Page 136 - SAMENA Trends - April-May 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Egypt

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has directed Internet packages provided by various mobile companies. The
for mobile companies to allow free use of a set of phone applications offer a range of diverse features, such as object and
applications for people with disabilities as of the beginning of the currency recognition, and e-reader and automatic conversations
holy month of Ramadan. The approach is to ensure easy access with sighted volunteers through online visual chatting technology.
to telecommunications and the Internet for disabled users, as The applications for the visually impaired include Be My Eyes,
they are an integral part of the Egyptian social fabric. The NTRA TapTapSee, CASH READER and work on various operating
initiative aims to provide free use of a set of applications for systems. For the hearing-impaired users, the Wasel application
users with visual and auditory disabilities that help them facilitate was made available free of charge. Wasel is an application for
various matters of their daily living. This is also to ensure inquiring about government facilities and emergency services
that their consumption is not deducted from the contracted through sign language video technology. (April 13, 2021) dailynewsegypt.com

Iran

A report from Iran’s official IRNA news agency says that more villages have received internet access but at lower speeds. The
than 35,000 villages have been connected to high speed internet government introduced legislation in 2017 requiring the country’s
networks over an eight-year period under a project to improve two main cellular operators, MCI and MTN Irancell, to expand their
rural services. PressTV cites IRNA as saying that 35,519 networks to more rural regions. Landline phones have reached
remote villages had access to broadband services as of March four million households in 47,000 villages, according to the report.
2020, up from virtually zero eight years before. A further 17,000 (March 24, 2021) commsupdate.com

Jordan

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has published and reports of licensed companies Services Wireless Internet
quality indicators reports for the second half of 2020 for Fixed Fixed the LTE .The publication of these reports comes
telecommunications companies operating in the local market, in accordance with what has been approved in the Instructions
and based on the information contained in the quality indicators for the Regulatory Framework for Quality Control issued by the
reports provided by those companies. The cover reports published Authority and based on the reports provided to the Authority by
on the electronic body site www.trc.gov.jo reports licensed the licensed companies, with the aim of monitoring the level of
companies relating to fixed telephone services and access quality of services provided by the licensed companies to the
services for broadband internet access the ADSL and telephone beneficiaries.
services cellular, and Internet services wired broadband the ADS (March 28, 2021) trc.gov.jo

Kuwait

Zain Kuwait has signed a contract to provide its Zain Drone services supervise economic activity in industrial areas in Kuwait. We
to Kuwait’s Public Authority of Industry, in a project involving believe our services and technology are amongst the most precise
aerial topographical surveys using autonomous unmanned aerial and sophisticated available anywhere in the region, allowing our
vehicles (UAVs) capturing corrected georeferenced imagery for industrial and commercial clients to undertake tasks with greater
data analysis. Zain Drone CEO AbdulAziz Jawad commented: efficiency and lower cost than when utilizing traditional methods.
‘The Public Authority of Industry has an important mission to (March 26, 2021) commsupdate.com

136 APRIL-MAY 2021