• Eng. Majed Al Mesmar: “Digital technologies are constantly evolving, and in order to keep pace with them, we must have a high degree of innovation and cooperation at all levels.”

With the active participation and sponsorship of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), SAMENA held its annual summit at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai, in the presence of H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in the United Arab Emirates as a guest of honor at the summit, and with the participation of a group of decision-makers and workers in the field of ICT in the public and private sectors in the Middle East and North Africa region.

His Excellency Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, TDRA Director General, gave the opening speech in which he highlighted the importance of regional cooperation to advance the telecommunications sector and digital transformation in order to contribute to creating the future and promoting a sustainable digital economy to serve the region. He said: “Advanced digital ecosystems have proven to have an effective impact on society, economy and government work. Today, emerging technologies constitute a strong drive for the transformation process towards a sustainable digital economy, whether in the UAE or in the region and the world. However, this journey has some challenges that we must work together to overcome and turn into opportunities and prospects. One of these challenges is the legislative issue, as technologies are constantly evolving, and in order to keep pace with them legislatively, we must be highly innovative. Thus, TDRA was keen to launch the first experimental legislative environment for the ICT sector (ICT Regulatory Sandbox), on the sidelines of the World Government Summit that was held in Dubai last February.”

H.E Al-Mesmar called for concerted efforts to support countries that are not connected to submarine cables, which deprives them of broadband Internet services, and offered the UAE's assistance in this context based on the UAE's global trends, and said: "The UAE is ready to provide the necessary advisory and technical support to those countries.", in order to achieve the noble global slogan raised by the United Nations in the context of its development goals, (Leave no one behind).”

His Excellency Mohammed Al Ramsi, Deputy Director General for the Telecommunications Sector, participated in the activities of 5.5G session. Al Ramsi presented TDRA's efforts to enhance the infrastructure of 5G and 5.5G, and the role of this technology in promoting innovation and increasing the speed of communication between devices and stations, which support the establishment and development of smart cities in their various fields such as education, health, transport, logistics, industry and others. Al Ramsi indicated that TDRA has taken many necessary steps to facilitate the development of 5.5G, including the allocation of spectrum at 6GHz and mmWave scales.

Among TDRA’s participants in the summit sessions, Adel Al Mehairi, Director of CERT, participated in a discussion session on enhancing digital trust to reach a sustainable, connected and smart world. Khalid Al Awadi, Manager of Broadcasting and Space Services, also participated in a session on the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks and space platforms. TDRA also had an active participation in the discussion session "Creating Digital Value and the Internet", where Sultan Albalooshi, Manager of Spectrum Policy, touched on the importance of infrastructure in enhancing the role of the Internet in digital life and the digital economy.

On the sidelines of the summit, TDRA participated in the collective launch of the 5.5G open lab, in partnership with Etisalat by e& and Huawei. This launch reflects the stakeholders' keenness on the principle of partnership in preparing for the future and dealing smartly with new technologies.

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About TDRA:

The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) undertakes the task of supervising the telecommunications and digital government sectors in the UAE in accordance with the Telecommunications Law issued by Federal law by Decree No. (3) of 2003 and its amendments, and in accordance with Decree No. 23 issued on September 27, 2020, amending some provisions of Federal Law by Decree No. (3) of 2003 regarding the regulation of the telecommunication sector, and adding the “digital government” to the functions and name of the authority.

TDRA’s regulatory role is to ensure the provision of distinguished telecommunications services, develop the telecommunications sector, ensure the interests of the parties, apply the relevant policy and regulatory frameworks, develop human resources, and encourage research and development, to ensure the UAE’s leading regional and global position in the telecommunications sector.

In the field of enabling digital transformation, TDRA is responsible for supervising the federal digital government under Law No. 3 of 2011. Since then, TDRA has become responsible for digital transformation at the national level through two strategic goals: enhancing the smart lifestyle, and Leadership in smart technological infrastructure in the UAE.