SAMENA Council to host regulatory summit with Viva Kuwait

The South Asia – Middle East – North Africa region’s SAMENA Telecommunications Council today announced that it would be hosting a Regulatory Summit in Kuwait on 2nd September 2013 in partnership with Viva Kuwait. The theme of the summit is Regulation 4.0 where discussions will converge around a healthy and sustainable regulatory environment for all stakeholders. 

The need for changes in regulatory policies and practices is being driven by an environment where there is rapid technological progress and evolution in telecom markets where digital infrastructures (particularly fixed and mobile access networks) have now become vital utilities whose availability and performance impacts every aspect of the economy and societal development. Discussions at the summit will also revolve around finding new approaches, which improve investment activities and provide more flexibility while maintaining and fostering competition. 

The Kuwait Regulatory summit is a vital event with a number of panels which will discuss topics such as regulatory trends and case studies, the opportunity to foster growth through digitization, public private partnership to acceralate broadband development and efficient implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks among other topics. Industry leaders will convene to discuss regulatory issues and provide their strategic viewpoints based on their understanding of these issues. 

According to Mr. Bocar BA, Chief Executive Officer, SAMENA Council, “The key aspect of discussions at the summit will be on ensuring a more dynamic regulatory framework which is based on enabling a more flexible environment and promoting a sustainable market. There is a need for regulations which grant access and consider the engagement of different stakeholders. With the changes in the telecom landscape the focus of national regulators has to shift towards new challenges such as quality monitoring and establishing dynamic efficiency as the centerpieces of regulatory policies and strengthening technological neutrality as a basic principle.” 

Salman Al Badran, CEO VIVA Kuwait added, “In June 1983, Kuwait became the first country among the GCC Members and one among the first in the SAMENA Region to implement Private Public partnership in Telecommunication Services, when 51% Private Equity was permitted in the Mobile Telephone Systems Company. A Regulatory environment is critical to proactively facilitate, promote and expedite the growth of Information and Communication Technology in any country.”