On August 22, 2025, the World WLAN Application Alliance (WAA) and the SAMENA Telecommunications Council signed a memorandum of understanding, officially launching a comprehensive strategic partnership in the field of wireless local area networks (WLAN). The collaboration aims to jointly promote international standard setting and promotion, among other areas, to advance the global WLAN industry.
As a key platform for decision-makers in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, the SAMENA Telecommunications Council has been committed to driving digital transformation in the South Asia-Middle East-North Africa (SA-ME-NA) region, achieving remarkable results in policy formulation, regulatory reform, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.
According to the MoU, the two parties will engage in in-depth collaboration across several key areas, including focusing on the trends, challenges, and opportunities in the WLAN field, collaborating with relevant stakeholders from regional and international organizations to expand the influence of their initiatives and foster international cooperation in the WLAN industry. Meanwhile, the two parties will establish a regular communication and coordination mechanism to ensure the efficient progress of the cooperation.
Yang Tao, Secretary General of the WAA, stated: “The collaboration with SAMENA holds significant meaning. By integrating resources and strengths from both sides, we will jointly promote the establishment of international standards for the WLAN industry, the promotion of industry norms, the application of technological innovations, and market expansion, thereby contributing more substantially to the prosperous development of the global WLAN industry.”
Bocar BA, CEO of the SAMENA Council and Board Member, stated: “This collaboration agreement with the WAA is a part of the SAMENA Council’s broader strategy to support digital transformation by enabling better connectivity, enhanced end-user experience, and more inclusive broadband access across the SA-ME-NA countries. The SAMENA Council is committed to supporting the private-sector as well as growing digital economies as they strive to achieve new digital transformation milestones. For this, quality broadband access is fundamental.”
As the world’s first international industry and standards organization focused on WLAN application experience, WAA has brought together over 90 global industry chain partners since its establishment in September 2022. It has built a mature WLAN product performance testing and certification system, released multiple white papers and application experience standards, and completed certifications for numerous products, injecting strong momentum into the healthy development of the global WLAN industry.
Source: SAMENA Council Press release
