Dhaka (06 October, 2023): The 24th Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC-24) began in Dhaka, Bangladesh hosted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The meeting is being attended by the heads of telecommunication regulatory bodies of SATRC Member countries and designated senior level officers. The first two days saw the approval of the outcomes of SATRC Action Plan Phase VIII while the adoption of SATRC Action Plan Phase IX is also on the agenda.

The first day of SATRC-24 began with an inaugural session and also featured the regulators' roundtable. Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman delivered an insightful address and was also a panelist in the session on Regulatory Interventions and Innovations for sustainable digital future. The session focused on digital and resilient infrastructure for a sustainable digital future.

Day 2 of the meeting saw the Chair of Policy, Regulation, and Services (PRS) Working Group, DG Strategy & Development (S&D), PTA deliver a comprehensive overview of four critical Work Item Reports of Phase VIII: Development of Enabling Policy and Regulatory Environments, in the Context of SATRC, to Embrace the New Ecosystem brought by 5G; Telecom Active Infrastructure Sharing, Regulatory Issues Related to OTT Services and Applications, NGSO Satellite Constellations: Requirements, Challenges, and Impact in South Asia. These reports were subsequently approved by the Council.

The three-day meeting is being attended by representatives from nine South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives, and Iran.

 

Malahat Obaid

(Director PR)