry participants in the the sustainability of investment and the growth of the 5G
Meeting highlighted the critical importance ecosystem.
of multi-stakeholder participation and,
because societal and industry dynamics between regulators and telecom operators
have dramatically changed over the last and helped ensure access to needed
year and pace of digitization has sped up, resources (such as spectrum), and
it is now necessary to review and reset temporarily eased regulation on certain
various policy and regulatory approaches fronts, and recommended that these
within the Industry. Bocar BA presented steps should be kept and not reversed.
the outcome statement of the IAGDI/CRO. Participants maintained that the lessons
The statement emphasized on the need to and the emergency requirements from
ensure light-touch regulation, for example the last year should suffice as impetus
in view of the need for cross-border to continue the forward momentum on
data flows and the role of connected policy and regulatory transformation.
platforms, or to address cumbersome The statement also acknowledged
administrative processes and procedures; that businesses and the ICT Industry
a challenge common in many developing must continue serving as the engine of
digital economies across the regions. The progress-making on unique regional
statement also acknowledge the timely and national priorities as well as on
reactive measures taken by the regulatory globally-agreed sustainable development
authorities to mitigate the challenges goals. However, the enablement of
last year, which saw direct collaboration such engine requires re-calibrating
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

regulatory approaches, adopting agility
and evidence-based regulation to suit the
prevailing and emerging trends within the
digital ecosystem, which now increasingly
houses a highly diversified group of digital
inhabitants. As the Chairman of the IAGDI-
CRO, Bocar BA expressed IAGDI/CRO's
important role with continued readiness
toward working closely with governments
to fulfill expressed, common goals, and
to help materialize the fifth-generation of
collaborative approaches necessary for
the sustainability of investment and the
growth of the 5G ecosystem.

7 JUN-AUG 2021