Tribune News Network
Doha
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), hosted a national multi-stakeholder’s workshop focused on collaborative digital regulation.
The initiative aims at enhancing the regulatory environment in Qatar’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector by adhering to international standards, advancing cooperation and collaborative governance, utilising new tools for ICT regulation, and facilitating the country’s digital transformation.
The workshop gathered government officials, representatives from ministries responsible for ICT policy and regulation, officials from national regulatory bodies, and telecommunications Service Providers. Participants engaged in insightful discussions on various aspects of digital regulation, exploring agile approaches to digital policy, regulation, and governance. They gained insights into flexible strategies for managing the rapidly evolving ICT landscape, covered the ITU Unified Framework of Generations of Regulation and regulatory metrics such as the ICT Regulatory Tracker and the G5 Benchmark, and deep dive into Qatar’s legal, policy, and governance frameworks for digital transformation, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.
Eng. Hussain Abdulla Salatt, public relations and communication manager at CRA, praised the collaboration with ITU, stating: "This partnership is essential for supporting Qatar navigate the challenges of the digital world and strengthen its position in the global digital economy. This evaluation of our regulatory frameworks supports Qatar’s National Vision and Digital Agenda 2030, as well as our National Development Strategy, by enhancing the digital economy and supporting digital transformation across various sectors, especially with the rapid adoption of new technologies like artificial intelligence and big data.”
Following the workshop, a national review of digital collaborative regulation and digital transformation will begin. This review will assess the setup of the telecommunications and IT sector and the foundations for digital transformation across the economy and society in terms of key policies and programs, joint policies across sectors, and collaborative practices among institutions. It will also examine regulatory tools to boost the digital economy and evaluate the level of regulatory maturity and policy implementation, also inviting feedback from a wide range of national stakeholders from government and the private sector. The analysis will allow formulating recommendations to improve the regulatory environment and governance practices towards achieving an inclusive and sustainable digital transformation and enhancing the local digital economy.
Since 2020, ITU has conducted similar national reviews in 15 countries, focusing on regulatory frameworks, institutional structures, and collaborative digital governance. These reviews help decision-makers understand the role of collaboration and governance, use new tools to regulate ICT and digital markets, and address the rapidly changing trends in digital policy, regulation, and governance.