TRA Receives WSIS Champion Award

Mobilk - The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) was awarded Champion of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum for the Innovation Camp project. This was achieved as part of the tenth session of the Forum held recently in Geneva, Switzerland, in the presence of delegates from participating countries and ICT experts. The TRA headed the UAE delegation involved in the summit agenda, which included the, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, Smart Dubai Office, Digital Ajman, UAE Space Agency, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and AQDAR program.

The TRAs Innovation Camp have been recognized for its mission to orient the younger generation towards future technology prospects, and to support exploration, innovation, future shaping and youths technical skills development in line with UAEs ICT trends.

During the Forum, the TRA presented a workshop on best practices in the implementation of smart government, which included introducing the Start your Business in 15 Minutes project as one of the leading projects was launched in 2018 aimed at encouraging all members of society to turn their ideas into projects based on the ground. The Forum also witnessed the certification of TRAs Innovation Camp as a WSIS champion.

Commenting on TRAs participation in this major global forum,H.E Eng. Majed Al Mesmar, TRA Deputy Director General of the Telecommunications Sector, head of the UAE delegation, said: "Since its inception ten years ago, the WSIS Forum has played an influential role in the global landscape. The UAE  has had its own visible marks throughout the Forums march, in accordance with our wise leaderships directions to open up to future-shaping global events that help promote sustainable development and the application of advanced technologies  to serve humanity. Through its participation in the WSIS Forum, the TRA highlighted its successful experiences in the field of Information Technology, where the UAE community has become an ideal model for the Information Society. The UAE has endeavored to employ ICT in all social, political, economic and cultural activities. To that end, it harnessed its own Big Data towards development and enabling every member of society to benefit from such information and to use it in a safe and sound manner, ensuring a better quality of life and the attainment of the agreed goals and objectives of sustainable development.

H.E. Majid Al Mesmar, accompanied by the ITU Secretary-General H.E Houlin Zhao, inaugurated the exhibition coinciding with WSIS. The exhibition included pavilions of participating countries in which they showcased their projects and achievements in fields of information and digital technologies. H.E. Houlin Zhao visited the UAE pavilion and was briefed on the projects presented by the UAE. The  pavilion also included a number of TRA projects,. Furthermore, Mr. Zhao was briefed on booklets designated for the visually impaired, provided by the Ministry of the Interior. These booklets are intended to educate the visually impaired about the safe and best way of using the Internet.

Eng. Mohammed Al Khamis Program Director – UAE Smart Government  stressed that the TRA, through its participation in this Forum, presented to the participating countries of the world many of its successful  experiences and projects with a view to generalize these success stories for the good and happiness of all nations of the world, adding: "What the TRA has achieved in this participation by winning the WSIS champion prize for the Innovation Camp and receiving of four more of its projects of such prize, confirms that the UAE is on the right track towards leadership in all humanitarian fields and it is only a few years before the UAE achieves this goal. Today we are picking up the pace and working hard to achieve UAE Vision 2021 and the objectives of the National Agenda."

It is noteworthy that the WSIS is dedicated to assessing and honoring individuals, governments, civil society organizations, local, regional and international agencies, research institutions and private sector companies that have been successful in harnessing the potential of ICT in sustainable development strategies. The Forum aims to coordinate efforts of various countries in all aspects of ICT and digital content.

‎ About the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector

The General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector was established in the United Arab Emirates pursuant to Federal Law No. 3 of 2003, with its role structured around two key areas, namely: Organizing the telecommunications sector, empowering government entities in m-Transformation, and enhancing cybersecurity to safeguard society and contribute to promoting happiness and quality of life.

In the area of regulation, the role of the TRA is to ensure the provision of excellent telecommunications services, develop the sector, protect the interests of parties, implement relevant policy and regulatory frameworks, develop human resources, promote R&D, ensuring the UAE has a leading regional and global position in the telecommunications sector.

In the area of empowerment, the TRA is responsible for overseeing the UAE Federal e-Government under Law No. 3 of 2011. Since then, the TRA has been responsible for the digital transformation of the federal government through two strategic objectives: enhancing the smart lifestyle and leadership in the smart technological infrastructure in the UAE.