Digital Regulation Training for Saudi Arabia

Digital Regulation Training for Saudi Arabia

Creating local Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions was expected to hasten Saudi Arabia's transition to an innovation-driven, knowledge-based economy as part of the Vision 2030 initiative, which aimed to diversify the economy and increase the private sector's contribution to the national GDP. The Saudi government's digital transformation was a crucial, conclusive, and practical strategy that intended to facilitate and expedite the government's transformation effectively and efficiently in line with Vision 2030. Numerous e-government programs and initiatives adopted this transformation, empowering and assisting multiple government organizations and authorities. To this end, TIV’s experts were part of a team hired by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the Digital Regulatory Academy (DRA) of the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi Arabia to design and conduct a digital regulation training program.

The proprietary training material was delivered during a highly collaborative five-day exercise with Saudi Arabia’s ICT regulator – CST, and was based on the ITU/World Bank digital regulation framework. The training sessions were structured to equip participants to navigate the emerging challenges of digital transformation more effectively, while protecting users and fostering a competitive environment that would have enabled the private sector to thrive. The training sessions also included participants from other relevant regulatory authorities dealing with digital regulatory affairs, mainly from National Regulatory Committee (NRC) members in Saudi Arabia and private sector players in Saudi Arabia’s ICT and digital markets, to understand the collaborative approaches to regulation better and gain insights on the latest developments and global trends.

To better understand the generation and evolution of digital regulation and its impact on markets, policy, and regulatory frameworks, as well as on businesses and consumers, the training delivered to CST and other relevant stakeholders encompassed 12 key topics. These ranged from data protection and trust, infrastructure sharing, spectrum management, regulatory responses, sandboxes, and digital transformation strategies based on international best practices. The first round of training sessions delivered to CST by TIV’s experts was a resounding success, with follow-up training sessions scheduled to resume throughout the rest of the year.