TRA Holds a Workshop on the UAE ICT and Telecom Policy for the Next Ten Years

17/01/2020

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) held a direct consultation session with its partners on the UAE ICT and Telecom Policy. The session took the form of an interactive workshop during which the entities representatives exchanged views and opinions on various aspects of the proposed policy. The workshop, which was held at the TRA Dubai, was chaired by H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director General. AL Mansoori delivered a welcome speech during which he stressed on the importance of government participation and team spirit to provide an ICT policy that takes into account all relevant aspects in the telecommunications sector for the coming ten years (2020 - 2031).

The development of the policy is one of the tasks entrusted to TRA according to Federal Law No. 3 of 2003 (Telecom Law) and its amendments. Furthermore, TRA engages relevant government entities in developing and updating the policy based on the principle of participation for the aim of supporting the national goals in various sectors.  The policy aims to draw a road map for ICT sector for the next ten years, including pillars and topics that require concerted efforts to reach the aimed goals and objectives, in line with the aspirations of our wise leadership.

The workshop discussed the results of TRA consultation launched on its website on the policy and its amendments. The opinions and ideas submitted by several government and private entities to TRA were compiled and discussed by the participants in the workshop, to be considered in developing the UAE ICT and Telecom Policy, to keep pace with the rapid changes in the vital ICT sector.

The policy was developed under the slogan "a smart and happy nation", in line with the higher goals of the government to achieve happiness for everyone in the UAE, and to apply the concepts of smart cities in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence and big data. This move also coincides with the beginning of 2020, the year of preparation towards the next 50, as per the declaration of out wise leadership.

In his opening speech, H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoor, TRA Director General, praised the team spirit reflected in the participation of TRA partners in transforming policy into general consultation, to be the result of comprehensive community participation. He said: “This policy reflects the expectations of the UAE ICT sector in the UAE future journey, and sets the road map for the sector during the next ten years. 2020 is the year of preparation for the future, the year of Expo, the year of the 5G implementation, the year of implementation of the national cybersecurity strategy, and the year of the UAE ICT and Telecom Policy "

H.E. Al Mansoori added: “The ICT and Telecom sector is a dynamic and constantly changing sector.  We have witnessed in the past few years the great boom in this field such as the intensive employment of robots, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of things, 3D printing, autonomous vehicles, and others. This policy comes at the right time, raising an important slogan: "a smart and happy nation".  With your efforts, and all our cooperation, this policy will be a great support to the preparations for the coming fifty years, in implementation of the directives of our wise leadership."

The UAE ICT and Telecom Policy reflects the UAE aspirations to maintain progress in the ICT sector, in order to continue the successes achieved in this vital sector, as it has held many advanced rankings in various regional and global indicators, which enhances economic and social growth and achieves happiness and the welfare of society. The policy will contribute to achieving the vision and directions of the government in this vital sector to reach a "smart and happy nation".

The UAE ICT and Telecom Policy includes the highlights of the policy, its mains pillars, the role of innovation and future foresight in the ICT sector, taking into account the National Innovation Strategy and the Future Foresight Strategy. The UAE government emphasizes the pivotal role of the ICT sector in the smart transformation of society, the strategy also highlights some future trends of the ICT sector.