TRA wins best Regulatory Initiative in MENA award for Batelco separation

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) won the “Regulatory Initiative of the Year” award in MENA region at CommsMEA’s annual Awards ceremony in Dubai. The awards focus on a number of categories encompassing the ICT sector, highlighting the most prominent achievements of the Industry throughout the region.

“The significance of the separation project can’t be overstated,” says Shaikh Nasser Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Acting General Director of TRA. The project, in simple terms, splits Batelco into two separate entities independent of each other. The newly formed “B NET” is a wholesale organisation managing Bahrain’s Broadband infrastructure, and Batelco is one of the existing operators which lease this infrastructure.

“We now have a more even playing field in terms of competition among operators,” said Shaikh Nasser Bin Mohamed. He expressed confidence that the move will contribute to Bahrain “becoming the strategic investment destination of choice and a regional Centre for information technology and digital communications.”

“No country in the Middle East North Africa region has accomplished this yet, with only seven countries achieving this worldwide. Even so, none have accomplished this task in the two years it took the Kingdom of Bahrain to see it through.” Accepting the award, Shaikh Nasser said, “This isn’t just a win for the TRA, it’s a win for consumers, for investors and the government.”