SAMENA Council submits contribution to ITU on ITRs Treaty revision on behalf of Operators in the SAMENA Region

As a member of the United Nations’ agency for information and technology, the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunications Development Sector (ITU-D), SAMENA Telecommunications Council made a formal submission on 6^th June 2012 in response to ITU’s invitation for contributions relating to revisions to the current International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs) Treaty.

The contribution elaborates upon 12 key industry goals that the SAMENA Council believes are critical for the global telecommunications / ICT community and should therefore be given due consideration and addressed in the revised ITRs Treaty. Reflecting the collective views of major telecoms operators from within South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, the contribution is intended to draw the attention of the ITU’s Working Group of Council on ITRs to various dimensions of the ITRs Treaty in a qualitative manner. The United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union’s ITRs Treaty will go through its final amendment process at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai in December 2012.

In its contribution, the SAMENA Council emphasized the importance of encouraging continued development of global economies through innovative and competitive telecoms / ICT products and services that have already evolved profoundly since the adoption of the 1988 ITRs. Therefore, the goal of further promoting and encouraging co-operation between various stakeholders is also included in its contribution. Overall, SAMENA Council believes that if the 12 key industry goals described in its contribution are appropriately addressed within the final revised ITRs, this would not only support the progression of the global telecoms / ICT sectors for the benefit of all stakeholders, but would also consequently ensure the continued relevance and longevity of the ITRs.

Thomas Wilson, CEO and Executive Managing Director of SAMENA Telecommunications Council said: “We are confident that our contribution to the ITU will augment existing efforts on the ITRs issue. Since December 2011, the SAMENA Council actively monitored the ITRs revision process and also participated in various WCIT related meetings across the world, listening to the views and thoughts of other industry stakeholders. The SAMENA Council operator members deliberated upon and gave due consideration to such views along with their own insights and experiences prior to finalizing its contribution.”

The Council’s contribution which views the ITRs from various dimensions in a qualitative manner was outlined in Geneva at the 8^th and final Council Working Group (CWG) on June 20-22, 2012. International issues related to Routing, Roaming, Spam, Cyber Security, QoS, and Management of Commercial transactions, along with many other key issues were discussed in Geneva. SAMENA Council is working very closely with other leading industry organizations and relevant stakeholders to support important elements such as maintaining an open and highly efficient Internet.