Page 10 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2019

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY SAMENA TRENDS

SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY

At the Saudi-Hosted Council of Arab Ministers’ Meeting, SAMENA
Council Elevates 5G beyond Another “G” and Terms It as an

Opportunity for Reframing Investment-Friendly ICT Policies

At the Saudi-hosted Council of Arab
Ministers’ Meeting, SAMENA Council
Elevates 5G beyond another “G” and
Terms it as an Opportunity for Reframing
Investment-Friendly ICT Policies.
The private-sector representative
body calls on policy-makers and
regulatory authorities to rethink policies,
regulation, competition, investment
sustainability, and collaboration. SAMENA
Telecommunications Council was present
at the 23rd session of the Council of
Arab Ministers of Communications and
Information, hosted by Saudi Arabia on the
17th and 18th December 2019. Among a
handful of private-sector entities present building and cybersecurity, and adjacent increasingly be determined by the level
during the on-hour discussion session sector development may be effectively of integration into the digital economy.
held on December 18th, planned earlier by addressed. The panel discussion during Therefore, Governments and the Private
SAMENA Council in collaboration with the the Arab Ministers meeting contributed Sector need to be aligned on setting
Communication & Information Technology insights on digital economy from four conjointly defined priorities and be
Commission of Saudi Arabia to bring angles: taking stock of key new challenges, prepared to respond to and benefit from
Private sector and Public sector thought- understanding the 5G revolution, advancements taking place in the digital
leaders together, focusing on productivity, maintaining international co-operation, sphere. Securing the benefits from and
competition and sustainability challenges and building trust in the digital era. Global minimizing the risks of digitalization,
in the age of digital economy, SAMENA digital communication service providers requires new approaches, policies and
Council delivered a cohesive stance on and global institutions, such Facebook and strategies to drive equitable and evenly
treating 5G not as another “G” but rather the World Economic Forum, accompanying spread benefits of digitalization across
as an altogether different technology SAMENA Council during the discussion, all populations and across all economic
genre; one that offers a completely provided perspectives to help support work sectors. Resultantly, issues related to
new set of opportunities for inclusive underway to fulfill the Arab region’s ICT competition, productivity, sustainability,
human connectedness, socio-economic development needs in the long term and consumer protection, data ownership and
development and human progress, facilitate new investment and co-operation protection, privacy, taxation and trade in the
but which must be harnessed through building in the regional ICT sector as well digital economy must be approached with
timely policy-regulatory-investment as among adjacent sectors in the near a new mindset and out-of-box thinking
considerations and approaches. Arab term. It was recognized that digitalization with regard to policy-making, regulating,
Council of Communication & IT Ministers triggered a new wave of innovation, and fostering partnership between the
Meeting in KSA provided a rare opportunity which carries multiple implications Public and Private sectors. Bocar BA, CEO
for the private sector to communicate with for the region, for humanity, changing and Board Member of SAMENA Council,
policy-makers, directly, which in SAMENA relationships among citizens, the role of stated that “It was a privilege to be present
Council’s views is essential to catalyzing governments, sustainability of businesses, at the Council of Arab Communication
and maintaining a change in mindsets and and collaboration between Telecom & IT Ministers in Riyadh. The Arab
pace in digital transformation. It is through non-Telecom sectors and industries, Ministers approved the joint Arab Digital
open communication that sensitive thus altering the structure of societies Declaration, which charts out a roadmap
industry matters such as technology and economies. In the 5G era, growth, for building a prosperous and sustainable
use-case based investments, digital trust productivity and human development will digital economy in the region. SAMENA

10 NOVEMBER 2019