Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 37 | Page 12

NEWS CRA and AICTO discuss ICT collaboration T he Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) in Qatar and the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization (AICTO) are discussing future collaborative working in the field of IT. and enrich common policies and strategies to develop vital technological domains. His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al-Mannai, President of CRA, has met with Engineer Mohamed Ben Amor, Secretary-General of AICTO, to discuss aspects of future bilateral co-operation between the two organisations in the arena of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The meeting was held in accordance with CRA’s aim to better communicate and work together with related Arab and international organisations, in order to exchange experiences and keep up with the latest developments in the field. CRA believes this will contribute to the development of Qatar’s ICT sector. AICTO is an Arab governmental organisation, headquartered in Tunis, the capital of the Republic of Tunisia, and working under the umbrella of the League of Arab States. It aims to develop ICT sectors throughout the Arab region and provide the necessary mechanisms to support co-operation and complementary activities between AICTO members, and promote ////////////////// Advisory Council discusses establishing media city T he Advisory Council in Qatar has discussed the establishment of a specialised media city focussing on digital media. Under a draft law, the proposed media city would have its own budget with the aim of managing and developing media activity. magazines and books for eligible companies. Following the discussion, the Advisory Council decided to refer the draft law to the Information and Cultural Affairs Committee for consideration. Earlier this year, the cabinet had approved a draft law on the establishment of the media city, which also has the aim of supporting and encouraging projects and establishing investment funds in the media. Ultimately, it would seek to attract international media, technology companies, research and training institutions in the fields of traditional media and digital media. It also aims to ‘achieve economic and professional integration with various state projects and provide an interactive environment with licensed companies working in the media city.’ These companies would have the authority to grant licenses for television and radio broadcasting, as well as licenses for the publishing and distribution of newspapers, 12 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com