Page 11 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS

fundamental to this aspiration. Digital statements, following these roundtables, networks, which will not only boost its
transformation, enabled by mobility, cloud to assist in the region's policy-making socio-economic development and build
and broadband technologies, including efforts." the knowledge based digital economy, but
Fiber-optic, is taking place in almost every will also help make it sustainable.”
industry, reinforcing the need for us to re- Huawei Middle East's President, Charles
think ICT infrastructure development and Yang, has commented, “Huawei envisions The SAMENA Accelerator series of
ICT policies, which should be aligned well an intelligent, fully connected digital action-oriented stakeholder meetings are
with national economic visions as much world, where nations and citizens prosper. similar in their approach to the SAMENA
as they should be with sustainability of We support strategic approaches and Leaders' Roundtable (SALT). While the
investment within the Industry. The region innovation-driven frameworks that can SALT follows the Chatham House rules of
requires accelerated implementation of help develop the world’s digital economies. communication and information-sharing
certain initiatives that can boost up the Policy and regulatory transformation and is intended only for the leadership
region's socio-economic transformation required to achieve progress on global of Regulatory Authorities and Private
through digitization. These roundtables digital fronts, aligned with internationally Sector CEOs, the SAMENA Accelerator
are a product of visions and priorities agreed digital development goals suited roundtables are open to all tiers of policy
that SAMENA Council's Membership to each country’s nation-building decision-making and the wider industry
shares with the region's Policymakers visions, must first focus on expediting audience. Participation as speakers in
and Regulatory Authorities. We anticipate the development of reliable and resilient the roundtables, however, is exclusive
prolific, outcome-oriented roadmap for communications infrastructure, which to invited speakers only. Senior industry
action between the Private and the Public serve as the cornerstone of our connected executives may approach SAMENA Council
sectors during the month of November. and digital economy. The Middle East to request participation details.
SAMENA Council will issue outcome region inevitably requires fiber-based

Achieving Universal Access and Creating a Sustainable Digital Economy
Require First Seeing the Private Sector through a New Lens
SAMENA Accelerator Policy Roundtables on November 19th & 25th to Assist in

Implementing Recommendations Communicated Earlier by SAMENA Council CEO to
Policymakers and Regulators on Behalf of the Private Sector in Efforts to Accelerate
Infrastructure Advancement and the Digital Economy

SAMENA Telecommunications Council, the planet, there is a need to ensure that representation of the Private Sector,
represented by its CEO, Bocar A. BA, co- no one is left behind in feeling the benefits rendered during the Plenary Session
led with the ITU Secretary-General Houlin of digital communication technologies. at the closing of the GSR20 back in
Zhao the ITU's Private Sector Roundtable Achieving this goal is central to fulfilling September. CEO SAMENA Council had
with CEOs from the Telecom Industry the promises made by the Connect 2030 highlighted to the Telecom Regulatory
in mid-October as a catalyzing step to Agenda, and is vital to effectively mitigating Authorities from all around the world key
bridge cooperation between the Private the current and future crises and tackling focus areas for ensuring the growth of the
Sector and the ITU, and to bring greater increasing social and economic inequalities Industry, and to affirm the Private Sector's
representation of the needs and challenges that have become more pronounced as readiness for collaborative engagement
of the Telecom Operators at the ITU level. a result of the Covid crisis. Doing so, with Policymakers and Regulators. Such
The outcome of the discussion and however, requires combining the Industry's key areas were identified in the outcome
recommendations collectively put forward collective experiences, expertise, wisdom, statement to help achieve Universal Digital
by the Private Sector were subsequently aspirations, mutual welfare and striving Access and Services, including fulfilling
presented by SAMENA Council CEO to the together in collaboration, necessarily, and the need for availability of sufficient
Policymakers and Regulators in a follow- in partnerships, as needed. and flexible spectrum; reviewing and
up ITU Ministerial Meeting, held in late repurposing of USF funds and acceleration
October. SAMENA Council's contributions in the of USF disbursement to address gaps in
ITU Private Sector Roundtable and the connectivity, and both maintaining and
Given that a collective global digital- ITU Ministerial Roundtable have been a expanding networks to ensure better
development goal is to timely achieve contiguous part of the Council's advocacy preparedness and network resilience;
Universal Digital Access, and thus connect program and have been conducted in urgently reviewing industry fees and
the still-unconnected 3.7 billion people on the similar context as was the Council's taxation; promoting infrastructure-sharing;

11 SEP-OCT 2020