SAMENA Telecommunications Council to hold its first Rising for Industry Sustainability & Efficiencies (RISE) Conference on 11th January 2023 at Fairmont Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in strategic collaboration with STC Group, Mobily, China Mobile International, the Communication, Space & Technology Commission (CSTC) of Saudi Arabia, and the 193 Member States and private-sector driven UN premier ICT agency, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
RISE is a new flagship leaders-centric project by SAMENA Council to assist proactive engagement and industry discourse with Saudi Administration as well as regional policymakers and regulatory authorities.
The Conference is organised around the crucial need to meet the new demands and difficulties faced by businesses, economic sectors, and industries, as well as society at large, as they undergo a digital transformation. RISE, an industry conference focused on ICT sustainability, also aims to serve as a platform for identifying, valuing, and directing fifth-generation collaborative regulation and policy requirements and accomplishments. This will encourage the operator community, sectors, and verticals, as well as the private sector at large, to make investments that are sustainable and collaborate more effectively.
ITU is a specialized ICT agency by UN, which has been advancing the need to confront opportunities and challenges thrown by ICTs in the area of job creation, economic growth, education, governance and innovation. This requires newness via key industry decision-makers to hold dialogue on important issues.
H.E. Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the first woman Secretary-General-elect and the current Director of Telecommunication Development Bureau of the ITU, reiterating the need for collaborations and partnerships said “RISE is taking place at a key moment. As the world rapidly adopts digital technologies, greater cross-sector collaboration is urgently needed to help every country advance on its digital transformation journey. Best-practice regulation and policy making play a crucial and catalytic role in advancing digital inclusion, empowering governments, industry and consumers to capitalize on the many exciting opportunities new technologies can bring.”
Recent policy and regulatory developments in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region, particularly about the region’s accelerated focus on digital transformation, the adoption of technology and regulatory sandboxes, making the most of 5G investments, network evolution toward 5.5G/5G-Advance, rising discussion of 6 GHz, new cybersecurity imperatives, the emergence of metaverse, the role of the financial services industry and other sectors, and the overarching critical requirement of ICT Ecos. Perspectives should be repositioned in light of the growing synergies between the ICT sector and other sectors, particularly the financial services sector.
Eng. Olayan Alwetaid, Group CEO of STC and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SAMENA Council said “As the Kingdom’s maturity shifts into a world-class digital nation driven by Vision 2030, among the many initiatives now taking place within the Kingdom, the RISE Conference is structured to address the emerging needs and challenges of the digitally transforming businesses, economic sectors, telecom industries and the society at large becoming a platform toward sustainability in investment and improved collaborations.”
Mr Bocar BA, CEO & Board Member of SAMENA Council said “The RISE Conference as a new dimension of SAMENA Council’s extended support to the region’s ICT and digital transformation visions via greater and more advanced collaboration with Telecom Operators and Tech Providers. RISE is also a demonstration of the Council’s commitment to remaining in constant engagement with regional operators, regulators, regional government bodies, and global institutions.”
