Shura council approves draft telecommunications and information technology regulatory law
Muscat: The Majlis Ash'shura approved the draft telecommunications and information technology regulatory law which was referred by the government, on Monday.
The draft telecommunications regulation law includes 10 chapters and 56 articles aiming to regulate the telecommunications sector in the related services.
The council also reviewed the vision of the Public Services and Utilities Committee regarding a number of draft agreements. These included a draft agreement between the government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of the Republic of South Africa in the field of maritime transport as well as a draft cooperation agreement between the government of the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Tunisia also in the field of maritime transport.
Also discussed at the meeting were two reports prepared by the Media, Tourism and Culture Committee that aim at maximizing the economic revenues from some archaeological sites listed on the World Heritage List. The council reviewed a proposal for establishing personal communication channels by the Ministry of Information.
Regarding the draft telecommunications regulation law, Dr Hamoud al Yahyaei, head of the Public Services and Utilities Committee of Majlis Ash'shura, said that the committee studied the law in collaboration with specialists working in the field and a comparison was made with other laws in developed countries to reach the best formula that serves the sector. He stressed that the new law reflects the latest legislative developments in this field and aims to upgrade the telecommunications sector in the Sultanate of Oman.
Al Yahyaei pointed out that the council approved the vision of the Public Services and Utilities Committee regarding the two maritime transport agreements between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Tunisia which aim to regulate maritime transport and enhance economic and maritime cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman and these two countries.
Al Yahyaei explained that these agreements will enable the Omani ports to benefit from shipping lines with these countries thus spurring economic and tourism activities. He noted that maritime transport in the Sultanate of Oman is witnessing continuous development and that the Omani ports have a strategic location, stressing that direct agreements with these countries will cut transportation costs and enhance the efficiency of commercial operations.
Text by Khalid bin Mohammed al Balushi
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