Creating local Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions will hasten Saudi Arabia's transition to an innovation-driven, knowledge-based economy as part of the Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to diversify the economy and increase the private sector's contribution to the national GDP. The Saudi government's digital transformation is a crucial, conclusive, and practical strategy that intends to facilitate and expedite the government's transformation effectively and efficiently in line with Vision 2030. Numerous e-government programs and initiatives have 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.

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The proprietary training material delivered during a very collaborative five-day exercise with Saudi Arabia’s ICT regulator – CST, was based on the ITU/World Bank digital regulation framework. The training sessions were structured to allow participants to be better equipped to navigate the emerging challenges of digital transformation while protecting users and creating a competitive environment for 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 better understand the collaborative approaches to regulation and gaining insights on the latest developments and global trends.

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To better understand the generation and evolution of digital regulation and its effects on markets, policy and regulatory frameworks, businesses, and consumers, the training delivered to CST and other relevant stakeholders encompassed 12 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 set to resume throughout the rest of the year.