Bucharest - Romanian

The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), organized yesterday a reception for member states participating in the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), held in the Romanian capital Bucharest until October 14.

The ceremony, which was attended by HE Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, witnessed various ITU partners and participants in the Conference, as well as major international companies, institutions, and centers specialized in communications and modern technology.

The ceremony was also attended by HE Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General, and HE Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the new ITU Secretary-General, who was elected last Thursday for this position, in addition to a number of representatives of the communications and information technology sectors from GCC countries and others across the world.

During the reception, which included a dinner in honor of the member states, Qatar's strategies in the field of digital transformation and the development of the telecommunications infrastructure in the country were reviewed.

The Conference is the supreme policy-making body of the ITU and it meets once every four years to adopt strategic and financial plans for the four years and elect the organization's senior management team, Member States of the Council, and members of the Radio Regulations Board.

In a speech delivered during the ceremony, HE Houlin Zhao expressed his gratitude for the State of Qatar, represented by MCIT and CRA, for organizing the reception, and praised the great strides made by the country in the field of digital transformation and the establishment of an ICT infrastructure that made it one of leading countries in this field.

During the reception, there was a presentation on the factors that qualify the State of Qatar to host the PP-22 Conference for the year 2026, as Qatar enjoys an ambitious national vision for sustainable development in the future, which is illustrated in Qatar National Vision 2030 and is partly founded on the commitment to digital transformation and innovation, while Qatar stays up-to-date with all the international connectivity and digital transformation goals of the ITU Strategy 2018-2022.

Qatar’s capabilities in the telecommunications sector were also discussed, as the country has deployed 5G technologies on a large scale, relying on optical fiber connectivity by 93% and investing heavily in satellite networks. Qatar has also been classified as a world leader in the adoption of the Internet, with a high speed by 99%.

Qatar is also strategically located at the intersection of Europe, Africa, and Asia, which means that 80% of the earth's population is located within six hours by plane from the Qatari capital, Doha, while the country has a proven track record in organizing and hosting major conferences of the ITU, with recent examples including the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) in 2006, Connect Arab Summit 2012, and WTDC in 2014.

It was also emphasized during the presentation that was part of the reception that the FIFA World Cup 2022, which Qatar will host at the end of next November, will showcase not only the best international football talents, but also the best of the Qatari hospitality aspects, as we welcome about 3 million visitors from all over the globe. This hosting is a unique opportunity to experience a wide range of technological innovations from advanced broadcast equipment to state-of-the-art infrastructure and multi-show streaming services that will transform the fan experience.

It was also stressed that the upcoming ITU PP Conference will be an important event for all ITU Member States, as this meeting will be the last one to take place, before we reach the current deadline of the sustainable development goals for the year 2030 and assess our progress in achieving them.