TRA Hosts The 26th ASMG Meeting

In conjunction with its hosting of the 5th MENA Spectrum Management Conference

The 26th meeting of the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG), hosted by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), launched today from February 9th to 11th at the Four Seasons Hotel in the capital Abu Dhabi, prior to the 5th MENA Spectrum Management Conference, which takes place on February 12-13.

The importance of hosting this meeting lies in it being the first meeting following the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19). The meeting aims to review the results of WRC, start a new post-conference action plan, identify new working groups and distribute all agenda items that were adopted during the conference to mini groups, in addition to distributing ASMG roles and tasks to ITU study committees and working groups.

H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, TRA Director General, welcomed the participating Arab delegations, and said: “In light of the significant acceleration towards digital data and IoT, the importance of frequency spectrum is more evident than ever as it is the necessary element to meet the needs of the next phase, and this requires forward-looking strategies to be implemented in a participatory manner and by regional and global cooperation. In this context, the UAE, under the guidance of its wise leadership, works by hosting various Arab meetings to coordinate with Arab states and activate all channels of cooperation among them, thus achieving sustainable development goals in the Arab world and promoting the well-being and happiness of its people.”

His Excellency stressed his confidence that the ASMG meeting will yield results that strengthen the telecommunications sector in Arab countries, adding: “The meeting of the ASMG comes in preparation for the MENA conference, which kicks off on the day following the conclusion of the ASMG meeting in Dubai. Outputs of the ASMG meeting will have a significant impact in strengthening the position of Arab countries and protecting their interests in the spectrum sector. The significance of this meeting stems from the exceptional vitality of the ICT sector, which has become the central hub of development and progress in various fields according to several prospective studies that monitor the future of humanity in the years and decades to come. If the telecommunications sector is this important, the spectrum system lies at the heart of this importance in terms of being a vital natural resources of the countries, as well as in terms of overlapping with many of the economic, social and security considerations.”

During the meeting, participants will review the ASMG leader report on WRC results. They will also review ASMG’s action plan and mechanism until the next WRC. Working groups, group leaders and agenda coordinators will be identified during the current study session until the date of the next WRC.

The meeting is expected to develop a draft agenda for the next meeting, specifying its location and time, as well as to discuss technical standards development and regulatory matters of modern radio technologies.

The meeting will also address the UAE’s 5G strategy and its role in drawing up a roadmap to accommodate and implement 5G over the next few years, in addition to presenting the frequencies foresight plan in the UAE.

Arab countries attained five leading positions during WRC-19 as follows: Dr. Omar Badawi was appointed president of the WRC, Eng. Tariq Al-Awadi appointed as vice-president of the WRC and leader of the ASMG, Eng. Sultan Al-Baloushi as head of Working Group A4 on the discussion of IMT-related matters, Eng. Ahmed Amin (UAE) as chairman of Working Group 5A on satellite service topics, and Eng. Mohamed Suleiman (Egypt) as chairman of Working Group 5B dealing with items related to satellite services.

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