Page 112 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

enable educators to embrace Microsoft Office 365 tools and build Force – Education to look into the continuation of the education
their IT competence, while efficiently engage students in virtual sector during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement
classrooms. Under the MOU, Microsoft will support the Ministry by was signed by Secretary to the Ministry of Education N. H. M.
providing Students, Teachers, Pirivena, Teacher Training Schools Chithrananda and Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and
and ministry officials with free access to Microsoft Office 365 Maldives Hasitha Abeywardena on behalf of their respective
tools, such as OneNote, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft organizations. Microsoft General Manager for Southeast Asia
Teams, across PCs, tablets and smartphones to compliment a New Markets in Asia Pacific Sook Hoon Cheah also joined the
“distance learning” initiative for students and teachers. The MOU signing via Microsoft Teams.
was signed under the recommendation of the Presidential Task (May 30, 2020) colombopage.com

Syria

The Syria Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (SyTRA) it would collect the funds from the telco and that the company
has warned that it will take ‘all legal measures’ to collect back ‘bears all legal and operational consequences as a result of its
taxes it claims are owed by mobile provider SyriaTel, after the refusal to return the state’s dues.’ The majority owner of SyriaTel
company missed a deadline for arranging a mechanism for the Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of President Bashar Al Assad and a
payment. The watchdog notified SyriaTel and rival provider MTN former member of the president’s inner circle, also claimed that he
Syria late last month that they owed the government SYP233.8 had been threatened with the revocation of the company’s license
billion (USD1.09 billion) in back-taxes related to their license fees. and the seizure of its assets if it failed to comply with SyTRA’s
SyTRA confirmed that whilst MTN had complied with the order order. Al Jazeera quotes the official saying that he was threatened
and had contacted the regulator to negotiate a mechanism for with arrest if he did not hand over the company’s profits.
the payment of the owed amount and to ‘rebalance’ the license, (May 18, 2020) SANA News Agency
SyriaTel had yet to do so. Consequently, the authority warned that

United Arab Emirates

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced in its work, and as a result, it achieved several certificates by
achieving two certificates from the Emirates International the International Organization for Standardization, including
Accreditation Centre (EIAC), as it obtained ISO (17025) the International Accreditation Certificate for the National
certification in accredited laboratory for the National Laboratory Laboratory for Communication Equipment and Technologies
for Communication Equipment and Technologies, and ISO and a Certificate for Standards for Inspection and Control of the
(17020) for inspection and monitoring the telecom market. Communications Equipment Market. This achievement is the
Achieving these two international certifications comes as a result of TRA’s excellence in providing type approval services
result of TRA’s commitment to applying the technical standards for telecommunications devices and technologies, and its
for the approval of materials and devices and the standards of constant concern that all communications devices in the country
inspection and testing launched by the International Laboratory conform to international specifications and standards, without
Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), in line with TRA’s leadership causing any kind of harm to users, or interference or damage to
keenness to apply and adopt the best international standards communication networks.” The Type Approval team at TRA has
in operations and services provided to customers. Commenting applied the standard of ISO 17025 on testing, which is concerned
on this achievement, Eng. Saif Bin Ghelaita, CEO of Technology with laboratory management operations in general, and technical
Development Affairs in TRA said: “TRA strives to achieve topics for testing communications devices in accordance with
excellence in all its procedures and services. Progressively, internationally approved technical standards in particular, and
excellence has become a culture, a professional behavior and a also is concerned with ensuring that the specialized technical
general approach that prevails in the workplace as per the wise human cadres are capable of performing these tests. Furthermore,
Government's directives and to achieve the UAE goals in all fields. the inspection standard ISO 17020 focuses in particular on the
In this context, we are keen to adopt the latest plans, strategies inspection of communications devices that have been approved
and work systems, and we are committed to providing the best by TRA in accordance with the procedures approved in the
ICT services, in order to achieve the happiness of all members of standard. The inspection process is conducted accurately and
the UAE society. TRA applies the highest international standards systematically, ensuring the quality of the process, and ensuring

112 MAY 2020