Page 78 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

PTA Urges Users to Register Their VPNs

According to a public notice issued by the with many companies running call center having people register VPN and have
Pakistan Telecommunications Authority services in the country using VPN or already started to blacklist IP addresses
(PTA), users are now required to register unregistered Voice over Internet Protocol of corporate clients of several Internet
their Virtual Private Networks (VPN) before (VoIP) services to make international calls Service Providers (ISPs) in the country.
30 June 2020 or face disconnection of appearing as if they’re located somewhere The PTA notification requests users to
services and possible legal action. This else such as the United States. Pakistan register their VPN service before 30 June
step is being taken to eliminate all grey Telecommunications Authority (PTA) 2020 to avoid any disconnection of service
traffic from Pakistan which is the case wants to eliminate thei grey traffic by or legal action.

Jordan Ranks 87th in Global Internet Speed Index

The Kingdom has witnessed a 20-point of the Telecommunications Regulatory world’s first regulatory bodies to offer free
rise in the Internet speed index during the Commission (TRC) Ghazi Al Jabour temporary use of the spectrum for mobile
COVID-19 pandemic, leaping from the 107th highlighted the “tangible” improvement in phone operators to face the expected
rank to the 87th in May 2020, according the average download speeds for mobile pressure during lockdowns, which led to
to the Speedtest Global Index. Jordan networks by 54 per cent (28.26 Mbps per an increase in data traffic by 8 per cent and
is expected to rise further in the index to second) during the period from March an improvement in user speed by 73 per
reach the 67th rank, according to the report. 2 to the end of May, according to a TRC cent, he added.
Chairman of the Board of Commissioners statement. The authority was one of the

UAE Keen to Create AI Infrastructure

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of
State for Artificial Intelligence, stated that
the UAE Government is keen to create a
supportive infrastructure based on artificial
intelligence, AI, through enhancing the
capacities of Emirati citizens and enabling
government staff to utilize the required
tools to develop this vital sector. He made
this statement during his participation
in the remote graduation ceremony of 84
students representing the second batch
of the Artificial Intelligence, AI, Program,
which was attended by Mansour Abdullah
Belhoul, UAE Ambassador to the UK, and
Jonathan Michie, President of Kellogg
College at Oxford University. The training
program is part of the UAE Program to continue the process of development. collection and analysis, data security,
for Artificial Intelligence, which aims He also stressed the need to learn from governance, self-education, and legislation
to train government staff and reinforce the pandemic, by adopting a proactive and systems related to AI. The AI Program,
their skills to adopt AI in their work, to approach that will foresee the future a joint effort between the UAE National
achieve the objectives of the UAE Artificial and create solutions to changes and AI Program and Kellogg College, aims to
Intelligence Strategy 2031 and reinforce challenges. The program aims to train train UAE nationals and enhance their
the country’s pioneering role in adopting Emirati citizens and introduce them to skillsets to accelerate the delivery of the
modern technologies and preparing for the the latest technologies and trends in the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. The
future. Al Olama noted that the effects of AI sector, through targeting government second batch of the Artificial Intelligence
the coronavirus pandemic on the health, employees and equipping them with the underwent specialized courses in the AI
education and economic sectors and the required skills. It also focused on a set and Blockchain in line with UAE Strategy
community highlight the importance of of topics, including the use of AI, ethical for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and the UAE
investing in technological infrastructure, challenges, strategic analysis, data Blockchain Strategy 2021.
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