Page 12 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS

taking harmonization and standardization ensuring involvement of, Financial, advancement of ICT infrastructure,
measures to enable secure and safe cross- Healthcare, and Education sectors, among including Fiber-optic based networks,
border data movement; and ensuring good others, to both traditional and cloud-based which will serve as the conduit for the Digital
governance and agility prevail in regulatory ICT infrastructure. Economy. Considerable opportunities
measures to address issues emerging are created by broadband networks to
from the use of digital technologies. In Policymakers and Regulators have been advance sustainable development across
essence, SAMENA Council had stressed requested to pursue strategies that can all sectors of economy and society, to drive
upon creating an enabling environment, realize level-playing fields. All policy innovation, communication and economic
including through regulatory frameworks decisions and regulations should ensure growth. However, in order to unleash the
that specifically enable connectivity and stability, predictability in the market and full potential of ICTs, challenges such as
increased public-sector participation in be optimized to reduce barriers. Such bridging the digital divide, addressing
non-economical areas. To adapt to the approaches may automatically keep over- the financing gap, providing affordable
“new normal”, better preparedness and regulation at bay and would encourage access, fostering an enabling environment,
network readiness as well as an increased market growth. Specific attention to which should support ICT infrastructure
focus on connectivity and infrastructure areas such as leveraging other utility expansion and sustainable development of
investment were highlighted as key. networks such as electricity networks to the Digital Economy, need to be overcome
expand broadband reach; adoption of a on an expedited basis.
However, building on the true technology-neutral culture both in
recommendations in September, the terms of policy-making and regulation; To assist in acting upon the earlier
October recommendations, which and government-level incentivization recommendations put forward by the
SAMENA Council believes are realistic and of partnership development among the Private Sector to Policymakers and
implementable, carried a lucid message Telecom and other industries, was drawn Regulators, SAMENA Council is embarking
from the Private Sector to the Governments in the ITU Ministerial Meeting. upon its SAMENA Accelerator policy
that the latter need to be more deeply and roundtables, with the first meeting
actively engaged, including on refocusing The ICT industry has made considerable centered on Fiber deployment to be held
efforts and policies targeting broadband progress in expanding global connectivity on November 19th, followed by a second
deployment, and that the Governments in the last decade. However, an roundtable on November 25th, focusing
must view the Private Sector as the unprecedented level of effort is required to specifically on accelerating a sustainable
enabling engine of ICT-driven nation- expand the opportunity of digital solutions Digital Economy.
building and sustainable development and to all. This necessitates accelerating
not as a mere revenue contributor to the
national treasury.

The October recommendations conveyed
during the ITU Ministerial Roundtable also
re-emphasized on holistically reviewing
current taxation models and regimes,
including broadening and institutionalizing
the tax contribution base, which should
include digital players of all profiles; those
with physical infrastructure of their own
and those with no physical infrastructure
while they provide the same services as
those with physical infrastructure.

SAMENA Council re-stressed the need to
provide fair treatment to Telecom Operators
and to all Digital Space players. Moreover,
the Council promoted the need for building
robust broadband infrastructure through
hybrid solutions, which would require
increased contributions and investment
from all industry players engaged in the
proliferation and use of ICT infrastructure,
applications and services. In this context,
it would be necessary to devise new
approaches in funding and financing digital
infrastructure development, including

12 SEP-OCT 2020