Page 7 - SAMENA Trends - October-December 2024

SAMENA COUNCIL ADVOCACY SAMENA TRENDS

SAMENA Council Demonstrates Commitment to Industry Goals & Global
Digital Transformation Priorities through its Participation in Key Global

Forums, Advocating on Cybersecurity, Broadband Development, and
Innovation

During the past several weeks, the global GCF Annual Meeting. “A range of new monetizing these investments remains a
ICT community has met and agreed to projects will be launched under GCF’s critical challenge. This requires being
accelerate collaborative efforts relating to umbrella, addressing some of the key innovative and collaboration-oriented in
the security of Cyberspace, empowerment issues and opportunities in Cyberspace, order to meet connectivity and digital
of Citizens, protection of Children, fostering from cyber economics, to closing the transformation goals. Through cross-
Innovation & 5G Advancements, unlocking cybersecurity workforce and skills gap, sharing of deployment experiences,
New Investment Capital, accelerating and ensuring that Cyberspace is safe and challenges, methodologies, and other
Digital Literacy, and making progress on secure for children,” stated HE Majed bin useful information, new approaches can
Sustainable Economic Growth. SAMENA Mohammed Al-Mazyed, NCA Governor. BA, be adopted in deploying FWA more
Council’s participation in three of the in a recent media engagement held after speedily, and more efficiently. “At the
world’s leading global forums has added GCF also stated: “Cybersecurity is among recently-held Global Innovation Forum
to the Industry’s strong voice, reaffirming the key areas of the Council’s involvement (GIF) in Malta, organized by the ITU,
the Council’s commitment to representing in Saudi Arabia. We work with the NCA, SAMENA Telecommunications Council
the Private Sector across the ICT arena National Cybersecurity Authority through brought valuable insights to discussions
and to support worldwide efforts on digital the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), on the global digital transformation
transformation. During the Global where we are addressing cybersecurity landscape. Bocar BA highlighted the
Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), held in Saudi issues and contributing the global dialogue central role of innovation in driving digital
Arabia, SAMENA Council, represented by on securing the cyberspace, ensuring transformation, urging stakeholders to
CEO & Board Member, Bocar BA, chaired a overall cyber safety for both digital foster environments conducive to rapid
high-level roundtable on Advancing systems as well as children. The successful technological growth. He emphasized that
Collective Action in Cyberspace. He also GCF witnessed great openness among private sector engagement and sovereign
participated in a panel discussion, centered industry stakeholders on cybersecurity wealth funds are essential for resource
on Safeguarding Future Networks, and was issues, and how widely this dialogue needs accessibility, reinforcing the need for
among key leaders participating in the to be maintained.” Following the GCF, collaboration to scale digital infrastructure.
Annual Meeting of the Forum. SAMENA during the Global Mobile Broadband Forum BA also advocated policy experimentation,
Council’s contributions in the GCF focused (MBBF), held recently in Turkey, SAMENA such as regulatory sandboxing, to safely
on aligning strategies and accelerating Council voiced the need to accelerate Fixed explore emerging solutions, while stressing
collaboration for enhanced digital safety, Wireless Access (FWA) growth, 5G the importance of job creation and digital
and on coordinating harmonized investment monetization, as well as literacy—two areas essential to the long-
stakeholder actions for securing networks adoption of 5G-Advanced. BA emphasized term success of digital economies. “It was
and making networks resilient. Established that “Operators in the SA-ME-NA region a privilege to be a part of ITU's flagship
as an independent, non-profit organization and in the neighboring regions, including event, the Global Innovation Forum (GIF),
in 2023, GCF announced numerous Central Asia, have invested heavily in 5G and contribute to the dialogue. Digital
projects and partnerships at this year’s networks. However, satisfactorily transformation processes crucially require
innovation, and need investment & access
to capital, as well as policy experimentation.
We must accelerate digital literacy and
create more jobs. This is possible with
Private Sector, Governments, and
Sovereign Wealth Funds working closely
together in creating access to required
resources.”, stated BA. The Global
Innovation Forum has identified key ways
to help close the “digital innovation gap.”
The suggested approaches, focusing on
critical factors that include expanding
collaboration, attracting investment,
spurring sustainable economic growth,
and finding solutions to pressing societal
challenges through accelerated, localized
technology innovation.

7 OCT-DEC 2024