Page 10 - SAMENA Trends - January 2022

FEATURED SAMENA TRENDS

Regulatory Sandboxing for Cross-Border Data Flows Promoted

During September 2021, SAMENA
Council held its 5th SAMENA Leaders’
Roundtable (SALT), organized under
overarching theme of “IoT Development
in the Region”. It was discussed that
whether standalone or in the context of
enabling IoT development across the
region, the issue of cross-border data
management requires timely attention.
Doing so would help to enhance the
region’s competitiveness globally, while
also enabling Operators to achieve
reasonable scale in their business.

With many of SAMENA Council’s
member Operators inherently multi-
market service providers, there is a dire
need to allow Operators to transfer and
access data across borders. Current
data management policies prevent data
aggregation across markets and deprive
SAMENA Council’s member Operators
as well as other market players from the challenge of cross-border data data protection and privacy frameworks
accessing the full advantages and scope management. Such approach would of the other) or as an extension (whereby
that virtualization and cloudification allow for the creation of an environment Binding Corporate Rules are implemented
offers, for example. At present, there is within which prevailing regulatory to safeguard data flows across borders).
no GCC-wide data privacy and protection controls are temporarily suspended, Binding Corporate Rules would allow for
framework that would allow smooth data or substantially modified, for a defined off-shore transfer of data within a multi-
flow across borders, and each country period of time, and during which network Operator and the processing of
has its own data sovereignty rules. alternative approaches to the regulation data outside the home country to occur
of the industry can be tested. as though the data was still resident
Thus the region’s progressive regulators in the home country. Through either
need to spearhead the removal of The sandboxing approach would equivalence or extension, the ultimate
incongruous elements that exist at also help explore the minimum data benefit is reaped by all the stakeholders
both national and regional level in data protection and privacy requirements (end-Users, Operators, Authorities) as
flows to accelerate IoT and to facilitate and, at the same time, could also be positive outcomes are generated for
Operators’ business scalability. used by the relevant data authorities the economy and the nascent digital
in a country by any corresponding and ecosystem benefits, considering new
In this regard, as suggested during its collaborating jurisdictions to better services are offered, providing impetus
2021 SALT Meeting, SAMENA Council, understand any requirements for for ecosystem expansion with the
in consultation with its Members, has relevant bi-lateral arrangements based participation of new players and the
started promoting the “Regulatory either on equivalence (whereby each availability of new choices.
Sandboxing Approach” for tackling country party to the sandbox accepts the

10 JANUARY 2022