Seef District: Modern society is increasingly reliant on telecommunications. Failure to maintain a fully operational network infrastructure would pose a threat both to national security and to the effective functioning of society, according to a top official at the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).
“In particular, the loss of a major communication link, even for a short period, could have devastating effects on a nation’s wellbeing, as well as key sectors of the economy that rely on telecommunication services,” Mohamed Bubashait TRA General Director in a statement said.
He was speaking as the TRA announced the completion of security risk assessment study on telecom infrastructure. The study was conducted with the aim of identifying key measures and mechanisms for improving the security and reliability of critical telecommunications infrastructures.
“The loss of telecommunications services would have a significant and detrimental impact on the economy of Bahrain, as well as reputational damage to its image as a central hub for ICT,” he added.
“The objective of this study was to devise a methodology that would enable us to identify critical components in the telecommunications infrastructure, as well as enable the TRA to assess the risk to the identified critical components in the national telecommunications infrastructure. The TRA intends to work with licensees to ensure that such infrastructure is safeguarded and that business continuity and disaster recovery plans are put in place by licensees so that essential telecommunications services can be maintained in the face of identified threats.”
“This important work aims to serve the Third National Telecommunications Plan (NTP), as such a study will have practical implications and ensure that risks to ICT are identified and then reduced to an acceptable level.”