In the year 2021, following a year of much societal upheaval and transformational shifts across all walks of human endeavor, the Telecoms Industry holds an ever more important position as the key enabler of innovation and convenience. The Industry’s enabling role has become very visible in multiple dimensions of the society’s progress toward digital development and digital inclusion; an imperative that has now been extensively defined by regional governments through their ICT visions. The digital ecosystem is complex and, with the fourth industrial revolution in play, it is constantly evolving at a fast pace. Creating the right enabling environment through setting policies and regulatory agendas that can benefit all stakeholders in a sustainable manner, is a major challenge and requires an acute understanding of different stakeholders’ needs, motivations, objectives, and a compassionate approach to the sustainability of the digital ecosystem, as a whole.

To serve as a unified voice for Telecom Operators and a platform for Indusry Decision-Makers to help bring about a consensus-driven policy and required regulatory change for enabling digital transformation in the SA-ME-NA region.

To continually act a sector-development partner to regional Governments, Regulators, and the Industry for the joint creation of a flourishing and sustainable ICT environment, in order to aid sustainable growth, incentivize investments, and broaden value-creation via the adoption of new collaboration-driven approaches in the areas of Digital Services, Data Regulation, Spectrum Management, and Industry Fees & Taxation, among others.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council was initially led by Dr. Muhammad Ali Al Wohaibi, then-CEO of Oman Telecom. Subsequently, SAMENA Council was chaired by Orange Jordan Telecom Group’s CEO Mr. Mickael Ghossein and then the group CEO of Saudi Telecom Company, Eng. Saud Al Daweesh. Elected in 2011, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Group CEO of Batelco served as a chairman of the SAMENA Council’s Board of Directors until September 2013 and was succeeded by Dr. Nasser Marafih, then-Group CEO of Ooredoo. In 2016, the Board of Directors elected Dr. Khaled Biyari, Group CEO of STC, to lead SAMENA Council. On February 27, 2018, in Barcelona, STC Group was again elected to chair the Board of Directors under the leadership of STC GCEO Eng. Nasser Al Nasser. On February 6, 2020, in Bahrain, STC Group was once again elected to chair the Board of Directors and Batelco was again elected to vice-chair the Board of Directors under the leadership of Batelco. For the first time, in 2020, Satellite Operators received representation within the Council with the election of Arabsat to the Board, led by its CEO Mr. Mr. Khalid A. Balkheyour.