MANAMA: Despite being the smallest nation in the region yet Bahrain embraced the latest technologies which places it at the heart of the digital world, according to a senior official.
“We are extremely proud and pleased to have been selected as the venue for GSR14. This is a country with the highest telecommunications infrastructure in the Middle East – a measure of the population’s connectivity from the humble landline, through mobile telephony, internet, personal computing and television – and the fact that Bahrain operates a full 4G service through its various telecommunications providers,” Dr Mohammed Al Amer, Chairman of the TRA Bahrain, said.
GSR14 has been organised by the ITU, in collaboration with the Government of Bahrain, and will be led by the TRA Chairman.
“Participants at GSR14 will examine ways to ensure that the full array of benefits of the digital world is brought to all citizens in an informed, responsive and safe manner. This can only be achieved through effective and smart regulation targeted at empowering consumers, redefining responsibilities, and creating the conditions for a data-driven economy to flourish.
“We’re very much looking forward to GSR14 and confident that a lot of productive work will take place before, during and after the event,” Dr Al Amer, added.
The 14th edition of the annual International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) is due to make its Bahraini debut within days.
From 3rd to 5th June, at Manama’s Gulf Hotel Bahrain, hundreds of delegates will convene at the event which is being held under the headline theme of ‘Maximising the Potential of the Digital World’.
GSR brings together the heads of national telecommunications/ICT regulatory authorities from all around the world, and has earned a reputation as the global annual venue for regulators to share their views and experiences on the most pressing regulatory issues in the telecommunications/ICT industry today. Seven hundred delegates are expected at GSR14, which underlines the importance and global pull of the symposium – as well as the suitability of Bahrain to host the event for the first time.
GSR14 aims to foster a dynamic dialogue between delegates, whether from the public or private sectors, that culminate in a non-binding series of regulatory best practice guidelines. This platform allows industry stakeholders to share their views in a neutral environment and explore avenues of collaboration and cooperation for the further development of the telecommunications/ICT sector.
The first two days of GSR14 will host a Global Industry Regulators Dialogue (GRID), which is open to regulators, policy makers and ITU sector members such as local and international operators and technology and solution providers. The final day will be an exclusive dialogue for regulators and policy makers. The symposium will be preceded by a series of pre-events on June 2 – industry workshops in the morning, and two parallel ‘by invitation only’ meetings in the afternoon: the Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers’ meeting, and the Regulatory Associations’ meeting.