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Doha, November 25 (QNA) - Officials, experts, and industry leaders in Tuesday's session of the ministerial program at MWC25 Doha discussed the technologies and services provided by mobile phones, which they said currently contribute USD6.5 trillion to the global economy by enhancing productivity and efficiency in both the private and public sectors, while enabling citizens and the broader internet ecosystem to thrive and drive innovation.
The participants, in the session titled "Unleashing Investment Through Mobile: Rethinking Regulations for Growth and Innovation", highlighted trends in mobile telecommunications investment, best regulatory and financial practices to create an environment conducive to growth and innovation, as well as balanced financial frameworks that meet economic priorities, support affordability, stimulate investment, and address digital security policies and regulations that enhance consumer confidence in digital services while ensuring their safety and security.
They emphasized that investments in the mobile telecommunications sector and mobile infrastructure are essential elements for building a digital economy, particularly in the region, with the potential for the digital economy to contribute up to 10 percent of GDP, making investment in mobile infrastructure highly significant.
For his part, Eng. Khalid Al Hashimi from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) spoke about information security in the telecommunications sector and the challenges faced by service providers in implementing contemporary security measures to address the risks of related technologies.
He specifically focused on the importance of applying the principle of assurance to strengthen protection against cyber risks.
Dr. Mani Manimohan, Head of Policy & Regulation for Digital Infrastructure at the GSMA - which is organizing MWC25 Doha in partnership with MCIT- said that, for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region, when looking across different markets in the region, one observes many areas related to the session's theme, both in fiscal and regulatory policy.
He added that, on this basis, the session aims to rethink how to move away from traditional taxes and fees based on operators' revenues, as well as rigid and inflexible rules related to network deployment and service quality, and instead work on providing a regulatory and financial environment that is more equitable, reliable, and flexible, enabling operators to make the necessary investments to build the digital economy.
Manimohan noted that mobile operators worldwide invest very substantial financial levels, amounting to approximately USD244 billion annually, in network capital expenditures, which over the years has resulted in a remarkable success story in the mobile telecommunications sector.
He noted, for various reasons, the existence of a gap between governments' ambitious digital agendas and operators' capacity to sustainably finance those investments in the future.
In addition, Manimohan further highlighted that one of the key areas to encourage investment is rethinking financial and regulatory policies.
He emphasized three immediate and strategic priorities, chiefly reducing taxes and fees based on operators' revenues, which in some markets reach up to 50 percent, making the deployment of fiber networks and transmission towers faster, easier, and more cost-effective, and moving away from overly rigid obligations related to service quality. (QNA)
