Government
UAE hosts 1st GCC Meeting for the preparation for WRC 2019
The first GCC meeting for the preparation for the World Radio-communication Conferences (WRC 2019) was just recently held from April 3 to 5, 2016 in Dubai to go over the agenda for the awaited event. The conferences are of strategic significance as they help to guarantee that the stance of all GCC nations are lined up with the event's program which will be taken on later at the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG) meetings. The ASMG conferences intend to identify the Arab countries' position as one of the six main regions of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The primary conference talked about the agenda of WRC 2019 for the very first time and got initial understandings on the GCC nations' particular issues. It also settled on restructuring the group for the present edition (2016-2019) and system of work.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) participated in this GCC Meeting in line with its role of representing the UAE in local and global ICT-related conferences and collaborating with other GCC nations to unify all standards and criteria in the management and regulations of the radio spectrum. The TRA is dedicated to fostering shared cooperation in unifying regulations and policies in order to promote the GCC telecommunication market and advantage consumers who utilize Radio product or services in the region. As one of the chosen members of the ITU Council since 2006, the UAE contributes to determining the tactical patterns of the Union.
H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, stated: "GCC Meeting for WRC-19 prep work is part of efforts to promote effective collaboration and integration with fellow GCC countries to develop robust foundations for the ICT sector in line with the region's proactive efforts as an influential group on the regional and global landscapes. We are pleased to have hosted this conference and combined the GCC position relating to the occasion's program and different international issues, along with exchanged expertiseand finest concepts to additional advance our ambitious objectives to promote mutual advantages and achievements in the ICT market. I applaud the GCC's ICT professionals for their efforts and effective involvement in shaping the Arab World's position on numerous problems which positively influences the radiocommunications sector and the market as a whole.".
Eng. Khalid Al Awadhi, UAE TRA International Organizations Manager and Chairman of WRC CPM-19 who led the UAE delegation in the very first meeting, said: "The Conference Preparatory Meeting of the GCC-based team assigned to prepare for WRC 2019 is of excellent significance as an initial preparatory forum for discussing the outputs of the previous edition and drafting a comprehensive action strategy and mechanism for the coming edition. We have found out a lot of lessons in the past period, having actually dealt with numerous difficulties before and during the conference. They have assisted enrich the expertise and technical and organizational knowledge of the GCC-based group and other regional groups, which will favorably impact the effectiveness and success of our involvement in the coming edition".
The Conference Preparatory Meeting's final outcome is a unified report on the proposals of GCC nations and their final positions for the next conference. The report will be prepared based on the inputs of the getting involved states and different research studies on regulatory, technical, operational and procedural mechanisms to be considered by the conference. It will also include various methods and ideas on ways to achieve the conferences agenda