SAMENA

TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL

BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES

SMART SAMENA
Capturing the USD 1.3 Trillion
Digitization Opportunity in the SAMENA
Region by 2020

Contents

01

02

03

Foreword
Secretary General - ITU, Hamadoun Tour

Preface
Chairman - SAMENA Council, Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa

Acknowledgement
CEO - SAMENA Council, Bocar A. BA

04

Executive Summary

05

The Power of Digitization

07

The Current State of Digitization in SAMENA

10

The SMART SAMENA Opportunity

12

Policy Imperatives for SMART SAMENA

15

Conclusion

16

About SAMENA Telecommunications Council

17

Study Information & Overview

Foreword

Advances in telecommunications technologies are the foundation of so many of the things we are able to do today. The
digital world is creating exciting new possibilities, with innovation in communications and information sharing systems
taking place before our very eyes.
At the heart of all of this lies broadband and particularly mobile broadband which is transforming our thinking, our
interaction as a global society, and our potential to contribute to the world we live in.
Starting with the digitization of networks, followed by the digitization of services, the path towards ubiquitous adoption
of ICT services has consistently followed an upwards trajectory. Smart regulatory policies, among other things like market
openness, the creation and sustainability of investment incentives, and competitive service offerings all have spurred everfaster adoption of digital technologies.
Understanding todays digital world and envisioning better ways to shape the digital future requires policy-makers and
regulators to understand what their new role is, and how that role can be best executed. To do so, they need the best possible
market information and analysis.
The next decade in telecommunications will be driven by the creation of more new digital services that bring value to
consumers. It is up to operators, technology providers, and end-users to make full and judicious use of the new information
and communication technologies that we create. Similarly, it is up to us policy-making institutions and regulatory bodies
to set the direction of our national agendas in accordance with the international frameworks developed for cross-border
interaction, in line with our shared need to develop and sustain a healthy ICT ecosystem, globally.
The International Telecommunication Union is committed to helping the world reap the benefits of todays digital
environment and tomorrows Knowledge Society. ITU is privileged to contribute to the SAMENA Council ICT Policy
Assessment and Digitization Study 2012, and appreciates this important initiative taken by the SAMENA Council to
facilitate the telecommunications industry in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
As Secretary-General of ITU, I am ever more committed to working with the new management of the SAMENA Council.
In just a very short time the leadership that has been demonstrated is a prelude to a very successful partnership between the
SAMENA Council and ITU.
ITU believes leaders should dream big for their people. This study by the SAMENA Council should help those dreams find a
path to fulfillment.
Dr. Hamadoun I. Tour
Secretary General
International Telecommunication Union

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Preface

The improving internet environment in the South Asia Middle East North Africa (SAMENA) region has transformed
ways in which close to a billion inhabitants engage in or benefit from human-to-machine and machine-to-machine
interaction. Inarguably, unparalleled adoption of digitalized services, brought forth by telecommunications growth across the
SAMENA region, is upon us.
Addressing the impending need for assessing the current state of digitization and enabling ICT policies is what has served as
a catalyst for the SAMENA Telecommunications Council to initiate the SAMENA ICT Policy Assessment and Digitization
Study. The work done to support the SAMENA Councils evaluation of digital opportunities across sectors and in assessing
regional readiness for digitization would have to be immense; the findings themselves of equally large proportions. Such
an effort would meet fruition and recognition, if its outcome included equipping the SAMENA Council with the right
information and mannerism to positively influence policy change across markets; and to introduce new multi-billion dollar
opportunities that are waiting to be discovered through digitization.
Our entire team is pleased to offer you this publication as a token of our focus in bringing quality information to you. We
believe that digitization is where the future of the SAMENA region lies, and we believe this perception is destined to be
proven correct in the future.
On behalf of the entire membership of the SAMENA Council, I wish to thank the members of the Board of Directors, the
members of the Policy Board, and all those who both directly and indirectly contributed to this extensive work. We are
hopeful that the findings of the SAMENA Councils first region-wide study will validate many of the statistics that we have
come to know or have created.
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa
Group Chief Executive
Batelco Group
Chairman, SAMENA Telecommunications Council

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Acknowledgements

SAMENA
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL

BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES

The SAMENA Telecommunications Councils ICT Assessment and Digitization Study is the outcome of vision, support,
and contributions by many. Various members of the Board of Directors of SAMENA Council, since tasking the SAMENA
Council with an objective of promoting the development and adoption of national and sector-specific digitization policies
that create new growth opportunities for telecom operators and ICT industry stakeholders while accelerating socio-economic
development in the region, had felt that region-wide ICT policy assessment was merited. In the first quarter of 2012, the
honorable leadership of the SAMENA Council issued its approval to conduct the required region-wide study.
Without the direction and support of the SAMENA Councils Chairman, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Group Chief
Executive Officer of Bahrain Telecommunications Company, our Vice Chairman, Mr. Walid Irshaid, Chief Executive Officer
& President of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL), Dr. Amer Awadh Al Rawas, Chief Executive officer of
Oman Telecommunications Company (OmanTel), Dr. Nasser Marafih, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Telecom Group,
Dr. Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al Ghoneim, Group Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Telecom Company, Mr. Mohammed A. Al
Ageel, Chief Executive Officer of Bravo Saudi Arabia, Mr. Jean-Francois Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Orange
Jordan Telecom Group, Mr. Hakam Kanafani, Chief Executive Officer of Turk Telekom Group, Mr. Jamal Al Jarwan, Chief
Regional Officer Asia Cluster, Etisalat Group UAE, Mr. Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Badran, Chief Executive Officer,
VIVA Telecom Kuwait, and Mr. Thomas W. Wilson, CEO & Founder, Teralight Ltd, it would be impossible to initiate and
commission the SAMENA Councils first ICT policy assessment Study.
The SAMENA Council is highly appreciative of and credits the Booz & Co. team, particularly Mr. Bahjat El-Darwiche as
well as Mr. Milind Singh and team for actively addressing the requirements of this region-wide study, and for sustaining
informative updates and presentations, frequently. The SAMENA Councils own team has done exceptional work to make
this project successful. Mr. Izhar Ahmad, our current director of external relations development and the project manager
of this Study, with his association with the SAMENA Council extending back to the concept stages, has been instrumental
in this project from the start. He and his team have worked extensively to help initiate and fulfill the requirements of this
critical project. Ms. Rola Ossieran, Director of Marketing, and her team are thanked for their contributions as well.
Last but not least, we all are immensely thankful to the Secretary General of the ITU, Dr. Hamadoun Tour for extending his
organizations collaborative support to the SAMENA Council and for sharing his thoughts with the readers of this study in
the Foreword.
Bocar A. BA
Chief Executive Officer
SAMENA Telecommunications Council

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Executive Summary

Digitization the mass adoption of connected digital technologies and applications by consumers, enterprises, and
governments is accelerating faster than expected. It is transforming social interactions, economic activities, and governance
models globally, and creating trillions of dollars in GDP growth. The South Asia, Middle East and North Africa (SAMENA)
region is not immune to these transformations.
Over the last decade the region has made considerable progress in boosting digital infrastructure regional mobile
penetration now averages close to 100%, growing nearly 30% in the last three years. Unfortunately, however this is still
significant room for improvement. The region currently ranks second to last among the worlds seven geographic regions.
Moreover, although the level of digitization in the SAMENA region has risen in absolute terms in the most recent ranking
period (2009-2011), the regions global ranking has regressed during that period.
If the SAMENA region re-accelerated its digitization efforts and improved its digitization ranking to third globally by 2020
(the SMART SAMENA scenario), it could reap substantial rewards. Such leap-frog acceleration would be welcomed by the
regions fast-emerging generation of young digital natives, who are technologically sophisticated and highly value digital
services. It would produce advanced applications, such as smart grids, intelligent traffic systems, tele-health solutions,
remote learning, and customized multichannel e-government platforms, which deliver value across economic sectors. In all,
the socioeconomic benefits of SMART SAMENA would be enormous: a US $1.25 trillion increase in regional GDP and the
creation of 13.3 million new jobs by 2020.
To achieve SMART SAMENA, the countries of the region will require next-generation information and communications
technology (ICT) policies. These policies are a cornerstone in the construction of a digital ecosystem that can stimulate and
support supply and demand for digital services. Our assessment of the state of digitization in the region reveals five policy
imperatives for SMART SAMENA: ensuring a Sustainable, innovative, and secure ICT sector; Managed and risk-mitigated
sectoral digitization; ensuring availability of Advanced knowledge, human, and financial ICT capital; Regional and local
collaboration platforms and stakeholder engagement models; and Tracking and monitoring mechanisms for instilling
accountability and driving execution.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

The Power of Digitization

Understanding Digitization
Digitization is the mass adoption of digitallyconnected ICT devices and applications by
consumers, enterprises, and governments
(see Exhibit 1). This trend is accelerating
at a rapid pace and it is transforming every
aspect of our life. Consumers are increasingly
utilizing digital platforms in their everyday
social, professional, shopping, and educational
activities. Enterprises across every economic
sector are changing their business models, goto-market approaches, production techniques,
and operations to capture the opportunities
of digitization, and to defend against its
disruptive effects. Governments are leveraging
digitization to broaden and improve their
services, and to better engage with their
citizens.
Indeed, the transformative power of
digitization offers rich social and economic
rewards. Studies have shown that smart
utilities infrastructures can reduce the loss
of treated water by 25-50 percent. In 2011,
e-health solutions were used to process 750
million prescriptions in Germany alone,
saving time and drastically reducing errors.
Smart traffic flow systems reduced accident
fatalities by more than 15 percent and reduced
traffic congestion by more than 20 percent
in Singapore. Every 5 percent improvement
that smart power grids deliver in the U.S.
reduces CO2 emissions by the equivalent of 53
million cars. Digital activity, including several
hundred million Twitter messages per day, has
spawned data exhaust that is expected to
reach 8 trillion gigabytes in 2015, engendering
Big Data possibilities in virtually every area of
human endeavor2.

The SAMENA region includes 25 countries1 with a combined population

of 800 million people. It contributes seven percent of global GDP and is
one of the worlds fastest growing economic regions. The region is home
to 60% + of the worlds oil reserves and 40% + natural gas serves. As this
economically and politically vital region seeks new revenues of growth,
ICT is emerging as key growth driver. Currently, SAMENA region overall
is still in the initial stages of digitization and has yet to realize the massive
socioeconomic potential it will yield.
Digitization is a global trend whose acute impact is being felt in every
societal and economic arena. For instance, the sales volume of the largest
e-tailers, such as Amazon, have eclipsed traditional brick-andmortar
retailers and driven some, such as bookseller Borders, into bankruptcy.
Digitization is also the source of innovative, new avenues of growth that
promise to enhance national competitiveness and economic health. This is
why President Barrack Obama is proposing a $1billion investment aimed at
stimulating the creation of a digital manufacturing sector in the U.S. (See the
sidebar Understanding Digitization.)

25 SAMENA countries are Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya,
Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen
2
IDC Worldwide Big Data Technology and Services 2012-2015 Forecast, March 2012
1

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Most SAMENA governments already recognize the importance of digitization and understand the positive impact that ICT
can have on their citizens and economies. In the 2012 Network Readiness Index (tabulated by the World Economic Forum),
five SAMENA countries Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Oman ranked among the top fifteen
countries worldwide on Importance of ICT to governments vision, a reflection of the commitments that these governments
have made to pursue digitization.
This pursuit is especially important among the young people in the SAMENA region, who see it as is a key enabler of their
future quality of life. A recent survey conducted across 10 SAMENA countries revealed that 10 percent of 15-35 year olds
(young people who have grown up in a digital world) spend more than 3 hours per day on the Internet. These members of
the digital generation value technical sophistication over financial prosperity in terms of national reputation. Many of them
also believe that digitization is a prerequisite for reform in several major economic sectors in SAMENA, such as health and
education (see Exhibit 1).
Exhibit 1: SAMENAs Youth Value Digitization

Source: Booz & Company/Google survey of the Arab Digital Generation; Booz & Company GCC Youth survey

Given digitizations proven potential as a driver of national competiveness and its emergence as a priority on the agendas
of the regions governments, the SAMENA Telecommunications Council conducted this study to better understand the state
of digitization in the region, the benefits that could be reaped from accelerating the rate of digitization (a scenario we call
SMART SAMENA), and the governmental policies needed to capture those benefits.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

The Current State of Digitization in SAMENA

Calculating Digitization Levels
The digitization index used in this study
calculates the level of a countrys digitization
using 23 indicators that range from the average
speed of broadband connections to the level of
internet commerce3. These indicators measure
a countrys digitization level in terms of six
attributes: ubiquity, affordability, reliability,
speed, usability, and skill. The attributes are
normalized and combined to yield a single
national digitization score on a scale of 0 to
100, with 100 signifying the most advanced
level of digitization.
A countrys digitization index score is a
composite ranking that identifies its position
with regards to four distinct stages of
digital development: constrained, emerging,
transitional, and advanced. Countries with
constrained digitization levels those with a
score below 20face challenges in providing
the basic building blocks of digital services,
such as access and affordability. Countries
with emerging digitization levels those
with a score between 20 and 35 have
largely addressed the affordability and access
challenge, but the reliability and capacity of
their digital services is limited. Countries with
transitional digitization levels those with
a score between 35 and 50 provide their
citizens with access to ubiquitous, affordable,
and reasonably reliable services, and have
made minor advances in more sophisticated
digital attributes, such as speed, usability, and
skill. Countries with advanced digitization
levels those with a score greater than 50
have developed a talent base capable of taking
advantage of digital technologies, products,
and services, and have improved the speed and
quality of digital services.

Digitization means different things to different stakeholders. To consumers,

it means the ability to access digital applications and content in a
timely manner. To regulatory authorities, it means a world-class digital
infrastructure. To enterprises, it means the adoption of ICT applications
that can improve the efficiency of their operations and the way in which
they reach their customers. To incorporate all of these definitions into a
comprehensive view of the current state of digitization in the SAMENA
region, the SAMENA Telecommunications Council measured the extent of
digitization of regions countries against a 23-indicator digitization index
which ranks the state of digitization in 179 countries.
(See the sidebar Calculating Digitization Levels.)
An analysis of the digitization index reveals that the SAMENA region is
lagging behind other regions. Collectively, the countries of the SAMENA
region rank sixth among seven regions globally, just ahead of Sub-Saharan
Africa. None of the regions countries rank in the top 25 most digitallyadvanced nations; 18 of the 25 SAMENA countries are in the constrained or
emerging stages of digitization. Additionally, more than half of the regions
countries rank below 100 in digitization development (see Exhibit 2).

Exhibit 2: Digitization in the SAMENA Region is Lagging

The index used in this study is the Booz & Company Digitization Index

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Furthermore, rate of digitization in the SAMENA region regressed in relative terms between 2009 and 2011, despite
improvement in the Digitization Index in absolute terms. During this period, the regions countries declined 4.6 ranks on
average, with the rankings of 73 percent of them falling (see Exhibit 3).
Exhibit 3: The Rate of Digitization in the SAMENA Region is Regressing in Relative Terms (2009 and 2011)

Source: Booz & Company Digitization Index

The slowdown in digitization in the SAMENA region has disturbing implications across its economy, particularly in the
six economic sectors that collectively contribute more than 50 percent of its GDP. These sectors healthcare, government,
education, energy and utilities, transportation and logistics, and financial services are priorities on the national agendas of
the regions countries and they could gain significant benefit from digitization.
To ascertain the progress of digitization within these six sectors, the SAMENA Telecommunications conduct an analysis
of 22 digitization opportunities across the sectors to determine the extent to which they had been captured in 10 SAMENA
countries 4. A sector with well-developed digitization initiatives across all the opportunities was categorized as advanced. A
sector with well-developed initiatives across a few opportunities or promising initiatives across all opportunities was categorized as intermediate. And, a sector with few or only nascent initiatives was categorized as nascent.

10 SAMENA countries included in the study are Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and United
Arab Emirates
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SAMENA Telecommunications Council

The analysis reveals that the progress of digitization within most of these key economic sectors is limited in either scale or
scope or both. Further, there are no SAMENA countries that have well-developed digitization initiatives in the education,
energy and utilities, transportation and logistics, and financial services sectors. The government sector is the most digitized,
with advanced e-government initiatives in most GCC countries and in Turkey, followed by the financial services sector, with
most banks in the region offering digital services that are limited in scale or scope (see Exhibit 4).
Exhibit 4: The Extent of Digitization across Six Key Economic Sectors in SAMENA

Source: Booz & Company analysis

In summary, the countries in the SAMENA region are failing to capitalize on digitization and in doing so; they are ceding
competitive ground to other regions.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

The SMART SAMENA Opportunity

Given the critical role digitization plays in driving socio-economic benefits, it is important to understand the opportunity cost
associated with the SAMENA regions lagging rate of digitization. To measure this cost, the SAMENA Telecommunication
Council conducted an econometric analysis designed to measure the effects of digitization on GDP growth and job creation.
The model was applied to two scenarios: a slow-growth scenario in which the SAMENA region maintains its current sixthplace digitization index ranking; and SMART SAMENA an accelerated-growth scenario in which the region undertakes a
concerted effort to achieve a leapfrog increase in the rate of digitization and raises its ranking to third globally. The model
reveals that the SMART SAMENA scenario would result in a dramatic transformation of regions economic sectors, through
innovative business models, go-to-market approaches, production techniques, and operational modes. This would produce a
greater impact on industry output and productivity across industries than the current slow-growth scenario.
Digitization has already had a sizable impact on the countries of the SAMENA region: Between 2005 and 2011, digitization
created 6.7 Million jobs in the region and contributed $631 Billion to its nominal GDP. Going forward, if the SAMENA
region continued on its present course, digitization would have a GDP impact of $620 billion and it would create 8.4 million
jobs by 2020. Under the SMART SAMENA scenario, however, the region would gain an additional $640 billion in GDP and
5 million more new jobs in the same period.
In total, SMART SAMENA would deliver more than $1.25 trillion to the economies in the region, and more than 13.3
million new jobs by 2020. It would also lead to the creation of more than 7 million businesses, fuelled by of digitizations
ability to lower entry barriers and expand market reach (see Exhibit 5)
Exhibit 5: The Cumulative Economic Impact of SMART SAMENA, 2020

Source: Booz & Company analysis

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SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Beyond its direct economic impact, SMART SAMENA would usher in a new era of service and customer focus. For
example, it would enable financial firms to provide real-time virtual payment platforms; governments to seamlessly engage
with their citizens and provide one-window clearance services; and utilities and transport companies to better manage their
costs and demand, while reducing traffic jams and electricity outages (see Exhibit 6).
Exhibit 6: Selected Sector Benefits of SMART SAMENA

Source: Booz & Company analysis

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

11

Policy Imperatives for SMART SAMENA

Of course, the digitization of a region is an expensive and long-term undertaking. It will take the countries of SAMENA
region the remainder of this decade to achieve SMART SAMENA and fully capture the rich potential of digitization.
SMART SAMENA will not happen by itself. Coordinated actions will be needed by major stakeholder groups that often
have conflicting agendas. To bring this about, the national governments of the SAMENA region will need to establish
policies that will provide leadership and guidelines aimed at bringing together stakeholders and focusing their efforts on
achieving SMART SAMENA. The development of a comprehensive ICT policy is essential for improving a countrys
digitization level. Toward this end, the SAMENA Telecommunications Council analyzed the national ICT policies in the
SAMENA region based on their breadth and depth and compared them to best-in-class policies elsewhere in the world
(see Exhibit 7).

An assessment of ten representative SAMENA countries revealed that:

ICT policies and programs are still nascent and have significant room for improvement in seven of the ten countries.
Some countries lack policies all together, while others are relying on legacy policies that address telecommunications
as opposed to digitization with its broader ecosystem.
Countries with existing ICT policies could better address specific dimensions, including knowledge capital, ICT skills,
content development, and demand stimulation.
In general, the ICT policies in the region are not adequately addressing the issue of sectoral digitization. Some
emphasize ICTs role in government and education, but opportunities exist in expanding ICTs enabling role to other
sectors.
Most policies in the region lack measurable targets, key performance indicators, and progress monitoring tools that are
essential for instilling accountability and driving execution.
Exhibit 7: ICT Policies in Ten Representative SAMENA Countries Need Improvement

Source: Booz & Company analysis

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SAMENA Telecommunications Council

There are five policy objectives necessary to enable SMART SAMENA: a sustainable, innovative, and secure ICT sector;
managed and risk-mitigated sectoral digitization; advanced investment of knowledge, human, and financial capital; regional
and local collaboration platforms and stakeholder engagement models; and tracking and monitoring mechanisms for
instilling accountability and driving execution (see Exhibit 8).
Exhibit 8: Five Policy Objectives for SMART SAMENA

Sustainable, Innovative, and Secure ICT Sector: The ICT sector is and will continue to be the engine that drives
digitization, making the sustainability of the sector and, in particular, telecom industry a key objective of national digitization
policies.
Further, the magnitude of the investment that the ICT sector will be required to make to achieve SMART SAMENA needs
to be balanced against the growth and profit potential of the sector. It will require an estimated $235 billion in capital
investment to achieve SMART SAMENA by 2020, the bulk of which will have to come from the ICT sector and, in many
cases, telecom operators.
While Digitization will unlock significant revenue opportunities for ICT sector, generating an additional $300 billion market,
unlocking this opportunity requires significant upfront investment in an environment which is constantly evolving. Bulk
of these investments would need to come from heavily regulated and taxed telecom sector, which is currently struggling to
balance long term high investment growth opportunities, with shareholder pressures on delivering short term returns. Policy
would need to account for this dichotomy in investment and return horizon, ensuring sector is able to generate a fair risk
adjusted return for its investment.
Developing the future digital infrastructure would require a measured assessment of the resilience of the assets at a national
level. In an era of cyber espionage and evermore sophisticated cyber-attacks, ensuring security of the digital economy is
essential to national competiveness and to the vibrancy of the ICT sector.
Managed and Risk-Mitigated Sectoral Digitization: SMART SAMENA will require substantial infrastructure investment
and transformation across multiple sectors and geographies. National ICT policy will need to ensure that these transitions are
properly managed and that the risks they entail are mitigated to as large a degree as possible. This is the only way that the
SAMENA region can avoid potentially disastrous missteps, such the widely-publicized failure of the Nation Heath Services
11 billion e-health platform in the U.K.
In sectors, such as energy, healthcare, education, transportation, financial services, and utilities, where massive government
and private-sector expenditures will be needed to achieve SMART SAMENA, policy makers must ensure that the changes
required by digitization are thoroughly considered and coordinated. National policies should establish effective management
and risk mitigation measures to ensure the successful digital transformations. For instance, policy makers may need to define
standards for emerging technologies, such as near field communication and smart meters, which will not only boost the
adoption of these services, but also significantly reduce the deployment and transition risks for the investors and customers.
Advanced ICT Capital: SMART SAMENA will require substantial investments of knowledge, human, and financial capital.
As stated above, it will require an estimated investment of $235 billion by 2020 for an overall return that would be 5.3 times
larger in GDP growth alone (see Exhibit 9). While the investment will largely be made by the ICT sector, the benefits of this
capital investment will be shared across all economic sectors, and the governments of the SAMENA region.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

13

Exhibit 9: SMART SAMENA Requires a Financial Investment of $253 Billion by 2020 (in billions)

Not all of this capital will go to large organizations with strong balance sheets; some will be needed by the small start-ups
and SMEs that will provide last-mile services in the drive to accelerate digitization. Thus, policy makers need to create the
foundation for a robust financial capital ecosystem that is capable of funding both small start-ups and large infrastructure
projects. Many of the countries in the SAMENA region already have strong funding vehicles, such as the UAEs TRA ICT
Fund, but these vehicles may need to be repurposed to plug gaps in the current funding ecosystem.
SMART SAMENA will require access to strong knowledge capital, which can be facilitated through advanced ICT training
programs, R&D initiatives, and the development and protection of intellectual property. ICT policy also should encourage
entrepreneurship through skill development, facilitate the conduct business, and provide avenues for business incubation.
Regional and Local Collaboration Platforms: To successfully achieve large-scale national and regional transformations,
such as SMART SAMENA, policy makers must bring stakeholders together, provide the means for them to share best
practices and lessons learnt, and assist them in assessing progress and making course corrections.
Collaboration is needed among policy makers to drive the digitization agenda across sectors. For example, the integration of
ICT in schools will require collaboration between education and ICT policy makers in order to effectively drive the demand
for and supply of digitization solutions in the education sector. Collaboration is need between regulators and standard-setting
organizations to ensure scale, For example, the adoption of mobile payment solutions can be accelerated if there is alignment
between financial sector and ICT sector regulators. And finally, there must be collaboration between private and public
players to better balance risk and return and support co-investment.
Toward these ends, national and regional collaboration platforms have to be created and an effective dialogue process must
be institutionalized. National platforms could take the form of a national digitization council, which meets quarterly under
the stewardship of senior national leadership to discuss developments. Regional collaboration forums that are focused on
digitization progress could also be facilitated by external organizations, such as the SAMENA Telecommunications Council,
through existing and new working groups.
Tracking and monitoring mechanisms: Finally, a comprehensive national ICT policy will instill accountability and drive
execution by monitoring and measuring digitization progress, and using this feedback to redirect resources and improve
results as necessary. Toward this end, policy should set key performance indicators and develop impact measurement tools.
It should institutionalize progress-monitoring mechanisms to foster accountability and drive execution. And, it should ensure
that these mechanisms and indeed, all aspects of the policy itself are explicitly aligned to the national agenda.

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Conclusion

SMART SAMENA represents a tremendous opportunity for the SAMENA region. In addition to significant benefits in terms
of GDP growth and job creation, it promises to enlist and unleash the potential of the 200 million young people living in the
region, with all of the benefit to their communities, their countries, and the world at large that implies.
Given the large investment and the required collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, the magnitude of the
challenge in achieving SMART SAMENA may seem daunting. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile effort. Indeed it may be an
inevitable effort: Digitization may be the only way to create sustainable economic growth and employment opportunities for
the millions of people who are expected to enter SAMENAs labor markets in the next decade.
Our hopes for this report are twofold: First, that it will provide a platform for discussion and collaboration among all of the
stakeholders who have an interest in the accelerated digitization of the SAMENA region; and second, that it will provide
some direction as the countries in the SAMENA region consider and devise the ICT policies necessary to achieve SMART
SAMENA.

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

15

About SAMENA Council

SAMENA
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL

BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES

SAMENA Telecommunications Council is a tri-regional, non-profit telecommunications association that represents over
40 telecommunications operators in 25 markets, representing an aggregate subscriber base of 790 million mobile users,
including mobile broadband users, 79 million fixed-line users, and 22 million fixed broadband users. The Councils
membership embodies a community of telecom operators, manufacturers, government bodies, academia, and leading global
management consultancy organizations. SAMENAs Board of Directors and member companies include the largest regional
operators and global multi-network operators as well as new competitive entrants. SAMENA focuses on digitization and
broadband investment policies, and aims to promote beneficial regulation and governance that further industry evolution, as
well as cooperation among key ICT industry stakeholders.
For further information please visit:
www.samenacouncil.org
Contact SAMENA Communication at:
+971 4 364 2700 or
E-mail: communications@samenacouncil.org

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SAMENA Telecommunications Council

Study Information & Overview

The findings of the SAMENA Councils regional ICT Policy Assessment and Digitization Study have been compiled in a full
regional-level report as well as 10 country-level policy and digitization analyses.

The study allows for:

The observation of existing digital dimensions across economic sectors within the SAMENA economies;
The evaluation of maturity of ICT policy across 25 markets of the SAMENA region, with detailed case-study focus on
the largest regional ICT markets;
Corroborating the need to accelerate digitization;
Developing an understanding as to how urgently-placed focus on policy-change can dramatically increase digitization
gains in countries.
Country-specific policy and digitization analyses are available for the following countries:

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Bahrain

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Pakistan

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Egypt

Jordan

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Qatar

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Kuwait

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Saudi Arabia

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Turkey

SAMENA Telecommunications Council

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

Oman

ICT POLICY
ASSESSMENT &
Digitization Study

UAE

17

For inquiries and details about the SAMENA Councils study

and purchase of country pack, please contact:

Izhar Ahmad

Director, Government & External Relations

(Study Co-coordinator)
Email: izhar@samenacouncil.org
Tel: +92 333 557 5122

Rola Osseiran

Director, Marketing & Communication

Email: rola@samenacouncil.org
Tel: +971 4 364 2700

www.samenacouncil.org