Announces ambitious plans to start a ccTLD and IX Association
On the sidelines of MENOG 5 in Beirut, Lebanon, Fahad AlShirawi, Managing Director of Bahrain’s 2Connect, has announced his stepping down from the post of MENOG Chair. AlShirawi will continue to remain as MENOG Founding Chair, an honorary title in recognition of his accomplishments.
The Middle East Network Operators Group (MENOG) is a regional forum offering telecommunication network engineers and other technical staff the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences, and identify areas for regional cooperation.
In his final speech as MENOG Chair, AlShirawi stressed the fact that this decision was made after all due consideration of what’s best for the region in general and MENOG in specific. “As a MENOG founder, I am extremely pleased with the progress we have made so far. This group was founded to serve not one country but the entire region and I have spent copious amounts of time and money taking the agenda forward.”
“To facilitate the next stage of MENOG’s growth, I strongly feel that I need to take a step back and let someone else steer the helm,” said AlShirawi explaining the reasons behind his departure. “I will continue to remain Founding Chair and my assistance is always available when needed. I’m throwing my unreserved support behind the new acting Chairman, Sultan AlShamsi from Etisalat, and wish him a successful term. However, MENOG needs an identity of its own”
AlShirawi denied rumours that he was leaving MENOG altogether and said, “There is still work to be done and I will most certainly continue to participate. It seems that every time I take a step back from something, certain people out there decide to read more into it. It’s wishful thinking on their part.”
Another Association in the Making
In a groundbreaking move to further push the telecommunication industry in the Middle East forward, AlShirawi announced his next project – he intends to start a country code top-level domain (ccTLD)[1] and Internet exchange point (IX)[2] association. Collaborating with the regions various governments and independent IX’s, AlShirawi hopes that this news association will bring about the much needed involvement in global policy making from our region. Rather than being takers of policies, AlShirawi hopes that we will be makers.
“The most important issue the association plans on addressing is the need for the Middle East to have a voice on the global arena. Currently internet policies are being formulated without the involvement of the Middle East because the government entities who control our ccTLD and IX do not have the time to participate in these forums and conferences,” said AlShirawi. “As a unified entity, we can have a voice and a say in policy which directly affects our region.”
Highlighting the critical need for such an organization, AlShirawi said, “The association aims to provide a coordinating body with knowledge on the interworking of global organizations helping the governments of the region whose plates are already full. In addition to coordination and policy working, we plan on providing advance level DNS support as well as consolidated DNS monitoring. The group will also discuss issues related to internet broadband penetration, which is an essential economic indicator and is woefully lacking in the Middle East. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“There is so much work to be done but is not being done because of the lack of resource and time. By making decisions as a whole, everyone in the region can move forward on an equal footing and with a better chance of making it happen,” added AlShirawi.
“Jordan and Iran are already members of APtld [Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association],” said AlShirawi. “They were the first in our region to recognize the need to participate in such international forums and, since there is no regional organization, choose to participate in the next best thing. People from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE too have shown interest in participating if ever such an organization comes about. As is the case with people, well all talk about the need, but nobody takes the initiative forward. Thus, I am stepping up to the task.”
“MENOG was one such project. There was a need and so I stepped in and took the idea forward. The same is true with this association! Our cooperation circle has been steadily growing and I believe the time is right for not merely organizations and companies, but Middle Eastern governments to come together,” concluded AlShirawi.
-Ends-
About 2Connect:
2Connect is a leading telecommunications service provider that offers an innovative portfolio of voice and data services that includes advanced internet and IP based solutions guaranteed by an independent state-of-the-art network and IT consulting support. 2Connect creates a new, energetic and dynamic LINK between its customers and the next generation of telecommunications services.
[1] A ccTLD is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country (a sovereign state or a dependent territory). Example: .bh, .uk, .ae
[2] An Internet exchange point (IX or IXP) is a physical infrastructure through which Internet service providers (ISPs) exchange Internet traffic between their networks.
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Francis Pepin
Vice President
Marketing
Tel: +973 16 500 100
© Press Release 2009
